Be True

Once I wrapped a finger-shaped crystal with bubble wrap, and then I stuck small fish hooks all over the outside of the bubble wrap. I did this to illustrate that in the heart of us is purity, where Light lives. But that Light gets blocked by what we wrap around and allow to hook us. These "hooks" make us behave in ways that mask the truth of who we are.

Do you know what your hooks are? Whatever pulls you out of being the person you truly are--the one you want to--be the one that makes you happiest--is a hook.

Sometimes being true to myself is uncomfortable. It makes me face unpleasantness, be honest, and take action. It might make others uncomfortable. Sometimes it means I won't be doing what everyone else is doing. But oh, the exhilaration that follows as I realize I've been true to myself!

Maybe, just for today, you could slip out of the bubble wrap and simply be true to yourself.

You write it:  What will you do today that is true to yourself?

Rewrite the Script

When we are young, we learn patterns of thinking and feeling that, unless we intervene, can direct the rest of our lives.

One of my old scripts was that I didn't get the emotional support and encouragement I needed from my mother, so it was difficult for me to trust women and I had few female friends.

Then one day I wrote about all the women who had helped and encouraged me along the way:  a neighbor, a teacher, a church leader, a boss, a colleague. I was getting what I needed all along. Then I began to appreciate all that my mother had actually done for me.

Thus, I rewrote my script. Today I have many female friends, and I've learned to trust women. I've also learned to meet my own emotional needs. Friends simply enrich my life.

You write it:  What old script would you like to rewrite? Where will you begin?

Love Encompasses All

Recently I've written about people I know who forgave betrayal and reclaimed their marriage, taking love to a new level.

Love encompasses all.

I have such a strong tendency to decide who's right, who's wrong, what's good and not. Thus I separate and segregate the ingredients that make up life.

But the truth is, God loves the soup.

So just for today, I ask my judgmental voice to relax and allow me to savor the flavor of this imperfect, exquisite life. 

All of it.

The Power of Love

She was beautiful and accomplished; he was handsome, funny, and successful. Together, they had a beautiful family.

Imagine her shock when he told her he was in love with another woman and wanted a divorce. She felt, in her words, as if "someone had shaken the jar that was my life and then placed it upside down."

Pushing beyond her anger, disappointment, self righteousness, and hurt, she decided, "I love our family, and I want to keep my marriage."

That decision began a process of healing for both of them. It took time, but today, although their lives aren't perfect, together they have a beautiful family and enjoy their lives.

omeday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, and gravity, mankind will harness for God the energy of love. Then, for the second time in the history of the world, we will have discovered fire.  Teilhard de Chardin   

You write it:  What in your life needs love? What do you need to push beyond? What are you willing to do?

What Do You Do?

My question to her was, "How did you forgive him?" She had just told me the story of her husband's affair with one of her good friends.

A devout Catholic, she answered, "I went into the chapel, heartbroken. I asked God to remove my hurt and resentment and make it possible for me to forgive them." When at long last she arose and walked out of the church, she was free.

She is still married to her husband and maintains a friendship with the unfaithful friend.

As I think of the emotional storm my friend and her marriage survived, I am reminded of another story about Judge Harold Medina, who presided over the communist trials during the McCarthy era. One day the courtroom erupted and several angry defendants charged the bench.

"In all that excitement, I felt just as calm as I do now when I speak to you; I did not raise my voice over the tone which you hear me use now. . . . I tell you . . . that my unguided will alone and such self-control as I possess were unequal to this test. If ever a man felt the presence of Someone beside him, strengthening his will and giving him aid and comfort, it was I on that day."

These two stories I've just related are remarkably different. Or are they?

You write it:  When something in your life erupts and threatens what you hold dear, what do you do?

Transition

Today our first granddaughter left for college. How can that be?

I saw her take her first breath--heard her first cry--watched her through the joys and pains of childhood and confusion of adolescence. 

Today she opens a door to a bigger world of possibility. 

Grant her confidence, peace, assurance, and success in a happy college life.

You write it:  What is your prayer today for someone you love who is in transition?

Facing Challenges

Recently I met a woman who lost her husband many years ago to an unusual accident when he was in his 50's. At the time, she had breast cancer.

