UPBEAT TIMES, INC. • December 2016 • 25 Living the Upbeat Life


icans are confused, angry at or scared of each other right now. But this tough time can be an opportunity to empower your- selves, nourish your faith, and then extend that grace to oth- ers.


I’ve told the story about


Santa Rosa, CA. ~ SANTA ROSA. . [met-tah] December’s winter festivals light the dark- ness, showing us ways to kindle joy. It begins within you and me; then it’s shared with peo- ple we know, people we don’t know, and with grace, to people we’ve been afraid to know. Our “Q&A” for this month turns to the Tibetan “Pali” language: metta means “loving kind- ness,” a practice to melt fears and welcome in peace on earth.


Q: I’m so worried for my fam-


ily’s future since this presidential election. Our ‘rust belt’ cousins are trying to decide if they should move to California, leave their home, a hard choice. Can you give us some hope, or help us know what to do?


A: I really sympathize with your concerns. So many Amer-


While I was working as a store Santa, a boy asked me for an electric train set. “If you get your train,” I told him, “your dad is going to want to play with it too. Is that all right?”


The boy became very quiet. So, moving the conversation along, I asked, “What else would you like Santa to bring you?”


He promptly replied, “Another train.”


You know you’re getting old when Santa starts looking younger. ~ Robert Paul UPBEAT TIMES, INC. • December 2016 • 25


the time when both my parents were terminally ill --at the same time, and I had some tough de- cisions to make about their liv- ing situation. Worse, I was in SoCal, they lived in Kansas –a huge divide. While hik- ing one day, pounding


the earth for answers,


a red-tail hawk fl ew towards


me. It swooped, soared,


circled,


glided, com- ing so close I gasped in awe. be try-


It seemed to ing to show


or tell me something impor- tant. Eventually, the epiphany happened: that hawk was not fl ying by itself alone. It had


by Marcia Singer • www.lovearts.info December’s word: METTA


the invisible air –the silent wind --beneath its wings


-!


My hawk had a dancing part- ner visible only if I knew how to See. Words came rushing to me: “Trust that which you cannot see to support


you.” Since then,


when I for-


that I get have infi nite


support for my dreams for happi-


ness and well being,


I’ll remember my hawk teaching. You and I, your family members can fi nd an abiding faith in the future, trust whatev- er decisions you end up making. As the German philosopher Goethe said, “Leap, and the net will ap- pear.” Regarding


those tough choices?


“Either way, it’s OK,” the Wind will be under your wings. Here’s is a short


dhist meditation, also called “Metta.”


version of a helpful Bud- Find a sweet, quiet


spot where you can be undis- turbed for several minutes.


Breathe down into your belly, to the ground, exhaling fully, relaxing fully. Repeat until you feel calmer. Now say to yourself with love and kindness: “May I be safe and peaceful.” Repeat, feeling the words sink in. Now, think of someone you


love –perhaps each child. Say to them, “May you be safe.” “May you be peaceful.” Repeat until you feel them receiving your blessing. (And notice how you feel.) Next, repeat the steps to- wards someone you feel neutral about or don’t know well. Last, choose someone you dislike, maybe who hurt you, or you fear might harm your fam- ily. T is takes courage, but I promise, if you stay with it, you will be amazed at how upliſt ed you’ll feel. In a word, spread the metta. Shine deLight into the the world’s divide, includ- ing any personal opponents in your prayers for safety, peace of mind, joy. Reap the rewards a thousandfold.


Happy New Year, each and ev- ery one. --Marcia


JOKES & Humor # 7 A tramp knocks on the door of an inn known as St. George and the Dragon. The landlady answers. “Could you give a poor man something to eat?” asks the tramp.


“No!” yells the woman, slamming the door in his


face. A few minutes later, he knocks again. “Now what do you want?” the woman asks.


“Could I have a few words with George?”


APACHE SAYING: “May the Sun bring you new energy by day, May the Moon softly restore you by night, May the rain wash away your worries,


May the breeze blow new strength into your being, May you walk gently through the world and know it’s beauty all the days of your life.”


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