Why Pray or Meditate (You Know Because It Makes Your Heart Sing)

What I'm feeling right now is gratitude because my headache is gone.  My heart is singing because I know how to get rid of a headache fast.  I didn't always know how to do this, but thanks to a variety of teachers, I can do this myself through a combination of hydrating, utilizing essential oils, massaging my neck and scalp, stretching and being still (praying and meditating).

What's also on my heart is that my sister-in-law texted me over several days to tell me that her sons had been talking about me all week while they were at the beach.  They said things like, "Aunt Marie would know what bird this is," and "We have to get the watermelon beach umbrella because that's what Aunt Marie uses."

God* wants me to know that sitting still, meditating and praying, leads me to setting intentions to be the best I can be, including being present when I interact with others. God also wants me to know that I often receive gifts from others, that I need to recognize these gifts more often, and that I need to make good on my promises, such as to my nephews and friends.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, the community and I would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else.  Most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.
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Reflective questions:
1.  What's on your heart right now?

2. What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, "God, what do you want me to know?")

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, Sensibility, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

Photo by MH, Hanging Lake 

Note:  These posts are part of a broader call to do spiritual journaling (read more at CardinalTouch.net).

Path of Peace

     Some days when I set out to blog I have so many things swirling around in my head I don't know what to pick,  That's because God* set out on this blogging journey with me and my God is an awesome God, wanting me (and everyone) to be successful.
     This morning I journaled about my birthday.  My daughter was off school and kept me company in between clients, my son kept calling until he got me live to bestow birthday greetings, and my husband sprinkled gifts to me throughout the day.  But this was only some of the surface pieces.
     It's about the moments in between the gifts and wishes that I want to share.  This is because today, after my morning journaling, I asked God what I should know and the response was in the rephrasing of the Psalms by Nan Merrill.  I opened randomly to page 184 and read about God setting us on a peaceful path.
   What I had also journaled about, and God wanted me to recognize, is that my daughter showed us her sketchbook on this day and one of the drawings was of one of my husband's photographs.  My son, when he finally reached me, told me that he was enjoying the blog and thought the reflective questions were thought-provoking.
     What I realized is that the development of these blog posts and the creation of photographs would not have happened if we had not followed a path of peace.  For us it meant changing careers seven years ago, but it doesn't need to be so drastic.  This path of peace is available to everyone and it promises a way of living that is most gratifying to each of us as individuals.  The tricky part is that we usually can't see where the path is going.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:

1. Is your idea of success the same as God's idea?

2.  What would happen if you moved aside and let God take the lead?

3.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

When People Do the Right Thing

Over 20 years ago I found an envelope on the floor of the Acme Supermarket with over $200 cash in it.  I turned it in to the customer service desk and they said they would put it in their safe and call me in a week if no one had claimed it.

I called my grandfather to tell him about what happened because he was always telling stories about finding things like money in the coin return slot of pay phones, a bag of potatoes and cold beer (wink, wink to the last item, I just figured out that was a joke!).

Grandpa said I would never see that money again because it would be claimed by someone who had access to the safe.  Well fortunately he was wrong!  I got a call a week later that the money was mine.  It felt really good to tell my grandpa the ending to this story.

Essentially whoever had safeguarded that money had done the right thing.  It feels so good when we can count on the kindnesses or righteousness of strangers.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:

1.  Do you count on the kindnesses of strangers?  Why or why not?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

Feel Good Without Comparisons

On January 26 I wrote about how I feel good when I don't compare myself to others.  So then, why do I still do it?  For me, there are certain things which I will probably always need to work on and this is one of them.  I think it is part of the human condition.

Right now this relates to creating an art portfolio for someone else's review.  So much to consider when creating something for someone else's critique.  One sizeable consideration is the ever-present question "Am I good enough?"    

The human side of this answer is that we instinctively compare ourselves to others.  For me, it sounds like this:  "I am not as good at drawing as her;" "I don't know how to sculpt at all and others do;" "I am no Monet."

The God*-side however is the side where I feel good because God is not comparing me to others.  "Of course you're not Monet, I already have one of them;" "Look within instead of around you;" and "Don't look at what you're not good at, consider the gifts you do have and put them forth."

My daughter is in the midst of completing college applications and she has about five different essay prompts to respond to.  One of them stumped her because it asked how she was unique.  "I am not the only one who does these clubs, sports and mission camps," she said to me.  But fortunately, one of the admissions representatives solved her problem and my own as well.  She said, "You know how you just told me about yourself; well, that's what you write about in the essay question about what makes you unique.  It's the combination of interests and experiences that you have had which make you unique."

In essence, she said, "Feel good about you.  Do not compare yourself to others.  Consider your gifts and put them forth."

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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:

1.  Do you compare yourself to others?

2.  If yes, maybe another follow up question is in order:  Who do you compare yourself to?  Why?  What impact has it had or is it having on you?

3.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

At the End of the Day, I am Still Crazed but Faithful

When I am in the best of spirits, meaning in a faith-based mood, I feel at peace.  But when I get crazed with thoughts that come from living in a world where we have concrete needs of food and shelter, worry seeps in and I can flit between faith (other world thinking) and real world thinking.

My thoughts might look like this:  we can't afford the tuition at that school....God* has an infinite pocketbook......we need to budget to the penny.......God has given me the world.....I am insane to be so faithful, will my life really unfold with ease as God has promised....With God, possibilities are limitless.

I could stay on this crazy wheel forever, but usually I am able to jump off, and find a restful place in God.  Today, when I asked God what else he wanted me to know about all of this, I randomly opened Nan Merrill's Psalms for Praying and came to Psalm 115 on page 243.

The words I was comforted by were about trusting God while we are on this earth; that if we do so, we will find peace.  And this is where I will choose to stay, knowing that the crazed thoughts will probably creep back in, but hopefully I will quickly find that resting place of faithfulness that gives me serenity.

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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:

1.  Are you in the best of spirits today or crazed by thoughts that take you to a place of fear and worry?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.