Our Jesus boat ride is approaching. We enjoyed a beautiful ride across the Sea of Galillee and visited Kursi (Gergesa) where it was believe that Jesus cast the devils out of a man into the swine. Following that we went to Capernaum and visited Peter's house and a synagogue that Jesus used to teach. Capernaum was a large cultural center at the time of Christ.

Sunrise on the Sea of Galillee was so beautiful. As the picture shows the sea was peaceful and the weather was beautiful. Soft gentle winds were blowing and the birds were chirping announcing another beautiful day. A wonderful tome of reflection.

Jerusalem

I have just returned from a trip to the Holy Land. I will be adding pictures and comments along the way. We arrived in Tel-Aiv and spent the night after touring Jaffa. We proceeded north to Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Mt. Tabor and arrived at the museum of The Ancient Boat and spent the night at Nor Ginosar. Imagine finding a 2000 year old boat in the mud from the time of Jesus. The process that was done to preserve the boat and move to a museum was extraordinary. The area of the Sea of Galillee was very peaceful and resting.

An Open Program for an Open Mind.

Today there are many 12 step programs in place to help people recover from alcoholism, drugs, narcotics, food addictions, and other addictions. Many have used the well known 12 steps from the AA program. The miracles of transformation that take place are not from the words in the steps but in the application of the principles implied in these steps. Some people misinterpret the words and misunderstand the guiding principles of the “program”. Simply stated it is a spiritual program based upon spiritual principles. The benefits are for anyone that needs it, wants its, is ready for it, and makes the effort to read it and continue with it – one day at a time. Millions have attempted to follow these 12 steps and failed. Yet, millions have attempted them and succeeded.
I have been away from my blogs dealing with some health issues. Now that I have these issues behind me I am going to attempt to begin my writings again focusing on some of the blogs that I have written about choices, thoughts, words, hope, the tongue, mask we hide behind, the mind and other areas that do relate to An Open Program for an Open Mind. Hopefully, these words and thoughts may be of benefit to others that happen across these articles.
Step 1
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol (or any other thing)- that our lives had become unmanageable.
What is the thing that has so much control over us that our lives are unmanageable? Some people are controlled by selfish desires. Some are controlled by money. Some are controlled by power. Each person has a gift given to them by the creator called a choice. When we allow the choice to lead us in a direction that is going to do us harm in the long run it would appear the choice is in control. Every one of us has the same amount of time in a day, week, or month. Do we control the time or does the time control us? For instance, each week we have 168 hours given to us. Most people work 40 hours a week. We spend so many hours eating, dressing, driving to and from work and some spend a certain amount of time watching television. We adjust our schedules for entertainment or leisure but how much time do we spend each week in doing something to promote ourselves for something good such as living a life that is manageable? You may be saying I never thought about it. That is the point. We should think. Think about the choices that we make. Think about how we could improve our life. Think about the habits that are destroying our life. Maybe there is a better way. If I open my mind and think about what I am doing to myself maybe I can find a way to improve on the quality of my life.

Clearing the Mind

Clearing the Mind
In this busy life of being multitask oriented we often need to clear our mind when we want to write something substantial. If you want success and prosperity clearing the mind of negative thoughts and ideas is very important.

You have to get rid of what you do not want, to make way for what you do want. Substance does not flow easily into a cluttered situation. If a mind is cluttered, crowded or filled with hatred, resentments, or negative thoughts the flow becomes sluggish and blocked.

Just as closets and drawers, your office or home can become cluttered and need cleaning so does our life. Most of the successful people that I have read about mentions meditation as a means of clearing the clutter. It is not a complicated process and can be done even in ten minute intervals throughout the day. My daily routine consist of getting up at 5am and taking my medications and eating a small breakfast. I then go for a 30 minute walk. When I return to the house I like to lay down and meditate for 10 -15 minutes to prepare for the day. Even on my walk I enjoy letting my mind be free and thinking about good things and enjoying the beauty of the earth around me. After lunch I try to follow the same 10 minute meditation which clears the mind for the afternoon activities.

