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Posts tagged ‘Blog’

Dec 31

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The Cusp

“From the math of ordinary time, it seems we falter repeatedly, always off course. But this is how life uncovers us. It’s a beautiful journey that no preparation can avoid, that no learning can imitate. We begin with an irreplaceable trust and are sent into the amazing race the world has to offer, thinking there are more valuable destinations we can’t live without, only to land where we began.” – Mark Nepo, The Endless Practice

New Year’s Eve – the cusp of new beginnings filled with resolutions, good intentions, plans, moving on, hopes, dreams and “this year’s going to be different.” Looking back at this last year, most of it was unpredictable and “not in my plans.” A lot of it was struggling with family health issues and work intensity. And weaved through it all, that I often missed at the time, was joy, laughter, growth and love. What begins as a burden slowly then suddenly transforms into a blessing. Burdens always precede blessings.

Woody Allen’s quote comes to mind, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.” Our plans are linear, a straight line from Point A to Point B. But life enters and the dimensional, winding and detoured journey ensues. And the crux of the struggle is in our clinging desperately to the linear rather than releasing to the current and flow of life.

So resolutions for next year?
Work and play hard, always do but more importantly BE my best;
Pray harder, accept the answer;
Trust deeper, let faith take hold;
Be more open than closed, risk hurt;
Love more, without strings;
Plan to be surprised, invite awe and wonder in;
Slow down, enjoy the view;
Be present each day, that’s all we are promised;
See, really see, all the beauty, in people and places;
Be grateful and kind, show and share it.

Simply put, let God’s plans unfold and cast light.

Dec 29

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The Walk

“We’re all just walking each other home.” – Rumi

On our daily journey, it’s good to know deep in our heart and bones that we are not alone. And we have the opportunity, the obligation, to remind each other that we are all on this walk together. Being present, quietly listening, holding a hand, a phone call or text can turn a day around.

While we each have our own purpose, blessings and burdens, our journey is meant to be shared. And in the sharing, our loads are lightened and blessings multiplied.

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” – Audrey Hepburn

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” – Audrey Hepburn

Dec 27

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Off Leash

“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” – Havelock Ellis

To explore unhindered
To release the longing spirit
To wander into wonder
To discover adventure where you’ve walked before
To find what has always been in reach

Off leash of what binds and holds you back

Free from self-imposed limitations
Free from expectations
Free from the past and future
Free from maps, plans and time
Free to embrace and be embraced

Go off leash today and take it all in.

“The ground we walk on, the plants and creatures, the clouds above constantly dissolving into new formations - each gift of nature possessing its own radiant energy, bound together by cosmic harmony.” – Ruth Bernhard

“The ground we walk on, the plants and creatures, the clouds above constantly dissolving into new formations – each gift of nature possessing its own radiant energy, bound together by cosmic harmony.” – Ruth Bernhard

Dec 24

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Crammed

“Earth is crammed with heaven.” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning

In this season of giving, may we be abundantly aware of all that we already have received and our boundless capacity to give more. Be filled, content and grateful.

Wishing you love, joy, peace, clarity, awe and Merry Christmas.

Dec 20

Sacred Moments

“Love’s greatest gift is its ability to make everything it touches sacred.” – Barbara de Angelis

Coming home from work last Thursday exhausted, I felt the weight of the past month of travel and busyness resting on my neck. Suddenly the doorbell rang. An unexpected visitor. My niece Emily stopped by and we went to dinner. The weight lifted. What I thought mattered, really didn’t anymore.

On Friday, I went to a friend’s brother’s funeral service. Family and friends gathered to remember and grieve. The priest noted someone once said that coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous. Puts a new perspective on how we are a part of “coincidences” every day.

On Saturday, my nephew Mark earned his MBA while working full-time. We celebrated his hard work and diligence. You can feel the joy on his face and it’s well deserved. The degree is an accomplishment, but who this young man is becoming as a person is much more important. A bright and purpose-filled future.

“Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.” – Abraham Joshua Heschel

“Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.” – Abraham Joshua Heschel

Whether a surprise visit, a graduation or a funeral, sacred moments surround us longing to be noticed, honored and taken in. We have 20/20 vision when it comes to problems and irritations, yet somehow we are blind to the gifts and blessings that remain faithful and ever present.

God’s ringing the door bell, crying with us at the funeral, cheering our victories as we foster and grow the gifts that He bestowed on each one of us. When we recognize, witness, fully participate and emerge ourselves in these moments, we show the gratitude and awe that is owed.

As we enter this most holy and sacred week, may we see with new eyes, hear with uncanny clarity and let the spirit that is born at Christmas enter our very being all year long, each day, each sacred moment.

