Aligning with Grace

This is the time of year many of us go on vacation... We begin to slow down.... My favorite places to visit are religious or spiritual in nature - mostly connected to a spiritual titan of the past. I relish walking the same land and perhaps the same path that someone I hold in high esteem for their thoughts or insightful writings once walked. But don't get me wrong, I like a beach trip or a European trip as much as much as anyone else as well! For several years, at least before the pandemic, I loved going to Florida, where I went to college, to visit many friends, and relatives that live there. But I've especially enjoyed exploring places - or journeying deep inside of myself just as much as getting on a plane. Yes, I call it - taking a journey of the heart... Whether you go away this summer, or whether you are unable to venture forth, go on a pilgrimage of the heart, It doesn't take much or cost anything. Just some quiet time is all that is needed. And some stillness. A go...

There is no perfect practice. Read that again. There is no perfect meditation. Yes, read that again... Your practice is YOURS. It is unique. Your practice springs from the depths of your soul - your spirit - your heart. It is what you make it be. It is what nourishes you. What speaks to you and nourishes you - does not necessarily work for me. And that's okay. Because we are unique expressions of Spirit - of God - of the Universe - of Divine Love. We can certainly enrich each other's lives by sharing our practices or techniques that work for each other. For example, my friend Mary Davis at  Every Day Spirit  has her routine and I have mine. But we like to share them and talk about them. There are some things she does that I don't do at all. And guess what? That's okay! What works for one person, doesn't necessarily work for someone else. You getting the dr ift? I have a friend named Joe who plays golf practically every day. I know nothing about golf - except for wha...

Walking is a practice. Who knew? It can be a spiritual practice as well as a sacred time for the soul. Going for a walk can be a time to replenish your spirit, soothe your mind, and allow for your creative juices to flow. I often get so many amazing insights on my walks I can hardly wait to write them down! This beautiful spring morning, as I went on my walk, I admired the lushness all around me: green lawns, flowering dogwoods and redbuds - fresh on the heels of the majestic cherries in bloom recently. The birds were chirping all around me - having a party - cardinals, robins and a pair of blue jays, joyfully flying from tree to tree.   Why do I say that walking is a practice, and perhaps a sacred one at that? Because taking a walk is an invitation to dwell in the present moment. And that, is simply, the only time there is, and the only time we have. It is an invitation to experience mindfulness. Rather than rush through our day, we might find ourselves slowing down, and stopping ...

Yesterday was one of those magnificently beautiful spring days, and something told me to go out on a morning walk, which I don't normally do on a Sunday morning. I often take a path with a fork behind the houses where I live. One side leads to a pond I like to visit, and the other leads to a bridge over a vast expanse of marshes and beyond, usually visited by foxes, deers, owls, and other interesting characters. I decided on the pond... I had a lot on my mind - mostly good things - and when I came to the bench I usually sit on, I noticed the pond was empty. None of my duck or geese friends were about. I was a little disappointed. As I was sitting down, I noticed a small "post it" note that had been affixed onto the bench. The simple statement was meant for me. I know I was supposed to come down to read it: "Never let a stumble on the road, be the end of the journey." I smiled. Of course I thought it was meant for me. But it was really meant for...

" 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...