“True love is made of four elements: loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.” –Thich Nant Hanh
When I married my husband Laurence, I knew he was living with polycythemia vera, a rare type of blood cancer. He was managing his symptoms with meds and regular doctor visits. We were convinced that love was more powerful than the disease and that we would not let his diagnosis interfere with our lives. Until it did…
We knew whatever time we had was precious. We never discussed it, but there was a sense of living in the present moment and not taking anything for granted. We had our share of quarrels and arguments but we resolved them quickly and made a pact to never go to bed angry. We appreciated every day and activity. I am so grateful for every moment we shared together. He may not be here physically, but I am so aware of his loving energy.
Lately I’ve been thinking about how precious life is. Everyday for everyone. Our time here on earth is so brief. What if we truly lived knowing our time is limited? What would life be like if we lived with an intention to love and treated each other with respect and appreciation? What if we let disagreements and differences fall away and found a sense of peace—for ourselves and others?
I lost several beloveds this year: my spiritual teacher and friend, Rev. Dr. Marcia Sutton; my beautiful friend, Georgena Grace: my wonderful Aunt Dorothy who took an interest in everything I did; my lovely friend Charlotte, and several other friends and family members. They left before I could tell them what an impact they had on my life and how much I appreciate them.
I live in an awareness of deep gratitude every day. My intention is to live as love to the best of my ability, and to forgive myself when I mess up. I intend to let others know they make a difference in my life. I choose to see love in everyone I meet.
When I need help remembering, I use this prayer from Paul Selig: “On this day I choose to know my worth in love. On this day I decide to know the worth of all in love, regardless of my previous perceptions of them. On this day I know that all are worthy of love, and my sight, my expression affirms this every moment of my waking day. I know that this is so.”
“Your outer journey may contain a million steps; your inner journey only has only one step: the step you are taking right now..” Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now
Where did the year go? Does it feel like time is moving by in warp speed? It is important to establish what is meaningful to us as we step into the new year.
As we become aware of our inner journey, we move from setting goals to setting intentions. An intention is what we want to give or express in the world. The inspiration of our souls gets expressed through our intentions.
Join us as we explore principles and tools to guide us into setting clear intentions for the new year.
Unity of Beaverton, 12650 5th Street (Fifth and Angel), Beaverton, OR $25 suggested love offering; Register at the door. January 19, 2025 from 11:15 to 1:15 pm Materials and snacks provided. Conscious Choices book sold separately.
“Joy is prayer; joy is strength, joy is love; Joy is a net of love, by which you can catch souls. “. –Mother Theresa
We can get so caught up in the busy holiday season and can feel stressed, anxious, worried and overwhelmed. We can easily lose sight of the magic of the season.
Wouldn’t it be great to live the holiday through the eyes and awareness of a child? Here are some helpful tips.
1. Be Here Now. There is no tomorrow or later. There is only NOW. Try it for yourself. Spend the next 30 minutes being in the moment. It’s not as easy as it looks.
2. The Universe is abundant. There is no lack in a child’s world. They see the unlimited view. They will ask for what they want. If they get a ‘no’ answer, they’ll ask again. And again. And again.
3. Imagination is everything. We adults live inside the box. We see what we expect to see. Using the imagination expands our reality into unlimited possibilities.
4. Rules are meant to be changed. If you don’t like the outcome of your game, then change the rules. Change your mind. Change your thinking. Just change.
5. Love heals everything. A hug, a kiss or a smile can transform tears into laughter, discord into peace, separation into harmony.
We discover the real joy of Christmas when we take time to slow down, be in the moment, give thanks for our blessings, and share a hug or a smile. Perhaps if we take a moment to see Christmas from the eyes of a child, we can be in awe of the miracle of the season.
“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?” “It came without ribbons. It came without tags.” “It came without packages, boxes or bags!” And he puzzled three hours, til his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.” “Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more!” — Dr Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas
May the Light of the Season guide your journey with Grace, fill your heart with Love and your life with Infinite Joy.
