Comforting Peace

It seems to me there are an unusually high number of people in transition right now.   I have noticed in posts to Facebook by my friends, or friends of friends, of loved ones in the process of moving on in life’s adventure.  Of course, the news is full of the almost daily deaths due to gun violence, much of it hitting closer to home than we ever imagined it would.

This challenges us in many ways.  We all know that the time will come for each of us.  Some of us are prepared to “be there” for our loved ones as they move closer to the time of parting from us physically.  Somehow we have found the love and strength to abide in the “peace that passes understanding.”  Still, it is never really easy to voice our final farewell.

When a tragedy of some sort comes unexpectedly, we are seldom ready.  At times such as that instinct often takes over and we are numbed to the tasks at hand that we must attend to.  We are enabled to move through the experience deciding, acting, and comforting others as necessary.  When the immediacy of the need passes, we may fall into our own quiet oblivion while we find our personal healing and renewal.  Perhaps these words from a man who was my mentor and my friend will encourage and strengthen you in your time of need as it has me many times.

I Am There

By James Dillet Freeman

Poet Laureate Of Unity

Do you need me?

I am there.

You cannot see Me, yet I am the light you see by.

You cannot hear Me, yet I speak through your voice.

You cannot feel Me, yet I am the power at work in your hands.

I am at work, though you do not understand My ways.

I am, at work, though you do not recognize my works.

I am not strange visions.  I am not mysteries.

Only in absolute stillness, beyond self, can you know Me as I am, and then, but as a feeling and a faith.

Yet I am there. Yet I hear. Yet I answer.

When you need Me, I am there.

Even if you deny Me, I am there.

Even when you feel most alone, I am there.

Even in your fears, I am there.

Even in your pain, I am there.

I am there when you pray and when you do not pray.

I am in you, and you are in Me.

Only in you mind can you feel separate from Me, for only in your mind are the mists of “yours” and “mine.”

Yet only with your mind can you know Me and experience Me.

Empty your heart of empty fears.

When you get yourself out of the way, I am there.

You can of yourself do nothing, but I can do all.

And I am in all.

Though you may not see the good, good is there, for I am there.

I am there because I have to be, because I am.

Only in Me does the world have meaning; only out of Me does the world take form; only because of Me does the world go forward.

I am the law on which the movement of the stars and the growth of living cells are founded.

I am the love that is the law’s fulfilling.

I am assurance.

I am peace.

I am oneness.

I am the law that you can live by.

I am the love that you can cling to.

I am your assurance.

I am your peace.

I am one with you.

I am.

Though you fail to find Me, I do not fail you.

Though your faith in Me is unsure, My faith in you never wavers, because I know you because I love you.

Beloved, I am there.

(A copy of “I Am There” is now on the moon . . .carried

there on the Apollo XV voyage by Astronaut James B. Irvin,

and left on the moon for future space voyagers)

So Take That, Glenn Beck and Fox Noise!

The Rally to Restore Sanity

(And/or Fear)

Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Friends

The Washington Mall

Saturday, October 30, 2010

So here we are, Jon Stewart said at the closing of the Rally.  Indeed, here we are!  This rally reflected the America I love, the country I believe is strong in spirit and respectful of the individuality and character of its people.

Jon hoped that those who came for a good time had that experience among the thousands of like-minded adults, children and families. This was about much more than fun, though the laughs were many.  This was not a rally to ridicule others or to pretend that things are not difficult in our country right now.  Certainly, we are experiencing hard times, but not end times!

It is NOT in Washington, nor in the MEDIA that things get done.  Rather it is in our own homes where we express family values of support and encouragement.  It is in our cities and towns where we seek to build strong systems of acceptance and cooperation.  Government is not here to do everything for us, but rather to help us do for ourselves and to provide a broader base of opportunity that helps to open the way for our success.

The rally was a very welcome relief from the rhetoric and acts of incivility that have deluged us leading up to Tuesday’s election.  My personal belief is that those who base their vote on the advertising they have heard about the candidates or issues, have wasted their time and their energy.  They have also threatened the stability of the democratic process, which is not just about the right to vote, but also about being part of an educated and aware citizenry.

