Remembering To Give Thanks

This last week has seen us lose some public figures that have been a part of our lives through the gifts they have brought with them and chose to share. They will be missed but their energy lives on and the mark they left will continue to touch our lives. This is true with everyone on this planet no matter how big or small their lives seemed to be. I believe that no "death" of the physical body is in vain. When one makes their transition, I think it's an opportunity for us to reflect on our own lives. What have we accomplished? Who have we touched? Who has touched us? For me, the first step in dealing with my sadness is to remember to give thanks. Give thanks for the people that are in my life, the people that aren't anymore, and every interaction I have had with someone no matter the outcome. I really let myself feel the gratitude and if the tears flow, so be it! Let me get all snotty with eyes red. They are tears of gratitude and they are powerful.

I remember the day my grandmother whom I loved dearly finally made her transition after a long battle with bone cancer. She had been resting at home with some hospice care so I had the opportunity to see her physically diminish as if her death was in slow motion. I remember her hanging on until the 1st of the new year so that my grandfather would not be affected by the loss of social security so soon. I came to the house and went back to the bedroom to pay my respects. I had never seen a deceased person other than in the paper or on screen. A calm came over me as I looked at her once piercing blue eyes that now were an opaque window to no where. I realized that this was just a body...a charade if you will. My grandmother had left and she was free...free from her pain of being older, from having cancer, from being angry, sad, anxious, etc. I wondered how much of that freedom could I experience and still be in my body on earth. I know my grandmother is still with me especially when times appear to be challenging. I'm always giving thanks that she was my grandmother!

This is video of a beautiful New Zealand singer by the name of Hayley Westenra singing Ave Maria, one of my Grandmother's favorite songs and sung at her memorial.



A few years ago there was a man that I didn't know very well but would see out and about on a regular basis. We had some of the same circle of friends. For some reason I found it difficult to maintain a conversation with him...as if I had to do all the talking (ok...some might say that's no challenge!). He was a very handsome guy and a lot of people wouldn't approach him. He kept close company with a couple of people on a regular basis. It happened that he didn't show up for work one day. There was no phone call to say he wouldn't be in which was unlike him. Finally, a friend showed up to his place and got no answer after knocking and ringing the bell. When the friend finally got inside he saw that he was dead. Apparently he had suffered a brain aneurysm and died on the spot. He was just beginning his 40s and seemingly very healthy. I had the opportunity to talk with a couple good friends of his afterwards. They told me that this man was so shy and thought that people might not like him. How many times have I felt that and how many times has that been misconstrued by others as my arrogance. I felt a sense of kindred ship that I wished I fostered when he was alive. His death touched me very deeply as it reminded me how many people I've not taken the time to get to know because it's inconvenient or too difficult. It got me to look at how I will let my first impression be the definitive reason why I may not pursue getting to know someone. It also reminded me to give thanks for all those people that are in my life and for all the gifts that have been given me.

Here are lyrics I wrote to a song that is yet to be sung. I wrote this not long after his death:

Remember

In the melody of a song I feel the love I forgot to touch.

In the eyes of a child I see all I am but forgot I was.

In the beauty of a sunset I see all my dreams I forgot I had.

I remember now, I remember now. I remember.

Chorus:

Everyday reminders...little look behinders, urging me on, losin' the blinders.

Here I am, face to face with all the love and all the grace.

This is the here, this is the now, this is the place.


People live and people die without anytime to say goodbye.

I take the time to sit, to feel, to cry without really facing why.

In the moment I see all I’ve not done passing me by like a river run.

I remember now, I remember now.

(Repeat Chorus)


This is a song from Secret Garden one of my favorite musical artists. This video has wonderful words and visuals to go with it illustrating how time is continual and life is cyclical by nature. From death comes rebirth much like the spring. So, I invite you to listen to this song and let it go deep. If the tears come, let them and give thanks!

With Love and Gratitude,
Stephen

What Gay Folks Bring To The Party - In Honor of Gay Pride

I started to chuckle to myself as I was typing the title to this post. I realized that the fact the word "Gay" was in the title would garner some extra hits to this blog once the "almighty" (no pun intended) search engines catch up to me! The truth of the matter is that we as a society are still titillated by all that is "gay". In fact, I will go out on a limb to say those that are repulsed by anything gay are the most fascinated. So, what I wanted to post about today, a day after many Gay Pride marches around the country, is what I feel gay people contribute to society.

