Song of the Week

This week's song of the week reminds us to sit in the presence of the Divine when we are going through and just let it be. http://inspiritual.biz/inspiritual-song-of-the-week1/

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Are we serving our purpose?

JUST COME

It is nice to finally be healed enough from my most recent surgery that I have the energy to cook and entertain again. Whoo hoo! Just having the energy to cook again and create healthy low fat, low carb meals for my wife and I is such a blessing. Last night, I was chatting with a friend who was having one of those days where she just needed to know she was loved. I suggested she come join us for a very simplistic dinner. It was a chicken stir-fry with brown rice for her and Zoe. She wanted to know what she could bring and I said just come. It was those last two words – just come, that really spoke to her heart and soul.

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LOVE YOUR ENEMY

For the last several weeks, our Wednesday night group has been listening to a five-hour workshop by Pema Chodrom about releasing fear and living with courage and compassion. In it, she has talked about how Bodhisattva training encourages us to give up our separateness and act upon our deep connections with others. Over the course of these conversations, we have focused on how similar we are to each other. Yes, we have things about us that are unique, but we have far more in common with each other then we often times realize. As we practice being compassionate, we begin the process of releasing our resentments and cravings, and opening our minds to new relationships, courage, and compassion for others. Chödrön demonstrates ways to practice the four limitless qualities of loving — kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. Last week, we did a meditational practice where we began by breathing in relief for suffering for someone we were close to and exhaling peace and healing in their lives. We could have actually started with ourselves. However, in her workshop she began with those we would want to pray for, then to more neutral parties in our life, and finally with those whom we would resist praying for in our lives.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What would the world be like if we all mastered the three stringed instrument of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?

TO BE OR NOT TO BE COMPASSIONATE?

Has there ever been a time when your willingness to be compassionate was tested? What do you usually do when you meet someone in need of help? What kinds of questions do you ask yourself? What conditions do you set?

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

May we work on releasing the fear so we may be more open to practicing compassion.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Let's be intentional about focusing on our similarities and building bridges of compassion

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

May we all have eyes to see so that we might grow in our ability to practice compassion.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Let;s all work together to build a more humane world

Song of the Week

Cause when you given up
When no matter what you do, it's never good enough
When you never thought that it could ever get this tough
That's when you feel my kind of love -- this is part of the lyrics from this week's song of the week suggested by Zoë A. Davis​ http://inspiritual.biz/inspiritual-song-of-the-week1/

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When I see me in you, then I am compassionate with and me. I breathe in relief from suffering for you and breath out peace and healing.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

May we each have the courage to delve deeply so that we may grow in our capacity to practice compassion.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Song of the Week

May the long time sun surround you and may the pure light within you guide you home -- This is the reminder from this week's song of the week -- http://inspiritual.biz/inspiritual-song-of-the-week1/

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Your favorite blog is

I will not be blogging this week while I recover from surgery. So take this week to visit/revist past ones and tell me what your favorite is.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

COMPASSION AND WORLD FARMING

Years ago, I remember a Wendy’s commercial with these three older women looking at a burger and saying, “where’s the beef?” Today the question is not where the beef is, but where does it comes from?. I have been thinking a lot about compassion the last few weeks. One of the questions I have been grappling with is when are the times I have not been able to be as compassionate as I would like.  It started when I began to make a list of “missed opportunities” to show compassion to others. I realized that one of my behaviors was the choices I was making about what food I purchased. In my head, I agree with the farm to table mentality and want to buy nothing but organic and grass fed, farm raised protein products. I have watched and shown my students too many videos on the factory farm and the inhumane treatment of animals.

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THE THANKS CONTINUE

Last week I wrote a letter to my Mom thanking her for being one of my spiritual and moral mentors. She and my Bubby are the first two, which came to my mind. As I have thought about all the spiritual and moral mentors in my life I have come to realize that while some of them were people I knew, others were people I have never met. Some of my teachers have been people who served as examples of how I did not want to be because I saw the harm they inflicted on others. Yet I need to give thanks to them as well, although I will not mention them by name as the lessons they taught me were decades ago and I would not want them to be judged, by this one incident.

This reminds me that Sister Helen Prejean, one of those women I have never met, taught me a valuable lesson. 

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Song of the Week

Being compassionate with ourselves is as important as being compassionate with others. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves, as this week's song of the week reminds us, to hold on one more day because things will get better -- http://inspiritual.biz/inspiritual-song-of-the-week1/

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

COMPASSION AND ANGER

Have you ever found yourself getting angry or irritated at someone? One of the things I learned about anger, and any emotion, is that it can only stay alive for so long on its own. So when we stay angry or irritated for a long period, it is because at some level we have made a commitment to keeping it alive. Did you know an emotion has a natural life of about 30 seconds? If it lasts longer than that, it is because we are choosing to keep it alive. So when we stay angry all day, or for years, it is because we are choosing to stay angry. There is nothing wrong with a feeling, however, it is important for a feeling not to control us or become our identity.

The other night someone asked me if I ever got angry.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

SELF COMPASSION

It's Sharing time http://inspiritual.biz/spiritual-discussion/2015/4/6/self-compassion

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THANK YOU MOM!

Last night I was watching a video Zoe had found about gratitude and happiness. In the video, people wrote letters to someone they were grateful for in their lives. Then they were asked to call that person and read them the letter if they could. This morning I woke up thinking about my mom. I am so grateful for all she taught me during her time here on earth. One of the things she taught me about was how to be compassionate towards others. Mom, I hope that you can read these words as I put them out into the Universe, that place where we are of one (uni) verse. That place where we are one with each other. I love you. If you were here and I had to read this to you, I would probably go through about three boxes of tissues.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Song of the week

Will you stand
In your own grace

Embrace your brightest light
Don’t let it fade
Give up the constant fight
For being anything less than great

May the lyrics from this week's song of the week resonate with your soul

http://inspiritual.biz/inspiritual-song-of-the-week1/

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A COMPASSIONATE FOOD STORY

I wanted to do something a little different this week. The theme for this month is Compassion and so I thought I would start by talking about how people have used food to express compassion. In the process of doing my research, I stumbled upon this story about one of my favorite chefs, Ming Tsai. May this story inspire each of us to share a meal with someone we know who is struggling. 

In 2010, Shauna McLaughlin faced a mother's worst nightmare. Her then 19-month-old daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. As a single parent, Ms. McLaughlin was solely responsible for her daughter's medical, emotional, and financial care. Ms McLaughlin recalls, "I left my job to take care of her because she needed me around the clock. I couldn't leave her alone at the hospital. She was critically ill, and at times on life support." 

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BE STILL

As many of you know, the theme for March has been about being present and the theme for April is about compassion. This week, I decided to talk about something which blends these two spiritual practices together. Being still is about being present and sometimes being present means that we have to be compassionate with ourselves as well as others.

Those who know me, know that being still is not something I do easily. I am generally always doing something. However, I am intentional about taking time in the morning to meditate, sit, and be still!

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April Newsletter Available

This is no April Fool's joke, our April newsletter is out and available for download at http://inspiritual.biz/newsletters/

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY