Aligning with Grace

I have a few people I highly respect and whose judgment I trust. But I trust mine more... If I do not hear that "knock" or "Voice" that tells me to more forward - or in this direction instead of that - I don't budge. Sometimes, I do end up taking the road that was suggested - but maybe a year or so later - when I feel I am ready; when I have received the indication to do so. The only times I've had regrets or gotten myself into serious trouble, is when I DIDN'T trust my intuition. I was chatting with a friend earlier this week, and we both agreed that it was very important for us to follow the inner promptings and whispers of our hearts, and in fact, she suggested I write about this. But I must insert a caveat here, because following one's intuition does not imply we make decisions on a whim. For years I taught bioethics, and I always instructed my students that one could not go against one's conscience in making moral decisions. Howe...

I visited the river this morning for the first time in a week or so. As I arrived, the river was as calm as I've seen it in a while, teeming with a flock of sea gulls. The view was breathtaking, and I snapped a few photos with my inadequate phone camera. I walked down to the boat ramp and watched them, perched on the water, gliding effortlessly as if they were skating on ice. The water was so still I could see all the way down to the riverbed. Periodically, some would lift in flight, but a swath of them remained as if in constant vigil for something only known to them. Gradually, I made my way back up to the cliff where I normally do Loving-kindness meditation. I was able to spend a few minutes in this practice, before an older couple approached to marvel at the beautiful scene before them on this crisp but sunny morning. Normally, I just smile at people who walk by, but for some unexpected reason, we struck up a conversation and we began to talk about the sea gulls. The woman im...