I'm of the opinion that gay people many times play the role of a societal diplomat. They, in fact, often help foster dialog and understanding between heterosexuals. I've seen many times where once the insecurities are checked in at the door, heterosexual men and women have learned a lot about themselves and each other, i.e how to communicate better, cooperate more, etc from having spent time and fostering friendships with gay folks. Of course, the flip side is that gay people tend to learn more about themselves too. From a spiritual standpoint, I've always thought there was a reason why some folks identify as being gay and have felt they were born this way. I think it's all a part of a universal plan of teaching about unconditional love. It's a lesson that is taught and learned by gay people in a world where they are largely frowned upon. I've thought how ironic that Jesus taught about love and acceptance yet, more often than not, the institutions that have risen in his name seem to take great pride in excluding gay people. It seems to me that society is afraid of gay people perhaps because they mirror something back that they don't want to look at. I think this is a large reason why "gay marriage" is so hotly contested. If those that currently have the right to marry really looked at the their stewardship of the institution of marriage, they would see what a poor custodian they have been. Indeed, the heterosexual population has done more to harm marriage than gay people could possibly do. Heterosexuals have had such a head start it wouldn't even be a fair contest! I'm not advocating that gay people would do any better but I don't think they would take it for granted as much or be so cavalier about it due to the struggle for the right to marry. At this point, though I have to say that as gay marriage becomes legal in more states there will be a few "come to Jesus" moments for married gays when the realization sets in that you can't just up and begin a new "single" chapter without feeling it in the ole wallet!

I've attached a humorous video about what constitutes a "Christian" marriage since that is all too often the measuring stick being whacked against the knuckles of gay men and women. Hopefully, the humor speaks for itself and no one is too offended. Some offense is actually healthy though, LOL



The last video was from a Abraham-Hicks event (Abraham is a non-physical source energy that is translated by Esther Hicks) wherein a woman who identified herself as a lesbian activist asked Abraham about gay marriage and how to affect change. I think that this video is powerful as it addresses Issac Newton's 3rd law of "what you resist, persists" and the "law of attraction".




So, I invite you to resist less and live more....be the example you wish to promote. I know I'm rededicating myself to the practice.

Loving that we are all in this together,
Stephen

Humor...It's Part of The Journey

It is said that young children laugh as much as 100 to 200 times a day, compared to a large majority of adults who only get zero to several daily laughs. Yet laughter is good not only for the body but also for the soul and Spirit. It's interesting to me how people get serious when talking about spirituality or religion forgetting how good it is to laugh. It's all too often that humor is put out to pasture during "spiritual" discussion time. I believe that humor is a gift of Spirit. The physical act of laughter opens us up by bringing down our walls, allowing us to receive. I often find myself being overtly humorous around my spiritual community just as I would anywhere. I don't use humor that diminishes anyone but there are things that come out of my mouth that get some serious eyebrow raising going on! I'm sure some folks think me irreverent when I'm sharing some off-color observations. I often find that the folks I'm talking with recognize the truth in the observational humor though but choose not to deliver it themselves. Perhaps I am unconsciously elected to be the deliverer! Now, there's something to muse over. Anyhow, here's a favorite observation joke of mine:

HOW ENLIGHTENED ARE YOU?

IF....


If you can live without caffeine,

If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him or her,

If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,

If you can face the world without lies and deceit,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without liquor,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,

If you can honestly say that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion, gender preference, or politics,

--Then you have almost reached the same level of spiritual development as your dog!


Years ago, about 1993, I met a very funny lady named Vanda Mikoloski. I had been doing a theatre show with her brother Pavel and met her out one night after one of the shows. Pavel and I had become fast friends and he insisted I needed to meet her. I had a great time hanging with Vanda that night. I just hung on and rode her wave of energy. It was a blast! Well...fast forward to 2008. Vanda had gone back to doing stand up comedy but now focusing on spirituality and religion. The Center of Spiritual Living in Seattle invited her to perform her show in the new Celebration Hall in the fall of 2008. Now, I had seen the posters for the show around the campus but it wasn't until I saw her that I realized I knew her! What a great night and a hilarious show it was! Vanda illustrates so perfectly for me how humor and spirituality are a team. She is living proof of the law of attraction and reminds me that some of the most spiritual people I know are indeed the funniest!

I've attached a video link below of an interview with Vanda and parts of her "Enlighten Up" show. This is not from her show I saw in Seattle but nonetheless you can see how she blends humor and spirituality.

Hopefully this will remind all of us to be our "funny" selves more often!

Let Spirit Create Through You

It's often said that Spirit or God is creation. That it's always creating to further expand itself. If it is true that we are manifestations of that one Spirit then we are creative beings by nature. I believe we are creating 24/7 whether we are conscious of it or not. So I feel the calling is to co-create with Spirit in all that we do. It's often easiest to co-create with something that you enjoy. My co-creating I enjoy the most continues to be through music but I've dabbled in other forms of expression such as poetry. I once participated in a short workshop where the facilitator guided us through a meditation. As we felt ready we started writing down what we were feeling/seeing in our meditation in the form of a poem. It was actually quite fun. It was powerful to read one's own poem(s) out loud to the group and to hear others read theirs.

