“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” – Ruth Baer Ginsburg
I’ve been so inspired watching the determination, grit, and drive of the athletes at the Olympic games. Many of them have moved through so many physical, mental and emotional challenges to be there. To hear the stories of devotion of the athlete’s persistence and support of their families and friends is amazing.
I was especially in awe of watching Katie Ledecky swim the 1500 m freestyle. When she was previously interviewed she was asked how she stayed focused. She said she trained herself to not let any negative thoughts distract her from her goal. She monitors her self talk and has trained her inner voice to be a motivational speaker. So while she’s swimming, her only thoughts are ones to empower her to keep going, past pain, doubt, and limitation.
Wow! What a dedicated spiritual practice! Most days I can start out with a positive mindset, but my thoughts so easily revert to what’s not working or what I didn’t get done. Watching her persistence and determination was a reminder of the importance of staying focused and take one step at a time.
Disappointment, illness, financial challenges, loss are all life experiences we have at one time or another. Part of the practice is to acknowledge the pain and emotion and not bury it. Feel the feelings, talk about the pain, acknowledge the sadness. Have patience as you move through the process. Be gentle with yourself and your self talk. Reach out and talk with a friend. Know that this too shall pass.
After Katie finished her event, she told her a reporter that she let her mind wander near the end of the race. Her thoughts went to all the people who helped her achieve her success, and she was appreciating each of them. She ended the race with gratitude, humility and grace and a gold medal!
Feeling gratitude for even the smallest awareness helps to lift us up. Feeling grateful changes our vibration and allows us to be fully present. I am reminded of this quote from Melodie Beattie, “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more.”
What are you grateful for today? Is there an Olympic athlete that inspires you?
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“As I become conscious of my Oneness with God, I am filled with enthusiasm and a sense of energy and vitality.” – Ernest Holmes
Feeling tired lately? You are not alone! Vitality seems to be in short supply these days. There are so many challenges that drain our energy and can leave us sleepless and exhausted.
Vitality Is defined an exuberance; living with purpose. But some days it can be quite a feat to move from exhausted to vitality. It takes practice to take a breath, take a pause, and let go of our self-imposed demands. It often takes courage to ask for help and compassion to release our need for perfection. When we practice letting go we open the heart to more love, and we naturally feel more enthusiasm and vitality for life.
I feel vitality when I am in nature. Whether I am at the ocean, forest, or desert, I feel a newness and freshness. My friend feels it when she is with her granddaughter. The world seems to stop and she is completely in the moment and in a state of unconditional love. Another friend feels exactly the same way when playing with her dog, feeling immense love and joy.
When we tap into vitality we are tapping into our connection with the divine and we vibrate the life force energy. We feel an aliveness and appreciation for life itself. Eric Butterworth describes vitality as “All the the attributes of the Infinite are in focus as you, flowing forth through you. You are this flow.”
Pay attention to what makes you feel energized. You may not feel it every day and that’s okay. If we are willing to recognize vitality and pay attention, it happens more frequently. To some it may show up as an abundance of energy and to others it may be a quiet sense of purpose and gratitude. Wherever we are, we are connecting with the frequency of love.
I would love to hear from you. Let me know what energizes you and renews your vitality?
“Everything you judge you fear. Think about it. Ask yourself what you judge, and then ask yourself why you fear, and you will know this in your heart once and for all.” Paul Selig, Book of Love and Creation
It is very popular to play the blame game in today’s society. We often look a scapegoat, someone to blame for the problems of the world. We blame the government, stock market, banks, wealthy people, poor people, big business, other countries and our parents for the pain and suffering of today’s world. We point fingers and worry about what others are doing or not doing. When we do that, we are simply spreading fear.
It’s so easy to judge what others are doing and give advice to how they should change their behavior. Actually it is a way to avoid looking at our own limiting beliefs and fear-based thoughts. An important step on our spiritual journey is to take responsibility and pay attention to what we are doing, thinking and saying.
Responsibility is not about blaming ourselves. Responsibility is the ability to respond. It is the freedom to take action. It is the power to change. When we take responsibility, we face our fears and take steps to move past them.
Practice looking at what you want instead of what you don’t want. Ask each day “What is mine to do to make the world a better place?” Release judgment and anger and send love instead. When we send love we raise the vibration for everyone.
Be gentle. Practice compassion. Having compassion for ourselves and others opens us to love and be loved. Compassion awakens love in us. Love is the healing power beyond judgment and blame. There is always a choice.
Speak this prayer attunement aloud whenever you are feeling separate, angry, or judgmental. Speak it aloud for yourself when you are feeling fearful.