“My wish for you is that you continue to be who and how you are, to astonish the world with your acts of kindness. Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart.” –Maya Angelou
Is it just me, or have you noticed that holiday season feels at times like a rollercoaster of emotions? There are moments of joy, sadness, grief— all in the same day.
We are all a bit fragile during the holidays. Our hearts are especially tender. There are expectations, demands, promises, hopes, fears, worries, and grief all swirling together. We have our own personal challenges to deal with as well as feeling the pain of humanity’s injustices.
We learn to honor the ups and downs. As we practice awareness, we are more willing to accept and allow our emotions and not get thrown off balance.
Here are some simple steps I take to bring me back to balance.
I am grateful for this new day. I embrace this day knowing God is revealed as the radiant, energizing, joy-filled presence of Love. I know Love moves into the very cells of my being bringing light, harmony, and peace. I accept guidance to willingly let go of any resentment, hurt or disappointment. I invite the healing presence of Love to wash away any pain or darkness. I enter this day with a grateful heart and receive all the blessings Love has in store for me. And so it is. Amen.
May the light of the season guide your days with wisdom, fill your heart with peace and surround you with the presence of love.
“Healing isn’t just about a wound having the strength to close. Healing is also about a heart finding the courage to reopen again..”
– John Roedel
Physical wounds are obvious. We can see the cut, clean and bandage it and allow it to heal. Emotional wounds are much more difficult. We cannot see them and they often unknowingly direct and influence our thinking. Thoughts become emotions and emotions dictate our actions.
On the spiritual journey, our work is to be the observer and be aware of our thoughts, emotions, and reactions. As the observer, we are empowered to respond rather than react.
In his book Soul Awakening Practice, James O’Dea states that most of the time we don’t understand our emotions and we try to manipulate and control the outside world so that we won’t be faced with uncomfortable emotions. The wounds of our past are often running our present circumstances and they can limit our relationships and experiences.
There are a few helpful steps we can take to heal emotional wounds:
Be willing to look at the emotional upset. Just like a physical wound, we have to examine what is troubling us and bring it into the light to be healed.
Be willing to let go. Lay down any anger, separation, or belief and observe the situation in a new light. Be willing to forgive.
Be willing to write a new story. Claim your good and declare what you want.
We often struggle with how to forgive and let go. But the good news is — we don’t have to figure it out. We can surrender to Spirit and be willing for a new story to emerge. Give thanks for the gift of awareness and allow the wound to dissolve and peace to emerge.
I am grateful for this simple prayer practice from James O’Dea’s book, Soul Awakening Practice.
Our Wisdom of the Heart retreat was another wonderful experience of joyful connections. We arrived a bit weary, rattled and stressed from our busy lives. And we left uplifted, renewed, and realigned with the presence of love.
Here is some of what the retreat sisters shared:
–The retreat gave me a chance to look at what is really going on in my life. I received prayers and tools that I can use everyday to further open myself up to the gifts the Divine has already made available to me.
–As a new person to the group, I was amazed at the immediate acceptance and welcome into this amazing circle of women.
–The prayer night affected me profoundly. There was a powerful presence that surrounded us.
–Every day was filled with wisdom and tools to take home. And the music was awesome!
–Big love to Lauri for bringing such heartfelt, spiritual musical beauty to our experience.
–First time attendee and I will return. Rev Christine is an excellent facilitator responding to our needs.
–I always appreciate the flow of practices, the opportunities for sharing, and the balance of downtime. I do not have many opportunities to step out of my life to be supported in this deep work and I am so grateful that you continue to offer this transformative time.
–Each retreat has taken me deeper in finding the “real” me. The support of my “sisters’ is beyond anything I can imagine.
–I loved the whole retreat! I arrived rattled from the noise and clutter and found peace.
–Spending time in an old growth forest with heart-centered women led by Rev Christine is a gift for your soul.
–The retreat is a respite from the overwhelming cultural demands. It helps calm the spirit within and to know more clearly who you are.
Save the date for next year’s retreat: October 19 – 22, 2025.
