Dec 30th.
I believe in the Trinity. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit
I believe we all have our place here on this planet, as part of the balance of all things. We follow our chosen path; we are given choices and as we choose are path continues. If we choose unwisely the good news is we get to choose again till we get it right. Once that lesson is learned, then it is on to the next one.
I believe that every experience good and bad is for a reason. The good ones it’s easy to figure out, the bad ones are so you can help another going through the same thing sometime in the future. I didn’t know this when some of the more amazingly shitty things were happening, but as I got older I put the knowledge to use. I am happy I was able to take the hit, to help another. It shaped me, and helped me grow.
I believe that as God is the Father, that earth is the Mother. She is alive and nurtures us tends to our physical needs, of food, water and energy. Just as we need to keep healthy, so does She. And so we will pay the price for being the pimple on her butt if we don’t get our shit together.
I believe that although I do not appear to be a proper Christian there is a reason for that as well. Many folks believe that if you don’t act a certain way, and present yourself as proper church going Christian, you are not worth of the Gift of Salvation. I have learned that the pure of heart aren’t always the quiet and subdued. Some are bolder, crude and willing to stick their neck out to help, share and protect those that can’t.
I believe that evil is not sadness, anger or guilt. Evil is the lack of hope. The only way we can fall by the wayside is if we give up hope. Hope is the reason for faith. When we give up hope, we are ripe for the darker thoughts to appear, to decide we deserve that ugliness and sadness. To sell your soul, for foolish appearances or gain is fleeting, as it never lasts, and is quickly taken away to open the void to allow another false promise in the name of hopelessness. It is a vicious circle that can only be stopped when you realize your own self-worth, and know that no matter what you have done, who you have harmed, or what you have fouled, you can be redeemed.
The Hopeless
.And as you enter the state of darkness, and feel it wind its way through the pours in your skin,
You don the cloak of despair, with its weight your shoulders slump
You nearly fall to your knees, but you hold.
You welcome this place because unlike the rest of the world, where the stock market rises and falls,
The seasons change, even your moon waxes and wanes,
This place stays constant.
You find comfort in the discomfort,
Comfort in the knowing that no matter what happens with the grander emotions,
These dark friends always remain the same.
And as you embrace and surrender to the dark,
You get used to your old world,
Just as you find the place where numbness begins,
You feel a nudge.
Your conscious mind might not notice to but the subconscious does.
Then it happens again, a little more intense, like a pull.
Then again, more and more frequent, no rhythm, no warning,
You slap it way like a pesky fly, but it continues.
It gets more intense then stops for a while,
Just when you sigh in relief that it is gone, it starts again.
Your frustration has found a place to go,
Your fury turns to rage,
As you are engulf in your anger and pain
Through clinch teeth you utter your venomous implied threat,
“Leave me the **** alone”.
And all is silent for a moment while you await your response
On the whisper of the wind it comes,
“Forgive me, but I can’t."
"I am not done with you yet”.
God loves us, but sometimes we forget, or we get on the wrong path. We have to remember it’s all about hope. Hope we share, from one soul to the other. Sharing hope costs nothing, just as one candle can light another without extinguishing its flame so can we light hope for our brothers and sisters. Just by touching our light to another. What a wonderfully simple notion that truly is. Hope is an everyday need, just knowing someone cares, and you have a place in this world can get you through almost anything
I believe that each person has the right to be fulfilled, and we all are right where we are supposed to be. The answer becomes apparent in time. But not our time.
I also believe in Miracles. Have you ever notice that on the eve of a miracle there is a birth…or rebirth as the case may be. For the original birth I must say I have always felt every new life an amazing miracle. What are the odds of DNA chains matching up so perfectly, the protein chains linking to form a life? Just change on peptide, one connection and you have a whole different life.
This time of year we look back to see how far we have come. We see the trauma’s first, and I would think that is a human trait. Have you ever notice that on the eve of a miracle there is a birth…or rebirth as the case may be, but if you don’t see the trauma you totally miss the miracle.
I have a story to tell you. I grew up near here in Yuba City. My friends and I have scattered a bit. I recalled that one of them is chronically ill. I had just received my Reiki III attunement and decided she needed to see me. I went and worked on her some, she had mentioned she wanted to start tai chi and I told her I would find a place. Then she told me that one of our other friends was in town, I called a couple more from the old gang and we met and had lunch. I hadn’t seen a couple of these ladies in close to 30 years, yet it the comfort was still there and the conversation flowed. We all met again a couple weeks later, partied like we were teenagers, then drug our weary butt’s home.
The Tai Chi class I found was through Marisela. And it was her that brought me to this church. It was this church that unknowingly helped me through one of the hardest times of my life.
This year January 16th, my divorce was final. I had sequestered myself, quieted my life for six months, healing, trying to get a handle on my life. Not much different that my original birth, this rebirth was the same, traveling down a foreign road, not understanding what was at the end of the journey, the light changed, life changed, no warmth, no security, flopped into the world, with no knowledge how to proceed. My best friend died that same day; January 16th will always have meaning for me. It was that day I decided to jump back into life. My attitude was that lets see what’s going to happen, what’s out there kind of thing. The world opened up for me like a flower. My rebirth was complete and it was time to get back into life. We go through rebirth often, every time our lives change, change in such a way you wake up in the morning and for a while you forgot it changed, then that feeling in the pit of your stomach hits and you “remember” that everything is different now. Sometimes we scream and cry, shake our fist at God, angry for what was taken or changed. God just waits, you hurl foul insults, scream like a new born and He waits. Still you sob, banging your fist, indignation at how a being so omnipotent could allow these things to happen. And still He waits. Finally you beseech him in the voice of a child, and finally you ask, God, what I do. Then you feel his smile and His light hits you. He gently gets you back on course, He helps you, gives you clues.
