At the end of the year

Dear Ones,

Maybe you're thinking about making resolutions. Or maybe you've made some resolutions. Either way, today is a day to let go of the old and to embrace the new.

Begin with love. Love yourself as you are. You are God's own, after all. Love your family, as hard as that may be. Look to see beneath the surface to the ones they are underneath. See them from the heart. Love the world, because the world needs love.
As you go out today, see the light that is shining - often underneath a lot of clutter - in everyone you meet.

Be love.

Happy New Year!
Warmly,
meb

LIve happy or live unhappy

Dear Friends,

Yes, you get to choose. You get to choose to live unhappily or to live happily. The other day, I listened calmly as an adult complained about the rising taxes he/she is paying. Well, we're all paying high taxes. Aren't you? I am.

We can't avoid taxes. But we can avoid making ourselves unhappy over them. Our unhappiness only clouds our ability to live creatively with what we are given. When we spend our time unhappily, we limit our responses to life, and we limit our own ability to see clearly.

Our anger, our resentments, whatever is keeping us unhappy needs to be taken out into the sunlight and looked at clearly, once and for all, and then allowed to drift away, so that we can be happy.

And from that place we will live as free, adult human beings.

Warmly,
meb

What is beauty?

Dear Friends,

I've been thinking about what beauty is in this post-modern world. I mean the beauty of human beings. The magazine racks at the grocery store are filled with pictures of what "beauty" is and "beauty" is not. Beauty, according to those sources, is skinny, blond, wears 4 inch high heels, and always has perfect makeup.

Can we change our image of beauty? That takes some work inside ourselves. A few weeks ago I was at an event with many older women. Some were big and some were small. Many were wrinkled. And many had smiles on their faces and big hugs for the friends they greeted.

How can we say that is not beauty? Why not say: "beautiful" to every human being? Why not see the spark of life that makes them beautiful? Who are we to say any human being is not beauty?

Warmly,
meb

Waiting...

Dear Friends,

Maybe you've been waiting for something - or someone - for a long, long time. How do you wait? For what are you waiting?
What if you stopped waiting?

While you are waiting, remember to live in the present. Be present in your life - breathe, take in each day for what it has to give you, be grateful for this day of life - breathe, be present.

And when what you are waiting for arrives, give thanks!

Warmly,
meb

maybe you're lonely today...

Dear Ones,

Maybe you are lonely today. The holiday time is the loneliest time.

Is there a way to embrace your loneliness, to make loneliness your friend? In a way, loneliness levels the field of humanity, because every one of us has that lonely place in our hearts.

When loneliness comes, find a way to learn from it. What is loneliness asking? What is loneliness seeking?

When you know your loneliness, you know what lies inside the hearts of people everywhere. And in this lonely, lonely world, that is what is needed.

Warmly,
meb

Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas!

Warmly,
meb

you are light

Dear Friends,

Tonight is Christmas Eve. This is the season when the light comes into the dark. The longest nights have just passed and the light is already coming more quickly into the sky.

Even if you are in a dark time of life, a sad and lonely time, remember this: you are the light of the world. Jesus said this: "You are the light of the world."

If you are light, if I am light, then we are the ones to bring the light into the world. How do we do this?

Remember, first of all, that you are light. Even if this is the darkest time of your life, even if this time of darkness seems to have no end, remember that a light shines within you - and it is up to you to bring that light into the world, uncovered, so that others may see it.

Sometimes our history or our worries or our fears are the darkness, and they shadow the light.

The light is still shining, though, bravely and surely, beneath those brittle fears.
Let it shine!
Warmly,
meb

Hope

Dear Ones,

The word "hope" has made a come-back this past year, with the election of Barack Obama and his theme of hope.

Hope is not empty "wishing." "I wish it would snow," or "I wish I could make that trip." Hope is something solid, something real, something we can build upon.

Hope is doing the work of finding a job. Hope is putting food on the table. Hope is providing education for all. Hope is making changes that will make your life better, more healthy.

This is the season of hope, hope for a troubled world.

Be Hope this Christmas!
Warmly,
meb

on letting go...

Dear Friends,

It is interesting that in our culture, surrender, or letting go is associated with nonaction. Surrender is not non-action. Surrender is letting go into complete acceptance of whatever is.

For example, if a woman continues to live with an abusive partner, she is really in a state of non-acceptance. Her message to herself is, "if I"m good enough, he'll change." "This won't happen again." "Things are bad for him right now, otherwise he wouldn't do this to me." or "He says he loves me, and I want that, so I can take this from him."

When she reaches the place of acceptance, of surrender, of letting go, however, she really lets go of her own resistance to what actually is. She can look at the situation as it is. She accepts that her partner is abusive, without debating with herself. At that point, she is actually empowered to take action. Surrender leads to powerful, clear, appropriate action.

For most of us, we don't have to deal with abuse, but all of us are dealing with negotiating the truth with ourselves. That's when it's time to surrender to what is.

