Turn on the Light

On this chilly early spring morning, my thoughts turn to warmth and light, those all important gifts we sometimes take for granted. I know that the sun will shine today, melting the snow and reviving the spring flowers, for which I am very thankful. We will turn our faces to the sun as flowers do, warming ourselves in its light and heat. So too should our spiritual selves turn to the Source of all being, warming and nourishing ourselves in the Light of Spirit. 

Every morning,no matter what else is happening, I believe it's important to turn on the inner light, seeking God in prayer and meditation.Throughout the day, as well, I can stay connected by breathing deeply, envisioning the white light of the Spirit surrounding and protecting me.  As I pray for others, I can imagine the Light healing and protecting them as well.

"You, Lord, keep my lamp burning
my God turns my darkness into light...Psalm 18:28 

 

One Song

 Meditating in the early dawn light, I hear one bird outside my window, singing his one song loudly, persistently, in rhythmic fashion. He is heralding the morning, joyfully giving it his all.

I thought about the one song each of us sings, perhaps in hundreds of different ways throughout our lifetimes and continuing even after we have passed on, in the echoes we leave behind. No matter whether we have done great things or small, we are each a unique, one of a kind expression of the breath of God.

To the extent that we are in tune with who we are at our core, as a Divine expression of life, we are able to share our uniquely given gifts with our families, communities and the world. Each day, we can choose to love ourselves fully and joyfully bring out that which is within us as our unique offering.

The bird at my window spontaneously shared his joy with the world, being a creature of nature unconcerned with problems. Humans, on the other hand, have worries and problems, anxieties and sometimes despair... all kinds of complicated emotions.

Yet Jesus told us to consider the sparrow and the lilies of the field, to give up our worries and fears, to have faith that all would be well. I want so much to trust in his words, to relax and be as unconcerned as the bird in dawn's light.

This morning, my prayer is that I could set aside everything, allowing Spirit to fill me and flow through me, that I might better bring out what is within to share with the world.

Beauty Persists

 Waking to the blue-gray, early-morning light, I looked out my window and saw that a layer of new snow had fallen during the night. The wind was howling so ferociously that my first reaction was to groan and go back to bed, wishing I could just hibernate until spring makes a return. But of course, I eventually got up, went outside and noticed anew the beauty of snow, as it blankets the muddy early spring grass. I pushed back the frosty covering to reveal crocuses, still alive and beautiful beneath the covering of white. 

The birds, still singing, somehow know that this return to winter is only temporary and I breathe a sigh of thanks for them too. There is so much beauty, everywhere, even in the aftermath of a spring snowstorm, if we open our eyes to it. 

I realize that this is a habit of mind that we can cultivate...to see the small nugget of beauty in any situation and that this prayerful, thankful attitude can give us hope and strength, no matter what we're going through.

I am suddenly reminded of a few lines from an older movie, "American Beauty", in which one of the main characters tries to explain why he likes to film random, beautiful moments as a way to adapt to his difficult life circumstances:

 "It was one of those days when it's a minute away from snowing and there's this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. Right? And this bag was just dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. That's the day I realized that there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... I need to remember... Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it, and my heart is just going to cave in".

My thought and my prayer for today is a challenge, really: to find the beauty under the snow and in the way the morning light filters through the budded branches to reveal the hope and promise of spring...to trust in the "incredibly benevolent force" we call God, who assures us that we need not be afraid, ever.

Keep Singing Your Song

 Sometimes, we're just smooth sailing along. thinking to ourselves "life is good and all is well", when suddenly, without warning, everything is upended and we're reminded that life can be an unpredictable hot mess at times. We have to stop in our tracks, face whatever it is, and figure out how to deal with the new reality. It's not always easy, but as is usually the case, I find that there's some great advice in children's stories.

What comes to mind is a children's audio story and song that my current group of five year olds at the Montessori school absolutely love. It's called "Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes", by Eric Litman. Pete is a real cool cat who is very proud of his new white shoes:

Pete the Cat was walking down the street
Ooh, it was a beautiful day
The sun was shining, the children were playing
He was feeling good
He was wearing his brand new white shoes
Ooh he loved those white shoes
He loved them so much
He walked down the street singing this song

I love my white shoes
I love my white shoes
I love my white shoes
I love my white shoes
I love my white shoes
I love my white shoes

Oh, no!
He stepped in a large pile of strawberries
What color did it turn his shoes?
Red!
Did he cry?
Goodness, no!
He just started singing this song:

I love my red shoes
I love my red shoes
I love my red shoes
I love my red shoes
I love my red...

 and so on...

He steps in blueberries, mud and a big puddle, but just keeps on walking along, singing his song, making the best of every new situation. At the end of the story, the narrator says " and the moral of this story is: no matter what happens in life, you just keep walking along, singing your own song" and everything will be OK. Sounds like a great reminder for all of us, right?

I guess the Pete the Cat story is another way of saying "don't sweat the small stuff", just keep doing your thing and somehow it'll all work out if you keep your attitude positive and upbeat.

Of course, I'm not sure it works as well for the big stuff to just go it alone and it's true that some problems can't be solved by a simple change of attitude. We need to know when to ask for a little help if problems seem overwhelming, whether it be from friends, family or God. I tend to turn to prayer first when things start to spiral out of control, but I always remember a story that a Christian leader once told about a little boy who had a nightmare and called out for his dad to come to his room. When his dad got there, the little boy told him about the bad dream and his dad said, " you don't have anything to worry about, because God is always here with you". The little boy replied, "I know Daddy, but sometimes I just need someone with skin on!"

As important as prayer and right attitude are, sometimes we just need a hug and some kind words from "someone with skin on" to help us be like Pete the Cat and keep going along, singing our song.