All limits exist only in the mind, and it is only in the mind thatthey can be overcome.
- Alan Cohen
*****************************************
Every action you take comes from some motive, some intention. The results you get are not because of the action, but because of the intention that drove the action. When a friend gives you a clumsy compliment, you understand "it's the thought that counts". When you attend a family gathering out of resentful obligation your presence blesses no one.
When your intentions are pure you are seeking the highest possibilities for everyone concerned. You are operating from the most God-like part of you, your pure heart, and everybody wins. When your intentions are driven by your ego you deprive yourself and others of those highest possibilities.
The pure heart seeks to be of value, the ego seeks to be valued. The ego is insatiable; the pure heart is perpetually fulfilled. The ego leads to temporary happiness; the pure heart leads to authentic joy.
This week take time to monitor your intentions, and align them with your pure heart.
Donna
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thought for Today
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.
~Abraham Maslow
************************************************
When we can move away, or detach from our problems, it's easier to see that often we are using inappropriate tools to solve our problems. But it can be difficult to detach when we are hooked into a situation.
Maintaining a balanced view isn't possible when our nose is pressed right up against our problem. We indulge in crisis thinking and crisis thinking, like a hammer, flattens everything.
We can resolve to remember that every problem is an opportunity for growth and we will search for tools suited for our growth.
Donna
~Abraham Maslow
************************************************
When we can move away, or detach from our problems, it's easier to see that often we are using inappropriate tools to solve our problems. But it can be difficult to detach when we are hooked into a situation.
Maintaining a balanced view isn't possible when our nose is pressed right up against our problem. We indulge in crisis thinking and crisis thinking, like a hammer, flattens everything.
We can resolve to remember that every problem is an opportunity for growth and we will search for tools suited for our growth.
Donna
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Thought for Today
"At my senses horizon
you appear hesitantly,
like scattered islands.
Yet standing here, peering out,
I'm all the time seen by you.
All creation holds its breath, listening within me,
because, to hear you, I keep silent."
~Rainer Maria Rilke
**************************************
Speaking of God, the poet captures the essence of our spiritual practice. To go within, to train ourselves to listen to the inner voice of Truth.
In the Old Testament, the center of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies...the place where the priest could meet God on behalf of the people. We now have a meeting place with God...within our own consciousness, and there our human nature meets our spiritual nature. In silence, we discover God's presence at the center of our being.
The spiritual practice of meditation is a time of refreshing but also a time of deep knowing. Today spend some time in silent communion with the Spirit within...for peace, for balance, for direction.
Donna
you appear hesitantly,
like scattered islands.
Yet standing here, peering out,
I'm all the time seen by you.
All creation holds its breath, listening within me,
because, to hear you, I keep silent."
~Rainer Maria Rilke
**************************************
Speaking of God, the poet captures the essence of our spiritual practice. To go within, to train ourselves to listen to the inner voice of Truth.
In the Old Testament, the center of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies...the place where the priest could meet God on behalf of the people. We now have a meeting place with God...within our own consciousness, and there our human nature meets our spiritual nature. In silence, we discover God's presence at the center of our being.
The spiritual practice of meditation is a time of refreshing but also a time of deep knowing. Today spend some time in silent communion with the Spirit within...for peace, for balance, for direction.
Donna
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Thought for Today
We tend to judge ourselves for our mistakes and the difficulties we have experienced, when it is the difficulties that build our character. You are far stronger for what you have gone through.
-- Alan Cohen
When a person is disliking themselves intensely or figuratively kicking themselves around the block for something they have done or think they have done, a self acceptance affirmation may help change their thinking. "I completely accept myself as I am, without judgment."
Once you clear the negativity you can see that all of life is a lesson. You made a choice and now you are learning from that choice. It may be an easy lesson or a difficult lesson...but as long as you are learning, you are growing and becoming stronger.
Accepting yourself is a short cut to good health. Here's to your health!
Donna
-- Alan Cohen
When a person is disliking themselves intensely or figuratively kicking themselves around the block for something they have done or think they have done, a self acceptance affirmation may help change their thinking. "I completely accept myself as I am, without judgment."
Once you clear the negativity you can see that all of life is a lesson. You made a choice and now you are learning from that choice. It may be an easy lesson or a difficult lesson...but as long as you are learning, you are growing and becoming stronger.
Accepting yourself is a short cut to good health. Here's to your health!
Donna
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Thought for Today
"You'll never understand the reason, until you look deep enough into the cut to see the emotional pain that put it there." ~anonymous
Have you ever heard the expression "they pushed my buttons?" Have you ever had your buttons pushed? Or maybe you're the one who likes to push someone else's buttons!
Whichever category you belong in, we can recognize that we all have buttons. However, if someone in our life is constantly pushing our buttons, we can set a boundary and tell them "enough!" Make them persona non gratis in your personal space!
Buttons are tender spots that cover up some pain that we haven't yet worked on or maybe we haven't even acknowledged that we have the pain. That pain could be from childhood trauma or it could be a wound we received on our way to adulthood.
When we deal with the pain behind the button, we also disconnect from our automatic reaction when our buttons are pushed. Knowing where our buttons are enables us to do the work necessary to heal and that is the key to our freedom.
Donna
Have you ever heard the expression "they pushed my buttons?" Have you ever had your buttons pushed? Or maybe you're the one who likes to push someone else's buttons!
Whichever category you belong in, we can recognize that we all have buttons. However, if someone in our life is constantly pushing our buttons, we can set a boundary and tell them "enough!" Make them persona non gratis in your personal space!
Buttons are tender spots that cover up some pain that we haven't yet worked on or maybe we haven't even acknowledged that we have the pain. That pain could be from childhood trauma or it could be a wound we received on our way to adulthood.
When we deal with the pain behind the button, we also disconnect from our automatic reaction when our buttons are pushed. Knowing where our buttons are enables us to do the work necessary to heal and that is the key to our freedom.
Donna
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Something to ponder...
Recently I received a YouTube video via email. It really touched me and made a deep impression on me. I shared it with several friends. Here is what one friend in Dallas wrote about the video...
To understand everything is to forgive everything - Buddha
A friend sent me the following video from YouTube, about seeing with NEW eyes. The short video shows a young professional man who is irritated by everything - traffic, the neighbor boy on a skateboard, people taking his parking spaces, cutting in front of him and so on. He has a running commentary in his head about how awful people are.
A stranger silently hands him some eyeglasses and when he puts them on, he suddenly can see what is really going on with each person in sight. A man who reached for a cookie for his child has the label "Just lost his job." A woman sitting reading has a label that shows "Avoids relationships out of fear." A young mother with two little ones has a sign that says "Working two jobs to support her kids" and even the young man serving him coffee appears with the words "Fighting Addiction."
Click here to view video
When I watched this video, I cried and stopped to think of my own running criticism and how I judge others. How often I see only the outer appearance and forget that everyone is walking around in what Eckhart Tolle calls our "Pain Body."
What if we each could SEE others' Pain Body and feel the shift of compassion that this new knowledge would bring? What kinds of changes would occur for us and for those we meet?
My prayer is that I remain open and aware of others - giving up judgment and loving them exactly the way they are and exactly the way they are not.
Let's put on "new glasses" this week and try to SEE or FEEL others' Pain Body. I know how it feels when others judge me unfairly. Dear God, let me remember that when I'm ready to judge others.
Donna
To understand everything is to forgive everything - Buddha
A friend sent me the following video from YouTube, about seeing with NEW eyes. The short video shows a young professional man who is irritated by everything - traffic, the neighbor boy on a skateboard, people taking his parking spaces, cutting in front of him and so on. He has a running commentary in his head about how awful people are.
A stranger silently hands him some eyeglasses and when he puts them on, he suddenly can see what is really going on with each person in sight. A man who reached for a cookie for his child has the label "Just lost his job." A woman sitting reading has a label that shows "Avoids relationships out of fear." A young mother with two little ones has a sign that says "Working two jobs to support her kids" and even the young man serving him coffee appears with the words "Fighting Addiction."
Click here to view video
When I watched this video, I cried and stopped to think of my own running criticism and how I judge others. How often I see only the outer appearance and forget that everyone is walking around in what Eckhart Tolle calls our "Pain Body."
What if we each could SEE others' Pain Body and feel the shift of compassion that this new knowledge would bring? What kinds of changes would occur for us and for those we meet?
My prayer is that I remain open and aware of others - giving up judgment and loving them exactly the way they are and exactly the way they are not.
**************************************************************
Let's put on "new glasses" this week and try to SEE or FEEL others' Pain Body. I know how it feels when others judge me unfairly. Dear God, let me remember that when I'm ready to judge others.
