Journeys: Thank You

Pilgrimage is a journey to a shrine or a sacred place. My journey back home to see my mother turned into a 'spiritual' quest where I had a lot of "a-ha" moments that have impacted my life and will continue to shape my future. The results of these life changing light bulb incidents are things that I will share over time, but the journey to these insights is what I am about to write and document so I can remember the trip for myself.

As I have written in "Mother Hen", I traveled home to be with my mother and to appease her while she waits for her lab tests. Fortunately for all of us, doctors cleared her of any life threatening issues as a result of the exams. The realization that one day I will have to be responsible for our family was the opening for insights that I have never seen or inquired for myself before. The fear of uncertainty prior to the trip, the conversations that I had with friends regarding past, future, choices, and consequences, the movies that I watched while in Taiwan (Departures, Revolutionary Road, Marley & Me), and all the support from friends and family transformed a trip home into a pilgrimage.

I learned from this trip that when there is uncertainty in life, you should keep an open mind and surround yourself with people who support and challenge your beliefs & thoughts. By doing so, you create an opening for inquiries and possibly pathways that you can take. Being open, generous, and willing to share life actually allow life to present itself in ways that you could not have predicted. On this trip, with the amazing and loving community that I have, I was able to accomplish everything that I set out to achieve and sort out life decisions that I didn't intend or knew that I could complete. I am looking forward to have the results of this journey manifest themselves in my life and being more awake. I want to thank those of you who have contributed to this expedition - for all of your time, support, and love that you have shared on this life changing journey of mine. Thank you...

My favorite quotes

"If you're really listening. If you're awake to the poignant beauty of the world, your heart breaks regularly. In fact, your heart is made to break, it's purpose is to burst open again and again so that it can hold evermore wonder"- Andrew Harvey

"The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness" - William Saroyan

"We never touch people so lightly that we do not leave a trace" - Peggy Tabor Millin

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." - Mark Twain

"The good is the enemy of the best" - Voltaire

"The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams" - Oprah Winfrey

"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new" - Albert Einstein

"To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness" - Bertrand Russell

"Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry" - Mark Twain

"When you can make the average Great, your dreams can become a reality" - Suze Orman

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others" - Marianne Williamson

"Be the change you want to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" - Albert Einstein

"I believe that [everyone] is the keeper of a dream - and by tuning into one another's secret hopes, we can become better friends, better partners, better parents, and better lovers" - Oprah Winfrey

"The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well" - Joe Ancis

2 comments:

Farmer said...: Hi Anny, i just finish reading " mother hen ", i understand and agree....my mom have been in "coma" for a few days same years ago after a huge car crash ( better..she was driving a motorcicle and the iranian guy was driving a car...) Aniway, suddenly you understand that mom is like your life foundations, you can't even immagin to leave without them, or you don't think to them, but when suddenly you miss it, you realize how strong is your need of them and your love for them.

And you change, and became more responsable and kind, trying to be more " mom alike " cause mom is the love source that anyone would like to be...cause the satisfation and joy to give someone a smile is unforgettable; June 16, 2009 at 11:25 AM
AC said...: That's very nice Farmer! :)
it's hard to imagine losing someone so close, isn't it? but it's through these moments that we see life in a different perspective!

thank you for your note!
sending love to you and Kelly from Sacramento!; June 16, 2009 at 11:34 AM