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As you may know, the American entertainer and television game show host, Merv Griffin, died August 12, 2007. He’d lived a good, long life. Like all of us, he had his challenges. But he always saw his life and his work as one and the same — a big game. He radiated that wonderful energy of always having fun and feeling good.
I read an interesting recent article on addiction in the Washington Post a month or so ago.… Read more
I recently saw an interview with Warren Buffet, reportedly the second richest man in the world (after Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft).
It was a fascinating look into the private side of this amazing man. Here are some interesting facts about him.
He still lives in the same small, simple three-bedroom home in Omaha, Nebraska he bought when he first married fifty years ago. He says it’s all he needs.
He doesn’t have a driver or security people — he drives himself everywhere.… Read more
In last week’s newsletter, Spirit said we’d talk about a couple of comments John and one of our readers, Barbara Webster, had made in that newsletter on the opinions of other people.
John
Here are those comments, first Barbara’s, followed by my response to her.
Barbara: . . . when I seek different audiences to give me validation and sympathy, there are too many human opinions that cloud the reality of the true situation. It’s just a way of putting off dealing with the truth and moving forward.… Read more
We received still more questions and other feedback in response to the past two weeks’ newsletters. If you didn’t see them, go here and here.
One of our readers, Barbara Webster, sent us some excellent and thoughtful comments I’m sure there are others among you who’ve had similar thoughts.
Following is an excerpt from Barbara’s letter, followed by part of my reply to her, and then Spirit’s response.
I too struggle with this. When reading the follow up I was confused when Spirit said never, ever talk about what you don’t want more of, and then went on to say it’s okay to talk about your challenges if it helps but not to continue dwelling on them.… Read more
We received some interesting questions and other feedback in response to last week’s newsletter. If you didn’t see that newsletter, you might first want to take a look at it here.
One of the responses we received was from my dear friend, Suzanne Keyes, who sent us an email asking for some clarification from Spirit on last week’s newsletter.
By the way, Suzanne has a wonderful website called Finding My Way to Well-Being.
Here is Suzanne’s email, followed by Spirit’s response.… Read more
I talked about one of my neighbors in a recent newsletter. I don’t mean to be picking on the neighbors, but they seem to be a rich source of stories for our newsletter. So here’s another story, courtesy of another of my Wyoming neighbors.
This story really begins about a year ago. But first, let’s fast-forward to the present.
Two weeks ago. I was walking down my driveway toward my mailbox when I ran into a neighbor. So I stopped to chat with her.… Read more
We had a death in our family last Saturday. It was neither tragic nor unexpected. She had lived a good, long life, and she was ready to go.
That same day, I spoke with another family member who’d just faced her own mortality in a totally unexpected way.
She’d been on a business trip, and was on her return flight home. A few minutes after takeoff, the plane made a terrifyingly loud noise. Moments later, the captain announced they were descending immediately to land.… Read more
A few days ago, I was out jogging early in the morning. Although it was a clear sunny day, I could barely see the sky. There were wildfires burning in the mountains to the west, and the wind carried the heavy smoke down into the valley and town.
It was hard for me to breathe, and smoke was getting in my eyes — it felt like they too were on fire. But I must say this summer has been pretty good so far — we haven’t had a lot of wildfires around here, unlike many other parts of the West.… Read more
I’m sure many of you remember that classic western film, High Noon, starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly (later, Princess Grace of Monaco). As a kid, it was one of my favorite movies.
John Cali
Every night at 6:00 p.m. at Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel in Cody, Wyoming, there’s a gunfight, Old-West style. You might even find Jesse James or Wild Bill Hickok there.
As you probably can guess, this gunfight is a nightly stunt put on for the enjoyment of summer tourists.… Read more
One evening not long ago, I was confronting a personal issue that was creating some inner turmoil and sadness for me. The details don’t matter. But the way Spirit responded to me does matter.
John Cali
Late that evening, just before sunset, I went out to the little wooden deck behind my house. I could see the mountains all around. Some of the higher peaks were still covered with the snowfall of several days earlier. The sky was grey and overcast, and it matched my dark mood.… Read more
When something good happens in your life, something you’ve wanted a long time — more money, a lover, a great job, etc., what’s your reaction? Are you grateful, knowing you deserve it? Or do you think it’s just a random stroke of good luck that will never happen again?
John Cali
In Spirit’s and my conversations with many people over the years, I wouldn’t like to count the times folks have told us how unworthy and undeserving they feel. We talked a little about this in our June 27 newsletter.… Read more
I’ve had some interesting opportunities to play with the energies of relationships recently. So I wanted to briefly share my thoughts with you because they’re related to this message from Spirit.
Lately I’ve been paying attention to how I interact with other people.… Read more
You all have undoubtedly heard the quote (actually, a misquote), “Money is the root of all evil.”
John Cali
About a month ago, I read an interesting article on computer criminals in the Washington Post — you know, those folks who fill your email inbox with spam, and worse.
Among the responses to the article was this one:
Money is the root of all evil! Then again, if that were taken away, these scumbags would find some other means to exploit their fellow man.… Read more
Do you feel the need to always be right? In Spirit’s and my work over the years, we’ve seen this need as a dark, destructive force in many relationships.
John Cali
One bright, beautiful spring morning last week, I was jogging in the foothills south of my house. I passed a couple of women walking in the opposite direction. One of them was talking loudly and I couldn’t help overhearing her.
With enthusiasm and energy, she exclaimed, “I’d rather have a relationship than be right.”… Read more
Most politicians are drawn to the limelight and the media headlines like moths to a flame. But a few of them are different.
John Cali
Craig Thomas was one of those who was different.
As you may have heard, Wyoming’s senior US Senator, Craig Thomas, died last week after a brief illness. Craig was born and lived most of his life in Cody, the town I live in. He was loved and respected by almost everyone in Cody and throughout Wyoming.… Read more
Years ago, when I was much younger, I remember a funny little story about the evils of drinking alcohol. But the real message, intended or not, was not about drinking.
John Cali
Here’s how the story goes:
A father wanted to teach his son that drinking alcohol was bad. So he took a glass of whisky and dropped a worm into it. The worm immediately shriveled up and died.
Father, hoping son would get his point that alcohol could kill you, said, “So what does that mean to you?”… Read more
Many years ago when I lived in Southern California, I remember reading in one of the local newspapers a fascinating article written by Kirk Douglas.
John Cali
Last weekend I watched the Spiritual Cinema Circle’s newest feature film. The movie starred the legendary Kirk Douglas in what he said was his last performance of this lifetime. It’s a powerful movie about fathers and sons. With Father’s Day coming up Sunday, June 17, it’s a particularly timely movie.
The movie reminded me of the article Kirk wrote many years earlier.… Read more
I don’t have a “green thumb” — I’ve never succeeded at growing much except weeds. Years ago, the large lawn around our home in Virginia was a powerful testament to my lack of gardening talent. If it hadn’t been for my wife, the place would have looked like a desert.
John Cali
We have a pretty short growing season out here in northwestern Wyoming, and the landscape is green only for maybe the first six or eight weeks of summer. And then it starts to dry up again.… Read more
I clearly remember, as a young boy, being super-sensitive to other people and to situations. Often it caused me great pain and made me wonder what was “wrong” with me.
John Cali
Many years ago, just as I was starting out on a conscious, deliberate spiritual path, I attended a “new age” seminar. The whole weekend, I was amazed by all the “secrets” I, as a little child, had suspected were true. But our Catholic faith forbid us to explore them.… Read more
How much do other people’s opinions of you matter? I have to occasionally remind myself there’s only one person’s opinion that matters. And that is my own.
John Cali
The other day I saw a quote from Dale Carnegie I absolutely loved:
Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses.
Our wise and wonderful animal friends are often great role models for us, are they not?… Read more
One of the most-asked questions Spirit gets in personal readings is “Why am I here – – what’s the meaning of my life?”
John Cali
Last week I was watching Tomorrow Is Today, a movie on a recent DVD from the Spiritual Cinema Circle. It reminded me of what was probably the last film I saw in a movie theater, Life Is Beautiful. That was back in the late 1990s.
The themes of both films are similar. They celebrate life and love amidst daunting, terrifying circumstances.… Read more
We can all probably think of people in our lives whose presence uplifts us. We always feel good in their company.
John Cali
Last week I was shopping in one of the local stores. Just after I arrived, one of the young ladies who works there came in with her dog. (Life is pretty informal out here in these little western towns. As in Europe, people don’t mind if you bring your dog into a store.)
The dog was a tiny black bundle of fur — she was about eight or nine inches tall, and couldn’t have weighed more than three or four pounds.… Read more
Until the past several weeks or so, it’s been a pretty mild and dry winter here in northwestern Wyoming.
John Cali
About a month ago, I was down at Frank’s Barber Shop for my regular haircut. It’s a friendly gathering place, typical of little western towns like ours. The small group of us there were having an animated conversation, fueled mostly by Frank, the eternally effervescent proprietor.
Eventually the talk turned to the weather, as I guess it does almost everywhere in friendly little places like Frank’s Barber Shop.… Read more
This past week was a strange time here in Wyoming. But, as it turned out, it wasn’t just in Wyoming.
John Cali
Last Friday morning the weather forecast predicted a little snow, not unusual for March here in northwestern Wyoming — about an inch, the forecast said.
Well, it snowed and snowed and snowed all day and well into the night. Saturday morning we had over a foot of the white stuff sitting on the ground. In all the years I’ve lived in Wyoming, we’ve never had that much snow all at once — in the surrounding mountains, yes — but never here in the valley.… Read more
Do you ever wonder why there is so much “evil” in our modern world. And, if you believe in a divine being — call it God, Goddess, whatever you want — why does it allow all the suffering we see today on the planet?
John Cali
I recently watched the movie, Conversations With God, based on Neale Donald Walsch’s best-selling book of the same name. The movie, produced by Stephen Simon of the Spiritual Cinema Circle, chronicles the true story of Neale and how he rose from a destitute homeless person to an internationally acclaimed author.… Read more