As Byron Katie has written: love what is.

From that point, the most powerful action becomes clear.
Warmly,
meb

The Longest Night...

Dear Friends,

This is the day following the longest night, the solstice. All over the world, people have marked the passage into the darkest night and shortest day with ritual and awe. In the Christian faith, Christmas is the celebration of the Light coming into the darkness.

No matter how dark your days may be right now, know this: at the moment you immerse yourself into the darkness, when you no longer want to push the darkness away, but you fall deeply, deeply into it - the light begins to shine.

As long as you keep running away, you will not see the light. However dark your pain, your sorrow, your sadness - fall into it - and know the light that emerges.

Warmly,
meb

During the shortest days -

Dear Friends,

I do love the holiday season, with the lights and the music that only comes around for a few weeks every year. I really do.

At the same time, I know that for me, the holiday season is also the most melancholy time of the year. Every year I think about the ones who are no longer here. Will I ever see them again? What is this longing like for them? How long can grief go on?
I tell others stories about the ones who are gone, as if to bring them back into my life just for a few moments. And I am so grateful to the ones who will listen.

And that's the gift to me this season. Even during the darkest times, I am learning to be grateful. If you are having a dark, dark season - and for many, this is the darkest season of all - begin to give thanks to God, to the Universe, to All That Is - for whatever you can. Start with the smallest things. Are you grateful for a warm cup of tea on a cold morning? Are you grateful for a warm house?

Gratitude is not about comparing. Don't compare yourself to others. For example: "I am grateful for this because others have so little." No - simply be grateful. Just be grateful.

Warmly,
meb

The Richness of being

Dear Friends,

Sometimes I am simply overwhelmed with the richness of being - the beauty of the world, the beauty of people, the varieties of all things, the colors, the light, the little creatures, the feelings, the fragrances. I am in love with it all.

Sometimes I don't know those things at all, I seem to forget that life is rich and vivid, even in its difficult moments.

May you have a few moments today to know the richness of being.

Warmly,
meb

Swimming in love...

Hello, dear ones,

Lately I've been thinking about fish. Goldfish, to be exact. I have been keeping the image of a goldfish in my mind, and watching the goldfish in a bowl. They are swimming in water, smacking their lips (!) as they eat the little bits of food that float to them from the top of the bowl. If one of them - by some unfortunate event - should find itself outside of the water, it would die, and sooner rather than later.

We are like the goldfish - yes, we are! But we are swimming in love... yes, love! You are swimming in love, love is in you and around you and beside you and with you, you are made of love, you are so immersed in love that you have forgotten - you take it for granted, after all. And there is no way you can ever find yourself outside of this goldfish bowl of love, because love is all it is. That's all it is.

Sometimes events or people or tragedies or faults or sorrows seem larger than love, but that is simply not true. All of those things, too, are swimming in love.

Happy diving!

Warmly,
meb

This is all a gift...

Dear Ones,

Sometimes it comes to me with complete clarity: this life is all a gift to us.

It's all a gift. Today, this moment, the rain, the sun, the little birds, the sounds, even the rushing sounds of traffic - everything is a gift.

I haven't been one who has "counted my blessings," I admit. My mind easily goes into dark corners that tell me I am not enough, or things aren't going well, or things are going to fall apart. And it's true: sometimes, things have fallen apart in my life. Maybe things are falling apart for you right now.

This is all a gift. Remember.

Warmly,
meb

Make your own holiday traditions...

Dear Friends,

If these are hard days for you, do something different. Call and invite yourself to Christmas Dinner. Many times, when we are alone, others don't realize that we are alone. Let others know. Tell them the holidays are a difficult time for you.

Do something different. Make plans for the especially hard times. Go to church, if you never go to church. Plan to go to a movie. Go for a walk. Take yourself out to dinner.

Volunteer at a shelter or a community meal. Do something for someone else. Invite someone else who is alone over to your place for dinner.

Make time and space for your loneliness and grief. Ask your loneliness and grief what they want from you during this time.

Make your own holidays.
Warmly,
meb

Speak Your Grief

Dear Ones,

If the holidays are difficult for you, you may feel all alone. After all, isn't everyone happy that it is the holidays? While that may be our perception, our perception may not be reality. The holidays are often difficult. In fact, maybe some of the frantic activity is simply another way to mask the real feelings of the time.

This holiday season, if you are having a difficult time emotionally, please find someone to talk to. You may be surprised how another person will respond when you begin to speak your truth. When you choose someone to talk to, be as careful as you can in your choice. Hopefully, you will find someone who will listen, who will simply listen, nodding in understanding. You don't need someone to "fix," you, because you are not broken. You are simply experiencing grief, which is a truly human experience. And it is not only your plight to know grief during the holidays, it is also real.

Speak your grief. We know that healing comes from speaking to another human being. If you can, find a 12 step group, where people are accustomed to speaking their grief, and no one tries to explain it away.

