An Attitude of Gratitude

“...we can shape our attitude moment by moment. Accepting responsibility for this is a major step in our recovery.

“I will be aware of the thoughts and feelings that shape my words and actions today, and strive to promote joy and gratitude.” – In God’s Care, February 28, 2010

I find it so powerful focusing on that which I am grateful for. It easily and quickly connects me consciously with Source and opens my heart to self and others. It places me in a state of grace, receiving all the good gifts I can enjoy freely in life (of which there are so many), with life itself as the fundamental gift.

It seems that grace and gratitude work in concert with one another: as I feel gratitude, more grace comes to me. And once again in that grace, I feel so connected to Spirit, with much gratitude in my heart.

Thank You, God, for an attitude of gratitude and Your unending grace.

Loved and Protected

Yesterday I reconnected with this little girl, my inner child.

When I first saw her, I just wanted to hug her and hug her and hug her. She is so precious. We took a walk through a park, holding hands, swinging our arms, both with wide smiles on our faces and eyes twinkling. We had a grand time.

We had a photograph taken of us, the adult Joyce with the child Joycie snuggled together on the park bench clearly each full of joy and love.

And then it was time for us to part. She had a hard time with this. I reassured Joycie that I would be there for her in the days to come, apologizing for neglecting her in the past, as her parents had done. It was difficult to split for each of us, but with enough reassurances and plenty of hugs, Joycie was okay about going back to her house. She knows of my commitment to her now and that I will be there for her.

This morning during quiet time, Joycie and I met up briefly. This time I told her that not only could she count on me, but she also had God to rely on. She can’t lose now! She’s got me, and God, and her own strength, courage, and love too.

We are God's beloved today and always. We are in the strong and protected presence of God (adapted from Daily Word, Friday, February 26, 2010).

Seeing the Light

"I, Roger, promise to do my best to always see the Light in you. I promise to do my best to be your perfect shelter, where you can be reborn in safety and in peace."

"I, Joyce, promise to do my best to always see the Light in you. I promise to do my best to be your perfect shelter, where you can be reborn in safety and in peace."

Five years ago today, Rog and I spoke these words to one another at our wedding ceremony. It’s hard to imagine it’s been that short a time, that long a time – we’ve been together before, no doubt. It’s been quite an adventure, quite the journey, quite the learning. And, Spirit has surely been with us!

As we move ahead, may we continue to see the light in one another, to be a safe, loving, haven of peace. And, ideally that is how I’d like and hope every interaction and relationship of mine to be...

Happy 5th Anni, Honeybunch! Thank You, Spirit!

Waiting

Give me patience, Father, to wait for the blessings You’re sending my way. - Mary Lou Carney

I am already blessed with so much good in my life. I acknowledge that.

And, I still hold frustration around certain things. I know they are blessings too, at least starting out as lessons for me to learn. I’m sure they will prove even greater blessings down the road.

Dear God –
Grant me patience to learn what I need to learn as gracefully as I can, and to wait patiently for the even greater blessings coming from You, the Source of all.

Laughter

Daily Thoughts, From Daily Guideposts, February 24, 2010

A Time to Think
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. - E. E. Cummings

To Act
Find an opportunity for laughter whenever you can.

To Pray
Lord, when I'm weary and need refreshment, renew me with friendship and laughter.

Laughter is healing, laughter is upliftment, and laughter is surely fun. And, I clearly do not have enough of it in my life.

Last night I got the unexpected news that a dear friend of ours (and Bill W.’s) from Tucson, will be coming up to Sedona to visit today. I’m excited. For although a major part of his multi-day trip is to be in the Silence to contemplate and meditate about a recent disturbing event in his life, I know that we will laugh. For laughter and joy, along with spiritual and business conversation, has always been a part of our coming together. I suspect that shall be the case this time as well.

And, this time laughter will help bring healing, love, and faith to our friend who is in need of an extra dose of feeling God’s Presence. It will do the same for me as well.

