Find the Spiritual in your every day

"A cobbler told his rabbi, "Most of my customers are men who work every day and drop their boots off to me at night for repair.  I often stay up all night to get their boots ready for them in the morning.  Sometimes I am so tired that I do not say the morning prayer.  Other times I just say it quickly so I will have time to work.  Other times my heart just sighs, 'How I wish I had the time and energy to say my prayer.'"
The rabbi answered, "If I were God, I would value that sigh more than the prayer."

- from "A Deep Breath of Life" Alan Cohen

Love for God and love and connection with each other is a heart to heart experience.  Today, it seems, we all lead very busy lives.  We are bombarded with input.  When our awareness is connected to spirit our daily activities can be our prayer.  Connection is our communion with the Divine.

Sometimes I forget that I am more then what I do.  Then I am reminded...

We are not human beings

having a spiritual experience.

We are spiritual beings

having a human experience.

- Teilhard de Chardin

Keep you heart open throughout your activities.

Stay connected to the sacred.

Celebrate Life

I have never liked the word tolerate.  Throughout my life I have heard tolerance used in a variety of interpersonal, human, life challenges.  It never felt right to me.  It never felt human enough.  I never wanted to be tolerated.  I never wanted to be tolerant of you.  Tolerance means to put up with something, to endure.  I guess that is a sticking point but I see it on a continuum.

Tolerance - Understanding - Appreciation - Celebration

Understanding is the beginning of peace and forgiveness.  "Seek first to understand and then be understood." said Stephen Covey.  Understanding is the first step in unity.  Appreciation of your uniqueness is the movement into the joy of life.  We are different.  Hallelujah!  Diversity is the spice of life.  Diversity literally is life.

"...love for all living creatures is the most nobel attribute of man."

- Charles Darwin

Through appreciation we know that all life is valuable.  No one is more important than another.  We appreciate that all of us, no matter our situation in life, have value.

Celebration is the joy of togetherness, understanding and appreciation.  Acceptance and appreciation of ourselves and others leads to celebration.  In celebration, we experience the beauty, honor and glory of each individual soul.  Healing begins with acceptance and as we embrace ourselves and each other, we rejoice in celebration.

We are all miracles of Divine love.  Let us see each other in this perfection.

Ashley's Lessons of Love

In my house there lives an angel.  She does not speak.  She does not offer prophecy or ask for followers of her light.  She is not dressed in a white flowering garment.  She is often seen dressed in a pink sweatshirt and pants.  She does not offer her blessing from a holy temple or church, but from a wheelchair.  Identified as severely profoundly retarded since birth, she sits in her wheelchair and emanates unconditional love.  She can not consciously move her body.  She remains calm with a beautiful expression on her face inviting love.  She offers communion and connection to everyone who is near.  

I am privileged to see her every day.  I pause from the tasks of life and she reminds me what is essential.  I am always filled with joy, peace and love in her presence.  She is making her contribution to the healing of humanity.  In her special way she is transforming the world by bringing unconditional love to everyone.  What a beautiful purpose she serves in life.

I find that my life is created by the spirit in which I respond to the world.  When choosing to respond to any situation, check with your heart.  Do you feel peace?  Does this feel meaningful?  Is there joy?  Do we greet everyone with value and respect?  Do we offer kindness and compassion to those in the supermarket lane?  Can we retain our sense of humor in highway traffic?

I am living my life knowing that whatever good I can offer is an act of my love for life.  In the end we will not ask to have more time in the office or the work setting.  We will ask for more time with those we love.  

Use every moment to give and receive love.

Peace of Mind

"It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere"

- Agnes Repplier

Throughout the course of my life, the biggest road blocks to happiness and peace of mind have been the concerns of others, the concerns of the world and myself.  My training and belief confirms that I have been my biggest road block, by far, to my peace of mind.  As I have grown in authenticity and vulnerability, I find that I get lost in feeling sorry for myself and I also get lost in judgement of myself and others.

Even though I have been lost at times, I still have found the true path repeatedly.  The essence of the Divine in each of us always beckons us forward to truth and lights our way.

My Calling

"The purpose of life is not to be happy.  It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Recently I have spent time with family and friends who have retired.  They lovingly ask if I am retired and I respond no.  I am now moving into the second half of my 60th decade of life.  I have no desire to retire.  One of the greatest blessings in my life is I get to do work I love.  I feel on purpose.  I feel I am fulfilling the mission God called me to accomplish.  My work brings me great joy.  It moves me forward in my life.  It brings meaning and purpose to each and every day.  

