Blog Posts from Karen Casey

Circle of Family and Friends - You and Your Personal Community

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October 26, 2009

We are where we need to be. Always. . .

The first time I heard this I scoffed. How could I possibly need to be in "this" meeting, with these people? Or in this job? Or married to this person? Or in this amount of pain? What I didn't understand was that the lessons I needed to learn were wrapped in the experiences I was having in every setting that claimed my presence. My lessons have been many. This is true for all of us. This will continue to be true, in fact. I was talking to some friends in a phone meeting we have daily about happiness and what resonates with me when I think of ha[...]

Reflections in the Mirror - You and Yourself

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October 24, 2009

The success of our relationships depends. . .

The success of our relationships often depends on our willingness to detach from the behavior of others. How often have we thought, "If only he or she would . . . " I spent many years quite certain that if others would only change, I'd be happy, free from anxiety, content that the future would be all that I deserved. Try as I did, I was not successful in getting others to change. Nor did I even understand the concept of detachment. And now I am relieved that I am no longer held hostage by such folly. The burden of trying to be in control of the uncontr[...]

Your Experience, Strength and Hope

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October 23, 2009

Relationships: our invitation to grow. . .

I am thinking about relationships this morning in preparation for a talk I am giving tomorrow evening. It's good to be reminded of the easily accessible tools that can make our relationships more productive, more peaceful and more enjoyable, moment by moment. In fact, I have come to believe that our greatest lesson in this life is learning how to live peacefully with our fellow-travelers. Those who show up on our path didn't make their appearance "accidentally." We have work to do together or we wouldn't be encountering each other. Does this seem like a s[...]

What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power

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October 22, 2009

When in doubt. . .

My life has grown simpler by believing that whom ever I meet, wherever I am drawn to be, is part of the divine plan for my life. This idea is offering me comfort as I write this because I am struggling to embrace the news that a lovely woman, who has been coming to a writers' workshop that I have offered for the last nine years in MO, died on Sunday. I was most recently with her in September and she had grown so much. She was full of smiles and hope for so many areas of her life. She had come a long way from her first appearance at this workshop. And her[...]

Your Experience, Strength and Hope

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October 19, 2009

Getting back to basics. . .

I just returned from a wonderful week end retreat in Nags Head, North Carolina, with 160 fabulous women. I led the group through a series of presentations on a journey for creating more hope in our lives. And true to form, my own level of hope for making the changes, creating the possibilities for further enlightenment that I desire, materialized. What we give away does come back to us, ten-fold. And what we share with others we generally need to be reminded of ourselves. This is an axiom that has rung true in my life ever since introduced to it in the room[...]

Karen's Musings

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October 14, 2009

Bickering is counter-productive. Isn't it. . . ?

It matters not which cable channel is your favorite, the hours are generally eaten up by loud bickering, with one side or the other insisting it has the solution to the topic under discussion. Whether it's health care, the war in the Middle East, or the economy, few seem to share an opinion that serves all of human kind. It's not that disagreement is bad. In fact, the best solution for any problem quite often results from the exchange of ideas, even when expressed heatedly. However, seeking to disagree for the sake of attention or "ratings" or when the well bei[...]

Karen's Musings

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October 12, 2009

Speaking of peace. . .

I was in Seattle at a conference when I heard that Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize. I was thrilled for him and our country. And then I began to hear a lot of grumbling from politicos on all sides. I was struck, once again, by the lack of civility we covet. Why would we not, why should we not, be happy for the honor offered to a man who is choosing to make a difference in how myriad cultures react to one another. Whether one is democrat or republican, and there were naysayers from both parties, it's time to lay aside our criticisms, I think, and seek,[...]

What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power

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October 7, 2009

All is well. All is always well. . .

It's not so easy to accept this aphorism. Particularly when bad news has been passed on to you. And that's what occurred in my life this morning. I heard about the death of a good friend's spouse. He was a wonderful man, remarkably joyful and caring. She is a wonderful woman. One person is always left behind. And when that happens, the rest of us are invited to step up to the plate to remind the survivor that she matters to us. That she will be thought about and that even though life goes on, the memories of the one who has passed will provide su[...]

Karen's Musings

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October 2, 2009

Where should civility fit in my outreach to you. . .

I have been thinking a lot lately about the growing incivility of so many in positions of power, whether they are politicians or talk show hosts. I don't intend for this blog to be "political" in tone, but I am concerned about how influential some voices are, particularly voices that might lead to violence. It makes no difference which side of the political divide one is on, the kind of rhetoric one hears if tuned into any number of radio or television shows is disturbing, to say the least. And the number of blogs that now exist calling for violence against o[...]

Your Experience, Strength and Hope

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September 29, 2009

Another You Tube has posted. . .

I did another You Tube recently. And like the last time, I waited with trepidation to see if I could get it uploaded properly. After a few attempts, I did. I'd love it if you tuned in. Google You tube: Another Visit With Author Karen Casey. It should pop right up. It's not perfect and I do plan more of them. They will get better. I promise. But I am loving the experience and I am not hung up on the fact that they aren't perfect. It has been suggested to me that perhaps they should be more professionally done. However, I am who I am. A work[...]