Tuesday, February 28, 2017

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Just because the system may not give a rap about sacredness does not mean that we have to do the same.

Sunday, February 26, 2017

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

If we want this world to be more peaceful place, we can begin by practicing reverence

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Song of the Week

Honoring Sabbath moments in our life is important. It is a way of showing reverence for our bodies, minds, relationships, and the Divine https://youtu.be/Ce37pK1Mny0

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Get the most out of every experience in life.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Friday, February 17, 2017

CULTIVATING REVERENCE

A friend of mine recently asked me who or what helped me cultivate a sense of reverence for life and for the world.  I have been sitting with this question for a while and I am still not sure how to answer it. I think in part it comes from the numerous near death experiences I have had. The first one being when I was born. I think there is something about knowing how fragile life is that makes you gain a sense of reverence for it.
Maybe in part it was my parents who had this affinity for growing things. My father’s domain was the garden and plants in the backyard. He was committed to growing fresh vegetables and fruits for our family. My mothers was the front yard and side of the house where she constantly worked on her flower beds, making sure they were weed free. They had stories to go with several of the trees in our yard. The weeping willow was planted, according to my father, the day they bought me home from the adoption agency.
Read More

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What legacy are you passing on?

Thursday, February 16, 2017

RESPECT YOUR ELDERS



Growing up I was always told to respect my elders. I have a deeper understanding of those now that some people consider me an elder. Elders, in many cultures, are considered the libraries of knowledge and life experience. They possess essential resources for the survival of the family, and in some cultures for the entire village. They help to anchor the family in the traditions of their family and culture. The elders are in most cultures the most revered because they are the ones who preserve and nurture. It is, in any cultures, a role which one yearns to achieve. While we do not always respect our elders in our culture, perhaps this is something we can learn from cultures around the world who have a different understanding of respecting one’s elders
In African cultures, for example, the elder is as important to the community as the newborn. They are both viewed as being equal in proximity to the world of the ancestors. One has just come and one is preparing to ascend and return. They compliment and honor each other. The youth are viewed as a physical stability and strength drawn from the ancestors. They are both respected because they know in their own ways they are connected through their recognition of worlds other than our own.
Read More

song of the week

This week's song of the week challenges us to sit and reflect on the sounds of water https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x30YOmfeVTE

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Create your own path where you can walk with love and reverence

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Monday, February 13, 2017

MY NEVER ENDING STORY





Please forgive me for not sharing my journals with others for the last month. My quest with you has been really personal and not something I felt called to share. In some respects I feel like Atreyu in The Never Ending Story, I have been blessed with the opportunity to look in the mirror of truths and face things about myself that I would like to pretend do not exist, but they do. I have had to press through my fears and do things that required me to call on my courage. I have had to face the nothing in my life and destroy it.  
Being on my own personal quest has not always been easy, albeit necessary for this time in my life. In the process, however, I have come to have a deeper reverence and respect for you as well as for myself. While I know you always see me for I am, there have been moments during this phase of my journey where I have had to be intentional about allowing you to see me in my most vulnerable. I know you see them anyway, but it feels different for me when I intentionally present myself to you in that state.
Read More

It's Sharing Time!

It's Sharing Time! Reverence for Nature  come visit us and tell us what reminds you to have reverence for nature. http://inspiritual.biz/spiritual-discussion/2017/2/13/reverence-for-nature

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

is reverence the nature of your life?


Friday, February 10, 2017

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE ATTITUDE



Have you ever had one of those days where you struggle to find anything precious or valuable about yourself, never mind anyone else?  We all have those days where we lie to ourselves for whatever reason. Someone asked me if I ever wrote when I was not happy. I said no. So maybe today I needed to write during a time when I need to be intentional about practicing reverence. It is one of those days where I need to be intentional about remembering that my value as a human being is greater than any function I perform, or any title bestowed on me, or how much or how little I have in my account. What makes me valuable is my ability to see the Divine in me. As a friend of mine once told me, when people ask you who you are, just say I am.   If the Divine is the great I am and the Divine is in me then I am also I am.
It is not what we do that makes us valuable, it is our attitude about life and the way we view the world. It is about seeing the presence of the Divine in everything and remembering that blessings come in ways that surpass our understanding. It is the ability to see the sacred in every human being, every object, and every situation. When we seek out the sacred in every situation and every moment, we are practicing reverence. Reverence then shapes our reality and the way we interpret every aspect of our life. It is what allows us to see the spiritual value in all of life. When we look at all things, great and small, with reverence we see the sacred in everything from turning on the water faucet to flushing the toilet to giving someone a hug.
Read More

It's Sharing Time!

How do you define reverence? Come see what others are saying at   http://inspiritual.biz/spiritual-discussion/2017/2/7/reverence

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When you can see both the function and the awesomeness, then you are practicing reverence

Monday, February 6, 2017

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When you meet someone, regardless of who they are, can you see the value in them? When you can then you see the sacred in them and have a reason to revere them.

Sunday, February 5, 2017

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Today may we look at the ordinary as extraordinary and see the sacred in everyday life.

Saturday, February 4, 2017

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

May everything we do in life come from a space of reverence for the world and all in it.

Friday, February 3, 2017

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

May we remember that everyone and everything is worthy of dignity and respect.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

REVERENCE FOR OTHERS



I remember years ago being told the story of a male school teacher who had back surgery over the summer and began the school year wearing a solid plastic cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all. On the first day of school, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in the school. Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as possible and then busied himself with desk work. When a strong breeze made his tie flap, he took the desk stapler, in full view of the students, and stapled the tie to his chest. Needless to say, he had no disciple problems that year. I can imagine being one of his student and sitting in awe of him. That sense enables one to practice reverence because it changes the way we see someone.
I had a similar experience when I was teaching. Those who know me, know that I love SPICY foods; the spicier the better. On the first day of the semester, a colleague of mine came into my classroom shortly before class was going to begin. She had picked up a bottle of habanero hot sauce from Mexico. I so wanted to smell it, or at least taste it, but I could not get the bottle opened. I asked if someone could help me and one of the toughest guys in the class, who wanted to show off his muscles, said he would help me if I would drink it. He had no clue who he was talking to. So he opened the bottle and I took several sips, enough to make him walk away saying “I ain’t messing with you Dr J.” From that point forward everyone treated me with the utmost respect.
Read More

Song of the Week

This weeks song of the week is Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, Op. 11. The piece begins quietly, then builds in intensity and complexity to an almost overwhelming feeling of sublime involvement, only to subside and build again. I love not only listening to it, but watching this performer. Amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfcZheDtUXc

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

May we heighten our spiritual sensitivity through reverence.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017