Letter about Party

Dear Friends of the Heart,

Here is a letter from one of the blessed "moms" who came to our Mother's
Day Celebration of Love:

"Dear shi and Adamaria,

I had such a good time at your Mother's Day party today. As always, I
love to come to visit you guys, because both of you are so funny,
interesting AND LOVING! I know I am loved by both of you, and I can feel
it..... and it feels soooo good!

I am so very, very happy and grateful to have you guys in my life. You
truly are family to me.

Again, thank you for making this day so WONDERFUL!

Love you both,

*******

Sunday's Assorted Pleasures: Keeping Friendships Strong

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Thanks so much, dear friends, for having come to our delightful and joyful Celebration of Mother's Day at the Pneumarium. Social events such as this help weave, interweave, and maintain the important connections between the lives of the people who love each other, as we do!:):) Life would be so much poorer without them, and the many opportunities for Love-sharing that they bring.
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Decision Time, Again

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Thus, we have returned to Square One re staying in the earthstage and earthdrama. At the moment, it is still "up in the air." Many interior forces are conjoining to form a decision, but none has formed yet. But it would be to deny the higher Self to say that it is not time again to consider leaving this dreamworld behind.

At the moment, there seem to be simply too many factors converging. These must be sorted out, and the will of Love determined for this donkey. Any feedback is welcome, as God speaks to us by means of our friends, and not always in the quiet privacy of the heart.
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Friendship

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Brother Libra could not agree with you more when it comes to a reliable
friendship. The average person has not a clue when it comes to lasting,
productive, creative interchanges of friendship. Perhaps it is no
exaggeration to say even that the average person is ill-equipped to form
a lasting, reliable friendship. For a good friendship requires positive
selfesteem, and good friends allow each other to make mistakes, as we all
do.

They will not take it personally if you are human, as in, "to err is
human." They will not "go ballistic" if you do make an error, and will
not "declare war" on you. They will not take everything "personally," as
in, "Everything that she says, she says to hurt me."

A wise, spiritual, mature human being will forgive the mis-spoken word,
and move on, with a desire to repair or rebuild the friendship in any way
possible, if it has been damaged. She will stick with you, through
"thick and thin," as you note. She is not looking for an "escape hatch"
to cancel or neutralize the friendship. (People of low selfesteem are
always looking to "escape" or "get rid of" a friendship because, deep
down, they do not feel that they "deserve" a friendship with a good,
honest, or sincere person. So, they will jump at any opportunity to
sabotage a friendship, or otherwise, sadly, to exit it.)
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Fw: Letter from a Friend

Thanks to Cindaluna Miller.
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I am glad that you are staying focused on being happy. So many people wander around wondering why we are here, and what we need to do in order to be "right" with God/Goddess. After 62 years and coming out of a cult, I have decided that what God/Goddess wants from us is to be happy living.
If we can find and maintain our appreciation for life (whether we are alone or with someone) we are in sync with the will of God/Goddess. When you remember that "God is Love" then it also means that "Love is God", so, if we are loving, we are in the vibration of Godness.

In our society, to be in a meaningful relationship is the "all important"
factor. But, sometimes we are alone, and that aloneness is just as important, because we have that precious time to fall in love with ourselves. Loving every little imperfection, loving our mistakes (learning experiences), and being the best people that we can be. The more we accept who we are and forgive what we are not, the more room we receive to grow into. Loving who you are today requires forgiveness for everyone in our past, because who we are today was shaped by those that knew us yesterday.

Some of our experiences [in] growing have been difficult, but, it has been those trails that have helped us to become more compassionate, loving, caring-- in a nutshell, to become worthwhile human [beings]. If our lives were free of difficulties, we would be very shallow and the kind of person [towards whom] no one would feel gravitat[ional attraction]. Our trails are like precious pearls that were formed from a small bit of sand (aggravation). And as [in] a beautiful necklace, each one of those pearls is separated with knots. The knots keep those pearls
(aggravations) from touching each other. For each pearl is so important to our Spiritual beauty. When we meet someone that is in the process of building a pearl, we can relate and help her. We can't help her "make"
the pearl, but we can assist in holding her hand in compassion and letting her know how beautiful it will be when the work is finished.

Write to me when you can. I do so want you to be happy, so whatever you need to do to find and keep that happiness, do it! Happiness is the reward for each breath we take, for each breath is an opportunity given to us to love ourselves and those we meet.

