Listening

 What is the purpose in trying to listen in meditation?  Well, one purpose is to prepare you to be a listener for others.  Being a good listener is a gift.  People don’t always want to be told what to do to solve their problems, or not at first maybe.  They want to be heard.  It shows you care.  It takes patience even if you know what they need to do, or think you do.  Listeners learn to make “suggestions” rather than tell people they must do this or that.  And if God does not seem to give you answers bingo right now, maybe it is because God is a good listener.  And you might not be ready for a power greater than yourself.  

Me First

 If you want to be strong enough to take care of others, you need to take care of yourself first.  If the soul gets no fuel, it burns out too quickly in trying to be helpful to others.  Without some spiritual practice, reading, meditating, some exercise, our good intentions start strong but soon whither to resentment and whining.  People become a burden, rather than a gift.  Being of service becomes a weight too much to bear.  And what help are you if you do not care for yourself?  Not much of an example of healing, and recovery or practice of your faith if you ignore your own journey.  

Dark And Cold

 The warm days of summer and the colors of fall in sweater weather are gone.  Winter is strong, cold and dark.  Winter is important because it tells us to wake up when we just want to hunker down and sleep more in the long nights and cold winter mornings.  Nature tells us here in our northern clime that waking up to spiritual necessities and fullness is never easy.  It is not meant to be.  If it were, we could do it with our own power, but such a will is seemingly too weak in winter’s power.  So we need another power.  And there is one that quite possibly made the winter in the first place, as well as the other seasons in our 23 1/2 degree tilted earth facing the sun.  I meditate, sit quietly, let my thinking slow, and allow this Power to work on my weakness.  As the whining lessens, I know this Power is at work and I am becoming not just whole, but replanted for Spring growth.  

Presence

 Happy New Year!  For a New Year Resolution why not make your physical presence something you will do.  Like what?  Service work, being helpful type meetings.  Presence is a gift you always have to give.  You think you have nothing to offer?  Your presence is a value.  A new person might come in and just knowing there are other people there might encourage them that they made a good decision.  Or you might think going to church is a waste since you are not particularly holy, but just going might encourage another person who is hungering for spiritual something, that they are not crazy since someone else is there too…you.  I can go to meetings and say nothing, or “nothing much.”  That does not diminish my value.  God is in charge.  

Attention

 I try to be careful about the difference between “attention” and “recognition.”  Some people who are frequently in the media, being heard or read about, might be seeking recognition as a person, an individual worth recognizing, but all they get is attention for a moment.  They keep at it because they suspect that whatever response they are getting it is not enough to be recognized.  You meet someone at an event and begin to talk to them, look at them, are genuinely interested in them.  This is recognition.  When someone enters the same room, you look up and notice them, because they are always in the media, news, being quoted, but then you turn away and get back to whatever you are doing.  You gave them attention but not recognition.  They remain lonely, but you are engaged in conversation with someone else and your heart is being filled.  I hope my blogs this year are not too much attention seeking, but truly helpful.  May 2026 be good to us.  

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving day was started by President Calvin Coolidge in 1925, to give thanks to God for all the many blessings the country was enjoying.  It was the Roaring 20s. A time of great financial speculation was being practiced to access.  It made sense to give thanks to God since many people believed in God, prayed to God, and connected any good fortune to God.  What is Thanksgiving Day now?  Few people give thanks to anyone since they either don’t believe in God or don’t really think about belief one way or the other.  The latter are the “Nones.”  And far fewer people cook anymore than was done last century.  So who is being thanked and who made the turkey?  And then there are all the vegetarians and vegans on Thanksgiving eating whatever.  I am thankful for the old fashioned Thanksgiving I can still celebrate.   It certainly isn’t my own power that I thank in this season.  

Tension

Where does one find GRACE?  In a place of tension I have heard tell.  Like what?  Between the question and the answer.  The question?  I cannot stop doing something that is damaging for me.  Addictive behavior is the point or crossroads you are at.  The question is what to do?  An answer is given that has rather proven results.  But it calls for complete surrender and a change of lifestyle.  Grace is at this crossroad.  If you take the solution, grace is at work in you.  Grace does not force itself.  Grace waits to empower you if you so choose.  What is it you cannot stop on your own that is destroying you?   It could be holiday shopping that is sending you into debt you cannot climb out of.  It could be drinking or a relationship that is destructive. When you know you are out of control that is your crossroad.