Donna
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Modern Day Parable
The Hungry Fisherman
(excerpt from Mr. Everit's Secret: What I Learned from the World's Richest Man by Alan Cohen)
“I've been watching you from the bridge for a while, and I notice that you keep the little fish and throw the big ones back into the stream. Why is that?”
“Simple,” he answered. “I have this frying pan here that's about nine inches wide.” Still holding his fishing rod with his right hand, the fisherman leaned over, picked up a small cast-iron skillet, and held it up so I could see. “Only the little fish fit in the pan, so those are the ones I keep.”
I couldn't believe his reasoning. “Then why don't you . . .” I started to ask, but was interrupted by the short blip of a police siren at the top of the bridge. I scurried up to find a cop parked behind my car.
“This your car, mister?”
“That's right, officer.”
“You can't park here; you're blocking the shoulder. You're gonna need to move it, or else I'll have to give you a citation.”
“Sure, no problem.”
I got into the car and started for home. My strange interaction with the fisherman had rattled me. What a peculiar way to fish! I picked up my cell phone and dialed Mr. Everit.
“So you met the hungry fisherman,” he answered.
“I sure did. What a weirdo! The guy was just wasting his energy on small fish. He'd sure save himself a bunch of work and eat a lot better if he just got a bigger frying pan!”
“Absolutely correct. Yet he's no weirder than anyone else who's hungry for money or anything.”
“What do you mean?”
“Remember you asked me why you don't have everything you want, and how to get more?”
“Yes?”
“Get a bigger frying pan.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“The frying pan is your mind. The fish represent your income, or anything you want more of. If you want to increase what you receive, the first step is to make a place for it in your mind. Think bigger thoughts; paint grander dreams. You can go to a gold mine with a tiny wheelbarrow or a huge one, and you will come away with a volume of gold equal to the size of your container.”
I began to feel irritated and nearly veered across the road into an oncoming car. “But what about the supply and demand?” I shouted into my cell phone. “And economic indicators? And focus groups?”
Mr. Everit laughed. “Do you think I built this huge successful factory by listening to what other people told me was available?” he asked me. “Most people measure themselves by other people's measly frying pans and think that's all they can have. Only those who ask for more can get more, and only those who know more is available, ask.”
(excerpt from Mr. Everit's Secret: What I Learned from the World's Richest Man by Alan Cohen)
“I've been watching you from the bridge for a while, and I notice that you keep the little fish and throw the big ones back into the stream. Why is that?”
“Simple,” he answered. “I have this frying pan here that's about nine inches wide.” Still holding his fishing rod with his right hand, the fisherman leaned over, picked up a small cast-iron skillet, and held it up so I could see. “Only the little fish fit in the pan, so those are the ones I keep.”
I couldn't believe his reasoning. “Then why don't you . . .” I started to ask, but was interrupted by the short blip of a police siren at the top of the bridge. I scurried up to find a cop parked behind my car.
“This your car, mister?”
“That's right, officer.”
“You can't park here; you're blocking the shoulder. You're gonna need to move it, or else I'll have to give you a citation.”
“Sure, no problem.”
I got into the car and started for home. My strange interaction with the fisherman had rattled me. What a peculiar way to fish! I picked up my cell phone and dialed Mr. Everit.
“So you met the hungry fisherman,” he answered.
“I sure did. What a weirdo! The guy was just wasting his energy on small fish. He'd sure save himself a bunch of work and eat a lot better if he just got a bigger frying pan!”
“Absolutely correct. Yet he's no weirder than anyone else who's hungry for money or anything.”
“What do you mean?”
“Remember you asked me why you don't have everything you want, and how to get more?”
“Yes?”
“Get a bigger frying pan.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“The frying pan is your mind. The fish represent your income, or anything you want more of. If you want to increase what you receive, the first step is to make a place for it in your mind. Think bigger thoughts; paint grander dreams. You can go to a gold mine with a tiny wheelbarrow or a huge one, and you will come away with a volume of gold equal to the size of your container.”
I began to feel irritated and nearly veered across the road into an oncoming car. “But what about the supply and demand?” I shouted into my cell phone. “And economic indicators? And focus groups?”
Mr. Everit laughed. “Do you think I built this huge successful factory by listening to what other people told me was available?” he asked me. “Most people measure themselves by other people's measly frying pans and think that's all they can have. Only those who ask for more can get more, and only those who know more is available, ask.”
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Mark Your Calendar...
Sunday, May 25th...