It is this guidance we feel when we ask spirit what to do, how to grow, what needs to be done. When on the right path the light shines beautifully, when we wonder off, or turn to ego, things change. You can’t feel the smiles of the children; you can’t see the beauty in your life. After you are humbled yet again, and filled with grace, it all feels right again. We are all on a journey here, every person on the planet, seeking our way, or settling in a comfortable day to day routine. There is no right way for all people, and all paths are necessary. I have said before we all have a piece of the puzzle, and I still feel that way.
So we are staring down the beginning of the New Year! I love New Years. I have always been self-employed; I don’t play well with others at times J so I have always felt that if I made it to New Year’s everything would be okay. The New Year is a time of hope, changes and personal growth. Many people make New Year’s resolutions. Most times they last just a couple of weeks, but I think I have found a solution!
What if you wrote your new year’s resolutions like a bucket list!
Go to MT Shasta
Watch the whales
Learn a new language
Lose 5 pounds
Snorkel on the barrier reef
Adopt a turtle
Go skydiving
Lose 5 pounds
Take an underwater basket weaving class
Hike the Pacific Rim trail
Lose 5 pounds
The thing about bucket lists is we do the one opportunity brings us first and the ones we can afford. J We can always afford to lose 5 pounds hahahaha
I want to share with you the entire Optimists creed
The Optimist’s Creed
Read the words, take them into your heart and mind. Repeat, both as you get up and right before you go to bed, each day for 22 days. If you miss a day, start your 22 days over the next day.
If it is more convenient for you, print it out and put it in a prominent place like your bathroom mirror.
In 22 days, it will be a powerful tool and become the most brilliant magnet for magnificence and joy in your life.
I commit…
To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.
To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile
In them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet.
To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the
presence of trouble.
To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great
deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.
The Optimist Creed was written in 1912 by Chistian D. Larson, appearing in his book "Your Forces and How to Use Them. Optimist International adopted it as their creed in 1922. Many have found inspiration in The Optimist Creed. In hospitals, the creed has been used to help patients recover from illness. In locker rooms, coaches have used it to motivate their players.
A quote from that book:
"We are here to become great men and women, and with that purpose in view, we must eliminate
everything in our religion and philosophy that tends to make the human mind a dependent weakling. If you would serve God and be truly religious, do not kneel before God, but learn to walk with God, and do something tangible every day to increase the happiness of mankind. This is religion that is worthwhile, and it is such religion alone that can please the Infinite."
--p. 184-5, "Your Forces and How to Use Them"
Seems like this time of year we want to stay as confident as possible, but many have a hard time. Most of it has to do with relationships, how we view ourselves, and how we view others.
Love yourself first and most.
Simple phrase, but so very hard to do. When we truly accept ourselves for who we are that includes the parts we don’t like, the things we have done that we cannot change, the things done to us we feel were unfair, or unkind. We over compensate by indulging ourselves and then saying, see I love me, look what I have done to make myself happy. Or we undercompensate by saying I don’t deserve to be happy, so all is going as it should. Some do both.
When you get tied up in knots over someone else’s life, it’s a good indication it’s time to pay more attention to your own.
We smile and say, it’s only because I care. But when it over rides your ability to look at your own life, you are doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. Of course you really care, but we can only do so much, we are human after all. People need to make their own mistakes, find their own way. We do readings, find insights and such, but we can’t really fix anything. We listen, offer what we think will sooth or perhaps enlighten, but in truth we can really do little, it is up to the recipient to fix the issue at hand. You can tell a lot about a person you are trying to help, they come to you in times of strife, but it’s those that really let you in that come to you when times are good as well.
People judge us by what we feel are our own inadequacies
This concept is a marvel to me. We may be in truth doing fine, but if we feel we should do more, others do to. Think about this. If we felt confident in who and what we are, how can anyone judge us? Yet we “secretly” know we can do better, or should have. It is no secret. If you feel you have a flaw and are constantly trying to over compensate for that flaw, people pick this up. But look at yourself with fresh eyes, see that what you do is the best thing, or the best you can and IT’S OKAY.
The year is new, the joys to come
The offer fresh, and free for some
We slip we slide to make our way
We honor life anew each day
As beating hearts, and flesh and bone
We seek our truth, we seek alone
There is no time, we aren’t too late
There is only love, no room for hate
So glimpse the sound, hear the light
We are where we should be, and all is right.
I wish for you all to have the best year in 2013, full of just enough opposition you are challenged, and enough light to you know you are loved.
The prayer
Hi God, here we are, eagerly readying for the joys and sorrows of the New Year. We accept the opportunity of any rebirth that comes our way, as with every rebirth we emerge wiser, stronger, and brighter than before. We ask that you help us see the way to share the light, to bring hope to the world, and we hope that everyone feels the love that is available to us all. In Jesus name, Amen
