Friday 29 September 2017

Candle

Your job is to protect your candle and keep the flame alive. 
It does not matter how many people 
see your candle or how big the light grows.
 The only thing that matters is that your flame always burns. 
The people who will benefit from your light will find you. 
You may wish you had a bigger candle, or you will be tempted
 to abandon your candle so you can bask in the light of another's. But, when you allow your truth to shine, everything you need
 is already within the flame of the candle you were given.
 - James McCrae

Wednesday 27 September 2017

Shine

When a light beam shines on a surface, 
it shines without judgment or hesitation.
 If an object is placed on the floor and blocks the light's path,
 the light does not resist or resent the object. 
It continues to shine without judgment or hesitation 
on whatever it encounters with equal dedication. 
The light beam's nature is to shine. 
It does not concern itself with what it shines upon.
 - James McCrae

Monday 25 September 2017

Place

The planet doesn't need more “successful” people...
It needs people to live well in their places. 
- David Orr

Friday 22 September 2017

Enjoy

All of the animals except for man 
know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it.
 - Samuel Butler

Wednesday 20 September 2017

Don't Fit

If you feel as if you don't fit into this world,
 it's because you're here to create a better one. 
- Author Unknown

Monday 18 September 2017

Door

Don't worry if a door doesn't open for you. 
It's not your door. 
- Colette Baron-Reid

Friday 15 September 2017

September 15, 2017 Chautauqua


Beth's Ponderings

   It seems whenever elections of any nature, or level of government, come up, suddenly there are serious personality clashes that didn’t seem to exist before, and opponents do all they can to discredit the others running against them.

   So, it should be no surprise that we are seeing a number of politicians getting into trouble of some form or another, with the most recent being Strathmore MLA Derek Fildebrandt.  What makes his situation a bit more “severe” is that he was part of the Alberta Tax Payer’s Federation prior to being elected and is accused of activities similar to those he used to criticise other politicians of doing.  Some of his constituents feel betrayed and have adopted a “how the mighty have fallen” attitude.

   I don’t know Derek personally, nor do I know all the ins and outs of the situation, but rather than a case of the mighty falling, to me, it is just another example of how easy it is to criticize from the OUTSIDE when you don’t know exactly what’s going on INSIDE, for him and us.

   To some degree, we are all guilty of this.  We think we can run the government, or our local community organizations, much better than those who are currently doing the job.  We think we have the answers to fix our family’s, friends’ and neighbours’ lives, solving all their problems, whether we’ve been asked for our advice or not.

   While, it is true that an outside perspective can give valuable insight and clarity, and provide answers that those in the situation are too close to see, more often than not, those outside are missing vital information that only those on the inside are privy to, information that makes a significant difference to the situation at hand.


   Nomination Day for municipal elections is just around the corner, and if you are called to run, I strongly encourage you to do so.  However, it is very important that we have individuals running for our municipal councils who are willing to do the best for our communities, not individuals who think they can come from the outside and “fix” whatever they think needs fixed.  What we see from the outside is merely the tip of the iceberg of what is happening.

Beth 


Contact The Chautauqua via email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or via Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua

Wednesday 13 September 2017

Wander

It does not matter which way you choose. 
All that matters is that you start. 
Once you start, the doors crack open, slowly at first, 
and before long the mystery is revealed. 
Don't worry about getting lost. 
If your work is good, you are guaranteed to get lost. 
Give yourself space to wander. 
Wandering leads to wondering, 
and wondering leads to revelation. 
- James McCrae

Monday 11 September 2017

Friday 8 September 2017

Hell

If you're in hell, you might as well relax
 because relaxing will as least decrease your suffering. 
- Judith Orloff

Wednesday 6 September 2017

Medicine

You cannot seek water from the one who drained your seas, 
and you cannot build a home for your worth 
inside another being. The medicine is when you
 return to yourself, where you will remember
 your strength, reclaim your own rhythm,
 and write your new song.
 - Victoria Erickson

Monday 4 September 2017

Limitations

Limitations live only in our minds. 
But if we use our imaginations, 
our possibilities become limitless.
 - Jamie Paolinetti

Friday 1 September 2017

September 1, 2017 Chautauqua


Beth's Ponderings


   Last week we experienced a solar eclipse.  For some locations in the United States, it was a total eclipse, here in Central Alberta the sun was only partially covered, yet at the peak of the eclipse, there was a noticeable dimming of the sunlight.

   While we are now “enlightened” enough as a society to realize that an eclipse is not a catastrophic event that means the world is about to suddenly come to an end, I noticed, leading up to the actual eclipse, lots of comments and concern expressed about the various “shadow” events occurring around our world in the past few weeks.

   One thing that the solar eclipse showed us, is that while the moon may have covered the sun for a moment in time, it had no effect on the sun at all.  The sun continued to shine brightly that day and didn’t dim or hide itself.  The moon, nor clouds for that matter, can really prevent the sun from shining.  Any dimming or hiding of the sun is only from our PERSPECTIVE, it doesn’t in any way reflect reality.  No matter how dark the day, or even how dark the night, the sun continues to shine ceaselessly, and manages to appear yet again in our sky.

   And, it may appear, from our limited perspectives, that the “shadows” are getting bigger and bigger in our world, however, we can’t let that discourage us, or cause us to become so fearful that we stop bringing love, kindness, and compassion to all those we encounter on a daily basis.  The shadows only dim us if we choose to let them.  What is going on around us should not prevent us from bringing our best selves, and best efforts, forward.  If anything, it should encourage us to shine even MORE brightly.    

   I was reminded last week, and shared in conversation with others...the brighter the light shining, the bigger the shadows, so all the shadows are showing us is proof that we ARE shining brighter and brighter as we each bring more light to our corner of the world.


   And it is the light that holds the true power, not the shadow.

Beth


Contact The Chautauqua via email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or via Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua