The Junk Drawer

Rev. Greg’s lesson today at Unity of Bay City was quite entertaining. He took us on a tour through his ‘junk drawer’ from home. I thought, “A junk DRAWER? That’s all you’ve got? Pfft!”

We’ve all got those junk drawers, usually in the kitchen or utility room. Some of us have junk rooms. They’re filled with those things we’ve accumulated over the years that we think will be useful at some point but rarely are. You’ll find stuff left over from projects, stuff that’s broken or never really worked like it was supposed to work, stuff that’s meant to ‘quick fix’ other stuff that’s broken, stuff that you think you might be able to use again, and stuff that had some meaning at one point.

What was pointed out by Greg is that you have ‘junk drawers’ in your life as well. Are you holding on to beliefs that once had meaning but no longer ssem to fit? Do you have residual ‘stuff’ because your dream was too small? Are there ideas that no longer work or are barely held together by ‘quick fixes’? Are there relationships that you really want to work because the idea of the relationship looks so good, but the truth is it never really worked right from the very beginning? Are you recycling and reusing the “same old same old” just because it’s convenient and easy?

It’s never an easy task, but perhaps the time has come to go through the junk drawer of your life and do some letting go. It’s the only way to make room for the new. And maybe it’s not even about the new. Maybe it’s simply about the freedom that comes from getting rid of the junk.

I know I’ve got some that I need to let go of… physically, mentally, and emotionally. I’ll bet you do, too. Give it some thought.

Share
Posted in Conscious Creation | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Mother’s Day: A Call for Peace

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise all women who have hearts,
Whether your baptism be that of water or of tears
Say firmly:

“We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands shall not come to us reeking of carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of
charity, mercy and patience.

“We women of one country
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”

From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says, “Disarm, Disarm!”
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice!
Blood does not wipe out dishonor
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have of ten forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war.

Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.

Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.

Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace,
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God.

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality
May be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient
And at the earliest period consistent with its objects
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions.
The great and general interests of peace.

– Julia Ward Howe

Howe, who had previously written the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, was so disturbed by the carnage of the Civil War and grieved by the destruction of families and the loss of their sons to war that she issued a call for an International Mother’s Day for peace and unity.

Howe’s version of Mother’s Day caught on for about three years before it faded away, mostly because she couldn’t afford to continue paying for the celebrations herself. The cause was taken up by Anna Reeves Jarvis, leader of a West Virginia women’s group. After Jarvis died, her daughter, Anna M. Jarvis not only campaigned for the official recognition of Mother’s Day but spent her entire life fighting its commercialization. She felt that business interests were expoiting the holiday and taking focus away from its intended purpose: peace.

Jarvis died in a mental hospital in 1948 childless, penniless from her continued legal battles, and blind.

 

breathe Peace for your mothers today~

Rev. Rebecca

This is a reprint of my blog post from Mother’s Day, 2010.

Share
Posted in Peace | Tagged , | Comments Off

Season for Nonviolence: Conclusion

Conclusion: April 4

Today, the memorial anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., marks the conclusion of the 2011 Season for Nonviolence. I am grateful for your participation and I pray the daily reflections and actions have inspired you to move your life in the direction of Peace. The Season may have officially ended but in Truth, it must be attended to moment by moment, day by day, and week by week throughout the year. The posts are archived here, so please feel free to come back to them as often as you wish. Just click on the “Season for Nonviolence” tag on the right side of the screen. Start from Day 1 (January 30) and begin again, or choose a day at random and see what Spirit has to say to you.

As you move forward along the path, remember to shed those emotions and memories that weigh you down. Let go of the negative thinking that holds you back. Let your journey be one of great Joy and exuberance. Let Love guide you along the way and allow the Divine Mind to direct your words and actions. Move forward with boldness, conviction, tenacity, and courage; for the Presence is there in every moment, in every step, in every breath and in the beating of your heart. When you align yourself in body, mind, and spirit with the Presence, the very power of the Universe will move on your behalf to uphold you and support you toward your goal. Press on toward the mark of the high call of God which is the fullness of the Christ Consciousness in you.