Just For One Day

“God just for one day let me see only the good. Give me the eyes of faith, the heart of hope.” – Daily Guideposts, February 7, 2010

God just for one day let me be free of judgment. Let me see through Your eyes with love and understanding of my fellows, practicing compassion and mercy.

God just for one day let me be full of faith every second. Give me the courage and the strength to trust in You and Your Will.

God just for one day may I honor You and praise You first, and then ask for Your Help. Let me feel Your Love, Your Joy, Your Peace.

And, God, just for one day let me live in the Now, not the future nor the past. Let me truly live one day at a time.

Listen to the Pouring Rain

Here in Sedona it is raining once again. It would not be an exaggeration to say that in the four months we’ve lived here, the precipitation (it snows here too) has exceeded that which fell in all of my 6+ years of living in Gilbert! If you’re familiar with the Phoenix Metro area weather, you know this is quite likely.

But how apropos... As rain cleanses and nourishes, these past months have been about letting go of the old ways and beliefs, being cleansed that I may move into a new way of being. I have been tending my soul: singing regularly once again (in the Mystic Choir); participating in Unity of Sedona; being a member of a Gratitude Circle; venturing back into service activities; and, attending classes and events that are spiritually focused and invite awakening.

And on rainy/snowy days like this, it is more conducive to curl up with a good spiritual work and treat myself to some extra reading time than it had been when living in Gilbert.

I surely was living in the desert of central Arizona and now I am living in the lushness and beauty of Red Rock Country amid many souls actively waking up. I feel so blessed and grateful. Thank you, Rain – thank You, God!

Gratitude Circle

I have found my home at the weekly Gratitude Circle at Unity of Sedona I just recently started attending. I’ve been trying to figure out what makes it feel like home because the only other venue I feel this is close to is a 12 Step meeting.

Here’s the bottom line: sharing honestly, from the heart, about Spirit working in our lives as we strive to wake up, in a sacred space of openness and respectfulness of each one’s path.

I’m quite often surrounded by intellectualism and not much expression of experiencing and feeling God’s Grace. Although the vast majority of people in my life are spiritual and on a conscious path, it seems to me we don’t often talk from the heart about our experience. Missing are the tales of synchronicity, miracles, "oh shits" turned into blessings. I could sit around 24/7 listening to people share about this stuff. This was what I was hungering for before I joined 12 Step program almost 20 years ago, and it is what I hunger for still. Connection. To people, to Spirit.

This kind of meaningful, heartfelt talk and sharing of the journey opens me up to God and to the connection between us spiritual beings having this human experience. There’s this heart bond. In 12 Step program our bond is that we share a common malady that is solved by coming to believe in a Power greater than ourselves and then we put our faith and gratitude into service, into action; we are graced even more.

Sitting in a sacred circle of gratitude hearing experience, strength, and hope makes me feel like one heart, like One.

Gratitude

As I prepare to leave for my weekly Gratitude Circle meeting, I’m beginning to think about what I’m grateful for. And, I’m thinking that these days it seems that remembering gratefulness does not seem particularly natural. That is, it seems that I really need to pause and be conscious to take the time to review the blessings in my life, that I don’t often feel that ‘on the spot’ gratitude that I have often felt.

It is helpful that I now have a weekly meeting in my schedule where the focus is on gratitude. It opens my heart to hear others express their sentiments and it jump starts my own contemplation.

Expressing gratitude is an additional way that I feel closely connected to Source. So in these days of late where my ego is often churning 24/7 and my inner peace is not as consistently present as I would like, hearing and sharing on gratitude is an extra precious gift to me. And, it seems that once I start making a gratitude list (verbal or written), it snowballs and grows to practically no end.

Dear Great Mystery-
Thank You for all Your many blessings and for the feeling of gratitude towards them and You. Both enrich my life infinitely and eternally.

Within

Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith. - Henry Ward Beecher

I’ll take hold of tomorrow with faith.

Better still, I will remain in the present, and feel God within me now.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spiritual Contracts

I have a friend who talks a lot about spiritual contracts.

My understanding is that a spiritual contract is the agreement between two souls to get together in a future lifetime to learn and grow together. It may be for business, love, familial, etc. experiences. And, my understanding is that once the contract has been fulfilled, each party is free to move on.

I think this concept is an interesting one and a most plausible explanation for the reason why some of the people who once were such a prominent part of my life are no longer in it at all.

Take for instance my friend, Gloria. We met in college and she became like a sister to me, the one I never had. We partied, ‘man-hunted’, shared life together in many ways. She married my favorite brother, and was a primary relationship in my life for most of 33 years. Then almost overnight she was gone.

One might say our relationship couldn’t survive her divorce after 25 years of marriage to my brother. Or that she was so overwhelmed from exhaustion and grief over the ten-year battle her ‘baby’ sister waged against cancer that she was a big part of. Or that she truly couldn’t forgive me for something she had imagined as a transgression of trust. Or... the stories could be endless, and I don’t suspect I’ll ever know what happened (although ‘the door is always open').

The idea that we had a spiritual contract that had been fulfilled makes a lot of sense to me. We had our time together, full of laughter, tears, confidences, etc. She was the very first person (in a platonic sense) aside from the few hugs I had received by some relatives, who embraced hugging as a natural phenomenon. She taught me its importance both emotionally and physically; she taught me about love.

I’m so grateful that Gloria was able to attend my wedding and help celebrate my finally finding The Man, the life partner I had so yearned for and that she was so well aware of since our college days. She was out of my life within my first year of marriage.

I can think of other folks who have come into my life, taught me some important lessons and vice versa I’m hoping, and then vanished. I’ve long since gotten over the pain of their departure and now the idea of spiritual contracts closes the door on questions of ‘why?’

Dear Spirit of the Most High-
Thank You for the people who agreed to meet me back here for another round of life learning and love. Bless them, bless them, bless them.

Prosperity

“True prosperity is about spiritual wealth. It's about knowing that my true source is not my employer, my partner or my parent. God is the source of my greatest good.

“When I am aware of the ever-flowing wisdom and grace of God's spirit, I cannot help but create prosperity in all areas of my life--in my relationships, my health, my wealth. As I focus on the Truth, abundance flows. I am rich in all ways, and I am grateful.” – Excerpt from Daily Word, Tuesday, 02.16.10

Once again it is written that God is to be the focus of my life. And why not?! If Spirit is the One Source and One Presence, surely It is worthy of my attention! More specifically, I am really nothing without God - literally, God breathes life into me.

When I keep my thoughts staid on Thee, life flows and, with it, abundance. Prosperity shows up in many forms. I must remain open to receiving God’s blessings, I must surrender my ego at the door.

May I keep my thoughts staid on Thee as I walk through this day of distractions of all sorts, which are ego’s attempts at keeping me separate from You and my fellows. Regardless of appearances, You are my Source and prosperity abounds. Thank You, thank You, thank You. And, so it is.

The Look of God

Although my parents were not religious and I became a devout atheist at a young age, I nevertheless grew up with this visual as God as an anthropomorphic being.

Like many in the predominant Judeo-Christian culture of America, God was this huge man with a long white beard. And, in my mind, He sat on a throne, looking down, passing judgment on humans and instilling fear in them. Even as a young child I never ‘got’ how a Being who I had been told was supposed to be all powerful, all knowing, and all loving, could also be a punishing One. This contributed to my not believing in God.

Thanks to page 12 in the book Alcoholics Anonymous, where the novel idea of choosing one’s own conception of God was proposed, I came to believe. And in choosing my own belief in an all powerful, all knowing, and all loving Being - a God of my understanding -, the face of God changed. And changed... and changed.

These days God is Spirit, Higher Power, The Great Mystery, and known to me by many other names. Its look is usually not anthropomorphic, except perhaps when Spirit takes on human form as an angel in my life. The look of God is fluid for me – but the qualities are not.

So while I may sometimes visualize my Higher Power as this great energy field, a huge wonderful wave washing over me, or all of Nature surrounding me, God remains eternally all powerful, all knowing, and all loving.

I’ve also come to know many other wonderful qualities of Mother Father God: great Comforter, ultimate Listener, peaceful, Helper, Companion, interested only in my highest good, and, of course, always with me.

Since my early days as a child, I’ve sure come a long way in my relationship with God. It’s the ultimate journey of my life and one I’m glad I didn’t miss.

So Much Help

There isn't anything that I cannot be or do or have, and I have a huge Nonphysical staff that's ready to assist me, and I'm ready. - Abraham (Excerpted from the 01.12.97 #351 Boca Raton, FL workshop)

Yes, I am ready!

Today I move forward in my spiritual growth through my intention, action, and help of the unseen beings who are only too eager to assist me to higher and higher levels of awakening and peace.

I am so grateful. Thank You, all. Thank You, Spirit. Namaste.

Love

There are all kinds of love, but the ultimate love is that of God.

I am grateful for Spirit’s unconditional love, unlimited, unrestricted, always present. When I and the humans in my life fall asleep and falter in our loving capacity, I know that I can rely on the Source of all to heal me and wake me up once again.

Attending a gratitude meeting yesterday, I was touched by other’s shares. Hearing others’ expressions of gratitude is always a great mechanism for opening up my heart. It is a way Spirit heals me and wakes me up once again to the love that I truly am. Yesterday was no exception.

Today Rog and I created a love altar based on Vastu Shastra, the sacred Vedic science of architectural alignment that combines all the five elements of nature (earth, water, air, fire, space) to balance and remove obstructions to life-supporting energy in order to receive the support of nature to assist in unfolding one’s full potential. Through this exercise, I felt Spirit at work, opening my heart, waking me up again to that which is my true essence, love.

Help Me

Good morning, God, Holy Spirit, angels, spirit guides, elements, elementals, and all those interested in my upliftment –

My prayer today is “Help me!”

God: Help you with what?

Me: Help me with everything in my life! Help me with my relationships, my finances, my physical health, my mental being. Above all, help me clear and strengthen my connection with You.

And, let’s not forget: please help me to manage my time, to be peaceful regardless of appearances, to have mercy, and to forgive.

God's World

In God’s economy, nothing is wasted. – Bill W.

This is one of my favorite sayings. Remembering it has lifted me from despair for it filled me with hope knowing that there is a purpose to everything.

And, in a different vein, this saying has come to mind, for instance, when I’d gone astray in a new locale or on a project. Later on the knowledge picked up from that ‘accidental’ experience helped handily in a current situation – and brought a smile to my face as I thought of God’s hand in the situation, making sure that nothing was wasted.

Nothing is wasted in God’s economy for everything has meaning and purpose. For me, this is another way of stating that everything is a blessing.

And so it truly is in God’s world.

Thursday Morning Prayer

Dear God-
Thank You for this day... As I go out into it, may I feel Your peace, may I feel Your love pouring though me, and may it flow from me onward to others. May I know that You are always just a breath away – indeed, You are that breath within me.

I am never alone to meet any challenge the day poses, to rejoice in the blessings You give me. You are my world. May we together keep it bathed in the sunlight of the Spirit.

Thank You, thank You, thank You for this day You have given me so that I may heal and make a difference.

For Good

“Your world is between your own two ears. Everything that you create, you create in your head. You have a choice whether you want it to be good or bad. But remember, the universe is always trying to bring you good.”
- From An Angel Named Terry, a personal story by Brian Espy

“The Universe is always trying to bring good.” What a great reminder! When I muck things up, I must remember that the natural order is for good, for balance, harmony, and peace.

And, any time I forget and stray, I can turn over all my concerns to God. My world may be in my head, but thank heavens Spirit is there with me!