Phil Jones will be at Unity of the Hills for a Didgeridoo workshop from 6-8PM. Love offering only.
Winder Lyons and Carla Quincey are leading a discussion on "A New Earth" from 4-5:30PM at Unity of the Hills.
Tuesday, May 27th...
Lunch Bunch is studying "The Four Agreements" and they have some wonderful, thought-provoking exercises too. 12 noon on Tuesdays at Unity of the Hills.
1st & 3rd Wednesdays...
Keri King is leading a discussion on Wednesday evenings at 7PM on a book by Ernest Holmes, "This Thing Called You."
Saturday, June 7th...Float Trip on the Buffalo River! Call the church for more info.
Phil Jones will be at Unity of the Hills for a Didgeridoo workshop from 6-8PM. Love offering only.
Winder Lyons and Carla Quincey are leading a discussion on "A New Earth" from 4-5:30PM at Unity of the Hills.
Tuesday, May 27th...
Lunch Bunch is studying "The Four Agreements" and they have some wonderful, thought-provoking exercises too. 12 noon on Tuesdays at Unity of the Hills.
1st & 3rd Wednesdays...
Keri King is leading a discussion on Wednesday evenings at 7PM on a book by Ernest Holmes, "This Thing Called You."
Saturday, June 7th...Float Trip on the Buffalo River! Call the church for more info.
Thought for Today
"Every memorable act in the history of the world is a triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it because it gives any challenge or any occupation, no matter how frightening or difficult, a new meaning. Without enthusiasm you are doomed to a life of mediocrity but with it you can accomplish miracles."
-- Og Mandino, 1923-1996, Author and Speaker
**********************************************
The most exciting, innovative, and successful projects depend on enthusiasm. Enthusiasm can take you places that skill and education cannot.The word enthusiasm is derived from the roots en...in or within...and theos...God. It means having God within or being one with God. People who use this gift carry a special kind of energy.They bring warmth and feeling to their relationships and vigor and freshness to their activities.
To practice enthusiasm, let others know when you are excited about something. Throw yourself into your projects. Be known for your eagerness, your curiosity, your willingness to give it all you've got. Proclaim your passions. Hold nothing back.
Any type of community can act like a big echo chamber, spreading the enthusiasm around, and even creating more enthusiasm when it fades in one individual. Your individual enthusiam can inspire your home, your spiritual group, and even your town.
Give me an E, give me an N, give me a T, give me an H, give me aU...it's all about U!!
Donna
-- Og Mandino, 1923-1996, Author and Speaker
**********************************************
The most exciting, innovative, and successful projects depend on enthusiasm. Enthusiasm can take you places that skill and education cannot.The word enthusiasm is derived from the roots en...in or within...and theos...God. It means having God within or being one with God. People who use this gift carry a special kind of energy.They bring warmth and feeling to their relationships and vigor and freshness to their activities.
To practice enthusiasm, let others know when you are excited about something. Throw yourself into your projects. Be known for your eagerness, your curiosity, your willingness to give it all you've got. Proclaim your passions. Hold nothing back.
Any type of community can act like a big echo chamber, spreading the enthusiasm around, and even creating more enthusiasm when it fades in one individual. Your individual enthusiam can inspire your home, your spiritual group, and even your town.
Give me an E, give me an N, give me a T, give me an H, give me aU...it's all about U!!
Donna
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Thought for Today
Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.
- St. Francis de Sales
*************************************
Before your busy day carries your attention away, take a moment to collect yourself. Take some time to "create your day" by being silent.
Start the day with five or ten minutes of silence. Close your eyes,and focus on your breathing. IN and OUT, letting all your thoughts pass by without taking your attention away. Just let your thoughts float along like leaves in a stream...without judgment or fear...just floating away out of sight. Be patient with yourself. If you can't sustain five or ten minutes of silence, spend as much time as you can. Each day it will become easier.
At the end of your silent time, as your peaceful interlude begins to be over, be thankful for the opportunity to be alive and be thankful for this silent time. A simple "Thank you, God" will do.
Then, throughout the day, take a few seconds and just breathe. Before a meal, have some silence. Before a phone call, close your eyes, take a breath and be silent for a moment. At every opportunity, take some time for intentional silence and conscious breathing.
Those silent moments can add up to a full day of peace. A full day of peace helps you stay with your spiritual, physical, and emotional practices. A full day of peace can be the beginning of a new life.
You'll feel better physically, and your mind and spirit will be still...and you'll be ready to be the best you can be today.
Peace, be still.
Donna
- St. Francis de Sales
*************************************
Before your busy day carries your attention away, take a moment to collect yourself. Take some time to "create your day" by being silent.
Start the day with five or ten minutes of silence. Close your eyes,and focus on your breathing. IN and OUT, letting all your thoughts pass by without taking your attention away. Just let your thoughts float along like leaves in a stream...without judgment or fear...just floating away out of sight. Be patient with yourself. If you can't sustain five or ten minutes of silence, spend as much time as you can. Each day it will become easier.
At the end of your silent time, as your peaceful interlude begins to be over, be thankful for the opportunity to be alive and be thankful for this silent time. A simple "Thank you, God" will do.
Then, throughout the day, take a few seconds and just breathe. Before a meal, have some silence. Before a phone call, close your eyes, take a breath and be silent for a moment. At every opportunity, take some time for intentional silence and conscious breathing.
Those silent moments can add up to a full day of peace. A full day of peace helps you stay with your spiritual, physical, and emotional practices. A full day of peace can be the beginning of a new life.
You'll feel better physically, and your mind and spirit will be still...and you'll be ready to be the best you can be today.
Peace, be still.
Donna
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Thought for Today
Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
- George Bernard Shaw
********************************************
Just as a happy thought can transform our faces from a frown to a smile, a positive thought can transform our life from doubt and stress to good outcomes. We can re-create our lives by changing our minds...to be willing to be more God-like...to assert our God-power of creativity.
You don't have to keep repeating your past if you don't like the way the past has been. You can create your future...beginning right now.
Change your thoughts...change your future.
Donna
- George Bernard Shaw
********************************************
Just as a happy thought can transform our faces from a frown to a smile, a positive thought can transform our life from doubt and stress to good outcomes. We can re-create our lives by changing our minds...to be willing to be more God-like...to assert our God-power of creativity.
You don't have to keep repeating your past if you don't like the way the past has been. You can create your future...beginning right now.
Change your thoughts...change your future.
Donna
Friday, May 16, 2008
Thought for Today
Appreciation takes courage and considerable resolve. It's the highroad, and not everyone is willing to take it. … You are saying no to blame, to resentment, to revenge, to violence in any form–from badmouthing others, to kicking the dog, to berating a person. You are saying no to victimhood, to martyrdom, to passing the buck, to criticism , and to demeaning yourself or others.
-- The Power of Appreciation by Noelle C. Nelson
*******************************************
The first of anything is touched with special appreciation...first love, the first star of evening, a baby's first words, first day of school, first job. They are signals of change...profound and irreversible.
If we could meet each new day, each new person, each new experience as if it were the first, our lives would change. We'd realize that:
By falling, we learn to get up.
By not knowing answers, we look for truth.
By feeling sick, we seek a remedy.
By losing touch with God, we reach out for something more.
Today is a unique gift...I will appreciate the lessons and the
experiences.
Donna
-- The Power of Appreciation by Noelle C. Nelson
*******************************************
The first of anything is touched with special appreciation...first love, the first star of evening, a baby's first words, first day of school, first job. They are signals of change...profound and irreversible.
If we could meet each new day, each new person, each new experience as if it were the first, our lives would change. We'd realize that:
By falling, we learn to get up.
By not knowing answers, we look for truth.
By feeling sick, we seek a remedy.
By losing touch with God, we reach out for something more.
Today is a unique gift...I will appreciate the lessons and the
experiences.
Donna
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Thought for Today
Truth, like surgery, may hurt, but it cures.
- Han Suyin
******************************************
A decision to be relentlessly honest in response to all situations in our life is part of integrity, self discipline and inner trust. A truly integral life offers peace and serenity.When we're certain of the truth of our own life, it's easier torecognize truth in the lifes of others.
Our inner turmoil eases up and every decision, every choice becomes easier when we are committed to total honesty.Thomas Merton said, "We must be true inside, true to ourselves, before we can know a truth that is outside us."
Donna
- Han Suyin
******************************************
A decision to be relentlessly honest in response to all situations in our life is part of integrity, self discipline and inner trust. A truly integral life offers peace and serenity.When we're certain of the truth of our own life, it's easier torecognize truth in the lifes of others.
Our inner turmoil eases up and every decision, every choice becomes easier when we are committed to total honesty.Thomas Merton said, "We must be true inside, true to ourselves, before we can know a truth that is outside us."
