“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life, by what we give.”                                                                 Sir Winston Churchill

“You and I . . . → Read More: Shared Wisdom: Collected Works]]> Although my creative Muse was on vacation or dormant for the last couple of months, scraps of paper with scribbled words still accumulated on my desk, in my handbag, and in the car.  All carried words of wisdom that somehow continue to make their way to me.  I’ve decided that one of my missions in life seems to be to share as much collective and collectable wisdom as I can.  So here’s the latest and the greatest!

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life, by what we give.”                                                                 Sir Winston Churchill

“You and I share the serenity of understanding – a warm glow in the silences between us.  When we have talked and
  talked and come to the end of words, the speech of our hearts continues on…………                                                  Anonymous

“If I have achieved anything in my life it is because I have not been embarrassed to talk about God.”                             Jim Forest

“If you wish to travel far, travel light.  Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fear.”               Cesare Pavese

“Your spiritual growth does not happen when you are peaceful and content.  It happens when you get angry, sad,
  greedy, jealous, critical, impatient.  It happens when you lose your “spiritual mask” and realize that you are not
  superman or –woman, but just an ordinary human being learning how to love.”                                                          Paul Ferrini

“No matter what age you are, or what your circumstances might be, you are special, and you still have
  something unique to offer.  Your life, because of who you are, has meaning.”                                                           Barbara De Angelis

“The lure of the distant and difficult is deceptive.  The great opportunity is where you are.”                                         John Burroughs

“You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true.  You may have to work
  for it, however.”                                                                                                                                            Richard Bach

“Woman must come of age by herself ………. She must find her true center alone.”                                                       Ann Morrow Lindbergh

“Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain.  An occasional glance towards the summit keeps
  the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point.”                                   Harold B. Melchart

“Happiness exists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day than in great pieces
  of good fortune that happen but seldom in the course of life.”                                                                                Benjamin Franklin

Here’s to the next time.  May I wish you all a peaceful, healthy, abundant and joy-filled 2012!

Along the same lines:

• Shared Wisdom: The Last of the Batch
• Poetry & Shared Wisdom
• Spiritual Growth: Prayer and Meditation
• Shared Wisdom: There’s Always More
• Shared Wisdom: A Rush of Words

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

I am always so amazed when I walk by my husband when he is working at his computer. I really should say “computers” – plural, because, . . . → Read More: Musings: Further Along The Road]]> Once again I have been on a writing hiatus.  It has led me to realize that I am unable to multi-task on many levels.  I have always understood “multi-tasking” to mean the ability to do more than one specific task at a time.  I am sure I have already mentioned in previous postings that this is very difficult for me to do. My brain and my body just don’t function well in multi-tasking mode.

I am always so amazed when I walk by my husband when he is working at his computer. I really should say “computers” – plural, because, although he has one computer (on his main desk – I’ll explain in a minute!), he has two screens and sometimes he is multi-tasking between the two and sometimes he is also multi-tasking on each screen.  My brain just cannot hold that!  It’s way too mind-boggling for me.

Apart from his main desk, he also has a secondary desk which holds another computer and recording equipment which he uses to create his “podcasts”.  When he is all set up to record in that space, it looks rather like an old-fashioned radio show.  He wears headphones and has a microphone in front of him and I almost expect him to break out into acapella singing.  Since he has been indulging in this activity, which is all linked to his web page work, (www.windowsobserver.com), I sometimes think of the computer room/office as a recording studio too.

The lessons I have learned about myself in the last couple of months are myriad.  I have lost three friends in that time frame.  Two were “expected”.  Is death ever expected?  The two people, although unconnected in any other way, had actually been struggling with the same lung disease over several years.  The third friend’s death came out of left field and left me, and many other common friends as well as his wife, completely mind- and heart-slammed. The first friend, died on 26th October 2011, the second friend died about mid-November, and the third friend died 16 December.

In other words, just as I was absorbing the news of one death the second occurred, and so it was for the third.  In the meantime, as death was occurring, life was going on.  Normal everyday events, commitments, and activities continued on despite what was going on in heart and mind.  Meetings were attended, friends were attended to, school and its accompanying homework had to be dealt with, volunteer commitments were kept, I participated in a retreat, Thanksgiving came and went as did Christmas, and on and off, in the back of my mind, was the little nagging voice that said “I need to write”.

As I look back, I realize that I was actually multi-tasking in general across the board of all these events.  Just to be able to deal with everyday life as well as grieve, and support others who were grieving, was a huge multi-tasking effort of its own, and I am so grateful for my relationship with God and my strong support network of spiritual friends who help me to get through tough times such as these and still stay sane. 

But to hold all this together and allow the Muse of creativity to come forward is, for me, an impossible task.  I have to put great energy into honoring and dealing with difficult situations and emotions such as death and grief, and there is little energy left for anything else.  And I need to honor myself and where I’m at in all of that and allow the various processes to sweep through me.  It is all important to my personal and spiritual growth.

So now, as I sit here and look out my window (no working on the lanai today, we had a near-freeze last night!), I feel some of the tension surrounding these recent events slipping away.  Even though it is too cold to sit outside right now, the sun is shining brilliantly, the sky is that crisp, clean, light cerulean blue that only winter can bring forth, and I am breathing deeply and easily as I notice the hawks circling above the pine trees, the other birds swooping across and into the garden, and the squirrels frolicking on the backyard fence.  Muse is creeping slowly back into my heart, honoring and respecting where I have been and gently inviting my fingers to once again play across the keyboard and put the words on the screen.

Along the same lines:

• Musings: A Day Off – Sort Of!
• Shared Wisdom: A Found Treasure
• Journaling: A Way To Heal
• Musings: Life As Water
• Musings: Unblocking Again

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

So this year, or rather last year, because the initial . . . → Read More: Self Nurturing: The Qigong Experience]]> This is another catch-up which I referred to in my posting Freedom-  Also a Loss.  I had my Qigong experience in Orlando back at the end of April this year.  I read  Natural Awakenings, a free monthly newspaper that is mainly geared to health and alternative health practices and modalities.  For three years I had seen the advertisement for the Qi-Revolution event in Orlando in this newspaper and my curiosity was peaked.  But each year by the time I got around to checking into it, I already had another commitment.

So this year, or rather last year, because the initial advertising came out I believe sometime in October or November of 2010, I made sure I put it in my planner at first sighting.  Shortly after that I completed my registration and I was set to discover what this “energy event” was all about.  Because I saw the word “Qi” (which is pronounced “chi”), I had an idea that it was something akin to Tai Chi with which I am familiar.  However, nothing prepared me for the 4-day experience that I had with Qigong.

