Sunday

We are all

Where? Where has the light gone? That spark, that unconditional love that saw only unconditional love. It is here. Here in our hearts.

When the breath ceases. When the blood lies still. When the chest does not rise and fall. 

Where is the person that sustained the process? They are here, in each one of us. They live in all they taught us and all we shared.

Let us find the qualities and characteristics of unconditional love in our lives.

If we listen deeply enough and gently enough, everything returns to the source.
If we look softly enough, all eyes reveal the same shimmer.
If we seek to soothe their pain, all cries reveal the same wounded heart.

We are all unconditional love, searching for our way back home to our source.



Uncover our essence

The only thing that is essential in teaching and learning is how to uncover your essence and live from that place every day.

Our hearts are masked with cell phones, apps, to-do lists, have to's, and should have's. There is a deadening of tender tissue. The journey back to wholeness brings us through loss and love.

We must unlearn our way back to unconditional love.

butterfly out of water


Welcome

We are a world of immigrants and strangers. We began our journey by leaving our country, our homes, neighbors, friends, and families. We all are in search of a safe and hospitable place to settle and raise our loved ones. We all want to live without fear in a loving community.

Let us open our hearts and minds to those we perceive to be different. We live in a time of increasing fear, defensiveness, and hatred. Our task in this life is to welcome the immigrants and strangers because they once were us, and may be again. What we do for another, we do for ourselves.

We are all siblings in the family of God.



Unconditional Love

“…from the moment you arrive, you are bound to be concerned with love because love is not just something that happens to you. It is a certain special way of being alive. Love is, in fact, an intensification of life, a completeness, a fullness, a wholeness of life.” 

- Thomas Merton

Ashley came to us from unconditional love. She was and still is unconditional love in an individual, very unique form. The entire expression of her life was solely unconditional love. When she left this life, she evolved back into universal unconditional love. 

Ashley is a ray of pure love in the universe. 

Pure love

Let us reflect on our lives as emanations of unconditional love. Let us live now and forever being aware of our oneness with unconditional love. 

There is always love

Spirituality is the intersection of the sublimely intimate with the miracle of infinity.

The human experience of birth and death are profoundly spiritual. The agony of a mother's cry becomes the joy of an infant's first cry. The spirit leaving a loved one's body transforms every soul in the room. We are witness to a passing, to a transition from body to pure spirit.

Our human experience with these miracles is a reminder that we are all a small part of unconditional, limitless, boundless love.

Let us keep our hearts and minds open.

There is always love.



Someone needs our gifts

How can we help the world in these challenging times?

Our lives are a gift from God. Let us share that Divine gift with the world. Let us be kind, generous, forgiving, respectful, responsible, honest, trustworthy, and compassionate. Let us strive to share these gifts at all times, in all places, with everyone.

Someone needs our gifts.



The Excluded

At the outer edge of all systems and groups are those that have been excluded. The excluded have been feared, rejected, devalued, hated, and violated.

Will we be those loving souls that go to the edges, to those who have been excluded and persecuted?

Are we people of a loving God who will reach out to include the immigrant, the stranger, and those perceived as different?

We are made whole when we include hidden, feared, and the shadow side of ourselves and our community.

In acceptance, we are renewed and made whole. 

Person sitting alone on bench


Be You

We are born for authenticity. The world tries to make us into something we are not. It is the great task of life to be who you truly are.

Do not compare yourself to others. Let your uniqueness shine. When insecurity and unworthiness rears its ugly head, remember you are one with the universe. You are the truth of your Divine lineage.

Let us join in compassionate dialogue. Let us embrace each other and forgive each other for being less than who we are. Let us accept our beautiful uniqueness in our universe of diversity.



Sharing Stories of Loss

Those of us who have experienced great loss must tell our story. That is our responsibility to those we have lost and to those in the future who will experience loss.

When we share the story of those we have lost, we affirm the miracle of their life. We affirm all that we have experienced together, the joys, the sorrows, the lessons, the tears, and the laughter. To share our story helps move our grief and helps our healing.

I have also experienced that this storytelling helps others in the healing process. It helps others to know how we survived. How we transitioned through grief, panic, fear, anger, and recurring sadness. It helps others to know what tools helped us make it through another day. What were the glimpses of light? What were the moments when we were happy again?

It is alright to cry, to scream, to wander, to rely on others for help. It's alright to be confused, angry, and have no clue what to do next. It is also alright to see the light, to love, and to have hope and faith.

We need to tell our stories.



We are one

When we pause and reflect deeply on who we are, we find that we are unique in all the world and simultaneously quite similar. 

At our core, we are the same. Human beings who love and need love. When we deeply listen to a fellow human, we find ourselves. When we share our fears and grief with one another, we find we share the same secret.

Now, well into the second half of my life, I marvel at our common ground. So distinct and yet so connected. We are one.

We all shed the same tears. We all laugh the same laugh. We all fear the same fear and we all stare in awe at the wonders of life.



All Darkness Dissipates in the Light

If we wish to dissolve hate, anger, prejudice, and negativity, we must put our energy into truth and love. The most effective way to enhance positivity in the world is through developing our own integrity, understanding, empathy, and compassion.

Love is the only answer.



Universal, Unconditional Love

I stood by her hospital bed, tears streaming down my face. Huge sloppy sobs of "I love you, I love you, I love you." Through the shroud of sorrow, I caught glimpses of peace. Our angel daughter was being released from pain. No more seizures, no more pneumonia, no more pain. She was now going home. The arms of universal, unconditional love were now embracing my little girl.

So in the greatest sorrow of my life, I caught a glimpse of celestial light.

I have great faith in life beyond this life. This precious gift was now being given to me. I had the privilege of participating in this sacred moment.

Hope is the blessed child of faith.

Unconditional love is the parent of all.



Angel Wing Feathers

"After you had taken your leave, I found God's footprints on my floor." - Rabindranath Tagore

Angel girl, you came into this world reluctantly. It took you so long to be born. You had to be pulled out of the birth canal. You were perfect, little one.

You came in the early morning when the sun was bright and shining. Your life shone brightly like the sun. Your smile was like spring flowers breaking through the snow. Your sounds were music that made me smile. 

The depth of your dark brown eyes always showed me the path of deeper meaning.

It has been a privilege to share this life with you. The essence of our lives is part mystery and part invitation. The Divine is our DNA. You came from your home in God and you returned to your home with God.

After you had left our home, I found angel wing feathers on the floor.



Friendship

The great reward of friendship is not that we have improved as humans, although sometimes happiness, the ultimate joy of friendship, is to be a witness to the life of another human. The privilege of being fully seen and known by another and the equal privilege of fully seeing and knowing another human being.

To know the great joy of having walked the earth with someone not of your blood. To have someone believe in you and you believe in them. To have shared your deepest sorrow and your greatest joy.

To know that someone understands and to know that you have understood them in equal measure.

This is the warm embrace of friendship.



A Meditation on Gratitude

Sit quietly. Let the presence of unconditional love fill your heart and mind. Allow yourself to be filled with gratitude. Remember all the good, all the blessings that have been poured into your life. 

You are not alone. Nothing can separate you from God‘s love. Be grateful for God‘s love. Be grateful for your family, your friends, your life.

As you move through your day, look for the treasures of spirit that have been left for you to find. Retrieve these gifts and hold them close. At the end of your day’s journey, you will have a treasure chest of love.

Offer your thanks with a grateful heart. May love and peace guide you to sleep with grateful thoughts playing a lullaby in your mind.