What If They Gave You A Funeral And No One Came?

"Is it so wrong to want a great turnout at your final bon voyage?"

I'm wondering about this while sitting on the sand at Venice Beach, California this morning. Mark and I had taken a nice Sunday morning stroll down the beach from where we live and happened upon a large seated crowd right on the sand. There was maybe two hundred people or so, mostly dressed in white, everyone had flowers in their hands and gorgeous flute music was being played as we approached.

So thinking that this was some kind of groovy spiritual happening (they occur all the time around here) we plopped ourselves right on down. It was a mellow group and there seemed to be a lovely vibe in the air. I was really letting myself get into it- not really knowing what it was exactly. Then I saw that someone had a program. Good, I thought to myself, as I asked the guy if I could look at it. Now I can find out who this gangs guru is and get a handle on what's happening.

Well it turns out that we had just crashed some wonderful (well she sure sounded wonderful) woman named Rosie's memorial service. This gal had passed away from some awful disease way before her time at age 44.

Now, as the waves crashed and the flute played and people weeped and others looked at me and smiled that kind of "wasn't she wonderful smile?" to which I beamed back-- "Oh God yes, what a woman that Rosie", a bombardment of thoughts began to take over...

Should we stay? What exactly is the protocol after you realize that you have crashed a funeral? Should we remain out of respect- or is more proper to pick up and high tail it out of there? And If we did choose this option, just how do we do it gracefully without drawing attention to ourselves? I mean who up and leaves a perfectly nice funeral just as it has begun?

(and now this next go round of thoughts really gave me pause) would I get a nice sized crowd at my funeral? Who would come exactly, how many, what would they say? Could I get a nice beach scene and flute player too? Who would organize the whole thing? Certainly not Mark, ( who, bless him, is just sooo not a detail oriented guy!)

The questions kept on rolling in as I looked around the grieving crowd. I mean jeez, two hundred close friends and family all dressed in white at the beach. Now this was one impressive turnout indeed. Not only that but they genuinely all seemed to just love this Rosie.

Then the eulogies began--

Now I know that at memorial services even the nastiest people ( while alive) seem to gain a saint-like stature. The biggest creeps seem to get glowing references when dead.

But Rosie, wow they really seemed to all love her so deeply and they spoke with such seemingly heartfelt earnestness, that the next go- round of thoughts began.

(Meanwhile, Mark had somehow figured out what was going on and escaped un-noticed from the crowd. I had no idea where he now was. ) So I stayed for a bit, as I was quite fascinated watching person after person awaiting their turn to sing Rosie's praises.

Now, not only was I spinning out on who would get me a happening funeral and run it properly. (I like the beach, flute, all dressed in white theme...)
but I was actually also:
A) bothered that I never met Rosie- seemed like a hell of a gal. What a bummer to discover someone terrific when it's too late.
B) (and this is really indicitive of my mental health- or lack thereof) I found myself actually getting jealous of Rosie's service!

I mean who does that? Who but me could actualy get jealous of a deceased woman???

It was obviously time for me to go- and so, as inconspicuously as I could, ( luckily we were sitting towards the back) I slinked quietly away.

Mark did promise me (after much discussion) that my funeral would be terrific too- assuming I go first and that he would definately get someone to handle the details. And I told him that it better be good because I would without a doubt be watching from the wings( who knows, maybe I'd even have some!) and if it wasn't up to par, he could expect a good haunting for a long time to come!

I guess the moral of this story for me is that - if you really want a rocking funeral with everyone simply raving about your live self- you best go about earning it while still living. I don't want no posers at my service.

And to Rosie who I never met but really wish I had: Well done girl! I hope that you got the chance to see how very loved you were and still are! I pray you are playing happily in the waves at heavens #1 beach spot. May I touch as many souls as you obviously did in your way too short sojourn here on Earth. And lastly, I ask your forgiveness for coveting your funeral-It sure was a great one though.

Whoa, what a day...

Till next time my beautiful blogger/blogees,

just love,

Patrice

Just Love!

Love, Love, Love…all you need is Love, Love. Love is all you need!

