Anne's Note speaks of flowing with life instead of pushing against it. The main article speaks of A Tribute to Mothers & Mothering. Healthy Living talks about Natural Insect Repellent. The Anne Talk is Happy Mothering Day. The Featured Product this month is all of Anne's products.

The EZ Mantra: "Everything can be EZ or at least EZier." – Anne Sermons Gillis

  A Note From Anne

Dear ,

Next weekend will be Mother's Day. I've shared about my mom in this issue in what was to be a short piece, but it turned into an article. When I write, I never know how the article will turn out. Sometimes the smallest idea turns into a complex missive. It's like life. When we open one small door we could be rerouting our entire life. It's important to be flexible, because pushing life to turn in one direction, our self-determined direction based on conditioning, makes the journey exhaustive. That's why we have to quit trying to push life; we have to just let it be the way it is. Sometimes it's sweet and simple and sometimes it's raunchy and chaotic. We get what we get. We got what we got. To resist this simple truth is to live in the not. And "not" means there's nothing there, and who wants to live there? Just saying – life can be easier.

Anne

  A Tribute to Mothers & Mothering

Mother’s Day is coming up and for many it’s a special day. For others, their mother is out of their lives by choice or through that permanent physical separation called death. For people who are not moms or their moms have passed away, Mother’s Day might just be another day.

I like the idea of making every day a holiday. I used to do a column called, “Every Day a Holiday.” I either made up a special name or found one in the holidays around the world catalog. If you look around, you will find that almost every day of the year is a holiday or special day somewhere. May 10th is Mother’s day this year, but it is also “Clean Up Your Room Day.” Check out a short but potent exercise and visualization process in a new holiday called “Mothering Day.” You will find that audio in the Anne Talks section.

My mom, Ernestine Keel Sermons, was a wonderful mom except when she wasn’t. Isn’t that true for all parents? Parents are not perfect. They make plenty of mistakes, but I always knew that my mother’s intention was to do the best for me. She was a wise, caring, and witty woman. She was known by few and lived and died very unceremoniously. She never had a career. She was a stay-at-home divorced mom. This was rare in the 50’s. She was always the odd one out. She starting disappearing in her mid-70’s, and by the time she crossed over at 89, she still smiled, but no one was home. In her own way, she served life. She was kind to everyone and she delivered lavish servings of compassion on a daily basis. It is sad that we usually measure people though their accomplishments and success and fail to acknowledge and value accomplishments of the heart. My mom was well accomplished in the heart and lived a life consistent with her values of peace, harmony, generosity, and kindness. Thank you, mom.

Anne's Mom, Ernestine Keel Sermons
 Click image for a larger view.

My friend Donna lost her life to cancer. I visited her in what turned out to be one of the last months of her life. She had two small boys. I was surprised to see that her older son had a Mohawk haircut. He loved it. He showed it off and said, "My mom says it makes me look handsome." He beamed. I was touched. To me, and probably to most people, he looked strange, with one strip of hair resting on a bald head. It was his dream to look like some character in a movie, and his mother, who was dying, just wanted him to be happy. When you are dying, who cares about what your peers might think? What a bold and lovely gift, given by a dying mother, to her passionately alive child. That's what mothers do; they cruise past societal norms, to help their children live their dreams.

To mothers alive and departed, thank you for all you do and have done to make the world a better place. Thank you for the times you’ve gone to work sleep-deprived and for wiping that runny nose one more time, as your child arched her back to get away from your tender touch. Thank you for the times you’ve burned that cake and had to start again and did start again, to bake a perfect birthday cake, and for all the meals you’ve cooked, when you were worn out, that no one would touch. Thank you for not screaming when your child just made your life so complicated you could collapse; remember, you just smiled. Thank you for all the tears you’ve wiped away and the fingers and body parts you’ve kissed. Thank you for kneeling with your child and teaching him to pray, “God bless mommy, God bless daddy, God bless grandma and grandpa.” Thank you for doing without so that your child could have that toy or experience. Thank you for seeing the best in your child and believing in him or her – seeing past their behaviors and into their hearts. Thanks for loving them when they didn’t appear to love you and for enduring those heartbreaking words you never deserved, “I hate you.” Thank you for the sacrifices and the heartbreaks you endured and the times you allowed yourself to step back to take care of yourself because you knew you had to revitalize your attitude or body or both!

Fortunately, along with all the dilemmas of being a mom, there are the joys--seeing our child take her first steps, finding that first tooth, and seeing them walk across that stage the first time to receive an acknowledgement of their accomplishment. There are so many celebratory moments. There are holidays when our children stay lighted up the whole season. Mother’s share a zillion special moments that make the hardships and sacrifice a small part of the living garden they tend.

Whether we have children of our own or not, or whether we are male or female, we have that mothering instinct. It could be a hurt bird or a friend’s child that brings that instinct out. We are pet parents and mother to our potted plants. They depend on us. To the mothers, to the mothering instinct, to everyone who had a mother, Happy Mother’s Day. Take time to focus on the rewarding aspects of mothering this Mother’s Day, and when you do, you will find that your life is easier and easier.

Anne

  Anne Art

A Mother's Day Message from Anne

Click image for a larger view.

  Featured Product This Month

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  What is EZosophy?

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NOTE: If you are viewing this on a cell phone, be sure to scroll to the right to see the other column.

  Healthy Living

Natural Insect Repellent

I recently attended a lecture and the speaker asked "What is the body’s first line of defense against disease?" He said that most people think it is white blood cells, but once the white blood cells are involved, we are already sick. He said the first line of defense is the gut, from one end to the other, and the second one is the skin. I remarked, "It’s amazing anyone is alive, given what all we put on our skin."

This morning I walked Lucy (my dog) and we saw a nanny I often talk to in the park. She was tending her 17 month old ward. I remarked, "There are a lot of mosquitoes here." She pointed over to their belongings and said in her Filipino accent, "Bug spray." I smiled, but was thinking about that young boy and imagining she was using a typical bug spray. I cringed inside, knowing that our skin absorbs everything it touches; the skin "eats" anything we put on our skin, from bug spray to hair color.

"One of the most widely used ingredients in store-bought conventional bug sprays for personal use is N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide, or DEET, as it’s commonly known. DEET is designed to repel, rather than kill, insects. DEET is used by an estimated one-third of the US population each year. Although DEET is approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it is a known eye irritant and can cause rashes, soreness, or blistering when applied to the skin. Additionally, DEET has been linked to neurological problems. According to the EPA, at least 18 different cases of children suffering adverse neurological effects, as well as the deaths of two adults, have been associated with DEET. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found that DEET causes diffuse brain cell death and behavioral changes in rats."

"DEET has been shown to have a negative impact on wildlife and water sources, in production and during use. DEET is toxic to birds and aquatic life. DEET has been found in approximately 75 percent of U.S. water sources, including the Mississippi River.” Source: Wellnessmama.com

I looked up natural bug spray for babies and was delighted to find one at Honest.com.

I live in the Spring, Texas area, where Cedarcide, a natural bug and flea repellent, is manufactured. We use this brand. Some people spray their entire yard with Cedarcide, but it will kill the lady bugs and bees too, so I discourage taking such radical action.

WellnessMama.com offers a variety homemade insect repellant recipes. Here’s one of many.

Homemade Bug Spray Recipe

Ingredients

• Essential oils: choose from Citronella, Clove, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Cajeput, Eucalyptus, Cedar, Catnip, Lavender, Mint
• Natural witch hazel
• Distilled or boiled water
• Vegetable glycerin (optional)

Instructions

1. Fill spray bottle (I used 8 ounce) 1/2 full with distilled or boiled water.
2. Add witch hazel to fill almost to the top. (You can get from CVS or Wallgreen's.)
3. Add 1/2 tsp vegetable glycerin if using glycerin.
4. Add 30-50 drops of essential oils to desired scent. The more oils you use, the stronger the spray will be.

My personal favorite mix is: Rosemary, Clove, Cajeput, Lavender, Cinnamon and Eucalyptus. It works great and smells good too!

Anne

  Anne Talks

In celebration of Mother's Day, Anne's Happy Mothering Day audio gives us a meditation on visualizing your Mother wishing you happiness, to give you a restart in life. Your mother's emotional climate when you were in utero influences your perspective of life. This technique, when done in the fetal position, on a regular basis, reprograms life denying messages and helps one live a fuller, more satisfied life in the present.

  Quotes

"The egoic mind likes to drag us though every uncomfortable thought imaginable."
— Anne Sermons Gillis

"The ego is programmed to find fault with whatever is going on." — Gina Lake

"EZosophy is not about becoming a better me. It is about living without resistance and being radically present, so that who you really are can show up."
— Anne Sermons Gillis

Anne's Schedule All times here are Central Time. You must register with Lone Star College to attend these classes. Wed. & Fri., May 6 and 8, 2015    10:00 AM-Noon, "Alive, Awake, Aware: the Power of Now" Lone Star College ALL Program Montgomery Campus   Schedule Anne Anne is available to speak at your Sunday Service, lead your retreat, or to be your keynote speaker. She is also available to officiate at weddings and funerals. You may reach Anne by phone at 281-419-1775 or click the button below to contact Anne by email.   Anne's Services Need a Coach or a Rent-a-Friend? Interested in getting ongoing support? Try life coaching with Anne. Anne offers both short-term and long-term coaching. Contact her for details. Click here to contact Anne by email or Click here to view information on Anne's One Year Seminar and other training too. Want to subscribe to Anne's weekly newsletter? Click the button below to do so. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you can UNsubscribe by clicking this link. If this newsletter inspires you or touches you in some way, please consider donating to help keep the EZ message going out to the world. Donations may be sent to: Anne Sermons Gillis 52 W. Tallowberry Dr. The Woodlands, TX 77381 Or sent via PayPal. Follow Anne:            Share Anne:      Share this newsletter with someone who'd appreciate it. Disclaimer: Some links in this newsletter may be affiliate links and may pay a commission if an item is purchased. Do your own due diligence to determine if a product is appropriate for your use. Editor & Publisher: Charles David Heineke of www.TheDoorway.org.