Over the next few years, she trekked the Himalayas (something she and her husband had talked about doing), drove in a camper through the western United States, and ended up in Sedona, where she thought she would die soon.

Every day she hiked around Bell Rock. Instead of dying, she lived. Then she opened a medical practice for the second time in her life and practiced medicine for another fifteen years until she decided to retire. 

Now in her late 70's, what is noticeable about this woman today is her smile. Today when I saw her, she was undeniably radiant.

You write it:  What challenges are facing you? What will you do?

Whisper Time

This is a whisper time of my life. The shouted demands of young family and career are silent. The inner, urgent voice for more, faster, sooner is still.

The whisper that is rising is exquisite:  Appreciation for pasta sauce that I made myself--for sunset and sunrise--for simply spending time with someone I love--for the peace of an overcast day.

You write it:  How would you describe this time of your life?

New Standards

In the past, I've measured my success by what and how much I got done.  Recently I've chosen new standards. At the end of the day, I ask myself:

• Did I reach out to call or visit with a friend? Or make a new one?
• Was I respectful of myself and others, even those with whom I disagree?
• Did I treat myself well with diet, rest, exercise, and spiritual practice?
• Did I challenge my mind through reading or other new learning?
• Was I kind, calm, and loving?
• Did I do something just for fun?
• Did I set good boundaries, focusing on what is my business and letting everything else go?

You write it: At the end of the day, how do you measure your success?

Let It Be

Lyrics from a Beatles' song have been floating through my head:  Let it be. Let it be. Let it be. Let it be. There will be an answer. Let it be.

So much of my life has been devoted to trying to fix things that weren't the way I thought they should be. This innate, strong tendency makes me look around for something to improve. Isn't that, after all, how progress gets made?

Yet I've learned that when I exert force, resistance is the inevitable result. I may prevail, but only after much exertion and maybe even exhaustion.

This principle is especially true in relationships. Let it be. Give people the freedom and respect to learn what they need to learn when they need to learn it.

Let it be.

You write it:  What do you need to let be?

Rhythm

I knew the rhythm of my life in Austin so well. Easily, I floated In the familiar circles and cycles. When my husband and I decided to move to Sedona, that rhythm changed, The mere decision shifted everything as the well-known patterns dissipated.

My calendar was blank. I had no cleaners or grocery store or hair stylist or dentist or doctor. I didn't know anyone. There was just me, flowing into the unexperienced, 

Flowing has a rhythm all its own, Quiet silence. White space. 

It's my new rhythm.

You write it:  What is your rhythm?

One Day at a Time

As I sit on my patio in the cool of the morning, gazing with my heart at the magnificence of Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte, I wonder, "Oh, God, how did I get here?"

This morning a quiet voice answered, "One day at a time."

I realize everything I treasure has come to me one day at a time:  peace of mind, a happy marriage, treasured friendships and family relationships, health and well being.

The thrill of those "big" goals I grasped for--career, projects, purchases--is gone.

What remains is silent majesty. Quiet presence. One day at a time.

You write it:  What treasures have come to you one day at a time?

Waft

Last January, Sedona guide Pete Sanders taught me a way to meditate that yields my word for the day. A few days ago, the word that came up was unusual--waft.

"Waft" is not a word I use, so I looked it up. It means "carried on the breeze, as a scent." That definition brought to mind a childhood memory of honeysuckle growing on my grandmother's fence, its sweet fragrance wafting through the air, lifting my spirits and awakening my senses.

You write it:  What lifts your spirits and awakens your senses?

Emergence

My father was a meticulous gardener, and he trained me to keep a weed-free landscape with splashes of color, well-trimmed plants, and perfectly mowed lawn.

The yard of our new home might be described as desert-rough. Mesquite, yucca, and other native plants some might call weeds prevail. In fact, our gardener tells me that the name for one of them is "snake weed."

Our plan was to live here awhile and get a feel for what we want before making major changes. In the process, we've discovered that this yard is a haven for birds, bunnies, and other wildlife. It's delightful--better than watching television. Whatever we do, we want to preserve that.