The event was held in one of the huge conference rooms at the Orlando Convention Center.  When I entered the room on the first day I remember my first feeling:  overwhelmed.  There were more than two thousand people present for this event and I didn’t know a single person.  The energy level was high and I was aware of a sense of anticipation buzzing around the room.  The second feeling was an old enemy re-presenting itself:  a feeling of “less than”.  Old toxic thought processes began to invade my mind.

“You shouldn’t have come here Margo, you’ll probably not be any good at it.”  “Most of these people are younger than you, what were you thinking of?”  “You’re going to make a fool of yourself in front of all these people.”  “How do you expect to keep up with everyone especially with the pain in your hip?”  And many other forms of “You’re no good”, “You’re not good enough” etc, and some other self-sabotaging phrases.  You get the picture.

After taking some deep breathes and centering in on my God, I was able to clear my mind and fill it with some positive affirmations.  Only then could I allow myself to feel the excitement and anticipation that was like an electric current all around me.  Only then did I really look around and notice that at least one third of the people there were over fifty, and quite a few were over sixty,and the really “young ‘uns” were a minority.  I smiled as I watched the negative thoughts scurry out of my head.

Within two hours and after some great stretching exercises, we were all, yes all, more than two thousand of us, going through the first Qigong form.  I had no idea that it would be take about an hour to do this, and I am so glad I didn’t.  I think I might have panicked and run away.  But what was so amazingly awesome was that I was able to keep up, stay focused, and complete the whole form.  On top of that, what was wonderfully boosting for my self esteem was that younger people were needing to take a break half way through.

I am not sure that I can explain exactly what Qigong is, but I will attempt to do so.  Please be aware that this is my own subjective explanation.  Qigong is the practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness for the purpose of exercise, healing, and meditation. But it is so much more than that.  Through the use of slow, controlled, focused movement the practitioner is brought to an awareness of the natural flow of energy that constantly surrounds us and that we have in us.  Through the practice of qigong it is possible to “harness” or “increase” this level of energy, bringing more into the body and sharing it out with the world.  It is what I refer to as the God energy.  I found the whole experience to be very spiritual.

I do know that I felt a tremendous “high” after that first session.  My body, despite some fairly severe pain in my left hip, felt alive and as though I could do almost anything.  I was very mentally alert and was aware of a sense of joy and lightheartedness.  It was as though in some way I had accessed a deeper part of me, or perhaps I had learned a different way to access my soul.  And by the way, no longer did I feel like a stranger in a crowd.  I felt like I belonged.

On the second day we did more Qigong and also learned a form of energy breathing.  If you want a serious natural high, then energy breathing is the answer.  This is something that I will not attempt to explain here because I don’t think I could do it justice.  You’ll just have to check out www.qigong.com and see if there is an event near you and try it.

The other major component to this 4-day event was the approach to food healing.  Much of this I had heard before but in bits and pieces.  Jeff Primack, who is the driving force behind “Supreme Science Qigong” and the leader and main presenter of the 4-day Qi-revolution event, has taken all those “bits and pieces” and presents them as one whole healing source.  It felt as though someone finally gave me the key to the lock and showed me how to turn it. 

I have been working diligently on my approach to food for many years, but since this event it has been easier to bring things into place within my daily diet.  I am sixty seven years young, with just as many years of bad habits about food, plus I am a slow learner.  There are times when I can really follow true healthy eating, and there are other times when I just muddle along as best I can.  But somehow, since my Qigong experience, I manage to come back to the full healthy approach.  I am just so very grateful for this experience that has taught me to incorporate some very specific things on a daily basis into my nutrition plan today. Thanks to that I am almost totally free of arthritic pain.  My energy levels are so much higher and my body feels healthier in general.

I have just read through this posting and I realize that I have given a very poor “nutshell” idea of what my Qigong experience was about.  I guess it is something that you have to experience personally to have a full or better understanding of it rather than just reading words.  Much as I love my words, I am very conscious of the fact that sometimes they simply do not do justice to an event or situation.  This is one of those times.  Please check out Qigong for yourselves.  It really is quite amazing and will probably change your life forever.

Along the same lines:

• Freedom: Also a Loss
• Self Nurturing: Sedona Massage
• Self Nurturing: Reiki
• Night Of Joy 2010
• Vignettes: Night Of Joy

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

“God does not love us if we change; . . . → Read More: Shared Wisdom: A Rush of Words]]> I just love it when I come upon a wealth of wise sayings and quotations.  In the last seven days I have received a rush of wise words.  They have come from many disparate places: a car bumper sticker, a friend’s home, a special workshop given by a dynamic speaker – Fr. Larry Richards from Pennsylvania, and, because of a piece of research work that I did, from the internet.  I have collected so many of them that I will spread them over a few postings.  Here is the first batch.

“God does not love us if we change; God loves us so that we can change.”                                                              (Fr. Richard Rohr)

“It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”                                                                                         (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

“No man is rich enough that he can buy back his past.”                                                                                        (Oscar Wilde)

“When the spiritual, mental, and emotional bodies are healthy, the physical body manifests health and becomes more vibrant, too.  Our smiles, our eyes, our posture, and even our skin, which is the largest organ in the body and most sensitive to energy, send off a positive, attractive energy.  This is part of the realignment process and will naturally affect your relationships, too.”                                                                      (Sierra Bender)

“Your love for God is only as great as the love you have for the person you love the least.”                                        (Dorothy Day)

“Clouds come into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”                           (Rabindranath Tagore)

“They came to sit and dangle their feet off the edge of the world and after a while they forgot everything but the good and true things they would do some day.”
                                                                                                                                                                 (Brian Andreas)

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”          (Maya Angelou)

“The fact that I can plant a seed and it  becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another’s, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises.”                                                                                                                  (Leo Buscaglia)

“It is  not because things are difficult that we do  not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”           (Seneca)

And the last one for today is, in my opinion, superb:   

“Show up.  Tell the truth.  Be very alert.  Expect nothing.”                                                                          (A car bumper sticker)

And just think, there are more to follow.

Along the same lines:

• Shared Wisdom: Words For The New Year
• Shared Wisdom: The Last of the Batch
• Return To My Spiritual Sanctuary
• Shared Wisdom: More Quotations
• Shared Wisdom: The Voices of Others

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

On the third evening of the Mission we were encouraged to approach the Prayer Ministers with any requests for special intentions or issues that we might have.  I felt strongly compelled to go to Kevin, one of the Prayer Ministers who had travelled down from Chicago with Fr. Jim.  There were two reasons for my . . . → Read More: Spiritual Growth: Being Called To More]]> On June 18th 2011, I posted Spiritual Growth: The Lenten Mission.  In that posting I explained that Fr. Jim reminded us that Jesus invited us to continue his work on earth (John 14:12-14).  During the Mission I had a personal experience that strengthened this invitation.

