The Log in my Eye

My husband told me he was working on clutter in our kitchen while I was in Illinois a couple weeks ago. I was highly enthusiastic and supportive when he told me that. Unspoken to him, I hoped that meant he would get rid of stuff we don't use any more.

When I returned he had, in fact, purchased a large table with shelving to store all the things he termed clutter. Nothing was gotten rid of, it was just rearranged to look better.

I groused to myself  ... and then had a big realization.

Do you know this Bible verse? Why do you see the splinter that's in your brother or sister's eye, but don't notice the log in your own eye? Matthew 7:3

I realized that I have a lot of clutter in several of "my" spaces in our house and I had best get working on the log in my own eye.

~ JEAN

Manna from Heaven

Give us this day our Daily Bread
From the Lord's Prayer

Manna is defined as miraculous food, a sudden happening that brings good fortune, a Godsend, a bonanza, a windfall.

Last Sunday Dr. Bob Rosenthal talked about manna during his workshop called "The Exodus Path of Miracles." The workshop was based on his book From Plagues to Miracles, The Transformational Journey of Exodus, From the Slavery of Ego to the Promised Land of Spirit.

What I heard is that the manna that appeared every morning for the Hebrew people wandering in the wilderness was exactly as much food as they needed for the day - their Daily Bread. I internalized that as a metaphor telling me that when I wake up every morning I will have whatever I need for that day. That feels pretty darn good.

I took some other notes during the workshop: Wherever we go, God is with us; We get what we need for our journey; And more on the daily manna story: stay present, don't look too far ahead and leap to conclusions about how things should go - these conclusions are probably ego-driven. Just ask for peace today. Intentions precede miracles and miracles are short cuts on our spiritual path.

I had a powerful insight the next day: I remembered a statement I made at a previous workshop: I wanted to publish a book that received a positive review in the New York Times and was an Oprah Book Club selection. My insight was that my true vision is to honor my father by publishing his letters home while he was serving in World War II. All the rest is ego.

I accept the manna each day that helps me to accomplish my purpose. The rest I leave to Spirit.

~ JEAN

Vulnerability

I’ve been thinking a lot about vulnerability lately.  Recently, in a job training I attended, we watched a TED Talk by Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston, on the subject of vulnerability.  At the time, this subject was nowhere near the forefront of my mind, so I found myself caught off-guard by the impact that the content of Dr. Brown’s message was having on me as I watched the video.

Vulnerability is possibly the very LAST thing I am interested in exploring.   There is not a bone in my body that wakes up in the morning and says, “Oh, what a great day to be vulnerable!”  On the contrary, I’m sure I expend inordinate amounts of time and energy, both consciously and unconsciously, on a daily basis finding ways NOT to be vulnerable in my interactions with others and with the world as a whole.  I’m very good at putting up walls to protect myself, and  until now, I’ve never really been interested in laying aside my armor.

The thing about Dr. Brown’s talk that struck the deepest chord with me was her assertion that vulnerability is essential to connection, which, of course, is why we’re here.  Connection is what gives purpose to our lives.  Without connection, life has no meaning.  And in order to truly connect with one another, we have to be willing to be vulnerable.

Great.

Dr. Brown has done some studies on the subject of vulnerability and finds that she can easily divide human beings into two groups – those who have a strong sense of love and belonging, and those who struggle for a sense of love and belonging.   And she believes that the difference between these two groups boils down to their sense of worthiness.   People in the struggling group tend to fear that they are not worthy of connection.  People in the group with a strong sense of love and belonging – she calls them the “whole-hearted” – embody the following traits:

• Courage to be imperfect
• Compassion to be kind to themselves and others
• Connection as a result of authenticity
• Willingness to let go of who they think they should be to be who they are
• Willingness to embrace vulnerability
• A belief that what makes me vulnerable makes me beautiful
• An understanding that vulnerability is essential to connection

Dr. Brown asserts that vulnerability is the birthplace of joy, of creativity, of belonging, and of love.

Great.

I recognize, now that I’ve listened to this talk, that in my efforts to numb my sense of vulnerability, I also effectively numb my experience of joy, of gratitude, and of happiness because, as Dr. Brown says, we can’t selectively numb emotion.  If we numb the bad, we also numb the good. 

I’m not entirely sure what I plan to do with this new information.  For now, I’m just sitting with it and allowing myself to become aware of my sense of vulnerability and my normal patterns of behavior to avoid feeling vulnerable.   If you’re interested in listening to Dr. Brown’s TED Talk and diving in to the subject of vulnerability yourself, you can find the talk on her website: http://brenebrown.com. 

~REBECCA

Endings and Beginnings

"When we stand at the end of one life experience ... we remember that every ending also has a beginning. We may be tempted to keep looking back, but once we turn our eyes to the path ahead, we find new opportunities awaiting us." From "Endings," the Daily Word for October 31st.