So we walk in the yard every day, continuing to get a feel for its possibilities, learning to love what is while we imagine what's even better.

You write it:  What's emerging in your life? How patient are you with the process?

End of the Lists

For the last four months I've lived from lists comprised of the tasks required for remodeling, selling, and buying a house. Then, of course, there were the tasks required for moving.

Yesterday I came to the end of the lists. My spirits sagged. I felt sad and useless.

My instinct when I'm feeling low is to stick my chin out and pretend I'm okay. So I tried that approach for a short time.

Then I remembered what I learned from a dear friend many years ago. Yield to my feelings. Name them. Feel them intensely. Be in a quiet place with no noise or distractions. Fully feel what I'm feeling. Do what it takes to express the feelings. Then let them go.

Today I am refreshed as I sense possibility, make new friends, establish new routines, and create the life I want in this new place.

You write it:  What do you do when you come to the end of your lists?

Companion

As he handed me the plastic Southwest Airlines pass, he asked, "Will you be my companion?" Thus began my almost-20-year journey to learn how to be a worthy companion.

My mother's advice to me had been, "Get a good education. Never have to depend on a man." From her perspective, it was good advice. Her experience was to accept unacceptable behavior because she didn't believe she could make it on her own.

I, on the other hand, know I can make it on my own. But I choose to be married, and I'm still learning how to be a good companion without losing myself.

Most of what I've learned is wordless. My marriage flows, and I flow with it. It's not about getting my way or who wins. It's all about seeking the greater good, which, as it turns out, is good for both of us.

Today we begin a new chapter in our lives, living in our beautiful new home in Sedona, surrounded by the incredible beauty of the red rocks and the happy friendliness of bunnies and quail. May we be good companions for each other.

Eyes on the Horizon

As the boat pitched and yawed in the waters of the Aegean, provoked by Meltimi winds, my host said, "Keep your eyes on the horizon to avoid being seasick." From that moment on, as my body bounced and slid, my stomach remained calm because my eyes were fixed on that thin blue line where ocean met sky.

Eventually, we sailed into a quiet harbor, ate a nourishing breakfast, and then jettied into a quaint little island town. It was a beautiful, clear Sunday, and people were walking the beach or having coffee in an outdoor shop or, like us, simply walking along the road, breathing and loving life.

Beyond the harbor, the sea still chopped and churned, but we were safe, serene, and happy.

You write it:  When a tempest arises, what do you do to remain calm?

Friendship

Flowing through life is a
Stream called friendship.

For years, I played on its banks,
Pretending I didn't need the water.

Then calamity fell, and I poured
Out my heart to the person who was there,

My friend.

She accepted my darkness, blessed it,
Banished it.

It was then that I waded into the water,
Splashed in its healing.

Since, friends have been many,
Each unique yet the same.

The universal heart flows through all of us.
When we move into it, we are one.

Friends.

You write it: What is your experience with friendship?

Lightly

All my framed awards have gone to recycle.

Walls are bare.

Even my old published articles went with them. 

Shelves are empty. They held my past.

Today I stand on the rim of tomorrow, seeing only glimpses of what the future holds.

Wherever the road leads, I'll walk it lightly.

You write it:  How lightly do you walk?

Incrementally Better

What I want is to be dazzlingly perfect the first time I try something, check that off my list, and move on.

Recently I've been playing games on an app designed to keep the brain agile. One particular game irritates me because I cannot get a perfect score. Each time I get slightly better, the game gets harder.

This morning I looked back at my scores and realized that, all along, I've gotten incrementally better. I also realized I'll never conquer it.

Then I remembered that all that is truly important to me has been gained through steady, daily effort that results in tiny, incremental shifts, not conquest:

• A peaceful, joyful spiritual life through daily practice
• A happy marriage through a daily decision to be loving and forgiving
• Good family relations through constantly letting go
• Friendships through showing up and being real
• Pain-free knees and shoulders, thanks to physical therapy and daily exercise
• Improved health through being honest about what I eat and my activity

Remember the fable of the tortoise and the hare? Steady wins the race.

In Goethe's words, "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and magic in it. Begin it now." 

You write it: What are you ready to begin and stick with?