Unity

Unity

Have you ever felt like someone is out to get you,
cut you down,
or pollute you?
There are days I feel like one of the worms
that the bird is looking for to eat,
or the prey of the shark.
There are days I feel like the once green land
that has been leveled for more building
or the river that has trash floating in it
or the air that is gray from the smoke.
There are days, preferably moments,
when I feel like this.
Then I remember I am also the shark
and the bird
looking for something to eat.
I am also the developer,
and the pollutant.
I have to remember that it is not either or,
us or them
you or me;
it is we.
It is about me walking in unity
with all of me,
it is about me connecting with you,
but more about me
connecting with me.
it is in this solidarity and connectionsl
in this place of unity,
It is about me building bridges
and not walls.
It is about the unity between us
and the love and respect
that grows from
unity.

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Nourishing

Nourishing

Have you ever been caught in the middle
of an emotional, mental and spiritual storm?
Those times when you and or someone in your family
is facing challenges, sometimes multiple ones
all at the same time.
Those times when you just want to scream or cry
because it is what you do when you feel frustrated
not just by what happened,
but all the things that happen because of it.
It is those times where what you need more than anything else
is to feel like you are being held in the arms of the Ultimate
and rocked into comfort,
to feel the love and support of others.
That time when a simple act of kindness from others
is so amazing humbling,
your heart overflows with love
Then it comes and you are reminded
it is coming back from the love you gave.
When you are reminded the love you planted
has taken root in the world and spread.
We nourish others and they nourish us,
this is what love is about. 
It is about nourishing all we encounter,
knowing when we are going through,
someone will nourish us.

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Hold Yourself

Hold Yourself

Do you ever have one of those moments
when you just need to be held.
You just want to be held in your parent’s arms
and rocked and comforted
and know I was loved.
I am too big now to sit on anyone’s lap
and am bigger then some people’s laps.
but sometimes I still have one of those days
when I need to be held,
and rocked and reminded that I am loved.
Sometimes I can ask my wife to hug me
and that helps,
but there is something about being rocked and held,
that is more comforting then must a hug.
Now, when I need that loving care,
I stop where ever I am
I wrap my arms around me,
as tightly as I can.
then I rock myself
until I feel loved,
and I feel the arms of the Ultimate
holding me
rocking me
and reminding me
I am loved,
We all have those moments
when we need to feel loved.
Next time you do,
just hold yourself and rock.

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in good times and bad

In Good Times and Bad

We all have good times and bad.
There are days all is going well
but there are days we all feel downcast.
It is so easy to give thanks when things are going well,
but when we are going through,
when we are feeling downcast,
it is important for us to remember
we were created to fulfill our spiritual purpose here on earth.
The world was created to help us grow and evolve,
not just in the good times
but also through the bad.
We are helping each other through the challenging times
as well as through the good times.
May we support each other,
in good times and in bad.

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Love You

Love You

I remember hearing this growing up
“As I have loved you, love one another.”
It taught me to love others
and to express that love to them.
What it did not always teach me was to love myself.
I had to ask if
I knew how to love myself?
Do I treat myself kindly?
Do I eat healthy?
Am I drinking enough water?
Am I taking enough time to rest?
Do I fill my life with peace, joy and happiness?
Am I better to others
then I am to myself or
am as kind to myself as I am to others.
Am I as generous with myself as I am to others.
Do I listen as intently to myself
as I do to others?
Learning to love myself,
in a healthy way,
has taught me
I must keep my cup full so that it can run over.
What is in my cup is for me.
it is what keeps me feeling loved.
What runneth over is what I give to others
because I am abundantly blessed.
That abundance comes so that I feel loved
and can share the abundance of God’s love
for me with others.
This unconditional sharing
starts with us learning to
love ourselves.

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Cleaning Up

Cleaning Up

I crawled,
well more like rolled,
into bed last night
thinking about my day.
I thought about how I had been of service,
and made a difference
in someone’s day.
I gave thanks for all the opportunities
to be of service.
Then I thought about
the moments I had messed up,
could have been kinder,
could have been more helpful,
and all the could have and should have moments
in my day
and I realized each of them
was still an opportunity
for me to do better
and make a difference in the world.
I realized that even in the process
of cleaning up our messes in life,
we are being humble,
we are being accountable,
we are working on being better as human beingsl
helping others find the courage
to do the same.
We all have messy moments in our life,
but when we all clean up
the messes we can,
we help to make this world a better place.
We help others to clean up their space,
and that process ripples out
and affects the world
spreading a desire
for all of us to
clean up.

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Surprise

Surprise

Have you ever thought you had
a clear plan for your life?
Then life happened,
and you were surprised
with situations and circumstances
that upset your plans
and maybe even shatter your dreams.
Then you realize that was the problem;
they were your plans
and your dreams.
They may not have been God’s.
Our ways are not God’s
and our understandings are not God’s.
Sometimes we have to accept those moments
that surprise us
and give our life
unexpected directions.
Our lives are filled with surprises.
Give thanks for them
and know they are taking us on a great adventure
we may not have taken on our own.
Surprise!