I believe that the planet is now at a critical time in it's evolution. We will either transcend this oh so tired reality and glide into the fourth dimension where the fun really begins--OR we say bye- bye and give it another try in another time and place. I think that the time is Now to tell as many as possible that Love is really the only thing will save us...

Maybe the Divine-- God -- the Light-- the Source just needs to see that we want it badly enough, that enough of us have had our fill of these dark ages and the greed that creates chasms where many all over the world are so hungry that they don’t live through the night while others live in mansions with organic Whole Foods abundantly crammed in their fridges!

Come on, haven’t we all just really had enough???

So this is it gang-- the chance to change the whole course of action here-- let’s bring “ Heaven to Earth” Cause quite frankly, Hell is where we’ve been... all together now let’s just accept that yes, we are different religions, races, walks of life and we won’t always agree-- But we can still come together and rapture out/transcend (what ever you want to call your own private escape from the darkness)... Just what if enough of us one by one or two by two got out into the world and did our daily lives but with a deep awareness of keeping our hearts stretched wide open all day –every day?

We are the gatekeepers--- of the guests that arrive at our doors.... The negative voices, anger, jealousy, greed and pain are unwelcome guests and we need to realize that we cannot let them in at all ...They are cunning and baffling little rascals, them.

To indulge in the negative is to be disloyal to the Light--- If we have been given the gift of awakening, then we are spitting at that gift if we let ourselves go unconscious, back to sleep again...

The way out of the negative is not to fight or to even be neutral, the way out is to stay in a state of devotion and bliss as much as possible...When ever we are not in that state—we need to get there because that is our protection our essence ...in other words...Stay Awake! We cannot afford the price tag of constant pain. Trust me on this one- I have the battle scars to prove it.

That said, all we have to do is to Just Love! The rest my dear Earth family, just might be the happy ending... I mean Beginning for human kind... I for one am just so, so, so ready for a change, Are You???

Let’s just do it together. It will be fun, it is simple - easy to do and FREE. And Oh Man, when we see what starts to happen it is going to rock our world......We have all heard for oh so long about the power of love-- Time to take it up a notch and see what we can really do!

Just Love!

patrice

Not the Most Stellar of Days...

Empty nest, full moon, stopped prozac, menopause, winter, work frustrations, a bit bored, bathtub still not working, lonely and lost.
And how are you doing today?

Honestly, it has been a rough one . Tried unsucessfully to keep my spirits up and vibration high. I give myself an "F". Highlights of the day- major face licking/healing from Coco the weiner dog and husband Mark forced me to go take a walk to "get me out of the house". The sunset was truly georgous and I did allow the beauty of it to enter me for a minute or so.

Then Mark went Googling to find out just what the heck is wrong with his wife and he found a bunch of empty nest support group websites which he called me over to look at. There was some relief in the realization that I am not alone with this sadness. But it was bittersweet as I read the posts and kept comparing my story to theirs...Well at least she has four other kids at home, at least her kid is happy in college and not miserable and doing nothing at horrible ex- husbands house, at least her kid calls and emails her-- you get the idea. So the empty nest website started to make me feel worse and I moved on to making dinner.

Stepdaughter Marisa came home and bless her, Mark told her to give "stepmommy" a hug-- she did and I didn't let her go for quite a while. She is used to her very over- emotional stepmom having a meltdown of one sort or another so she hung in there giving me some extra special love back.

Cooked a great veggie tofu kashi dish that seemed to please everyone including the dogs. Then again, they never complain.

Going just one minute at a time these days. I know the deep spiritual breakthrough and healing are just around the corner. But which corner, where?

Sometimes I just want a big hug from the Universe. Sometimes I want to be a little crying baby that gets picked up and rocked till I fall asleep. Sometimes I want things that just don't happen.

I am tired of being big and strong and holding it all together. I like the idea of falling apart and getting put all back together but better. Tonight though, I feel more like Humpty Dumpty and all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put Humpty together again. I'm a mess.

If any of you right now are feeling a bit down-- I wish I could be that big warm hug for you--
So instead I am sending you all my love this way.

