By Debra Basham, on September 21, 2012
You may already be aware of the gifts that come into our lives through the doorway of the unexpected. Certainly our lives frequently provide us with ample opportunity to see the beauty in broken places. That happened for me again while traveling from Michigan to North Carolina. When leaving Michigan, I pushed “avoid tolls” on the GPS because the planned route was to go South on I-69 to Fort Wayne, Indiana, then East from there before turning South, rather than the preferred route via 80-90 (toll road).
At one point, following a stop for gas, “Gabby” (my nickname for the Garmin), got us out on some country roads, rather than putting us right back onto the highway. Winding around the countryside, she announced, “continue twenty-one miles…” Oh, my. That was not at all what we had expected, since we could see the highway from where we stopped at a McDonalds to give and receive some coffee!
I saw beautiful fields, interesting buildings, and living what I value, I began choosing to enjoy the process rather than fight the predicament. In fact, that soon became my inner theme for the trip! We got back onto the highway, and all once again proceeded according to plan. We arrived in Charleston, West Virginia, in plenty of time for lunch.
Leaving Charleston, I had expected Gabby to send us South on 64/77 but we were routed onto State Road 60 instead. While that did not seem right to me as I was consulting the Road Atlas and the directions program on my iPhone, we forged onward.
Before long we were twisting and turning and going up and down along what is loving called a Switchback, meaning a roller coaster-like road with lots of hairpin turns. There were not many opportunities for scenery because the trees were still in full foliage, but much of the time I was able to override the slightly headachy, slightly carsick feelings and enjoy the ride. I was glad I was not driving.
Sleuthing around in the GPS, I discovered that my wide ride was the result of programming I had put into play but was not conscious of the ramifications. I realized the reason we had been sent along this winding, twisting, turning, up-and-down road, was because I had been trying to avoid something I did not want to experience. How like life that is, right?
My continued sense was that we were taking the long (maybe wrong) way. The punch line of this saga, is as my suspicion was mounting, I put in “Current Location to Durham, North Carolina,” and my iPhone showed 3 hours and 47 minutes. A bit further down the road, I again checked “Current Location to Durham, North Carolina,” and was given a time of over 4 hours.
Fortunately, our next stop was into a visitor’s center that just happened to be right there!
The bad-news-good-news was that we had indeed gone about 150 miles out of our way, and taken about 3 hours, but just one more leg on less windy-twisty-uppity-downity brought us into Roanoke, Virginia, and to some very welcome and surprisingly inviting accommodations: lovely interactions, a welcome walk, a delicious meal, and much-needed, deep and restful, sleep. We were able to make it into Durham in plenty of time.
While our time in North Carolina was not affected by mountain roads, the reflection of that experience, too, is worthy of sharing. Perhaps that will be the subject of another blog. For now, I will close with today’s message (September 21, 2012) from Neale Donald Walsch:
…that just when it looks like life is falling apart, it may
be falling together for the first time.
I have learned to trust the process of life, and not so
much the outcome. Destinations have not nearly as
much value as journeys.
So maybe you should let things fall apart at this
juncture if that’s what’s happening. Don’t hang on so
tenaciously. The nice thing about things falling apart is
that you can pick up only the pieces that you want…
By Debra Basham, on September 10, 2012
Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to enjoy an organized bike ride with my daughter and my grandson’s girlfriend. The plans and the execution (like all of life) provided me with ample opportunity to stay in the present moment and trust the process of life. Mother Nature even had a hand in bringing that lesson to heart, from the Stick Bug on the door of the car, to the wind and the rain showers.
The route originated in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee. The website sings a proud song—lose yourself in our little village. The size of the town could cause you to miss both the rich history and the current bliss. (See http://www.visitleipersfork.com/)
4,000-year-old relics found in this area indicate that Leiper’s Fork not only served as an important hunting ground for prehistoric Native Americans; it was also their home. An area deeply rooted with Native American heritage, they have inhabited this area for thousands of years. Native Americans who later evolved into the tribes we know as the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek and Shawnee thrived in this area because of its abundant hunting, fertile soil and plentiful supply of fresh water.
 We started watching the weather days prior and we were doing our best frog medicine to move the system on out so we could enjoy the ride. We delayed our start by a couple of hours, still hoping things would clear on out, but the closer we got to Leiper’s Fork, the more moisture those clouds were releasing. As we approached the start/finish location, we all agreed we were not excited about riding in the rain. Stacey (my daughter, who gifted Christina and me the day) broke into tears as she said, “I was so looking forward to sharing this day with the two of you.”
Stacey was feeling the disappointment for all of us. It is natural to feel disappointment when things don’t go the way you had imagined. Christina and I admitted the rainy day was not in our vision either. Since we had driven the distance and Stacey had paid the money, we went in the school to check in and get our goodie bags. We admitted we were undecided about whether we were going to ride…
We watched it rain and chatted about the weather with three women who had done the twelve-mile ride and had made it back already. One said, “They said it was supposed to clear by 10:00.” We asked, “What time is in now?” “Nine-fifty-five,” was the reply. Who would have expected that right at the stroke of ten, the rain stopped and we headed out.
Wow, what a beautiful piece of country we rode through. Gorgeous homes, with magnificent rolling hills whose lawns were manicured with care. Wild turkeys kept their distance as hawk sang his kee-eeeee-arr. The grounds were dotted with grazing horses and donkeys, and we even saw a lama!
As I walked up yet another hill, a modest home off to my left was sporting a man sitting on his front porch. His words, “It’s all downhill from here on…” were quite welcome. I am sure that most of us have at some time longed for that news. The downhill was steep enough we rode our brakes. Even so, Stacey clocked us at about 35 miles per hour!
When we got back to the start location, I was actually feeling sad the ride was so short. I suggested we have lunch and head back out to do it again. While we did not actually do that, Stacey and Christina are planning to go back and ride the longer route next weekend.
For me, the gift of the day was the time with people I love, doing an activity we enjoy, and out in such spectacular scenery. But as I think about it all now, I am aware of so much more meaning. I am thinking about women who have ridden the journey of breast cancer. How relieved they must have been to feel better and begin to live a normal life again, even more relieved than I was to start downhill.
I was also thinking about Stacey’s comments about the different atmosphere of a women-only ride. In her experience, there was a great deal more camaraderie and support. She said that it was a pleasant contrast to the competition she has experienced in previous organized rides.
When each woman would cross the finish line, someone from somewhere would call out, “Good job!” It was exhilarating to be there celebrating the accomplishments of all the participants.
I can still see faces of some of the other woman and in my mind’s ear I can still hear the stories they told. “I had not been on a bike for thirty years.” “My daughter wanted me to do this with her.” “This is Tennessee, you are gonna have hills. You just get off and walk up when you need to.”
Thank you, Stacey, for being the remarkable woman you are. I am a very fortunate mother to have you for my daughter. And I am grateful my grandson, Brad, brought Christina into our lives. She is a fine young woman. When I think of the three of us, I see us pretty in pink.
These are the very tender memories I have tucked into my heart…
By Debra Basham, on September 2, 2012
Don’t we help birth the world
each time
we give someone confidence
to build what they see with their heart?
Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening
A couple of days ago I went to witness my niece, Jen, being sworn in as a chaplain for the Ann Arbor Police Department. Jen’s brother, Chris, a police officer in Irving, Texas, near Dallas, was not able to make it to Michigan for the ceremony, so my sister, Janis, had the honor of pinning on Jen’s badge.
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| Jen giving her badge to Janis. |
I found the ceremony to be very touching, both because I love Jen and Janis, and because the words shared by the Chief of Police and the head Chaplain spoke to me directly of my own calling. “This is not a job that will be recognized or given accolades, but know that we very much value what you do.” “While I have been doing this ministry, I have grown more than in all the previous experience in my full time work as a pastor.”
While it remains to be seen what experiences Jen will have in her work as chaplain—her unique opportunities to serve and her unique challenges to face—these messages of truth resonate deeply in my core, and they describe the work I have been called to as author, teacher, healer, and minister.
We both live very busy lives, and do not often see one another with skin on, so the drive over to Ann Arbor was a delightful opportunity to spend time with Janis. Her husband, Larry, drove, and we arrived safely in good time, found parking, and (with the kind assistance of some local residents), we set off in search of lunch. What we found at Zingerman’s Deli was more than just food, it was an experience!
Upon our arrival, we were treated to a “tour” of both the Deli, and the Coffeehouse Next Door. The rule of the day was service with a genuine smile, and the instruction was nothing short of a miracle of manifestation: “Anything you see that you would like to taste, you can. Just ask for a sample!”
After a couple of yummy samples of cheeses, we ordered our sandwiches, and settled at a picnic table outside the Coffeehouse, to enjoy our lunch and the cool breeze. I went into the Coffeehouse and returned with a plate of samples of four different desserts for us to enjoy. Zingerman’s is definitely somewhere I would return to, if only in my heart and mind!
It is this precious idea of seeing with our hearts Mark Nepo was writing about. He described how his grandmother would help instruct him in doing the things and living each day in a way that was building a welcome tomorrow.
“See it here,” pointing to my forehead, and then she would take my little hands and say, “Now see it here.” Then she would say, “And soon, it will be here.” With this she would look around the room. (September 2)
When we were making plans to go to Ann Arbor for Jen’s ceremony, we did not know Zingerman’s Deli even existed. I do know that when we were setting the time to leave for Ann Arbor, I had the intention that we would arrive in time to find a place to enjoy some lunch before meeting Jen at 12:30. I did not know the two women coming across the parking lot just as we were getting out of the car would give us such a good suggestion. But while I did not need to know, everything is known. “I go before you to prepare a place for you….”
Jen is in my prayers as she begins this ministry. I know intimately how answering a call to a nontraditional ministry is not always easy. But I also know intimately that the blessings will be there for Jen’s life, as they are for each of us as we say YES to the call of the divine in our lives.
Blessings have been ever present, even when my being ordained an Interfaith Minister of Reunion had been misunderstood (and sometimes it was even judged or criticized, and had even been denied as being of God).
Today, I saw this powerful quotation that encourages us each to live from a core of emotional strength as we have the confidence to build what we see in our hearts. It is from “Savoring Our Sobriety” Emotional Sobriety: The Next Frontier:
“If we are to find spiritual growth and serenity, we must dress our minds each morning as carefully as we dress our bodies. Only then can today become the glorious tomorrow we looked forward to yesterday.”
By Debra Basham, on August 25, 2012
Most entanglements are caused by vocal cords.
(seen on the sign in front of a church)
At age 93 years young, still cutting his own firewood and still using his music to inspire humanity to more human ways of being with one another, singer-songwriter Pete Seeger was recently on the Colbert Report singing “Quite Early Morning.”
So though it’s darkest before the dawn
These thoughts keep us moving on
Through all this world of joy and sorrow
We still can have singing tomorrows
Mostof us have had at least some experiences of feeling overwhelmed by sorrow. Sometimes this results from challenges in our relating with others. Next time you are confronted with interpersonal conflict, just imagine you can hear Pete singing to you.
Pete’s message is everywhere, such as in the words of AA co-founder, Bill W., November 1961, in Again the Crossroads: The Language of the Heart: “In the nick of time, and by God’s grace, each of us has been enabled to develop a growing sense of the meaning and purpose of his own life.”
Or in this (http://gratefulness.org) Mongolian Proverb: “A heartfelt smile gives warmth enough for three winters.”
Or from Loving Reminders, by Betty Lue Lieber: “Learn to let go. Life is too short to hand onto resentments.”
This may be about what Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakenings: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have, refers to as starving the ego. He is talking about “that in us which believes we can control the world.” He encourages us to let the unseeable music of being rise and carry us.
I am being very affected by the reading of a book about an injured owl. Wesley became the companion of Stacey O’Brien and for 19 years the two lived intimately. She describes how he would take his powerful beak and ever-so-gently lift up her eyelid if she was sleeping later than he preferred! The book is available in paperback, and you can see an amazing little video of Stacey and Wesley at: http://www.wesleytheowl.com/. You will see Wesley snuggled up on Stacey’s chest and recognize his tenderness—not exactly what one would expect from such a powerful raptor.
Nepo truly touches my heart with his understanding of our universal needs: “If those I love can’t recognize me with my soul out in the open, I will no longer retreat and show what is familiar.” Stacey was able to recognize the tenderness in Wesley, in spite of what she knew about owls.
Oprah Winfrey interviewed Gary Zukav, author of Spiritual Partnership: The Journey to Authentic Power. That interview is available free on video (see: http://bit.ly/QbvZdE). “Authentic power is when you use your personality to serve your soul…. When the personality is in full balance you can’t see where it ends and where the soul begins.” (The Seat of the Soul, p. 37)
Perhaps Wesley, in spite of (or possibly because of) his permanently injured wing, was able to be with Stacey with such tenderness because of an innate capacity for love all living creatures have. And perhaps the way humans learn to be with one another with the authentic power of loving kindness is to simply starve the ego and allow this unseeable music of being rise and carry us.
By Debra Basham, on August 18, 2012
We are gradually coming to see that the years beyond sixty five or seventy,
the years of our second maturity,
may be evolution’s greatest gift to humanity.
Jean Houston
Reading an article by Jean Houston, “The Genius of Second Maturity,” this week birthdays have been on my mind. It is not my birthday, but many dear friends are celebrating: one turning 70, and another turning 60. I am going to a party so I got a very funny card with a young woman with BIG hair. You may remember that look.
Carl Jung is said to have reflected that his life would only have meaning in terms of centuries. Houston wrote: “One of the greatest capacities of second maturity is the capacity for spiritual development. Having known the breadth of existence, we now have the capacity for knowing the subtleties of the depths as well in ways that few could have known them before. No longer needing to compete, to be acceptable, likeable, and all those other things considered respectable in society, people are finally being uncaged in their elder years, free to release energies and capacities that the culture restrained in them when they were younger.”
This sense of no longer needing to be acceptable, likable, or respectable came to me in spades last Saturday morning as I was driving to join Betty Lue Lieber and Robert Waldon for a day workshop while they were in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This is a group that is generally very high conscious when it comes to food, and the workshop included a potluck lunch. The dish I had brought to contribute was peanut butter pie. Not exactly a health food, but delicious!
I arrived at the choice to bring the pie based on some tricky logistics of having just gotten home from a road trip to San Antonio, Texas, and having taught all day (13 fifteen-minute presentations on stress relief at Three Rivers Hospital) the day prior, and staying the night in Kalamazoo.
I am guessing the conversation I had in my head about the pie was influenced by an experiential learning with Karen Drucker while in San Antonio: Taming Your Inner Critic. It went something like this, “If no one chooses to eat the pie, I am fine with that. Another person’s choice is not a reflection on me, it is simply his or her freedom to choose.”
It was really quite wonderful to have this exchange within myself and to be totally in awe at the ease I was feeling about however things played out. I laugh even now realizing that Betty Lue opened with a talk about the need to honor that our path does not have to be anyone else’s, it just has to be genuinely ours! I was moved to share about the peanut butter pie, and that became a symbol for all of us of the ease of respecting personal choices in our lives.
On a much deeper level, though, what Houston calls second maturity, really is gift. It is about inner transformation.
From the poem, Minnie Remembers, by Donna Swanson:
I remember Hank and the babies.
How else can I remember them
but together?
For out of the fumbling, awkward
attempts of new lovers
came the babies.
And, as they grew, so did our love.
And, God, Hank didn’t seem to mind
if my
body thickened and faded
a little. He still loved it and touched it.
Every piece of that peanut butter pie was enjoyed. Sometimes as the outer fades, our inner beauty shines more brightly.Thank God for that truth!
Right after I posted this, a friend received a newsletter from James Twyman with the same theme and this handy checklist. You know you are a “Golden Indigo” if…
1. You are over the age of 60.
2. You have always felt a “stirring” within your soul to heal and bless humanity.
3. That “stirring” has increased considerably over the last five to ten years.
4. You feel a tangible connection with the Indigo Children.
5. You can’t keep silent any longer, but feel drawn to share your wisdom.
6. You refuse to sit back and simply “retire.”
7. You felt a resolute “YES” when you first read or heard about the Golden Indigos.
By Debra Basham, on August 12, 2012
“Is the Universe a friendly place?”
Albert Einstein considered this question to be the most important question a person can ask. Today the only answer I can honestly give is, “YES!”
This past Monday I was in San Antonio, Texas, teaching “Out of Fear, Into Health: Anchoring as Healing Modality.” Tuesday we drove 850 miles, arriving in Sikeston, Missouri, about 8:30 in the evening, Fortunately, our accommodations were acceptable because we had chosen a destination we had stayed at in 2011, but we were weary from our 14 hours drive, and we had not yet had dinner.
I thought I remembered having enjoyed a nice meal an easy walking distance from the hotel when we had stayed there last year, but we found out I was mistaken. Disappointment, coupled with the lack of what we considered desirable choices, developed into an awkward conversation with the folks at the front desk.
Still unsure about where we could have dinner, and both tired and hungry, while unpacking essentials for the night, we got cross with one another over where to park the vehicle, and Joel was very annoyed as he blurted out, “It’s not worth arguing over!”
Feeling responsible for both of us, I dredged up the memory of a sign I saw out on the highway, searched Google on my iPhone, confirmed directions with the folks at the front desk, and we walked the half-mile to Lambert’s Cafe, where the motto is, “We hope you come hungry, leave full, and hopefully have a laugh or two!”
If I had been thinking more clearly, I might have realized sooner I had been to a Lambert’s Cafe in Gulf Shores, Alabama, a few years ago, but by the time we were seated, it was too late. I thought Joel might cry when he ordered a beer and was told they do not serve alcohol. Add to that, they throw hot yeast rolls at you from across the room! (See http://www.throwedrolls.com/)
OK, I confess that I sent my daughter, Stacey, and my nephew, Chris (the one who took us to Lambert’s in Alabama), a quick text message letting them know we had arrived safely in Sikeston, that we were at Lambert’s Cafe, and that Joel did not have on his happy face….
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This building was right next to the motel.
I noticed the sign as we came back from Lambert’s. |
Even though we had enjoyed wonderful experiences and made great connections at the conference, the mood continued to be less than blissful the following day. We checked out, loaded up, and got on the road for another 600 miles. Less than an hour from Michigan, when we stopped to buy gas, we had another stressful communication glitch about which gas station to go to! Looking back, I can see how my snappy, “OK, just blame me for everything. It is always my fault!” was an emotional overreaction to Joel’s use of active voice, coupled with the carry-over tension, and the stress of the travel. (See more about active and passive voice in the most recent “Language Tip” on the new Subtle Communication Systems website at http://scs-matters.com/the-power-of-voice/)
But, the universe is a friendly place, and life is always inviting us back into balance. We do have the opportunity time and time again to remember what is real. Just as we got back on the highway, Joel passed a semi truck advertising a charity organization that helps treat facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates. A child looking much like the one above, and the name of that organization, was spelled across the whole length of that truck:
At the exact moment we were passing the Operation Smile truck, I could also see a billboard to the left of the highway advertising some dental group: “Get your smile back.”
Today, as a way of honoring how life is working for me, I told all this to some of my colleagues in Reunion Ministry. I also mentioned a wonderful You Tube video about a little girl having a great time loving everything about her life. I told them I would send the link if I could find it.
When I got home from the reunion, and played the video, I noticed an ad on the screen. If you look closely, you will see that the ad is for operation smile…
OK, God, we get it! The universe truly is a friendly place.
By Debra Basham, on August 5, 2012
… something timeless and indestructible
within each of us
that can heal us and the world if
we can just open ourselves to it.
~ Mark Nepo
A dear friend was sharing about having recently read about the research into how some individuals meet crisis and trauma in life and come out resilient. Others are beaten or broken or become embittered. Our conversation reminded me of the story about carrots, eggs, and coffee beans.
You may have heard the story of how three
things—a carrot, an egg, and coffee beans—
respond differently to life’s challenges. After
reading this, you may never look at a cup of
coffee (or life) the same way again.
A young woman was complaining to her
mother, saying that life was too hard for her.
Facing what seemed to be an endless stream of
difficulties, she was feeling overwhelmed and
discouraged, and felt like giving up. She went to
her mother and told her about her life and how
things were so hard for her.
Her mother brought her into the kitchen where
she put three pans of water on three burners,
and turned them all on high. As the water
began to boil, in the first she placed carrots, in
the second she placed eggs, and in the last she
placed ground coffee beans. Again, letting life
teach, rather than lecturing her daughter, she let
them sit and boil, without saying a word.
After about twenty minutes or so, she turned off
the burners. She placed the carrots on a plate
next to the eggs, and she poured the coffee
into a cup. She turned to her
daughter and said simply, “Tell
me what you see.”
“I see carrots, eggs, and
coffee,” the daughter replied.
Her mother asked her to
touch the carrots and notice
that they were soft now.
She peeled an egg, showing that it was now
hard-boiled. She let her daughter take a sip of
the coffee. After her daughter asked what that
all meant, the mother wisely pointed out that
while each of these objects had faced the same
adversity—boiling water—each had reacted
differently.
The carrot had gone into the water strong, hard,
and unbending. After being subjected to the
boiling water, it became weak. The egg had
originally been fragile, with just a thin outer
shell protecting the liquid interior. After sitting
through the boiling water, the insides of the
egg had became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however.
After they were in the boiling water, they had
changed the water. The mother is said to have
asked the daughter, “Which are you?”
It is worth noticing when challenges come your
way, how have you responded? Have you been
like a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean? Were you
like the carrot that seems strong, but with pain
and adversity, or illness or hardship, had you
lost your strength?
Were you like the egg that started with a soft
heart, but changed with the heat? Did you
let an unexpected death, the loss of a job, a
relationship change, or some other difficult
circumstances make you become hard-hearted
or inflexible? Had your shell looked the same,
but on the inside had you been feeling bitter?
We can all be more like the coffee bean.
The alchemy of life happens because the
bean actually changes the hot water, the very
circumstance that brings the pain. It is when the
water gets hot that the coffee bean releases the
fragrance and flavor. As you become more like
the bean, even if at times things seem to be at
their worst, those are times when you can only
get better because you change the way you
look at things and are able to change the
situation around you.
The happiest of people don’t necessarily always
have the best of everything. They just find ways
to make the most of everything that comes
along their way. The brightest future will always
be based on a past that is filled with stepping
stones rather than stumbling blocks. Letting go
of your past failures and heartaches compels you
to push forward with positive intent. Once you
let go of your disappointments, you find yourself
moving forward in life with greater confidence
and competence. Happier people are actually
smarter people.
~ Falling Together in Love: Stories From My Heart for and about YOU
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| To order your copy, visit http://scs-matters.com/products2.shtml. Profound gratitude to Patty Reddy for the magical illustrations and layout! |
By Debra Basham, on July 29, 2012
When we live from the heart, we can hear.
~ Jennifer McLean
Have you ever wondered what in the world it means when someone says to live from (or come from or be in) the heart? This week I had the wonderful opportunity to enjoy listening to an audio presentation by Jennifer McLean, of “Healing with the Masters.” This particular segment featured what Jennifer calls body dialoguing. If you are already familiar with the Imagine Healing process, you will recognize the similarity and the benefits. (See http://www.ImagineHealing.info)
I was so excited because I had a client coming in to work on “presence” as she undergoes some physical challenges. I knew she would find this process insightful and enjoy the freedom that comes from simply being with a thought or a feeling or a sensation—having a meaningful conversation with your genuine self.
Before I share the steps, ponder a quotation from Jennifer, “Everything that is here is something I requested for my evolution.”
When an individual is experiencing an upset, a health crisis, or even something as simple as a sensation, you can learn to be present with yourself in ways that will allow healing and transformation. I admit that I added the suggestion that you notice the color. Since everything in our world is made up of color, and we see color everywhere in our world, this is an important (and powerful) addition, and it is used in the Imagine Healing process.
- Where do I feel this in my body? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Cold? Hot? Tense? Color? Shape?
- Say: I am present with you. I am listening. I am not going anywhere. Be present in a space of support.
- Ask: How have you served me? What is the purpose of your being here?
- Discover: What was the thought in your head just before the upset/accident? (This can be recognized as some sort of fear.)
- Ask: Who planted that fear? How old were you when you had the first thought life was not safe?
- Bring your attention to that former you at that age. The current you is going to be the adult now (higher self). Let that little one purge the emotion as the adult you holds the space; nodding, rocking, stroking —being there in support.
- Now ask your body part and the little one (simultaneously): What do you need now? Jennifer says it will usually be a “god” quality. (Connirae Andreas identified these as core states in Core Transformations.)
- Ask: What would the full expression of this need look like and feel like right now? Feel it. Allow it.
- Ask: What would it feel like and look like six months from now as you are fully living this quality? Feel this and allow this.
As you appreciate these feelings, you might want to check in with the body part and test for more needs so you can repeat the process if other needs are expressed. It is so exciting that we are more and more choosing to free ourselves from painful perceptions. One of my favorite authors, Mark Nepo, writes that “the energy of the world floods through whatever moment we dare to enter fully.”
Wonderfully, a few days after listening to the presentation and the same day I had been with the client I shared this body dialogue exercise with, I experienced some pain in my foot. It was in the middle of my left foot—and the painful sensation was very deep, not on the surface at all. It was between my toes and the ball of my foot, and it was excruciating. I found it challenging to walk but it was painful even when I was not moving.
I was grateful you can remember to breathe. I began to just notice the sensation and affirm that I was willing to be present with it. When you do that, you are able to resist making up anything about it. I began to hold the intention: I am present with you. I am listening. I am not going anywhere.
Although I hobbled up and down the stairs several times, before I went to bed the sensation had totally vanished. What a wonderful process to remember and use and appreciate. Imagine healing that easily!
By Debra Basham, on July 23, 2012
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
~ Reinhold Niebuhr
This morning I was gifted with some wonderful time on the bluff, overlooking Lake Michigan, in downtown Saint Joseph, Michigan. The happy occasion was a reunion (of sorts) of our Interfaith Fellowship group. In various spaces and configurations that group has met since 1997. This gathering was co-created because one member who has been living in Florida for the past several years was in Saint Joseph visiting.
We brought our chairs, delicious and nutritious snacks to share, and hearts open to being together as the ONE. I introduced the inspirational cards from Wellness for All, the organization Mary Jo Bulbrook has helped birth into our world.
Detach was picked by two individuals, and the message of this one is probably deeply important for each of us now.
Detach
There are dimensions that are holding you back from your true destiny.
Learn to detach and release all that causes harm to your inner life
and ability to find true peace.
As you search and journey within,
you will find that all aspects of life have only one true mission
which is to pave the road to inner life of serenity that is within your control.
That message is clearly essentially that of The Serenity Prayer, those powerful and utterly familiar words penned by Reinhold Niebuhr.
It may not come as any surprise to most of us that the wisdom to know the difference is key. We cannot change the Aurora tragedy (as much as we might like). We cannot roll back time and unburn the acres devastated by wild fires. We cannot wish back a loved one. No amount of denial will unhappen history, however, that “inner life of serenity” unfolds perfectly as I surrender my desire to fight against what is out there and to embrace what is truly within my own control.
Our true nature is that delicate, silent, loving, inner state of peace.
I saw this Queen Anne’s Lace thriving, having come up between the cracks in a driveway. I love that Queen Anne’s Lace (as it is called in the U.S.) is considered a beneficial weed, because—according to Wikipedia—it is able to “boost tomato plant production and provide a microclimate of cooler, more moist air for lettuce,” just by growing nearby.
I am not sure if my fascination with weeds this summer is because the hot (unusually hot), dry (drastically dry), weather here has been so hard on annuals that the weeds are strikingly beautiful by contrast. I am more inclined to think it has something to do with my spiritual journey as I am coming to see the beauty of the weeds (unplanned, often wild, life-changing events) in my own life.
The following was written in the loneliness upon my return home to Michigan in April, 1996, and by May I was enrolled in the Living Ministry Program of Reunion. A year later I had gone on to birth the Holistic Alliance. In 2005, we were letting go of that form. Once again I feel that tugging at the weeds of my life, as though I am soon again to give birth to heaven knows what gifts for our world. Enjoy ~ Debra
Where can I go to find peace?
Where can I go that peace cannot find me?
Who is the searcher?
Who is the sought?
Peace is the natural state, trust and embrace a new thought.
The rhythm of peace is silence
the words a language of naught
I lay down beside the still waters
My burden immediately scatters.
Here, I become the me that matters.
Where is peace for my world?
my stars, my moon, my son?
Found simply waiting to be honored
For you, by be, my word…
A gift, freely given, in the silence to be heard.
By Debra Basham, on July 11, 2012
“But a weed is simply a plant that wants to grow
where people want something else.
In blaming nature, people mistake the culprit.
Weeds are people’s idea, not nature’s.”
~ Anonymous
I have been enjoying seeing all the “weeds” along the roads as I am out riding my bike or walking. I had an inspiration of what gift it might be if we were to all begin working with nature by planting only wildflowers.
Just the idea of these beauties having been unwanted seems more than just a bit foolish. They are very hardy plants that seem to be thriving even with this summer’s excessive heat and lack of rain.
This stream of thought about weeds soon led me to looking at other aspects of my life that might not automatically have been seen as gifts. If I am totally honest, the wild parts of my own nature have often been treated as weeds rather than treasured as wildflowers.
I certainly did not see the inherent beauty in my having to leave school in the tenth grade because I was expecting a child. Many assumed weeds were growing in my soul when I left my church and began the journey to becoming an Ordained Interfaith Minister. Others assumed something was amiss as I became trained in Healing Touch™.
In ways sometimes accessed only through the blessing of hindsight, it has been quite a sacred journey to realize that there is profound beauty in what grows wild. My ordination ceremony was July 12, 1997. It does not seem possible that it could really only have been fifteen years ago I became a Minister of Reunion. Today my heart welcomes the beauty of the wildness in the weeds of my own nature that led me to say, “Here I am, Lord…. I will hold your people in my heart.”
I am still saying YES to the divine within all of life as I sing the words of my ordination song, Here I Am Lord. The music and the lyrics are by Dan Schutte. (Copyright 1981)
I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in darkness now
My hand will save.
I who make the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. It is I Lord.
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, where you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
Give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my words to them.
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. It is I Lord.
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, where you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide,
Till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. It is I Lord.
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, where you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
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