We met through our spiritual community, so a love for God was what we shared before we even became acquainted.
We laughed a lot as our friendship grew. In fact, the first gift I ever gave him was a favorite photo of Swami Kriyananda laughing uproariously.
But I’m pretty sure love started to grow the first time we rehearsed together for a concert. It was like recognizing a kindred spirit (and, yes, we recently finished watching Anne of Green Gables!). 😄
The pictures above are from the weekend of our wedding at Ananda Assisi (we had two ceremonies, in order to accommodate family on both continents).
I was in second grade when JFK was assassinated. I remember the teacher calling us in from recess to tell us the news. I remember seeing my father cry.
I remember pulling into a parking spot in front of my SF apartment as Dianne Feinstein came on the radio to announce that Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk had been assassinated at City Hall. It was barely ten days after the mass suicide at Jonestown in Guyana took over 900 lives of People’s Temple members, many of them from the Bay Area.
I remember the shock of Sept 11.
During each of these traumatic events I struggled to make sense of a world that seemed to have turned upside down before my eyes.
Worst of all was the day I learned that my baby had died in my womb at the very end of a perfectly normal pregnancy. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced and I don’t know how I would have made it through if I hadn’t been consciously on the spiritual path for some time before it happened.
I was a member of Unity then and I had a strong connection with my church family, as well as a deep commitment to studying the teachings.
One of the prayers I had learned went like this: There is only one presence and one power active in all the Universe and in my life – God, the Good Omnipotent.
I knew it and prayed it and believed it. But when my baby died I was forced to put it to the test. Was I going to throw out my belief because I was so angry with God? Or was I going to lean in and grab on to it as my anchor in a sea of anguish?
You can probably guess “which way I broke,” as they say. And maybe you can also guess why I’m thinking about that prayer today.
Yes, I have been profoundly disturbed by the events in our nation’s capital today. My mind reels and I’m struggling to make sense of it all. But I know from experience that I have a choice. I always do.
So I choose to believe in and to focus on that one presence and power. I choose to remember that it is active in all the universe and in my life, in all lives. I choose to know that it is God.
We’re being put to the test. What do you choose to believe and to focus on right now? 🙏
Days like today are such a wonderful opportunity to remember…
….that, no matter what, every person on the planet is my spiritual brother and sister.
….that, no matter what the world looks like, the ultimate reality is that it’s all made out of God. As my Science of Mind practitioner used to say: “There is no spot where God is not.” and “You can’t get outside of God.”
….that, no matter the centuries of misunderstandings to the contrary, God is love, God is light, God is Peace. And if there’s no spot where God is not, that means there’s no spot — anywhere — where love is not present. True, we human beings are really, really good at hiding it and disguising it and denying it, but love is still there. Just being love and waiting for us to allow it in.
Even though I don’t particularly enjoy it, I do appreciate the fact that times like these are a blessing in the sense that they force me to build up my spiritual muscle. It’s not always fun, but it is getting me closer to the goal.
I’ve cherished this postcard (pictured above) for more than thirty years because it touched me so deeply when I first saw it, even years and years before I found my true spiritual path. And I’m feeling it more and more with each passing year.
The peace of God is my one goal the aim of all my living here, the end I seek, my purpose and my function and my life.
Quote from A Course in Miracles (Foundation for Inner Peace)
Another day of taking time to sit and watch and listen. I didn’t see literal blossoms, but all the abundant expressions of LIFE that were happening in front of our apartment were just as clearly speaking of God.
It all feels so huge right now. Huge and overwhelming. And when the overwhelm starts to drag me under I have to go for a walk and ground myself in the trees and the sky and the breeze.
Then I can remember that no matter what is going on, God is bigger. Regardless of whether He feels bigger to me in every moment, I believe that He is bigger than all of it.
But sometimes that’s all it feels like: belief…which isn’t the same as knowing. And isn’t the same as having faith.
Which reminds me of something I heard in a class at my Unity church several decades ago. The teacher pointed out that most of us had more faith in the United States Postal Service than we did in God. When we all looked properly shocked at her statement, she pointed out that we routinely put our letters in the mailbox without questioning for a moment whether they would get where we wanted them to go. Whereas we were always doubting and second guessing God!
So in this time of upheaval and uncertainty and general angst, I’m doing my best to remember the quote by Anandamayi Ma: “Don’t you think that He who created this world knows how to run it?”
After all, He’s bigger than any person, any politician, or any virus. Of course, He’s not going to take away our (global) lessons and/or karma, much as we may wish that He would. But He remains ever-present, loving us throughout the entire process, no matter what.
Here are two quotes that I find reassuring in these crazy times…
God is the one great Reality. To know and experience Him is the whole purpose of human existence. So do not hesitate to strive to achieve this great goal. Be patient in all the ups and downs of life. Everything will right itself. Do all that is necessary to be done, but do not be anxious. Do your best and leave the rest to God.
Sri Anandamayi Ma
Attune yourself to the active inner Guidance; the Divine Voice has the answer to every dilemma of life. Though man’s ingenuity for getting himself into trouble appears to be endless, the Infinite Succor is no less resourceful.
