THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Compassion allows us to open our hearts and connect with others

DOING NOTHING!

Every morning I visit one of a handful of websites which offer me a spiritual practice or inspiration for that day. This morning, for me, has been hysterical. Every site I visited said “Do Nothing!” I know this had to be the humor of the Ultimate Conciousness. I had been telling my wife I felt tired and wanted to just lay down for an hour and rest or do nothing. Then the messages started arriving. So this morning I am going to go spend an hour doing nothing.

We live in a world where even when we say we are doing nothing, or nothing much, we are doing a lot. For example, yesterday I felt like I didn’t do much, but in reality I did. I read, graded papers, crocheted, spoke with Zoe, prepared three meals, talked with numerous team members, planned for this week, thought about all that I need to do this week, when and how I was going to get it done. Even when it looked like I wasn’t doing much, I was.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Whatever your goals are make them clear and share them with othes

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Let us be the creators of Peace on earth.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Teach peace

AND THE LITTLE BOY SAID

We all go through rough times in life. It is easy to want to blame others for our situation, but it is not about others, but ourselves. I keep learning and relearning that when I blame others, it just keeps the sadness and negativity in control of my life. The longer I hold on to my negativity and sadness, the more of my joy and wealth I give away. Sometimes we just need someone to help us refocus.

Decades ago, I worked in a summer camp and had a little boy named Mikey. He was learning how to be away from his mom for the first time in his life. He would come in crying and I began playing this game with him to redirect his energy. I would say can you make a monster face and he would. How about a sad face and he would and before you knew it he was okay and then we could go play with the other kids.

One day we were playing the water when I realized I had lost a piece of jewelry that I never took off. It brought tears to my face and no matter how hard I tried I could not stop the tears from rolling down my face, and then this little boy gave me a gift I will never forget. I tried to capture this in a poem about us and this experience.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Work for peace

SONG OF THE WEEK

This week's song of the week is so personal for me as it reminds me of all the times I prayed for a dear friend of mine who has gone through several bouts of cancer. I am grateful for the prayers we shared. One of the things I love most about this song, is that there is this upbeat bouncy tune to this heavy subject. It reminds me to stay joyful in all situations. https://youtu.be/SgSC6Kh0N5s 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Forgiveness is about setting yourself free as well as others

OUR VEGAN JOURNEY

Over the last 17 years, we have been through numerous dietary shifts in our life, including several years of vegetarian eating until Zoe went through chemo and then all she craved was meat. So back we came to the land of the meat eaters. We have been talking about returning to a vegetarian diet for a while, but after watching a documentary Forks Over Knives, we decided it was healthiest for us and our desire to lose weight and eventually be able to come off all our medication to go vegan.

It's been a slow journey, but like with anything we do, when we decide to do it, we just do it. So the past few days we have eaten as much of what we had that needed to be gotten rid of.

This morning, we started this next phase of our journey. It is not just about changing what we buy, how we prepare it, what we eat, but an inward journey to learn more about ourselves, think about what these new choices are doing for us and how much our life is going to change

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

the horizon you see is ever changing, but keep moving towards it.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Tune into your Higher Power and experience the abundance of blessings for your life.

POURING LIBATIONS

One of my favorite theologians is Henri Nouwen. His writing is simplistic, but powerful. He brings you into his life and allows you to walk with him in his life through every possible emotion. You learn, cry, laugh, feel compassion, and grow with him in his and your own journey. The last few years have been hard for me and for my family. I have had to say good bye to over thirty friends, acquaintances and loved ones.

There are days I have wondered if I would ever stop grieving. I still wake up some mornings wishing my parents who transitioned in 2001 and 2005, my first two funerals, were still here. Sometimes I just want to pick up the phone and call them. There is not a day that I look at our prayer and meditation garden and do not think of my friend Laura who committed suicide about 18 months ago. She helped us move so much dirt into that garden and planted a butterfly bush, which stayed green in the snow when she passed over. Losing so many people the last few years has reminded me of my own mortality.

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GOD IS ON MY SIDE

There are moments that
I know God is on my side.
I feel God’s presence
I hear the soft whispering in my ear
I smell those fragrances only I recognize as holy.
I see those signs that are just for me
I taste the freshness of creation in my foods
In all this I know something quite powerful
God is on my side.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

How high of a bar do you set for yourself and others? Where you set it will determine how high they rise.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

You are who you are because you were created by the great I am.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Close your eyes and walk in faith.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

If you can't see the heaven in this moment, open your eyes and look again.

