By Debra Basham, on August 21, 2016 Today, I am attended the baptism of a young friend. Jeremy Charles is delightful!
Jeremy’s Yaya is one of my dear friends, and I am so moved by her deep love and delight in him. He is thriving in the environment of her love, and I am thrilled for them to have found a spiritual community that welcomes and loves them.
I confess to having some reservations about the traditional language often used in Christian Baptism, with a focus on the ritual as necessary because of “original sin.”
Last December I wrote a contemporary ritual of infant baptism:
Life is not immortal only for Christians. Immortal life for Christians is known through the Christ but it is not limited to any single religious path. In the traditions of the world religions this nature of the more of life beyond the body is common. Life goes on. To the Christian it is immortal life in Christ. To the Native Indian, to the Buddhist, to the indigenous peoples around the planet, it is expressed in different ways. But the fact that it is expressed in different ways does not mean that the reality is different.
Life springs from that which is eternal and life is created in the image and likeness of that which is source to all of life. That image and likeness we are created in is spirit and spirit is eternal.
In Roadside Assistance for the Spiritual Traveler, Rabbi Rami Shapiro, writes: “Where does an ice cube go in a tub of warm water? You are the cube, God is the water. For a while you seem separate from the water, but eventually you melt – you die – and discover that you, too, are water. Have fun being a cube; just don’t forget that all cubes are water, and everything is God.”
Baptism is a recognition of the true nature of our existence. We are part of that stream of eternal life. We come from God, and we return to God. We exist before birth, we exist after death. We ARE that I AM.
Baptism has power, it is affirmative, it is positive. It is the most precious gift of God and comes to us because we seek first the kingdom of God, because that kingdom is our true home.
In the September 2016 Beyond Mastery Newsletter, I share this quotation from a talk Pope Francis gave in Poland that was recently reported in our local newspaper: “People may judge you to be dreamers, because you believe in a new humanity, one that rejects hatred between peoples, one that refuses to see borders as barriers and can cherish it’s own traditions without being self-centered or small-minded.”
Oh, this is a dream my heart shares…
This morning, I recorded a short video of this hand puppet, a gift to Jeremy:
The inspiration for the video came from a story Yaya shared with me recently. She and Jeremy had been talking, and he told her she was in his heart and he was in her heart. A few days later, driving past my new office, Jeremy announced, “That’s Debra’s office.”
Yaya was amazed. Jeremy had only been to that office once, briefly, weeks earlier. She asked him, “How do you remember where Debra’s office is when you have only been there one time?”
His precious response: “Because Debra is in my heart and I am in Debra’s heart.”
You certainly are in my heart, Jeremy Charles, and I am honored to be in yours. And as our beloved puppet friend shares with you in this video, we are all also in God’s heart. We always have been. We always will be. That is just the truth about God.
By Debra Basham, on August 15, 2016 This post was started a couple of days ago as a tender musing around Wednesday evening’s passing of my dear friend’s 42 year old son. Out in the field, watering his beloved drought-stressed trees with his father, Kalvin was stung by a bee or wasp. Known to be very allergic, Kalvin hopped in the truck and took off to the house to get his epi pen. He made it to the house, and he used his pen, but it was too late. His father, having had to walk in from the field, found Kalvin unconscious on the kitchen floor. They tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Wednesday, at 10:35 PM, Kalvin’s mom had sent me a text message with three life-altering words: Kalvin is dead.
Driving from Kalamazoo to St. Joseph early Thursday morning to be with Linda, I listened to the talk I had given at Unity on the Lakeshore October 25, 2015—the morning after our family had completed the family-run estate sale for my mother-in-law, who had passed just three weeks earlier. The title of that talk was “Celebrations of Life.”
As the mile markers counted down from 72 to 27, I had a felt sense an expanded theology was stabilizing in my broken heart and my swirling mind. I had a sense, just as Linda would never be the same, nor would I.
Saturday, a wonderful friend, who often receives sacred messages from those in spirit, sent this message from Kalvin, to his mom:
Hi Debra – Would you pass on a message to Linda, if you think it’s appropriate. Kalvin wants her to know that he made it “Home” safely and she can stop worrying. He would also like to thank the large contingent of loved ones that bid him “Bon Voyage” and to let everyone know there was an even bigger group waiting to welcome him Home. “It was quite the party.”
He says that he is so grateful having Linda watch over him all these years and now it is HIS turn to watch over her and the rest of the family. Please let Linda know that even when it appeared that he was in pain, he was able to” remove himself” from it.
