Something Bigger

Perfectly on the heels of my Wednesday post, today's Daily Guide in Science of Mind magazine is titled "Something Bigger." It is written by Rev. Sally Robbins, and I offer it here for your inspiration.

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. (Joseph Campbell)
Rev. Sally writes:
I used to live on the Gulf Coast, and once after a hurricane, my backyard was virtually flooded. When I inspected the yard, I noticed a large clump floating. I discovered that it was a clump of live fire ants! I later learned that fire ants are surprisingly resourceful when it comes to water. When the colony of ants senses that water is coming to destroy their nest, they quickly move the queen, her eggs, their food, and the entire colony out of the nest, and they form a clump that floats on the water. The ants interlock their legs and form a "raft" that can float for months. Scientists used to think that the ants on the bottom drowned and died, but they discovered that the ants actually take turns on the bottom and top.
One fire ant by itself in the water will drown. A colony of ants in water will band together for the greater good and interlock their bodies to survive. If ants can figure out that there is something greater than themselves, so can we.
We're all in this together, and when we realize that we are interdependent with our brothers and sisters, life becomes easier. When we recognize that there is something larger afoot, we release our petty concerns and embrace the allness of life. Everything supports us in the flow of good.
Affirmation: I am a part of something larger, and I turn over my life to the greater good.
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Have a super weekend!
Leta

Terror, excitement, and peace

Ever have all those feelings at once?
I made the leap today to sign up for a 6-month "do something powerful with my life" program. I am at peace with my decision, and I'm excited about it. Those two emotions account for about half of what I'm feeling.
Then there's the other half. Stark terror. What have I gotten myself into??!?! (Fortunately, in past times when I've asked that question, results have been outstanding--I'm very grateful for that precedent!) How will I pay for this?!?!? (The money always shows up, I don't know how, but I know it's miraculous.) The leader said, "There will be change in you." Dirty word, sometimes, "change" is. But I'm becoming ever more comfy in my own skin, so I expect that trend to continue.
The program kicks off in an intensive weekend in mid-July. It's a small group of 15, which is my favorite "arena" to play in. New friendships, new insights, new possibilities, guaranteed. What's not to be excited about?!?!
This program will make for some interesting blog entries, no doubt. To be continued...
Fun!
Leta

A "Thought" on Beauty and Appreciation from Rev. Suellen Miller

Several times a month, Rev. Suellen Miller of Oklahoma City sends out a "Thought" to her "Fellow Travelers on the Spiritual Path." I especially like this one, and offer it to you for consideration:

I am looking at the (mother-in-law's tongue) plant on my desk. It has long green leaves edged in yellow. It is quite beautiful, and I am admiring its beauty.  I can see streaks of yellow not on the edges, and not-quite-uniform leaves. If it were a person, it might think of itself as flawed.

What if we looked into the mirror with the same eyes of appreciation that I'm currently using for this perfect plant? What if we recognized that those flaws that we usually see are really just differences? Instead of comparing ourselves to someone else's standards of beauty, why not compare ourselves to this plant's standard (or God's)? The plant doesn't care what we look like. It radiates back to us exactly the love we give it.
What if we take this one step farther? There are no flaws anywhere, just differences. I am blessing the differences between us. If we were all alike, would life need to exist?

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Thanks, Rev. Suellen!

Love to all,

Leta

Tribute to a great man

Walt Lohrentz, a gentle man, a gentleman, a scholar and sweetheart. He passed away June 5th, having blessed planet Earth with his presence and powerful faith for 90 years. It was an honor and a joy to attend his funeral service.
One of his favorite Bible passages was Philippians 4:4-9. This is it:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

I'm not a Bible reader, but there are a few spots I dearly love. I can see why Walt loved this so much. What a great amount of wisdom is here:

Rejoice! Enjoy life.

Be kind and gentle, an example of the Lord's love.

Don't worry--ask God for what you need and your needs shall be met.

Focus on the good things.

Practice all this, don't just talk the talk, but walk the walk.

And so it is!

Leta

Il Dolce Far Niente

The title is Italian for "the sweetness of doing nothing," a phrase from the movie Eat, Pray, Love.
Doing nothing? Really?!?!? For so many of us, that's not even near our radar screen.
I have a voice in my head that incessantly says, "You should do more." My expanding self-awareness has led me to realize that I define the value of my being by how much I do and how successfully I do it (alas, as measured by money).
So I contemplate doing nothing. It's a challenge. I get to practice stopping that "You should do more" voice. I realize that there's always stuff to do, and there always will be, as long as I'm on the planet. So it's not like I'll get it all done, and then I can do nothing. I get to make the choice to just do nothing now. I smile realizing that the model I was raised with was, "Get the work done, then you can do fun stuff." Does that sound familiar?
Recently my husband and I have reinstated the practice of sitting in our beautiful backyard after he gets home from work, having a drink and talking, before we have dinner and head off into other things. This is a very sweet time, and to me there's nothing more important than "doing nothing" with the person I love most.
Is there some way to work just a bit of il dolce far niente into your daily routine? I expect your soul will sing with joy!
Leta