I voted, though it was difficult for me to feel good about it.  Every election it seems to be tougher to ferret out the truth and to believe that things will change for the better.  Traditionally, in most things, the pendulum swings from one extreme to the other, only briefly passing through moderation.  Perhaps it takes this action for us to formulate our opinions, but when we lose sight of the moderate, centrist possibilities altogether, I believe it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a reasonable society.

So, here we are.  Another crossroads in the ongoing story of the greatest county in the world!  May God (by whatever name) guide us toward reconciliation and resolution in our deliberations and actions.

My Long-Time Friend

I have a long-time friend whom I met (in this lifetime) back in the early 1980s.  We were married for ten years and have now been divorced for many years.  Shawn is one of those persons in life that once you meet you know you have always known her and will always travel with her through life times, no matter what events draw you close or tear you asunder. With deep passion we loved and with great heartbreak we fell apart.  But we have remained friends through it all.

This dearest of friends is now engaged in a struggle with cancer, among other health  challenges.  Her vital spirit is not dampened, but fear abounds as one might imagine.  She recently visited me because she felt I needed support.  She knew I was on the down side of depression.  She is like that.  She always knows.  And I always know about her.  I must share that I hurt so deeply for her and the pain and fear she is experiencing.  I can only do what I know to do and that is to love her and pray for her without end.

I can get all "metaphysical" about the philosophy of healing.  I can say that healing is the reality even
if the body is released and soul moves on.  For me, right now, even knowing that is little comfort.  I
share that belief with Shawn, but I know how hard it is to hear it--experience it--through the fear.

So, my readers and my friends, I ask you to support us both with your prayers for strength, life and courage.  I am eternally grateful!

To My Long-Time Friend
(Whom I Met Just Recently)

We are long-time friends, you and I,
Who met just recently.
Pasts and futures acknowledged
As one impacting play
Of knowing,
Forgetting,
Remembering.

Universes have we traveled together,
And many we wandered alone.
Yet in the heart-search that urged
Us forward
We have felt the closeness of our Spirits.

Whatever paths we ultimately may follow
As once again we seek our
Self-direction,
Our eyes now lock in single embrace,
A mutual eternity.

And in this now-moment we
Laugh again,
Cry again,
Love again—

I love you
My long-time Friend
Whom I met just recently!

Written for Shawn
February 1983

When Others Are In Pain

We all have our painful times, whether physical pain or emotional pain.  We do our best to work through those times in order to return to a sense of well-being and harmony.  The natural state of being is health of mind and body and harmony in our worldly interactions.  Like a well-tuned instrument the melody of our lives sounds a true tone when we find ways to believe in our true state of Being.  Discord and inharmony in our life and affairs temporarily express when we lose our sense of centeredness in Spirit.  We are not always aware of the specifics of how we came to experience pain, but regaining our belief in our natural state will begin the process of healing.

Dealing with our own pain is one thing.  Dealing with the pain and suffering of friends and those we love is yet another.  We may feel helpless and impotent, not knowing how to be of assistance.  I have a friend going through chemotherapy right now.  It’s a tough haul for her.  What I feel I can do is to assure her of my caring and support the spark of healing life that I know is within her.  My daughter has dealt with several serious conditions over the years that have been painful and that sap her energy. Fortunately, she has been brought up to believe in her inner Spirit as a healing presence.  I know that has strengthened her in many ways as she deals with the conditions.

In our caring for others and wanting to assist them in their healing we need to “keep the high watch.”  For me this means seeing them as fully functioning, perfectly whole in mind and body and in harmony with the world around them and the people in it.  Too often we may feel caught up in sadness or fear about the conditions our friends and loved ones face because of the names we have attributed to those conditions. Naming a condition makes it appear even more powerful.

I remember years ago as a worker in Silent Unity, the 24-hour prayer department of Unity in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, when the Cancer Society started promotions highlighting the “seven danger signals of cancer.”  Once those promotions aired on TV, Silent Unity was flooded with prayer requests from people who feared they had one or more of those signs.  This is just one example of how fear can override our otherwise positive outlook on life.

We may never know the why we face suffering.  I do believe, however, that whatever conditions may come our way our indomitable spirit urges us forward, always toward life and wholeness.  Each step we take believing in that wholeness moves us closer to the full measure of its expression in mind, body and affairs.  This is how I choose to view my friends and loved ones always, not simply when they are in pain and suffering.  I support their faith in healing.  I encourage the innate healing urges within every cell of their bodies.  I believe, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Luke 9:22)