He would have her know that he had a great time while he was “here” and he wouldn’t change even one experience including his method of transition. He would also have her know that he is no more than a “whisper” away and to be on the lookout for him. She will “know” when he is around.
He is very insistent that I get this out right away. As a matter of fact. I had to stop in the middle of cleaning the garage so he would leave me alone. He’s a bit pushy when he wants something done………just kidding………….Love & Peace, Mike
Linda’s response to my having sent Mike’s words to her was significant, “Oh Debra. Thank Mike for me. I heard Kalvin say ‘I love you Mom’ already.” I may need to remind her of this truth again. I will remember…
Sunday, the church was filled with co-workers, neighbors, friends and family, and Wiley—Kalvin’s faithful four-legged companion. Love poured out from the eyes of many. Pastor David Stout gave everyone permission to cry, and he asked us to be faithful in providing ongoing care for one another. I will remember… He said we wont get over the passing of Kalvin, but we will get through it.
At the service, Linda’s dear friend, Kathy Zerler, shared this poignant guided meditation she wrote as a tribute to Kalvin.
A Guided Meditation for Kalvin K. Higbee
You are invited to settle in for a moment of meditation in Kalvin’s honor and memory…please close your eyes and relax, as you listen…
Imagine that you are walking in Higbee’s orchards, the trees are heavy with fruit and so fragrant that you slow down and stop to inhale the sweetness of fresh peaches. Nearby, plowed fields are ripe with cantaloupes and watermelons.
It is a warm summer day in Millburg. Sunflowers are blooming next to cockscomb in Kalvin’s flower garden. The contrast of yellow and black sunflowers bring to mind Vincent Van Gogh’s painting of sunflowers, at once reclusive and joyful, impressionistic, lasting forever in your mind. The soft magentas and reds of the cockscomb give you pause, and you stop again to admire Mother Nature’s magnificent color palette that Kalvin crafted into a lasting legacy of growth and renewal. You feel the warmth of sun on your face as you appreciate the delicate efforts that Kalvin made in planting and nurturing God’s perfect flowers, knowing that they worked together with angels to make Higbee Farm a place of blessings and everlasting peace.
Beyond the orchards and fields you gaze at the sky; it is limitless, one with the soil, part of our earth. There is no end to the sky and the soil. Like the generations of farmers before him, Kalvin was drawn to this. He spent endless days caring for fruits, flowers and vegetables that give us sustenance. Kalvin planted, fertilized, watched and waited for sweet corn knee high by the fourth of July, sweet and hot peppers, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, bountiful beans and squashes. Imagine Kalvin walking barefoot in the warm troughs between the rows, see him now enjoying the gently swaying flowers, the fruits and vegetables thriving under his care. Farming is a generous gift, one that Kalvin delighted in sharing with his family and friends.
You feel grateful for having Kalvin in your life. You open your mind now to what this day may give you. The many gifts that Kalvin gave you are in your heart now and forever. If only for a moment, all of your sadness is washed away. You do not chase after your sadness, but allow your grief to come and to go as long as you need it; you understand that Kalvin’s ending on our earth is a new beginning for him, and for you.
In Kalvin’s honor and memory, you decide to live like a flower. You make a conscious decision to be colorful, to smell good, to stretch toward the light, to hydrate yourself, to allow yourself to go dormant once in a while, to open your petals in the morning and to wrap your leaves around you at night. You are as necessary as every flower; and when you grow together with others, your world becomes a garden. Please say a silent prayer for Kalvin K. Higbee.
Kathy Zerler August 14, 2016
Sunday morning, I opened my email and read this powerful message from Aaron, channeled through Barbara Brodsky:
Your loved one is not dead,
he has only left his human form.
He is now expressing himself through you,
through your growing open heart that can allow itself the experience of grief
and allow that grief to become a catalyst for compassion.
He is expressing himself through you in all the ways he spoke to you in your life,
the joys and the sorrows.
He is expressing himself through every human that he touched in this lifetime.
And he is in the soil and the stars and the rain and the sun.
You cannot lose him.