Donna
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Healing Meditation tonight
Tonight at meditation I will be facilitating a healing meditation...healing for body, of course, but also spiritual, mental, and emotional healing too. If you're interested in healing, come to church (Unity of the Hills, Hwy 248, Branson, MO) tonight at 6pm.
Next Wednesday evening at 6pm Keri King will be leading meditation. Afterwards, at 7PM, Keri will be facilitating a class based on a book by Ernest Holmes, "This Thing Called You." Excellent topic to aid your spiritual growth!
For more activities and spiritual meetings, check out our new, updated website...
www.unityofthehills.org
Make this a fabulous day!
Next Wednesday evening at 6pm Keri King will be leading meditation. Afterwards, at 7PM, Keri will be facilitating a class based on a book by Ernest Holmes, "This Thing Called You." Excellent topic to aid your spiritual growth!
For more activities and spiritual meetings, check out our new, updated website...
www.unityofthehills.org
Make this a fabulous day!
Thought for Today
Change. It has the power to uplift, to heal, to stimulate, surprise,open new doors, bring fresh experience and create excitement in life. Certainly it is worth the risk.
--Leo Buscaglia
Change has a negative connotation for some of us. It's much easier to keep our minds closed and our attitudes and behavior rigid. We never have to take the risk of uncharted territiories. Our life then becomes predictable and dull.
The joy of life is living life as an adventure...new plans, newopinions, new information, new enlightenment. Then we have flexibility when we meet changing situations. Life is fresh and exciting.
Change your mind, change your life!
Donna
--Leo Buscaglia
Change has a negative connotation for some of us. It's much easier to keep our minds closed and our attitudes and behavior rigid. We never have to take the risk of uncharted territiories. Our life then becomes predictable and dull.
The joy of life is living life as an adventure...new plans, newopinions, new information, new enlightenment. Then we have flexibility when we meet changing situations. Life is fresh and exciting.
Change your mind, change your life!
Donna
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Thought for Today
If we do not change direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed.
-- Chinese proverb
*******************************************
Following a spiritual path may not necessarily cure a specific anxiety, fear, or obsession, but it can provide the moral support and faith you need to follow through with your life journey. It can provide you with a sense that you are not alone in the universe, and that there is a source of love for you that is unconditional and that is always available to you.
No-one can pursue a spiritual path and remain unchanged. Whether you plan it or not, your direction will change.
Be aware of where you are headed...that's the direction you'll go!
Donna
-- Chinese proverb
*******************************************
Following a spiritual path may not necessarily cure a specific anxiety, fear, or obsession, but it can provide the moral support and faith you need to follow through with your life journey. It can provide you with a sense that you are not alone in the universe, and that there is a source of love for you that is unconditional and that is always available to you.
No-one can pursue a spiritual path and remain unchanged. Whether you plan it or not, your direction will change.
Be aware of where you are headed...that's the direction you'll go!
Donna
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Thought for Today
Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever...
-- St Francis de Sales, 1567-1622
*********************************************
Jesus, Buddha and all the masters knew the value of going apart from the crowds...not merely to get away but to pray, to recharge, and to remember their connection with spirit...to keep their inner peace.
We can "go apart" without traveling to a faraway place. We have a sanctuary that is always ready and waiting. It is the protection, the peace and the comfort we find when we enter into conscious communion with God. Times of prayer give us the renewed vigor to face the world again...refreshed and empowered...and with our inner peace intact.
Nothing can disturb the calm peace of my soul.
Donna
-- St Francis de Sales, 1567-1622
*********************************************
Jesus, Buddha and all the masters knew the value of going apart from the crowds...not merely to get away but to pray, to recharge, and to remember their connection with spirit...to keep their inner peace.
We can "go apart" without traveling to a faraway place. We have a sanctuary that is always ready and waiting. It is the protection, the peace and the comfort we find when we enter into conscious communion with God. Times of prayer give us the renewed vigor to face the world again...refreshed and empowered...and with our inner peace intact.
Nothing can disturb the calm peace of my soul.
Donna
Friday, May 9, 2008
Thought for Today
Service is the rent you pay for room on this planet.
- Shirley Chisholm
******************************************
Service is a spiritual practice reminding you of your oneness with others. It cultivates the quality of commitment. It assures you always have more to give. As you create a metaphysical vacuum more goodis called forth to fill it with matching energy.