On the third evening of the Mission we were encouraged to approach the Prayer Ministers with any requests for special intentions or issues that we might have.  I felt strongly compelled to go to Kevin, one of the Prayer Ministers who had travelled down from Chicago with Fr. Jim.  There were two reasons for my choice.  Firstly, Kevin had played an important role in my husband’s personal experience the previous evening and I wanted to thank him for that, and secondly I was aware of an intense spiritual energy around Kevin and I wanted to experience that for myself.

As I began to express my gratitude to him and then started to speak my first special prayer request, Kevin held up his right hand and said, “Stop Margo.  Do you realize how much the Spirit is working in you, already using you to do his work?”  I was somewhat taken aback, and faltered in my reply as Kevin continued to say to me, “But why are you holding back Margo?  What are you afraid of?”  Again, I fumbled with my words even as a picture formed in my mind.

Seven years prior, shortly after arriving in Jacksonville, I had bought a bicycle with the intention of riding it in my wonderfully safe neighborhood.  The bicycle has sat in my garage – unused.  I have been scared to get on it because it’s been about 50 years since I’ve been on a bike. I have allowed my pride to get in the way thinking that I  might fall off and people might laugh at me.   By the same token there have been many times in the past when I have wanted to share something about my faith or do something to be an example of God working and I have held back, scared of what people might think.

I shared this with Kevin and he said, “No more Margo, Spirit is calling you to more.  You cannot be afraid anymore.  He needs you to do His work.”  At that point I spoke my other prayer requests which were for my children, and then Kevin prayed earnestly over me.  I became aware of intense heat surrounding me, I felt a quiver go through my body, and the next thing I remember I “woke up” lying on the floor in front of the altar of the church and I knew Spirit had been with me.

Little did I know at that time that this phrase, you are being called to more, was going to be repeated to me two more times in the next few weeks.  And this by two widely disparate people in totally different locations and circumstances, who were not in the least bit connected to Kevin or any form of Healing Prayer Ministry.  But that will be for two more separate postings.

Today, I share this posting from Brainerd, MN. We arrived here yesterday at about 4.30pm after another day of beautiful riding.

Along the same lines:

• Spiritual Growth: The Lenten Mission
• Self Nurturing: Sedona Massage
• Spiritual Growth: Prayer and Meditation
• Spiritual Growth: Personal Prayers
• Freedom: Also a Loss

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

But the best part of this B&B was our room.  You have to understand that the building looks like a non-descript ranch . . . → Read More: Traveling: Good Food]]> So for the foodies out there I’d like to share our experience in Paducah, KY.  As I mentioned in my previous posting, we stayed at a great little B&B in this small Kentucky town.  It was a great find and the owners, Robert and Rachel (interestingly for this Brit, Rachel was from Manchester, UK!!), were wonderful hosts.  Rachel had an amazing elephant collection which was also rather interesting because our daughter Melissa has an elephant collection too.

But the best part of this B&B was our room.  You have to understand that the building looks like a non-descript ranch style house from the outside.  As you walk in there is a spacious living area with a dining room and large lounge full of big comfortable sofas.  Robert has installed a hi-tech media server that is connected to digital players in each guest room and a large wall-size screen in the lounge.  Guests can pick from a vast menu of movies 24/7 and each room can watch a different movie at the same time.

Two of the three guest rooms are quite simple, comfortable but simple, with a small adjoining bathroom.  However, there the “simple” stops.  They each have another en-suite room that contains one item – a large two person hot tub! Yes, it was ours, all ours, no sharing!!  The third guestroom is slightly different in that the bedroom is a little larger and has two big beds and the bathroom is much larger and in one corner there is a large 2-person whirlpool tub.  We so enjoyed our hot tub later in the evening.  It was such a de-stressor after two days on the bike.  I slept like a baby afterwards. 

When it came time for dinner Robert had some very good suggestions.  He actually said, as he rubbed a substantial but not fat belly, “Anyone with a body like this who recommends a restaurant is probably giving you good advice”.  And he spoke the truth.  After singing  the praises of several eateries in the area, he said the magic words “good Thai food”.  Richard’s ears perked up and his eyes brightened.  “Pad Thai”, was all he said,

A short time later found us back on Harley and headed into Paducah town proper ready to locate “Spicy Ginger”, one of two Thai restaurants that Robert had named.  We were not disappointed.  After sharing some of the best Pot Stickers ever and a couple of really good, crispy spring rolls, Richard ordered his Pad Thai and I asked for a Green Curry.

Both dishes came out looking a little different from other Thai restaurants that we have enjoyed, but resting in the enjoyment of our appetizers we tucked in.  No disappointment at all.  Rich said it definitely tasted different from previous Pad Thai experiences, but that it was “really, really good”. (That’s high praise coming from Richard whose vocabulary over food usually consists in “OK” or “not as good as others”, but “OK” is his predominant assessment!). 

My Green Curry was also most definitely different to others that I have eaten, but the “mmmmm’s’” and “aaaaah’s” that ensued as I enjoyed the dish certainly bespoke the deliciousness (I don’t care if that’s not a real word – it fits the moment!).  I do not lack in vocabulary when it comes to food, and apart from my audible mewls of pleasure as I ate, I remember telling our server that it was the best Green Curry I had eaten, that it was absolutely awesome.

So, for the travelers out there, Paducah, KY offers Escapes B&B as a very good and unusual place to stay and also has some great eateries.

By the same token, if you ever stay in Bolingbrook, Chicago, never ever eat at or order out from “Golden Palace” Chinese restaurant.  We arrived here yesterday at about 5.30pm worn out from 430 miles on the bike, muggy weather, and dealing with several stretches of road works that slowed us down.  We were tired and hungry and needed to eat and get to a spiritual concert and meet with friends at St. Dennis church in Lockport (that’s another posting), so we decided to order into our hotel.

As soon as we opened the containers I knew we were in for a bad experience.  Trying to get the pieces of chicken out of the thick, sticky, General Tso “goo” was awful.  My pot stickers were great clumps of congealed dough, and Richard’s crab rangoon looked greasy and sorry.  We were hungry and ate some,  but I immediately regretted it and it sat on my stomach for a couple of hours.

Thank goodness the fellowship and sharing God-time we enjoyed later at St. Dennis, along with a couple of slices of decent pizza, managed to wipe out that bad experience.  Next time I will go without rather than put bad food in my stomach.  I deserve better!! 

