Protected!

How do I greet this day? Protected! And so are all my loved ones. To paraphrase the last sentence of today's Unity Daily Word meditation: The presence of God within them (and me) guides our steps today and will be with us through all our tomorrows.

The Protection Prayer that follows was written by James Freeman for all soldiers during World War II. It is a powerful today as it was then. I had not seen this longer version and I LOVE it.

Protection Prayer

The Light of God surrounds me. 
The Love of God enfolds me.
The Power of God protects me.
The Presence of God watches over me.
The Mind of God guides me.
The Life of God flows through me.
The Laws of God direct me.
The Power of God abides within me.
The Joy of God uplifts me.
The Strength of God renews me.
The Beauty of God inspires me.
Wherever I am, God is!

I had not seen this longer version before today and I LOVE it.

~ Jean

Source: Pinterest

A Gentle Look at Divine Order

On Wednesday September 15 I received the kind of text from a friend that one never wants. A friend of ours has a brain tumor and was undergoing surgery at Sloan in NYC. Two days later, it was confirmed  that the diagnosis is glioblastoma, an aggressive type of cancer that can occur in the brain or spinal cord.

I wrote in my journal that night: "2 yr to live max - John McCain, Beau Biden and Ted Kennedy all died from it - It's a devastating diagnosis." Even though I wrote that about 2 years, I don't know that to be true. But writing it and what follows shows the evolution of my thinking in the last week.

Friday's Unity Daily Word was Divine Order. The affirmation was

Divine order gives structure and purpose to life.

Over the weekend some of my journaling was about how I would feel and what I would do if I received that diagnosis. "Betrayed by my own body. Get it out of me." And some was about what I could do, if anything, for this friend. I also wrote: "What on earth do I say to this friend if she even wants to talk? I've been thinking of you - how are you? God will give me the words to say. Talk to her husband first? So sorry ... Dear God. Divine order ain't so great for everyone - in this human's opinion."

On Monday evening I wrote: "Woke up to DW Pray for Others - 'Instead of fretting or wishing I could do something, I turn within and pray ... Holding each dear one in my heart, I envision each enfolded in serenity ... comforted and guided with each step.'"

Later tonight I realized that divine order is for me to do what I can, it's me being present to my friend and her husband in any way that I can here and now. I also realized that my intention will be to focus on her serenity not her situation.

On Tuesday morning I called both my friend - no answer or voice mail - and her husband - voice mail but I didn't feel comfortable leaving a message. I put a card in the mail that day and will call again.

I don't know how the days ahead will be. If anyone has suggestions for gentle ways to interact with this friend, share in the Comments section.

With gratitude and humility,

~ Jean

Image: grammartop.com

Watch and Listen

Living is not just to live a long life, it's to contribute something, my unique contribution. How do I know what that is? A series of recent Unity Daily Words lead the way for me:

• September 7th Daily Word: Begin!
• September 8th DW: Claim my wholeness.
• September 9th DW: All is well with my soul.
• September 10th DW: Live life abundantly.
• September 11th DW: Remember and honor those who came before.
• September 12th DW: Open my mind and heart to receive my guidance. This higher wisdom is not outside myself. It is a still small voice, mine to call upon at any time. I am always able to ask for guidance to show the way forward. Then watch and listen.

When I write in my journal, answers come to me. I used to say they came unexpectedly but after many years of answers, they are no longer unexpected. As I write, wisdom and understanding appear on my pages and I am in awe. My recent watching and listening has once again given me some answers - a short, simple list that fits this time and place. And I am taken back to Begin! And so I shall.

Thank you God!

~ Jean

Image: dreamstime.com

Breathe

I recently inherited a Series 4 Apple Watch from my brother, who had just upgraded to the latest version.  Prior to owning one, I had had no real desire to use an Apple Watch, but I thought it might be helpful for keeping track of my fitness goals so I took the time to set it up and watched a few tutorial videos on YouTube.  It turns out that the watch IS quite helpful for tracking fitness goals and for other things, but my absolute favorite feature of the Apple Watch is an app called “Breathe.”  The Breathe app notifies me every so often (by causing my watch to vibrate) that I should take a moment to stop and pay attention to my breath, and then it leads me through a very brief, very effective exercise to help me do so.  

You wouldn’t think that I would need an app to remind me to breathe, but after using this tool for the past few weeks I realize that I sure DO need to be reminded.  With work and home and family responsibilities vying endlessly for my attention, I find myself flitting from one “to do” to the other, rarely taking a moment to just be - and to just breathe.  Add on top of that a relentless drip of not-so-great news filling up the screens of my days of late, and I have plenty of excuses to focus on anything but my own peace of mind.

If there is one thing I have learned from Unity in my 20+ years of attendance, it is that the key to life, the universe, and everything is my ability to stay grounded in the present moment.  I know this, and yet I am inconsistent with my practice of mindfulness and meditation.  I can relate to Paul’s struggle in Romans 7:15 “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

This is why I am grateful for the simple, helpful tools which are at our fingertips these days, thanks to technology, and I do my best to allow them to support me in my intention to be more mindful in my everyday life.

~Rebecca

The Gift of Grace

 Grace gives me room to roam and a welcoming place to return.

