Yes - I’m a sept. New year type!!! Summer is summer - it’s when we take time off and hopefully find time to relax and take stock of where we are. Reflection if you will. Are we as good of a human as we can be? Are we taking care of ourselves, our family, our community and our world? If not why? What do we need to change about ourself to improve as a human being? Nah - I’m not telling you but if you want to improve - STOP and listen! Meditate, breathe, ask, listen, hear, commit and do it! Change isn’t easy - it’s why most don’t but if you can see, embrace and change your mind-set - it is doable!
Purpose
Discovering one’s “purpose” in life essentially boils down to finding those one or two things that are bigger than yourself, and bigger than those around you. It’s not about some great achievement, but merely finding a way tospend your limited amount of time well. And to do that you must get off your couch and act, and take the time to think beyond yourself, to think greater than yourself, and paradoxically, to imagine a world without yourself. Mark Manson
Change is hard. No-one can do it for you!
This year!
It's great to feel whole! It was a great summer and now it's time to focus on the upcoming year. We all make mistakes - right ? This year I want to focus on teaching the difference between a mistake and a pattern! When we repeat the same mistake over and over again, guess what - it's not a mistake! It's a pattern or an addiction and if it's hurting us, our family, our job then recognizing it as such is the first step in improving our life...
Love isn't easy!
A few weeks ago our guest pastor (Leann Walt) did a sermon on the Good Samaritan.
Two parts: A kids talk and then the adults.
The Kids had a prop. A big red heart representing love.
The Kids came up with Valentine's Day as their answer for a symbol of love. Candy, chocolate, flowers and the Pastor added - dinner, and wine, as gifts of love to the list.
It was a very cute and sweet exercise, but above her head we have a stain glass window with the Samaritan scene and she focused our attention on that. She pointed out; No flowers, no chocolate, no wine, gifts or dinner. It's An ugly picture really - A man struggling to hold a wounded man on his donkey as he transports him to help...
Her point; love is hard. Love is messy. Love hurts and takes a commitment!
The adult part: "God says love unconditionally - Your neighbor as yourself." The halfway house in your neighborhood. The public school that is inclusive. Love them, do not exclude them, and of course (my words) with accountability.
All of us think we would stop and help someone in-need. Right? Well, I've walked past more homeless people in New York than I can count. Each time I harden my heart to be able to ignore them.
Each time I killed something hunting as a youngster, I had to harden my heart not to feel pain at killing. Like any other task it becomes easier to harden ones heart the more you practice it, to the point you become unaware you are doing it. You loose empathy and compassion and don't know it.
Right now we collectively need to unclench our hearts. We have to start loving our neighbor, especially the ones not like us and whom we disagree with. We don't have to have 9/11's, Sandy's or Harvey's to recognize what we are capable of -that compassion happens out there everyday we just don't see it.
Meeting hate with hate - just births more hate. It gives power to what you are against. It's a no win situation. One would think after all of these centuries it would be obvious but I guess not!
Loving is the only way we will get ourselves out of this mess. Well, how do we love someone that hates us? We forgive. We show why love is the higher power. We sacrifice, give and maybe die if necessary. It's not the first time someone has died for us.
You can't kill fear! Hate and intolerance will never win over love. They may have victories, short or long term gains but they can never sustain it. Never!
It will not be easy. We will have to let go of things we cherish because those things offend our neighbor. Walk in everyone's shoes to feel what it is they feel. Understand their fears and frustrations and find a way to ease those. Yes - it's a two, three and maybe a four way street! It's all of us collectively unclenching our hearts!
It will not be easy but that's the point - love isn't!
from one of my fire fighter buddies today as we cleaned up after the 4th BBQ clebration.
The 4 S's.
Sanity = sobriety, simplicity, spirituality and stability.
My mentor always said "wisdom can show up anywhere at anytime."
Challenge
Life circle: my emotional and physical well being was smacked around by the kidney stone adventure.. lots of mediation and prayers (lots of prayers!!!lol) The mental focus on it's ok - it's a short term inconvenience. But so much gratitude to family, friends and clients for boosting my spirits with their love. Xoxoxoxo
A borrowed quote.
He said, "we meet to leave and we leave to meet, for if we don't have the pain of leaving, we will never have the joy of meeting."
Purpose 3...
a follow up to the other purpose blogs. Robert M. Prison, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcylr Maintence: "The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there."
Every day we are challenged. Challenged physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually or a combination of these but challenged!
Meditation and prayer are big answers to dealing with the stress of the challenge.
Find peace! Practice your style of meditation to the point of living in peace even while being challenged.
Xxxx
Life circles
I'm in a gym and I see a book. "A workout to change your body and life. "
Nah - it's not gonna happen. You might change your body and it might make you look/feel better. But if you don't connect the spiritual, soul/emotional, and mental dots to the physical then life isn't gonna get better! The life circle - be aware and keep it balanced.
Meditation
Breath - be aware of it flowing in and out of your body as you find ease, peace and tranquility throughout your body. That is the first step to relaxation meditation. From that place you can grow as a person and change the world. Find teachers, classes, or do it yourself but take Advantage of the benifits meditation will bring to you.