Along the same lines:

• Musings: Eating In And Around Orlando
• Traveling: The Retirement Ride
• Self Nurturing: Creative Surroundings
• Going Raw: Part One
• Travelling: Family & The Kentucky State Fair

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

Often times the words of wisdom that I share have come from many places in time along my path.  These few that I share today have come to me in more recent times.  They have nurtured me on my spiritual path.

“I turn to God not so much for forgiveness but for the power to accept humbly the reality about my imperfect self. I turn to Him for the grace to give myself the forgiveness which He gives freely.”                                                                                 from Happy Catholic

“Clear boundaries are important on the spiritual path because they tell you exactly where your responsibility . . . → Read More: Shared Wisdom: More Words On The Path]]>  

Often times the words of wisdom that I share have come from many places in time along my path.  These few that I share today have come to me in more recent times.  They have nurtured me on my spiritual path.

“I turn to God not so much for forgiveness but for the power to accept humbly the reality about my imperfect self. I turn to Him for the grace to give myself the forgiveness which He gives freely.”                                                                                 from Happy Catholic

“Clear boundaries are important on the spiritual path because they tell you exactly where your responsibility begins and where it ends.”
                                                                                                                                Paul Ferrini

“Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them – every day begin the task anew.”                                                                                    St. Francis de Sales

“Moments of grace are transient – will we meet this moment and be ready to serve.” and “We are being called into the holiness of wholeness.” 
                                                                                                                               J. Phillip Newall

“Be one to know God. The extent to which I am divided from you, I am divided from God.”        Meister Eckhart

“May you always be overwhelmed by the grace of God rather than by the cares of life.”          Anonymous

“I speak to you continually. My nature is to communicate, though not always in words. I fling glorious sunsets across the sky, day after day. I speak in the faces and voices of loved ones. I caress you with a gentle breeze that refreshes and delight you. I speak softly in the depths of your spirit, where I have taken up residence.”                                                                                                            from “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young

“God comes to you disguised as your life.”                                                                       from Center for Action and Contemplation

“We are not simply made by God, we are made of God – as is everything.”                            Julian of Norwich

“Once you find the light, no matter how insignificant it seems, your life will never be the same again.
A light-bearer never questions the light s/he carries. And so s/he can offer it to others patiently and without fear.”
                                                                                                                              Paul Ferrini

I love finding these words and phrases that resonate so deeply within me, and I love being able to share them out with you.  Blessings!! 

Along the same lines:

• Shared Wisdom: Latest Quotations
• Shared Wisdom: Some More Pearls
• Shared Wisdom: Words Both Past & Present
• Shared Wisdom: Short & Sweet
• Shared Wisdom: More About Grace

This post has been viewed 6430 times!

©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

He knew that I was a Reiki Practitioner and that I referred to myself as . . . → Read More: Spiritual Growth: The God Path]]> As I gathered my thoughts together to begin writing about the Healing Prayer Mission at our church last February, I realized that to tell that story I had to go back to October 2008.  Without the events of October 2008, we would not have had the Healing Prayer Mission this year.  Back in 2008, I crossed paths with a fellow parishioner and friend, Guy, and he told me about a conference that was to take place in Jacksonville, Florida in a couple of weeks. 

He knew that I was a Reiki Practitioner and that I referred to myself as a “healer”.  The conference was a joint effort of the International Catholic Charismatic Movement and Christian Healing Prayer Ministries and was focused on today’s need for Christians to recognize that Jesus invited us, the church, to continue his work.  “Those who follow Me will do not only the works I do but greater works.” (John 14:12-14)  After speaking with, Guy I realized that the conference was a week long and would cost quite a bit of money.  However, he gave me a name and number to call and invited me to trust.

The next day I called the number and told the gentleman on the other end of the phone that Guy had told me to call.  He said, “Ah yes, you need a scholarship; I’ll see you at the conference”.  I was blown away.  This was no two cent deal.  So a week later I attended my first day.  I remember feeling a little cautious as I wasn’t quite sure whether I could handle this “charismatic” stuff.  By lunch time I was raising my hands to the heavens and praising along side hundreds of strangers from countries all over the globe.

I thoroughly enjoyed the next few days.  The people were joyous and worshipped God joyously.  The presentations were both informative and interesting. I loved the informal music group and it was easy to begin to feel free and unrestrained as I learned to worship God in another way, no holds barred.  Every evening at the end of all the presentations and teaching, Mass was said at 5pm by a different priest.  Their were priests from all over the world in attendance and it was beautiful to experience the Mass celebrated by priests from different countries.

On the Thursday evening I had already planned to leave at the end of the presentations because there was an activity that I normally participated in with my Yoga group, and I didn’t want to miss it.  However as 5pm rolled on I felt compelled to stay for Mass. I sat quietly waiting and the music group began playing the entrance hymn.  People began singing and clapping.  Suddenly I was aware of a wave of energy coming from behind me.  I turned around and I’m sure my mouth must have gaped open. 

There was a large colorful group of people coming down the center aisle. Men and women of different nationalities dressed in their native costumes swung down the aisle smiling, clapping their hands, and singing joyously.  Bringing up the rear and rocking and rolling down the aisle was this tall priest who had an energy, a charisma about him that I have rarely experienced in a member of the clergy.  As I watched the procession make its way down the aisle I was aware of one strong thought in my head:  I have to get this priest to our church; we need this priest at our church.

By the end of Mass and after experiencing his wonderful homily, I was more than determined to make this my goal.  My friend Guy was helping behind the scenes at the conference, so before leaving after Mass I sought him out and gave him my “mandate”: whatever you do please get contact information for this priest.  And so it came about that Fr. Jim Curtin from St. Dennis’ Parish in Wisconsin came in 2010 to give us our first Lenten Healing Prayer Mission and returned again in Lent this year.  My church has never been the same since and we now have our own blossoming Healing Prayer Ministry. Alleluia!!

Along the same lines:

• Spiritual Growth: The Lenten Mission
• Vignettes: Signor Ludovic’s Story
• Spiritual Growth: Personal Prayers
• Spiritual Growth: Being Called To More
• Freedom: Also a Loss

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

“Everything that I think, feel,say, and . . . → Read More: Shared Wisdom: Latest Quotations]]> So while I collect my thoughts and get ready write on some specific topics that have come up for me over the past couple of months, let me share some words of wisdom from others.  I think if I had lots of money I would have a house with a huge library that would house not only lots of books, but collections of all the words that I have read over the years that have impacted me deeply or influenced me in some way.  Here are a few more of those precious words.

