Open

I can’t shake your hand,
when it is in a fist.
I can’t hug you,
when your arms are not open.
I can’t love you,
when your heart is closed.
Nor can you love me
when I am not open.

May we open our hearts,
our minds, and
our souls
to being loved.
May we open our fists
to shake hands.
May we open ourselves
to receiving a hug. May we open ourselves
to the generosity and support
of others.

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The Effect

Sometimes we think it is all about us
but there is so much more.
We may not see the effect.
we may not feel it
We may not taste it
or touch it
or even sense it
but it is there.

We call it the ripple effect,
the butterfly effect
it is about us recognizing
how every action
creates a series of reactions
which create effects
we may never be aware of.

We think we do not matter,
but we do.
We forget we are part of
something bigger than ourselves
but we are.
Everything we do,
or do not do,
has an effect on the world around us.

We are part of
something bigger,
something more powerful,
something more connected
then we sometimes realize.
Just because we may not see it,
or be aware of it
does not mean it does not exist.
This is why we must be mindful
of all that we say,
think,
feel,
do and
believe
as it all has an
effect

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Praying

Sometimes when I pray,
I wish I could forget
my personal agenda,
my list of what I think I need.

I wish I could lay
it all down
and focus on trusting
the one to whom I am
praying

If I trust you
when I am praying
then I remember
you know what is best,
not me.

Today I release the conflict
I free myself of the confusion
between what I want and
what you want for me.

I thank you for knowing
what I need,
and knowing that I do not
always know best
even when I think I do.
So thank you for not always
listening me while I
pray

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What do you see?

What do you see,
when you look at me?
Do you see my skin color,
my weight,
my wheelchair,
my sex,
my age, or
do you see more?
Do you see
the Divine in me,
do you see me as a
Divine original?
Do you see the grace,
wisdom,
mercy,
love,
compassion of
the Divine?

When I look at you
what do you want me to see?
Learning to see the
Sacred in everyone
is a practice,
a gift,
a way of being able to see
God’s presence on earth.
May we practice seeing
the Divine in each other, as
we use each other as mirrors,
which reflect the goodness and
beauty of the Infinite.

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In the Image of God

I was five
and saw this woman
who I told my Bubby
was so ugly.
She is beautiful
in God’s eyes.
She is a creation
of the divine,
she said.

Beauty is not
in the eyes of
the beholder
Beauty is in
the wisdom of
the creator

You look like a whale
the little boy said.
Thank you, for seeing,
the grace in all of
God’s creations,
I replied

Beauty is not about
what we have been
told is beauty.
Beauty is about
the ability to
see the Divine
in all of creation.

Today may we
seek the beauty
in all
May we remember
we are all created
in the image of God.

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Transformation

It’s a new year.
A time where we
resolve to make changes
and undergo a
transformation

It is about going from
empty to full,
like when you fill a gas tank.

It is about transforming
a situation through actions
that minister to your soul

It is about seeing situations
and people through
a new perspective and
transforming the way
we see them and the world

It is about the simple acts
which remind you of
transformation.
It’s about me recharging the battery
on my wheelchair
reminding me
that the need to stay full
is ongoing.
Transformation is not
about a one time occurrence;
it is ongoing.

It is about getting sleep,
taking a sabbath
being aware of the
empty spaces
so we can renew our minds,
our bodies, and
our souls

It is about constantly
being in tune with those
signs which let us know
we are running low
in some area of our life.

Then we can stop, readjust,
Refill,
recharge, and
be transformed

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Peace Within

Are you in peace?
Peace within is
about creating and claiming
that Sabbath space
in our own being.

Sometimes we need to stop and
rest in our own being.
We need to connect with the
peace within.

When we are not connected to the
peace within,
how can we meet others
who have found the
peace within.

How can we see mystery
in everyday life;
or see the mystery of life
in the plants which surround us;
or see the teachings
embedded in the elements which surround us
or see the treasures
in humanity when we are not in touch with
the peace within.

It is in that peace,
that peace within,
when we have eyes that can see,
ears that can hear, and
senses which are in tune
with the vibrations of the Divine.

This season,
and year-round,
may we take time to experience the
peace within.
What a great gift
we give to ourselves
others,
and the world
when we all experience the
peace within.

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When you can see the good

 When you can see the good,
in any situation
then you know
you will be ok.

My Bubby’s wisdom
lingers in my mind today.
She taught me that there
is a blessing in any situation.
Look for the blessing and
keep looking until you find it.
Then you will be ok

That lesson lives within me.
It has helped me find the good
when I could not see it.
It has kept me looking for the blessing
when I did not want to face the challenge.
It has been what keeps me focused
on the goodness
It has helped me face the difficulties.
move through my shadows
It has become a teacher
given me new vision and
shifted my attention.

Thank you Bubby for teaching me
to have vision that can see
that which alludes me.
for teaching me how to see,
hear,
feel,
and understand the goodness

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No Umbrella

When we know what is coming,
we know what to do.
If it’s going to rain,
we grab an umbrella
If it’s going to snow,
we put on our boots
We know what is coming
and so we prepare ourselves
for what is to come

However, there are times when
we are not prepared.
We are in the rain
without an umbrella.
We are in the snow
without apparel to keep
us warm and dry.
We do not what is coming
so we are unable to prepare
for what is to come

Then the rain
becomes our umbrella
the snow
becomes our protective clothing.
We learn in the midst
of the moment
to deal with
what is happening,
We find the strength within
and from our Eternal
to make it through
what is happening
in this very moment.

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Prayer

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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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?

 

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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