"My progress along my spiritual journey has not always been smooth and predictable. There are times when busyness and distraction have pulled me away from my spiritual practices... And yet, I return to my path, resume my practices, and regain my faith through the gift of grace... Through grace, I am free to question and explore, knowing I am always at home in the heart of God."

From 1 Corinthians 15:10 - By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain.

The above is all from August 10 when the Unity Daily Word was Grace. I especially LOVE the idea that "I am always at home in the heart of God."

And so it is.

~ Jean

Through the Lens of Gratitude

I begin and end each day in gratitude.

At the end of July, here it was again: a Unity Daily Word Grateful: a way to greet the day when I get up in the morning and a way to release the day when I get ready to go to sleep at night. (See previous posts.) Quoting from the meditation: "Today I view the world through a lens of gratitude, and I practice it every chance I get."

More recently there have been two DW from August 7 and 8: Prosperity and Protected. Here are excerpts:

I carry a spirit of gratitude for everything the day will bring.

Through my oneness with God, I feel protected.

Part of the meditation from Protected is: "The sun always rises after the longest, darkest night. I remind myself of this truth and feel grateful as I allow the light of spiritual understanding to release and reclaim whatever power I may have unwittingly given to a fear-based thought."

I am visiting my mom in Illinois for two weeks. Part of my purpose while with her is to prepare her to move to assisted living. Yesterday she had a fall - very minor and she wasn't hurt but she couldn't get herself back up off the floor. She wears a call bracelet and pushed the button for help. The staff at her Life Care facility came right over to her townhouse and called immediately called paramedics who helped her get up and ascertained she didn't need the hospital. THE SYSTEM WORKED. I am so grateful.

When we began looking into assisted living for my mom, the primary reason for moving her was if she was not safe any more living independently. I don't know what other people have experienced with elderly parents but my siblings and I think it's time but our mother doesn't - at least she didn't 3 weeks ago before her fall. She and my dad purposely chose to move into a life care facility 25 years ago specifically so they had all the levels of care when they needed them.

And so I release my fears and feel such gratitude that the safety system put in place by the Life Care facility worked - We frequently reminded my mom: if you fall or have any other problem, push the button first - only after that call one of us kids. And she did. I'm so grateful she remembered and was able to push the button. And I am grateful that she can move to a nice place with nearby professional medical assistance, as much or as little as she needs.

Thank you God.

~ Jean

Image: innervoicepc.com  

A Prayer of Wonder

I was in such a bad mood yesterday. I don't know why but there it was. When my dog wanted to just be outside and sniff around our yard which isn't fenced in, I was with her on leash. (I actually consider the leash constraining me as much as her so I love when she can be off leash and we both travel safely at our own paces.) I wandered with her, grousing that she was so boring, that I was bored. Actually I knew in that moment that she was nowhere near bored. She was loving being outside, fascinated by every smell and every little twig she could chew on and watching that bird fly by and that bee buzz by and jumping to try to catch a butterfly flitting by. She was happy, I was not.

This morning I read a chapter called Knowing the Heart from My Grandfather's Blessings by Rachel Naomi Remen, MD. That chapter ends with this Jewish Prayer How Filled With Awe from Gates of Prayer, A Jewish Prayerbook:

Days pass and the years vanish and we walk sightless among miracles.
Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing.
Let there be moments when your Presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk.
Help us to see, wherever we gaze, that the bush burns, unconsumed.
And we, clay touched by God, will reach out for holiness and exclaim in wonder,
“How filled with awe is this place and we did not know it.”

The last line of this prayer reminds me of the lyrics "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place" from the hymn Surely the Presence, composed by Lanny Wolfe in 1977, portions of which we have sung at Unity for years. All I needed to do was substitute "the Lord" with "awe." Here are all the lyrics:

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place
I can feel His mighty power and His grace
I can hear the brush of angel’s wings
I see glory on each face
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place

In the midst of His children the Lord said He would be
It doesn’t take very many
It can be just two or three
And I feel that same sweet spirit that I’ve felt so many times before
Surely I can say I’ve been with the Lord

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place
I can feel His mighty power and His grace
I can hear the brush of angel’s wings
I see glory on each face
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place

There’s a holy hush around us as His glory fills this place
I’ve touch the hem of His garment
I can almost see His face
And my heart is overflowing with the fullness of His joy
I know without a doubt I’ve been with the Lord

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place
I can feel His mighty power and His grace
I can hear the brush of angel’s wings
I see glory on each face
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place

Oh surely the presence of the Lord is in this place

For the last week or so we have been having a wonderful respite from the heat and humidity we often experience in New Jersey in the summer. Yesterday was one of those days. I missed an opportunity to be mindful, to be grateful and to be present.

This morning was another one of those days. I woke up renewed, the fans spinning in my open window bringing into my bedroom cool, refreshing air. I woke early and opened Remen's book to read a couple chapters. I'm so glad I did. I call this a "wake up call." I pray: “How filled with awe is this place and I did not know it.” I will know it and I will not waste this day!

Note: I wrote this several weeks ago but didn't post it until today. It still speaks to me and maybe to you too.

~ Jean