"Keep all special thoughts and memories for lifetimes to come. Share these keepsakes with others to inspire hope and build from the past, which can bridge to the future."

​​​​​​​~ Mattie Stepanek

I'd like to share a hiking memory from when we lived in Sedona, Arizona. 

Early one morning, after exploring the gardens around St. John Vianney Church, I crossed the road to hike on the Sunrise Trail.

My thoughts were of Lucky, a relative who had recently died. Lucky loved Sedona, especially the grounds of that church. Thoughts of Lucky led me to reflect on all my family members and friends who had passed from this world.

I was still thinking of the deceased when I started on the trail. Shortly into the walk, I noticed a sign with the name “Gregg” and “the Buckthorn Family.”

I wondered about Gregg and the Buckthorn family that had placed this commemorative marker on the trail. Perhaps Gregg was a man who showed deep reverence for nature.

My thoughts moved in a new direction as I looked out into the distance and appreciated the wide Red Rock vista. I picked up the pace. 

When my focus came back to the near sights along the trail, I noticed another marker. This one said “The Cashew Family.”

I laughed out loud when I realized that the bronze plates I had seen were not to honor people who had died; they were there to identify plants along the trail!

It’s kind of funny how a present thought pattern can lead us onto a faulty trail of thinking.  

We all engage in error thinking at times. It's usually not funny. Besides coming to wrong conclusions, as I had on the Sunrise Trail, we all hold some false beliefs that limit us.

For example, we might believe that we have to be perfect in order to be valuable and lovable. We might believe that others must see things our way and admit that we are “right.” We might believe it's a sign of weakness to say, “I don’t know.”

Even though error thinking is usually not funny, we can look for something light or enlightening in it, even humor. Whether or not we chuckle, we can always practice compassion, expand our thinking, and appreciate more of life’s panorama.   
With love and gratitude,
Charlene
BEAUTY: May your deeds reflect its depth. - from The Twelve Gifts of Birth​​​