Lost & Found

When I know what to do,
I do it.
When I know where to go,
I go there.
When I think I know the answers,
I forget who is helping me.

It is when I don’t know what to do,
that I work the hardest,
and dig the deepest into my soul.
it is when I am feeling lost
and without direction
that I realize who my GPS “
has been in my life.

We know what we know
because the Divine has
taught us,
nurtured us,
guided us, and
provided for us.

We have gotten this far
because God has been with us,
guiding us,
directing us,
protecting us,
and transforming us.

Our growth in life happens when
we get out of the way and
let God guide us,
direct us,
teach us, and
transform us.
God lets us think we are growing
until we are ready to be humbled and
remember our understandings are not God’s.
God lets us think we are driving
until we are lost and
need God’s Protection System (GPS)
This has given new meaning to
Lost and Found

Donate

Thank You

We all have those in our lives
who have the gift of
pressing our buttons.
They are like heat seeking missals
with the ability to detonate that
which we needed to destroy
in our own time.

We tend to avoid them
because we see them as evil,
as our enemies,
and those to avoid.

What if we began saying
thank you.
Thank you for helping
me address my weaknesses.
Thank you for showing me
the dangers before me
Thank you for being a teacher

Thank you for helping me see
what I was not ready to see in myself.
Thank you for forcing me to heal
so that you and others cannot hurt
me in my future.
Thank you for showing me the dangers
so I can take the path which is safer and
not fraught with the dangers
I could not see.

To all of you who taught me
whether that was your intent or not
thank you.

Donate

God Smiles

This week has been filled with distractions.
People have died.
People have been placed in hospice
People have been forced to move
People have been going through
the most challenging of times
So many people in need of prayer.
In the midst of the storms,
I seek God’s smile.

in the midst of the distractions,
in the midst of Mr Mittens needing surgery,
in the midst of friends having to move in with us.
in the midst of the end of month stress
in the midst of the first week of school confusion
in the midst of the grief, the frustration, and the pain
I seek God’s smile.

When I seek God’s smile
I lose track of the distractions,
I lose track of the pain,
the suffering,
the stressors
and find myself in a
momentary state of peace.

Then it fades
and the distractions suck me back.
It becomes like a game of
hide and seek while I try to
hide from the distractions and
seek God’s smile and
work to stay in the presence of
God’s smile.

Donate

Living Room

I was sitting in my living room,
staring out the window,
feeling the warmth of the sun
and realizing when I open the door
I can feel the coolness
of the breeze.
I can smell the candles,
see the beauty,
feel the elements,
hear the sounds
all bringing me messages
from the UIltimate.

Then it hits me that my heart
is the living room for the Infinite.

The Ultimate lives in my heart,
my heart is the living room for the Divine.
No matter how I think about it,
my living room takes on new meaning
new symbolism, and
new life because the living room
is now the living room.

it is the room I must go through to go
anywhere in my house or in my life.
it made me realize that
my living room,
my heart,
should be what I go through
for everything in my life.

My heart needs to be the
living room of the Ultimate,
it’s holy abode,
and I need to redecorate and
transform my heart
to be the sacred living space for the Divine.

Amen.

Donate

Sacred Observer

We have so many laws,
so many regulations,
to control the pollution of our air,
but what about
our minds,
our hearts,
and our souls?

What do we do in our lives
to control the polluted thoughts,
feelings,
beliefs, and
attitudes
which are toxic?

May we make this world
a better place by being
a sacred observer.
May we be the one
who cleanses the toxins
out of our hearts, and
the negative thoughts
in our mind.
May we be the
sacred observers
who remove from us
all that is not of the Divine.

Donate

Discerning

Kenny Rogers would sing
You got to know when to hold 'em,
Know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away,
And know when to run.

Life is filled with moments
when we must discern when
to hold on and make things work
and when to release them
because it is not our battle
or we know it is not right for us.

This is not about gambling, like the song.
it is about discerning.
it is about listening for
guidance from within us about
whether we can make this work
or we need to release it and let it go.

It is about developing
a deeper relationship with God
knowing what are our battles
and what are not.

May we know when to hold on
tightly to that which is ours
and release with gentle tenderness
that which is not.
Amen.

