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

Underlined Excerpts - July 2021

I had some great underlining thoughts this month (of course I do every month). Here are a few that I haven't already mentioned in my other posts.

July 3 - Ease. "Through the gentle stillness of indwelling Spirit, I know ease. I remember at this very moment (and every moment), I can access the kingdom and every divine blessing through my connection with Spirit. From Matthew 11:30 - For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

July 10 - Rest. "In the stillness of God's peace, I rest. Far from a luxury or indulgence, rest is an integral part of my life. My soul responds to my restful interludes by sinking deeply into the awareness of my oneness with God."

July 14 - Focus. "I keep my thoughts focused on God. From Jeremiah 29:13 - When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart."

This is The Golden Key by Emmet Fox in a nutshell. I just want to remember this sooner rather than later when I'm dwelling on a situation or stuck on what to do next.

The Golden Key ... contains just one central thought: “Stop thinking about the difficulty, whatever it is, and think about God instead.” First printed in 1931 at the height of the Great Depression, its message is clear, its language simple. Fox called it “a practical guide for getting out of trouble,” and thousands of people have found it to be just that. from Unity.org

July 15 - Awake. "Upon awakening, I face a day filled with infinite possibilities."

Here is just one of the many ways for me to greet each day.

July 19 - Inner Peace. "The peace of God is in my mind and heart. The news of the world has no power over me. From Psalm 34:14 - See peace, and pursue it."

My spiritual path has taken me to many different physical churches over the years. I suppose I have learned life lessons along the way. But and this is a big but: I never felt that I was given ways to live. Unity's tag line is "a positive path for spiritual living." Nowhere else have I gained so much insight and practical guidelines for living my life in a centered, healthy way. The excerpts I have included here are some of them. I am so grateful.

~ Jean

Image: Amazon.com

Moving Through Life Gently

Today I wanted to write again about how I want to greet the day. Last Friday's Unity Daily Word was Gentle. I love this concept in many ways. The affirmation was

I move through life gently.

This follows so nicely after my wonderful mindfulness walk last week. "Like a warm breeze that softly touches the skin, I interact with the world gently. I respond to all people and situations in a calm, loving manner. I listen with an open mind and give with an open heart. Today I choose to extend gentleness to everyone I encounter, including myself."

These are the first sentences of the meditation. I choose gentleness (and peace) each day. I choose gentleness because I want to be treated with gentleness. Life has plenty of harsh and hard lessons for us. I have an aging mother who more and more each day seems to be losing contact with reality. It's hard for her and for me and my siblings. I also have a friend, a young mother with two grade school-aged children and a loving husband who was diagnosed over 2 years ago with inoperable cancer, given 1-3 years to live. She writes that treating cancer is her job. This is a harsh diagnosis and hard for her, her family and everyone who loves her. There are many ways life and we can be hard:

• hard and fast (rigid, unchangeable, unalterable)
• hardened (unbending, deadened)
• hard going (tough, laborious)
• hardheaded (willful, stubborn or sensible, rational, shrewd)
• hardhearted (brutish, unfeeling, heartless)
• hardnosed (stubborn, unyielding)

The best way to meet these challenges is with God's love and gentleness. Gently is how I want to greet each day and each person I meet during the day. (See May 27 post - How will I greet this day? By the simple act of asking this question, I remind myself that I have a choice.)

From James 1:19-20 - You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness.

Go gently today and every day. With love,

~ Jean

Image: 123rf.com

Look Up

What beauty looking up into a tree!

The cliffs overlooking the D&R Canal

Coneflowers with guest

Sweet corn over my head
(or as high as an elephant's eye)

The Hunterdon Hiking Club has resumed their Mindfulness Hikes on Thursday mornings. I joined the group this morning at 10 a.m. We began walking from the Frenchtown River Parking lot, crossed the Delaware River bridge, and joined the Delaware and Raritan Canal Path on the Pennsylvania side.

The Unity Daily Word for today is Awe. The affirmation is:

I am in awe when I behold God in all things.

Part of the meditation is: "God is the source of all the beauty and goodness that surround me." As I think about that I know it to be true both in my physical world and in my spiritual world. When I look around me I see people doing kind things for others. When I look around my physical world I see beauty in the trees, flowers, and butterflies. "I am simply in awe," as the meditation says in the last sentence.

Before I left my house I looked up the next Mindfulness Exercise from see your way to mindfulness by David Schiller. Exercise 3 is "Look Up." This is what I intended to do today.

The pictures are from my walk. Enjoy! I did.

~ Jean

Peace for a Friend

I received a text from a friend early this morning (7:12 A.M.). She wasn't able to attend a planned meeting this morning because ... This is her text:

Our son is having a breakdown and we have to fly out to Seattle ASAP. I don't know when we will return. I'm sorry for any inconveniences. (two emojis of praying hands)

Although I know their son is an adult, my immediate response was "Just take care of your boy."

A little later I read the Unity Daily Word. How fitting that it is Comfort. The affirmation is

Journeying to Jerusalem within, I arrive at perfect peace.

And a bit of the mediation:

Whenever I find myself feeling in need of comfort, my pilgrimage begins. As I relax, I envision each inhalation bringing me closer to the Christ presence within my heart. Exhaling, I feel my burdens lift, lightening my load a little at a time. Step by step, breath by breath, I release my earthly concerns.

This message is to me but I also take it as a message about my friend and her family. I hold the thought of peace for her even if she cannot right now. 

~ Jean

Image: emojipedia.com