I am so sorry that you have been blue and afraid. You have to remember who you are. You are a wonderful and loving woman. The Universe has not forgotten who you are, but your fear and your sadness will work against you. They are like walls, It is hard to not be afraid and sometimes it is difficult to stop from being sad. It takes a lot of strength to decide to be happy, but happiness is a choice. I know that sounds so cavalier. It's not that you have welcomed sadness, but, it has taken up residency in your heart and it is up to you to boot it out. The best way to get fear and unhappiness out is to start with determination that you WANT, DESIRE and will not accept anything less than happiness. With that determination, begin to write a list of the things that you have to be thankful for; and THEN, add to that list.

What I found to be amazing is the importance of being grateful for the small things, the bird singing outside my window, or the beauty of a sunset, and to really feel it inside your heart. The more you can fill yourself with gratitude and beauty the less room there will be for sadness. The more you bring to yourself the thoughts of happiness the more there will be for you to be happy about.

Energy is attracted to its own. When you project your feelings of well being, there will be more that will be attracted to you, including a partner in life. Who are you looking for? What are his qualities?...
Write it down, cut pictures out of your dream. You are the book, you decide what you want to be inside. And most importantly, relax. Let the Universe take care, you just keep your welcome matt out.

I agree, if your job is causing you to feel negative, then it is time for you to move on to something that is more satisfying to your soul. If you're sad, wear bright colored clothes, watch a comedy, go for a walk, read a good book, exercise the excess stress off. Don't allow anything negative to stick to you, be like Teflon instead of a magnet. This is your life, protect yourself from the people who would like to bring you down to their level. You have the power, but you have given it away to other people or to situations. BRING IT BACK!

Stella met David in the mall, What are the chances of meeting a single dentist walking around in the mall? And Stella's biggest complaint was "How can I ever meet anyone when I work all the time?" Well when it's time it just happens, and it happens without pushing.

Please let me know if any of this sounds right for you.

Do keep in touch, I would love to know what is going on in your corner of the world.

Write when you can.
*******


It really is hot, but it could be worse. I was here when it was 120, so I guess 111 isn't all that bad. But I'm still getting out of here.
Going to San Diego today and will be there for 2 weeks. I just got back from Michigan where Tom and I took care of his 2 grand daughters while the parents went to Cabo for their long awaited Honeymoon. After 10 Days of Child Duty, I went to Ohio for a week to see some friends that I hadn't seen in 3 years. I had a wonderful experience there. They took me to a Llama farm. Got some wonderful pictures of the Llamas and me interacting. They are really a lot of fun. I love their attitude. They are so not good looking, but they project an air of confidence and beauty. I got the opportunity to kiss them, hug them and just have fun.
You should see the pictures. In fact if I can get Tom to help me with the computer and my camera, maybe I can send them to you. What a blast.

I'm so glad that you like the crystal ball. I used to really get into energy transfer, and using crystals, but, anymore I just haven't taken the needed time. You know, everything we have/own, is just on loan until we either give it away voluntarily or it is given away by someone that doesn't have a clue as to it's importance or value. When you said that you loved it, I knew it was being called to a new home. Hope it will help you in any way that you see fit.

good to see her happy.

It looks like we all have to focus on you[r] finding true love.... Lets do something to get the Universe to take notice. What do you have in mind? With all of the energy from Arizona, something should work. But, in the meantime, the best advice I can give is "Be Happy" Happiness seems to generate more happiness. You are a beautiful woman who has a lot to give, so, just hold on and keep your positive attitude

Write to me when you can.

Love,
Cinda

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Love and Selflove

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You can do only so much for friends. If you push yourself beyond that limit, then you might help friends but harm yourself. So, the Way of compassion tells us to give all that we can to others, but not to give so much that it "hurts." Give and give and give; this is the Way of generosity, an important kind of Love. But always ask yourself, "Is this hurting me or my kids?" If the answer is yes, then you are likely giving too much. The equation set up by Jesus applies here: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you love your neighbor less, then you have broken the promise of Love; but if you love your neighbor more, you have also broken the selfcovenant of Love. All truth is found in balance, in the Middle Way.
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Friendship and Selfesteem

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What are the connections between friendship and selfesteem? They are many and important. It requires a certain minimum or modicum of selfesteem to maintain a lasting friendship. Even to form a healthy friendship requires at least some healthy selfesteem.

For if you believe, "I really do not deserve a friendship with this fine person, for I am unworthy," then, you begin a subconscious search for an "escape" from the friendship. You might, in borderline paranoia, examine emails for "hidden motives," or even for "attacks," where clearly, none is intended. You might, in an extension of illness, confuse mistakes with deliberate attacks against you.

Secretly, you might want to "attack before you are attacked." You are really seeking an "escape hatch" to permit you to exit the friendship before your "inadequacies" are discovered or revealed.

An astonishing number of even very "successful" people suffer from this absence of positive selfesteem. They often try to hide, or cover, it with professional success, but, deep down, the fires of selfloathing cannot be quenched. They sometimes try to remain "super-busy," so that they do not see this uncomfortable fact about themselves, but, again, deep down, they know the facts about their own selfrejection and selfcondemnation.

They are not "evil." They are not "inadequate" or "unworthy," but their internal programs that they are continue to run like a taped program that plays itself over and over again. They simply cannot "get comfortable" in a healthy relationship with a healthy person. In fact, they resent the mental, emotional, or spiritual health of those who are successful at interpersonal relationships (friendships). In time, subconsciously, they become "anti-friendship." They start to see friendship, a form of Love-- the human being's best friend-- as the "enemy." They begin to hate friendship (Love) because they are too dysfunctional to handle it.

Bonding in friendship with a selfloathing person is almost imppossible; and she herself guarantees that any bonds will never last very long. For she sabotages the friendship by continually expecting to be betrayed or abandoned. So, low selfesteem is made much worse by a terror of abandonment. (This often originates within the "interior child," the part of the mind that stopped growing at about age six.)

A person with healthy selfesteem will quickly forgive if her friend makes a mistake. But a person who is selfloathing will demand "perfection" from friends: No mistakes are allowed. (This is part of her pathology or illness.)

Human beings, because we are human beings, always make mistakes. The healthy person will not make a big deal about any mistake that her friends might make. She will not act in an alarmist fashion, as if a mistake means "the forever end of our friendship," or as if a mistake justifies an attitude of "war" with the former friend. The healthy person will kindly, warmly, and sincerely forgive any mistakes, and then, continue on with the friendship. For the mentally healthy, friendship is more important than mistakes; but for the mentally or emotionally ill, mistakes are more important, and powerful, than friendships. People of terrible selfesteem will hang on for dear life to any mistake, and will blow it up to immense proportions, never letting it "slide," and never forgetting, or forgiving.

For forgiveness is the response of a healthy mind; an unhealthy mind might well be too sick to practice forgiveness. Any mistake, in the unwell, unhealthy mind is the "end of the friendship," if not "of the world"! For inflating a mistake, and making it the center of the interaction with another, is a mark of mental illness.
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Knowing Another Person, Friendship, and Email

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I must sadly agree with you that no one can ever know the depths of another person. Parents of teens often discover this unhappy fact, asking, "What planet is she from?"

And, clearly, it is possible to know another only in a limited way via a relatively "crude" mechanism such as email. We might come to know an honest person sixty to eighty percent through regular emails, and emails tend to be sporadic rather than regular.:)

That's not so bad, really, when you consider that, with face-to-face, regular, interpersonal interactions with a person, you might come to know her only sixty to seventy percent, especially if she is an "enclosed" type.:)

So, email is an adequate tool after all. Of course, you cannot know the secret heart of the heart of a person unless she chooses to reveal it in words, with email. And even if she makes this choice, and tries, misunderstanding is still possible. For words are not perfect tools, especially for the expression of deeper realizations and sentiments, as is proved by Love-poetry, which seeks to express the deepest, but often fails, but still expresses feelings of great beauty.

As in most cases of friendship, however true, there might remain that unknown twenty to forty percent. Maybe it will never be revealed.

Happily, even the very best friendship does not depend upon one hundred percent knowing of the other friend!:) All that is necessary for two people to become, and to remain, friends, is for the both of them to express the desire to form, and then to maintain, that friendship. (Maintenance includes fairly regular emails and/or calls. It can also include cards, ecards, visits, and even small gifts when appropriate.)

The most valuable purpose of emails is that it can bring together two heartminds, who can explore what they share, or would like to share, in common. This is why email enriches our lives with so much fun! (It can be even a Lovexpression.)

So, there are things about you that I do not know, and things about me that you do not know. But that is not a regrettable thing; it can be the motive that keeps a friend interesting.:):)
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Coming to the Pneumarium

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You said that you were "feeling uneasy and a bit selfconscious about not coming to the Pneumarium." I believe that there is a good reason for this. For this is something that your deeper Mind really wants, and wants you, to do.:)

When we fulfill the deeper needs of the Soul, It consistently rewards us, with feelings of serenity, tranquility, peace, joy, and bliss. But if we act against Its needs, or neglect them, it can take a huge toll. We do not live as happily during the day, and we do not sleep as well at night.
We feel, deep down, that "there is something that I should do."

