Being Present

Being Present

Have you ever been having a conversation with someone,
but feel like you are in a conversation by yourself.
There seems to be a lack of reciprocity,
a lack of energy and focus,
and the inability to be present.
It is hard to have a meaningful conversation
when others are not present.
The same is true for me.
I have had to learn how to stop
and explain that I want to be present,
but at the moment I just can’t.
I belive in being honest,
present,
and polite
with those trying to engage with me.
When I can’t I honor all of us,
by politely exiting the conversation
and rejoin when I can be present

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Don’t Talk With Your Mouth Full

Don’t Talk With Your Mouth Full
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” my mother would say.
When I was younger it was what my mom said
when my mouth was full of food.
It’s about balance,
my mother would say.
You have to balance eating and talking.
Now I see people talking with their mouth full,
as do I at times,
but in a very different way.
Sometimes we forget to stop talking and listen.
We forget conversations involve
two people taking turns talking.
it’s shouldn’t always be about me.
We should be sharing with each other.
When we are talking with our mouth full,
things come out that would not if we chewed first and spoke after.
If we thought before we spoke,
we may not say things that can hurt or harm others.
We would spend more time enjoying
and less time apologizing.
What if we tried to remember those simple childhood lessons,
like don’t talk with your mouthful
and apply them to our adult lives.

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Unconditional

Unconditional

The one that I commune with daily,
does all things unconditionally.
My challenge is to also be unconditional.
It is to not put conditions on what I surrender to the Ultimate.
I am to go with my grace and my groaning,
my joy and celebration
and my gripes and grieving.
There are no conditions on what I can bring
nor are there conditions on what I receive.
The challenge is to also love others
as unconditionally as I am loved.
So I look for the Ultimate in all I meet,
in the homeless
the stranger,
the bus driver,
the Instacart shopper,
the people who answer the phone,
the people who respond to my posts,
emails, and other electronic media.
If I honor them as creations of the Ultimate,
perhaps they will the Ultimate in me.
What if we treated each other with
the unconditional love and acceptance
we are offered?
What if we saw the Ultimate in each other?
How much more loving would the world be,
if we saw the Ultimate here on earth?

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My Refrigerator

My Refrigerator

So much in life is automated,
my refrigerator, on the other hand,
is filled with produce that is hand picked.
it means that someone is working hard
to harvest the tomatoes, carrots, peppers, berries
and so much more that is in my refrigerator just waiting on me
to prepare it.
My refrigerator is filled with the labor of others.
None of this just appeared in my refrigerator.
It was hand picked by others.
Someone sweated,
strained their bodies
wiped away their sweat,
got callouses on their hands,
and gave so they could put food on their tables
and on mine.
So much cannot be machine harvested
because of its individual ripening times and
it's delicacy.
What if we thought about where our food came from and
gave thanks for those who helped get it to us?
What if we remembered those who labored
so we could be fed?   
Would it helps us eat with an attitude of gratitude
instead of just eating?

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Finding my Hallelujah

Finding my Hallelujah

I remember hearing Andy Grammar sing about
finding your hallelujah
and thinking about all the times
I found my hallelujah
and how good it felt to be alive at that moment.
It is in those moments, that I feel
filled with this so much joy that I feel as if I am going to explode
and all I can do is give thanks
because I am alive
Every part of my being is so delighted
that all I can do is celebrate and sing.
I am not concerned about anyone else
just celebrating my life and singing
my Hallelujah
with every part of my being.

If you feel my energy and want to join me,
tap into your own Hallelujah
and together let’s celebrate how
great it is to be alive right now.

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Home is in my heart

Home is in my heart

Growing up, I would hear
Home is where the heart is.
for me, home is where the Ultimate is,
which is in my heart.
Home is that space where I gather
with the Ultimate,
those who have shown me kindness,
those I was kind to,
those who I was not able to be kind to
and those who were not able to be kind to me.
It is in the light and grace of the Ultimate
that we give thanks to those who showed us love
and seek forgiveness from those we hurt,
intentionally or not.
Home is that space where people experience the ,
the healing,
the grace,
and the wisdom of the Ultimate.
Home is not always an easy place to go,
but it is where the transformation continues.

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Sabbath

Sabbath

Do you still honor the Sabbath?
You should take the Sabbath off and rest.
I love it when people tell me how
I should spend time with the Ultimate
and when.
When I was young,
we would light the Shabbat candles on Friday evening
and go to Shul.
It was a tradition
until my parents stopped going.
Then I was taught to not work on Sundays,
which is hard to do when you are leading worship.
Sabbath for me is not so much about the day,
but about the time I intentionally spend
with the Ultimate.
Time in prayer,
meditation,
time spent in silence
journaling,
reading,
and reflecting.
The quality of the time,
not the day
or the quantity.
The quality of the time
I spend with the one
who I make time for
in the midst of all my days,
no matter how busy,
because I make that time a priority.

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Grits

Grits

I remember driving up to Nora’s Mill
to get stone ground grits at a time
when I didn’t know what they were.
I just knew they tasted so good,
especially with cheese and jalapenos mixed in.
To this day I still love grits and made the same way.
My wife reminds me that not all grits are the same.
She likes them white and I like them yellow.
She likes them commercially ground and I like the stone ground.
Beyond all the difference though grits are the same,
ground corn.
I was sitting there thinking about making grits
when I began thinking about not only the grits
but the word.
Grits is not just about what you serve with
whatever you enjoy eating with it.
Having grits is about having
the inner desire, drive, and tenacity
to achieve your goals and dreams.
you might experience times you are ground down
finer then others,
but the inner grit that lives within you
will bring you through
and cook in the experiences of life
to bring you to the consistency, texture, and flavor
you were created to be.
In part this happens because of you
and what lives within you and in part
because the Ultimate keeps stirring you
knowing together you will produce
grits that show what lives within you
and shine through you and let your
true grit shine.

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Us

Us

I love you.
There are so few people I say that to.
You and the Ultimate.
There is something about sitting with you
and listening to your deepest thoughts
and challenges.
As I sit here and just spend time with you
it is like music to my ears,
and in the process I feel so blessed.
It is those opportunities to be present,
to be of service,
to know that I am still
of use to the Ultimate.
I know we feel the same,
relationships like ours are rare
and gifts from above.
Giving thanks seems so inadequate,
but it is all I can do,
for all that you are to me
and all you allow me to be for the one
who is always there for me.
The more we surrender to each other,
share,
grow,
evolve, and
be ever present,
the closer we become
not just to each other
but to the One.

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Compliments, Criticism, and Encouragement

Compliments, Criticism, and Encouragement

A spiritual director once taught me
to listen to how my body responds
to compliments and criticisms.
I became aware that it was not just my heart
that responded,
but my whole being.
Criticisms, especially when not constructive,
make my body tighten, cringe, and
want to become invisible.
Compliments, even criticisms when presented with love,
make my body relax and loosen
and sometimes feel like it is floating.
However, what I realized one day was that it was
words of encouragement
which made my body feel stronger
and more engaged
as if it were ready to take on the world.
If my body responds to the words of others,
how does it respond to my own thoughts and words.
How does it respond to my compliments, criticisms and words of encouragement?
How does your body respond?
What if we change the way we spoke to ourselves and others,
to all of humanity,
including animals and nature?
Healing ourselves and others,
begins by changing the way we think,
the words we speak,
and the manner in which we speak them.
May we be aware of the power we possess
to heal and harm
through out compliments, criticisms and words of encouragment

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Sometimes

Sometimes

The Universe has a sense of humor.
You know those times when you say you want to work on X,
then things happen to help you work on X,
just not in the way you had hoped to work on X.
Sometimes it seems like you have lessons to learn,
that you really did not want to work on. 
Sometimes it is not the lesson you don’t want to work on,
but the teachers you do not want to work with.
Sometimes it is the people who come into your life
who you least want to work with
but have the most valuable lessons to teach you.
So what if, I looked at what I don’t like in others
and apply it to myself.
Sometimes I see aspects of myself
I did not want to see,
but doing so allows me to learn from others
and make the changes I want or need to make in my own life.
Sometimes, the lessons come how I want them and
sometimes they don’t.

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Veins and Arteries

Veins and Arteries

Every time I go to the lab
they draw blood from my veins,
but my arteries are important too.
They are what distributes the oxygen, nutrients and hormones
to every part of my body.
We have the physical veins and arteries in our lives,
but we also have them in our daily lives.
They are the people in our life who nurture us
and help us grow
and grow and are nurtured because of us.
They are the good we do in the world
which flows back to us.
They are a reflection back to us
of what we radiate into the world.
They can only feed and nurture us
if we feed and nurture them.
The veins in our lives cannot function
without our arteries,
so may we remember to honor
both and remember their role
in the cycle of life

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Welcome

Welcome

There are so many things that we welcome
like good times,
friends,
good news,
and things which bring us joy.
However, one thing my Bubby taught me
was to welcome everything,
especially that which I want to avoid.
So I welcome all the gifts
the Universe is sending me
those I can’t wait to unwrap
and those I would rather not.
I was taught there is a gift in each and
I cannot receive the gifts
if I do not welcome them.
I may not like their arrival,
but when I welcome and accept them,
then I welcome the gift and blessing in them
and I learn to see blessings
in all I am given,
whether I want to welcome them or not.

