Anne's Note is Back Home Again, after visiting her grand twins. The Main article, Relationships, gives some helpful insights into how to make relationships work for us instead of against us. The Healthy Living article, Buckwheat Pancakes, provides a healthy alternative to wheat pancakes. The Anne Talk is Now Meditation. It will guide you to find that place of stillness within. The Featured Product this month is Anne's newest book, Words Make a Difference.

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

Living EZosophy, August 9, 2016
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

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

Anne's Websites:

  A Note From Anne

Back Home Again

Dear ,

I return home today from a wonderful visit with my daughter, son-in-law, and grand twins. The twins are growing up fast: so smart, as all grandchildren are, and pretty intense, as all two-year old's tend to be. They love to listen to "Wheels on the Bus" and I found a link with the 20 best "Wheels on the Bus" videos, played it for them, and they listened with rapt attention as the video droned on for hours over the week I spent with them.

Reynolds has on Grandmama's shirt
and Thomas has on DaDa's shorts.

Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market and passed by the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in Charleston, where nine worshipers were killed by Dylann Roof. I was in Charleston right after the shooting. It was heart-warming to see Charleston citizens pull together to honor the sanctity of life and collectively grieve the tragedy. The church members were amazing and spoke of forgiveness for the heinous crime. They understand why Jesus asks his followers to forgive 70 times 70. When we hold upset about anything or toward anyone, it is we who suffer. While Trump asks us to "Make American Great Again," I think he is off base. America is already great. I can't think of a time I'd rather return to. But I would like to see America be Kind, Compassionate, and Responsible, and while we are already those things, we can still be more.

Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church
Charleston, South Carolina

Anne

  Main Article

Relationships

There is an aphorism in relationships, "Can't live with them; Can't live without them." We don't want to be alone and lonely and we don't want to put up with another's baggage. People exit relationships with an attitude, "I'm out of here. I don't have to put up with this sh__." After the exit, the heart relents as the harsh reality of loneliness sets in and they return to their partner or find a new one. The one who is left behind might take it well, but usually they feel the sting of abandonment.

I'm an advocate of staying in a relationship unless one is being physically harmed or emotionally battered. People who are single often long for a partner, and people who are married want their freedom or the chance to trade their partner in for a better model, but neither state is the optimal state. Being married or being single both have an equal number of advantages or disadvantages. Whether we are single or married, our potential for joy is equal.

People stay in unhappy relationships for financial reasons, for the children, because they think they are too old to go it alone, to take care of the other person, they don't want to hurt their partner, or because they lack the courage to get out. One person in an unhappy relationship longs for more time and attention from his or her partner and the other person longs for more freedom.

The key word in these situations is "longing." The egoic mind utilizes special love relationships to carry out its plan of separation. "Seek and do not find" is the ego's motto. Unfortunately, people spend much of their life's energy dealing with special love relationships. Relationships cannot deliver what we expect from them. We expect them to give us the attention or affection we never received from one or both of our parents. Relationships aren't that sturdy. They can deliver for a while, but getting from a partner what we don't have in ourselves becomes a burden that devastates the relationship.

If we can't get what we want from relationships, why have one?  Because relationships are one of the best training grounds to learn unconditional love. We think relationships are about getting love, but we misunderstand the real purpose of relationship. When relationships serve the egoic mind, they are a disaster. When they serve as an aide to our spiritual quest, they free us. We can't avoid relationships. All our relationships aren't with a significant other, but all encounters, even brief ones, are relationships.

What are some of the things we can do or learn in our relationships to help them flourish?

