I Wanted It To Be Love

12/25/2025

CHRISTMAS EVE — A MOMENT OF REFLECTION

Christmas Eve. Tonight, as I do every year, I return to the Christmas story—the star shining over the manger and the angels singing of the glory of God. This sacred story reminds me of the inner light that guides me, and I sense a quiet joy singing in my heart.

Today I spent precious time with family—wrapping presents and preparing a favorite meal with my adult son. In these simple moments, I am reminded that my experience of Christmas is expanded by my openness to the divine presence within me. Curiosity awakens, awe deepens, and my heart opens more fully to Divine love.

It is up to me to keep my curiosity alive for the delights of Christmas—the lights, the music, the celebrations—and to allow my awareness to be filled with beauty and brightness. I find myself once again in awe.

I set an intention to open my heart: to make hope more accessible, my faith more steadfast, my joy more abundant, and peace more present.

The greatest gift of Christmas is the gift of my own divinity. The sacred birth celebrated by millions is more than a story in time—it is a reminder that the divine presence born in Jesus is also born in me, and in you.

Christmas does not have to grow old as we grow older. It does not have to lose its sparkle.

As we connect with the Spirit within, may we allow our hearts to cradle the Christ child, preparing us for our own rebirth and renewal.

Have a Merry Christmas.

A Moment of Reflection by Jeanne Schneider Vargas

12/13/2025

ALLOW FUN TO BE A SACRED EXPRESSION OF JOY. As you plan your days, set clear intentions to feel joyful, to be peaceful, and be fully present in every moment.

Make time to have fun and allow yourself to play. As you laugh, dance, listen to music, immerse yourself in playful adventures releasing all worries and concerns you have been carrying.

Feel renewed and filled with new life.

Having fun is a powerful spiritual practice that renews your soul. It is a healing energy, a sacred flow that uplifts you and reminds you of your divine nature.

As you embrace faithfulness and spontaneity, awaken into the presence of God in all things. Step into each day with a happy heart and a renewed sense of wonder and gratitude. ~ Jeanne Schneider Vargas

12/02/2025

HOW TO MANAGE THE DEATH OF A DEAR PET. I turn to Buddhism to address the suffering from losing a pet through the concept of impermanence, the practice of mindfulness, and by encouraging compassion and love without attachment. Buddha taught that all things, including relationships with pets, are temporary, and that attachment to what is impermanent is a source of suffering. To cope with the loss, I allow myself to fully feel my emotions, I am mindful of the present moment, and I will try to find a way to love without the pain of future loss by understanding impermanence.

These key Buddhist principles for dealing with pet loss come to mind:
* Impermanence The core Buddhist teaching is that everything is in a constant state of flux. I recognize that a pet's life is impermanent and this is a key step in accepting Rosie’s death and to reduce the pain of grief I feel.
* Mindfulness and acceptance: Mindfulness involves being aware of my emotions without judgment, which is helping me to process my grief rather than suppressing it. It is important to allow myself to feel the sadness and to appreciate the time I had with Rosie as my pet.
* Love without attachment: The goal is not to stop loving Rosie my pet Himalayan, but to love in a way that is not based on possessiveness or the fear of loss. This can be achieved by understanding that the love I shared for Rosie is part of me and will not disappear.
* Compassion I began to cultivate compassion for both myself and my pet Rosie immediately after I received her from Linda Thurmond in 2007. I performed acts of kindness, making merit for my pet, to help them in their future lives, which is a practice that benefits both me and Rosie.
* Rebirth: I hold on to Buddhist traditions that believe in rebirth, and I find comfort in the idea that Rosie may be reborn as a human or in a good place.
* Rituals: I created a ritual. Rosie will be cremated. Her ashes will be kept in a wooden with Pele’s and Deidre’s and Deidre’s ashes. When I die they all will be buried with me. We will have a memorial service or a special ceremony when Rosie’s ashes are given to us. This can help in acknowledging the loss and providing a focus for my family to share memories and express our emotion. ~ Jeanne Schneider Vargas, December 1, 2025

11/30/2025

11/30/2025

GRACE. Your day is coming to an end or maybe, for some of my friends, your day is just beginning. This could be a good time to pay gratitude and give thanks. Take time to sit with your self, perhaps in a quiet space. Create an altar, if you don’t already have one. Sit where you can have this time right now to begin to pay gratitude and appreciation for this day. Be guided by your faith practice. Develop your own ritual. You alone know your Source of strength. ~ Jeanne Schneider Vargas

11/22/2025

11/19/2025

WANT WORLD PEACE? If you truly long for world peace, begin by tending to the peace within your own heart. Every morning, gently set an intention to bless the world simply by the way you move through it. Even on difficult days, you can choose to carry a quieter, softer presence—and that choice matters more than you may realize.

Let yourself lean into the love that already lives within you. Allow it to steady you, to guide you, to help you recognize the goodness in others. When you feel that inner nudge toward kindness, compassion, or understanding, honor it. That is the call to be a peacemaker.

You and I cannot bring peace to the entire world on our own—but what each of us contributes ripples outward. A kind word, a patient response, a gentle gesture of respect—these are small acts that echo far beyond our reach.

As you interact with others, remember that each moment offers you the chance to shift the energy around you. Pause when you can. Breathe. Choose to respond rather than react. Hold the vision of a more peaceful world not as a distant dream, but as something you help create every day through your presence.

Peace begins with us.
~ Jeanne Schneider Vargas, Moments of Reflection

11/16/2025

CAN YOU RECOGNIZE THE TRUTH? Are you easily fooled by the Lie? According to a 19th-century legend, the Truth and the Lie met one day. The Lie says to the Truth: "It's a marvelous day today.”
The Truth looks up to the skies and sighs, for the day was really beautiful. They spend a lot of time together, ultimately arriving beside a well. The Lie tells the Truth, “The water is very nice, let's take a bath together.”
The Truth, once again suspicious, tests the water and discovers that it indeed is very nice. They undress and start bathing. Suddenly, the Lie comes out of the water, puts on the clothes of the Truth, and runs away. The furious Truth comes out of the well and runs everywhere to find the Lie and to get her clothes back. The World, seeing the Truth naked, there urns its gaze away, with contempt and rage.
The poor Truth returns to the well and disappears forever, hiding therein, its shame. Since then, the Lie travels around the world, dressed as the Truth, satisfying the needs of society, because, the World, in any case, harbors no wish at all to meet the naked Truth.”
The world-famous painting- "The Truth coming out of the well" Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1896.

11/08/2025

ARE YOU FEELING DISAPPOINTED? BOTHERED BY THE TYRANNY OF EXPECTION? If you are ruminating over the outcome that was not what you had attached yourself to. Attachment puts you at risk for disappointment spoiling your happy hopeful mood. Do not allow the Tyranny of Expectation to undermine your happiness. Rather, ask yourself, “What is here for me now?” Then, ask, “What do I know to be True right now in this moment?” Reaffirm what blessings you enjoy now in this moment.
Do not allow yourself to worry about what may happen in the future. Do not attach yourself to expectations. Be present minded. Asking yourself “What is here for me now,” keeps you grounded and oriented in the present moment. After all, in the present moment, we are alive.
Everything changes and nothing stays the same. Avoiding attachment and not allowing yourself to become attached to expectation that could jeopardize and spoil your present moment is the best choice for moving forward in your life. ~ Jeanne Schneider Vargas