The Pneumarium gatherings are fun and easy. When we do not go, there is no human being that criticizes us, but, often, our own conscience does the work for you. It gently nudges you, over and over; only when that does not work does it produce a sense of slight but increasing anxiety.

If you did not eat, your body would naturally send you all kinds of signals, some of which nmight not be the most pleasant. Your mind/Soul also needs "spiritual food." Many churches and religions, like many books, do not provide this "spiritual food" at all, although they might claim to.

You, dear friend, are experiencing "hunger pangs" because you never let yourself partake of the "feasts" that we regularly share at the Pneumarium.:(

When I was in the cult, people were forced into "meeting attendance."
About a hundred people came to those dull meetings every week, despite the fact that they were boring to the point that you felt like committing hara kiri! And, several times a week, about a hundred people, out of a small-population town, showed up. Almost no one wanted to be there. Yet they regularly came, from a sense of loyalty to the cult. Their regularity often puts the people of Love, who are powerfully much more blessed, to shame!

We personally learned from the cult: We decided never to use guilt or anxiety to "pressure" our friends to attend the Pneumarium gatherings.
We even call them "gatherings" instead of "meetings," because we want nothing in common with the fearbased cult. But, the simple truth is
this:

When you miss our sharings as a family, you are doing harm to yourself; and you might be indirectly "harming" others as well, for everyone is uplifted by these gatherings. This violates the fine lifepattern called ahimsa, which is living without any harm to any living creature, including yourself. That "harm" can be mental, emotional, or spiritual rather than physical.

So, if you are feeling some anxiety, I am truly sorry to hear this. The Pneumarium gatherings, and the family, are never designed to create or support any form of anxiety. But I must also be honest and share with you that, in this case, I believe that this mild anxiety is generated by your Soul as a healthy signal that you are neglecting, and perhaps harming, It. Your Soul is complaining; and the only course of wisdom is to listen to It, and then, out of Love, to heal It! We are having another Pneumarium gathering on Sunday, April 27, and you are, as always, of course, invited.

We provide a clean, warm, comfortable place (cool in summer) with a free meal, free snacks, and continuous free coffee, or tea of many varieties.
We are trying to serve by making your spiritual education and growth-- the only things of real value in this world-- as "painless" and "effortless" as possible!

But coming to the Pneumarium regularly will take a little planning and structuring of your time, and nobody else is going to act like your "papa" or "mama" and do this for you! You are not a "child," and you do not need this! And I certainly have never had any interest in being anyone's "daddy."

So, your whole life can become far richer, far happier, and far more at peace. But it is going to take some microwork on your part. After all, a fulfilled and satisfied life does not "just happen." It is something that we must actively create by our choices! Now, you have a chance to give the most wonderful gift to your own Soul! This opportunity very rarely comes to us in this life! So, do yourself the greatest favor:
Plan to come to our celebrations of life and Love, sharing friendship and wisdom! You'll be very glad that you did!:)
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Love Our Treasure

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Love is the only real treasure that we have in this or any other life.
You cannot, dare not, depend on a job, or on money, or on material things. They can all let you down, for sure! But the Love of your friends, and your Love for them, is life's real jewel. This is the very essence of a good and happy life!:)

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A Valentine's Day Message: The Love of Your Life

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A person, especially if she is a being of Love, might, and probably should, have many friends!:) For friendship is the essence of practical, realistic Love on this tiny planet. Together with service, friendship is the most common, and beautiful, expression of Love.

The being of Love will have friends of both sexes. Some will be admired, some adored, and all, deeply appreciated, treasured, and beloved. But, among all these friends and acquaintances, only one can and will reach the zenith of her very best Love. And that is the monogamous, exclusive Lovepartner, the Soulcompanion of this life.

The Lovepartner or Lovecompanion remains at the center of the heart as a receiver of a magnificent, wonderful, blissful Love.

Among all, this Love is special, unique, and exquisite. For, unlike all other Loves, this one enjoys a deep sexual sharing. Sex is one of the many ways that the being of Love celebrates the Power of Love in her life.

But, to be the best that it can be, sexual Love requires a special and exclusive vow to share sexually with only one's Lovepartner. Unlike the terrible conditions of primitive and ancient cultures (David, Moses, and even the great Solomon married more than one person, practicing polygamy), the conditions of the modern world permit a deeper, more lasting, more exclusive Love. One of the many reasons that this Love is the "diamond" of Love is its exclusivity. This prevents its degeneration into commonality, and its becoming "ordinary," or even boring.

