Courageous Heart, By Melissa Leath

Miracle on Capitol Hill
We just received this information from James Twyman, and think you all should be aware of it. I find it fascinating. especially since we are all sending 'peace thoughts' much more often than ever.

A Letter From James Twyman:
March 27, 2007

A miracle took place yesterday at the US Capitol during our peace concert in Washington, DC. I was informed about this only moments ago through a phone call from the Capitol Police Department and knew it was important to spread the word as quickly as possible. I hope you'll pass this email to as many people as possible throughout the world. We also hope to receive photos of the miracle to post on my website, James Twyman

I believe that this miracle is a sign from Heaven. In fact, the Capitol Police are threatening to charge us to pay for the removal of the sign which appears on the west lawn of the building facing the Washington Monument.

Here's the story:

Eight years ago I initiated a peace project called the Cloth of Many Colors Emissary Of Light, a mile long quilt made up of millions of small swatches of cloth donated from around the world. It was presented at the UN, The US Capitol and the Pentagon in September of 2000, then around the world at many international peace gatherings.
While at the Capitol the idea was born to create a children's version of the quilt, an idea that was successfully headed by the Master's Group, an
organization in the Washington area. The Children's Cloth of Many Colors is now nearly as long as the original quilt.

During a concert and ceremony held on the lawn of the US Capitol yesterday it was decided to use the Children's Cloth to create an enormous peace sign, one that would be clearly visible for many miles. The symbol was soon completed and the ceremony held within. We could feel the energy radiating from the peace sign, and we shared many prayers asking for humanity to turn toward peace and a world based upon the laws of compassion and love.

There was no way for us to know just how powerful our prayers of peace were!!!

According to the police, the quilt literally burned the peace sign into the lawn of the US Capitol. Though I am relying upon the reports of the police and have not seen the miracle with my own eyes, it is apparently clearly visible and they are hastily doing everything possible to have it removed.

But it won't be removed from our memories or our hearts.

I believe that this is a brilliant manifestation of the prayers of peace from millions, even billions of people from around the planet who no longer resonate
with the warring policies of many governments around the world, and it seems that Heaven has made its own feelings heard. There is no obvious physical explanation for this phenomenon. The quilt was placed softly on the ground for only one hour, so the possibility of a human cause is remote.

March 28, 2007

The Miracle of the peace sign appearing on the lawn of the US Capitol continues. If you haven't heard the entire story, on Sunday, March 25, James Twyman focused a peace ceremony commemorating the Season For Non-Violence in Washington, DC. During the ceremony, which was held on the west lawn of the US Capitol, the "Children's Cloth of Many Colors" (for more info on this amazing project please visit Communities of Peace) was laid gently on the grass in the form of a giant peace sign, and the ceremony took place in the center.

The next day the sponsor of the event, Gerry Eitner, received a concerned phone call from the US Capitol Police saying that the grass where the cloth lie was
now discolored, leaving an enormous peace sign on the lawn.

This morning the police department called back with more information. They believe that some type of fertilizer attached to the quilt caused the discoloration. In reality, however, there was nothing attached to the Children's Cloth except the prayers of those present at the ceremony, as well as thousands of people from around the world.Subsequent calls to professional lawn care companies indicated that there is currently nothing on the market that would cause such a sudden overnight change. In fact, witnesses reported that the "peace sign grass" is actually longer and greener than the rest of the lawn.

Has a miracle visited the US Capitol? If so, then what is the message?

From James Twyman:

"I believe that this miracle was caused by two factors. First of all, there were hundreds of thousands of people focusing on the Capitol ceremony while it was taking place. At one point we actually held hands around the peace sign and called upon the energy of all those people from around the world, feeling their presence around the quilt with us. The intent of so many people can be a powerful energetic force and seems to have catalyzed a change in the actual earth causing the grass to grow greener and longer overnight. Second, I believe that in some way and for some reason the earth is literally giving us a sign. This is a critical point in the history of the world. If we don't begin turning our thoughts and actions toward peace, for both humanity and the environment, a deep crisis may be around the corner. For me the peace sign on the lawn of the US Capitol is both a warning and a symbol of hope. I'm hoping we'll listen and begin working for peace."