~ Aaron
Yes, our lives are deeply affected by the passing of Kalvin from this world to the next, and our lives are deeply affected by knowing that he is in the soil and the stars and the rain and the sun. You cannot lose him. RIP Kalvin Kenneth Higbee. I will remember…
By Debra Basham, on August 5, 2016
I will love the light for it shows me the way,
yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.~ Og Mandino
George loved doing woodworking in his shop. He had been in an assisted living facility for the past couple of years. Tuesday, when I attended his funeral, George’s sister, Betty, had brought some of the last items from his shop. She was offering friends to take something as a loving remembrance. I was delighted to select the last of his simple plaques, crafted brilliantly using the contrast of light and dark to create a very significant an optical illusion.
I had one of these years ago, but when someone in a challenging time of life greatly admired it, I gifted that person the plaque. Now that George is in spirit, having this one has even more significance in my heart.
When you get some distance from the plaque, and you let your eyes relax, by paying attention to the light rather than looking at the dark, you can see the deeper message George created by gluing simple light wood strips on the dark wood background:
What a powerful metaphor for all of life. We can get so tied up in our problems, we can miss the gifts hidden in plain view. A little distance, relaxation, and focus on the light brings resurrection!
By Debra Basham, on July 27, 2016 In September, 2014, I quoted John Lennon in my Wholesome Thought: “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”
His words are still true today.
Since the first of May this year, I have been on a wild ride triggered by the intersection of an impending life insurance physical, and my having participated in the 2016 Listen to Your Mother Southwest Michigan.
Tonight, I am very thankful for each of the steps along the way. Yes, grateful for the spike in my blood pressure, for the EKG and the CT scan. For sure, grateful for Brandi Smith, the Nurse Practitioner who has been patient and trusting with me—helping me be more patient and trusting with myself.
“Discovering Our Capacity to Love” in Mindfulness in Action (page 11), Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche writes:
We shouldn’t discount our willingness, that potential, that powerful seed of gentleness. That element of gentleness exists in every being. We don’t have to be embarrassed about it or try to hide it. We can afford to acknowledge and cultivate gentleness and, first of all, to treat ourselves better. If we don’t appreciate ourselves, we have no ground to work with ourselves.
After the insurance company reported that my blood sample had been corrupted, questioned details in my records from 2012 that had not been followed up on with approved Western Medicine, then offered me a high rate without waiting for the results of the follow up tests, I asked the agent to contact the company and ask for a reconsideration. They offered me a good rate. I am grateful about that.
I fully agree with Joseph Conrad’s words in Heart of Darkness, “One can’t live with one’s finger everlastingly on one’s pulse.” Three months have gone by quickly while feeling like a lifetime. One quarter of one year. A third the time it took me to develop in my mother’s womb. It is a brief time compared to what some people deal with. For now, it is the end of this dance with anxiety. For now, everything is okay.
I have learned a lot of valuable things about myself, about fear related to medical procedures, and about the importance of being mindful what I am thinking and how I am breathing (or not).
From Three Steps to Awakening A Practice for Bringing Mindfulness to Life, by Larry Rosenberg with Laura Zimmerman:
Minutes can you go by until you realize you’re lost in mind. One advantage of the whole-body approach is that although there’s a gap between breaths, the body is still there, sitting. You’re aware of this until the next breath emerges. It gives the mind something tangible to hold onto in the present moment.
Using whole-body awareness, you’re learning to become intimate with the raw, naked experience of bodily life. As you do that, you’re emphasizing the first foundation of mind, “the body in the body.” (p. 32)
It felt as thought I was facing the human fear of death. We know we will die at some point. I know I am a soul (eternal) temporarily housed in a body (temporal). I recognize each moment as precious. Every day you have to enjoy this amazing event called LIFE is a blessing.
I have learned to notice grasping and aversion—being aware that I consider some things uncomfortable, unpleasant, unwanted and other things comfortable, pleasant, and desired. I may even call them good or bad. It is vital to be able to relax into whatever is happening. That is what mindfulness practice is all about.
I wonder if I have been able to navigate this process more gracefully because of my yoga and meditation practice. Of course, there is no way to prove that.
Say only, I am now three days without anxiety medication…. Grateful, grateful, grateful!
By Debra Basham, on July 19, 2016
Out for my bike ride this morning, I just had to stop to search for it. That feeling was so urgent, I stopped at the top of a hill, under a tree, and put in “Brugh Joy release the need to.”
A blog post with the reference to the three injunctions came up.
From the blog:
In the third chapter of the book, Brugh describes a cosmic experience of a woman who came to talk with him about her challenges in life. A few months earlier, she had been walking along a beach, saw an iridescent light, and heard a booming voice deliver three injunctions. She thought she was going mad. The voice said, slowly and repetitively, “‘There are three injunctions for you. Pay attention to them. Make no comparisons; make no comparisons. Make no judgments; make no judgments. Delete your need to understand; delete your need to understand.'” (p. 59)
Make no comparisons. Make no judgments. Delete your need to understand.
