Anne's Note highlights The Joy of Being Where You Already Are.The Main article, A Life Well-lived, celebrates the life of a dear friend. The Healthy Living article, Strawberry Milkshake, is an easy drink recipe for your sweet tooth. The Anne Talk, Spiritual Freedom, reminds us unequivocally that we are already free. The Featured Product this month is Anne's latest book, EZosophy: The Art and Wisdom of Easy or At Least Easier Living.

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

Living EZosophy, May 10, 2016
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

Phone: 281-419-1775
Email: anne@annegillis.com

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  A Note From Anne

Dear ,

In 1980, I wrote in my dream for the future journal, "I met a master in 1989." I forgot about the journal, but as I was packing for a trip in 1989, the journal fell on my attic floor as I tugged at my suitcase. I picked it up, opened it, and was flabbergasted as I read my hope for the future - the one that was coming true. I was on my way to meet and visit a spiritual master.

Today as I walked through my neighborhood's tree-lined trails, I reminisced about the times I walked in my Memphis neighborhood and imagined living in a place where trees abounded. I imagined walking enchanted paths. I live in that world today. I live in The Woodlands, TX. Shopping centers nestle behind trees and it's easy to miss a turn because one tree-filled corner looks like the next.

Life is generous, and while many things don't go our way, the times life supports us in the way we prefer are so numerous that we can't count them. Even when it appears that life is against us, it still sustains us every day, in every way. When we can drop the why of everything, life immediately sheds a burden. When we drop the idea that things are not going our way, we further lighten our load.

We will never know all the under-workings of our lives, nor will we always know the reasons things happen, but it is certain that the Source that bends time and brings life, always works on our behalf. Maybe we should hold festive gatherings when we feel at our lowest to give ourselves the outer support we seek when carrying problems and pain. We are home free, regardless of how it looks. Take this knowing and hold it close in this moment, and you will find that when you do, your life will be EZier and EZier.

Anne

  A Life Well-Lived

Recently a friend passed away. She and I both attended the Centers for Spiritual Living. That's how I came to know this multifaceted woman. She was 90 years old, and while most of her life was spent in high awareness and with spunk and vigor, her final year was less than epic. She endured a stroke, moved from the safe haven she called home, and developed dementia. She was aware enough to know that things were not right in her mind and she was ready to go. She completed her mission on April 17.

Marion Harrup Wright
 and her companion and beloved dog, April

Marion Harrup Wright spoke with a low, raspy voice that was a cross between Mae West and Kermit the frog. She delivered each well thought out expression with a dramatic authority, whether she was talking about taking out the trash or the joy that spins the universe. She absorbed information, and each bit of mind expanding data invigorated her. She often came to me with a delightful tidbit to pass along to the masses. She thought I had an audience of eager souls who could benefit from her discoveries. She kept a picture of me on her fridge, and it was apparent that she admired and respected me. What better service can we offer to anyone than that of respect and admiration. Marion was truly a service worker of the heart.

Marion's life was fraught with difficulties and disappointments. Her son was murdered and she joined a group for parents of murdered children. She was a mentor for distraught parents and became a navigator in the dark night of the soul.

Marion joined the Centers for Spiritual Living in 1996. The center was located close to her home. She frequently drove past her destiny, but one day she ventured in and her life transformed. She found her tribe and her spirituality flourished. She took classes and became a practitioner. She taught classes, made friends, and developed a family that steadfastly stood with her for the rest of her life.

In 2002 she wrote the following:

Certainly I am dedicated to living the life I have chosen – Religious Science.  Every day I reinforce these principles so that they are, in essence, "in my pores." Underlying that, I have lived in magnitude the "erroneous thinking" that brought me to the brink of spiritual disaster.  I know firsthand the dark night of the soul. I know what it is like to crawl out of the hole of despair. I know that dying is not necessarily the absence of breath – that one may be lost to the quality of life, separated from God, from self, and others. I know what it is to look in the mirror at age 55 and meet a stranger. I know what it is to lose people you love, what it is to give up big dreams, to be powerless in the face of change and challenge. Most importantly, I know the meaning of humility and surrender to God, who will and did restore me to what Al Anon refers to as "Sanity" – what I refer to as living the miracle of Life abundant and harmonious in a God-centered world."

Marion Harrup Wright came quietly to this earth. She transformed the torture of loss and tragedy into that of curiosity, tenacity, faith, and love, and now she goes quietly into the night. I celebrate you, dear one, for a life well-lived.

Anne

  Quotes

"We cannot avoid pain in this life, but we can learn how to let it go."
— Buddha

"Remember, we are not our country, our race, or religion. We are eternal spirits. Seeing ourselves as spiritual beings without a label is a way to transform the world and reach a sacred place for all humanity."
— Dr. Wayne Dyer

"Surely you can change your world if you work at it. … a world of which you are the only source and ground is fully within your power to change. What is created can always be dissolved and re-created. All will happen as you want it, provided you really want it. … All is due to your having forgotten your own being. Having given reality to the picture on the screen, you love its people and suffer for them and seek to save them. It is just not so. You must begin with yourself. … You are the all-pervading, eternal, and infinitely creative awareness – consciousness. All else is local and temporary. Don't forget who you are. In the meantime, work to your heart's content. Work and knowledge should go hand in hand."
— Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981). I Am That. p.42-3.

  Featured Product This Month

  What is EZosophy?

Click the graphic above to learn about EZosophy.

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

  Healthy Living

Strawberry Milkshake

I love sweets and I love health. I am always concocting new healthy treats that satisfy my hunger for luscious, sweet, healthy foods. My latest mixture, which is quick and easy to make, is yummy.

Strawberry Milkshake

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 ½ cups organic frozen strawberries (50 to 75 calories)
• 1 cup Silk Cashew Milk (25 calories). It's non GMO.
• Liquid stevia to taste (No calories)

Blend in your blender until frothy. Drink. Add more strawberries if you want a frozen version, and add crushed ice if you want a strawberry drink. Once one knocks the sugar habit, fruit and stevia taste pretty good.

  Anne Talks

Today's Anne Talk is about Spiritual Freedom.  The talk took place at Unity of North Houston on March 6, 1916. Gillis brings the idea that we are already where we need to be and who we need to be. She speaks to the idea of freedom and reminds us unequivocally that we are already free. Time: 35:07.

  Anne Art

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  Anne's Schedule

All times here are Central Time.

Sunday, May 22, 2016
11 AM Service
Unity of Brazosport
507 S. Brooks St. (Hwy 36)
Brazoria, TX 77422
Phone: 979-798-4171

  Call or Email Anne Now to Schedule
  Your Next Meeting with her.

You may reach Anne by phone at 281-419-1775 or click the button below to contact Anne by email. Anne is also available to officiate at weddings and funerals.