Clearing the mind helps by getting things in order. On a daily basis I can think about what needs to be done during the day. Usually I make a list and try to follow that list all through the day. Writing down the things to do is an amazing way to accomplish the things that you need to get done. Sometimes it looks like a lot but the amazing part about it is the subconscious helps you to accomplish what you have listed.

One other simple ways of clearing the mind is through forgiveness. Practicing forgiveness towards others is easier than you think. Holding onto grudges keeps the channels clogged with negative energy. Practice by simple acts of forgiveness throughout the day until it becomes a habit. Your mind will be free to think and choose the right paths.

Motivation Begins With Motion

Motivaton Begins with Motion
We often hear about the word motivation. Often times it is in the negative such as: they just don't have any motivation. Maybe their self esteem is low so they are not motivated to do anything. What ever the reason if you think about it motivation begins with motion.
I have an idea. I make a choice. I express the idea and choice and then I must put into action the expression of this thought. If I do nothing then there is no motion or action so nothing happens with the great idea that I had.
If we look at a thesaurus we can see another word in the same family that carries the same idea. This word is progress. Someone may ask you what progress have you made on the idea that you shared with me yesterday? At that point our excitment may soar or it could fall to the floor and that depends on the action that you took after expressing your idea.
Immediately I think of the word procrastination. Have you ever said oh, I will get around to it someday but that someday never seems to come because your motivation is unactive. When we have an idea it is like inspiration and this inspiration only last for a brief moment. When that inspiration comes we have to act quickly on it or else it will be lost.
If we keep thinking about this idea of motivation we may come up with a purpose. We may think about the purpose of the idea and what we could do with it. How could it help us or someone else? So the idea behind this motivation is motion. If we have a thought or idea we should act quickly on that thought.
We have talked about being surrounded by the negative and often times that steals the opportunity that is laying in front of us. At times I feel like we need to install filters on our ears and filter out all of the negative we hear. If you have a great idea start the motion forward and don't stop. Filter out the negative thoughts and words and accept the inspiration as a dream or opportunity to move forward and change your life.
Be like the little train in the children's story that kept saying I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I know I can.
Motivationally,
Cleveland

NO BULL

This is not your ordinary bull. It is a buffalo in the state park at Thermopolis Hot Springs Wyoming home of the world's largest hot springs.

Last night I discovered a wondeful social networking site and the name of it is called SparkPeople. It is a healthy living site where people report their health statistics and weight losses. A great site to join that will help you keep accountable to someone about your health. The people I met have been encouraging and most friendly. If you need some encouragement about your health I encourage you to go there and sign up. It is a user friendly site and you will be glad that you will be glad that you did. http://www.sparkpeople.com/

This morning on my 6am walk I was filled with gratitude for life. The air was brisk, early fall in the makings, and all was quiet. Not even a dog barking until I reached the house. Normally I see deer, rabbits, or hear the peacocks in the distance. But today was all quiet. Well, until I reached the high school. They have outside speakers going and country music was playing. As I continued on my walk I remembered when I started this journey in May. It was bitterly cold and snow was a constant happening on most mornings. I can remember the day that I was able to leave the house without a jacket. Not very often even in Wyoming. We of course have some warm days but the evenings and mornings can be quite nippy. It is always a good idea to carry a stocking cap and some cotton gloves with you at all times just in case the winds begin to whip up the air. I guess that is to be expected since I live in the Wind River Reservation area. The Grand Tetons are not very far away and the wind can rush in off of those mountains and down through this valley pretty quick.

We will be leaving on vacation this Thursday on our trip to Georgia to see our children and grandchildren. Everyone says : You are going to Georgia in August? Well, yes, I can go get warmed up from last winter and get back to cool off for this winter. The mornings are getting darker and the nights are not as long as they have been during the summer. A change of season is coming. Before you know it we will be shoveling snow and watching the stores put out their Christmas Decorations. It is nice to live in a place where there are still 4 seasons to look forward to each year. Another thing to be grateful for. If there is one thing to remember about this blog if you read it today it should be Gratitude.

Cleveland