I just returned from a week end in Chicago with fourteen dear friends from high school. There are so many sweet memories running through my mind that I don't know which one to savor first and longest. Starting with my roommate is no doubt a good beginning. Ellen is her name and we hadn't been particularly close in high school but we were in the same group. We called ourselves "the Superlatives." We were certain then, that we were, and deserved to be, the envy of all the other girls in the school. Needless to say we made a few enemies along the way. B[...]
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4 My family has been here visiting all week. There was a time in my life that I'd have been overwhelmed by anxiety over what could go wrong; how discussions could go awry; how to control the always uncontrollable when it comes to other people, the weather, the news cycles that could lead to tension and on and on. When I face this honestly, in the far distant past (from childhood on) I was always on pins and needles trying to control what could never be controlled. I still want "to go there" some times, but I have learned that that door is closed! Tight. And I[...]
As I mentioned in my last blog, Joe and I were headed back to MN for the summer months. We arrived safely yesterday but the trip feels longer and harder every year. That may be the advancing age and the fact that we travel in a Ford Escape, a great little car but it's not equipped with all the creature comforts. We may choose another option for getting it, and us, both south and then north next year. But sitting down on our dock this morning, watching the ducks paddle by and the sunnies moving through the weeds beneath the dock made for a pleasant beginnin[...]
Because of a piece I have been writing for a workshop, I have been thinking about the importance of having an open heart if we want to heal and help others heal too. Only very recently I found myself in a downward spiral emotionally, a spiral not unfamiliar to me. I have suffered from chronic depression for much of my life. I am happy to say I have received help for it, but I can still wander into the shadowy places if I turn away from the people and experiences God has sent to help me grow. What makes me withdraw, emotionally, remains a mystery but every few[...]
I can well remember that when I was a young girl, I wanted to blame others for how I was behaving. "He made me do it," was my common refrain. Pointing fingers at others is far easier than looking at ourselves and we aren't alone in opting for this excuse for our unseemly actions, even though the wise among us don't buy it. Some of us aren't very eager to consider that there might be another way to interact, to interpret the experiences we are having. It wasn't until I had been in recovery for a couple of years that I seriously tackled taking responsibility[...]
I went to the fitness center today and walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill for the first time since my surgery which was a mere 2 weeks ago today. I continue to be astounded by the progress I have made. The initial recovery from the replacement I had 10 years ago was 3 months long, and even then I wasn't without pain. And for a full year, I was tentative with my movements. Some have suggested it's due to my own commitment to fitness but I was committed to a work out schedule then too. Perhaps the big difference is due to better products. All I know[...]
Every person we travel these roads with have made their trek to us because they need us and what we know as much as we need them for what they can teach us. This idea has been stressed in earlier essays but it’s one worth further emphasis because of the importance of the journey we share. Knowing that every person is specific to our education means we don’t have to be fearful about the experiences that present themselves. We have been guided to each experience and we will be led through it too. I have heard it said in many gatherings, that God never bri[...]
Have you ever considered how really important to your growth every person you've met has been? Nary a one of them showed up accidentally. Amazing isn't it? I used to believe it was a coincidence when I met some one who felt special to my journey. Now I know they simply waited for the right time for our paths to intersect. I love this idea. It has given me comfort in myriad situations. I can't say "all meetings" were easy and gratifying in the moment, but hindsight is such a good teacher. My past is replete with circumstances and people who ushered[...]
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[...]
Joining this high tech world at my age makes me smile. And smiling is good. I do hope you will check out my tweets. Go to twitter.com. I just did and lots of people have responded to stuff I have said. AMAZING. I think I may have been born too late, however. But that opens the door to another small topic of interest to me. We are, as A Course in Miracles says, in the right place at the right time, always! That means, of course, that I was born at the right time too and I do think the planets have lined up in my favor. How else could I have had all[...]