Aligning with Grace

This time of year is often referred to as the High Holy Days by my Jewish sisters and brothers. Though I am not Jewish, I love many of the traditions and rituals of this season, especially those dealing with atonement, reconciliation, and forgiveness. It reminds me of the Sacrament of Reconciliation which I grew up with in my own tradition. Recently, I was reminded in a reading, that the Talmud calls for the expression and offering of no less than 100 blessings a day! So many traditional Jewish prayers are in fact blessings of one sort or another. To offer 100 prayers in a day may seem daunting. But if we considered blessing everything that we laid our eyes on during the course of our day, it might become easier than we thought possible... Bless every person you come across in a day. Take it one step further, and bless every sentient creature and being. Bless the bees for their function and how they contribute to the pollination of our food. Ble...

Messages come in many ways - if we have the ears to listen, the eyes to see, and the heart to feel... I receive several of them on a walk this week, and it has taken me days to reflect on them and explore their meaning for me... The day is beautiful - cool, crisp, and lit up by a brilliant blue, and cloudless sky. I am anxious to get going and commence my daily litany of prayers, meditations, and dialogue with the Other Side... Almost immediately, I am stopped by a beautiful doe several feet in front of me. I glanced to look at my feet momentarily - and when I looked back up - there she was, seemingly having materialized out of thin air. I look at her - and she peers at me very intently. I begin to speak to her - heart to heart and soul to soul. She listens, and almost seems to nod, and then takes a few steps toward me. I do not move, afraid of scaring her away, so we continue our dance of beholding one another and communicating silently. She moves off to the side, grac...