For the Love of a Dog

This entry is not about the movie of the same name as the title. Rather it is a dedication to the life of and a tribute to Lucky Joseph Eckert. Lucky Joe also known as "The King" is no longer walking beside me in physical form. He walked across the Rainbow Bridge this past Tuesday, December 8 around noon. Lucky was an important part of my family for a little over 14 years. Ulya and I adored our fur baby and miss him very much. He brought much love into our home. This is his story.

Lucky's mama was a rescue right before giving birth to 10 puppies. She was so happy to be in a loving home, she was not the greatest of moms. When we went to meet the puppies, Ulya was quickly in the midst of them. By the time I reached them, there she was with this little white puppy seated in her lap. Lucky had jumped into her lap as soon as she sat down on the floor. We had a dog and Lucky had new humans.

As a puppy, Lucky was quite the handful. Growing to 50 pounds in what seemed like overnight, controlling him was rather difficult. Many times, I questioned my decision to adopt a puppy. He would eat anything in sight. Paper, plastic, worms, tree leaves.  You name it. If it wasn't attached to something it was food. All this being said, he didn't destroy anything. He just was full of energy and I was in a rough place in my life caring for my parents.

We survived though and this young man grew into quite the gentleman. He stopped eating plastic and turned his preference to dog treats and braunschweiger. I only heard him growl two times in his 14 years. Once when a woman came to our house to use the phone. He stood back and was not happy with her presence. Did he know something I didn't recognize? Another time when my cousin and her husband were visiting with their small children, the little boy was being reprimanded for misbehaving. Lucky assessed the situation and immediately looked dad in the eye and growled as a warning. "Do not hurt this little one or I may have to hurt you." He was protective and a force to be reckoned with if necessary.

I could go on and on about Lucky Joe but I'm sure you've had your own Lucky Joes over the years. His last year was not a good one for any of us. We tried all we could: medicines, Reiki, essential oils, holistic and herbal preparations including cannabis, and prayer. Lots of prayer. In the praying, Ulya and I came to the awareness that it was time. Time to let this important part of our existence go. And what a send off he had.

Lucky played ball Tuesday morning as much as his body allowed. He had hamburger for breakfast, braunschweiger for a snack, two hamburgers from Hardees for lunch, and hugs and more hugs. We held him as he made his departure and showered him with kisses and more hugs.

His spirit has visited me a couple of times. I've "felt" him by my side. Looking up at me, he tells me how good it feels to be pain free and to be truly present once again. His love remains and always will.

My heart cries as I come home to a house that has no dog to greet me. It has been 30 years since I've been without a dog. Lucky Joe cannot be replaced. He was one special dog. However, there are many dogs needing love and a home. Ulya and I need a dog. Soon Lucky will be the guardian angel for another lost dog. I know Lucky will wag his tail in exuberant joy when another fur baby joins the Eckert family. Lucky Joe is just that kind of dog.

Rest in Peace

Lucky Joseph Eckert

July 26, 2001 - December 8, 2015

My God-daughter, Lauren Elizabeth, sent me this after Lucky's departure. I'd like to share it with you. You may want your tissues nearby.  

Peace and Blessings,

Mareda

Today I Met A Young Woman

You may wonder why I am writing about meeting a young woman. There are lots of young women. We meet them all the time. This was a different meeting and one that touched my very soul.

This beautiful and talented soul is a German teacher, multi-lingual, working toward her Ph.D. You are probably still wondering why this is so special. She is also an immigrant, a Bosnian, and a Muslim. This is the difference. Not just beautiful, talented and intelligent but also a Muslim. She no longer goes to her mosque because of her fear. Tears rolling down her checks, she silently wonders what will happen. She is not alone. There are many other immigrants who fit this profile. So why did this affect me so intensely?

Her fear was real. Her fear at the thought of what might happen to her, to her parents, to her fellow immigrants brought reality front and center for me. The tears continued to roll down her checks as she talked about the solution one of the presidential candidates has for handling immigrant terrorists. Make them wear a tag to identify themselves; set up a database with all Muslims listed. What? Not in the United States of America. No way. Yes, these are the threats that are being bandied about in the name of protecting this country.

