Today I brought groceries home via LYFT, which I use when I prefer not to walk or ride my bike. The driver greeted me by name and saw my groceries. He me at the back of the car and helped me put my shopping bags & backpack inside. On the way we chatted and I commented on his accent as he spoke beautiful English. Born in Nigeria, he emigrated to the US. When I told him that I loved meeting people from different places and said "I am so glad we are not all the same." He laughed and responded, "Wouldn't that be boring!" That response made my heart sing because I love the diversity of humankind. I am also saddened by the separation that often exists because we are not all alike. 

May our hearts and minds be more open so that we do not miss out on meeting a wonderful person and so that we do not deprive others of the blessing of meeting us

Contact me with questions, appointment requests, or whatever is on your mind and heart:   [email protected] ...

My family heritage goes back to the indigenous people, the Basques, residing in the Pyrenees Mountains of Spain. The Basque language, Euskera, is unrelated to any other language and is the oldest language still spoken today. My father's parents were both full-blooded Basques. My mother's father was Basque and her mother was French Canadian. I remember being very interested in Native Americans as a child even though I don't remember my parents drawing any parallels between my grandparents and Native Americans. When I was in college, I visited my grandmother in Winnemucca, Nevada quite often. She was one of the first born in the US. Her stories showed me similarities between the Basques & Native Americans.

The ancient Basques never founded a country or nation and yet they lived autonomously within Spain and France. Native American peoples were nations living across the expanse of a land not yet known or named by others. They lived autonomously across the lands of this continent,...

For those of us who listened and followed guidelines, emerging from the restrictions of the COVID Pandemic can be a challenge. I traveled recently for the first time in over two years. It felt like it had been a lot longer than that. It was wonderful to be with my daughter on one trip and with extended family (cousins and their families) on another trip. So much fun and plenty of laughter. Yes, fun and laughter abounding. It was worth learning all over again how to pack well, navigate airports, and be shoulder-to-shoulder with the stranger in the next seat. I wore a mask on flights. The airports I was in had arranged some of the gate seating to allow for distancing. It was nice to have that choice and a little tiresome to have to think about it. So many little choices that did not exist in the past. Wearisome.

So, I remembered something I wrote down years ago:

When all else fails, just breathe.

 Slow deep breaths as I sat in an unscheduled gate area. I also strolled around...

A flow of Happiness and Abundance will

manifest when you have reached the

Deepest Level of yourself

Deepak Chopra

Happiness and Abundance are usually a result of exterior circumstances, experiences, relationships. Having studied with Deepak Chopra for a number of years and, as a Chopra certified instructor for Primordial Sound Meditation, I discovered that consistent meditation helps me maintain quite consistent levels of mental & emotional peace. This brings me more and more into the realization of who I truly am. By this I mean that I continue to discover the soulful being who is currently having this human experience. She goes by the name Catherine Cobeaga and she is a mother, grandmother, mother-in-law. Her extended family includes nephews and a niece as well as cousins and their families. As i meditate every day, I experience a sweet joy in life. I am calmer, clearer, wiser, more loving & compassionate with myself and others. In my mid-seventies, I am self-sufficient...

There are as many expressions of spirituality as there are nations, cultures, languages, and people. The common ground shared by most of them both delights and encourages me because we live in a time where separation is all we see. Even in my homeland, the ability to compromise in order to work together has waned. Friendships and families are challenged to live in peace when they do not agree. Some find a way and some do not. Not everyone gets along with their parents or siblings but that doesn't mean they don't love each other. Maturing and mutual love allow many to come together in times of celebration and/or crisis. When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, I watched in awe as a news crew filmed a lone man in his motor boat searching bayous for survivors. It didn't matter what church or political party he belonged to. It only mattered to him and to all who watched him that people would not survive without help. He stayed behind and found as many he could. More recently...

Trying to control the flow of life never works. Life is what life is. Trying to control other people, even children, doesn't work in the long run. Sometimes trying to control myself doesn't even work!

Well, what does work? What works is living in the moment and being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and needs. Notice that I said "needs" rather than "wants." There are times when these are the same but often they are not. Once in a while I need to scream into my pillow because I have fallen into trying to control circumstances and I am profoundly frustrated because I can't control circumstances. I prefer to recognize early on that I am getting frustrated so that I become aware of how I am resisting the flow of life. If the frustration has become physical, I take a brisk walk or bicycle ride. This releases and balances the body chemicals that start to flow when frustration builds. Once I feel myself calming down, I can sit with my thoughts and feelings and give myself permission to...

Have you ever heard the phrase "monkey mind"? If you haven't, I suspect you may have experienced this nonetheless. Our minds are created to explore the Universe! The challenge is to do just that...Explore the Universe!...without getting stuck in the past or being fearful of the future. The past can trap us in regret about unfortunate choices or grief over loss. The future can paralyze us because we truly cannot control what will happen next.

The Truth is that the only place we can create and experience peace is in this present moment. For me, the ability to remain in and live more fully from the present moment has come as I have developed a more simple and consistent meditation/spiritual practice. It has also come from living long enough to mature into my personal truth and respect the personal truth of others.

Easier said than done, right?  I chose a picture of eagles for this blog for specific reasons. First of all, I took this picture in Alaska at the wildlife...

A quote from Abraham-Hicks (https://www.abraham-hicks.com):

You are the creator of your own reality,

and so you are not in jeopardy,

You do not need to control the behavior of others in order for you to thrive.

Your attention nothings that you think they of that keeps you from you thriving if, in fact, what keeps you from thriving.

It is not what they do to you;

It's what you do to you in fear of what you think that they will do to you.

Contact me with questions, appointment requests, or whatever is on your mind and heart:   [email protected]            Please consider joining my online meditation group 

Spring feels like new beginnings for me and I hope you feel that too. I came out of an office building this morning and a big fat squirrel ran in front of me. Then it stopped and turned and looked more closely at me. The sun was shining and there was a chilly breeze. I told him I was glad he still had his winter coat on. Then we just looked at each other for another moment and he swished his big fluffy tail and went on his way.

I'm still smiling because, with all that is going on, I appreciate anything in life that makes my world feel gentle and peaceful.

I also have promised myself to be more aware of other opportunities, especially the small ones that can be easy to ignore, to bring a smile or a kind word to another person...or creature. We all need to receive this and I believe what you put out comes back to you. When I give, my needs will also be met.

Have a blessed day and remember that you are love and light in form.

Let your new beginning be joining me for meditation!

Contact...

The following quotes are from The Voice of Knowledge by Don Miguel Ruiz.

“There is only one way to change our story, and that is by changing what we believe about ourselves.”

“This is a big step in awareness.”

“You are the only one who can change your story, and you do this by changing your relationship with yourself.”

“You change what you believe about yourself. Your point of view changes, the way you express yourself changes, and your reactions change.”

“Why try to justify what you believe? You don’t need to make others wrong because you already know that in their story they are right. In your story, you are right. Then being right or wrong is over; you no longer have to defend what you believe.
When we reach this level of awareness, it is easier not to take what other people say personally.”

If these quotes speak to your heart, your mind, your need, contact me and consider joining my weekly meditation groups or...