by Sharon Cooke | Sep 4, 2018 | Inspiration
All we need is the morning. As long as there is sunrise, then there is possibility that we can face all of our misfortunes, celebrate all our blessings, and live all our endeavours as human beings. Spirituality is something that has become necessary in these trouble times. Yet it is inherently superfluous. We need it to remind ourselves, to bolster ourselves, to integrate ourselves, to fulfill ourselves. If we could simply acknowledge the mystery of night and the glory of morning, we would need neither civilization nor spirituality. At its simplest, life begins with dawn. That is blessing enough. All else becomes fullness immeasurable. At dawn, kneel down and give thanks for this wonderful event. We may think mornings are so common they are unworthy of veneration, but do you realize most places in the cosmos do not have mornings? This daily event is our supreme goodness. Greet the dawn. That is your miracle to witness. That is the ultimate beauty. That is sacredness. That is your gift from heaven. That is your omen of prophesy. That is knowledge that life is not futile. That is enlightenment. That is your meaning in life. That is your directive. That is your comfort. That is the solemnity of duty. That is inspiration for compassion. That is the light of the ultimate. Deng Ming-Dao A Chinese American author, artist, philosopher, teacher and martial artist. Youtube videos are available to experience. Deb, a grand friend, who when together, we engage in great laughter and stories of our experiences, shared this with me. Photos by: Sharon...
by Sharon Cooke | Jul 2, 2018 | Inspiration
I look at this photo that was shared on Facebook and I think. She remembers how to do it. She’s still got something precious that many of us have lost. She knows how to be right there, in the moment, present, awake and aware of exactly where she is. Allowing herself to feel, to really feel. Giving herself permission to take it in and absorb what she is witnessing into every pore of her being. The moment may be fleeting, but all she is experiencing will be in her human time line forever. What she will take away on her way back to her life will be far more than a Facebook posting. The Moment. Are you in it or are you somewhere else? Are you plugged in to something other than where you are? Are you busy attempting to capture something or are you living it? Are you looking down and wildly moving your thumbs to choose a cute emoji to go with a message or are you looking at what is in your sights? Where are you? Are you here? Or are you there, in a somewhere that is just not about the now that you are sadly missing. The woman in the photo is absorbed in the present, she is soaking it in and recording it in her memory. Later she’ll glow as she very likely exaggerates all she witnessed and how she felt and weave a story in the sharing of an experience. Sunday night I took my grandson Sam to see the fireworks. He’s one of my mates. I used to drag my daughter...
by Sharon Cooke | May 9, 2018 | Inspiration
When someone posts something on Facebook and I choose to share it, in the space that gives you the opportunity to, “Say Something About This.” I usually write, “Take the Time” and then click Post. I recently went to view the film “Indian Horse.” During the film there were moments of great sadness where I felt my heart crying, followed by numbness. As I left, walked to my car and drove home, my emotions became ones of anger, shame, I felt appalled. I watched the years that were posted on the screen and thought, “I was a child, now I’m in my twenties, my thirties, my forties,” shaking my head, puzzled as to how it was possible not to know. Family secrets of shame and disgrace are like this. They go to peoples graves more often then not, only to be uncovered when sorting through paperwork and boxes of the deceased, do they stumble into information kept hidden. You sit there, in shock, as to how you didn’t know. And then there are those who just do not breathe a word, as they know it was wrong. So very wrong. They don’t want anyone to know. The pain and damage we are capable of inflicting on another is atrocious. When we decide that someone is not good enough and that they need be different and the different is what we decide for them is better – we rob someone of something we have no right to take. Residential schools existed for over 100 years and the last federally operated school closed in 1996. I had my own children by...
by Sharon Cooke | Feb 19, 2018 | Inspiration
I was gliding around the kitchen with a floor mat fastened to my back as a cape pretending to be a queen. Looking back on this memory, I have to admit I cringe thinking I used a kitchen mat as a cape. Must have been a temporary lapse in character, so not me. What is me, is that I was pretending to be a queen. I was never a princess. No one ever called me princess and I never took the part of a princess. Always a queen. Now back on track we go. And….“Smack!” My mother hits my back and there on the floor beside me lay this HUGE black crumpled up dead spider. I screamed, dropped the cape and ran. From that day forward my fear of spiders held tight. Years later in another kitchen with another spider. I’m on a chair yelling for my mother to “KILL THE SPIDER!!” I have a daughter now, Holly and she’s clambering to get up on the chair with me, following me lead, screaming, “KILL THE SPIDER!!” My mother stands her ground and looks at me squarely, which means wisdom is about to impart from her lips. “Do you see what you are doing? It’s not just you anymore. Now there’s two of you on the chair. Are you going to keep this up till you have a whole family on the chair, all afraid of the same thing?” And that was the end of fearing the spider. We all have fears and we can all find ways to validate them. But sometimes we need to take stock and ask...
by Sharon Cooke | Jan 29, 2018 | Inspiration
In my bathroom on my window sill sits a tiny frame. Within the tiny frame are some very powerful words. “Bless Me into Usefulness Today” I see these words every day and I ask life for direction. I don’t know what my usefulness will be, but I know that it will be of value to the greater good. It may be sharing this quote, it may be saying hello to a stranger and exchanging a smile. It may be helping my family, holding a door, volunteering, buying a ticket to support another’s creativity, doing my work… It reminds me that I contribute. It tells me I am courageous to be open to allowing life to direct me to where I am needed and then taking part. I am grateful to be conscious that each day I am out and about, I count, I give and I receive. This morning when I turned on my radio, I heard it was Oprah Winfrey’s birthday. I immediately thought of this quote, as it was from Oprah I received it many years ago. Today, may you celebrate your usefulness. Photos by; unsplash.com, wall art by photo by; Kris...
by Sharon Cooke | Jan 8, 2018 | Inspiration
Before heading out the door to begin my day or remaining inside at my desk – the start of my day, often begins with the drawing of a card. One of my regular card decks are Permission Cards. Short and sweet and to the point. Sometimes, too much so. I shuffle, I ask for direction, I cut the deck with my left hand, I turn the card over, and… In my angelic, high energy, spiritually evolved voice – I hear myself… “GRRRRRR, (remember, I growl now) Are You Kidding Me?! For God Sakes, NOT AGAIN!!!!” My card reads; “Today I give myself Permission to… STOP RESISTING…” Do you know how many times I’ve drawn this card? From my response, you can safely assume, too many. I had truly begun to tick myself off. So I told myself, “Sharon, you need to deal with this and swort this out. I photo copy the darling card and position it under my see-through desk pad so it can smile at me constantly while I discover why it is in my face so often. I consider myself a fairly positive person. However, there appears to be a fly in the ointment. I affirm, visualize, write out my intentions and all that I am grateful for. I smile, I laugh, if I could whistle, I’d whistle a happy tune. Seriously. I encourage, I share happy stories. There are days I’m a goddamn Hallmark card!! And yet this lovely message of Divine Guidance plagues me and drives me into fits of immature foot stomping. However, I did decide to tap into my higher more mature...