I am saddened to the core of my very being. Not so much for this wannabe president's remarks but for those Americans who support this idea. Yes, the terrorists are not welcome here. Neither are the terrorists who are citizens of this country who threaten and kill unsuspecting movie goers, college students and other innocents.

In case we forget, this country was founded by immigrants from all over the world. Unless you are of Native American descent, your ancestors were immigrants! These people left their countries and their friends to forge a new and better life for themselves and their families. They wanted to thrive, to experience religious freedom, to better themselves. Along the way, there were atrocities. We all know this to be true. Must these atrocities continue? Must the persecution continue? Must the segregation continue? Have we not evolved into better human beings?

Fear can be overwhelming. Fear of the unknown can be even more overwhelming. Maybe the solution could be to welcome Muslim families into our homes. Get to know them. Make them our friends. Wow! what a novel idea. Why not do this to people of all religious traditions, all nationalities, all races, all sexual orientations? Maybe we would discover they are really nice people.

There is a lady in a harbor who says this:

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles, From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips, "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

This lady has seen a lot throughout her reign of New York Harbor. Much of what she has seen has been sad. "Wouldn't it be loverly" to change this into joyful welcoming for all coming to these shores in search of a new life? One can dream and hope. In the words of John Lennon:

Imagine

Peace and blessings,

Mareda

A Radical Idea

This is going to be a short and sweet blog post.

Whenever something horrific occurs, the whole world sends love and prayers to those who were affected. Why isn't this being done all the time?

My suggestion is to begin sending love everyday to everyone. My radical idea is that we especially send it to those who are the perpetrators of violence: the terrorists, the rapists, the abusers, the just plain angry person. For whatever reason, these people have such hate driving them that the only thing that can change them is love. This love does not have to be connected to any religion or tradition. Just plain old simple love. The love you have for your parent or child. The love you have for your pet.

I have been doing the following for many years when challenged with negativity of any kind.

Send the person or group loving energy while saying:

I love you

I bless you

I forgive you
I release you

You may be thinking this is too simple. You may be thinking, why send this to a terrorist.  What we have been doing has not worked. Doing the same thing over and over is not going to get different results. Getting more ammunition as some one posted is also NOT the answer.

I challenge you to try this. It couldn't hurt.

Peace and blessings,

Mareda

Spiritually Adrift and Losing Site of Truth

Years ago I was drifting through life wondering what it was all about. Like Peggy Lee, I sang "Is this all there is?" I blamed my circumstances on my parents, my former husband, my schooling, and on God. Why was everything bad happening to me? To be totally honest, my life was far from bad when compared to that of many others. Instead of just visiting the "pits," I decided to buy a condo there.

However, I discovered living in this condo was not the life I desired or deserved. I went through all sorts of misery before putting up a For Sale sign. That sign went up when I realized I was drifting through a sea of confusion and going farther and farther away from my Source. I wanted back on course and was determined to redirect my ship.

Through a series of synchronicities, I discovered the way back to my Source. Books fell into shopping carts. I met people who had been there too and were now happy and whole. I met people who believed that God was not an old man up in the heavens but a Light that lived deep within them. Classes, lectures, books, more classes, more lectures, many more books were the sails that moved me forward. Over 30 years ago, I changed my course and discovered the path to the truth that lies within.

Are you spiritually adrift?
Do you feel God has forgotten you exist?
Are you upset with the dogmas and demands of traditional religions?
Are you a recovering Catholic or Fundamentalist Christian or Buddhist, Muslim, etc.?
Are you angry that you work and work on yourself but your life just remains the same?

There was a time when I could have answered yes to all of the above questions. I can sometimes still answer yes to one or two of them. But just as a sailor adjusts the sails to his boat, so do I adjust my mindset.

I feel so blessed because there have been many spiritual leaders, gurus, friends and coaches in my life who have assisted me on my spiritual path. You may think you are not on a spiritual path; however, my friends, we are all on a spiritual path if we know it or not. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. We forget this when we arrive on earth. When we remember, our path becomes lighter and brighter.

My calling is to assist those who are adrift. It has taken me a lifetime to discover this. I've been through the fire and have not only survived but thrived. It is all peaches and cream? No, there are still challenges but I'm still here and I am happier, healthier and more succesful than ever before.