Donate

Compliments

You are such a gift to our team, she said.
and the words touched my heart
and nourished my soul.

At some level I know others words
should not matter,
but sometimes they are
what I need to hear.

Sometimes it does help
to hear those affirming words,
those compliments from others,
those answers to hidden prayers.

We forget that compliments
nourish our soul and the souls of others.

We forget to feed others
with words which
nourish their self esteem,
remind them they are of value,
and they too are creators of the Ultimate.

May we remember that compliments
are a way to feed God’s sheep,
to demonstrate love for one another,
and to heal wounded souls.

Donate

My Playmate

One of the things I love most
about you is that you are always
there to come play with me.
You are the one who reminds me of
Melanie singing I have
a brand new pair of roller skates,
you have a brand new key.
You are my playmate.

You are the one who when I
am pausing,
is my best friend and
says lets play.
You watch cooking shows with me,
listen to music with me,
makes me laugh,
brings me joy, and
says let’s play again.

You bring out my inner child.
and remind me you like to have fun too.
You love when we say
let’s play,
let’s laugh,
let’s be silly,
and have a good time.
I am so glad you are
my playmate.

You remind me to pause,
say I have the key
do you have the roller skates.
we have swung on swings,
read books,
splashed in water,
made blueberry banana bars
and hidden under the covers
we call tents.
Thank you for being
my playmate.

Donate

Begetting

Goodness begets goodness.
kindness begets kindness.
Gratitude begets gratitude.
Love begets love.
What we put into the world
spreads out and touches others.

If I want to be surrounded by goodness,
I have to radiate it.
If I want to be surrounded by kindness,
I have to practice it.
if I want to be grateful, I have to have an
attitude of gratitude.
If I want to be loved,
I have to offer love.

I have to be the glue
to which goodness,
kindness,
gratitude,
and love
Stick.

I have to remember to beget
that which I want to birth
in this world.
What I beget is
what will continue to beget
long after I am gone.

Donate

No More Fear

Fear is like a fence
around my mind,
my body,
my soul, and
my world.

It restricts me,
my view,
my interactions,
my experiences, and
my life.

Fear looks like
its protecting,
providing safety,
security, and
peace.
in reality,
it is imprisoning,
restricting,
and limiting.

Today I live
without fear.
i know I have
nothing to fear.
I am embrace the
opportunities to grow,
to evolve,
and to be transformed.
This is why I live
without fear.

Donate

A League of My Own

I have been thinking about prayer
and what I pray about.
Then it dawned on me
that when I pray,
I am entering a
space with the Divine.
I am entering
a league of my own.

It doesn’t matter
who I am around
or with
or where.
When I open myself and
pray I am in
a league of my own
being coached by the Ultimate
and being taken
to a higher place of understanding.

I am in a league
selected just for me.
A league of my own,
hand picked and selected
by the Ultimate.
A league just for me.
A league of my own.

Donate

I am

I teach about injustice.
I teach about inequality.
I teach about oppression.
I teach about injustice.
I teach about my role
as an activist,
but I also teach about
how I contribute to the
system of inequality.

It is one thing for me to
speak out and do what I can
to fight,
to resist,
to dismantle,
to make this a better world.
However, I must also speak about
how I am part of the system,
passively or actively,
which contributes to the oppression.

I am
a resisister,
and I am
guilty.
I am
part of the problem and
I am
part of the solution.

I am
created by the great
I am
and in the image of
I am
I work to bring about change,
but I am
also part of the problem
I seek to change.

I am
created
by I am
to do the work of
I am
with all of who
I am.

Donate

Caring for my Heart

Go to the gym
because your body needs
exercise.
Eat healthy.
All things in moderation.
These are a few of the things
I hear about caring for my body.

My heart needs more than
a cardio workout.
It needs love.
It needs to be touched,
caressed,
molded,
educated, and
refined.

It needs words,
actions,
feelings,
sounds,
images,
scents,
and ideas
which reach in and
caress my heart.

It comes to me through prayer,
meditation,
music.
art,
poetry,
and the whispers from above.

