Putting it into Practice

I just finished volunteering on the Friends of the Hunterdon County Library Used Book Sale - Their 20th, my 14th. It was a terrific opportunity to use my spiritual principles. I read the Daily Word every morning before I went to volunteer and they were great. Yet when I started to journal about my experiences, when things got tense, somehow many of my principles went out the window. I realized that I had been triangulating (talking to one person about another), complaining and criticizing.

It wasn't all bad. I like to encourage other volunteers and tried to be upbeat and positive - especially when we were still wondering if we would get all the books sorted - there were many thousands of books donated to the sale.

Nevertheless, I have something to work on. The best thing for me to do when I notice I've let down on my principles is figure out how I can do better next time or, in this case, next year. I carry a box - Jean's box, each day to the volunteer site. I keep pens, scratch paper, a box cutter, phone numbers I might need, a painter apron, a calculator and a bunch of other things in that box. It's my traveling supply center. I decided that I need to put something in that box - taped to the top perhaps - that will remind me, from the first day, to use my spiritual principles.

I haven't decided yet what that will be - a photocopy of the five Unity Principles perhaps, a copy of the Four Agreements perhaps. I haven't decided yet. But ... I will put something there now when I'm thinking about it so that when I open my supply center box next April, the first thing I see will be that reminder of how I want to show up each and every day.

I love our Unity principles and especially the fifth or action principle: Through thoughts, words and actions we live the Truth we know. And that is what I intend to do out in the world.

~ JEAN