Here are a couple of my largely unedited poems that came out of the workshop:

My Life

My life is like a journey through the forest.

Sometimes it’s a dark and scary trek amid the thicket deep,

Other times it’s the elation of reaching a glade, safe and sweet.

I’m challenged to meld the two like water and ice.

Much like myself, they are one of the same and forever changing,

My hope stays eternal and carries me on like a dear friend, forever strong.


My Love

My love crests like a majestic wave I’m riding a top.

Love rolls over and into itself,

Slamming me to its salty ocean floor,

Or guiding me to its safe waters and welcoming shore.

Like the next wave that doesn’t stop,

Love comes back and lifts me up,

To more than I had felt,

More than I had seen,

And more than I had hoped.


So, I invite you to go out and co-create with Spirit, the Universe, God, whatever you call "it". Start with something you enjoy doing...something that comes easy to you. Pay attention to how it feels and how people respond. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Blessings on your adventure called creation ,
Stephen

Be That Which You Want To Attract

Ok...I must confess I've heard this more than a few times! I never really put it into a consistently conscious practice though. It didn't matter whether it was an intention of Love, Joy, Wisdom, Prosperity, etc. It sounded okay but the few times I've committed to walking the path in regards to a romantic relationship I've found myself facing old habits and giving into them. For me, the practice started off great but then I found myself expecting to be treated the same way in return with very little grace when I felt I wasn't. I would feel sadness that I wasn't attracting the person that I had imagined and anger that I deserved better. I would see a beautiful sunset and feel an overwhelming sadness that I didn't have that special someone in my life to share the moment with instead of just appreciating and being thankful for the awesome display of nature in front of me. I realize now the key is not to have an expectation about how it will show up and/or with whom. OK, ok...I know...much easier said than done but I'm a big proponent of including Ease in my prayers and intentions. Who said everything has to be difficult. We don't get "God" points for being a martyr. I think I've fallen into the trap that if isn't a challenge then it's not the "one" or the "thing" I intended for. I'm reminded of a line from the movie Sordid Lives,"Get off the cross, we need the wood"! Of course, the guy in the movie being told this had two wooden legs...but I digress!

Another gift I've received was remembering to be conscious of hanging around the people that are living the life I've intended for. For example, if it's a special someone you want to be in a romantic relationship with then hang around people that are in a healthy relationship. Too often we use the mirror of someone else's happiness to remind ourselves of what we don't have instead of what we desire to have. We avoid couples if it's a relationship we want and don't have, we avoid wealthy people if we are feeling financial lack, etc. We surround ourselves with unhappy folks, i.e. single people that we can piss and moan with about our failed relationships and "that there's nobody out there" or hang around people in the same dire financial straits when we are feeling "poor". In actuality, I believe when we do that we are unconsciously telling the Universe that we are happy with the way things are ...in fact, how about some more! The Universe (Spirit, God...) is an unbiased and universal giver. It doesn't hold back because one is putting out an unconscious thought instead of a conscious one. To be conscious of your thoughts regarding your intentions is to allow the people that are living the life you desire to be mental equivalents. Let them be the out-picturing of your intentions instead of someone to avoid.

So I invite you to do a little inventory about what you want in your life, what expectations you have, and who you are consistently hanging around with. I'm recommitting to doing the same!

With Loving Kindness and an Eager Heart,
Stephen

Living Your Passion - It's Your Call

I was sitting here thinking about the first thing that I would blog about and having a bit of difficulty deciding. Then it dawned on me that everything that is happening in our country, our world is actually a calling for us to decide, commit to living our passion. It's as if the world has reached a "critical mass" point and is turning everything we thought would keep us safe into fragile debris. From my experience this is when one has to go within and sit with it all, perhaps pray or meditate...anything to relax the fearful mind so that an answer can come forth and be heard. The answer that came to me was that we are here to live our passion, that our work should be a part of that passion. I've often been asked the question by people in my life of what would I do for a living if money was no object, meaning I knew I would be paid handsomely regardless. I'm reminded that the Universe conspires for our Good. My Good is singing, specifically inspirational music. Now, the reality for me is that my faith has and is tested when the end of the month rolls around or some unexpected expense shows up and I don't see the funds in my checking account. Somehow though, God, the Universe, whatever...comes through in ways that I had not imagined. I remember to be thankful and continue on my path. I also know that I am happiest when I'm doing what I love. I am a joy to be around and people respond accordingly.

Take the time to watch this video of a talk given at the Center For Spiritual Living in Seattle by Tama Kieves. She presents a hilarious and effective talk about doing your passion!



So, as these turbulent times swirl about you I invite you to consider what your passion is...to feel what it would be like to live it and be paid handsomely for it. The gift has been calling on you...it's your call whether to receive it.

Many blessings on your journey,
Stephen