“Everything that I think, feel,say, and do belongs to me, and everything that you think, feel, say, and do belongs to you.”      (Paul Ferrini)

“I cannot think myself into a new way of living; I have to live myself into a new way of thinking.”                              (AnShin Thomas)

“Know that making a commitment to your happiness, to your health, to your fitness, to your family, to your abundance, to your career, to your mission in life,    to your love, to your friends, to your community, to your creativity, to your spiritual life, is all the same thing. It is all a commitment to growth, to wholeness, to being your best, to living life fully and gratefully starting from where you are right now!”                                                    (Jinjee)

“Making amends without forgiveness leads to dishonesty and lies.”                                                                                           (Anon)

“Everyone who’s human deserves to be treated with some dignity – whether they’ve done good things or bad things, they have to be given hope.”
                                                                                                                                                                             (Elton John)

“When you stop resenting what anther person can’t give you, you begin to appreciate what they have to offer.”                              (Anon)

“There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.”
                                                                                                                                                               (Douglas Everett)

“Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”                                                       (Mark Twain)

“The fact that Christianity is a religion of love makes every evangelizer the teller of a love story, the singer of a love song.  By example as well as by words evangelizers must be teachers of love.”                                                                             (from John Paul II and the New Evangelization)

“The power of a man’s virtue should not be measured by his special efforts, but by his ordinary doing.”                            (Blaise Pascal)

“When people envy me I think, Oh God, don’t envy me, I have my own pains.”                                                        (Barbra Streisand)

“He paints the lily of the field, perfumes each lily bell; if He so loves the little flowers, I know He loves me well.”             (Maria Strauss)

“Go out into the world today and love the people you meet.  Let your presence light new light in the hearts f people.”    (Mother Teresa)

“He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.”  (Thomas Fuller)

Happy reading!

Along the same lines:

• Shared Wisdom: One-Liners
• Shared Wisdom: More Words On The Path
• Spiritual Growth: Forgiveness
• Shared Wisdom: Collected Works
• Shared Wisdom: Words On The Road

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

So, what will I be doing with myself for the next three months?  Well I have about two and a half month’s worth of writing to . . . → Read More: Freedom: Also a Loss]]> Last Saturday I completed my last class of the first year of my Audire course on spiritual direction.  So, yeah – I have some freedom; no homework and no going down to Winter Park each month for class.  But, boo-hoo – no more interaction with my very special Audire family until September.  Actually, even though we have finished class for the year, we will be getting together in June for an end-of-year silent retreat.

So, what will I be doing with myself for the next three months?  Well I have about two and a half month’s worth of writing to catch up on.  Between school and travelling and dealing with some chronic left hip pain, I have not done much writing at all.  Travelling is always very wonderful but then it comes at a price:  the trying-to-catch-up-with-life price.  What can I say about pain?  For me it is the sheer loss of energy that I put into dealing with the pain that is almost worse than the pain itself.  Thank God I have received some special healing, which is something else I have to write about.

There is much I need to write about, starting with an amazing Healing Prayer Mission at our church back in February.  Then I had another amazing experience in Sedona that confirmed/piggy-backed on the Mission experience.  And then there was my Qigong experience in Orlando at the end of April.  During this event, the Qi-Revolution, I received yet another confirmation of my Mission experience and also found the “missing piece”, or rather I was re-presented with the missing piece for my health – perhaps a couple of missing Pieces.

So I hope I have given you enough “teasers” to keep you excited as I formulate my thoughts and get the words down on paper.  Actually, on the computer!  Back soon!

Along the same lines:

• Spiritual Growth: The Lenten Mission
• Traveling: Las Vegas & Sedona
• Self Nurturing: Sedona Massage
• Musings: Unblocking Again
• Spiritual Growth: The God Path

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

Because I am a Christian I have a very specific belief in . . . → Read More: Spiritual Growth: Grace]]> I have to write about grace because in recent times I have become very aware of how much grace has poured into my life over the years, and especially in recent times.  It is with quiet joy that I realize that the first three letters of the word grace are the same as the first three letters of two other words that are dear to my heart : gratitude and grateful.  There is no “coincidence” here.  I think that grace is intrinsically connected to gratitude and being grateful.

Because I am a Christian I have a very specific belief in grace and what it is.  Grace for me is a gift freely given by God to those who choose to receive it.  Yes, I believe as with any gift, the recipient has to have hands wide open and be willing to accept the gift of grace.  Within this concept, I also believe that grace is huge, ever present, all around me, and is mine for the taking – or for anyone else to take if they so choose.  The God of my understanding is generous with the gift of grace and is in a state of constant giving.  I am the one who chooses to refuse or ignore or throw away His/Her gift.

Another way that I define grace is as God’s love.  As a believing and practicing Christian I experience God’s love in so many ways in my life.  As I sit,stand, or lie in the arms of my husband I experience grace.  When I accept or give forgiveness, I experience grace.  If I am in a state of turmoil or sadness and take time to place myself in God’s loving presence, handing over any pain to Her/Him, I experience grace.  Looking at a newborn baby, I experience grace.  Taking in the beauty of Spirit’s creation, I experience grace.

Grace has flowed continuously into my life as I have been on the spiritual path.  I have been gifted with so much that as I look back over the last thirty years I am amazed at the richness that has been poured into my life through grace.  To try and chronicle all of it would take several tomes.  So just looking at recent times I will attempt to give examples of unexpected grace that has come to me.

My sons live in Italy and so I do not get to see them often.  Especially with today’s economic crisis, the money required to cover a round trip is prohibitive and not at all readily available.  But God provides.  Two weeks ago my eldest son was sent to Newport News, VA to attend a work-related conference.  I’m no spring chicken any more, so to make a nine-hour road trip alone requires quite an effort on my part, but a God-given opportunity (grace) to spend a few days with my son was not to be passed up.  He was being sent to “my part of the world” that allowed me to see him.  That was grace.

Because I made that drive, I was given another opportunity to experience God’s grace.  On the drive home I chose to stop in Fayetteville, NC to spend an afternoon and over-night with a dear sister-friend LeeAnn.  LeeAnn is another spiritual sister that I am blessed with, so to spend time with her is to spend time in focused personal and spiritual growth.  We don’t talk about the weather or what work is like.  We dive in deep and soak up our time together because it affords us the opportunity to share so much.

Going back abut 6-7 weeks, Richard and I traveled to Seattle, WA.  That was a total gift in and of itself.  Because he was travelling for para-professional reasons, his room was paid for.  He had a bunch of frequent traveller miles racked up, so we were able to cover my air fare.  This gave me the opportunity to be able to visit with a dear friend, George, who I hadn’t seen in twenty five years!!  Can you imagine the gift (grace) that was for me.  On that same trip I was also able to spend a day with a woman who I had befriended a year earlier in Florida.  And the grace flowed!