No wonder my soul wanted me to remember the three injunctions!
This is the heading on the home page of that blog:
OMG!
Diagnosed with gallbladder cancer?
OMG!
A rare and aggressive form of cancer with a poor prognosis?
OMG!
Information hard to find?
OMG!
Physical and emotional implications?
OMG!
Exploring the spiritual implications of receiving a life threatening diagnosis?
OMG!
Yesterday morning I underwent a CT scan of my gallbladder because of a notation about an 8mm nodule on my gallbladder in the records the CT scan I had done in 2012, prior to having a hysterectomy to remove an abdominal mass. I just found out about the CT notation in the records last week, related to an on-going application for a life insurance policy.
Today, I am feeling anxiety about the test results.
Now home from my ride, I open today’s Loving Reminder from Betty Lue:
The fear or anxiety we feel tells me that something is not quite “right” about what we believe.
The peace and calm we feel tells me that I am “on purpose” and expressing what I want to believe.
The guilt we have about being separate from the highest Good, is often the anxiety we feel.
Intentionally receiving all the abundance of love as I wait….
P.S. This evening I received the CT results – nothing to worry about!
May all beings come to the end of suffering….
By Debra Basham, on July 12, 2016 Two days after my Insight’s Article was published in the Herald Palladium (See “Unthinkable”), violence shattered our usually serene hometown, Saint Joseph, Michigan. This concert was held overlooking the bluff, less than a block away from the Berrien County Courthouse where two bailiffs died yesterday. Our community does not suffer alone. Dallas. St. Louis. Sandy Hook. How do we make sense of such violence?
This morning I listened to a TED talk by David Steindle-Rast, the Catholic Benedictine monk who founded Gratefulness.org. Today is his 90th birthday and the 19th anniversary of my ordination as a Minister of Reunion.
Brother David’s words words echo the thoughts in my own heart: “If you are grateful, you are not fearful, and if you are not fearful, you are not violent.”
By Debra Basham, on July 5, 2016
Listening to an audio of Abraham-Hicks, I was shaking my head at the guy’s question about where his inner being has gone when he is not in alignment with it.
Patiently, Abraham responded that was like asking when you have your radio tuned to 89.5 where does the signal for 101 go. It goes nowhere. It is there, constantly broadcasting, waiting for you to tune in.
As I continue to navigate the waters of well-being along this path sprinkled with insurance, pharmaceuticals, meditation, yoga, etc., I could ask the same thing.
I have successfully passed the hurdle of the medical records regarding the postsurgical aFib event by having a normal sinus rhythm on Friday’s EKG.
Where had my peace of mind, my trust in the Universe, my love of life gone when I slipped into fear so very near the cliff of sheer terror? This round is because when I had the CT scan in 2012, the results reported a nodule on my gall bladder.
I now am scheduled for another CT scan on Monday, July 18, 2016.
When I was in yoga class today, I could not catch a whiff of that fear pattern I am clearing karma around. I am so grateful for that. At least I know peace is possible.
I appreciate the Nurse Practitioner, Brandi Smith, listening to me, offering encouragement, making suggestions. I especially appreciate her patience with me when my inner guidance does not lead me to do everything she suggests.
In the midst of all of this emotion about my health, a friend sent a blog post by a woman adjusting to having her first born grandson move away. I now have a lump in my throat as big as the state of Texas reading It’s Summer, the Season for Grandparents.
Oh, my… my own first-born grandson is anticipating a move to North Carolina.
This day, a mother just a few blocks from here is cleaning out the home of her only daughter, who was shot and killed by her husband as their children slept in their home.
Another mother has just gone through the trial of the man who killed her son.
A lot is happening. I am noticing when my thinking is creating tension. I can be kinder to myself than that.
Thank goodness for yoga.
 This morning, I read, “The biggest disease of the mind is over-thinking, especially too much thinking about others. Thinking too much is like eating too much. The heaviness makes it impossible to remain light and flexible.”
Asking friends, guides, angels, readers to help us tune in.
May all beings come to the end of suffering….
By Debra Basham, on June 26, 2016
The idea of dreams coming true has been very much on my mind and in my heart the past few weeks as we enjoy the amazing blessing of our new office suites here in St Joseph, Michigan. See my previous post: Welcome Home.