We'll get through it all....Together!

Just Love,
Patrice

Do Get Your Hopes Up!

Sitting on the deck this morning and listening to the chorus of birds, and mind chatter ( the birds by the way sounding so much better)  yet another Patrice pondering occurred and a question popped up. Ah, and then the beauty of a really good revelation. 

First the question-- Why were we always told " Don't get your hopes up.?"-Or one of it's many variations there-of, " don't get too excited, only time will tell, don't get too ahead of yourself!"

The logical answer is that whoever was telling us this ultimately really messed up message didn't want us to be disappointed and upset if said desire did not occur. 

But how ever well meaning this was meant to be, it was and is very bad advise. Following this directive-- you don't get any fun at all! 

Not only now did your dream not happen, but you didn't even get the joy of fantasizing about it happening. That sucks. Hey at the very least, when you have your hopes up-- YOU FEEL GOOD and that is a damn nice place to be.  And please don't even get me started on the fact that by "not getting your hopes up," you send out all kinds of icky universal emanations ( vibrations ) that certainly don't help and actually even hurt your chances of wondrous things happening! All has to do with energy frequencies and magnetizing. Trust me on this one. Feeling good = better chance of good things happening. 

It just works maybe not 100 % but I do know for sure that Keeping dreams DOWN certainly never helped anybody.

This moment of clarity came to me after I had just left a voice mail message for my girlfriend with some potentially very exciting news about my career. I noticed that as I was speaking, I kept defaulting back to the most minimal joy/excitement possible. "Now I don't know for sure- I could be wrong, it may not happen, I might be setting myself up... ." 

 So, as I hung up the phone, I heard that ancient rascal Voice, blasting his same old tune, "Don't get your hopes up!" and I think I had finally had just about enough, so I spoke up to Voice and asked, "Why the f--k not?

There was not one answer Voice could give me that wasn't tired- old school- negative- nasty- same ole' same oles'. Once more, for a short but blissful while, I was able to see through the illusion of the shadow and a glorious peek at possibility...

So in the spirit of this holy moment of clarity, I wonder this....

Brothers and Sisters,

If we could live most of the days of our lives with our hopes way up high--- all day, everyday as much as we possibly could-- well, just imagine how good we would feel and what might actually happen. You know, the hundredth monkey thing...

So during this amazing and historic week when there is that pulsation of maybe--just maybe...anything is possible--

I hereby give us all an invitation, blessing, permission. I call for a revolution! Let us all 

 Get Our Hopes Up! About anything and everything. Our dreams, wishes, deepest desires. Make our hope list and fill them in.  Then, (and enjoying every delicious moment of this next part)

 We get 'em up,  we get all them hopes up. Hope filled helium balloons that lift us higher and higher. Taking  us with them, taking us soaring....

Just Love,

Patrice

My "Vibration" and my Country- Ready for Change!

A very quick post ( for me!) on a very big subject.

 "written on election day - USA- early afternoon- no results yet soooooo....fingers crossed and then some!"

How's this for a lesson? Yet another!

I noticed that after my last few posts. Google's ads on my blog page were now for anti-depressant medications. You think that didn't get my attention?

 My vibration has been in dire need of an overhaul-- a serious makeover. The intense, always- in -some- kind -of -serious- angst- artist that is me has decided once and for all that happiness just might be worth exploring.

.

It finally hit me--  all my life, I have been a thrashing salmon swimming upstream--It's a wonder that ever got anywhere. I just need to start flowing downstream, be happy, go with the flow, stop fighting and "allow" all the treasures of the Universe to be mine!

This revelation comes on the heels of yet another "prosperity/abundance" book that I have been diving into lately.  The wonderful Abraham teachings as channeled through Esther Hicks!

And I'll be darned if it doesn't suddenly all make sense! Maybe the teacher came because the student was finally ready!

That said, I pledge happier, shiny posts showing you all my new energy vibration. Because I am going to give it a go-- by God!

 

Just because I have always had my "default switch" permanently set to worst case scenario. Does not mean that same switch can't also be flicked up to ain't life grand! And I think I am just the gal to do it!