Melissa and Charles Leath
Everything is moving right along for us these days. We are preparing to travel South. We'll be in Charlotte, North Carolina around December 14-16, 2006, and then shortly after that, we'll be in Tampa to share the holidays with our daughter.

After that, we'll be touring Florida. Look for more soon, or visit our Tour/Events page on our website. 123SpiritualGrowth

Also, (and I can hardly keep my cool over this one) we will be releasing our first collaborative project. It is a book called: Outrageous Living, Tips and Secrets for Thriving in the 21st Century. You can get a sneek peek at the cover so talentedly put together by Graphic Artist Jeremy Simmons and Photographer John Ford, by going to Outrageous Living It will be available sometime in December.

We'll let you know officially when it will be available to buy. Hey! Could be a great Holiday Gift for someone you love.

Just got this great forward in the email today. and really wanted to share it with everyone:

Attitude

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. "Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today?" So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. "Hmm." she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today?" So she did and she had a Grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. "Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. "YEA!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything.


Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly .......
Leave the rest to God.

Winter Heating for Elders
Many of us take life for granted. We know there is going to be a roof over our heads. We know there will be food on our tables. We know we will be cool in our air conditioning during the summer and warm in our heated houses during the winter.

Not everyone can take those things for granted. We have many people in our own country who are freezing or starving to death during the winter. Yes. It’s true.

There are eight Siouxan Reservations in South Dakota:
Pine Ridge Reservation, Cheyenne River Reservation, Crow Creek Reservation, Lower Brule Reservation, Rosebud Reservation, Sisseton-Wahpeton Reservation, Yankton Reservation, Flandreau Santee Reservation.

All of these reservations have situations in which there is little hope for work. Many are not skilled people. Many elders are not able to afford the proper heating for their homes or even have transportation for health care.

Let this be the year we say no one died from hunger or cold.

Winter Heating for Elders by Link Center Foundation

Utility and Heating Assistance Program For the Lakota Siouxan Elders, the Disabled or the Sick who Live On the Reservations of South Dakota

* Among the poorest indigenous people in the United States

* Over 60% of the homes are severely sub-standard, many without running water or electricity

* Average income on the Oglala Lakota Sioux Pine Ridge Reservation is only about $3500.00 per YEAR with around 85% on this 2.7 million acre Reservation housing 40,000 people

* Winter low temperatures in South Dakota average 9* F (November through February). Made worse with bitter wind-chill factors and record temperatures reaching -44* below 0*F (1996)

* Lakota have died from hypothermia due to inability to pay for heating

The majority of funding goes to help the Elders only. However, there are those occasions when the disabled or sick are in crisis situations and critically in need of heat. Even though they may not be actual Elders, Link Center Foundation finds it cannot, and will not, turn away from them. Therefore, this project will now also include those rare and reasonable instances of severe need by those who are disabled and/or sick.

Help Us Help the Elders, the Disabled and Sick! Any amount will assist.

Payments made directly to utility, propane, wood, or heat equipment Companies.
Please mark your check: "Utility and Heating Fund."

Please send donations to: Link Center Foundation, P.O. Box 2253 ~ Longmont, CO 80502-2253, An All-Volunteer Colorado Non-Profit Organization

Audrey L. Link, Founder and President
P.O. Box 2253 ~ Longmont, CO 80502-2253
Phone: 303-554-5363 Voice Mail ~ 888-220-1653 Office
Email: linkcenterfounda@earthlink.net or admin@linkcenterfoundation.com

Website: www.LinkCenterFoundation.com

April 2006 Newsletter Article
Procrastination or Shall I Take Charge? by Rev. Melisa Leath

Many of us tend to put off things until 'another time.' And that's fine for some things. Timing can be a critical element dealing with some areas of our lives. Certainly making decisions are always better to do during a part of the day when we feel clear headed and fresh. So waiting for a good time for certain things is important.