Expend yourself in service, and watch the universe expend itself for you.
YOU ARE NEEDED by Elizabeth Searle Lamb
You are needed where you are.
As in the heavens
each and every star
fills appointed space
so you fill that place
where God has need.
Oh, do not doubt...
Your hand held out
to help a friend,
your love to warm
an empty heart,
even your smile
to light the dark.
Walk serene in grace;
you are in your needed place.
Blessings of service, Donna
- Shirley Chisholm
******************************************
Service is a spiritual practice reminding you of your oneness with others. It cultivates the quality of commitment. It assures you always have more to give. As you create a metaphysical vacuum more goodis called forth to fill it with matching energy.
Expend yourself in service, and watch the universe expend itself for you.
YOU ARE NEEDED by Elizabeth Searle Lamb
You are needed where you are.
As in the heavens
each and every star
fills appointed space
so you fill that place
where God has need.
Oh, do not doubt...
Your hand held out
to help a friend,
your love to warm
an empty heart,
even your smile
to light the dark.
Walk serene in grace;
you are in your needed place.
Blessings of service, Donna
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Thought for Today
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia."
----- Charles Schultz
More than 100 years ago, author Robert Louis Stevenson offered the following tips for maintaining a positive attitude. They still apply today.
How to be Happy
Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.
Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything, and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the tears.
Don't take yourself too seriously. Don't think that somehow you should be protected from misfortune that befalls other people.
You can't please everybody. Don't let criticism worry you.
Don't let your neighbor set your standards. Be yourself.
Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.
Never borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than real ones.
Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish jealousy, enmity, grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about new places.
Don't hold postmortems. Don't spend your time brooding over sorrows or mistakes. Don't be one who never gets over things.
Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.
Robert Louis Stevenson Poet, Novelist & Essayist (1850 - 1894)
Don't forget...Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble!
Don't worry, be happy!!
Donna
----- Charles Schultz
More than 100 years ago, author Robert Louis Stevenson offered the following tips for maintaining a positive attitude. They still apply today.
How to be Happy
Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.
Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything, and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the tears.
Don't take yourself too seriously. Don't think that somehow you should be protected from misfortune that befalls other people.
You can't please everybody. Don't let criticism worry you.
Don't let your neighbor set your standards. Be yourself.
Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.
Never borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than real ones.
Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish jealousy, enmity, grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about new places.
Don't hold postmortems. Don't spend your time brooding over sorrows or mistakes. Don't be one who never gets over things.
Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.
Robert Louis Stevenson Poet, Novelist & Essayist (1850 - 1894)
Don't forget...Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble!
Don't worry, be happy!!
Donna
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Thought for Today
Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.
-- Auguste Rodin, French sculptor (1840 - 1917)
Knowing the truth of your unity with God allows you to let go of any fear or personal problem.You can rest in the assurance that God is with you, in you, every moment.
Every life experience, past or present or future, can be a blessing and a time of learning because God within is all power and might.
Let go and trust God!
Donna
-- Auguste Rodin, French sculptor (1840 - 1917)
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You are mightier than any situation or experience which can come to you. The consciousness of Christ within you is mightier than anything outside yourself. Knowing the truth of your unity with God allows you to let go of any fear or personal problem.You can rest in the assurance that God is with you, in you, every moment.
Every life experience, past or present or future, can be a blessing and a time of learning because God within is all power and might.
Let go and trust God!
Donna
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Thought for Today
Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink,taste the fruit.
- Henry David Thoreau
Do you put off enjoying life today because you are dreaming of what you want in the future? Do you think today has nothing good for you because of unpleasant memories of the past?
In Spirit there is neither past nor future. The only time of Spirit isthe eternal NOW, the present moment. Expect the blessings of life to appear here and now. Let go of thoughts of elusive tomorrows and release the sad experiences of the past. Today...the eternal NOW...is the only time to be and to enjoy the blessings of God.
Affirm: Now is the only time in Spirit. All good is manifest NOW!
Donna
- Henry David Thoreau
*************************************************
Do you put off enjoying life today because you are dreaming of what you want in the future? Do you think today has nothing good for you because of unpleasant memories of the past?
In Spirit there is neither past nor future. The only time of Spirit isthe eternal NOW, the present moment. Expect the blessings of life to appear here and now. Let go of thoughts of elusive tomorrows and release the sad experiences of the past. Today...the eternal NOW...is the only time to be and to enjoy the blessings of God.