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Hugs from Above

Hugs from Above

Have you ever had one of those moments
where you just want to be held
and comforted
and feel like you are wrapped
in the arms of the Ultimate?
There is something about being held
and cuddled that makes one feel loved.
It seems like no matter how old I am
there are those days and moments
when I wish I was small and
cuddled up in my parents arms.
When my son and I were living apart
and he was younger
I would give him these hugs over the phone.
He would wrap his arms around himself
and listen to me make this squeezing sound
which made him feel like he was in my arms.
Today when I am needing that hug
I have learned to hug myself as tightly as I can
and rock back and forth
as if I am in the cradled arms of the Ultimate
and then I feel it
the warmth and love
of the one who has loved me
before my arrival.
The love which lives within me
and which I can access anytime
I just stop, hug myself and rock.

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Cybergrace

Cybergrace

It’s funny how naming something
changes everything.
We name people, pets, and cars
but how about machines.
What if we named our phones,
our computers,
all the machines which serve us every day.
What if we gave thanks for the technology
and all that is present for us in this digital world.
What if our technology knew we care about it
and recognized it as a gift from the Ultimate?
I remember hearing how abusers
dehumanize the ones they abuse
by identifying them by role, not name.
By not naming that which supports us
are we devaluing it?
If we say hello to Candice, the Computer,
or Monica, the mouse,
or any other cyber sources in your life,
do we give them a value and energy
that makes them feel loved
and lets us experience them differently.
Does doing so allow us to show and experience
a new form of grace?

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It’s Not About Me

It’s Not About Me

I don’t know about you,
but I have a love/hate relationship
with lessons that come to me from several directions
at the same time. 
Like the reminder that it’s not about me.
The Four Agreements tell me
to not take things personally.
Through Pampered Chef I’ve been told
it's about your hosts and your guests.
Through teaching, I’m reminded
it's about helping your students and
what is best for them.
From my computer repair guy
who says happy Spouse, happy life.
All remind me that when I step out of the way,
when I stop thinking it is about me,
then I am better able to serve others.
It doesn’t matter who the other is and
that is not to say that my self care and needs are not important
but that being of service is not about me.
Being of service is about me present
and doing what is best for those
I have been sent to serve.
When I remember it’s not about me,
and put others first,
it seems like God blesses me
through the actions and deeds of others.

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They’re Free

They’re Free

It costs nothing
to be compassionate,
to offer others a smile,
to speak loving words,
to be of service,
to radiate warmth to others
to offer people a seat
or a roof over one’s head.
These offerings cost nothing.
It costs nothing to learn from spiritual teachers.
It doesn’t matter who the teacher is,
rather that we open our hearts, minds, and souls
to learn.
It costs nothing to perform random acts of kindness.
Being loving is free.
May we continue to give and do unto others
all that is free.

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Inexplicable

Inexplicable

I love looking at artwork.
There is something about doing so
that reminds me it is ok to not know,
to not understand,
and for things to be inexplicable.
It is ok to live in a state of mystery,
because it is about walking in faith
and trusting that the one who has guided you
to this stage in your life,
will guide you to all the stages.
You do not have to understand the how
or when
or why
or where
but know you are going to arrive where you are headed
and when you are supposed to be there.
Everything in life is filled with
the inexplicable.
We may seek to understand something,
but there may always be aspects we never quite understand.
It  is ok to not know and
to live with the inexplicable.

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Walking

Walking

Keep walking,
just one step at a time.
So often in my journey
I have stopped walking out of fear
instead of walking in faith.
We may not know what is at the end of the journey
or even what is ahead of us,
but that is when we have to decide to keep walking
Every step we take is about faith.
It is about remembering that the source
that bought us this far,
is the source that will bring us to our destination.
Keep walking.
Just one step at a time,
consistently walking in faith
and never walking in fear.
We just keep walking
knowing the best is yet to come.

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Open for Business

Open for Business

I have seen so many creative
open for business signs.
Looking at them has made me wonder
if I am open for business.
Am I open for what the Ultimate has for me.
Am I open minded or
am I closed to new ideas and opportunities.
Do my fears,
keep me from receiving my blessings?

Do my doubts,
keep me from believing that an opportunity is really for me?
Why do I put up my closed sign
when the Ultimate is asking me to be
open for business.?
Perhaps this is my season
to be open
and receptive
and be open to all
that was intended for me to have
and to release the doubts that
I am not worthy.
I need to be open
to all the Ultimate has in store
and help others find the courage
to stay open for business as well.

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