Blessings, dear ones.
meb

Getting to know fear

Dear Ones,

As we know, these are fear-ful times. None of us knows the outcome of current events, how they will play out, how long they will continue. We don't know whether these events are even "good" or "bad." Of course, it is our tendency to say they are, "bad," but we really don't know how they will play out, for any of us.

One thing that we can do during this time that will be very productive is to learn what we can about our fear. You may know you are afraid, or you may not. A fact of life is that we each have fear, and we each have our own way of dealing with fear. Some of us jump right into the fray when we are afraid. Some of us retreat. Some of us speed up. Some of us withdraw.

As a beginning, notice how you handle your fear. Then, talk to your fear! yes, talk to your fear! If you can, picture your fear, and have your fear sit in a chair across from you. Ask the fear where it comes from, and what it wants to say to you.

By relating to our fear, we begin to lessen its grip on us. We begin to learn from it, rather than be controlled by it.

Spend a little time with your friend, Fear, today!
Warmly,
meb

How have you changed?

Dear Friends,

As the end of the year arrives, we'll be thinking about some useful ways to reflect on your life. One way is to think about how you have changed in the last year. Maybe you've grown in some way, or maybe you've been practicing relating differently to others in your life.

If your new ways of relating have to do with your family, you'll probably get to practice some over the coming holidays!

No matter what, remember this. If you are growing or changing in some way, allow yourself freedom to sometimes return to old patterns and behaviors. Go easy on yourself. As you grow, grow also in forgiveness of yourself.

Enjoy your changes!
Warmly,
meb

Reviewing your life...

Hello, dear Friends,

As the holidays approach and we get closer to the end of the year, to the time of the longest nights and shortest days, it is a good time to review your year, and even your life.

One person I know worked very hard this year to help others. Many times, she had to put her own needs on hold to take care of an ailing friend, of a sister who needed a place to live and who could not help herself. I invited her to make a list of her accomplishments for the year, as a way of giving thanks for all she has been able to do for others. This is a way of taking a breath, of seeing what she has really been able to do.

Another way to review the year is to take stock of your relationships. Is there something you need to say to someone? Do you need to say "thank you," or "I'm sorry," or "I love you?" Are there things that need to be talked over? Are there changes you want to make?

None of us knows how long we will have the gift of this life. Use your moments now, at this natural time of reviewing, to do the things that are important.

Blessings to you this day,
meb

Thanks for everything...

Dear Friends,

Today a friend told me of her plan to give away more money to charity than she has in the past, even though her expenses are higher this year than they have been, and in spite of the news of the economy. She wants to make her contributions as an act of faith and gratitude.

She is grateful to be able to give. And she is trusting that her needs will be taken care of.

In this way, we learn how to be grateful for everything. For those of us who are people who have food on our table and who have a community to whom we relate, we have much to be grateful for.

This is the season of giving, the season of gifts. Give yourself the greatest gift by giving to others!
Warmly,
meb

Stopping

Dear Friends,

A friend of mine has written a book and has a website called: stopping.com
David calls himself a "failed meditator," but he defines the need we have for stopping what we are doing in order to get back in touch with ourselves and what we need and want and to discover what is truly important. Sometimes we need to stop for a day, sometimes for a week, sometimes for a few moments, and sometimes for a year!

This is a busy, busy, season. Make sure you take a few moments to stop and to discover again what is truly important to you, and who you truly are.

Warmly,
meb

Waiting -

Dear Ones,

How do you wait? Take a few moments to consider how you usually wait.

And then: for what do you wait? For what are you waiting in your one precious life? Are you waiting for happiness? Are you waiting for approval? Are you waiting for joy? Are you waiting for one perfect person to come into your life?

This is the season of Advent in the Christian tradition. Advent is the time of waiting - of waiting with expectation, as if what we are waiting for is already here.

Whatever you are waiting for, wait with great and holy expectation!

Warmly,
meb

A Place of Quiet

Dear Friends,

We are coming up to a busy season. Most of us want to do all of the things we have to do, but the holidays can be tiring. At the same time, in the midst of all the celebrating, we remember and miss those who are not with us any longer. I know for me, the image of Christmas I have carried in my mind is of the beautiful, old-fashioned tree my mother carefully decorated with tinsel year after year. That Christmas has been gone for a long time, but still, that is Christmas to me.

Make for yourself a Place of Quiet in this season. Go to that place whenever you can, for a few minutes. Since that place is inside of you, and not outside of you, you can go there at any time, wherever you are. Explore that place of quiet, that peaceful place around and about the voices of your ego and of others, those demand on your time. When you find that place, you can always return.

Make this your holiday practice: enjoy your place of quiet.

Warmly,
meb

A Feast

Hello, Dear Ones,

Yesterday, I watched a feast - right outside my window. In November, the little finches come to feast at the willow trees in my front yard. I wait for their return and I enjoy them each year. They don't know I'm here, enjoying them as they jump from branch to branch, safe from me.

They must be here for my enjoyment, yes, that's it! The little finches are here for me to enjoy.

I give thanks for them on Thanksgiving Day, as surely, their little, little hearts beating, they must be giving thanks with each beat of their hearts, with each seed they take into their tiny mouths.

Later, the jay slams into the tree, but the little finches are gone, well-fed.

Warmly,
meb

Like a blanket...

Dear Friends,

Days of preparation. We all know the holidays are a busy time - parties and dinners and gatherings and shopping for gifts and decorating. For some of us, this is a much leaner year, in terms of shopping, of buying - but is it also a year of less activity?

The season before Christmas - the Christian Festival of Light - Advent, meant Coming, or Waiting. Advent is a precious season of its own, so often forgotten in the lights and the loud music and the activity that surrounds the holidays. We are not much inclined toward the deeper, darker seasons. But we all have our dark seasons of life - those times when the darkness engulfs us and there seems to be no end to our suffering, to our waiting for this to pass. And that is the season of Advent, that season of sombre waiting.

However busy you may be this season, take time for the Waiting, for the activity that is not an activity, but a kind of active stopping. Sit when you don't feel like sitting. Stop when you have too much to do. Breathe when your calendar overwhelms you. Honor the darkness that is within you, as well as the light.

Warmly,
meb

Just be thankful -

Dear Friends,
Whatever today holds for you, take a few moments to be thankful. This is Thanksgiving week, and we will join around a table somewhere to honor a holiday of thanks.

Hold each day gratefully. Begin each day with a prayer of thanks - for whatever you can. Then, grow your prayer - give thanks even for those things that are difficult, those people and experiences with which you may be struggling.

Give thanks for breath, for beauty, for sunlight, for warmth, for a few kind words. You may find yourself being the giver of those kind words - so give thanks for that!

Just be thankful.
Warmly,
meb

A Blessed Day

Dear Ones,

Today is a blessed fall day in northern California. I have just come in from spending a few minutes on the back stoop with my very shy black and white cat. I was able to lift her onto my lap and rub her tummy, which makes her rattle.

I don't know about you, but for much of my life, I've been too busy with other things - jobs to do, errands to run, calls to make, important meetings to go to - to enjoy a few silent moments of bliss, sitting on the ground in the sun with a cat on my lap. These days, I've discovered that these are the richest moments of all.

Meanwhile, the business of the world goes on. Congress meets to consider more billion-dollar bailouts. The cities struggle to pay their bills. We all have money worries. All across the world, people are fearful.

And then, there are these few moments of absolute bliss. May you have a few moments of bliss, yourself, today.

Warmly,
meb

Shot through with love!

Dear Friends,

I don't know what kind of day you are having. However your day is going - remember that you are shot through with love! Maybe you're stuck in traffic, maybe your kids are yelling, maybe your schedule is more full than you'd like. All of these things keep you focused on doing, doing, doing.

Instead, remember that you are shot through with love! Every cell of your being is filled with - is made of - love! That's all you have to know.

Make this your practice, today. Wherever you go, you bring love. Whoever you talk to, you bring love. Love, love, love. That's all you are.

Warmly,
meb

Remember you are holy...

Dear Friends,

If you remember one thing today, remember this: you are holy. Yes, you! Whoever you are, whatever your worries, whatever your mistakes, whatever your failings, whatever your problems, you are holy.

How do you treat this holy one? That will be your task today, to begin to treat yourself as a holy one.

Remember this, too: all people who cross your path today are holy, too.

How do you treat these holy ones?

Warmly,
meb

Listening for Spirit...

Dear Friends,

Your spirit is whispering to you all the time. Most of us - myself included - seem to be waiting for a Sign that will take us out of our ordinary lives and into the Life We Should Be Living.

Dear Ones: This is It! Learn to listen to the quiet and persistant voice of your spirit, letting you know how to live with what is before you.

Is it: call your mother, make friends with yourself, get out there and move, be gentle, sit for a few moments, stop!, I'm here, don't worry...?

What is that small and persistant voice saying to you?

Warmly,
meb

Staying Sane Through the Holidays...

Dear Friends,

Believe it or not, it's not too early to begin thinking about the holidays. For me, I find that the holidays are often as sad as they are happy. More than anything, I enjoy the Christmas tree and the lights it brings into the house. As an adult, the holidays for me are about sitting in front of the tree, enjoying the early evenings and the lights. At the same time, I remember those who are no longer with me. And I miss them. I also remember that I loved the Christmas tree as a child. And so I turn those memories over in my mind.

No matter what, the holidays become a busy season. A good way to make sure you have some time for reflection during the holidays is to plan ahead. Make a list of what you usually do during the coming weeks. Now, look at the list again: what do you want to do? What don't you want to do? Can you cross off some of the things you don't want to do?

Think about this: what's really important? Is going to every single party important? Or are there some parties that you can graciously decline? Think about how you can say "no," and say it kindly.

Think ahead about other things that you know will come up during this time. Is there a brother-in-law with whom you always clash? What if you responded differently to him this year? What if, instead of "clashing," you chose to not react, but rather to breathe, take the moment in, and respond, with no words, or in a different way? The trick is to plan ahead, to imagine yourself in the situation, acting with a different response.

What else? These are trying times, financially, for many of us. Is there a way you can make your gifts by hand? Can you do some baking? That is especially nice if you haven't baked as a gift before. Can you make one gift to a charity that makes sense to you, and then send notes to those in whose honor you made the gift?

What works best is to imagine the holiday time ahead of time - now - to write down what you want to do, and then, to do it!

Warmly,
meb

An autumn day...

Dear Friends,

For me, an autumn day in the Midwest will always be the most beautiful kind of day on earth. The colors, the smells, the feel of the air, the light - all come together into one majestic, glorious, "yes!"

Today is a day in Northern California that is an autumn day at its finest. The wind is blowing, the trees sway, the sky is a rich blue, the shadows between the light and the dark contrast severely, the air is warm, a little too warm.

At the same time, these winds and the dry air bring the threat of wildfires.

Beauty and destruction, the rich, deep, holy darkness that is part of life. Without the contrast - and wholeness - of beauty and destruction, life would not be complete.

Where are beauty and destruction at work in your life?

Warmly,
meb

"Why am I still here?"

Dear Friends,

Today at lunch, a man who was 93 years old asked the question that is often in his mind: "Why am I still here?" This is a question of meaning. I thought it would be an interesting past-time to ask elders what they think is the answer to that question. In a culture which does not value its elders, the learning we receive would be rich, indeed.

"Why am I still here?" is a question we all ask, at some time. We are inclined to think that the answer is to have the job we have, or to be a good teacher, or to do work that really matters. And all of those are important things. But the answer may lie beneath all of those "doings."

Maybe you are still here to love, or to be yourself!

Fancy that!
Warmly,
meb

This little speck of life that is me...

Dear Friends,

Maybe some of you have seen the newest pictures from space - showing planets that are hundreds and hundreds of light years away from earth. I watched those pictures with awe - a kind of fear, really.

Is it possible that I am a living, breathing, being, in such a vast expanse of what is? And do I really have any importance at all? When I see those pictures, it's hard to believe that my little life has any value, any importance.

On the other hand, this may be the only chance I get - in this vast expanse of space and time and light - to make a small difference, at least in my own life.

And to give thanks.

Warmly,
meb

The wind...

Dear Friends,

I think there is nothing more comforting than the wind - a small breeze that lightly blows the leaves on the trees, that silently changes the stillness of the world.

I like the silence of the wind.

Sometimes, as we know, the wind is not silent, but moves and winds over the earth, stirring things convulsively and violently, bringing with it a horrific sound, dangerous. Sometimes the wind blows through our lives that way, too, and we have to turn our backs to it and be blown along. There's no other way to survive.

It is the ever-presence of the wind that is comforting to me. I like to know that not everything is dependent on my action, on my thinking, on my speaking. I like to know that who I am and who you are is being moved - and created - by the wind.

The ancient word for "wind" and "spirit," are the same.

Warmly,
meb

Wondering...

Dear Friends,

When was the last time you wondered? I mean, wondered as you did when you were 12 or 13? When was the last time you wondered about things for which there is no immediate answer?

What is the world's soul?
How big is the universe?
Why am I here?
Is there really good and evil?
Who is God?

Take some time to wonder today. Don't be distracted by the facts. Put some "wonder" out there!

Warmly,
meb

A Cup of Tea

Dear Ones,

As the season passes into autumn and soon winter, it seems to be a good time for a cup of tea.

I'm not a tea specialist, but I do love to experiment with the latest tea choices at my local supermarket. And the autumn seems to be the perfect time to sit down next to the fireplace with a cup of tea.

A cup of tea, a warm room, a few moments of silence, some jumbled prayers, some longings, a few lingering worries, thoughts of those who I miss, and the morning is complete.

Life doesn't require much when it is filled with a few rich things, such as these.

Warmly,
meb

Take Today and Simplify it

Dear Friends,

Take today and make it as simple as possible. "But I have all of this to do..." you are thinking. Well, take all you have to do and make it as simple as possible.

The way to simplify is to have one practice one outcome in mind. If today is about kindness, do everything you do with kindness. If today is about breathing, do everything you do, mindful of your breathing. If today is about listening, do everything you do and listen carefully. If today is about awareness, do everything you do with awareness.

Most of us will never completely be free of our long "to-do" lists. But we can be free of external - and internal - demands to be someone we are not. We can choose our simplicity and carry it out.