Just Do What You Do

Neglect not the gift that is in thee... - I Timothy 4:14

“What is God asking you to give today? It may be large or small, but one thing is certain: It’s something only you can give.” – By Roberta Messner (From today’s Daily Guideposts)

Well, I easily and naturally give hugs. And, I’m quick to help someone with computer-related issues. I consider myself a good listener and empathetic. But, what is it that is uniquely me, that no one else can give? My singing voice, my wit, my wisdom?

Perhaps it’s sharing my experience, strength, and hope. I’ve led an interesting and unique life considering my roots and the fact that I’m a woman. I’ve developed a philosophy of life that has served me and my fellows well.

So maybe it’s simply telling my story of how I came to believe in a Power greater than myself that could relieve me of the insanity of my life, not just in the area of my eating disorder, but in other unhealthy relationships as well. I know that I love sharing about what my life used to be like, what happened, and what it’s been like since I developed a relationship with the God of my understanding. And, I know it has been a service and a blessing to many of those who’ve heard it.

I’ve said that if I accomplished nothing else in this lifetime, shedding the atheist persona and coming to believe in Spirit and acting in accordance with that belief has been plenty.

So along with hugging, listening, and being empathic, I guess just doing what I do means being one of God’s poster children demonstrating how Spirit works in one’s life. It’s an example of healing and waking up to all that each of us truly is.

Transformation

Although I was not acquainted with Brugh Joy while he graced this earth, since his passing in December 2009, I’ve been introduced to him and his work in heart centered transformational healing and spiritual enlightenment.

A practice he taught to embrace the changes in one’s life are known as the Three Injunctions:
- Make no comparisons
- Make no judgments
- Delete the need to understand

People often complain about change, but that is the only thing certain about life. And, change makes us know that we are alive, moving forward, and not stagnated. While it seems to be the case that humans need to reach bottom in order to wake up, and that it is often accompanied by suffering, practicing these injunctions help to positively move through changes that are most challenging.

And, speaking from experience, like so many others, I know the more extreme the situation, the greater my spiritual growth has been. For instance, reaching bottom with my eating disorder and finally seeking a solution was a life altering experience. My disorder was not only arrested, but my life was enhanced “beyond my wildest dreams.” It was the beginning of my waking up, and I “came to believe” in a power greater than myself, connecting with a God of my understanding.

In essence, I learned Dr. Joy’s injunctions in my 12 Step work years ago. Practicing them has served me well and continued awareness will hold me in good stead as I move my life forward in this ever-accelerating world of change.

Flexibility

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. - Anonymous

In this fast changing world, with way too much stimuli for my brain, being flexible is a valuable trait. Like a tree swaying in the wind in order not to snap, it behooves me to stay light and breezy in this heavily-burden world of physicality.

Still, there are areas in which being flexible is not an asset. I must be steadfast and unwavering in my faith and trust in God, my Source.

In God's Care

In the Silence, sitting upright with my feet flat on the floor in my office, I imagine roots flowing from my soles extending deep into Mother Earth... Deep, deep, deep. Ahhh... Connected.

I get to thinking how I suppose it is evident that as far back as I can remember I’d hoped that someone, somebody would take care of me. And, you know what? Not one man ever did!

I suppose this expectation, perhaps yearning, stems from my very early childhood days. With three sibs (two sets of twins all together), a dad busy working trying to feed six mouths, a mom whose own mom died when she was 18 months old due to complications arising from birthing her, etc., it was difficult to feel cared for.

Sitting in the Silence, feeling the roots flowing from my soles extending deep into Mother Earth, I realize that I AM cared for. God takes care of me with every breath I breathe, every millisecond of this life, all lives past and any more to come, whatever the dimension, whatever the world.

I am a child of God, of no one else. And, I am in God’s care always.

The Breath

A client came into the office early yesterday morning already experiencing a rough day and acting a bit snarly. I suggested she take a deep breath. I’m not sure she did, but as I made the suggestion, I noticed I did! Instantly, I felt myself relax and feel more balanced.

