Posted on November 22, 2012 by russtowne

Thanks to Sharon at A Leaf In Springtime, iwas guided to Thomas Ross and his wonderful blog. After enjoying each of the first 3 posts I read, I came upon this one and liked it so much that I wanted to share it with you. Russ

Thomas Ross's avataronly here only now

I used to believe that love was a form of relationship.  I love you; you love me.  That’s our deal.

I would diligently monitor my love relationships.  Feeling hurt or wronged, I would ask- was that an act of someone who loves me?  If she loves me, how can she not see my needs?

Or I would turn this judgment on myself.   Why have I been filled with anger towards her?  Why have I been so cold and distant?

When the ledger got out of balance- and it always did- I called the deal into question.  Does she really love me? Enough?  Or, looking inward, I’d ask whether my conduct suggested the absence of love?  And in either case, I doubted my commitment.  Perhaps time to back out of the deal, I’d think.

All, all, wrong.

Love, as I now seek to live it, is not a relationship or a…

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Glorious Gratitude!

Posted on November 22, 2012 by russtowne

I enjoyed this video of stunning photos and thoughts on gratitude and believe that you will to.

http://www.flickspire.com/m/iaaw/WordsOfGratitude#.UK2VhTkc-go.facebook

Russ

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The Flow

Posted on November 22, 2012 by russtowne

I had a dark and haunting dream last night and awoke with a sad and jarring phrase running through my head over and over again.

While these are certainly not the kinds of things I normally associate with Thanksgiving, I’ve learned that rather than fight the incoming flow of thoughts and feelings and to try to “change the subject” in my head, it is best to simply embrace and record the jumbled rush of thoughts and feelings as a scribe would when his master speaks. But unlike a scribe, I don’t feel subservient. I feel blessed to be given a gift; a sacred trust.

I often have to furiously write lest some critical pieces be forgotten and lost forever. When the flow starts, I sometimes have no idea what form it will eventually become; a song, story, poem, or something else entirely.

I’ve learned to trust the flow, and believe it has been entrusted to me to share it, as I believe we all are given gifts that are intended to be shared. For these reasons, I feel special, but no more special than anyone else.

While our gifts may be different, I believe that each is valuable and important.

I feel an obligation to share mine. It is as though they are merely being loaned to me and the true owners are those who would be touched by the gifts that flow through me.

It has just been revealed to me what this piece is supposed to be about. When I started typing I thought it was going to go in a very different direction, but I’m pleased at where the flow is going. It’s like being a boat on a mysterious river or a bird on the wing on a windy day which trusts the wind to take it where it needs to go.

The destination for this piece of the journey is finally in sight.

From a haunting dream and imagery that launched me on this part of my wondrous journey today, the flow has led me to my desk, and thoughts of gifts, and my feelings of gratitude for them. Gratitude for my friends and loved ones—those who I’ve met—and those I haven’t but who still love me as I love them.

Gratitude for each of you. For the love you’ve given to me, and for the time many of you have taken out of your busy lives to comment on the fruits of the flow that I’ve been blessed to be able to share with you. It is my hope that at least some of these posts have touched you in pleasing ways.

Thank you for the many gifts you’ve shared with me and for the many smiles, and much laughter, inspiration, and so much more that they’ve brought to me and my life.

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it on this day, and for those who don’t, I also wish for you a day full of happiness worthy of giving thanks.

Russ
PS As for the dream and phrase I mentioned at the beginning of this post, it is still flowing and you will likely learn more of it in a later post, as its tone ill-fits the theme of this day.

Posted in Adventure, Gifts, Gratitude | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Did You Know?

Posted on November 21, 2012 by russtowne

One of my recent posts was titled “Last Dance”. Did you know that it was about two leaves falling to the ground in Autumn? If not, did you wonder what I meant by the last line? Was my poem too subtle? I ask these questions due to the fewer-than-normal comments and likes to it. I’m attempting to find out if readers simply didn’t like it, didn’t understand it, or hadn’t seen it.

Thank you in advance for whatever feedback you can provide regarding it.