Walk with compassion and mercy; walk with tenderness and gentleness. Be open to Love’s prompting. Speak Truth where you see false thinking and negative emotion manifesting. Enter into dialogue with another to understand. Be a peacemaker. Intervene when you see violence and injustice happening. Where there is injury, give pardon. Where you have caused injury, seek forgiveness. Be genuine. Allow the healing work of Spirit to move freely.

Walk with honor and integrity. Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’. Walk your talk; let your actions and words and emotions be in harmonic resonance with each other. Be responsible for the choices you make and for the consequences of those choices.

Walk in awe and wonder at the marvelous diversity and beauty of God in all Its forms and know that even in our seeming differences, we are One Presence. Develop a Oneness Consciousness. Hurt not the earth, neither the seas, nor the trees. Care for the earth on which you tread, for every step you take is upon Holy Ground. Smile and give thanks in gratitude and appreciation for all that has been given for your use. Take no more than you need. Try to replenish that which you have taken.

As you have been given, so freely and generously give. Give of your time and talents in service to Love. Tithe your treasure to the place that has spiritually fed you and give back a portion of what you have received. Step into the flow of giving. Giving is part of your True Nature. Let It reveal Itself in you and through you.

Be Peace.

Divine One, Source of our being, we humbly acknowledge Your Presence in ourselves and in each other.

Let us put on Your Divine Mind. Let us see with Your Eyes, listen with Your Ears, speak with Your Voice, and reach out in loving gentleness with Your Hands.

We breathe in You, the precious gift of Life as our hearts pulse together in harmony with All That Is.

May we realize our common identity as your children and may we work together for the Highest Good. May we set aside our selfish egos and live from the Higher Self within. May we realize the Kingdom is not ‘out there’ somewhere, but is within us all, here and now and that True power is in Loving and serving each other.

Let us change the world without by first changing our perspective on the world within us, shifting our consciousness so we are in tune with Your Divine Mind. May Your Sacred Light so illumine the dark corners of our lives that the shadowy illusions that cause us to fear will fade away until all we see is You.

May Love Be. May Peace Be.

Let it be so. And so it is.

breathe Peace ~

Rev. Rebecca

Share
Posted in Peace | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Season for Nonviolence: Day 64

Day 64: April 3

The thought for today is CELEBRATION.

As we have discovered so often during this 65-day walk, Peace cannot be forced upon the world from without; it must well up from within the heart and mind of every person. As more and more individual hearts and minds commit to Peace, the collective energy becomes increasingly powerful. Only then will true Peace manifest and blossom in the world.

Consider that, nearly 2000 years ago, one man had a vision. That one man attracted 12 more who made a commitment to that vision and turned their world upside-down. In the Name of Peace, it can happen again. Open your eyes to see! Open your heart to Love!

Celebrate yourselves and celebrate one another! Celebrate all that you are capable of doing and Being! Celebrate the Peace-filled world that you desire!

I celebrate you, my brothers and sisters, who walk with me on this journey of Unity and Oneness. Your commitment to nonviolence in your thoughts, words, feelings, and actions is admirable and I bless each and every one of you. Peace on earth can happen in our lifetime if we believe it can. The choice always has been and always will be ours to make this world what we want it to be.

breathe Peace ~

Rev. Rebecca

Share
Posted in Peace | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Season for Nonviolence: Day 63

The thought for today is RELEASE.

Resentment.     Blame.     Judgment.     Regret.     Hurt feelings.     Mistakes.     Egoism.     Control.     Greed.     Feelings of superiority or inferiority.     Craving.     Insolence.     Fear.     Doubt.     Your story.     Self-loathing.     Unforgivingness.     Revenge…

Let go of the things that do not serve your Highest Good or the cause of Peace..

breathe Peace ~

Rev. Rebecca

Share
Posted in Conscious Creation, Peace | Tagged , , | Comments Off