SONG OF THE WEEK

The lyrics of this song remind me to take time to rest, rejuvenate, and spend time with those I love https://youtu.be/f8j2enc5No8

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Learn to listen to the whispers which come from your heart and soul.

PICNIC PARABLE

July is National Picnic Month. It is a month to celebrate and share time with family and friends. As I goofed around to see if I could find any spiritual writings about God and Picnics, I stumbled upon this song called God Shuffled His Feet by Crash Test Dummies.

After seven days
He was quite tired, so God said:
“Let there be a day
Just for picnics, with wine and bread.”
He gathered up some people He had made,
Created blankets and laid back in the shade.

What if God’s idea of honoring the Sabbath was to gather together with loved ones and have a picnic. What if we took a day each week, month, or year, to rest and gather with friends to picnic with wine and bread.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Listen to your heart and let it guide you

LET IT GO

Let it go.
That is what I hear
Words from a teacher
The reminder to release
To stop accelerating the negativity
To interrupt the flow of energy
To just let it go

Step on the brake
Let it go
Just sit in the joy
So I sit in it and
I keep releasing that
Which attempts to steal my joy

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Be still and listen

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When I help those who see themselves as ordinary, re-envision themselves as extraordinary, then I know am leading as Spirit would have me to lead.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Honor yourself and the way you live. You are a holy shrine.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

don't let others control your life, control it yourself.

BECOMING THE TREE

Dear God,

I know you never put more on us then we can bear, but this year has been filled with challenges. If I had to pick a word for that I have learned this year, it would be tenacity. I have learned to have the determination to rise about difficult circumstances. It does not mean it has been easy, but I am making myself rise. I am finding the strength within myself to keep on going.

There have been days when I felt so deeply and did see my own strength, but I would remember to release the fears that were obscuring my vision. You found your way of reminding me to be like the Tree of Heaven, the tree Betty Smith wrote about in her novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. She wrote, “Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first time or last time. Then your time on Earth will be filled with joy.”

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Whether you want an experience to bring you happiness or not, it will.

SONG OF THE WEEK

this song reminds us that when we are going through the light is there to guide us home
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
https://youtu.be/k4V3Mo61fJM

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

If you want people to trust you, don't lie to them.

BLUEBERRY BLESSINGS

https://www.pamperedchef.com/pws/sharonjacobson/recipe/Breakfast%7CBrunch/Lemon-Blueberry+Muffins/14196

I woke up this morning to realize that yesterday was National Pick a Blueberry Day and so not surprisingly, today is National Blueberry Muffin day.  While I like blueberries, they take fourth place in my list of berry favorites (raspberry, blackberry, strawberry and then blueberry. Yet my favorite way to eat them has always been in muffins.

What I have found fascinating about blueberries is the various spiritual and medicinal uses and meanings. For example, blueberries contain anthocyanin, which is good for eyesight and they contain significant quantities of both antibacterial and antiviral compounds and have a reputation in northern Europe of fighting infections. They may also help protect against heart disease. Native Americans believed that the five-pointed start on the top of the berry was a sign that they were sent by the Great Spirit to feed children and never allow them to go hungry.

Making the perfect muffin is fairly simple, it just calls for one to be patient and nor rush the process. For example, it is best to combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ones in another. Before combining them, most baker sources I went to suggested you make a well in the dry ingredients, similar to what you do when making fresh pasta, and slowly add the wet ingredients

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

You are the one who places limits on your own accomplishments

BE FREE

I sit in my wheelchair and
The plane flies over me
And I pray for them that they
may be free

I sit in my wheelchair and
The plane flies over me
And I hear them saying,
May they be free.

I sit in my wheelchair and
I roll around the block
And I pray that all those who are under me
May be free

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Having a clear vision and a plan to achieve it will make the journey easier.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

If you never start working towards your dream, you will never achieve it.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Keep looking until you find your passion and then make it your life.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Think something is impossible, think again.

THE EARTH

The earth births spring
The earth births summer
The earth births fall
The earth births winter

The earth has gone through trials
The earth has gone through challenges
The earth has endured
The earth keeps birthing

The earth inspires me
The earth keeps me growing
The earth inspires me to endure
The earth reminds to give birth

The earth is the earth
The earth is I am
The earth is me
I am who I am