The Grace of Giving

“Somewhere far down, there was an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it.

He was afraid of what might come leaking out.”

(The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, 2006)

Happy New Year to you!  Here we are, once again, making a fresh start at a new year!  Even though 2014 is upon us, I’ve had a hard time letting go of the Giving Spirit that abides during the Christmas Season.  It’s made me contemplate just what that feeling is that surrounds us during Christmas – not the craziness – the warm feeling that lingers throughout.  What I’ve realized is that it is a time when we truly give – a fulfillment of our heart.  It brings forth the warmth of wanting to give and the joy of seeing the response in the eyes of the recipients.  As I thought further, I realized, it’s sometimes scary to give from the heart – whether we’re talking about a simple gift or genuinely extending love to someone – there can be disappointment or even hurt on the other end of the giving, which often stops us from proceeding.

Many years ago, shortly after my divorce, I laid in bed one morning, thinking about the love I had given – did I give enough? – did I give too much?  I realized what it came down to was that I was afraid that if I had given too much love, I may have run out of any more to give - literally.  At that moment, a visual came to me – it was a tin coffee can and it was placed in the center of my chest where my heart lies.  The coffee can began to open – visualize the aroma wafting outward.  As that aroma is a vapor that keeps coming out; so does love.  The message I received was: “It is endless.”

As the quote above from The Book Thief implies, often we are afraid to open our heart – maybe when we have, it has not been appreciated or accepted – maybe someone didn’t show us regard.  However, I think this is where Christmas gives us an opportunity – if only for a moment – to try again.  Somehow the Spirit of Christmas opens our hearts a little more than any other time of year and allows us to take a chance, maybe a risk – often we don’t even know it because we’re so “into” the excitement of it all.  Then, we wonder why we feel so good!

 I’d like to share an excerpt from Louise L. Hay, from her book You Can Heal Your Life (1984):

“Deep at the center of my being there is an infinite well of love.  I now allow this love to flow to the surface.  It fills my heart, my body, my mind, my consciousness, my very being and radiates out from me in all directions and returns to me multiplied.  The more love I use and give, the more I have to give, the supply is endless.  The use of love makes me feel good, it is an expression of my inner joy….”

It is my wish that we take the Giving Spirit of the Christmas Season that begins in our hearts and radiate it outward throughout the year – even if only through simple gestures, accepting moments, and loving thoughts.  The Grace of being able to give love has been given to each one of us, fully.

Blessings for a “Giving Spirit” year to each of you!

The Grace of Christmas Memories

“Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings

of great joy which will be to all people.”

(Luke 2:10) 

Shepherds received this message from an angel while watching their flock at the time of Christ’s birth.  One can only imagine what they experienced – an angel appearing to them amidst their daily routine!  The angel told them not to be afraid and said they would find Him in swaddling clothes lying in a manger – and so they did.  The shepherds then made their experience widely known throughout their community.

Today, perhaps we can bring their experience present by acknowledging the meaning of Christmas.  Something that always helps me be true to this special time are my childhood Christmas memories.

Beyond the excitement of “What is Santa going to bring?” there were always moments I could count on that are now etched in my heart.  The time was one of “coming together.”  We would visit friends and family or they would visit us.  With the tree lit and the manger scene displayed, it was a reminder that we were all acknowledging the birth of Christ.  Perhaps it was something like what the shepherds did – share in the knowledge and joy of what has taken place.  Our family would attend midnight Mass, which brought its own special moments: the angelic sounds of the boys’ and men’s choir, the smell of incense wafting throughout the church, the stained-glass windows darkened by the night, the candles flickering, the sound of my Dad’s voice resonating deeply inside me when he sang O Holy Night, the drive home in the cold darkness – once home, we’d share hot chocolate and cookies around the kitchen table.  It was always memorable, a wonderful feeling, one filled with awe and wonderment.  It was Christmas.

The shepherds were also told to give “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” (Luke 2:14)

In our current society, many have become hesitant to acknowledge the true meaning of Christmas in order to be politically correct.  Wishing someone, anyone, a Merry Christmas is a gift to be given when we understand the true meaning behind it.

I wish each of you the promise of joy, peace and goodwill.

A Blessed Merry Christmas and Happy, Healthy New Year!

The Grace of Spiritual Growth

Often in my life, I have received visuals, quick little scenes in my mind that only last a second or two but bring great teachings for spiritual growth.  In one of those visuals, I was walking through quicksand up to my shoulders.  It was not horrible, nor hard; it was just slow moving and required a steady stride.  I knew, instinctively, this represented my spiritual growth.  Shortly after that, I had another visual—I was coming out of the quicksand—Jesus was holding my hand, helping me to step up and out onto a rock.  There He was in His beautiful, white robe, ever-so-gently assisting me.  Overwhelming!  The feeling I had in my heart from the second visual was that Jesus was pleased with my work toward my spiritual growth.  At the time, I had just come through a very difficult period in my life, a time when I was grieving and needed to forgive.  I realized that visual showed me that God had walked beside me during my difficult time and was now helping me up and out of those lessons.  Some years later, I read the following passage from the Bible, Psalm 40:1-2:

“I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.  He also brought me up and out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.”

This passage described exactly what I had experienced in my visual – once again, I was overwhelmed!  It has since become a prophetic verse for me.

Some years later, another visual came to me—a little plant growing out of rocks.  We’ve all seen a dandelion growing up through asphalt, a daisy creeping up through a crack in the sidewalk, or a full-grown tree, thriving through a bed of rocks.  Plants extend their roots toward a source of water; they also curve around to reach the sun’s rays.  What does that tell us?  The plant’s reason for being here is to grow!  This visual taught me: our reason for being here is to grow.  Some of us get tremendous nurturing and some grow amidst rocky soil.  Our growth is not only through nourishment for our physical bodies but through nourishment of our spiritual selves.  Even under the worst of conditions, God’s love comes through our hearts and souls; and like plants need water and sun, He feeds our souls even when we are downtrodden and lost.

He will find a way to teach us; He will find a way to give us messages of His Love—no matter how strongly we shut Him out.  He sheds His Light on our life even when we are filled with darkness.  He is the One who sets our foot upon a rock, brings us out of the miry clay, to receive His Light.  Grace.

Wishing you a beautiful Thanksgiving!

 

Zion National Park, Utah  8/2013

The Grace of Resilience

“Be utterly humble

And you shall hold to the foundation of peace.

Be at one with all these living things which, having arisen and flourished,

Return to the quiet whence they came,

Like a healthy growth of vegetation

Falling back upon the root.

Acceptance of this return to the root has been called ‘quietism….’”

 

(An excerpt from #16 from The Way of Life, according to Lao Tzu, translated by Witter Bynner, 1994)

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to share on this blog post and how to begin.  I recently returned from spending the month of September at a nursing home in Naperville, Illinois, caring for my 92-year-old Mother.  It’s hard to put into words what that experience entailed.

My Mom has always been filled with energy and she is one who loves meeting people and talking with them.  However, I was called back home at the end of August because my Mom’s illness had taken a turn for the worse; and the doctors felt she literally had only a few days left on this earth.

 

When I arrived, she was out of the hospital and in a rehabilitation center to rebuild her strength.  She was actually sitting outside of the center in a wheel chair waving at me.  I had so prepared myself to be ready to support her in her last moments on this earth.  Instead, she appeared to be fine, in good spirits and not ready to leave this plane yet!

While spending time at the rehabilitation center, as I’d walk down the halls to my Mom’s room, I couldn’t help but notice many aged people who were barely hanging onto life.  They appeared to be literally withering away.  Of course, there were people of younger generations who were healing from surgeries or illnesses, too; but they were experiencing more of a temporary situation as opposed to a terminal illness.  I couldn’t help but ponder the whole process of life.

As Lao Tzu stated in the quote above, healthy vegetation begins “falling back upon the root.”  I think of my little great-nieces and great-nephews, who are like little sprouts just beginning to grow, taking in the energy of the sun.  Later, as plants gain strength, they blossom – humans do the same when they mature and begin to create and build their lives.  Just as plants have to withstand the wind and rain and heat and cold, so do humans as they weather the storms of their lives.  Eventually, those little vibrant plants begin to wither away – they have served their purpose, and so do we as humans.

However, plants seem to accept each day as it comes – you don’t see a plant storming off in anger because it’s tired of being rained upon.  Also, plants don’t seem to fight the process of aging.  They accept their time here on earth and reach what Lao Tzu calls “quietism.”  I like that word.  I wondered if some of the elderly people were reaching a point of “quietism” – accepting their last days here and allowing the aging process to be present – no resistance, no anger, no fear, just acceptance.

Meanwhile, my Mom is now in a long-term care home so that she may have constant nursing care.  Her resilience amazed us – she has come back many times from being very close to death.  It is like the little “plant” in her keeps finding sustenance to keep growing instead of “falling back upon the root.”  Also, many people were praying for her health; no doubt God’s Healing Hands gave her strength to carry on.

The Grace of Becoming "Unstuck"

A number of years ago, I worked in the field of behavioral health, supporting persons with a serious mental illness to get their life back on track.  I really enjoyed the experience and learned a lot about life.  What I found most often was that people were “stuck” – their illness had so changed their lives that they had forgotten what they used to do to enjoy life.

One example involved a woman in her mid-30s.  Her mental illness was due to tremendous abuse as a child, so she carried a very strong bravado – a football player ready for her next tackle!  Her mantra was like Clint Eastwood’s “Go Ahead – Make my Day!”  Unfortunately, there was no one she could trust, so she led a very solitary life of fear.  Each day, she dug in her heels a little deeper and would not budge from her stance.  What I learned when she got the courage to become “unstuck,” was that it was like taking a huge leap; however, the huge leap was all in her mind.  This required taking a step away from her ego to take a step toward trust; once there, she learned that taking this huge step was not like crossing a chasm after all, it was more like stepping over a thread.

As in her case, fear is what often causes us to become “stuck.”  Perhaps we’ve experienced a bad relationship, or we were abused as a child or we’ve gone through abandonment or some type of loss during life.  Often, we hang onto what we think is a “life vest” for survival; however, unfortunately, this is only an illusion, created by our mind to help us to feel safe.

Blame is another way to become “stuck.”  There is a great statement related to this: “The day you stop blaming is the day you take responsibility for your life.”  Often we blame someone in our life for why our life didn’t turn out as we had hoped or we feel we’re “stuck” in our current situation because of what we experienced in life.  However, as long as we stay in blame, we give our power over to that person who hurt us or abused us or left us.  Herein lies the being “stuck” part.  Once again, we dig in our heels a little deeper to strengthen our stance.

Our ego wants us to stay in fear because it has “control” over us; however, this brings about a lot of suffering.  Often the first step to getting “unstuck” is to accept the situation exactly as it is.  This is a way to honor our life and who we are.  From an “accepting” standpoint, we’re no longer “resisting,” which then opens the door to seeing things in a different light.  This releases the struggle that’s around the issue or the way of life and allows Healing Light to come in.

God has given us a tremendous gift – our life – it is amazing just how intricate it is.  I think it’s important to take responsibility to unload all the hurts and the pain, to let go and to allow only the positive juices to flow.  By so doing, we honor our life, we then become more open and gain more confidence in extending love to others, which is the gift that God wants us to share here on earth.

The Grace of Connecting to Spirit

Today, I would like to talk about connecting to Spirit – the vast spiritual power that is available to us.

Perhaps a good place to start is to discuss the feeling of being disconnected, which happens often in our society because there are so many things demanding our attention.  I feel most disconnected when there is too much over-stimulation from modern-day technology – I find this “clutters” my inner being, my intuition, which is where Spirit comes through.  Years ago, I heard someone say – when you feel most disconnected, you are not connected to your intuition.  Our intuition is very important to us because it brings us information and answers to our questions.  Often it comes in the form of that “soft-still voice” – Spirit.

One way to unleash the clutter in our mind is to meditate.  Often people feel afraid of meditating because they’re unfamiliar with it.  But, it doesn’t have to be anything formal – just sit quietly with no interruptions and try to calm your mind.  A good way to start is to focus on something in your life that you would like to improve.  The more we quiet our mind, the more peace and serenity we will find in our life.  In this way, the quiet times will help us connect to Spirit to hear intuitive messages.