I put off other things--some may consider minor--but things that could be over and done with, by the time I decide to wait, such as: filling the ice cube trays, washing the bowl I just used, answering an email, picking up a paper that fell on the floor, filing some papers.

These all seem like minor events that, by themselves don't amount to much. But if you add them all up, it becomes a confused and messy house. It takes much too long to complete all those things that could have been done in seconds, at the moment.

Suddenly the kitchen sink is full of dirty dishes, all the ice cube trays are empty, the carpet is full of trashy papers, I have 10 emails to answer, and several stacks of items to be filed along with other papers to go through.

What looked like a minor thing becomes an unsettled feeling and anxiety with not enough time to clean or organize. As a result of being overwhelmed with everything, I quite often put off spiritual endeavours. A five minute meditation is pushed back to the next day, the two books I bought last month as inspiration tools are in the middle of my filing stacks, and my daily walk just doesn't happen.

As I begin to look at it, I realize I procrastinate as a defense mechanism. I think I'm controlling the issue, but am really out of control or have no control, and can't or won't make decisions. I really am not wanting to deal with it at all, so I avoid it, or religate it to another time. I try to rationalize the procrastination as 'finding the right time' for that chore. I'm really doing myself a dis-service.

I've come up with some strategies to conquer this Procratination Dilemma:

1. I actually stand at the waste basket as I bring in the mail: the trash hits the basket, avoiding the fatefull fall on the floor.
2. I empty the ice tray at the sink, dumping leftover cubes into a bowl or bag and run water into the tray, all right then.
3. I moved the filling cabinet to a more accessible place, and bought a smaller, more colorful file tray to keep current files.
4. I've agreed with myself to spend 15 minutes at different times of the day to have 'spiritual moments.'

These are just a few things that I have found useful and hope you will be able to use too. (Or maybe get a chuckle out of!)

Da Vinci Code
Have you seen Da Vinci Code yet? We read the book when it first came out and were very interested to see what Director Ron Howard did with the information.

After reading the book by Dan Brown, we attended a group discussion at our local public library. The city we live in is very conservative. So we did not expect the overwelming turn out for the discussion.

I didn't even think anyone around here even heard of the book, let alone read such a controversial story. When one of my cousins came in, I almost fell off the chair. (Needless to say, I am probably the most controversial member of my Dad's side of the family!)

But, the discussion was lively and everyone was very informed, wanting to explore new concepts.

Now that the movie version of the book is out and a more diverse group of people can be exposed to it, I'm looking for more discussion and interest.

To me, it's a wonderful thing to be able to look at new and different topics and stimulate the thinking process.

It doesn't matter if you believe a topic or even agree with it. The important thing is to be open to new ideas.

I don't believe it's important if the book or movie is true or not: Just be open to question what has been presented to you. It's always good to explore ideas and possiblities.

Hope to see you at the movies!

Welcome!
Welcome to our web log. Posted here will be special events that may be of interest to you, or tid-bits of information brought to our attention.

Check back periodically to see what we are doing in our area (Ohio) and around the country. We may also give commentary on certain things going on in the spiritual community. Thanks for joining us! And visit often.

30 Day Peace Movement
We were just send an email by a dear friend in the Cincinnati area. It is an introduction into a wonderful Peace Movement that will be starting April 29.

There is no better time than the present when Creating Peace. I am a firm believer that World Peace will not show itself until we each have personal peace. I have given many Peace Meditations in my own community and know how effective they can be.

Please go to Movements of Peace to read about it. It's a very easy thing to do. You don't have to be any place in particular, just donate a few minutes of your time each day to bringing peace into your personal life. And the more people that do, it will help the energy and vibration of Peace to spread. There is a great article, entitled "The Physics of Inner Peace" on the website by Vincent Lasorso, Jr., who is responsible for this movement.

Pass the word about Peace.

And for today, I will leave you in Peace...