What I do every day is mostly filled with joy.  Even when it is hard, painful and sometimes extremely stressful, below the surface, deeper then my ego, there is joy.

One aspect of my work is to communicate a positive message of hope.  It is my belief everyone can find joy in their work.  All our work, all our lives, contribute to the creation of a beautiful world.

Stories

I love stories.  I love listening to stories, I love reading stories and I love telling stories.  Stories are the wealth of humanity.  Stories are our heart expressing experience.  Stories are how we make meaning of life.  We share our legacy.

When I share a story from my life, I am consumed with emotion.  I am fully in the moment.  I am in the story.  I often experience the sweat and tears that bring great meaning to the story.  Telling stories heals us.

There are stories about my daughter Ashley that repeat often.  I repeat the story to invite my listeners to be fully human.  Because Ashley is so fragile and vulnerable, I comfortably share my vulnerability.  Each retelling of Ashley's story brings enhanced meaning to the experience.  I continue sharing the story that opens my heart and invites listeners to open their hearts.  Each retelling brings me back to her angelic eyes and the Divine presence that fills her life.

I never really know what I am going to say.  The story tells itself, it reveals my essence and it saves my life again and again and again.

LOVE

"The one thing we can never get enough of is love.

And the one thing we never give enough of is love."

- Henry Miller

I am reminded that everything we do is either an act of love or a cry for love.  Love works.  Love is connection and we as humans are "hard wired for connection", Dr. Brene Brown.

Love comes in many forms.  The joy of seeing a baby smile.  The expression of the reception of gratitude.  The serenity of being in the company of someone with whom you can be fully authentic.  The genuine interest we express to someone we share a passion with.  The inspiration when seeing another human meet and conquer a life threatening challenge.  The awe of an Arizona desert sunset.  The transformation of a life spent together with a human being who accepts you unconditionally.  

All of us want and need to know we are loved.  To love ourselves and to love each other connects us to the unconditional love of Divinity.

Love is the only sane and satisfactory response to the challenges of life.

Inclusion

Everyone needs recognition of who they really are on the highest level.  When we see the world from the perspective of our Highest Self, we radiate connection, positivity and unconditional love.  We heal the feeling of separation and exclusion.

Inclusion is not about helping people fit into a system or structure that works for everyone.  Inclusion is helping to transform those same systems and structures so that everyone is a better version of humanity.

"Inclusion is about creating a better world for everyone." - Diane Richler

Dreams

When we are blessed with an idea or a dream that will serve the greater good, we must act on this calling.

There have been times in my life that I have heard the small, still voice of spirit calling me to create something that will serve.  I follow the voice, I gather resources, I plan and I present the idea to those who have the ability to help make the dream a reality.  Sometimes we meet with rejection, lack of support or lack of understanding.  This is simply life asking us how important is this dream to you.  Are we confident?  Are we aligned with spirit in our creation?  Rejection is not necessarily an accurate evaluation of the quality of your dream.  Rejection very often is simply a statement of the mindset and heart of the critic.

I value feedback immensely.  Remember, feedback is not evaluation.  Feedback is specific, descriptive, observable, behavioral data about where you and I are together on a shared task.  When we feel rejection, hold fast to your faith that is much greater than the opinions and fears of others.  If you believe in a dream do not be put off by obstacles.

"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds.  Your mind transcends limitation, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world.  Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be."

- Patanjali

Loving Connection

"It is a terrible, an inexorable law that one cannot deny the humanity of another without diminishing one's own.  In the face of one's victim, one sees oneself."  - James Baldwin

We must transcend the illusion of separation and realize that all humanity is one.  We are all born wanting love and belonging.  Connection is our human birthright.  When we finally discover that our value is innate to being human, we support the value of others.  

It is time for courageous action.  We need to know that our kindness, compassion, and empathy has ripples.  All our actions are contagious.  We can influence our community and ultimately our world by practicing kindness, by engaging and connecting, by being compassionate and empathic.

Gather with your dearest friends and trusted family and discuss-

What is essential?

What is our greatest task as human beings?

What is our hope for our children?

When we do good in the world, we do good for ourselves.

