Having Fun Tonight .......6/16/11

    Good evening, all,

How was your day? I'm investing in myself this evening. I'm getting support from friends and will later have fun, including seeing a first-run movie, for free. Let me hear from you, I enjoy the interactions we share. Some of you, I haven't heard from, in awhile.

     My gratitudes:

1. Fantastic weather today: in the mid-seventies again, with no humidity
2. My car runs well. (It was in the shop last week.) I appreciate the convenience and stability a car provides, at least practically. I can go where I want and know I'll be able to get there.
3. I'll see my oldest son, later this evening. I'm always glad when we have a chance to be together.

Seeing Progress ...............6/15/11

   Good evening and good morning to my Right Coaster, Midwestern and east of the U.S. friends,
How you be? I got in minutes ago after spending time with others this evening. It does wonders to this soul, coming across, encountering vibrant community in the course of a day.

My gratitudes for Wednesday:

1. I met with four clients today. In three cases, they are  making progress.  The fourth was a new client, always a good thing.  With this last client, we'll meet again Friday.  I love it when the lights go on within those I work with, as they tackle the challenges they're facing.

Marks of a Spiritual Awakening .....................6/14/11

Image: "Duckset" by Tim Blessed, © all rights reserved, used by permission. 

       Good evening, everyone, 

Isn't that an exceptional photo, above? It looks like a painting, doesn't it? Tim Blessed,  is a magnificent photographer.  Isn't it amazing, the beauty found in nature? One mark of having a spiritual awakening is that: 

"Moments of appreciation of little things happen more frequently. Some of us experience feelings of connection with and delight in nature, or find ourselves relaxing and going with the flow."

   Isn't it tragic, those who surrender their lives

Life Affirming Relationships: How We Get Them ..............................6/14/11

Like the slow unfurling of flowers that feel the warm
presence of the sun, so is the growth of a true friendship.

      The following continues thoughts I have resulting from dining with a gang of guys last Wednesday.  I'm including a bit of what I wrote that evening and I go from there.
      What I wrote earlier:

      I visited and ate dinner with a group of men who had attended tonight's event. I know the routine, what it's like to be with men, since I'm of that species and a former jock.  But, it's not something I've done in a long while, going beyond

Letting Go & Letting God II (And, Today Is a Special Day!) 6/13/11

"Everything on Earth is woven together in an intricate connection-the choices of nations, the actions of world leaders, the state of nature and the environment, the choices of individuals. How all these factors connect and move together affects the course of history. We all have a role to play, what we do makes a difference; it matters. Everybody counts!" (The photographer's caption for this picture.)

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      Hello, to the readers from Germany and Malaysia, thanks for dropping by.
I hope all visitors of this inn are having a great day, I know I am.  May I offer you tea? This is a special day. Today is our third month anniversary, this blog is but a baby!

A Marvelous Weather Day

    Good evening, night owls and early birds,
I just got in. All day, I've been gone. How are you doing? I'm tuckered out.

My gratitudes for Sunday.

 1.  The weather was glorious today. I'm thankful for living in a place where the weather was in the mid seventies, there was a breeze and no humidity. Some of you guys will have to tell me what that word means. We don't experience it, in the Bay Area.
2.   I was able to do research

Handling Conflict with Grace and Some Questions for YOU 6/12/11

      Hey, let me know what you think of this video link from psychologist John Townsend. He's an author I respect. To see it, click here.

Questions I have for you: 

1. What do you do, to resolve conflict?

Relating With the Emotionally Fevered ....6/11/11

     Good evening everyone, a special welcome to the visitor from Germany!

Tonight's topic I'll get to, in just a  minute. But, first, I want to check in.  Alexander's death, I'm accepting, slowly and grudgingly.  Today, I got away from the events of this week by haunting what is fast becoming my favorite places for tea, Abigail Cafe. It faces the bay with the jagged, mountainous  San Francisco Peninsula as the backdrop to this body of water. Little varmints poke their heads up, in the foreground, along the shoreline. Taking in the view, sipping Moroccan tea while chatting with a friend, helped me unwind from the drama

Suffering Loss, Detaching With Love, Winning the Grand Prix of Life ............6/9/11 Alexander Part IV

    Hello everyone,

I'll talk about winning the Grand Prix in just a minute, after these comments and my gratitudes.  First, I want to process my feelings.

     This was not a good night.

Expressing Feelings of Loss

A Rare Occurrence for the Innkeeper

       Regarding words, a stickler I can be. I did not greet you with a "good evening" tonight, my usual intro. It's not; Alexander the Grey(t) died tonight.

       For those who don't know, he was a cat I dearly loved.  I have been tending to this Russian Blue with hospice care for six months. For more info, please read this post, this here, or click the blue link in the previous paragraph.

       A pall envelopes me as I write.  I'm at his house.  In the living room, he lies lifeless. I already miss him.
       I loved his quietly persistent and curmudgeon personality.  The latter was a facade.  Despite his serious-looking mug, he was a junkie for

A Scene from Home Improvement .......6/8/11

My gratitudes for today:

  Welcome to my friends from Denmark, Germany and Malaysia. I hope you are doing well. May I ask you to share your gratitudes? Please feel free to do so in your language, that would be terrific! Here's to having a great and grateful day. 

      This evening, I spoke for a half hour. Having a spiritual awakening, was the topic. No, it wasn't a church service. It was a public meeting for people who want to learn how to cope with the challenges they face in life. Many have friends, neighbors, co-workers or family members who are addicts, alcoholics or people who are controlling, perfectionistic, skilled manipulators or emotionally abusive. Other than that,