“In addition to creating happiness in our lives, we need to cultivate the spiritual practices that lead to joyfulness, especially gratitude. We need to live from a place of gratitude and joy.” Brene Brown
Happy New Year! Another whirlwind of a holiday season has passed. We try to catch our breath as we turn the page of the calendar to a new year.
We can sometimes feel conflicted declaring what we want in the new year. We want change and yet we resist it. Sometimes we like change as a concept rather than reality. We want to have something new in our lives but we don’t want to let go of the old way of doing things. We resist change because we don’t like to be uncomfortable.
What if we looked at change as an opportunity for growth and transformation, rather than something to be feared? What if we embraced the discomfort and uncertainty that comes with change, knowing that it is a necessary part of our evolution?
The new year is an invitation to welcome new beginnings and let go of the old patterns and habits that no longer serve us. The new year is an opportunity to open to new experiences and opportunities that come our way, even if they make us uncomfortable.
Gratitude is an important step in accepting newness. There is something powerful in appreciating the present moment, the journey that has led us to where we are now. We expand our awareness when we feel gratitude for the lessons we have learned, the growth we have experienced, and the people who have supported us along the way.
In this new year, l invite you to make gratitude your guiding principle. Let’s find joy in the little things, the simple pleasures of everyday life. And let’s remember that change is not something to be feared, but something to be embraced and celebrated.
So here’s to a year of growth, transformation, and gratitude. May we have the courage to embrace change, the wisdom to appreciate the present moment, and the gratitude to be truly happy.
“When conditions are sufficient there is a manifestation.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
We made wonderful joyful connections! We talked and shared, laughed and danced and even shed a tear or two.
Our Wisdom of the Heart Women’s Retreat was truly a celebration of the Spirit. Lauri Jones blessed us with her amazing voice, original music and united us in harmony. The beautiful forest at Alton Collins Retreat Center provided a sacred backdrop as we came together in love. We left uplifted, renewed, reconnected and recommitted to our spiritual practice.
Here’s what the retreat sisters had to say:
This retreat has opened up my heart to feel love again, to forgive more deeply and to further appreciate who I have become.
Connecting with other spiritually like-minded women was an enormous gift!
I call this retreat a soul tuning journey: being in the space which allows me to be completely protected while I explore the areas of my life that needs to grow.
I come alone and leave with a new tribe. The laughter, tears and very real sharing is heartfelt and I can feel it in the very core of my being.
I’ve been attending Rev Christine’s retreats for 10 years and they always take me deeper within myself.
I love the sacred, beautiful, healing container you create for us to come together and go deep into spiritual practice.
I love the mix of spirituality and fun, the peace of Alton Collins and the wonderful food that nourishes us.
I love Lauri’s voice, her style and her gentleness.
The Wisdom of the Heart retreats really do help reveal the Wisdom of one’s heart-self.
Rev Christine has a way of acknowledging each person’s experience in a way that values the person.
This was an opportunity to find time to rest and relax and deepen my spiritual awareness. I found new “sisters” and grew closer to the ones I already knew.
This deeply spiritual retreat, as always, changed my life. It moved me from anxiety to wholeness and gratitude.
I appreciate the safe and trusting environment for all participants, allowing us to connect with each other and our souls.
“When you get into the consciousness of the flow of the creative process within you, there will be a constant inner-direction in your life, leading to a deep sense of meaning…” Eric Butterworth, In The Flow Of Life
Some days, I am more efficient at catching my thoughts moving in a downward spiral. I was working on a project recently and realized I was thinking there was not enough time, energy or resources to complete it. I felt my stamina fade and my brain start to shut down.
It is important to catch thoughts of limitation quickly before they have time to take hold. Thoughts that spiral down are similar to a runaway car speeding down the hill. If we let them go, they will run away with our imagination and make up all kinds of stories of worry and fear.
The practice is to stop the limited thought quickly and realign ourselves to the universal flow of life.
These affirmations from In The Flow Of Life by Eric Butterworth lift me out of limitation and energize me back into the flow.
Be still and know…I am in the flow.
I move forward in the flow of life; unhurried and unworried.
I am in the flow of life, and I move easily with the flow. I am radiantly and enthusiastically alive.
I am free from tension, stress, and strain. I go forward in the flow of life—unhurried and unworried.
I am a child of the universe, established eternally in the healing stream. I am strengthened, renewed, restored, and made whole in every way.
I know my responsibility is to see with the eyes of love.
I am in the flow of life, and I relate easily and lovingly, patiently and understandingly with all persons.
I go forth in the joyous certainty that whatever person or situation may come to me this day, it will be good, for I will be in the flow of good. And if I should have even a fleeting moment of concern, I will simply let go…and let flow.
I accept the reality of this situation, but not its permanence. I know that this, too, shall pass away.
Copy these into your phone or print this page and keep it nearby. Use them as reminders of being in the flow.
