Aligning with Grace

  If you are anything like me, you are probably easily triggered. By the silliest of things. Some of mine are: The noise my hard of hearing husband makes in the morning as I am trying to meditate. Or, towels that are not folded "correctly." Or, the overflowing neighborhood cars parked in front of my house. I'll fret over a hypothetical situation like - what if a workman is coming.to repair something that happened overnight? Where will he park? We all have thoughts and concerns that fill our minds - many of which we can't control - and others which we simply want to control all of the time. Sometimes I remind myself, that NO ONE appointed me Master of the Universe! A hard reality to swallow! But the reality is, that the things that upset us most about others are things we harbor within ourselves that need our attention and that we need to change. In other words, others hold up a mirror to where we need to do our own work to further our growth. A couple of days ago, as ...

Sometimes we must live, caught between one place and the other. Sometimes, we are unsure of where we are and how we feel - or where we are going. Sometimes, we must live, with a divided heart. The insight came to me, on my walk yesterday morning, as the day began to steam up. Why is it that we often feel divided? We can be divided within ourselves in so many ways: Divided in what we think - and the guilt that we have for thinking that way... In what we we want, as opposed to what we have... Where I work, and what I really want to do... Where I am, and where I want to be... Where I live, and where I want to go... Who I am with, and who I want to spend time with... Who I see, and who I yearn to be with... How I spend my time, and how I really would prefer to spend it... How things actually unfold in my life, and not how I wish they would do so... The choices I made, instead of the ones I really wanted to make... Why must we live with a heart and life divid...

Sometimes we are meant to be placeholders in time or in space...   Some of us are here to anchor energy and/or to send and shine light wherever it is needed...   It implies that one must constantly practice non-attachment and let go of expectations and we constantly receive invitations to do so through various life experiences.   When I visited the river early one morning this week, a dense fog blanketed the water's surface. As I prayed and meditated - bit by bit - the fog lightened and released it's essence into the sky. It was only then that the brilliant blue sky revealed itself in all its magnifence, occasionally punctuated by powdery white clouds.   There is much I could share about this week. It has been full and rich and not without its blessings and challenges. And throughout all of my experiences, I was granted profound insights... For example, I realized that often when we give of ourselves, our time, and resources, we do...

" There are moments you remember all your life." This is one of those moments." ~ Barbra Streisand, Yentl There are moments in your life when profound insights arrive unbidden... There are times when you are granted clarity... There are times when you are unexpectedly able to see your way through things, and everything makes sense... On my walk today, I suddenly realized, that even when we feel most apart from others, we are still one with them. This realization came as I crossed over from a path onto a bridge, and glanced down at words recently inscribed on a wooden plank: " You shall never walk alone." Yes, even when we feel most estranged from others - and feel most pained - whether that pain is rooted in a "real" or imagined slight, or event - or a misperception - we are not apart from them and their soul essence. Even in that experience and moment, there is a fundamental unity perhaps occluded, waiting to be discovere...

Sometimes, insights and answers come from unexpected places. They will come to us if we quiet the voices within that often drown out the stillness so that we can truly listen and take heed... Welcome insights and answers can come to us in messages we receive from friends - in an email, or a call, or a Facebook post, or simply through our observation and appreciation of the wild life all around us - or the beauty in flowers and vegetation. For the last several weeks on my walks, I have been invariably visited by exuberant robins manifesting out of heavy canopies of draping branches that then proceed to "walk"  on the path, right in front of me. They gayly hop a few steps forward, then slyly wait for me to catch up to them. I follow at a safe distance, until they decide to start hopping again. Sometimes we play out this little ritual for few minutes. So finally today, I decided to look up the meaning of robins on my favorite animal totem site: "A Robin totem will s...

Sometimes, we see things with new eyes... Sometimes, we feel things with a new heart... Sometimes, everything seems brand new - as if we stepped into a new life... Sometimes, everything makes sense... Sometimes, we can see the interconnections that join and support every living thing... Sometimes, we feel vibrantly alive - and even the colors all around us seem more vivid... Sometimes, time expands and the present moment becomes eternal, as if everything were standing in perfect stillness... Sometimes, these things happen, when we least expect it, and when they do - everything seems to be in entrainment with everything else in our lives, and with nature as well - as if rhythms were simply pulsing together... Sometimes, hearts beat in tandem... Sometimes, we are able to see and perceive everything with incredible clarity... Sometimes, the unity that is in all things is so wonderfully apparent in the diversity of all that surrounds us... Sometimes, the ordinary disc...

What I Learned on My Walk Today What works for me Is not right for you   What works for you Is not right for her   Each and every one of us Has a unique path Toward wellness, and Eventual enlightenment   That path is different For every living soul   For some, it may be a practice: Yoga, or meditation, A certain spiritual tradition Philosophical system, or Alternative therapy   For others it might be A lifestyle choice Or a dietary one— A decision to go gluten free Go raw or vegan   Most likely, Several choices And decisions Contributes to our health, And our well-being   Each one of us mirrors All that we have been At many times And in many places   What works for one— Does not work for another And no one has the right To impose their spirituality Or philosophical proclivities Or political persuasions On any other   We must find our own path— ...

I sleep in, for the first time in a while...The singing birds and gentle fall breeze kisses me awake... I make espresso and sit out on my deck, under the canopy provided by mighty oaks, poplars, and evergreens of all sorts, delighting in the moment... Two weeks ago, I visited a yoga teacher who had been mine for several years. I went at the behest of a dream the previous night. She too, had dreamed of me. There were more incredible details to this dream that miraculously drew us together again... Three days ago, we reunited again, for a private that was nothing less than a sacred meeting of souls. This gifted angel "saw" what I needed, and provided the needed support and assistance which both my soul and body needed... Interspersed with her sequencing and strong healing hands that gave me the right adjustments, were gems of wisdom, addressing what she observed, poetically flowing, like manna for my bruised spirit... "Find your breath! Find her! Say to yourself - 'Let...