THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

As Kelly Clarkson says what doesnt kill you makes you stronger

SONG OF THE WEEK

I love this song because it captures the frustration over why we have suffering in the world and brings us a sense of peace in that we are all joined together in our hopes for peace.

https://youtu.be/vWwgrjjIMXA

SONG OF THE WEEK

I love this week's song of the week because it reminds me how little we understand about what it means to be human and how much we have in common with people around the world https://youtu.be/DM8Tm9ycGz4

I GET BY

I  say this
and I start singing
I don’t want to get high
with a little help from my friends,
but I want to remember I get by
with a little help from my friends.
This reminds me that the same is true
for my friends.
They get by
because I offer some help.

We are there to help each other through,
to help lighten each other’s burdens,
to lighten the burdens of the world.
if we each did what we could to
lighten the burdens of the world
and others, then
we would all get by a little easier.

What if we all tried to be there
for each other
and for the world.
What if we did what we could to
help each other through the rough times.
What if we did what we could to help each other
get by.
How much better would the world be if we
did for each other and
did not just think of ourselves?

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Until you learn to forgive, you will continue to suffer.

ENTERING THE MIRACLE

So here we are at the end of August and it is amazing to me how much I have thought about meaning lately. It is interesting how I have been thinking about why I have been led to sources of wisdom and revelation at certain times. For example, I was looking for a book a few months ago and was drawn to a book by Mark Nepo, which I thought would be awesome for our book club, called Inside the Miracle. It is a gathering of his writings which draw on his experience and transformation because of his battle with cancer.  Most of the people in our book club have had cancer and so I thought this was a book that would really speak to them.

Little did I know that I was drawn to this book for another reason. One of my dearest friends was diagnosed with brain cancer.  Reading this book while journeying with her helped me to enter into the miracle that was to happen in her life. It gave me new understandings of my own health challenges and the journey to wholeness which was coming as a result of this opportunity. 

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Joy and suffering are two different things. I learned this recently while i was joyful while grieving.

SIMPLE JOY

This past Tuesday my spiritual granddaughter passed away on her 43rd birthday after a long struggle with kidney disease. It was a day of mixed feelings and emotions. There was the expected feeling of loss, grieving, numbness, sadness accompanied by feelings of regret, compassion, and a whole host of feelings. Then there was joy; joy that she was no longer suffering. Joy that she got to celebrate her birthday with her mother, who had transitioned a few years earlier. Joy I had been able to know her and joy I could grieve her passing.

As I moved through my feelings, I began to realize that joy is a simple state. When I am practicing joy, I am happy, light, and at peace. The grieving and the sadness were complicated. 

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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

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A MUSICAL TRILOGY

Back in March of this year, so not so long ago, I remember reflecting on an old Beatle song, Let It Be. Yesterday, I was reminded of the importance of those words one more time. I remembered that it is what it is, nothing more or nothing less. In this month, when we are focusing on forgiveness of self and others, I found myself having to practice what I teach. I learned that someone I trusted had failed to tell me they could no longer uphold their part of an agreement. I have to admit, my first reaction was “seriously, you are just now telling me this and you have known for months.” Then the emotional work on my side began as I realized that I was sitting in judgment of this person and the situation and the Beatle song began coming back to me, just let it be.

My conversation with this person had caused me to lose balance temporarily. That did not make either of us right or wrong, it was the Ultimate Creator’s way of helping me in my own journey and maintaining awareness of what the Ultimate Creator was doing for me in that moment. So I had to let it be!

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