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.

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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.

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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

One Presence ...

A couple weeks ago, the Daily Word was "Sacred Space." My physical sacred spaces are: My sitting room with my comfortable chair, candle and various spiritual books; Being outside; Being at Unity, whether working or worshiping, is sacred space.

The affirmation for that day said: I create sacred space inside of me." As I took my dogs out for a walk that afternoon, I repeated that affirmation several times - imagining a space inside me where I can always access Holy Spirit. On that walk (and every walk) I paid particular attention to the birds singing, the breeze on my face and the cool air on my skin.

Although I love the outdoors, I know I don't have to be in a beautiful place to be in sacred space. In fact, all I have to do is remember our first principle: There is One Presence and One Power in the universe and in my life: God the Good, Omnipotent.

~ JEAN

In an Instant ... or Slowly Over Time

Yesterday's Daily Word was "My Dream." Part of it reads: "When I reflect on what I want to do, who I want to be, and where I want to go, my heart's desire is revealed. It may unfold in an instant or slowly over time."

Here is a short nature story.

Last winter's harsh weather killed a lot of plants and trees including our juniper bush. My husband has been removing the brush and roots from that plant over the last month or so.

I told him my objective for that space, when

empty and open, was to plant a bunch of spring flowering bulbs. He bought two bags of daffodil bulbs for me on one of his trips to Lowe's. On another trip to Lowe's, together, we bought three more bags of bulbs, some topsoil and grass seed for that area.

A week ago he finished leveling the soil and together we started digging. Groups of eight or ten plants look best together. In relatively short order, we had planted all 187 bulbs in 5-6 inch deep holes. Then he spread and raked in the grass seed. The above picture is what it looked like.

In the last seven days we have had rain, sun, rain again and sun again. And it seems like, in an instant, grass has begun to grow - an inch or more in some areas.

The bright green (foreground) is the new grass, the dark green (background) is the established grass.

The bulbs will, of course, show up much more slowly - in the spring.

I am open to knowing both in an instant and slowly over time what is mine to do.

~ JEAN

CONFERENCE

This past week, Jean and I had the privilege of attending the annual Unity Worldwide Ministries Eastern Region Fall Conference in Richmond, Virginia.  The Eastern Region of Unity Worldwide Ministries is comprised of Unity churches from thirteen Northeastern states spanning from Maine to Virginia.  Each year, representatives from these churches – ministers, licensed teachers, board members, staff, and lay leaders – converge on one central location for four days of inspiration, education, and rejuvenation.  As usual, this year’s conference was chock-full of opportunities for personal and professional growth, as well as connection with other like-minded individuals from the larger Unity movement.

Unity of Richmond

One of the highlights of my conference experience this year was our visit to two nearby Unity centers – Unity of Richmond and Unity Christ Church of Bon Air.  Traditionally, the host center offers a special evening meal and celebration service during the four-day conference.  This year, we were blessed to have two host centers.  On Tuesday evening we attended a German Oktoberfest dinner and worship service at Unity of Richmond.  On Wednesday evening, we attended a Mexican fiesta dinner and concert at Unity of Bon Air.  Members of both churches greeted us with open arms, full of enthusiasm for their special guests from the Eastern Region.  Both churches recently completed capital campaigns, so their buildings are newly renovated and gorgeous.  They also put together incredibly uplifting, inspirational, and music-filled services for both their members and their guests on these special evenings.  The energy in the room at each service was so high that the people in attendance spent most of the time on their feet, dancing and clapping.  

Meditation Gardens - Unity of Bon Air

In contrast to the experience of being able to relax and enjoy the celebration services at Unity of Richmond and Unity of Bon Air, my other favorite part of this (and every) conference was the time devoted to teaching and learning best practices in ministry.  This year, there were two sessions on this topic.  One centered around the idea of small group ministry and how to effectively organize and conduct small groups.  The other was a breakfast meeting at which people in similar roles in their spiritual communities sat together and discussed the strategies they have developed for “doing” ministry effectively.  I learned many helpful tips, both this year and last year, from other Unity office administrators from around the Eastern Region.

On the long ride home from conference on Thursday afternoon, Jean and I made a list of all of the great ideas we gathered from our various experiences in Richmond.   We are coming back to New Jersey energized by our time spent connecting to the Eastern Region and “Big Unity.”  We look forward to sharing some of these ideas with you and, as always, we continue to look for both innovative and tried-and-true ways to help our spiritual center to grow and thrive.

With gratitude, 

~REBECCA