Warmly,
meb

being "me"

Dear Friends,

Whoever you are today, remember that this day is only about being you. You can't be anyone else but you! You can think you have to do certain things and you may have a long list of things you have to do, but you can only be you when you do them.
Don't think your way into anything. Simply be who you are and do what you would do.

Sounds like a paradox? Only to the mind, that wants to play tricks on us. Your mind may tell you that you are the only one able to do certain things, or you are the best, or you have done something irrevocably wrong. All of those things are the things your mind does.

And all the while, you are simply being you. That is good enough. In fact, that is better than good. Being you is perfect.

Put that in your mind and chew on it!
Warmly,
meb

Being Change

Dear Friends,

The election of Barack Obama as the President of the United States of America has many of us thinking about change. In a sense, Barack Obama is a symbol of change, but change will not come unless we become the change ourselves.

Most of us know that if we want our future to change, then we have to change. We have to begin to do things differently. We have to make different choices. We have to give up our grumbling and be proactive and positive, even when we don't feel like it. I am talking about more than attitude, I am talking about action. If we want things to change, then we have to change the way we do things.

What things have you wanted to change in your life? This is your one vulnerable and important life on earth! Live it now! Be the change you want to see! If you want this to be a peaceful world, then be peace. If you want this to be an abundant world, then live abundantly! If you want this to be a generous place, then be generous.

If you are trapped by addictions or if you are stuck to a certain image of yourself, and you want to change, then the work is yours. And you have all you need to do the work you need to do.

Warmly,
meb

The small place in your heart...

Dear Friends,

The Upanishads - the holy writings of mystic Hinduism - speak of the "small place" in our hearts that is the center of our being, the Divine One in each of us. The small place is the place of complete wholeness and healing.

As you go about your day, remember that small place in your heart. Many things will want to draw your attention away from that place of powerful, wise, healing. Each time you are drawn away, come back to that place again.

Even when you forget, the small place has not forgotten. You are one with all creation, one with all beings, one with all the universe. You are not separate - you are connected.

The world offers us so much noise, so much activity, so much large-ness. Truly, though, we are that small place, that holy place.

Warmly,
meb

All that noise...

Dear Friends,

Today is Election Day in the United States. Thank God it's here! We've been listening to a blow-by-blow description of the candidates - what they say, how they say it, when they make a mistake, what they wear, what their partners wear, where they go, who they speak to - for two years now.

All that noise is about to end. And what noise will replace it?

And all the while, we have all been breathing, thinking, talking, living, and hopefully, embracing this one life we have been given.

When the fanfare is over, we are still each left with ourselves, with this one life. How are you today? How are you, really? And who are you, under all that noise?

Warmly,
meb

Watch the Light

Dear Friends,

Some days the light in the world is so beautiful, it takes your breath away. I know we can feel the breeze or smell the fresh air in the morning, but it takes a kind of looking to see the light in the world.

One of my dearest friends loves the way the light settles in the dusk. He often mentions it at that time of day.

Today, watch the light in the world. Take a look outside your window right now. What is the light saying? What kind of day is it? How does this time of day and the light of day speak to you personally?

As we step into the light, look to see the light.
Warmly,
meb

Thanks month -

Dear Friends,

This is the month of Thanksgiving, as we all know. Why not make it a month of thanks? Change your life! Change your attitude!
Watch your world shift!

Make your practice this month to say to someone every day: "thank you." Say "thank you" to the ones who usually go unnoticed. Say, "thank you" to your child, just for being in your life. Say "thank you" to a friend for being a friend.

Sometimes we go through life expecting "thank you" to be given to us. Instead, give "thank you" away. See what happens!

Warmly,
meb

Light a candle...

Dear Ones,

Light a candle today for those who are gone. Remember them - the love you had, the misunderstandings you had, the regrets you may have, the joys you remember. Remember the relationship in all its fullness.

As you light the candle, speak to those who are gone. Tell them what you still need to tell them. Tell them you miss them, and what it is you miss about their being here.

At this time of year, join with people of all places - and all times - who took this season of the year as a fading away of the old to be a time to connect with those who are gone.

Warmly,
meb

Remembering the Ancestors

Dear Friends,

Today is Halloween. This is the time of year when the "veil between the worlds" has traditionally been lifted. Tomorrow is All Saints' Day, the Christian time of remembering those who have passed on. "Diaz de la Muertos," Day of the Dead, has been celebrated for centuries in Mexico as a way to remember and honor the ancestors.

As the season passes from evenings of light to evening of shadow and darkness, take some time to remember your ancestors. You may remember them with love or their memory may bring anger. However they return in your memory, give thanks for them. If you have not forgiven them, pray that you will be able to forgive. Like us, they were simply living their lives as well as they could.

Use this time to remember those without whose lives you would not be here today. Give thanks. Give love.

