Prayer is not just the words we utter,
It Is also the deeds.
it is the way we walk through life
it is the way we interact with the world
it is the reverence we bring
into our words and deeds.
it is about our awareness,
our ability to see the Divine
to hear the needs and cries of others
it is about our ability to sense God and
the people of God in the world
It is about us knowing God in ourselves
and others
Paper Tabernacles
It was decades ago
when she left three little pieces of paper
on my treadmill that said
I
Love
You
They still are with me
in my drawer.
They are sacred, holy and
a paper tabernacle
holding the gift of love
from the one who loves me
unconditionally
Her notes are not alone.
They are accompanied
by sacred notes from others
images,
gifts of sacred love from others
Through writing we can express
our intimacy,
our friendship,
our love,
what others mean to us.
Our letters have the potential
to become someone’s
paper tabernacle
A holy space
where the sacred gift of love is stored
where one keeps reminders of what one means,
the friendship we share,
the intimate moments,
which bond us together.
They are more than just pieces of paper.
They are sacred and holy.
They are paper tabernacles.
Brave in the Grief
Twas the night before Thanksgiving
and all through the house, not a creature was stirring
not even our cat, but I could not sleep.
Then the news came via Facebook posts
one more friend had passed away
one more loss
one more heartache
one more wave of pain and sadness.
Grieving is not easy
it hurts
it angers
it is never the same
it goes away
when it is ready
Grieving is not easy.
You have to be brave
to feel the pain
to feel the emotions
to not stuff it or
try to medicate it, but
just to stand brave
as the waves of grief
wash over and through you.
When we are lucky, it is that one loss
but sometimes the losses are many
and the pain feels crippling,
but even then we put on our armor
and be brave, as we
fight through the emotions,
letting them crash on us and over us
and know that we are stronger then
all the waves of grief
Then one day we are standing
and there is a calm
and the waves are gone
and we are not quite sure
how we made it through
But we did because
We are brave
And then we give thanks
for bringing us through
for having the strength
to be brave in the grief.
Wisdom
How do I know what I know
I know because others taught me.
I learned from
the people I have met
those who have loved me
and those who have not.
I learned from the
cats, dogs, hamsters,
and other animals
which have come into my life.
I learned from those
who strove to teach me
and those who did not
I learned from those who
provided opportunities
to grow,
to experience
to appreciate
and to honor.
I learned from those
who were hateful
hurtful,
and harmful
In all this I found
wisdom;
that priceless gift
which has blessed me.
So today I bless those
who have shown me wisdom.
I bless those who have helped me
deepen my relationship
with the world
I bless all who have brought me wisdom
Start at Home
Change the world,
start at home
that is what HGTV says.
This reminds me
to see myself
to understand myself
to get in touch with my own
deep and innermost mysteries
How can I begin to understand
the one I call the Ultimate
if I have not yet opened myself
to seeing the invisible in myself,
or the mysteries within myself
The journey to the
deeper mysteries of the Divine
begin with me exploring
the mysteries within myself.
If I want to connect on a deeper level
With the divine,
I must remember the wisdom
of HGTV and start at home.
Respect
It dropped.
It fell.
it was not about
being intentional or not
it just was.
It was just a thing
or was it more.
Was it symbolic of
the Holy
in everyday life.
Pick it up,
kiss it and apologize
Salmon Rushdie would say.
apologize for the
disrespectful way
you treated it
What if we did that
all the time.
What if we kissed all things
to see the holiness
in everyday life.
What if we treated
all of life
all of humanity
all objects
with dignity and
respect?
Live Your Truth
The world is full of liars
Those who fill us with doubt
Who tell us we are worthless
Who tell us what we lack
Who tell us what we cannot do.
Who make us doubt our ability to grow,
to transform,
to scale mountains
There are also those
Who speak truth in love.
Who remind us we are amazing
Who help us see the gifts within us
Who point out our strengths,
our gifts,
and our abilities
to make something out of nothing
and overcome the mountains
we learn to climb
We each come
to this world
with a purpose
with a gift
with something we are called
to complete.
We each have our way of
transforming the world
of overcoming the mountains
in our lives.
We can do this,
when we choose to
live our truth.
The question is
are you living your truth.
Sabbath
Take some downtime
Take a day off
Words I hear from
Those who love me.
Not everyone has a life
which allows them take
A one day sabbath,
so we improvise
and find the sabbath moments
in everyday life.
Sitting in the shower
Time in the waiting room
time being transported to and from
time when I can’t do anything
so I sit and be still
and listen
to the voice from within
Then I write.
I write prose
poems
ideas,
Thoughts,
words that came to me in the silence
Sabbath
isn’t always a day
sometimes it is those moments
the use of your downtime
To replenish your soul
Be the Change
Be the change you want to see in the world.
I heard it.
I read it.
I thought about it.
I did not get it.
Well, not really
Then it clicked,
She tried to get on my last nerves
She was rude
irritating,
disrespectful
and all the qualities,
I do not like and wish
would go away
Then I remembered the advice
Kill them with kindness.
I did.
I was extra respectful,
loving,
patient, and kind and
I am sure for a while
she wished I would go away.
Then it changed,
she changed
I changed,
the environment changed
So be the change
You want to see in the world
embody reverence,
kindness,
respect
and be grateful.
