The Anne Report, Continuing Her Journey, describes the memorial service for Anne's sister Jo. The Main article, Love is All We Need, reminds us "Everyone is starving for love, and we each have the capacity to pass it along." The Healthy Living article, Vegan Chocolate Tahini Fudge Recipe, provides another great vegan recipe for your enjoyment. The Anne Talk is Anne's video, Meditation 11/16/2013. The Featured Product this month highlights Anne's first book, Offbeat Prayers for the Modern Mystic. Click to read What is EZosophy?  Click here to learn about Anne's newest book, Words Make a Difference.

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

Living EZosophy, June 13, 2017
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

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

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  The Anne Report

Continuing Her Journey

Dear ,

The past few days have been emotional. I attended the memorial service for my sister Jo. She always wanted to end up in the water. She was a sailor, so her ashes are now drifting down the Pamlico River, toward the Atlantic Ocean. We had an eastern North Carolina meal at the boat yard where her sail boat, Narnia, was dry docked for many a repair. I suspect there are few memorial services in boat yards, but, true to my family tradition, we make our own traditions.

As we walked to the water’s edge, a song rose in me. A few lyrics and a melody were floating in the air. It was part of a song from the Lion King: “Across the water, into the sea, she lives in you; she lives in me.” When we arrived, my nephew looked at me and asked for a prayer. I was a little surprised and replied, “I will not say a prayer, but sing a song to honor my sister.” I sang the Lion King song that was already singing me and asked everyone to join in. We sang as her ashes were scattered in the winds into the water, into the sea. I cried, hugged my family members, and, all too soon, it was over.

There’s always something refreshing over grieving. It feels like my insides are being cleaned out. Before we left NC, I visited my mother’s grave site. All the Keel – Crandall side of my family are buried there. There was more grieving for the ongoing passing of so many loved ones. And now we are off for our next adventure. That’s it for the Anne Report. Until next week, take it EZ.

Anne

  Main Article

Love is All We Need

One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is to love and support others. When we love them, we can feel the love we are giving away. We receive the love we give! Transactional Analysis (TA) called this supportive giving “positive strokes.” When doing my clinical training in TA, I was told that clients would respond better and grow more when they received positive strokes. Yes, there are some personality disorders that don’t respond so well to this, but, in general, all we want is to be loved and to love. I found it to be true. I didn’t go around telling them all I loved them. I just turned over my personality to a higher power at the beginning of each session and worked to be a living conduit for love. Basically, I just got out of the way!

When I was in graduate school I went to my university counseling center. The counseling was free and I loved it. When my counselor asked me what I wanted, I took a minute to think about this, went deep into my desires, and replied sheepishly, “I want you to love me.” I expected her to come back with an answer about transference, but she surprised me: “I can do that.” She worked with me for a year, and I think she was an agent for the heavenly realms, because her expansive love was not only immediately felt; it was ever-present. And I needed it. I was always teetering on the edge of some emotional drama!

I used to go to a lot of parties when I was younger. Socializing was important to me. I had a favorite game. I would pick out the person I felt the least attracted to, the one I wanted to run from, and strike up a conversation with them. I would ask questions, give them the center of attention, and be as supportive as I could be in my listening and showing genuine interest in them. Some of these people even became fast friends. I heard this so many times, “You are the only person that gets me. No one looked at me until you came along.” Everyone is starving for love, and we each have the capacity to pass it along. We can demonstrate love by actively listening, making eye contact, telling people what we like about them, and by being fully present. We can listen to our intuition and act accordingly. I am not talking about slimy, sexualized hugs; this is about genuine caring.

Another way to send out love is the say, internally, when we are with people, “I love myself when I am in your presence, even when you act in a condescending way or you are angry. I am safe, and I hold the space for love.” Then we feel the love rising within as we make sure we do not match their misery, try to defend ourselves, or try to prove we are right. We become what we called in the 70’s, “good vibrations.”

We often want to make a difference by doing some extraordinary thing, and even though being the face of love may seem routine and perhaps low on the excitement scale, it is the most extraordinary thing we can do. We need a mission. We long for a vision, while what we desire is in obvious view. We are the hands, face, and spokespersons for love. Let’s join the Love Revolution, and I’m sure we’ll find that life is EZier and EZier.

Anne

  Quotes

Quotes

"It is important to our well-being to realize that the power of good resides in each moment. Good is in residence at all times, whether we can see it or not, and it waits silently and patiently for our recognition."
-- Anne Sermons Gillis

"How does our mind operate? Sometimes it operates on high octane fuel, as it fills us with a heavy dose of adrenaline. What would happen if we drank 10 cups of coffee in two minutes (if that were possible). What would you do to come down? You might try to drink a lot water to flush it out. You might take a hot shower to calm yourself down. You might go for a run to use up some of the energy. You might do breathing exercises, but ultimately you must ride it out. A good tool, when triggered into intense or high gear, is to think of having a temporary chemical overload in our body, do whatever we can to take care of our body, and then realize it will pass. As the old saying goes, “It came to pass, not to stay.”"
-- Anne Sermons Gillis

"There are no sides, only angles. And when we see it from the right angle, we are all on the same side."
-- Swami Beyondananda

  Featured Product This Month

Click here to check out Anne's newest book, Words Make A Difference, a book of affirmations, action plans, and deep insights into the human consciousness that transforms and heals the soul, the local and global community, and the planet. Travel with Gillis on a journey through deep psychology, metaphysics, and nondualism.

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  What is EZosophy?

Click the graphic above to learn about EZosophy.

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  Healthy Living

Vegan Chocolate Tahini Fudge Recipe

Healthy living is a challenge in our culture, especially if you have a sweet tooth. But I've found something your sweet tooth is going to love. A friend sent this recipe. I tweaked it quite a bit and it's terrific. It is somewhat addictive and much healthier than standard candy. It's Vegan Tahini Fudge. I've substituted carob instead of chocolate, and if you have any cacao (that's a raw chocolate) nibs, you may want to add them as well.

Ingredients

• 1 cup tahini
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons carob powder
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, or less, to taste – this makes the carob sweeter and makes it taste more like chocolate
• 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne, or more, to taste
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini and coconut oil until smooth. (This works best if the coconut oil is slightly warm. In the winter it tends to harden.)

Add everything else and stir until smooth and creamy. I put about two tablespoons in a tiny bowl per serving.

Place the bowls on a tray and place in the freezer, to allow the fudge to set. It will melt if you leave it out too long, so for best results, keep it in the freezer until you're ready to eat it. It's like a frozen treat. I eat it with a spoon.

If you have any healthy living tips for the newsletter, send them to me at anne@annegillis.com.

  Anne Talks

Meditation 11/16/2013

  Anne Art

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  Anne's Schedule

All times here are Central Time
unless otherwise specified.

Sunday, July 9, 2017
Unity Circle of Light
10:30 AM Service
"The Stages of Spiritual Awakening"
Creekside Elementary School
5949 Creekside Forest Dr.
The Woodlands, TX 77379

Saturday, August 5, 2017
Workshop, 9 AM - 3 PM EDT
"Ending the Suffering Syndrome:
The EZosophy Philosophy" $45.00
5 hours LPC, CE credits for LPC
Location: "The Cottage"
122 Alicia Drive
Summerville, SC
Click Here for Registration

Friday, August 11, 2017
Workshop, 9 AM - 3 PM EDT
"Building Self Esteem and Courage"
5 hours LPC, CE credits for LPC
Location: "The Cottage"
122 Alicia Drive
Summerville, SC
Click Here for Registration

Call or Email Anne Now to Schedule Her for Your Meeting.

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.