If you are adrift, please consider Soul Centered Coaching to help you find your way back to the Source of all that is Good and True. I do not care if you call it God or Buddha or Krishna or Fred or something else. Finding your Truth is paramount to a successful and happy life.

So for all you Lost Souls, I am offering a Special Fall Package through the month of November.

Four 1 hour sessions for an investment of $150. 

Sessions can be done by phone or Facetime. Email me at maredaeckert1@gmail.com, leave a message on my phone at 314-583-9487, or connect through my website www.maredaeckert.com.

Peace and Blessings to all my fellow travelers,

Mareda

Hatred

Hatred is defined as intense dislike or ill will. I'd like to add that it is a disease that has affected many on this planet. It sneaks up in moments of fear and attacks. Unlike a flu virus, there is no vaccination for it. Compared to a cancer, it spreads easily and effortlessly through a person's psyche and world. This is the disease that could destroy mankind unless a radical change occurs.

I write this blog entry as much for myself as for anyone else. This morning as I was vacuuming my thoughts turned toward all the atrocities in this world. Hate seems to have become the norm. As I mulled over this, I challenged myself to look at the hate that is within me. I feel I have honestly eliminated this word and feeling from my consciousness. Well, almost. 

My biggest "hate" goes toward winter. I hear the words "I hate winter, no, actually I despise winter" over and over in my conversations. Wow! What am I creating in my world? No matter what Mother Nature brings, I am convincing myself with these words that I won't like it. 

After more honest soul searching, I really have stopped hating as much as I used to. I used to hate certain people for actions they may or may not have committed. I used to hate certain foods. Those hatreds are pretty far removed now. However....

There still are times when hatred rears its ugly head. When I hear others hating for the sake of hating, I start fuming. When I see a derogatory photo of someone with a less than desirable comment, my teeth start grinding away. Guess I have work to do. 

How do we as people rise above the hatred we feel towards others? For me, I shall begin to disagree more with acts and beliefs that are contrary to what I believe. I shall begin to educate myself about different viewpoints. 

Years ago, in another lifetime to be exact, I worked with a young woman who was an Evangelical Christian. I had just discovered New Thought. To say we were from different spiritual worlds is an understatement. We usually had lunch together. We discussed our beliefs. I did not change hers. She did not change mine. What we did was respect each other without anger, without animosity. We remained friends.

My heart hurts when I see and hear all the hate. Hate for people we don't know. Hate for countries we have never visited. Hate for people espousing another belief. What if everyone just disagreed? We live in a world where virtually every "civilized" nation has access to information about everything. A friend who has since left this earth plane once told me I lived in a dream world. Love isn't the answer. My opinion differed and we chose to disagree on this as well as many other things. Although we drifted apart for many reasons, I never hated him nor did he hate me. 

Is love the answer? I think so. If love is not the answer for you, how about tolerance and understanding? As individuals we have free will. It just seems that this wonderful world could be so much more wonderful if we eliminated hate. 

As I wrote the words "wonderful world," Louis Armstrong's song What A Wonderful World comes to mind. 

What A Wonderful World

Let's begin to make this a truly "Wonderful World" by walking the talk that Christ, Buddha, Muhammad and other great masters walked. The Walk of Love. 

Peace and Blessings,

Mareda

It Is Up To Us

Global warming. Climate change. Gun control. Greed. I could go on and on. These are just a few of the challenges we as spiritual beings having a human experience deal with on a daily basis. So what shall we do? It seems we do a lot of blaming. Democrats blame the Republicans. Republicans blame the Democrats, Christians blame the Muslims. Whites blame the Blacks. Blacks blame the Whites. Men blame women. Women blame men. Lots of blaming going on but not many solutions in sight.

This morning I saw a brief video of Deepak Chopra being asked what he thought the state of humanity would be in 100 years. His answer was brief and to the point. It all depends upon the choices we make now. He was talking more about climate change but the choices we make affect everything in our lives.

With regard to climate change, he indicated that statistics prove that this planet is in trouble if our lifestyles do not change. Instead of creating heaven on earth we are well on the way to creating a living hell on earth. He described it as an experiment by Mother Nature that did not work. Many naysayers do not believe in global warming. Many rather believe that the apocalypse is near. It may be near but we have chosen it. With positive change this apocalypse can be avoided. So what is the next step? Here are my thoughts.