Trust the process,
watch judgment disappear
and miracles happen.
I am Me
I am Me
I am who God created me to be
I am unique.
There is not
Never has been
Never will be anyone
Like me
I am divine by design
Because I was designed
By the divine
I am me
I am who I was created to be
What you see as a flaw
The Divine placed as a gift in me
What makes me different
Is an asset
It is what makes me who
I am me
Nobody else brings
To the world
What I bring
To the world because
I am me
What God gave me is for me
What God gave you is for you
So let’s celebrate each other for
Who we are
You are you and
I am me
Vision
Build a wall
To make American great again
Greatness comes with bridges
Not walls
It comes with unity
Not division
Loves sees one
Hate and fear see many
When separation disappears
God’s presence is visible
Oneness or separation
Love or fear
Goodness or hate
You choose to
Unify or divide
By the way your mind
Sees the world
Trust Me
I say I trust God,
But do i.
I say I am listening,
But am i.
I say I feel God’s presence,
But do i.
I say I can smell God around,
But do i.
I say I can taste God in everything,
But do i
I say I can see God,
But can i.
Like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
They glide
They slide
They look so graceful
They always make each other
Look good.
They skate
They jump
They leap
They make it look so effortless
They always make each other
Look good
As a dancer in life
I hold my wife
We glide
We slide
We jump
We leap
We make it look so easy
And we focus on making each other
Look good
You may not see the practice time
The workouts
The rehearsals
The work we do
Out of our love for each other
And the desire to make each other
Look good.
We dance daily
Finding ways
For our love to shine
For us to express kindness
Towards and for each other
As we dance together in life
Always making the other
Look good
Words
Words are powerful
They can harm or heal
Lift up or diminish
Criticize or empower.
How you use them is your choice
You can speak
Without thinking
Criticize others
Make them feel unwanted.
That is easy.
Or you can stop
and think before speaking
take a moment to think first
ask yourself are they honest, kind and necessary.
Think about what will pick someone up,
empower them,
make them feel good.
Criticizing is easy
praising takes effort
Your words can focus on their strengths
And overlook their weaknesses.
Words are powerful.
How are you going to use yours?
The Lazy Susan
It was Saturday morning when Zoe’s Aunt Joan took her last breath. I feel weird saying Zoe’s Aunt because she meant so much to me as well. When the news came, both of us felt our hearts break and knew our lives would never be the same again. Joanie was one of those people who made a difference in your life. She was the first person in the family to welcome me with open arms. In my last conversation with her, she said, “I am so glad Zoe found you.” It seemed a bit out of character for her then, and even now, but the love and peace in those words continues to minister to me and I know will for time to come.
This whole weekend has been sad as we were also informed of the death of a 20 year old student where I teach. I have come to expect death and passing, but that does not mean I like it. As I have talked about death with friends, they have shared memories of how even years later something will trigger their grief and bring back memories of someone they love. A friend of mine shared that sometimes she just breaks down in tears over the passing of a 17 year old that was near and dear to her heart. One thing we have all agreed on is that none of us grieve the same way. This weekend Zoe has just wanted to read. I, who normally fills my day working through piles has just wanted to cry and sleep.
Read moreBeginnings
Beginnings
Not endings
Unlocking
Not closing
New doors
New pathways
New possibilities
Giving
Doing
Learning
Sharing
Growing
Continuing
Serving
Loving
Seeing the Extraordinary
Having been pretty much unable to leave my home the last seven years, other then for drs appointments, has given me a different view of the world. When I roll down my driveway and get to venture into the world, things overwhelm me. Today, for example, I got to see someone I have not seen in 8 years. As I rolled into the bus, taking me to the oncologists office, I could feel the excitement surging through me. I felt like a little kid. I was going somewhere and nobody was going with me. It was just me and the world.
As I sat at the café before my appointment, I could hear people complaining about how they had to leave the house, the traffic on the drive, the people who had pissed them off on their way there, the person who tried to scam them and of course the overpriced food at the café. I sat and listened and remembered a day when leaving the house and going somewhere was just what you did. I didn’t think much about it, I didn’t see it as a blessing. It was just life.
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Be Silly!
Be silly!
The message came loud and clear.
Be silly!
Silly is selig
Selig is blessed.
Be silly.
Silliness can be sacred
So be silly.
More than a Routine
I generally tell those I journey with that I can tell a lot about their lives by the state of their apartment. Esther de Waal said something similar in her book The Way of Simplicity. She wrote, “An old monastic saying goes that you can tell how a man prays by the way in which he sweeps the cloister.” It made me realize that it is not just how cluttered or uncluttered your living space is, but the ways in which you go about the routine practices in your life like sweeping the floor.
If someone were to watch the way you perform a routine act in your home or office, what would they learn about you. It has made me wonder what others think of or learn about me by the way I do things. I would like to think people would think I was mindful and intentional, but I also know there are routines I am not as mindful and focused as others.
It is easier for me to be mindful and focused when I am cooking because I am constantly thinking, especially now, about what I am eating, where it has come from, what I am doing with it. I treat each of my ingredients with a sense of reverence. However, in all honesty, I have come to realize that I do not bring that same sense of reverence to everything I do, especially chores I have not enjoyed.
Read moreDoing 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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