LOVE,,,

 LOVE...

whatever we say to ourselves, or others, the one most precious gift we have is the ability to love.  Second to that, is being loved. Of course, these points are like a happy pair, one leads to the other, and can't exist without one another.

The extreme happiness that comes to mind is moments when we have been overcome with a sense of love.  We discover the joy of loving, and the wonderful joy of being loved. 

Two children joined prep school on the same day. Their parents settled them into the class and said goodbye.  Perhaps, being busy parents, they had no idea of the trauma inflicted on the poor little waifs, abandoned in a room with a dozen or so other children. What to do?

One of them, a little girl went up to the other, a little boy...  "Can I be your friend?" He stared at her, then said, "Okay."  They sat down together and began to chat.

Later in the day,  when the little girl's mum came to fetch her, she introduced the little boy, "This is my new friend, Jimmy. I asked if he would be my friend and he said yes."

How simple life could be, when we forget to be grown up, and act just like children would.

HEALING POWER...

HEALING POWER...

The Healing Power that comes from writing is both easy and difficult to explain. Every person is so individual, and inspired in so many ways, when we are free to respond.

 Some times our mind is almost blocked with the various interests and desires we have. Of course, it's great to be inspired and want to be creative,  yet unless one can find a way to give our mind a rest, we can be swamped with overload.

This is where our ability to be creative in writing down the necessary and even the un-necessary thoughts and difficulties that come our way, will leave us free to become truly alive! .

Lately, I've been introduced to an America poet, Mary Oliver, who writes constantly about the beauty of nature... a walk in the woods or a sudden meeting of a deer or some other creature of nature. Through her poetry and writings she allows us to respond to who we are, and where we are.

However, if our mind is clogged, we could well be surrounded by the beauty of nature, and not even notice it... such a shame...

This Healing Power that comes from writing down our thoughts is liberating and fun too. It may even lead us into the the World of Poetry.

For some, this is an easy step. For others, like myself, poetry takes time because it can be a way of meditating, pondering on the magic of words.

Perhaps, most of us have dipped into the works of Shakesphere, at school or with friends.  His ability to use words is almost biblical...

"Now is the Winter of my discontent..."

"To thy ownself be true, and thou will not be false to anyone..."

We may have found it difficult at school to make sense of the language of Shakesphere, yet if we have access to a good Library, it can become an interesting way to fall in love with the Healing Power of Words. 

PEACE of MIND...

 PEACE of MIND is a treasure made in Heaven, so it is said.

I truly believe this because the very essence of being true to ourselves depends on the value we put on our Peace of Mind. This way we work with grace rather than nature.

For myself, I am mostly inpatient and want to be able to understand life, without putting the work and time into 'creating' the life I value and feel compelled to have.

At the same time, I have a good imagination and realise how wonderful life can be when one is surprised at inspirations that come our way.  Being a Faith person, I attribute all this to God, the Creator of everything.

Peace of Mind is like a gift given to us when to are open and willing to respond to the wonderful Mind of God.  Things can be above our understanding, yet our willingness to have an open mind, can and will fill us with the grace necessary to acknowledge the wonder of creation, and the power of the Creator of the Universe.

We learn to be at peace with ourselves!

WELCOME...

 WELCOME...

Perhaps what most people look for and appreciate, is to be welcome...  someone to say, come in and make yourself welcome.

This could well be an Irish way of saying it,  make yourself welcome... and yet it is so true in many ways, especially if we are a bit unsure of ourselves and treading on new ground.  

By nature, we can often feel 'strange' and unsure of ourselves when visiting a new place, meeting new people and new surroundings etc.  As is often said, we feel like a fish out of water, uncomfortable, and it can take a little while to find ourselves and feel at home.

Such a good word to use...   HOME...  that lovely feeling of freedom and unawareness of ourselves.  We so love to feel at home, even in another person's home.  It may depend on the welcome we receive, and yet a lot depends on ourselves, to simply be who we are, without fear of any kind.

Welcome... come in and rest yourself. Feel at home in my home. Oh what a lovely feeling to be at peace and relax.  No apprehension, just to simply be, me!

COMPASSION...

 COMPASSION... with passion...

To become a compassionate person is quite a challenge. We are asked to step away from ourselves and our aches and pains, and take on the suffering of others.

Of course, if we have some inkling or awareness of loving another, then it becomes a positive challenge, nevertheless a challenge. How do we learn to switch off from our own suffering and put the suffering of another person first?

Perhaps the easiest way to do this is found in our ability to put love first. This is where compassion will shine, and we will grow in our desire to love and care for others.

The only real obstacle to love is fear.  We become afraid to suffer / afraid to fail. Somehow we wind back on all our good intentions and play safe.  We are programmed to protect ourselves, and this becomes most important in our lives. More important than being compassionate and caring and loving.

Yet, if we have got this far, then we will begin to see opportunities to care and share. Little by little, we see the positive reward that comes from loving.

This wonderful feeling called love will transform us into a person who wants to move forward / who wants to care and share / who enjoys the challenge of becoming a compassionate and loving person.

By grace we are transformed!

ADVENTURE...

ADVENTURE...

For some, life can be very mundane with plenty of chores to be done, especially if one lives in a large family with children, or an adult community of individual people.

Yet, the whole idea of an adventurous life is necessary if one is to be true to being  original and honest to oneself. We can be like others, yet never a copy-cat of their personality.

This is where an adventurous spirit becomes essential, teaching us how to be our true selves. For the spiritual mind, this can be easy to grasp and to follow with a willing spirit.

A simple example that comes to mind is to write according to how we are prompted by our inner being. We are elevated to a World of creativity and especially, an adventurous spirit.  

We may even find it hard to hold ourselves back, because we become driven by the adventurous spirit which continually pushes us forward to become a truly original person.

Keep fear out, let adventure become our way of life! 

CHOICE

 CHOICE...

Choice is always ours, even if and when it is difficult to choose. When we look back in History, we see how heroic it can be, yet still the choice is there.

From what I know and have heard about the 1916 Leaders here in Ireland, they decided to go ahead, knowing that they would probably fail. The choice was heroic.  They were faithful to their commitment, no matter what.

The same is said of the early Christians at one time, knowing that they must face death for their Faith. I wonder if that was the case, would I be willing to stand up for my beliefs...  Can only hope I would.

The freedom to believe we always have a choice, and so we have!