• Most things that bother us about the other person are things we can't accept in ourselves. We may only have a little bit of the characteristic, but we have some of it.
• Blaming our partner for everything means we can't see our own faults. A good question to ask when we think our partner is the problem, is "What is going on in my life or in my mind that I don't want to look at?"
• Overlooking our partner's flaws and looking for what we like about them undoes much of our self-recrimination because their flaws only bother us because there's something amiss in us.
• Forgiveness is the single best medicine we can offer our partner. Forgiveness keeps us from ruminating over something our partner said or did. Forgiveness simply means letting go of our upset. When we forgive, we can say, "I'm not going to focus on this anymore." Forgiveness offers us everything we want. It is the ultimate sword that slays the egoic mind.
• Longing is from the ego. Exchange longing for appreciation and gratitude.
• Change your negative internal running dialogue about your partner. It may not be true yet, but since much of what we tell ourselves is conjecture, we might as well give ourselves a false positive. When we change our inner dialogue from one of criticism or grasping, our energy changes, and often our partner reacts differently. Try this internal dialogue. It's a great dialogue to have: "My partner love, appreciates, and supports me. S/he cherishes what I say and gives me plenty of love and affection." It is better to tell ourselves tales of support than tales of woe.

A Course in Miracles says that special love relationships are not necessary, but that the inner teacher will use them and transform them into stepping stones to wholeness. What a great solution. We all want wholeness, and to think the universe provides us with the perfect setup to transform our upsets and turn them into the training ground for unconditional love. Let's get off the battlefield and return to the love field, because when we do, everything gets EZier and EZier.

Anne

  Quotes

"There is no wisdom without love."
-- N. Sri Ram

"Occupy Now."
-- Anne Sermons Gillis

"In any moment, you are either observing effortlessly or you are believing your thoughts."
-- Jac O'Keeffe

"Fulfillment has nothing to do with circumstances."
-- Gangaji

  Featured Product This Month

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• Heal the most basic wounds of our human condition.
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• Become a Global Boom-Box.

This is a pre-order. You may pre-order it from the website or call me at 713.922.0242 to order directly from me. You can expect delivery by the end of August, 2016, if not sooner. The price is $16.95 plus $3.99 shipping.

Click here to pre-order Words Make a Difference.

  What is EZosophy?

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  Healthy Living

Buckwheat Pancakes

Buckwheat is really not a wheat. It is not a grass. Instead, buckwheat is related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb. It is a seed. Buckwheat is gluten free, but because it is often in contact with wheat, one must be sure the buckwheat they purchase is certified gluten free. I try to stay away from wheat, so I use many wheat alternatives. I don't think gluten adds anything to our diets and in many cases gluten takes more than it offers. Click here for ten often over-looked symptoms for gluten intolerance. Buckwheat makes the healthiest food list of many health gurus. If you love pancakes, you can get the same pancake thrill you get from using wheat flour by switching to buckwheat flour, and it's so much healthier.

Here's my recipe. I usually just dump my ingredients in a bowl and don't measure, but the following should approximate what you'll need to make healthy pancakes.

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten or one tablespoon of ground flax seeds and two tablespoons of water
• 1 cup milk (I use coconut milk.)
• 2 Tbsp. melted butter, olive oil, or melted coconut oil. The latter is so warm in the summer it's already liquid.
• 1/2 cup raspberries

Mix oil, milk, and egg or egg alternative and add to mixed dry ingredients.. Add 1/2 cup raspberries. I'm guessing on the amount. If this doesn't look like you have several in each pancake, add more. I usually cook by feel, look, smell, and taste. The amount of milk is tricky. You don't want it too thick because it is tough to get the middle done. So, if one cup of milk isn't quite enough, add a bit more, but it doesn't need to be too runny either. Make small pancakes so the center can cook.

Serve with butter or Earth Balance and maple syrup, and top with raw cashews. This makes a hearty breakfast. You can buy grade B maple syrup at Trader Joe's. Grade B is not as refined as grade A, therefore it has more minerals. You can always add fresh raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries on top and omit putting them in the batter.

Anne

  Anne Talks

Today's Anne Talk is Now Meditation. It will guide you to find that place of stillness within. Time: 10:37.

  Anne Art

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  Anne's Schedule

All times here are Central Time.

Sunday, August 21, 2016
11 AM Service: "Spiritual Freedom"
Carmel Temple
1208 Pennsylvania St.
South Houston, TX 77587
Phone: 713-944-0014

Sunday, August 28, 2016
11:00 AM Service: "Get in the Spirit"
Unity of Brazosport
507 S. Brooks St. (Hwy 36)
Brazoria, TX 77422

  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.