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Smile

Smile

Why do you smile?
As if there is something wrong with smiling.
The reality is I smile
because after 68 years of living,
exploring,
learning,
growing,
and evolving,
I have learned this deep dark secret,
and the answer to so many prayers.
It is simple,
everything I need to know,
everything I have ever needed
is and has always been
within me.
I am the answer to my prayers
and you are to yours,
Let’s spend more time
looking within and
discovering the parts of who we are
we did not know were there
and then just sit back and
smile.

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I Shall Not Judge

I Shall Not Judge

How different would your day be like
if you started each day
saying that just for today
I shall not judge.
What if we stopped judging ourselves and others
We all have to judge things at times, like work,
however, we can focus on being less judgmental of others.
What if we developed the skills a judge should possess,
qualities like careful listening,
deep reflection,
equanimity,
and wisdom.
What if we asked ourselves how much we really know
about a person and a situation?
Are we judging them based on what we think we know
when we really do not know all of their story?
Have we thought about times we have been judged
and how being judged feels?
I think about the times others have told me
how much better I would be
if only I did x
or stopped doing y.
Their judgmental words make me work hard
to not judge them in return
Being mindful of how their judgment makes me feel,
I work to prevent having this effect on others?

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That One Memory

That One Memory

Do you have one?
Do you have that one memory
that you store in your heart and soul?
A memory that brings you joy,
happiness, and
makes you feel connected to the Ultimate.
It is that memory you wrap yourself in
during those times you need to feel loved
because no matter what else is going on
this one memory wraps you in peace and happiness.
We all have one,
at least one,
that we store away for those moments
we need to feel loved.
This memory
is what I hold on to
in the roughest of times
because it reminds me who will see me through.
It makes me feel connected to the one,
to the Ultimate,
and sets me up on a cloud of peace
like it did when I was three
and protected me while it
removed all the obstacles
and filled my world with new beginnings.
Sixty five years later,
this memory
still sustains me.
Hold on to yours
it is still there where you left it.

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Parental Questions

Parental Questions

My parents left this realm
more than 20 years ago
but the questions they asked
my entire life
continue to live with me today.
There were three questions.
The would both ask me
what did you learn today?
Then we would share what we learned.
That was the easiest of the questions
because we could just reflect
on what we learned.
We could talk about subjects,
names, dates, facts and stuff.
Then came the real questions.
My mother would look at me and ask,
what did you ask today?
She wasn’t as concerned about what I learned,
as she was that I had learned to question,
to ask,
to want to know more than
what we were being taught.
She wanted me to learn to question and think,
and so her question was a reminder to ask.
Then was my father
who had his own question.
What did you fail at today?
It was not okay to just do well,
to pass and to succeed.
He wanted us to be willing to fail.
We were to learn to try,
to move beyond the limits
we or others had placed.
We were to be brave enough to try
that we were willing to fail.
I think he got that from his mother
who would tell me that
she who fails to fail,
fails to succeed.
To this day I encourage others to do the same:
learn, ask, and fail

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Look for the Blessings

Look for the Blessings

Look for the blessings,
my Bubby would say.
No matter what you are going through,
look for the blessings.
Life is filled with challenges,
always will be.
In the midst of them,
look for the blessings
and know you will be okay.
Things can look difficult and dangerous,
but when I look for the blessings,
I see them as gemstones,
as diamonds
not shards of glass.
Things will happen
which may seem unpleasant
but they are blessings in disguise.
I can only see them,
when I look for them.
I am looking for my blessings
Are you looking for yours? 

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Be An Artist

Be An Artist

It was in a discussion of a book
she never wrote
that Gail Ricciutti
talked with me about
God as an artist.
Perhaps one day she will
or perhaps one day I will write the book
In the meantime I need to remember
I am an artistic creation
and I,
like each of us,
has the ability to be an artist.
We need to release and relax
and allow visions and images
to come to us.
We need to practice patience
or as I suggested once,
watch snails.
We need to remember how to dream
and plant seeds for a garden
which is impossible,
but possible.
We need to remember to
say yes and
see yes,
even if it means you put
post it notes around your house.
YES!
We need to have faith
as we go on dates with uncertainty
with a belief in certainty.
This is the one I call the Ultimate,
the one who teaches me to
be an artist
and can teach you.

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I’m Coming Out

I’m Coming Out

I’m coming out.
no, not as a same sex loving woman,
or as a biracial woman,
or as person with a disability
or as any other label others have told me
I should be out about.
I am coming out as who I am
and encourage you to come out too.
Come out
about your strengths and weaknesses.
Come out
about your fears and your courage.

