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!
Read moreI came across a quote recently by Wendell Berry from The Unforeseen Wilderness: Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. He wrote, “The world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground of our own feet, and learn to be at home. It is a journey we can make only by the acceptance of mystery and of mystification – by yielding to this condition that what we have expected is not there.”
Have you ever had one of those experiences that turned out to be far more then what you expected? A colleague of mine tells the story about going out to pick cranberries. She had walked this trail many times before in her life. As she tells the story, she found herself becoming tangled in her inner mind and emotions.
Read moreI was once taught that the most dangerous states to live in are
the past and the present. Today is a new day! One thing so many people do is
spend their entire lives beating themselves up for something, which they said
or did or didn’t say or do years ago, but today is a new day. The past is the
past and you cannot go back and change it. What you do have control over is
today, so live it to its fullest, focusing on being the best you that you can
be today.
Read moreAnybody who knows me knows I hate playing the victim, but I
cannot talk about my W word for next week, Warrior, without talking about the V
word for this week, Victim. In case, you were wondering, no I am not going to
tell you what X, Y, or Z are going to be. You will have to wait for those weeks
to come.
It is easy for most people to think about a situation or
experience where they wanted to blame someone for what happened to them or the
abuse they experienced. What we feel regarding those situations and experiences
is real. However, at the same time, choosing to stay in that space of reliving
the situation or experience can be self-abusive.
Read moreThere are numerous times, emotions, and seasons we might experience in our lives, but the gaps between them represent the meantime. The meantime is the time between the moment we are born and the moment we die. While we are waiting to die, we are living in the meantime. That time between when the seeds are planted and we can pick those fresh strawberries off the vine is the meantime. The time between when we are so mad at someone we can spit nails and the time we are ready to make up is the meantime. That time between when we receive a vision and the vision becomes reality is the meantime. There is a time for every season under heaven, but we spend our entire lives in the meantime.
There is the day we physically come into this world and the day we physically leave this world. The season in between our birth and our death, we spend in the meantime. Life is about living in the meantime. Life is about learning how to live and what to do in the meantime.
Read moreMaintaining an attitude of gratitude is one of those things which most people find relatively easy to do when things are going well in their lives. When you have a secure and well paying job, it is easy to give thanks. When your relationship is stable, it is easy to give thanks. When you are doing well health wise, it is easy to give thanks. The problem is that most of us have those days in our life when our job may be at risk, or we may be worried about trying to find one.
Read moreI shared this story on Sunday at Love and Inspiration and it was suggested I post it here as well. I found it one of the websites which I read periodically.
37 Seconds To Read: May Change Your View For A Lifetime
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.
His bed was next to the room’s only window
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
Read moreIt is funny how the universe confirms things for you. I woke up the other morning with this song by Avalon in my heart, called “New Day.” Over the next two days, the conversations between friends and I, and friends and others were all about how today is a new day. The reality is that today is a new day and each moment is a new moment. Each second is a new second. As Alice Walker once wrote, “we are never the same river twice.” Each moment in our lives is a new moment and each day is a new day. The chorus to Avalon’s song says,
It's a new day
Oh, it's a new time
And there's a new way
I'm gonna live my life
All the old has, passed away
And the new has come
Thank God, It's a brand new day
Read more