Russ

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Call Me Maybe

Posted on November 20, 2012 by russtowne

What do the boys in Afghanistan have in common with Dolphin Cheerleaders? See for yourself. This is a fun music video. Caution: Though I’d say this was G-rated (safe for kids), if a video featuring bikini-clad women is unsafe to open at your place of employment, you might wait to open it until you get home.

http://www.military.com/video/forces/humor/call-me-maybe-troops-vs-cheerleaders/1964153798001/#.UKvW-fVZj7J.facebook

Russ

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Last Dance

Posted on November 20, 2012 by russtowne

They clung tightly
Knowing that if they leapt
It would be forever
Flirted with each other for months
Waiting for just the right moment
For the ultimate release
Then the magic moment came
And in a reckless rush
They simply let go
Gave in to a power
That was greater than them
Caught up in a swirling
Twirling sensation
Colors flashed
As the world rushed by
Reveling in every motion
In the beauty all around
And in their partner
Felt a freedom
They had never known
Gloriously floating
Then softly touching
The earth and each other
In a long and final embrace.
–Russ Towne

(Genesis: When I saw two falling leaves
swirl around each other as they fell
to the ground they reminded me of
two lovers dancing.)

Posted in Adventure, Love, Nature, Poetry I Wrote | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Wherever There Is Love

Posted on November 20, 2012 by russtowne

A dear aunt forwarded the story below to me. I love it and wanted to share it with you.

Russ

—

We don’t know who replied to a letter sent by a little girl, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office who understands LOVE……………………..

Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month.

The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.

She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her.

I told her that I thought that we could, so she dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog?

Abbey died yesterday and is with you in heaven.

I miss her very much.

I ‘m happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her.

She likes to swim and play with balls.

I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog.

I really miss her.

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey & Meredith, addressed it to God/Heaven.

We put our return address on it.

Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven.

That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office.

A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet.

I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, ‘To Meredith’in an unfamiliar hand.

Meredith opened it.

Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, ‘When a Pet Dies.’

Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope.

On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help and I recognized her right away.

Abbey isn’t sick anymore.

Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart.

Abbey loved being your dog.

Since we don’t need our bodies in heaven, I don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in so I’m sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me.

What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I’m easy to find.

I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

Posted in Children, Dealing with Pain & Grief, Dogs & Other Wonderful Creatures, Kindness, Love, Making the World a Better Place, Stories That Touched Me | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

This Kid Is Going Places and Bringing the World with Him

Posted on November 19, 2012 by russtowne

Meet Kelvin Doe, a 15-year-old from Sierra Leone, who took scraps from garbage cans and created his own radio transmitter to create his community’s first radio station. He broadcasts daily, even the community only gets electricity about once per week.

Now, he has plans to build a windmill for his community.

Russ

Posted in Creativity, Dreams, Following Your Passion, Ingenuity, Inspiring, Making the World a Better Place, Stories That Touched Me, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Blessed Day

Posted on November 18, 2012 by russtowne

I dream of the blessed day
when humanity awakens
from its terrible nightmare
and begins to fight for peace
with as much ferocity, tenacity,
and heroism as we’ve fought our wars.
–Russ Towne

Posted in Breakthroughs, Courage, Dreams, Growth/Learning, Hope, Making the World a Better Place, Optimism, Peace, Poetry I Wrote, Words or Quotes I Believe I Coined but please let me know if you heard them earlier elsewhere | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Essentially Me

Posted on November 18, 2012 by russtowne

“Focus on what has always been essentially you.” (Source: Andrea Kelly’s blog “A Handwritten Life”–I just spent a very pleasant hour there.)

When I began to focus on what has always been essentially me, I found out some amazing things about myself that had been hidden for my whole adult life. One of them is that I am creative. I had no idea. I knew that I was analytical, but had allowed myself to become convinced that I didn’t have a creative bone in my body.

Now I write songs, stories, and even poetry. They had been bottled up inside me for so long that when I finally began to realize that I might (gasp!) actually have some creative juices, they exploded out of me like a volcano.

Once they began erupting from my heart and spirit, there was no way I was ever going to be able to cork them up again–or would ever want to.

Now I want to share them with whoever might enjoy the experience, and I want to inspire others to focus on what is essentially them and to celebrate what springs forth from their creative minds, hearts, and spirits.

What has always been essentially you? If there is anything you are holding back, I invite you to share it with me and the world.

Russ

Posted in Creativity, Following Your Passion, Quotes I Love | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments