Test Spirituality

A true test of your spiritual depth can be determined by moving across country with everything you own in two large trucks along with three teens and two dogs... and Murphy's Law applicable.

Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong to the point of laughing myself to tears. Love the adventure! If you think you're up to the test, here's the recipe:

3,000 sq ft house to a less than 2,000 sq ft house, add 2,000 or more miles, add two towing trailers to the Moving Van and truck. Your time limit less than seven days under penalty of late fees.

On your mark, get set, GO!

Travel Albuquerque

Few places leave as intense an impression as Albuquerque, New Mexico. We drove through on our way West and were thrilled to find many of the autumn attractions were in full swing in March…

Old Towne Albuquerque founded in the early 1700s, home to the San Felipe Catholic Church, is among the oldest of European settlements in the country. Merchants sell southwestern clothes and home décor from their shops. Street vendors sell their hand-crafted jewelry and carvings from blankets along the walkways.

The scent of roasted chili not comparable with any other, has become a favorite and a scent associated with this charming place. The chili is flavorful and HOT!

A great time to really enjoy the area is during October. The heat of summer has simmered to nice days and somewhat cool evenings. Roasters are rolling chili. And the International Balloon Fiesta adds colorful brilliance to the skies.

A good time to visit Albuquerque is for the International Balloon Fiesta October 2-10, 2010.

Moving On...

Big Changes in life are just that… big. It may involve a shift in attitude or a shift in location, but change is inevitable. With change comes a shift of people, places, and things. If we shift our thoughts about certain aspects of life, or change the way we decide to deal with situations we find acceptance easier to find.
Today, with the approach of another cross-country move, I feel a bit melancholy about the place I leave. It’s been a place to be. It has served its purpose. Lingering to honor others’ wishes has only delayed the departure date.

Following the advice of experts to leave, that all will fall into place has been a step of faith; faith to believe experts; faith that all will fall into place. As much as I’d like to say, I do this without a blink, the truth is I’m hyperventilating inside. Trust is difficult anyway. Trusting a real estate agent that we should just move is tremendously difficult. And the “what-if” monster wants to scream in my ear that we’re taking a different path.

But I do believe my realtor that she knows the market, her job, and I am moving forward in my life. To move forward we must leave the past behind.

In the meantime, I know a great family-size house for sale, CHEAP…

Book Review: Decoding the Spiritual Messages of Everyday Life

Title: Decoding the Spiritual Messages of Everyday Life: How Life Teaches Us What We Need To Know
Author: Paul DeBell
Genre: Self Help
ISBN: 978-1-4027-6712-8
Publication Date: November 2009
Pages: 336
Price: $19.95
Publisher: Sterling Ethos

“Decoding the Spiritual Messages of Everyday Life: How Life Shows Us What We Need to Know” by Dr Paul DeBell is the result of over twenty years of observation between the mundane world and the spiritual realm.

Beginning with the basic value of spiritual life, Dr DeBell outlines a way in which a person can devise an understanding of the spiritual in its relation to the world. Dr DeBell uses common and easily understandable language to understand more lofty or spiritual concepts. Through this book a beginner could come to thoroughly understand how the realms of reality blend into what we call life, it also encourages difficult questions about the world and why things are as seem.

The book is divided into three parts: The ABCs of Spiritual Messages, Engaging the Spiritual Dimension in Everyday Life, and Cultivating Your Spiritual Intelligence. Within each part there are several chapters which carry the reader from point A to point B and so forth. At the end of each chapter there are two sections: Keys and Reflections which serve as a review of the information and prompts to apply what’s learned.

Part I – ABCs of Spiritual Messages focuses on understanding the basics of our experience and outline the development of the ability to discern between random occurring events and actual messages as answers to spiritual questions posed. The understanding and recognition of these messages is paramount to the application of the concepts presented.

Part II – Engaging the Spiritual Dimension spotlights the practice and ability to understand messages and the resulting growth from applying information properly to the tasks at hand. Dr DeBell uses examples from the lives of friends and others who have shared their awakening with him in an effort to demonstrate that these principles do work when applied.

Part III – Cultivating Your Spiritual Intelligence brings together the lessons of the book and explains to the reader that there are higher levels to which they may strive. Dr DeBell recognizes that he is privileged to have within his connections, people who are farther along the spiritual path than he, who are able to not only explain but also show him how life with spiritual awareness is far richer than without.

Raised within a religious dynamic, Dr DeBell suffered the lost of faith during his college years. This loss of faith redirected his path from religious studies into the medical field where he became a psychologist who worked primarily with the poor in the South Bronx, New York. After a time, he experienced a moment of clarity when a leaf gently floated into his hand, which he interpreted as a spiritual answer to questions he asked. From that point, Dr DeBell approached the spiritual from an academic perspective, he wished to propose hypothesis and find the answers through demonstration as evidence of the spiritual.

At reading, Decoding the Spiritual Message of Everyday Life appeared to be above average when compared to the myriad of spiritual path books recently published, concentrated on the beginning steps, especially areas of introduction from an atheistic or scientific stance. It was my intent to report the findings as such: This book would be a good pick for anyone with questions about the spirituality of life: if there is an interest in the spiritual but a wondering about where or how to start, this is an excellent book to establish a basic understanding which is applicable regardless of religious affiliation or none.

Then, something absolutely spectacular happened: a local book club asked for a presentation on a recent reading. Mid-point of the review, the atmosphere of the room became decidedly changed; there was a spark that enlivened the group. Suddenly there came a barrage of questions about spiritual matters and living a life with spiritual application: why did bad things happen, how does one justify the things that happen in life, what are we to understand from our interactions with others and more. So the recommendation expands to include the demonstrated effect, Decoding the Spiritual Messages of Everyday Life prompts discussion of spiritual matters and would be an excellent choice for a study group as well as for individual spiritual development and understanding.

For more information about Decoding the Spiritual Messages of Everyday Life or about the author Dr Paul DeBell go to: http://decodeyourmessages.com/

Copy provided for review