Spirituality Matters

Were we created because God loves stories? We create our personal stories that tell us who we are— to ourselves. We also create our personal stories to tell the world who we are and what we want others to know about us. The sacred stories that we believe— about who we are, why we are here, and where we are going— set the stage for our personal tales. How does your personal story (that you share with the world) begin? Mine starts with “what if?” Perhaps these words, that seem to sum up my inner journey, should be on my tombstone. “She lived with ‘what if’ as a motivational impetus in her life.”

I think back to what seems like another lifetime ago in the early 90s, when I was trying to promote my calligraphic designs and my brother suggested the ‘world wide web’. “Sure,” was my answer, “I’ll do that— what is the world wide web?” I learned. Around that same time, a friend who was a published author attended a spirituality workshop I was leading. “You should write this all down – write a book,” she said. “Sure, I’ll do that – how do you write a book?” and she showed me.

I wonder if we knew what will be involved in the decisions we make, would we be willing to start the many ventures that make us who we are? I am so glad that I jump in, naive and and optimistic, on the many paths and adventures to further spiritual growth.

Life, according to my friend Paddy, is like the softball game she used to play as a child. She remembers that while she played in the position to which she was assigned, she would become extremely anxious if another team member was not able to do what was required, and Paddy would suffer extreme frustration in not being able to change the outcome of the game. She realized at some point in her life, that worrying about what other team members could or could not do, was not her business. She had to learn that she was assigned to hold a certain position on the team and hold it to the best of her ability. That was why she was there.

As in softball, when we become overwhelmed by the tragedies and trauma of our world and feel immobilized by our inability to take care of all that needs to be done (much as we feel as we think of the catastrophic devastation in Haiti) perhaps it serves us well to remember that we are not able to do it all. We are each here to play a part, and to play it in full consciousness, to the best of our ability. We can help others where and when it is possible but just being the best Paddy/Susan/Margaret/Heather that we can be, is why we are here.

A New Year’s resolution is to make my time more valuable this year by using it wisely. Interesting how we consider time as a commodity – we use it, spend it, waste it, and heaven forbid, kill it. I want to make the moments count and consider carefully what I do with my days. I make a point of having music on while I work and will now not just wait for vacation time to read, but will spend part of each day reading. As I walk on the treadmill or relax in a recliner at the end of the day, I am treasuring the time I can spend reading uplifting prose and poetry to fill my mind with meaningful images to replace the cacophany that television brings into our homes. “Traveling With Pomegranates” by Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter Ann is nourishing my soul at present, as the books ‘The Woman Who Named God’ by Charlotte Gordon and ‘The Joining’ by Vishara Veda have done over the past few weeks. I would love to hear what you are doing with your time and what you are doing to feed your soul.

The new website and blog are now working as the promotion for the new book is underway. I was interviewed by Guy Rathbun for a program to be aired on Wed, Jan 27 between 4.30 and 5 on KCBX and streamed from kcbx.org. I look forward to being at Coalesce Book Store in Morro Bay on Sun, Jan 31 at 3.00 and hope friends in the area will be able to join us.

  In the light of the catastrophic devastation in Haiti, we feel a sense of guilt as we enjoy the simple pleasures of our daily lives. It seems so unfeeling to thrill to pleasure of engaging with our grandchildren as I have been doing over the past few weeks. On the other hand, deepening an appreciation of the privileges we enjoy, encourages us to do more for those who are suffering and to be able to teach the next generation about the importance of caring is so important and easily done between grandparents and grandchildren.

  Globally conscious, I have been thinking about the games we play with 7-year olds. Cards games provide excellent interchange and practice with math skills and logic as does chess, checkers and Parcheesi. Monopoly seems to encourage the very characteristics that lead to the problems that existed in Haiti before the earthquake. How do we find a balance between teaching the joy of winning and still maintain a sense of encouragement to whomever comes in second place? I will be on the look out for socially conscious games and would welcome any suggestions.