My 12th year of marriage ended and my 13th year of marriage began on October 12. I drew an "angel card" for the year ahead and received: Beauty.

My 63rd year on earth ended and my 64th year began on earth began on November 6. I drew an "angel card" for the year ahead and received: Birth.

Every year in late December and early January I spend time journaling about the year that is ending and set some resolutions and intentions for the year that is beginning. I love spending that time reflecting and visioning. Often I'm sitting in my big overstuffed easy chair with a fire burning brightly in our wood-burning stove. That's when I will draw an angel card for the year 2015 and I hope to participate in the 2015 White Stone meditation on Sunday, January 11, introduced to us (well, me at least) by Rev T.

I'm so grateful for all the ways I receive guidance - I have faith that they are all the voice of God coming to me in various forms.

* * * * * * * * *

This Daily Word speaks to me so positively because it doesn't just focus on the past, the endings of my life, it points me ahead to the beginnings, to the anticipation of my "unfolding journey." I look forward to the promise of how Beauty and Birth play out in the months ahead. I am interested to find out what my third angel card and the White Stone meditation message will be.

* * * * * * * * *

Along with our sunflowers, I planted a bunch of nasturtium seeds last spring. The flowers were so beautiful and full for several months in the summer and fall (above left); then, after a couple of below freezing nights, their run ended (right). Just like the 187 bulbs my husband and I planted this fall that promise daffodils in the spring, we can look forward to planting new flowers at the beginning of next summer.

Wishing you interesting endings and promising beginnings.

~ JEAN

A Year Ago ...

on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I got my sister's phone call from Illinois that my dad had suffered a stroke. I was able to spend a week with him before he made his transition on December 15.

I am thankful for the many gatherings we all had last year. It was the first time since I got married in 2002 that I had Thanksgiving dinner with members of my Illinois family. I met the newest baby in our family and saw many of my nephews and nieces and their spouses and children. I was at the hospital every day with my mom and dad. He was able to speak some and we had some special moments during that week.

In the last year I have been back to Illinois to visit four times including just 10 days ago. I stay at my mom's town house where she and my dad lived together for 19 years. I feel joy to be with my mom and sadness that my dad is not there too.

I've been crabby and irritable lately; then I realized that what I really have been feeling is grief. My intention is to be aware of those feelings and still feel joy for this holiday, my favorite.

My stepson, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren are coming for dinner on Thanksgiving Day. My husband is cooking (yea! leftovers!); I'm assisting and cleaning up.
They're bringing dessert. I'm looking forward to the seven of us having a special day together.

And I'll call my mom sometime that day to tell her I'm thinking about her and I love her.

May each and every one of you have a joyful Thanksgiving.

~ JEAN

Know Any Good Mechanics?

It's Day 262 of my 365-day experiment with practicing the Law of Mind-Action.  I realized this morning that I spent the first half of this year moving through the "mind" part of this law, and now I'm firmly rooted in the "action" part.  I'm still working daily with my affirmations and with my emotions and with aligning my thoughts with the energy of Spirit.  But I'm very aware that to practice this law fully, I have to look beyond "right" thinking and be willing to practice "right" action.  In other words, it's not enough to have a good philosophy - I also need some good mechanics.

A gardener doesn't simply wish a beautiful garden into existence.  She clears the land and tills the soil and takes into consideration which plants will thrive in her particular location.  She ensures that they have plenty of water and plenty of sunshine (or shade), and she takes steps to control pests that may be detrimental to her project.  Each day or each week, she gets down on her hands and knees and pulls the weeds that would otherwise rob her plants of water, sunlight, and nutrients.  No amount of visualization or positive thinking will keep her garden beautiful without the help of good, solid gardening practices.

If a person wishes to improve his health and fitness, it isn't enough to tack up a photo of the perfect physique on his bedroom mirror and affirm that his body should transform to match the image.  To be truly healthy and fit, he needs to eat right and exercise, get plenty of sleep, drink plenty of water, manage his stress, etc.  There's no way around it.  To be healthy, he must not only maintain the vision of a healthy physique.  He must also be willing to adopt healthy habits.  

The same is true when it comes to prosperity and financial health.  In New Thought, it's easy to get lost in the magical thinking that says, "if I just say enough prayers, if I just repeat my affirmations 100 times a day, if I just keep my vision board up-to-date, if I'm just cheerful and peppy all the time, God will send me all of my heart's desires."  It's true that being clear about what I desire is an important part of the prosperity process.  But being clear about what I desire is only half of the equation.  Staying focused on my desires is how I ask God for what I want.  ACTION is how I receive it.  Just like in gardening and in health and fitness, there are actions I must take in conjunction with my prayers and affirmations to ensure financial health.  Like - at the very least, I must spend less than I earn. 

