Happy New Year

"Reexamine all you have been told in school or church or in any book 

and dismiss whatever insults your soul."

- Walt Whitman

We humans are a walking contradiction.  We sometimes feel that we suffer from poor self esteem and lack of worthiness and acceptance.  Simultaneously we know in the core of our being we are children of God.  We are expressions of Divinity.  We live in conflict.  We are emanations of the Divine yet we feel less than others.

As we begin this new year let us begin with kind and gentle self reflection.  We know we are loved.  We are children of an unconditionally loving Mother/Father God.  Allow this recognition to start and end each day.

All assessment is an opportunity to grow and expand in consciousness and love.

We are all worthy of love, just the way we are.

Christmas Day

On Christmas Day we have an opportunity to celebrate the essential and core common values of humanity.  In reverence, we recognize that a little Jewish baby boy was born and his expanded consciousness, nurtured by  Divine love embraced all life.  This little boy realized that he was an emanation of the Divine and his profound legacy has touched many world religions and influenced the spiritual development of humanity.  We continue to be guided by the master teachers core values; unconditional love, empathy, compassion, courage, vulnerability, sacrifice and inclusion for all.

As we enjoy our personal and familial traditions, let us humbly remember the source.  We are all brothers and sisters in God's love.  Reflect on the qualities of Jesus and assess your common ground.  Know that as you interact with others on this day you interact with God's children.  When we offer love and acceptance, we offer the warmth of God's home.  We welcome everyone in to the grace of God.

We are all part of the same Divine family.  Let unconditional love be our legacy.

"Peace on earth - goodwill to all"

"It is not how much we give but how much love we put into giving."

- Mother Teresa

"When you give yourself, you give more than you get."

- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Please remember on this Christmas season, we are all children of God.  Just as you have pictures of your loved ones on your bedside table, so does God have pictures of each of you in his heart.  You are loved, you are accepted just as you are.  The infinite love of God brings us all emotional safety and transforms all our lives.

Our strength as human beings is in our diversity.  When we respect and honor our differences, the world benefits.  The growth of each of us blesses all of us.  None of us are free until all of us are free.

"If light is in your heart, you will find your way home."

- Rumi

We are one great chorus in harmony.  The music of the universe echoes through the heavens.  "Peace on earth - good will to all."

You are each a gift of joy that God has given to the world.

Share your gift, share yourself and the world will be transformed.

Acceptance

"If every person knew that they were loved and accepted by God exactly as they are right now, 

the world would be transformed."

- Chris Michaels

We have the power to offer acceptance and emotional safety to everyone we meet.  Let us embrace our differences.  We are all unique emanations of God.  Life is change.  We are ever evolving and changing.  Give yourself and others permission to change and grow.

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."

- Mother Teresa

The joy, peace and love of the holiday season is a choice we each make on a daily basis.  Life is consciousness unfolding.  When we change our inner life, our outer life changes as well.  When we do our internal, self reflective homework, we become a vehicle for love and acceptance.  Let us acknowledge and accept each other for who we are, children of God.

Gratitude

There is no prescribed set of lessons that bring us peace and contentment.  We each have our own path to discover and experience.  The work of our life is to overcome our common human mistakes that are part of our inherited ego.

I have found that gratitude is an essential aspect of the work.

"We are not human beings 

having a spiritual experience.

We are spiritual beings

having a human experience."

- Teilhard de Chardin

The challenge is to remember our true nature.  We are children of God, emanations of Divinity.  Every day appreciate the blessings of life.  In appreciation and gratitude we are transformed back to our true, spiritual natures.  In gratitude we make a conscious choice to focus on the good, the kind, and the loving in each moment.  We build the foundation of our lives on these grateful moments.

Let us pause and be mindful.  Breathe and be thankful for the life we give and receive in grace.