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 When we begin anything new, it's like beginning everything new because life is always in process. Nothing enters in without connecting to everything else along the way, like water reaching every surface of its container. We hope the words and information we share will touch all the corners of your life and begin your own process of Spiritual Transformation. When we use the word "transformation," we're talking about the moment(s) when God becomes real to you. So open your mind and heart, keep your spiritual eyes open, and let's look for God together. ***** Our spiritual eyes help us to look beyond the everyday realities of life in the usual "fast-lane" of being and doing and see other possibilities that might just have to do with a spiritual dimension in life. For instance, today Lew and I went to visit the Botanic Garden in our area - a favorite place to walk, relax, find the extraordinary beauty of nature, topped off with a cup of Starbucks coffee and, if we're feeling expansive, a chocolate chip cookie. Sounds like a pretty complete experience, in and of itself. But, after about twenty minutes of walking, my heel started to hurt and I decided to pay attention to the pain, rather than choosing to ignore it and keep on walking. "I think we'd better head back..my heel's feeling pretty sore", I said regretfully. I thought we might cut out the last part of our walk. But Lew picked up my distress and suggested an alternate route through the exhibition hall which would be much quicker. What we didn't know was that there was a new exhibit in the hall about the incredible, miraculous, life giving gift of plants in the world called, "Slowlife": A journey into "altered perceptions" and a new world of "slow time" and slow-life. In our fast paced, constantly moving, over filled and stressed out life, here was a brand new way of looking at life and time in the gift of plant time, slow time, only available through the amazing lens of time-lapse photography. What we can neither see nor hear is happening in a different dimension of being that never sleeps; that is beyond our ability to perceive in the moment; and which is pure gift from the Creator of all Gifts in the universe. It makes one think again of Eden and its garden and the presence of God in every moment and every thing. Now, had we not decided to go to the Botanic Garden today, had my foot not hurt, had I not shared my pain; had Lew not suggested we go on a short cut to the car...we would have missed this extra-ordinary experience entirely. And so, did God "cause" us to go to the garden, my foot to hurt, Lew to suggest an alternative route....NO. Was God present in the miracle of plant life, the extraordinary underground activity that brings nourishment and oxygen to the world so that our survival is directly connected to the gift of nutrients that plants carry? For me, that is part of the Mystery of God's presence in this world. Every moment we are privileged to discover the gift of life that is the nature and substance of God's Being-ness in this world. Everywhere we look, there exists the possibility of new life waiting for us to notice. Sometimes, the gift is so powerfully visible that we can hardly miss it. Other times, it is so subtle that, like the "roots that dance in their world beneath the soil", we have to rely on some inner resource to annunciate the presence of the Creator God who breathes life into all creation. Sharing these gifts of new life with each other helps us to discover the presence of God we might have missed. But we are also blessed with one more gift. As in the plant world, God also never appears to sleep. So each moment offers a new beginning..a new promise..and a new gift...if we will open our spiritual eyes. ***** I've been thinking alot about stress lately..and what it can do to us. (Probably because it's such a constant companion these days...). We know alot about the physical and emotional consequences of this nearly universal ailment of the 21st century. But it may be the spiritual costs we pay that finally create a wake up call to pay attention to the actual losses of constant and unrelenting stress. When I am "stressed-out", I am literally "out-of-me". I'm not the person I know: I've lost my connection to my "self", which is what connects me to my spouse, family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. So how can we have a relationship when what I'm bringing is facsimile of who I am. Worse yet, when I'm not "me", I'm not open to God in the moment. I've shut myself away in a war zone that keeps God and everyone at bay. It's not worth that price! What to do? It starts with being aware that finding God in the moment means having a connection between us. I know God is here. My job is to bring "me" to the moment as well. Not a me, beleaguered by battling inner forces, but a me who can say "help", take a breath and know that I am not alone. It's a first step. ***** |
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