As we age, sexual drives and appetites lesson somewhat, but they are energized and enormously enriched by a greater Love as we grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The lover becomes the "local" Lovexpression of God or Goddess. For more, and better, Love is invested in her heart than in any other in the world. And if we are very lucky, the Lovecompanion is a being of loyalty, intelligence, humor, wisdom, spirituality, and related jewels. This has been the case in this life, and, on Valentine's Day-- as well as on every other-- these facts are celebrated!

So, although we do not worship our Lovepartners, we can and do worship through our Love for them. So, let us vow deep within the heart to renew our Love, to make it new and bright, during this special season. Let us forgive and forget imperfections. For, if we wish ever to be forgiven, we must forgive.

Let's rediscover our "young hearts" and love with the entire heart and mind. Let us create peace, tranquility, and bliss-- all of which arise from only Love. Let us gift our beloved with the deepest, surest, brightest, and warmest Love of a clean, Loveinspired heartmind! Let us remember Love, in every moment, never daring to forget that It is Life Itself. Let us dig deeply within the heart to retrieve a joy that is beyond this world, that is supernatural-- the bliss of Love!
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Pneumarium Report

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We had a joy-filled, joyful, wonderful hypermegasuperblast at the Pneumarium today! Barb and Dave Reaman and John and Patty Vidmar came, and so did Linda, Albert, and Pat! We had not seen these dear friends for quite some time! We laughed and laughed! Everyone got "high"!:):) We did have brief periods of more serious talk, but they did not last long!:):) It was a beautiful day outside, but we were all thrilled and overjoyed to be inside, sipping our warm coffee and tea! Wish you could have been here! You missed a beautiful, energizing, healing afternoon full of fun! We had more fun than a barrel of elephants!:):)
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Friendship, Simplicity, and Materialism

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Living in simplicity is a standard principle of true spirituality. It is anti-greed, anti-grasping, anti-clinging, and represents great interior freedom to the person who drops her glue-like attachment to too many material things. We desperately need to replace "velcromind," which sticks to everything, with teflonmind, which sticks to nothing! And that hypervelcromind is certainly what has happened in this country: People have too much tv, too many celfones, too much music, too much cybertech, too much entertainment, too much sex, too many books, too many religions, and a spectrum and plethora of other hyperindulgences: Nothing the average American can think of is too good for her!

Thus, we have a hyperkinetic, super-busy society in which almost no one is truly happy, content, or satisfied. Tranquility or serenity is a very rare jewel. We are so "plugged into" material "stuff" that we do not allow time for even friendship-maintenance or "development. And that is a great tragedy, for friendship is the usual expression of God (Love) on this planet!:)

To make friendship-Love a priority is a great blessing! We need to invest more time in each other, in friendship, and much less in money-grubbing! For gold is a cold and lonely, even ugly, "replacement" for kind, compassionate friends.
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The Independent Mind

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The Mind is gently, gradually leading every one of us, through exams, tests, and lessons, to the point where we shall awaken to our absolute independence from all other minds. A free and independent mind still welcomes the jewel of friendship. In fact, she treasures it. But she does not allow this close kinship, or even intimacy, to devolve into dependence. That is wisdom.
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Teachers, Truth, and Spirit

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This is just fine, my friend. If you answer this email, it will be beautiful; but if you do not, it will also be beautiful-- just in another way. This non-demand, non-expecting is practical Taoism. It is also practical karmayoga; for this note is written as a spiritual exercise, and not to create results (responses or replies).

Let us begin, in compassion and truth, by setting the record straight:
For many years, you have written to me only once a year, around the Holy-days. And, although most of our work is now email (cyberwork), a thorough response to your snailmail letters was always prepared in detail. This was prepared on the computer, but was always printed out in hardcopy as snailmail. This is because we treasured your letters, thought that they deserved much thought and considerate responses; and so, it was our unbending policy to reply to your letters.

You have taken a "golly gee whis" attitude toward the man whom you call "his holiness." For me, a truly holy man rejects titles and special ego-builders. A true master does not call himself "master," and a real holy man would not permit himself to be called, as you do many times, "his holiness." These somewhat childish and artificial titles are designed to impress the unenlightened, the crowd. They have a "golly, gee whiz" flavor about them-- unsophisticated. They have no valid place, or use, among enlightened people.