Dec 18

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Stuck in the Mud

“There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.” – Carl Sandburg

We often get stuck in the mud of moments of turmoil and the dailyness of living, losing the 360 degree view. Whether longing for the past, worried about the future or thinking what’s happening now will last forever.

Surface over depth.

Being present in the moment gives us acute awareness of and appreciation for all that is, the entire three dimensional picture of blessings and challenges, vivid color and hues of gray, faith and doubt, light and dark.

Abundance over scarcity.

When stuck in the mud, keep moving, digging your way out so your world can come back into full height, width and depth of all that is in the now and the promise of all that is to come, little by little, step by step.

Delight over delusion.

“I made all my generals out of mud.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

“I made all my generals out of mud.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

Dec 13

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The Well

“God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.” – Voltaire

Left alone, our mind easily wanders to the desert. When our “well” is dry, we succumb to the desert. We give way too much power to our circumstances, allowing others to define us, putting us a box. Our outlook can only truly be changed from within.

When the well is running dry, we need to dig deeper to get to the springs of refreshing new waters. When filled inside, we are sustained and unmoved in the desert. Restored by an ever-filling well within, our circumstances no longer have the power to steal our joy.

Each day, actively and with focused intent, fill up with gratitude, play, laughter, reflection, encouragement, hard work and surrender. The desert suddenly becomes an oasis when we transform our thoughts and actions. Vibrant, abundant and overflowing.

Confident and steady, our renewed being, enters the day and all that comes fervently ready and open to see each encounter and interaction as an opportunity to tap into the well and share the abundance. We are so much deeper, wider and stronger than our circumstances. Fill the well.

Dec 11

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Discernment

“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” – C.G. Jung

The velocity of the last few weeks has been mind-bending, rather mind-numbing. On and off planes, in and out of meetings. Go, go, go. And I know I am not alone. Walking through airports, you see the angst and robot-like looks as people rush to the next thing, going through the motions, tired and worn.

In the midst of the speed and demands that we create in our life, we often convince ourselves that we are stuck and don’t have a choice. But we do have the power to make better decisions. And when we don’t feel like “casting light,” we must seek light to get filled back up again, to be whole.

Slow down for a few moments to gain a new and fresh perspective, allowing discernment to expose the blessings and joy in your life right now that long to be noticed, to be felt, to be shared. Move through the chaos without becoming chaos. Kindle the light, stoke the fire and in the middle of the darkness, seek light and cast it right back out again.

Dec 6

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In Not Of

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.” – Francis of Assisi

Without a foundation, roots, an anchor to a power and presence so much more immense than we can imagine, we are easily moved by the world. Tossed about by the storms, drifting aimlessly, lost.

We need to be in the world, but not of the world. To wake up every day, witness the worst of the world through the media and in our daily walk, and still choose hope and optimism. To stay soft when anger tries to harden us. To forgiven and let go. To let our heart trump our head. To release judgment and accept the grace of a peace that passes all understanding that has overcome the world. To be kind, when kindness is not extended in return. To simply, like a child, accept an unending unexplainable joy.

With God as the vine and each of us as the branches, we are called to fearlessly and confidently move out into the middle of a relentless and cynical world to cast love and light. The branches will be pulled, pushed, stretched and worn but never defeated or broken when rooted in the Vine.

In not of.

Nov 29

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Thin Ice

“There are times when the ground we stand on loosens and shifts. Sometimes we regain our footing. Sometimes we fall and get up. Sometimes what shifts is dramatic and sometimes subtle. Whatever the cause, each shift opens a different stance of being.” – Mark Nepo, The Endless Practice

As fall gives way to winter, we linger in the middle with one foot in what was and one foot in what is to come. The in between, the middle, thin ice time. Seasons, stages and transitions are guaranteed in this life. And we are called to move through them, no shortcuts, no skipping past, right through the messy  middle. And there’s a tipping point where we need to take the leap into what’s next, releasing what was or should have been.

“Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown.” – Soren Kierkegaard

“Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown.” – Soren Kierkegaard

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ Five Stages of Grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance – help us understand not only the grief that comes from the death of a loved one, but the grief we face as we die a thousand times to our ego, assumptions, expectations and control.

If we move through the stages, acceptance comes, allowing us to move confidently into what is meant to be. We let go so we can move forward to experience the world differently and our place in it.

And the angst of death of the familiar and comfortable gives way to the joy and release of birth of what’s next in our becoming and unfolding. The cold ground warms, the bud breaks through and then slowly and suddenly a beautiful flower blooms. Spring always comes at the right time.

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