As Richard and I travelled home from that trip I had an amazing experience.  Richard dabbles in photography and of late has played with time lapse using both still shots and video.  He decided to video our flight home filming two or three minute segments at various points along the way. As we flew into the night we hit some pretty turbulent weather and a storm raged outside. (I reminded God to keep us safely in the palm of His hand and reminded my Guardian Angel to come alongside and hold the plane up!)  Richard was filming the lightening and nudged me to take a look at the view from the window.  This I did, and it was quite spectacular: wide flashes and forks of lightening.

As I watched I found myself not only looking directly out of the window but also glancing into the screen of Richard’s camera as he was shooting film.  All of a sudden, in the screen I saw her, a magnificent angel with huge wings, hair flying out behind him/her, robe streaming in the wind, and arms reached out under the belly of the plane.  I gasped and said “Look at her!”  Richard turned in and looked around the plane and said “Who, Babe?”  I pointed into the screen and said “Her, the angel.”  He looked into the screen and said, “I don’t see anything Babe.”  I pointed again and said “The angel, look there’s her head, her wings, her robe, and she’s holding the plane in her arms.”

Now Richard is very patient and understanding of me and fully accept that I am a little “different”.  So gently, but without any hint of disbelief, he said “I don’t see her Babe.”  Momentarily I felt panic and decided to look directly at the angel out the window, but I couldn’t see her.  With my heart sinking I looked back in the screen and there she was – clear as daylight.  I then thought that perhaps I was seeing a reflection of something in the screen, so I took hold of Richards hand and moved it from side to side.  But there she remained as clear as could be.

I invited Richard one more time to “see her”, but he shook his head and said “I can’t see anything Babe, but when we get home we’ll play the whole video and see what shows up.”  But I knew she wouldn’t “show up”  on the video.  She was there as a grace for me to see and to know that God was taking care of us.  I am grateful for the gifts that God has bestowed upon me and I do not take them lightly.  The gift of His/Her grace is a wondrous miracle that I humbly accept.                  

Along the same lines:

• Shared Wisdom: More About Grace
• The Garden: Hummingbird Haven
• Shared Wisdom: The Voices of Others
• Spiritual & Physical: An Incredible Journey
• Traveling: The Retirement Ride

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

I haven’t written in a while.  I’ve given up trying to understand why this happens.  It’s not that I have nothing to write about.  I have been keeping, and adding to, a small list of topics that I want to express my feelings about. . . . → Read More: Musings: Dealing With My Frustration]]> I know that talking things through with someone helps to diminish the hold that anything that is frustrating me or causing me anger or resentment has on me.  Writing also helps in the same way.  So here goes.  Whether I’ll be able to post is another matter, and that’s where my present frustration is coming from.

I haven’t written in a while.  I’ve given up trying to understand why this happens.  It’s not that I have nothing to write about.  I have been keeping, and adding to, a small list of topics that I want to express my feelings about. But something is getting in the way.  The weather has been gorgeous lately.  We have been enjoying the best Florida spring weather – no grey, no de-pressing stuff going on outside, so that’s not the issue.

Now that I think about it, maybe there is still an issue connected to the weather that’s been keeping me from writing, but it’s the reverse of dealing with the de-pressing grey.  It’s been so perfectly beautiful outside of late that I have been called into the garden and have struggled to balance my time outside with all the other things that I want/am committed to do.

It has been really amazing to watch the garden come to life after the long cold winter.  It seems as though with each passing year I become more aware of the transformation that takes place as plants come back to life, buds appear, then full foliage and flowers blossom out.  The Confederate Jasmine, that I planted as two very small 20-inch tall plants at the base of the front supporting columns of my old gazebo two years ago, has now grown into thick, lush greenery that covers both 8-foot tall columns and trails upwards onto two of the roof supports and is also quite thick as it meets across the front horizontal bar.  It is also full of flowers which I hope will last so that I can see them and enjoy them when I return from this trip.

And therein lies another source of frustration.  I have been travelling on and off since 28 March.  Being out of my normal habitat and routine is always somewhat disconcerting and disruptive, and I haven’t yet learned to handle that with total grace and acceptance.  I drove up to Newport News, VA back then to spend a few days with my son who was there from Italy to attend a work related conference.  It was a gift that I had no intention of passing up.  We had a great three days hanging out together.  On the way home from there, I was then able to stop in Fayetteville, NC to spend an afternoon and night-over with my dear sister-friend LeeAnn.  She and I never waste time on pleasantries, diving deep into our sharing from the heart and soul which allows us to broaden, deepen, and strengthen our relationship on all levels, especially the spiritual level.  Another enormous gift for which I am truly grateful.

Arriving back in Florida after that trip, I had three days to catch-up (I always say that with tongue in cheek because, how on earth do you catch up with time that has already passed??).  So it was a flurry of unpacking and keeping up with some commitments that were on my calendar, before I then had to pack for the trip that I am presently “enjoying” ( barring bad internet connections – grrrrrr!) with my husband.

And therein lies the ultimate frustration.  Yesterday evening I had the first real longing, desire, to do some creative writing.  I sat down eagerly in front of my computer and – nothing.  I don’t mean nothing would come out on the page.  I mean nothing would come up on the computer.  No worries, I have my resident computer technician travelling with me, no?  But after checking things out he told me that there was nothing he could do.  There simply was no internet connection and he had no control over that.  Talk abut frustration!!!

As well as the creative writing I felt called to do, I also had a bunch of emails I wanted to send out, and there were several things that I wanted to check out on Google.  I was stuck.  Couldn’t do a thing.  So I called it a day and picked up a book and decided to read.  But the frustration was there, bubbling under the surface and even though I checked in with God and asked for inner peace, I guess I was wanting to hang onto the frustration and wallow in it for a bit because it was still there this morning, and so was the lack of connectivity!!!!!!!.

Rich has struggled all morning to give me some connection, but it has been been frustrating for him too.  Right now I have no idea if I have connection or not, but I did learn (thank God I can always learn something), that I can at least access my Live Writer programme and get the words out and down, and in doing so I have released some of the frustration.  Whether I will be able to post my writing is another matter, but at least it’s ready to go if and when we get a connection.           

Along the same lines:

• Traveling: The Retirement Ride
• Musings: Life’s Curve Balls
• Journaling: A Way To Heal
• Musings: Commitment Now
• Musings: A Day Off – Sort Of!

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It is a gorgeous day.  Another one of those sparkling “Princess Di” days.  The sun is shining brilliantly from a clear blue sky and there is a slight breeze sighing . . . → Read More: Spiritual Growth: The Two Sides Of Life]]> It is Sunday morning and I am sitting in my lanai.  I relished a short lie-in this morning after our trip home yesterday afternoon, unpacking and sorting out clothes and getting them washed and put away. It is good to be home in familiar surroundings.  We had a great week in Orlando and it was good to be away from the usual routines.  But it’s always lovely to come home.

It is a gorgeous day.  Another one of those sparkling “Princess Di” days.  The sun is shining brilliantly from a clear blue sky and there is a slight breeze sighing through the pine trees out back.  Everything is gently moving and I can see all the individual needles on the pine trees fluttering in the breeze and shimmering in the sunlight.

I sit back in my chair and breathe in the soft, warm air.  Yes, it’s warm here in sunny Florida at the end of November, although I hear that temperatures are going to dip down later on this week.  In the meantime, I am enjoying this “Indian summer” and feel very happy and content.  In fact my heart is full joy right now as I look at the beauty that God has placed right here in my back yard.

I notice that the small brown birds, I believe they are sparrows, are back again as they pass through on their way to who-knows-where and they are clustering on the feeders.  There’s a flash of red as a colorful cardinal claims his place and the sparrows flutter away until he is done.  I can hear the squirrels barking in the trees as they playfully, or maybe not, fuss at each other. Mokka, our cat, sits in the sun, her tail slowly swishing as she thinks her cat-thoughts about the birds.

But even as I am aware of the joy that I feel I am also aware that there is sadness punching and poking at my heart.  It feels as though one ventricle is full of joy and the other is full of sadness.  My life is blessed in so many ways and I am truly grateful for that.  Yet I have a longing for a healed relationship with my sister who I miss so very much, and another longing for a happy, satisfying relationship with my daughter who I also miss very much.

And I am reminded of one of my favorite authors, Kahlil Gibran, who, when asked in his book The Prophet to speak about Joy and Sorrow, responds with these wise and wonderful words of wisdom:

“Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.”…………..

“Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?”……………

“When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”………..

”Together they come [Joy and Sorrow], and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.”

And so hangs the balance of all life.  One moment we are in joy, and the next we are in sorrow.  And sometimes we carry them together.  And I can only learn to surrender to what is, to accept the gift of my emotions no matter what they are.  As a character in the movie Shirley Valentine said, “If I can feel it means I am alive.”

Along the same lines:

• Shared Wisdom: Grief
• Spiritual Growth: My Quiet Time
• Self Nurturing: God’s Great Outdoors
• Joy: Tis the Season
• Musings: The Evasive Muse

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©2012 Life Coach: Spirit, Body and Mind. All Rights Reserved.

At . . . → Read More: Musings: Tears ……]]> I carry my reflection books in a small plastic tub.  It keeps them all tidily in one place, and makes for easy transportation when I go away.  As I reached down to pick one out this morning, my fingers encountered a loose piece of paper.  There, at the bottom of the tub, lay a small 3” x 5” piece of printing.  I pulled it out and recognized it immediately as something that a dear friend had given me about a year ago.  It was the copy of page 242 from a daily book of goddess reflections that she reads.

At the time, I was going through an immensely sad moment in my life.  In hindsight, I realize I was probably verging on the edge of depression.  I am very fortunate that I have many tools that I use on a daily basis that help me to never sink into the desperate depths of that particular disease.  And then too, I have wonderful friends who walk a similar path to mine who care about me and give me exactly what I need when I need it.

And thus I received page 242 at just the right moment.  The goddess who was addressed on that page was O-Ryu.  She is referred to as Grandmother O-Ryu and is the Japanese goddess of the Willow tree.  This is what was written about her.

She waits for you in her sacred tree temple beside the quiet night river.  A golden Moon whispers above her long and hanging
branches, casting a twinkling outline around her wavy edges.  “Come to me”, O-Ryu calls out as she reaches her long and
leafy branches toward you for a loving hug.  An owl flaps a low, deep hoot from somewhere inside her soft green tendrils,
and you notice a spider’s web gleaming silver on the tips of her twiggy fingers.

Perhaps you have postponed your mourning too long,” O-Ryu urges.  “Mourn means ‘to remember’.  Who wants to be
remembered today?  Can you whisper their name out loud?  Call their spirit to come and sit beside you here by the River.
Let us cry together and gather the wisdom they want to share with you.  The spirit of someone deceased wants to talk
with you.  Something you need to know will be revealed in a powerful feeling.”

At the top of this page was a statement:  “Tears, too, are sacred and can wash away your grief.  Honor your memories.”  At the bottom of the page was another statement: “Mourning my losses and grieving are necessary processes on my spiritual path.”

When I was in High School there was a small section of the playground that was a grassed area where we could sit in those rare warm English summer days!  In the corner of this place was a large weeping willow tree that I loved to sit under and feel protected and safe, cocooned if you will.  As I read page 242 I was reminded of those days and, because I firmly believe that nothing happens “by chance”, I chose to work with the imagery of O-Ryu for the next few days, weeks, however long it should prove necessary.

In those days, I discovered that I was mourning the loss of my daughter.  No, she had not died in the physical sense, but I had “lost” her all the same.  The details of this loss are not important to this writing.  What is important is that I discovered what had been destroying me inside during that moment in my life, and I was able to release it with O-Ryu’s help.  I also discovered that I needed to mourn the loss of my mother at a deeper level, I came to understand some of her pain that I had helped to create.

Tears are cleansing.  They are an important part of our journey to wholeness.  They wash away the grief and allow for new seeds of happiness to bloom in once broken hearts.  Welcome your tears as the refreshing waters for new growth.  As the tears evaporate and dry on your cheeks, so an inner peace will enter your soul and bless you on your way.      

Along the same lines:

• Shared Wisdom: A Few Quotations
• Spiritual Growth: My Quiet Time
• Shared Wisdom: Kahlil Gibran
• Taking Care of Spirit, Body, and Mind
• Musings: Unblocking Again

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We had an ordained minister, Amy, who agreed to talk about using prayer in every day . . . → Read More: Spiritual Growth: Prayer and Meditation]]> In a previous posting, Musings-  God and Chicken Soup, I mentioned that I had been involved in presenting a workshop about prayer and meditation.  I use both of these activities/tools to help me through each day and to develop my spiritual growth through relationship with the God of my understanding.  There are many people in my circle of friends who also pray and meditate and because we recognize that there is a growing hunger for the Spirit, we decided to put on the workshop.

We had an ordained minister, Amy, who agreed to talk about using prayer in every day life and to explain how powerful prayer could be in developing a spiritual life.  We also had another person, Martha, who teaches meditation and who leads meditation groups.  She agreed to “demystify” meditation and demonstrate how simple it is to practice.  She also agreed to lead a guided meditation for the participants of the workshop. The plan then was to have a panel of three people, myself included, who would share their personal experience with prayer and meditation.