Sometimes it is the
creations of others
and sometimes it is the
conversations of my soul.
My poetry is
one way I speak
to my heart
and hopefully
to the hearts of others.

Donate

No Promises

It’s been a rough few weeks.
It’s been filled with losses,
accidents, illnesses,
and other challenges.
I have so many friends who are going through
feeling weighed down with
grief, fear, concerns, and
the challenges of life.

Together we are going through
remembering that life
makes no promises.
There is no promise that
life will be easy
or simple.
We may wish there was, but
there are no promises.

So we lift each other up,
knowing we will make it through  
and remind each other
we have this.
We remind each other
to focus on the positive.
We focus on what we have
to be grateful for.
We help each other through
the good times and the bad
and we remind ourselves that
life makes no promises

Donate

Held in Your Arms

There are days
when I just need
to be held.
When I want to be
a little gurl held
in my mother’s arms

Then I close my eyes,
wrap my arms around myself
and rock myself
until I feel myself being
held in your arms.

It brings me back in time
to those moments when
I was wrapped in the
arms of love and knew
all was going to be okay.

Now when I need to be held
I wrap my arms around myself
and rock myself like my mother did
until I am held by you
and rocked in your Divine love.

Donate

Talk to Me

When I find myself drawn to something,
I have to stop and listen,
because it is trying to
talk to me.

Anything that is alive
has the power and ability
to share a wisdom, lesson, and
talk to me.

The cracks in the driveway
drew me in one day and
between the cracks I saw the beauty
they were revealing to me.

I watched the birds as
they went from branch to branch
grabbing what they needed
telling me you have what you need

I sat in the sun
feeling the warmth wash over me
covering me like a blanket
telling me I am loved

All that is alive
is speaking to us
bringing us lessons
talking to us,
we just need to listen

Donate

Hospitality

I was reminded of a video
about a young boy and an older man
who created a space
to let each other in.

That is what hospitality is about.
its about taking people
into our worlds.
Its about letting them into
our hearts, mind, souls
and saying you are welcome.

Its about breaking down barriers,
tearing down walls,
overcoming obstacles.
its about building bridges which connect us,
not walls which separate us.
its about connecting people
and hearts
one at a time.

Donate

The Last Day

So often we live
as if there is a tomorrow.
However, we are not promised
a tomorrow or even a minute from now.

I have almost died
so many times.
I almost died at birth
in a car accident when
I flew out of the car.
I almost died when both
my ureters were obstructed
and when my common bile duct
was obstructed
and before my sleep apnea
was diagnosed.

I remember when they thought
my son was going to die.
I remember my friends
who committed suicide.
I remember all the friends
and family members who have had
their last day

So now, I try to live as if
today is my last day.
I remember to tell
Zoe that I love her.
I remember to say thank you
to all those who love and support me.
I remember to be grateful
I woke up and made it through
another day.

I remember that today
may be my last day.
I remember  that nothing
is promised.
I remember I do not know
So I give thanks or just waking up
as this may be my last day.

Donate

No More Mine

Mine.
It was a word I used
to say this is mine;
to belongs to me.

It was mine because
I bought it,
it was given to me.
I earned it,
or it some other way
came into possession.
It was mine.

I liked mine,
because it made me feel
as if I possessed,
I owned,
I had control, and
I had power.

So what if stopped saying mine
if I started seeing everything
as being borrowed,
as a gift from the Ultimate,
as a blessing which was with me
for a time,
for a season
but not mine.

Legally something may be
mine,
however, if everything I have
is from the Divine,
then it is not mine.
It is a blessing,
a reminder all my needs
are met.

Things may come and go,
they may break,
they may be stolen,
they may be regifted
but they are not mine.
They are things in my life
for a reason and
a season,
but they are not mine.

Removing the word mine
from my vocabulary
changes my perspective.
It recognizes my blessings
changes my connections,
and opens my eyes,
to the presence of God
in my life.

Donate

New Day

It’s a new day.
I got to wake up
one more time.
I have another chance
to be of service
I have another day
to witness
the love and wisdom
of the Ultimate

It’s a new day.
Everything is new
My cells are new
The air I breathe is new
The water which cleanses me
is new.
They are gifts of a
new day.

Donate