Memories

We all have memories.
Each day is an opportunity to make more
Even if you do not like
the ones of the past.
Today you have a chance
to create new ones.
You have the chance to create
memories
which will help you live well,
to stay well
and remember well.

You have the chance to create
memories
which will help you live the
life you are wanting to live.
You have the chance to create
memories
which will bring you one step
closer to the goals you are setting
for yourself.
You have the chance to help others
create memories,
which will help them on their journey’s

You may not feel as if you had power
over the memories of the past,
but you do the ones starting right now.
Even in the painful ones you can find
blessings in the memories and
gifts which helped you grow and evolve.

Hold on to the memories.
There are those I have lost
in my journey.
Once you let them go
they seem to disappear.
So hold on to them
and create new ones
Memories are powerful.

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Hearing

One of the things my students have taught me is to
do more than listen.
They want me to hear them.
They want me to remember
they are on a journey
of their own.
They want to learn from my journey,
but want me to learn from theirs.

Hearing
is not just about being heard,
but about hearing.
It is a process of sharing
the wisdom we have both gathered
with each other, but we must be open to
hearing.

It doesn’t matter who the other is,
whether they are the same age or not,
the same sex, race, ethnicity or class or not.
What matters is that we hear them,
that we open ourselves to hearing their truth,
and ask them to be open to hearing ours.
Let’s change the world today by
hearing.

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Smiling

Smiling

Have you ever watched someone smile,
but it does not feel
like joy, peace, or happiness.
Sometimes you can watch them smile,
but it feels sarcastic.
Sometimes their smile reminds
you of how politicians and diplomats
smile at each other.
Sometimes their smile makes you want to leave
and avoid them .

Then there are those smiles
that brighten up a room.
There is something about their smile which is like
a breath of fresh air.
It may leave you feeling hope
fill you with their overflowing joy
make you share their happiness
or experience their piece

A smile is not just a smile.
It is a way of communicating
what is in our heart,
soul,
and mind.
It is how we share
the one who lives within us
and who wants others
to experience the love and warmth
all through a simple, but genuine
smile.

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Walking on Diamonds

There have been times
When the road was hard,
sometimes brutal, and
I just wanted to stop,
but I pressed on.

The road seemed hazardous.
The path constructed of
and covered in the
sharpest of rocks.

Then the blessing happened.
I saw this road,
which appeared hard and hazardous
was not what it seemed.
The road was not cloaked in hazards
but in blessings.
It was not paved in the sharpest of rocks
but the brightest of diamonds.

It is then that I hear my Bubby
when you can see the blessings
in the situation, then
you will be okay.

All this time I have been
walking on diamonds.

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Generosity

We all give,
but some of us are
Generous.
We share our gifts
with others
in a way that transcends
what is expected.

This sharing of one’s gifts
is an act of generosity.
It is a way of sharing their
blessings with others.
It is a way
of practicing generosity

So what happens when
we say no.
When we say no,
we are blocking their blessings.
we are denying others the
opportunity to practice generosity

Why would we deny others
the opportunity to be generous
to share their blessings.
Do we realize that when we say no
that this is what we are doing.
What if we said yes to the invitation
to gather with friends
even if we want to say no.
What if our saying yes not only
blessed us but allowed others
to practice generosity

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Drop In Center

It is always nice
in the case of an emergency
to have a drop-in center.
What if we were our own
drop-in center.
What if we took quiet times
and listened to the wisdom
in the silence.
What if in the silence we heard
the wisdom of the Infinite
What if in this space we gained insights
we could not receive in the
noise of our lives.

What if we thought about quiet
as us saying hello and welcoming
wisdom and understanding to
just drop in.
Would our drop-in center
be open more often?

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What You See

My Bubby would say,
when you can see the blessing
in any situation,
then you will be okay.
She taught me
what I looked for
I would find.
If I looked for problems
I would find them
if I looked for gifts and blessings
I would find them

The more I look for something
the more of it I will find.
The one little problem
will become a huge field of them.
The smallest of blessings
will lead to a path of growth and evolution.

What I look for in life
is what I will find.

What if you saw each “problem”
as a teacher,
as a gift
which was bringing you closer
to your Higher Power

What if life was filled
with nothing but
opportunities for
growth and evolution.
What if we cannot see them
because we let our ego
blur our vision.
Today let us give thanks
in all circumstances and
work to see the blessings and gifts
in all life brings our way.

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The Work Begins

The work is not in my reading.
The work begins when
I am done.
When I sit with the ideas,
reflect on them,
decide on whether or not
to let them in my heart
and nurture me

The work begins when
I put the book down.
When I reflect on the ideas,
the teachings,
the gifts,
and the inspiration.

It doesn’t matter if it is
fiction or non fiction,
sacred or secular,
academic or non-academic,
there is something for me
to think about
and thus the work begins
when my eyes are done.

That is when my heart works.
Sometimes it is about what grade
most reflects what my student
attempted to show me.
Sometimes the work is for me;
it is about me releasing a belief,
changing a behavior,
being willing to grow and evolve.
Even as I read my own work,
the work begins
when my eyes are done
and I open my heart
and continue the journey.

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God's Plan

God’s plan for our lives,
is not always ours,
well truth be known it rarely is.
See God this way of bringing

people and situations into our lives
which we would often times prefer
were not the answer
to our prayers.

God’s plan for our life
is not about what we want
for our lives
but what are going to help us
develop a deeper relationship with God.

It might be the person who
gets on your last nerve, or
having to wait 3 ½ hours for a ride home,
when you cannot drive, or
that situation which makes you
want to have a meltdown at Walmart, or
you can fill in your own blank,

God’s plan is not about what we want
or who we want to interact with.
God’s plan is about us and
removing the obstacles which
are blocking us from our own
evolution and deepening
relationship with God.
This is God’s plan for us.
Growing closer to the
Divine who lives in us and
guides us through our lives.
This is God’s plan.

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In God’s Lap

When I was a little gurl
there was nothing more comforting
then cuddling up
in my parent’s lap.
As I grew bigger,
I became too big for their laps,
 but I was never too big for God’s lap

God’s lap
is my sanctuary.
It has taken various forms.
It has been a field of flowers.
It has been the warmth of the sun.
it has been that safe place in my dreams.
it has been the calming of a warm shower.
it is any space or place where I feel
unconditionally loved and safe.

God’s lap
always has room
no matter how young or old we are.
God’s lap
always offers
the comfort and healing,
the love and the safety
we so often seek in life.
Next time you are in need
curl up in God’s lap
and know you are loved

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FEAR

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

Fear can eat away
at who we are
and what we believe.
It can slowly eat away
at our heart and soul
as if we are dying inside

Face
Everything
And
Rise

Faith can set us free
from the fears
the world tries to feed us
so face them
and rise
instead of die.

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Celebrate Yourself

"I celebrate myself,"
The poet Walt Whitman wrote.
Are you celebrating yourself?
What if you celebrated
all of you,
your achievements,
your experiences, and
your existence.

How would you look at yourself
if you were celebrating
all of who you are?

Would you be saying
I am God’s beloved
I know God is pleased with me
Would you know you are good?
Would you stand in front of yourself and say
“I celebrate myself.”

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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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