When the ego is running around in the cage of my head, especially when I’m (meditating), focusing on my breath is a sure way for me to get centered. It sure feels great!

I take a deep, conscious breathe to relax, focus, stay in the Now, and thereby connect with Spirit. There is no limit to how often and how long I do this. The more, the better I’m sure my mental, emotional, spiritual, and even my physical body would agree.

A warm cup of chamomile tea: $2.49 - A deep breath: priceless!

Empowering Gratitude

We empower ourselves every time we accept responsibility for choosing the thoughts and feelings we act on. - In God’s Care, February 4, 2010

Thinking about what I am grateful for is a wonderful (and quick) way for me to align with Spirit and thereby empower myself.

So here’s what I’m grateful for this very morning:

- Spending quiet time with God, my Higher Self, guides, angels, and all the other beings interested in my upliftment
- Early morning ’kawfee’ time with Rog in our rustic candlelit living room
- The divine spark within that is growing stronger every day
- My robust health physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually
- My front crown remaining secure and staying on!
- My newfound friend, client, and personal healer
- Interesting clients and creative work
- Money flowing in more steadily
- Unity of Sedona people and events
- An array of friends who are waking up alongside me

And, most of all, my gratitude list must always include knowing and feeling I am never alone, for God is always with me.

Thank You, Spirit, for all You have blessed me with. I look forward to the future blessings You have in store for me.

Watering My Soul

Scott Walker tells the story of purchasing his favorite flowering plant, the hibiscus. He bought it during the summer, placed it on his patio, and without any effort on his part, it was nurtured by rain and his sprinkler system. It grew rapidly, and was lush with rich green leaves and bright trumpet blossoms.

Brought into his sunny breakfast room to protect it from the cold in the winter, the hibiscus was not automatically water. Scott forgot to water it and soon the hibiscus wilted, its leaves yellowed, and it was falling to the floor. He was ready to toss it into the garbage can, but as he passed the kitchen sink, he decided to try watering the hibiscus to give it one last chance. Soon the water brought the plant back to a flourishing life.

Scott recounts “This morning, as I sat at the breakfast table and looked at the hibiscus, it occurred to me that when I haven’t attended to my spiritual life, it begins to wilt and wither, and only prayer can bring back its vitality and rekindle its hope. If, in the midst of winter, I’ve allowed the frost to touch my soul, I cannot wait one more day to water it with prayer.”

How true Scott’s lesson is. I must nourish and tend to my soul regularly. It takes conscious effort on my part - it cannot be automatically fed and no one else can do it. When I take time to nurture my spirit through practice of prayer, meditation, reading, and helping others, I thrive and my life gets better and better.

Listening

I strive to be a good listener when someone is talking to me. That entails being attentive and focused, not thinking of how I will respond or making judgments or being somewhere else. To be a good listener for someone is a loving, respectful act.

It’s also an honorable act. When I am attentive, I’m honoring that person - and God. For God sends messages and information in many ways, and through the words of humans is a prolific format.

What fun it is to be alert to God’s words when face-to-face with another human being! What an opportunity to bless one another! Who knows what I will hear from God as I serve another by fully listening with my ears, my mind, and my heart?...

Dear Spirit -
Make me a channel of clear two-way communication in the presence of others, and in the Presence of You and Your unseen helpers.

Primary Purpose

Just sit there right now. Don’t do a thing. Just rest. For your separation from God is the hardest work in this world. – Hafiz

This waking up business can be pretty tricky and challenging. The idea of unity with Source and of course with other people is great, but it’s often not simple or easy to think or behave in accordance with it. Waking up is my primary purpose and I cannot do it alone - obviously.

What a wonderful assurance this is: "Let there be light." What a blessing it is to know that the light of God is within me, day and night, in good times and in challenging times. One with God, I face each day with confidence. – Daily Word, 01.31.10