When we come out
about all of who we are
we live in an honest and authentic balance.
I love tattling on myself,
outing myself about my being human.
When we come out
we give equal time and attention
to all of who we are
and in doing so
open the opportunities to connect,
to share,
to grow,
to evolve,
and to help others
come out
so they can do the same.
I’m coming out,
are you?

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Divine by Design

Divine by Design

I am divine by design
because I was designed by the Divine.
What if we each said that
and believe it
because it is true.
There is not,
never has been,
never will be
an individual exactly like you.
Do we recognize that we are works of art
breathed into creation
by the artist of all time.
We are each works
hanging in the museum of life
appreciating all the pieces in
the collection of the Divine.
This is what brings us all together -
we are Divine by design.

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Character Defects.

Character Defects.

It is so easy to point out what I do not like in others,
but one day I came to realize that
the defects I see in others,
are really about things I do not like in myself.
One characteristic I used to and still dislike are makeover queens and kings.
It generally comes when people tell me
that I would be physically beautiful if only
I would use their skin care program and wear makeup.
I stopped and said I would be more beautiful if
I wore make up and used skin care.
It was not the latter part that so much rang true,
but the I am beautiful part.
Now I focus on my own beauty.
I recognize that what makes me beautiful
is not product I use,
but the way in which I move through this world,
radiate love to others
and let my inner beauty shine.
What if instead of saying I don’t like how Barb puts me down,
I said, I don’t like how I put myself down?
Is there truth there?
Who are the people who you dislike or whose behaviors you do?
Rather then focus on why you dislike them,
see them as a blessing
and a mirror to help you in your own growth journey.
 Take those defects and make them blessings.
Transform them,
by being willing to look in the mirror
and let those defects reflect back.

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Adab

Adab

So you practice adab, he said.
I had never heard this word
but it sent me on yet another journey.
Adab
is about us being humane.
When I work on evolving and transforming
my heart, mind, and soul,
I am practicing adab.
Adab is about recognizing and transforming
my own faults,
not focusing on others.
Adab
is about releasing all that binds and preoccuplies me.
Adab
is about being of service to one’s Higher Power
Adab
is about humility and invisibility.
It is about doing until others,
not shining the lights on one’s self.
Adab
is about how we live
and how we interact with others.
Do I remember to be patient, loving and kind
with myself and with you.
Adab
is about remembering
to practice adab
even when
and especially when
I do not want to.
That is
adab.

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I Celebrate Myself

I Celebrate Myself

"I celebrate myself,"
Walt Whitman wrote.
What is it like?
What does it take
to be able to celebrate one’s self.
This morning I shared a nomination with friends
and there was joy in doing that with them.
What would our lives be like if celebrated ourselves,
every aspect of our selves -
our achievements,
our experiences,
our relationships,
our very existence.
What would it be like
if we looked at our selves
in the mirror and
told ourselves
this is good
or if we could hear our selves say
like the Ultimate,
this is my child
and I am well pleased.
We are experts at pointing out our flaws and weaknesses,
but what if we stopped saying
I criticize myself and
like Whitman began with
I celebrate myself.

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Lessons from the Zebra

Lessons from the Zebra

Do you see it?
Do you see the balance,
the harmony
and the unity,
Do you just see the stripes
or do you see them as being part of something bigger.
which seem to appear when you really look at
the zebra.
They remind us to look at the interconnectedness of life.
it is not about about light or darkness in our lives,
but light and darkness and
how the dance together in unity,
working together in ways only understood
by the one who created them both
and the one who created us.
In our own ways,
we are all zebras.
We are not yin or yang
we are the relationship between the two.
We are the adversary to ourselves
as well as the lover of ourselves.
We are the good and the evil
We are the stripes of the zebra,
who dance together in our own lives,
in a way that reflects our balance and harmony.
We are a reflection of everything
we were created to be
and to reflect.
We, like the zebras,
are more then just a stripe,
or a pattern of them,
we are the whole collection of them
that moves as one,
just like a zebra.

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Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks

When you can see the good in any situation,
my Bubby would say,
then you know everything will be okay.
She taught me
that seeking the blessings,
seeing what I had to be grateful for in my life
would change my perspective.
Sometimes it has taken longer for me
to give thanks, then others,
but if I work at it,
I can change my perspective
and gain a new vision.
It is never too late to give thanks.
So decades later
I can give thanks for the people who bullied me,
before bullying was even a thing,
because they taught me how to stand up for myself,
to use my voice to speak truth to power.
I can give thanks for my parents separation
and them getting back together
because it taught me what it takes to get through
and to love someone unconditionally.
I have learned how to give thanks for this moment,
because doing so keeps me centered
and focused on peace.
Giving thanks for this moment
takes away any anxiety or stress,
because I am in this moment,
not the past or the future.
Giving thanks for the future,
enables me to see
what I am supposed to see
and know what I am supposed to know,
no more and no less.
Giving thanks for what is to come
keeps me excited
and positive
because I know that no matter what it brings
the blessings will be in it
and I will find them
and give thanks for them
and grow because of them. 

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