Warmly,
meb

Feast -

Dear Ones,

The little birds have come back to feed in the birch tree outside my front window. They always come here in the autumn.
This morning, one little sparrow is hopping from branch to branch, alone in the middle of the feast. Everywhere she looks, there is food! A wealth of everything she needs! How that little heart is beating! The joy that is flowing outward, to me, to you, toward the universe of all!

And so it is for us. Here we are, in the middle of the feast!

Warmly,
meb

Trust

Dear Friends,

When you are having difficulty trusting - and who doesn't? - then remember your breath. Check in with your breath. Your breath has no difficulty trusting at all! Your breath simply is - your breath is given, it happens, without a thought.

That's it! Without a thought! Your breath isn't waiting for a thought to tell it what to do or what to trust or not to trust. Your breath simply breathes!

When you have difficulty trusting, remember your breath. Get to know it. Don't try to change it. Let your breath be, and learn from it.

There you go, breathing again, trusting again!
Warmly,
meb

You already are...

Dear Friends,

You already are the silence, the peace, the power, the love that you want to be. If you are looking, stop looking. You are the silence, the peace, the power, the love.

Simply be. Stop looking. Stop searching. Stop trying. Just be who you are.

All of your striving has ended.

You already are...

Warmly,
meb

Finding Beauty

Dear Friends,

When you look around, you will see that people have an instinctual need to have beauty around them. Something colorful, something pleasing to the eye - and soul - seems to be a part of our being.

Today, look around you and see the beauty. The enlightened ones say that once a human being is enlightened, the world around them glows in beauty. Practice this enlightenment, this look of beauty.

See the beauty in the day. See the beauty in the light. See the beauty in the city. See the beauty in the trees. See the beauty in the faces of others.

Make this be a day of finding beauty.

Warmly,
meb

Happiness

Dear Ones,

Dr. Robert Holden, author of "Happiness Now" says that we ARE happiness. Happiness, in other words, is not something to be achieved. Happiness is. You are happiness; happiness is your essential being.

Most of us are conditioned to look for happiness in what we want. We set goals - knowing that once we get them, we'll be happy. We work hard, harder and harder, to get what we want. We wait for someone in our lives to arrive who will make us happy.

What if, however, Dr. Holden is right? Then you already have the happiness you need and want. You have to find it within yourself, you have to identify with the happiness that is you. If you are waiting for someone or something to arrive to make you happy, then you are not identifying with the happiness you already have.

Be happiness - Now!

Warmly,
meb

Pray for the forgotten ones

Dear Friends,

As your spiritual practice today, pray for the forgotten ones. Pray for the little ones who are living in violent homes. Pray for the homeless. Pray for the veterans of wars who live on the streets. Pray for the hungry. Pray for the desperate. Pray for the mentally ill. Pray for those who have no hope today. Pray for those whose lives are wracked by pain. Pray for those who live in places of war. Pray for those whose lives are being swallowed up by addiction.

When one of us suffers, we all suffer. When you pray for the forgotten ones, you are praying for yourself.

It's up to you - it's up to me - to make this a saner, healthy planet. Pray for the forgotten ones.

Warmly,
meb

Be joyful always...

Dear Ones,

I have begun to practice joy, and it is changing my view of life. How do I do this?

I am learning to give thanks for everything, whether I like it or not! The truth is, in this moment, I have much to be thankful for. I have the gift of life. I have the beauty that surrounds me always. I have the fresh colors of the day. I have the little bird who comes close to me when I step outside. I have the feel of the wind, the movement of the leaves in the trees.

I "have" these things, but I don't possess them. Nothing I possess will ever equal the richness of having these things in the moment. Because I am learning to give thanks, to practice joy, I am learning to even say a whispered: "thank you," when things don't seem to be what I'd like them to be.

After all, how do I know?

Warmly,
meb

Surrender all that is, today...

Dear Ones,

Most of us are looking for something or someone to make us happy. "If only..." we think, "I'd be happy." When we spend our lives living through the lens of "if only," then "if only" never comes. "If only" is just another habit that will replace one "if only" with another.

Instead, wake up today with a sense of surrender, of letting go into the marvelous freedom and magic of today. Say, "yes!" to life, just as it is. Be happy, just for this moment. Surrender, and feel the freedom of your surrender into what is.

Give yourself a break: surrender, just for this moment.

Warmly,
meb

Staying focused...

Dear Friends,

With all the important things we have to do, with our list of items to get done today, we may sometimes ask: What difference does it all make?

Some of the things you do today will be important. Some of the things you do will not be important. Take a look at your to-do list. Can you really discern what is important and what is not?

Stay focused on your own growth, your own journey as you travel through this day. With each action, make sure you are focused on your own spirit. Does this feed your spirit? Is there joy in what you do? Can you truly be grateful that you have this life, inhabited by these people, by these circumstances?

Stay focused on your gratitude, on your joy. Then every thing you do will be infused with a sense of purpose. Your presence in the world you inhabit will make a difference, then. It will be a small, quiet difference, but it will make a difference.