Motivational speaker Tony Robbins offers the following steps to creating lasting change:

1. Have a vision.
2. Make sure you have a strong reason that's going to be compelling enough to keep you motivated.
3. Review it and feel it every day.
4. Raise your standards - change your definition of what's normal or acceptable for you.
5. Establish new rituals (daily/weekly/monthly action steps) to back up your standards. 

You can see how the steps above incorporate both the "mind" and the "action" parts of the Law of Mind-Action. They encourage a balance between being and doing.

At this point in my experiment, I'm feeling pretty solid on the thinking aspect of my practice, but I'm aware that I have a lot to learn with regard to mechanics, especially as they relate to financial health.  So I'm thankful for all of the good resources out there that can help point me in the right direction.  And I'm thankful that God is my co-pilot.  I don't have to navigate this territory alone.

What changes are you wishing to make in your life in the upcoming year?  Do you have a clear vision of what you desire?  Can you imagine what it will feel like to have it?  What daily/weekly/monthly rituals can you create to support your vision?  What are the mechanics that are essential your success?  Unity's fifth principle is the principle of action.  For me, the fifth principle will be front and center in 2015.  How about for you?  Are you ready for action?

~REBECCA

Faith

Today is Day 248.  In five days, I will be attending my 25^th high school reunion.  Sometime during the course of the last year, I had the brilliant (smell sarcasm?) idea to volunteer to coordinate the reunion.   So I gathered a small team and stepped up to lead the charge.

Fast-forward to last Monday.

The venue had been booked for quite some time.   We had guaranteed the caterer that we would have at least 40 people in attendance.  We had set the menu.    We had been talking up the event on Facebook for weeks and weeks.  And now it was three days past the RSVP deadline, and only sixteen people had said they were coming.  OMG!  Feeling anxious, I messaged my team – they were as worried as I was.  I got on the phone with the caterer – he informed me that no matter how few people attended the reunion, we would be on the hook for the cost of 40 dinners plus fees, per our contract.  At that point, we had received approximately $1,000 from ticket sales.  I was told that the balance would be around $1,500 no matter what, and I was pretty sure that estimate was low.  Plus, I had put $500 of my own money down as a deposit.  Did I mention that only sixteen people said they were coming?  OMG! 

My team made a plan to use a “full-court press” approach and reached out directly to as many classmates as possible to see if we could increase ticket sales.   In the meantime, I still needed to set up the bank account and deposit the checks I had received.  But as I was lying in bed on Monday night, it occurred to me that setting up an account for this event might not be as simple as just signing on the dotted line.  There were probably some important steps I needed to take before going to the bank . . . very quickly my worry turned into complete and utter panic.

Now mind you, the reunion was not the only thing weighing on my mind.   I’ve also been juggling schedule concerns, family concerns, money concerns, parenting concerns, car concerns, house concerns - you know what I mean.  And having just started a new second job which requires lots of hours of training, my beloved routine has been altered.  I’ve been out-of-sorts, sleep-deprived, and worst of all, I have been neglecting my regular spiritual practice.  (Thank God for First World problems.)

So on this particular Monday night (now early Tuesday morning) I was lying in bed, and all of these worries seemed to be descending on me at once.  I had a huge knot in my stomach.  My head was spinning.  I was thoroughly gripped with anxiety and fear.  When I thought about all of the things that were hanging over my head, I started to cry.  The mental and emotional burden felt so intense that I thought I might actually die right there and right then – lying in my bed, agonizing over the stupid reunion bank account.  Did you ever have a moment like this?

And then a single word popped into my head - faith.  

No matter what is happening in my outer world, I always have faith in my spiritual toolbox.  Faith that God is with me no matter what.  Faith that things have a way of working themselves out.  Faith that everything is happening for a reason.  Faith that I can handle whatever comes my way.  There IS a lot of uncertainty in my life right now – the reunion, the new job, finances, my schedule . . .  everything feels very up-in-the-air.  But there is one thing I can rely on no matter what is happening in the world around me.  And that is faith.  In the wee hours of that Tuesday morning, one little word was like a tiny ray of light piercing the immense darkness I was experiencing.   Things haven’t all magically gotten resolved since then.  I still have a lot on my plate.  But my consciousness shifted ever so slightly in that moment, and these past several few days I’m feeling better equipped to manage the uncertainty. 

No matter what challenges I might be facing, no matter how desperate circumstances might seem,  I always have my faith to hold onto.  The reunion’s going to be fine.  Thanks to the full-court press, people have been coming out of the woodwork to RSVP.  We should have close to 40 people in attendance.   Plus, the high school sent us a check unexpectedly for the balance of our class’ account – just over $500, so I’ll get my deposit back! Things have a way of working themselves out.

Later in the week, when I was describing my harrowing Tuesday morning to Jean, she showed me the Daily Word for that day.  Guess what it was – FAITH.

~Rebecca