We know from the research of Dr. Barbara Fredrickson that when we create connection, our world view widens.  When our perception increases, we see unity where there once was separation.  Loving connection increases your circle of inclusion and concern.  We become more compassionate and trusting.

Loving Connection Changes Our Hearts and Minds

Divine Love

The March to Freedom is Irreversible

- Nelson Mandela

We are tempted to return to the old and familiar when we are afraid.  When faced with change, growth and evolution, we are sometimes filled with anxiety and fear.  We think if we can return to the old days, everything will be as it was and we will feel secure.

We can never return to the past.  It is gone.  The nature of all life is to evolve.  We either grow or we die.

We need to use all that we have learned from the past.  All that has helped us grow into a better version of ourselves and continue to move forward.

The only true security is in love...unconditional love.  We can learn from the good Samaritan.  A person from a different culture, an outsider, who saved the life of a Jew who had been attacked and left for dead.  Other people passed him by but the good Samaritan, the outcast, tended to his wounds and took care of his long term health needs.

The ancient message is clearly needed today.

Everyone is worthy of love, everyone is our brother and sister.  We are more alike then we are different.  We are all children of God.  We are united with Divinity when we act from love, when we act like human beings.

Divinity is infinite diversity.  Everyone is our brother and sister.  We are all connected.  Divinity does not exclude.  All humanity is included in Divine love.

Still, small voice

I have come to believe that there are moments in our lives when we are humbled and challenged to decide what is essential.  From that moment on we must live from our highest values.  Nothing less than our vulnerability, authenticity, and integrity will suffice.

We must fulfill our souls calling, follow the "still, small voice."  I have come to learn that when we experience moments of great humility we must strive for love, kindness and compassion in all our relationships.  When this is possible, we must forgive and let go with love.

Follow your soul's purpose.  Live a life of meaning.  Trust the "still, small voice."

LifeSkills Conference Reflections

Thank you to the LifeSkills Conference staff and students and all our Masonic sponsors.  From July 23rd through July 28th, 2017 we gathered at the Masonic Conference Center at Patton Campus of the Pennsylvania Masonic Village in Elizabethtown.  We came together in our passion for respect, responsibility, and healthy relationships.  We focused on servant leadership.  We built a community of kindness, compassion, gratitude, and forgiveness.  Each of us is a drop of water in an ocean of loving unity.

After 6 weeks of recovery from a spinal injury, I experienced a healing.  I was humbled by the limitless dedication and commitment of our LifeSkills Conference staff.  I was uplifted by the trust and open heartedness of all our participants.  Differences were recognized, accepted and celebrated.  From this respect for differences arose a unity of consciousness.  We are of a Divine unity.  We are all made of the same stuff.  We are now aware of this greater spirit.  Our fears are lessened.  we know we are supported.  In our moments together we know we were made of love.  We are blessed when we realize what we are made of and what we have risen from.

We are connected

Something eternal has been born in me.

I have no choice but to nurture it until it reaches its full growth and fruition.

The eternal in me feels like humility.  all that I have experienced, I have made available to others through story, so that we all can grow and know we are not alone.

We are connected.

LifeSkills 2017

Be who you really are.  Be authentic, be of service.  Affect in a positive way the lives of those you love and the lives of all you come in contact with.  Assist in ending the suffering of others.

We are all connected.  "I am in you, you are in me, we are all in the Father."

Our basic instinct is love.

Present yourself authentically to the world.  Be true to yourself.  Share your struggles and your progress.

There is a practical way to eliminate violence.  Simply detach from the need to judge and believe in separation.

Dr. Karen Osterman reminds in her research, "The more I know about you, the less likely to ever think of harming you."

We must close the human gap.

We must become known.

Focus on unity- we are more alike than we are different.

Speak your truth with kindness and compassion.

Practice integrity.

Work for the common good.

Practice gratitude.

Practice forgiveness.

Share what you have (gifts, talents, abundance, life).

Balance personal and work life.

Love each other or at least do no harm.

Love the earth or at least do no harm.

Eat healthy.

Be your best self- stop comparison.

Focus on all your blessings.

Express love.

Pray and meditate.

Listen to the "still small voice."

Every act is an act of self definition.

"Be the change you want to see in the world." - Gandhi

This blog was inspired by the work of Neil Donald Walsch