1. Stop blaming others. Even if you don't agree with another person's opinions or actions, you aren't going to change them by criticism. Live your truth. Lead by example.

2. Live the Golden Rule. Treat others the way you want to be treated. This includes all sentient beings not just those walking on two feet.

3. Be the peace you want to experience. Be the kindness you want to experience.

4. Bless and love those who push your every button. They have something to teach you.

5. Listen to all opinions even if you don't agree. Maybe something will resonate within you to understand (if not agree) a different point of view.

6. Respect our earth, your body and everything on this earth plane. If something kills weeds upon contact, question it's safety. If something you eat makes you feel bad, question whether it is healthy. Then do something about it if it is only to do something differently.

7. Be thankful for what you have and pass that Good on in whatever way you can. Even if all you can manage is a smile, it might change a person's day for the better.

8. Be awake and aware of who you are, how you act and what you are creating with your thoughts and actions,

9. Trust that you are loved and guided by a Presence and Power greater than you and

10. Be the change. Be the Light. Be the Love.

These are my thoughts. I must admit as I wrote them I discovered I really need to heed my own advice a little more. This planet needs people to share their Light and Love. Light overcomes the darkness. I challenge each and every person who reads this to begin creating heaven on earth so that in 100 years our ancestors shall live in a "Garden of Love."

Peace and blessings,

Mareda

www.maredaeckert.com

F.E.A.R. - False Evidence Appearing Real

Fear is an emotion that is very real for many people. It varies in degrees but if we are honest, we all have at least one thing we fear. I will readily admit I am very afraid of snakes. The real thing, a snake on TV, a photo, they all strike fear into my very soul. This post isn't about that type of fear. Nor is it about the fear that is so prevalent across our country; i.e. the fear of people or cultures different than ours or the fear of someone breaking into our home and/or killing us. This is my story about a fear that colored my childhood. 

My mother, who departed this plane of existence in 2008, was afraid. Her fears were not outwardly apparent but they perpetuated her daily existence. As a child growing up, I was not encouraged to try new things. If I took swimming lessons, I might drown. If I wanted to do anything that was out of my mother's comfort zone, I was discouraged from trying. When a friend asked me to sing at her wedding, my sweet mother did not sleep for weeks until the wedding was over. She just couldn't believe that I sang and no one threw any tomatoes at me. Later when I interviewed for my first job, she was sure this was a mistake. It wasn't. Thank goodness I was just as stubborn as she was. 

Later in my marriage, my former husband kept the ball rolling by criticizing everything I did and questioned my motives for any type of advancement I sought. The fear continued. 

I understand why both my mother and former husband did what they did. It was fear that was driving them. My mother was raised in an environment that was less than encouraging. My former husband was raised in a very volatile environment. So what does one expect? Fear.

As a mom, I understand the feelings a parent has. Mothers and fathers want their child to succeed. Most parents will do anything to keep their child safe. There is a limit, however, to safety. As the saying goes "a ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." There is a time to let go.

For many  years, I have felt my life would have been "better" if my mom had been different. Maybe, maybe, maybe. The fact is my life is good. In fact, it is fantastic! I have grown through my trials and frustrations to the woman I am today. I hope with all my heart I am imparting what I learned from my mother to my daughter. My mother taught me many things: how to paint a room, how to cook, how to take care of baby chickens and lambs (in the kitchen no less), how to be kind to all people no matter of race or nationality, etc. 

Very recently I made peace with the woman who was my earthly mother, Alyda Wolfmeier Eckert. You see, now that she has moved on to her next realm of existence, everything is clear. She told me in a dream. All is well. All is love.

So the moral of this story is to be cautious, not fearful. Fear can protect but it can also hinder one's evolution into something miraculous. Take chances. If you have a dream, go for it. 

To Alyda I say: "Thank you for being you. Thank you for coming to me and helping me to understand. I love you. I appreciate you. May this new journey you are on be one of much joy, love and courage."

As for my former husband, well that is a story for another time. 

Peace and Blessings,

Mareda

www.maredaeckert.com