Yesterday afternoon, I had a wonderful girls night out with my sister, Janis. We were guests of our friend and colleague, Jana Serbenski, at the Paw Paw Michigan Young American Summer Camp show.
I was moved to tears by many features of the event: a special time for my sister and me (we both shaved our legs for it), the talented and enthusiastic performance by the Young Americans, and the equally talented and doubly enthusiastic performance with the 200 campers ranging in ages from 8-18.
If you are not familiar with Young Americans, check out the information about them online. They are an amazing organization that promotes a better world through music and dance. Be sure to read about their educational mission.
That cast of forty young adults made every single child believe he or she can perform! Most remarkable is that they did this in just four days. These kids’ lives are transformed.
The performance was inspiring, delightful, and it has a positive financial impact as well: At the end of the show, Paw Paw High School Performing Arts was presented with a check for over $11,000. In the five years since Jana held the first camp, over $80,000 has come back to their school. So much costs, but this event pays. Amazing….
Jana was a Young American. She had the dream to make this happen in her community. It was a worthy dream. Her dream offered benefits to everyone involved. The fruition of that dream took teamwork, but it was fun, and this is only the beginning.
Those same elements are woven into our new space at 815 Main Street Suites. No wonder I was so emotional through so much of the evening.
As I was congratulating Jana, she said, “Every school district should have a Young American Summer Camp.” I agree wholeheartedly. Jana is dreaming again, and I can see that dream coming true.
This is a magical time of our lives. Take some time to open up to what you can dream into our world. Dreams really do come true.
By Debra Basham, on June 19, 2016 My last blog post (Walking Our Talk, June 5, 2016), ended with the quotation, “Whether we realize it or not, our paths are being guided.”
5 days after we received notification of our need to vacate the office space I had shared with my sister, Janis, and brother-in-law, Larry, we had agreed to lease a beautiful new office space at 815 Main Street. Thirteen days later, my move had been completed.
How did our finding the perfect space happen almost instantaneously?
As friends stopped in to bring their blessings of energy and support, we all recognized the deepest truth: Our hearts had felt this space for years.
More than one person teared up walking through the rooms, and feeling the sacred sense of home. (Kathy Zerler admires the energy quilt in the waiting room.)
We have already been blessed by our first Saturday morning yoga class in the lighted room. It has a very special energy—a result of each of us having realized the importance of nurturing our own inner beings. I remember Dr. Betty Lue Lieber saying it this way, “Our service must also serve us.”
We hope many are blessed by this wonderful new space. It is significant, just knowing it is here. And when you come for massage therapy, energy balancing, Healing Touch, to read or write or to just be, we know you will be filled with awe and gratitude for how our paths are being guided, even at those times when it feels like loss.
We certainly are…
By Debra Basham, on June 5, 2016 “Whether we realize it or not, our paths are being guided.”
This quotation was included in one of those email “thought for the day” messages.
We grew up hearing, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Instinctively, we understood the flaw in that philosophy, yet taking to heart the truth that we teach what we are is not always first in our minds. At times, however, we do recognize we are invited to walk our talk with greater integrity than ever before.
As my colleague and friend just said, as healers we are called to not add more pain or distress or fear to the world. If you have not seen my June 2016 Beyond Mastery article, I invite you to read The Truth About Healing so you will know the rest of the story.
I don’t usually attend Thursday’s Gentle Yoga class, but this week I had a very strong sense I needed to be there. In the meditation group following yoga, a class member shared a remarkable experience. In a hurry to meet someone—she purposely avoided engaging with a stranger who was coming in to the church just as she was leaving. Details will be shared later in a Sacred Story, but the point is she received an intuition she was to go tell that man God wanted him to become a priest.
In the way “Providence” perfectly provides, she almost instantaneously received confirmation the man had come to that church solely to pray, seeking discernment about that very question!
I also told the meditation group about a colleague who was recently desperately desiring to have acupuncture for her hospitalized husband—another Sacred Story to be published—and within hours of stating her desire out loud, what he needed was provided (with great results!).
Shortly after I arrived home, I got a call from my sister that our landlord had just told her we have to move out of our offices by the end of the month! Given the circumstances, it would be understandable to feel frustrated, irritated, and even downright angry.
However, perhaps it is time for us to walk our talk. We can move past the habitual emotional reactions and affirm the truth, “Whether we realize it or not, our paths are being guided.”
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