As people began arriving I was aware of a growing sense of anticipation.  Our small workshops usually attract forty to fifty people.  The room began to fill and I realized very quickly that we were going to have a bigger crowd than usual.  This was more than exciting because the kind of people filling the seats did not look particularly “spiritual” (as if I could describe what spiritual looks like!!).

The room was almost full and, just before opening the workshop, one of the volunteers mentioned that he had given up counting heads after seventy five.  I found this to be very heartening.  This many ordinary working people wanted so much to hear about prayer and meditation that they were willing to give up a few hours on a Saturday afternoon to do so.

We began the workshop with an opening prayer followed immediately by a short, ten-minute skit.  (We have learned that relaxing the audience with some humor at the beginning and feeding them some good food at the end is always a winning combination!)  So after some good laughter, we then introduced Amy.  Her talk on prayer was simple and straightforward.  She shared from the heart, from her own personal experience, and from her perspective as a chaplain guiding her flock.  She was well received.

Martha followed this with a basic but very dynamic talk about meditation and it’s use in every day life.  As I listened I also glanced around to see how this “motley group” was receiving the information.  Faces were focused in rapt attention and I was reminded of why we had wanted to put on this workshop.  The average Mr. Smith and Mrs. Jones are seeking a relationship with God.  They are on a quest to find a spiritual path that will satisfy the hunger of the soul and fill the void that all the material things in life just do not fill.

Martha segued into a guided meditation by first having the lights dimmed and then lighting a candle.  She also played some very soft music in the background.  Then in a quiet but steady voice she invited us into a place of quiet and led us on an internal spiritual journey.  Even as I focused on my own spiritual experience in that moment, I was also very aware that there was an intense quiet in the room, the kind of quiet in which you could hear a pin drop.  There was no uncomfortable shuffling or shifting in chairs.  Just a total peaceful quiet.

I felt so joy-filled in the moments following the end of the meditation.  This is what we had worked so hard for: the chance to give the ordinary man and woman in the street the opportunity to experience the calm, the tranquility, and the peace of mind, heart, and soul that comes through prayer and meditation. After a short break we returned to the room and ran our panel.

To illustrate my personal experience with making time for prayer and meditation in my life I shared from one of my meditation books that I use every day.  The title is Quiet Moments in the Presence of God, which is published by Bethany House.  As I read some of the reflections that were themed, Be Quiet, Rest Up, and Always More, I looked out at the sea of faces and realized that they were hanging on every word I was reading and saying.  I felt the awesome presence of Spirit in that moment as S/He touched all those hearts.  I felt humbled to be an instrument.

But the best was yet to come.  After dinner was served and people went home and the room emptied out, I was sitting at table finishing my food when a woman came up to me.  She was someone that I would label a “down-and-outer”.  She was shabbily dressed and had grey stringy hair and it was fairly obvious that she was “not very bright”.  She looked me intently in the eyes and said, “when you talked, I listened”, and she smiled.  I was stunned into silence for a moment, then said, “I’m glad, thank you”.  Continuing to look intently into my eyes, she then said, enunciating each word slowly and carefully, “I liked that book you read, I’m going to find that book”.

It is in moments like this that I truly feel the presence of God.  It is in moments like this that I think, this is my mission – to bring a God-moment to this woman.  And in doing that I experience my own God-moment.  I may not be an international circuit speaker.  I may not be famous.  But I am rich beyond belief when I am given the precious gift of moments like that.  I am completely soul-satisfied.                    

Along the same lines:

• Musings: God and Chicken Soup
• Prayer: A Tool Of Spirituality
• Return To My Spiritual Sanctuary
• Musings: Serendipity With Sue
• Vignette: Lunch At Arby’s

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-  Forgiveness:  the warm fuzzy feeling doesn’t happen immediately – maybe never.  The important thing is to make the decision to forgive because it is the    right thing to do, for God and for us.  And most times we have to make that decision on a daily basis for a long time before any peacefulness about     the situation or the person comes into our . . . → Read More: Spiritual Growth: Forgiveness]]> I came across some notes that I took during the course of a retreat.  The speakers had been presenting their views on forgiveness.  These are the notes that I made during the presentations.

-  Forgiveness:  the warm fuzzy feeling doesn’t happen immediately – maybe never.  The important thing is to make the decision to forgive because it is the
   right thing to do, for God and for us.  And most times we have to make that decision on a daily basis for a long time before any peacefulness about 
   the situation or the person comes into our hearts.  “Faking it till you make it” doesn’t quite apply in this circumstance, because a deep willingness to forgive
   needs to be there.  It is important that we practice making that decision every day for the peace to come.

I thought it was quite God-incidental that I came across these notes a couple of days ago because someone has just sent me a very interesting article about forgiveness which, I think, puts another slant on the topic.  It is the recording of a conversation between a person called John Cali and another “person”, Joseph (referred to as Chief Joseph), whom Cali channels through. These are Chief Joseph’s thoughts on forgiveness.

“We are going to say something right here at the start which may surprise or even shock some of you. 

There is never a need or a reason to forgive another person.  That’s not your job. 

True forgiveness, friends, is forgetting – forgetting the pain, the anger, the sadness – and remembering the love.

Forgiveness is really about letting go.  Letting go, and forgetting, the pain you’re holding onto.  And whatever that pain is, you – not the other person – created it.  The pain is self-inflicted.  Always, no exceptions.

Forgiveness has nothing to do with the other person.  It has everything to do with you, and only you.

Do you think God holds grudges? Do you think your higher self holds resentments?

When you are willing to go through that process you call forgiveness, you are remembering who you are, who your higher self is – God.

If you insist on forgiving, then forgive yourself.  Whatever real or imagined harm the other person did, did not hurt you.  Only your thoughts allowed you to be hurt.

No one can hurt you without your consent.  The other person, acting in the best way she or he could in the moment, was there in that moment because the two of you co-created that experience.

No one is to “blame”.

If you see such situations from your higher self’s perspective, your pain will go away.  All that will remain is the love.

Pain is illusion.  Love is real.”

I have been pondering on this for the last few days and although it is tough, I think it is right.  I probably need to give it some more thought and talk it through with some friends that I trust, but the more I think about it the more it resonates in my heart.  Hope it gives you some food for thought.

Blessings.

Along the same lines:

• Musings: The Power Of Words
• Shared Wisdom: Latest Quotations
• Musings: Kicking the Spiritual Doldrums!
• Resentment: The Soul Killer
• Vignettes: Young Grief

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