Blessing of the Animals in San Clemente

On Saturday I brought my dog to the Blessing of the Animals hosted by our Animal Ministry at the Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley. The ceremony was held at Pines Park, a stunning location overlooking the Pacific under a canopy of pine trees. We opened with a beautiful group prayer delivered by Kathy Storey.

We pray to God, our Creator, to bless our pets with your radiant light and love.
May our animal friends have good health, happy lives and always be protected and safe.
We ask for better understanding as we learn from our animal friends' wisdom, their innocence, their loyalty and particularly their seeming ability to not judge human beings unkindly.
Thank you for the pleasures, playfulness and sometimes the surprising humor our pets display.
Thank you for their companionship and friendship, especially for those lonely hours we may have experienced.
Thank you for our companion's natural ability to teach us to be aware of the present moment.
Thank you for the pure beauty of every animal they are all works of art, and may we appreciate your creation of this masterpiece.
Bless all animals in harms way, heal the sick, protect those who are lost and guide them to safety.
Thank you for the gift of love.

Next each individual pet was blessed.

My little Jack Russell was very excited about being part of the ceremony.

Here you can see Toni Sparks giving a wonderful blessing to my little dog. (She may have been expecting a cookie).






A special spot was set up to honor the beloved pets who have made their transition.

We wrote their names with loving messages and attached them to our tree.

Candles, pictures, even urns were brought. We gathered and shared our pet stories of love.

As I listened to everyone's stories I couldn't help but keep marvel at how much happiness and love our critters bring us and I was so thankful to our Animal Ministry for creating this special time and place.

Celebrating the Life of Billie Jean Hart 1926-2012

Billie Jean Hart 1926-2012

Lives that express love, famous or not, lighten and brighten the world.

Bill & Billie 68 Years Of Love

Remembering Edward Roy Dickson

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

Kahlil Gibran

Edward Roy Dickson 1923-2012

Dear Friends:

Edward Roy Dickson passed away at his home in San Clemente, California on March 29, 2012 surrounded by his wife, June, son, Greg, daughter, Judee and granddaughters, Julie and Cari at his side. Roy was born May 2, 1923 in Pasadena, California.

From early childhood, he was an avid snake hunter and fisherman. He loved to cook in his home for all his family and friends, a true 'foodie.' He married his high school sweetheart, June, in 1943 and on their 1st anniversary he went into the Navy and served in the Marshall Islands during WWII. He returned in 1946 and met his son for the first time. Later, their daughter Judee joined the family. He started his first optics business in 1953 and continued to work in optics, never officially retiring. Two of his companies, Pacific Quartz and Mark Optics continue to thrive.

He is survived by his wife June, his sister-in-law Liz Rautert, son Greg and his partner, Julie Austin; daughter Judee Chapman; his grandchildren Julie Houser and her partner, Marlene Larsen, Cari Schehr and her husband Brian, and Eric Dickson; his great-grandchildren, Jade, Dillon, Gage and Xander, and many more nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of Roy to The Boys and Girls Club of the South Coast Area (949) 492-0376, or to The Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley (949) 240-6463 email: diane@cslcv.org.

Please join us for a celebration of his life on Saturday, April 7th at 11:00 a.m. in the Cyprus Shore Park, 3922 Calle Ariana, San Clemente, California. Bring your surfboard and wetsuit if you would like to join Cari and Brian in the paddle-out after the service.

Please let us know if you plan to join us by responding to Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley, contact information above.

Edward Roy Dickson 1923-2012