I find I connect most easily in nature, which offers me peace and serenity and provides a space for connecting.  Nature always provides something new to see – something that doesn’t clutter our minds but calms our minds instead.  For example, below is a cactus flower I captured in Wickenburg, Arizona.  Can you even begin to describe the whiteness of this flower or the intricacies of the delicate green and white or the little touches of mauve?  It was just sitting there, being all it can be!  Taking in nature and all its beauty is a good way to find our inner stillness.  Eckhart Tolle, in his book A New Earth (2005) states: “Seeing beauty in a flower can awaken humans, however briefly, to the beauty that is an essential part of their own innermost being, their true nature.”

 





Music is another way to connect with Spirit, which offers an ethereal experience and one that reaches deeply within us.  One song that comes to mind is The Prayer – no matter who sings it (Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Charlotte Church), it’s a song that pulls us away from societal noise and into a place of silence and awe.  Music has the ability to reach deeply inside our soul, where we can then feel the touch of Spirit.  Here is an example: Years ago, I was listening to the soundtrack from Les Miserables.  Just prior to that, I had asked God how we are to know what He looks like – we have an idea of what Jesus looked like but I didn’t know how to visualize God.  While listening to the soundtrack, the following words were sung: “And remember, the truth that once was spoken, to love another person is to see the face of God.”  I knew that was the answer to my question but we have to watch and listen for these intuitional messages.  We know that God is Love and this was my confirmation.

 

Lastly, I’d like to share a quote that I just read from Deepak Chopra’s website, which seems to state so beautifully this same message:

 

“When going about your daily life, continue to cultivate stillness whenever possible.  Spend time in nature, absorb its beauty, and notice how its abundance is spread before you.  Bask in the energy of beautiful music; uplifting and inspirational stories; optimistic, like-minded people.  As you do this, you’ll find the field of all possibilities will open wide to help your dreams, hopes and desires come to fruition.”

 

Today, capture the sunset or a flower; be in awe and feel connected to Spirit.

 

With Deepest Gratitude for the Grace of 19 Heroic Arizona Firemen, June 30, 2013

Today is a difficult day for all of us across America, within Arizona and within the communities of Yarnell and Prescott, Arizona, as we hear of the fatalities of 19 brave and courageous men of the Granite Mountain Hot Shot Crew of the Prescott, Arizona Fire Department.  However, our sadness pales in comparison to the suffering of the families, friends and fellow Firefighters, as they begin to take in the reality of this sudden and devastating loss.  At this point, we can only pray:

Dear Lord, it is in You that we place our trust.  In these times of tragedy and loss, feelings arise that we do not know how to handle - it is overwhelming.  How do we understand this loss?

Nineteen men, with tremendous skills and amazing bravery were on the fire line doing their jobs – protecting community members and their homes.  Yet, no matter how skilled and knowledgeable, we are not always aware of what we do not know, what will happen next, where the winds will pick up and where the fire will proceed.  These brave men know this is a part of their job.

In this particular time in the history of the United States, many feel that we as a Country have lost our integrity and are faltering – we often find  among us, less-than-ethical politicians, people wanting to take advantage of others, a growing lack of human decency and respect – yet, also among us, we find these 19 brave men of amazing ability and integrity.  This grave loss actually gives us hope in the Human Spirit.  To know that these young men saw their potentially imminent death and took the last and final cover for their own safety, not knowing the outcome – on our behalf, makes our every-day complaints trivial.  Dear Lord, please help us to strive, as individuals of this Country, to realize what we are capable of, as individuals, as a community and as a Country.  In order to honor these men, we must each do more to make the community of the Human Spirit of these United States better for everyone and for all of us.

At this time, let us lead with prayer for the Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, Spouses, Children and extended Families of each of these fallen men.  There are no words to comfort their sadness, to replace their loss or to lessen their grief; but let us honor these heroes so their families know we are standing with them and by them through this most difficult time.

Dear Lord, let us also remember all the families who have been displaced and have lost their homes or their livelihoods; let us ask for healing for each of them in their grief and in their loss.  Let us also pray for the Firefighters who are still fighting the fire and risking their own lives, knowing they have experienced this immediate loss of their fellow team members and comrades.

In Your Name and with our deepest gratitude, we ask for your gracious blessings.