This amazing shift in vibration can apparantly can all be done without me even having to dig through the muck of the past, or my bio chemical composition, my karmic debts, my current financial situation, or any of the other crap that I have ever let myself keep me from soaring into the Patrice kingdom of riches. In other words, no more excuses-- it is now or never.

 This stuff either is true or it is not. And since all the masters agree-- and for God's sake I know this- Why have I been such a difficult case???

Maybe I needed to do it this way, so that I could report back that yes it can be done. We really can-( even the toughest nuts to crack!) find our way back to Heaven. Even while still on Earth.

Since suicide has never been an option and there is whole lot of wondrous stuff to still explore, give, have, see, do and love... 

Patrice has decided that it is time to tell the negative voices to shut the f--k up! Read my own books, take my own deepest truths,  go where I know I need to go and that is-- to the same place where  the answers have always been.  I just need to remember to go hang out with Source/God /The Light. All day- every day. Period! The End. 

It is way overdue and I have finally suffered enough. Just like the USA.  Wow all this on Election day -- a historic day when collectively all over the world- we are seeing the beginning of because we were so ready for CHANGE!

 Hey, If the country can rally and  change in such a spectacular way- after the nightmare of the past few years---- well, so can I!

I will be continuing to keep you abreast of my new sparkly being and how that's working out for me. Wish me luck. 

 A toast now, with a goblet overflowing with loveliness, joy, peace and inlaid with gemstones of every color. To us one and all finding our way back HOME.

Post blog- Obama has it!  Tis' a good day for change! Oh yes we can...

Well Done America!

Just Love!

Patrice 

The Irony and the Om Ring That Came Back to Me.

 

I have a  little miracle story to share with you all-- that once more showed me that the Universe is Alive and Well and quite the rascal messenger!

 Okay so here's the set up for the story...

For many  years I was  the "spirituality" group leader at a number of the "celebrity rehabs" in Malibu, ( drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, mental disorders- you name it) An important part of my groups and individual sessions was guiding the clients on meditation voyages deep into their own sacred space within, soaring through the cosmos and everywhere in between.

I worked with Top athletes, Celebrities, CEO's of huge companies, Royalty, Trust Fund Babies and Trophy Wives. People spending upwards of 50k a month to be in treatment. Though abundant in material wealth, these folks were in  many cases utterly spiritually bankrupt. ( I on the other hand spiritually wealthy and financially broke!) Oh the irony of life sometimes is just too much!!

Any way these were temporarily broken spirits in need of healing. Their experiences in my meditations was stunning. They were having amazing visions, waves of bliss, many for the first time in their lives were understanding what a connection to Source/Spirit/God was really all about. I'm telling you that even some of the ones with the most cynical, empty, hurting, unwilling personalities were going on journeys with me that all their money and substances of choice never could. Let's put it this way --private jets can take you around the world- on of my meditations--the Universe!

So over the years many of the clients had asked me for CD's so that they could "take me with them" so to speak. That they could have some of the same wondrous experiences when they returned to their homes. In the hopes that one day I might get it together and actually record a line of meditation CD's ( which by the way,  I am finally doing!) Anyway,  I would sometimes remember to get some of their emails. Not many just a a few dozen or so.

Alright now--

I bring this all  up so that you understand that when I sent out a little one page email blast to these few emails asking for some financial support for my newly launched non-profit organization the Just Love Project and so that I could go into the studio and record these Cd's and keep this whole thing afloat-- that maybe someone might actually cough up some dough. 

So many times I was told by these clients," Patrice, you have changed my life!" So I really didn't think that it was inappropriate and it was for a good cause -after all to ask them if they would like to change someone else's. Starting with mine!

I sat there eagerly staring at the computer for the next week or so waiting to see what might unfold, sadly all I seemed to get back were automated responses saying that the email addresses I had sent to were no longer valid, one slap on the wrist from one of the old rehabs therapists saying it was wrong to be soliciting old clients-  oops-whatever! 

Let's put it this way. The response was underwhelming. 

UNTIL, I got my first ever email from the exalted web Fairy God Mother of the Universe PAY PAL  telling me that a payment had been made to my account.

Now this is where it all gets very curious indeed.

Along with this donation came a personal email. It was from a wonderful woman who shall remain  nameless , telling me that she had no idea how she had ended up on my email list of rehab clients ( I had started the letter explaining that I used to run the spirituality groups at the treatment centers in Malibu that "you" went to) but that she had received one of these emails. To this day, I have absolutely  no idea how she possibly ever ended up on the list either-- but get this!!!

 Nameless lady tells me that the reason she had donated to my cause was because of a ring I had given her years before. What? And then I remembered. Trust me, when I tell you that I got chills and goosebumps over every inch of my body and the angels sang.

Here is what had happened.

 One day, many many years before,   I had gone into a little herbal/ holistic product store to buy some sage. The gal that worked their seemed enthralled with my silver OM ring. We chatted about it, I said thanks and drove off. For days, God kept telling me to go back to the store and give her the ring.

I usually try to listen to what God tells me ( when I can shut up enough to hear Him/Her) so I did as told. I went back to the store, found the gal and told her that the ring was now hers and dropped it in her palm. Needless to say she was quite taken with this gesture. It really was no big deal to me- I liked the ring,  but I wasn't that attached to it and anyway it was  fun to see her so happy being given this unexpected gift. I had forgotten all about it, had never given it another thought until this night, now so many years later, reading her email.

She said that she had never forgotten what happened that day and that I had literally taken the ring off of my own hand to give to her.

So anyway she suddenly out of the blue gets this email from me ( she recognized my name) and sent me my one and only donation. The Universe brought her this unusual opportunity to thank me. She was able to give back.

As an aside, her response was the only one that I received. Hmmmnnnn.

 To me, It was a sweet and powerful reminder that we are all linked in ways so amazing and that acts of kindness ( even cheap little silver OM rings) come back to us to let us know once again that the wonders of the Universe are well, Wonderful!!

Oh, and do feel free to send donations! www.justloveproject.com

Just Love!

Patrice

Lions and Tigers and Blogs. Oh My!

So it all started out simple enough. I was tired of waiting for my new books to be published. After launching my first website finally ( I know, I know) I realized that I could have a link to a Blog. A what? I had read a few over the years here and there. The idea seemed so perfect. A way to keep my writing chops up and my creative juices busy. To create, share, journal and who knows maybe one day-- I would have enough good blogs that I would not have to 'write another book" but just string a bunch of my best blogs together and Voila! Book deal! Cha Ching!!! The cheating authors way of writing a book.

So it all sounded really fun and immediately gratifying and a little dangerous too. Being freely out there with my day to day confusions and revelations. This was going to be a wonderful creative and cathartic outlet. A simple way for me to be me, for you.

 But I had NO idea what a dizzying world I was entering. Like everything I embark on -- the all or nothing monster in me has once again come to life-- and suddenly it hasn't been about the writing anymore.  It suddenly has become INSANITY. And I am willingly entering the madness. Once more simplicity has gone by the way side as I have become consumed by Blogmania.

Between the templates and widgets, and gadgets and googets, fidgets , fadgets and moveits. And Adsense and no sense, "traffic obsessions", site feeds, pings and pongs, comments and followers, labels, keywords, font changes, color schemes, business schemes, blog fame( or how to get there),  search engine submissions, real time and flavicons and well Christ, that's just the beginning as I travel down the rabbit hole of  this new blogging world--

 Could it be any more overwhelming? Can you, can I, are there bloggers who keep it nice and simple and still have "sucessful blogs"?

Never mind,  I just answered my own question. It is up to me and if I don't want to be caught up in all this never ending, faster moving than I can handle medium, I can do it my way. Focus on the writing and my people will find me. Right? Make sense to you?

 Although at this point, a pen and a pad are sounding real good .

 Now I have to cut this blog short because I have some more and very vital blog info online to study.  Need I say more? 

For the love of God, all I wanted to do was write. 

Just Love,

Patrice