For enlightened people tend to see each other as equal, and equally independent, manifestations of the One. We do not seek, and we do not bestow, artificial "honors" or special titles. If you are going to use this ridiculous title "his holiness" for one sage/teacher, then you must consistently use it for all. Otherwise, you are practicing false, ego-based discrimination. The enlightened person has no room for ego-games in her life, and will not support them actively, or allow them to be supported, by students in darkness. The truly enlightened sage is identified by humility, and rejects such artificial human titles as "reverend," [which means "holy one"] "father," "your excellency," or "your holiness." These are but "junk"-- artifacts of ego-mind, useless to the spiritual path, and antispiritual, as they reinforce the ego and lower nature.

A friend is no friend if he (she) is not honest. So, this note is an honest response to the news that you seem to be following a man rather than following the interior Spirit of Love directly. For this Spirit indwells your heart. Following human beings is not the highest or best, although, in every life, there are periods when it is helpful to read or learn something taught by human beings. The very highest souls are here, not to "convert" people to follow other "special" human beings (as in your letter), but to turn the gaze and attention inward to the One, the Source. So, I am not "in the market" for gurus or "enlightened teachers," for our truest assignment is not to find, but to become this kind of sage.

People who follow human leaders in spirituality are still in spiritual kindergarten. The enlightened always respect and love the enlightened, but they do not set up others as their "superior." They grow into maturity and wisdom, and no longer play "follow the leader," except for the interior Leader within the heart.

Gurus are human beings, just like the rest of us. They are no "closer to God," and are not "more enlightened." For it is precisely the same enlightenment experience that is encountered by everyone who has the mystical experience. Some mystics do not have "superior" experiences, and others "inferior." God gives the complete, total Mind to anyone and everyone who is prepared. God (Love) does not "give the Spirit by measure."

Professional gurus differ only in that they have a lot of time on their hands, and so, get to spent a little more time in meditation and study.

But the time of an entire lifetime is but a fraction of an eye-blink in eternity. So, you must emerge from the illusion that another is intrinsically superior to your Self in the Light. Each and every being who becomes enlightened is marked by a profound independence. She does not make the common error of discussing other spiritual teachers, but talks about only their teachings. This is a warning derived from decades spent studying cult-psychology and its damage: If you find yourself talking about a teacher, and not her teachings, you are already on the perilous road to cult-psychology. And that is a path much better avoided.

Read everything positive, my friend. Use every positive, constructive, and uplifting idea, from all sources. For if you become enamoured of only one source, and see only a single guru as the "Source of all Light," you will soon-- very soon-- be on a path of darkness. God does not mix with limitation and restriction.
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"Small" Blessings

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The longer that we remain on this tiny planet, the more we realize that the "small things" are really the great things, and that "small, ordinary" blessings are from the Heart of Love at the Center.:) So, we send a thousand million "small blessings," which add up to healing, joy, friendship, and, most of all, Love.
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Friendship

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There is no better use of time on this planet than to offer assistance to a friend.:)

Goddesses

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We do indeed have much for which to be grateful. We place good, kind, loyal friends at the top of that list!:) Friends, especially those who last, and who stay in your life, are the "emeralds" of life. In so many ways, the cultivation of friendship is what this life is all about. For it is a very common pattern that Love takes in our lives.:)

We are "surrounded by goddesses." For I have the most delightful female friends in the whole world. Shining jewels, every one!:) I do, of course, have some male friends, but have always preferred female companionship, for I have found women to be deeper, more emotionally complex, more tender and loving, than males generally. They strike one as more artistic and poetic, more open to the matters of the heart.

Also, generally, they are more spiritual. All very, very good things!:)
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Communication

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Even strong, good friendships tend to break up, or break down, and vanish when they are not supported (fed) by regular communications.:(

It is very sad when this happens, for one of the main reasons for life on earth is the skillful, loving cultivation of friendships (expressing a special kind of Love).
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What Really Matters

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Under the worst conditions, and even on the worst planet (and it can, at times, seem to be earth), you have been tempered by life to a solid, non-wimpish state of courage, Love, strength, wisdom, and active service.


There is a pop-phrase that comes to mind: "That which does not kill me, makes me stronger." Agreed, but I would expand it to: "Even that which kills me will make me stronger." For death is an incredibly empowering experience!:)

The storms of life are so great at highlighting the things that really, truly matter in life. And you know what? There aren't a whole lot of things that truly count. There are Love, friendship, giving, relationship, spirituality, and a few other things. Beyond these, as the great mystic Solomon said, "All is vanity."
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