We're Doing The Best We Can

 

Marsha, Aaron, Kailey at Ukulele Jam in Longmont, CO

​Everyone is doing the best they can. For years, I would remind myself of this while going through the day. When tempted to judge something as less than satisfactory, I would tell myself that everyone was doing the best that they could. I haven’t been using this mantra much this year, and it’s starting to show in my attitude. I’ve found myself being irritated with politicians, friends, neighbors, relatives — well, I guess anyone who is not doing things the way I would do them! So, in this reminder I shall include myself. I’m doing the best I can, with the exception being: now that I know better, I’ll do better. And when I’m tempted to get on my high horse and think someone isn’t living up to my expectations, I’ll translate that into a loving response rather than a critical one. Namaste...

“Advancing spiritual steps in the teeming universe of Mind lead on to spiritual spheres and exalted beings. To material sense, this divine universe is dim and distant, gray in the somber hues of twilight; but anon the veil is lifted, and the scene shifts into light.” Mary Baker Eddy- Science & Health Page 513:6

"Sit quietly and look upon the world you see, and tell yourself: 'The real world is not like this.'" A Course in Miracles T-13.VII1

This is the Moment...

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I was looking out the front door at the rain and noticed the reflections coming back at me from my home. I took this photo. Almost immediately afterwards, I saw this Thich Nhat Hanh quote. It all seemed so perfect, I wanted to share it with you all. Happy Saturday!

"You may wonder if the most wonderful moments of your life are already behind you. Or you may think the happiest moment of your life is still to come. But this is the moment we have been waiting for." - Thich Nhat Hanh

Cause of Anger: Facts or Interpretation?

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"The Earth is My Sister" - Sandy Wythawai Starbird

A few years ago, a woman I’ve known all my life said some mean things to me about someone I love. Although I wasn't actively disliking her, and I certainly never would have spoken badly of her, I would have been fine never seeing her or speaking with her again. When our paths finally crossed, it was in the market and she was a few dollars short when it came time to pay for her groceries. I gladly offered her money and she gratefully accepted. By this simple meeting and interaction, any animosity I was harboring toward her disappeared. Just like that, it was gone! This felt so good, I am hoping to find other twinges of ill-will within myself, so as to confront them and watch the consequent resolution! Life is good!

“Perhaps it will be helpful to remember that no one can be angry at a fact. It is always an interpretation that gives rise to negative emotions, regardless of their seeming justification by what appears as facts. Regardless, too, of the intensity of the anger that is aroused. It may be merely slight irritation, perhaps too mild to be even clearly recognized. Or it may also take the form of intense rage, accompanied by thoughts of violence, fantasized or apparently acted out. It does not matter. All of these reactions are the same. They obscure the truth, and this can never be a matter of degree. Either truth is apparent, or it is not. It cannot be partially recognized. Who is unaware of truth must look upon illusions.” A Course in Miracles - Manual for Teachers

Lonely or Alone?

Sandy Starbird Art - "I am Protennoia, the Thought that dwells in the Light. the All, she in whom the All takes its stand, the first-born among those who came to be, she who exists before the All. She (Protennoia) is called by three names, although she dwells alone, since she is perfect. I am invisible within the Thought of the Invisible" http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/trimorph.html

I’ve been talking to someone about loneliness and the many forms in which it appears. The years I spent in bars wasn’t for the alcohol, but for the people, the easy connection found in those bottles. I’ve known folks who belong to enough clubs and groups to keep themselves busy all their waking hours. Many people can’t abide silence and constantly have a radio or other device playing, often simply for the company they feel it brings to them. Then there are those who marry to keep from being alone, many times not realizing the most lonely of individuals are often not by themselves. To sit quietly by yourself, happy, realizing there is a deeper connection than the busy-ness often used as a substitution for it — this is the open secret to happiness, the key to contentment, the welcoming element of eternal Love. “I am in you, and you in me, mutual in divine Love.” William Blake

“Wilderness: Loneliness; doubt; darkness. [or] Spontaneity of thought and idea; the vestibule in which a material sense of things disappears, and spiritual sense unfolds the great facts of existence.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 597:16-19

“God Goes With Me Wherever I Go: Today's idea will eventually overcome completely the sense of loneliness and abandonment all the separated ones experience. Depression is an inevitable consequence of separation. So are anxiety, worry, a deep sense of helplessness, misery, suffering and intense fear of loss.” A Course in Miracles - Workbook Lesson #41 - 

Ushering in a New Era

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photo credit: Richard Quick

Writers, artists, musicians, all of us who are willing to live from intuition rather than by-rote behavior, heart instead of head, each and every one of us are ushering in a new era. We're shifting consciousness to reality rather than the illusion of such. Every thought is important! Compassionate action is replacing fearful hibernation; honesty trumps lies. Let's all hold tight to each other and go forward with joy!

“The calm and exalted thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace.Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 506:12-14

There Is No Death ...

 

Grotto Spring - Eureka Springs - Aaron Springston PC

What do you think of when you hear the words, "There is no death"? You may think of someone living on in your idea of heaven, continuing in much the same way as we knew them. We find it comforting to think we will see them again, continuing our lives as before they left us. I, personally, think of the change we call death as a grand adventure. Who knows for sure what this change will bring? Some even have an idea that the afterlife is whatever you think it is: if you believe in a traditional heaven and hell, so it is; if you see everything as eternal energy, so be it. You probably have some ideas and intuitive feelings about this, too. I’ve been examining these concepts lately, and I'm comfortable with what I’m feeling.

“When your body and your ego and your dreams are gone, you will know that you will last forever. Perhaps you think this is accomplished through death, but nothing is accomplished through death, because death is nothing. Everything is accomplished through life, and life is of the mind and in the mind. The body neither lives nor dies, because it cannot contain you who are life. A Course in Miracles - The Lessons of Love

“If the belief in death were obliterated, and the understanding obtained that there is no death, this would be a ‘tree of life,’ known by its fruits. Man should renew his energies and endeavors, and see the folly of hypocrisy, while also learning the necessity of working out his own salvation.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 426:12-16

Compassion in Emptiness

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photo credit: Aaron Springston

The Dalai Lama has profound and beautiful messages for us! He speaks of peace and love, reminding us of our true identity in such an unassuming and pure manner. His gleeful words never leave me where they found me, and for this I am most grateful. I remember a DVD of his entitled "Compassion in Emptiness". He speaks to the importance of relationships based on honesty and trust. The joyfulness born of these interactions is essential to our liberation from fearful illusions. The trust and honesty he speaks of isn't limited to those who have "earned" it. It isn't limited in any way. As we go through our daily activities, let's remember to treat everyone with the loving respect and courtesy with which we would afford a dearly beloved parent or child. May kindness and joy spread to every person you come into contact with today, and everyday. And if you happen to forget what that feels like, look up a video of the Dalai Lama and let him remind you!

“If selfishness has given place to kindness, we shall regard our neighbor unselfishly, and bless them that curse us; but we shall never meet this great duty simply by asking that it may be done.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 9:11-14