Affirm: Now is the only time in Spirit. All good is manifest NOW!
Donna
Monday, May 5, 2008
THE KABBALAH CENTRE INTERNATIONAL
Counting of the Omer. It began April 21 and continues through the month of Taurus and ends on the holiday of Shavuot. These 49 days are also called "Days of Smallness," and are infamous for their low energy. That is why we do not make any decisions or actions, like buying a house, signing contracts, opening new businesses, getting married etc. until this period is over.
It's a time when we tend to feel a lot of judgment, towards ourselves and others. The best thing we can do to counteract this heaviness is to exude the spiritual quality of love.
But what is love, really? The Hebrew words for love, ahavah, and one, echad, have the same numerical value [Hebrew letters also have a numerical value.] This teaches us the great secret that real love is when I am one with someone else. If my finger gets burned because it touches a hot stove, do I get angry at my finger? No, because I feel it is a part of me and I am concerned about its pain.
True love is when we can feel another is part of us the same way we feel our finger is part of us. To help us better understand love, we can look at the qualities that are the opposite of love:
Judgment
Impatience
Intolerance
The opposite of love is when we don’t have awareness of this oneness, when it's all about me. Things must be my way and it’s not OK for the other person to evolve in their way.
This month, it's all about injecting love into our lives. This means paying attention to how many times we find ourselves in a place of judgment, lack of patience, lack of tolerance, or simply lack of allowing others the room to grow and go through their process.
During the Omer, in this period more than any other period, without expressing love we will draw judgment. But if we give love, we will draw love.
As I focus on unconditional lovefor all people around me
It's a time when we tend to feel a lot of judgment, towards ourselves and others. The best thing we can do to counteract this heaviness is to exude the spiritual quality of love.
But what is love, really? The Hebrew words for love, ahavah, and one, echad, have the same numerical value [Hebrew letters also have a numerical value.] This teaches us the great secret that real love is when I am one with someone else. If my finger gets burned because it touches a hot stove, do I get angry at my finger? No, because I feel it is a part of me and I am concerned about its pain.
True love is when we can feel another is part of us the same way we feel our finger is part of us. To help us better understand love, we can look at the qualities that are the opposite of love:
Judgment
Impatience
Intolerance
The opposite of love is when we don’t have awareness of this oneness, when it's all about me. Things must be my way and it’s not OK for the other person to evolve in their way.
This month, it's all about injecting love into our lives. This means paying attention to how many times we find ourselves in a place of judgment, lack of patience, lack of tolerance, or simply lack of allowing others the room to grow and go through their process.
During the Omer, in this period more than any other period, without expressing love we will draw judgment. But if we give love, we will draw love.
As I focus on unconditional lovefor all people around me
the dark forces within are cast out.In the past I have felt hatred for certain people
but now as I picture those people in my mind I feel only love.Light washes over them and me
and I recognize the common thread that we share –the spark of the Creator.
My heart opens as I wish them joy and fulfillment,
peace and greater understanding.
We are one soul.
Greater compassion and humanity awakens within
for those around me - my family, friends, neighbors.
Those positive feelings fan out towards all humanity.
Love washes over everyone bringing greater peace,
understanding and harmony throughout the world.
Thought for Today
Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is there adequate perception of the world.-- Hans Margolis
Peace is not the absence of the challenging, the disturbing, or the unsettling. Peace comes from our willingness to greet the encounters and experiences of our inner and outer world, without prejudice, resistance, or fear. We learn to live in a way in which we have no enemies to struggle with and no battles to win.
The challenges that come to us we no longer perceive as threats to get free from, but as invitations to learn the lessons of peacemaking. We discover that peace is not a destination to be reached but a way of living, relating, speaking, and being.
Wishing you quiet waters...
Donna
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We cannot be at peace with anything or contribute to a peaceful world unless we understand what it means to calm our own troubled hearts. The price of peace is the willingness to be still and present within ourselves. ~ Hans MargolisPeace is not the absence of the challenging, the disturbing, or the unsettling. Peace comes from our willingness to greet the encounters and experiences of our inner and outer world, without prejudice, resistance, or fear. We learn to live in a way in which we have no enemies to struggle with and no battles to win.
The challenges that come to us we no longer perceive as threats to get free from, but as invitations to learn the lessons of peacemaking. We discover that peace is not a destination to be reached but a way of living, relating, speaking, and being.
Wishing you quiet waters...
Donna
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