Warmly,
meb

Standing Firm

Dear Ones,

Stand firm in yourself. In our culture, we think of standing firm as standing firm in what we think. But our thinking is only part of who we are. We need to stand firm in our whole selves: body, mind, spirit.

How do you do this? How do you stand firm? Core training helps! And getting to know yourself more deeply -getting to know your body-wisdom, your sensations, your feelings - helps, too.

Learn to take a moment to sense your whole presence in any situation. Doing this gets easier with practice. As a beginning, be aware of the soles of your feet as you walk. That's right, "think" about your feet, until you can feel them. Practice feeling the soles of your feet. Notice how you walk. Sense yourself as a whole body.

It's easy to get thrown off in an argument if the only part of yourself you bring is your head, your thinking. It's not as easy if you bring your whole self. Then you know you have more than simply your thoughts to "back you up."

Practice!
Warmly,
meb

"Thank you!"

Dear Ones,

We all know these are difficult times. Each one of us has to come to terms with how we are going to move forward, given the dire warnings in the media. Every day we are focused on how the stock market ends the day!

Consider another way: Begin to say: "thank you!" for whatever is going on in your life. Yes, say: "thank you!" Have you been having stress and anxiety? Say: "thank you!"

Be grateful for being alive. See what happens. Let me know...

Warmly,
meb

Driven by messages

Dear Friends,

We are driven by messages.

In the media, we are driven by messages that repeat themselves over and over again. Some are true, and some are not true. How do we determine what is true and what is not true?

We are each driven by messages, some true and some not true. How do we determine what is true and what is not true? Unless we look at the messages that drive us from day to day, from moment to moment, we will never know what is true and what is not true.

How do you do this? Sit for a few minutes. Be still for a few moments. Notice what your mind does. As soon as you sit quietly, your mind will be filled with messages. Maybe you can't even sit still for a few moments. Why is that? Notice.

Unless you have taken a good look at the messages that drive you, you cannot grow into the person you are meant to be. If you are driven to succeed, if you are driven to be better than everyone else, if you are driven to be the one with the answers, if you are driven to be the smartest, or the fastest, or the most clever, or the funniest, then you cannot grow into the person you are meant to be.

Take a few moments today to notice the messages that drive you. This is part of your spiritual practice. Until you begin to separate from the messages that drive you, you will continue to be driven by unconscious messages. Then you are held hostage to these messages.

Want to be free?
Warmly,
meb

Give yourself a break today -

Dear Friends,

Whatever you do today, make sure you give yourself a break today. By that I mean, go easy on yourself. Take a few moments of quiet to see what messages you are giving yourself: "go faster!" "finish this up, now!" "you'll never get it all done! etc, etc, etc. Part of growing spiritually is to take a look at the inner messages that drive you to go faster, to achieve more, to do more. You look at those messages by inviting them from your unconscious into your conscious mind.

Whatever those messages are: give yourself a break from them. Say: "well, that's interesting, but I'm still going to sit here with my cup of tea and enjoy the full moon." Don't go hard on the harsh voices, either. Listen with respect, and let them know you've heard, but you're simply going to choose differently.

As you open in love to yourself by giving yourself a break, you'll find that it's easier to allow others to have a break, too.
Warmly,
meb

Making friends with a flower -

Dear Friends,

"Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven't time, and to see takes time - like to have a friend takes time." - Georgia O'Keeffe

Today, take time to really see a flower. Take the time to look at a flower. Sit close to it. Breathe into the deepest part of yourself. Wait. Don't be in a hurry... be in a slow way... Notice the flower. Enjoy it. Talk to it, if you like. Listen to what it has to say.
Thank the flower - for its beauty, for giving itself to you today, for its fragrance. Thank it for simply being.

Make time for a flower today.

Warmly,
meb

Doing the most important thing...

Dear Friends,

Today a friend told me about how she realized - as if for the first time - how important her spiritual practice is to her life. She gets up early every day to pray and meditate for at least an hour before she begins the rest of her activities. On the days she gets up later, she has been allowing her time of prayer and meditation to slip away, as if she doesn't have the time.

What she has realized is that life goes much better when she makes the time for prayer and meditation, daily. We know we can't go without eating or sleeping or taking a shower. We know that if we want to nourish a relationship with our partner, we have to take time to connect to them.

Make time for the most important thing. Nourish your spirit with daily practice.

Warmly,
meb

How not to get ahead...

Dear Friends,

I'm sure that many of the articles and advice we're all reading right now are based in fear; if the financial system is collapsing - at least in the form we have come to know the financial system - then we must all be on the brink of disaster.
Culturally, we are driven to "get ahead" of things. And the changes in the financial stability we've come to take for granted put us into fifth gear as far as getting ahead.

Our minds want to get ahead. Actually, our minds either want to get ahead or they want to go back to the past! None of us really knows the outcome of today's - or any day's - news. We may think we know, but how can we know when events haven't yet played themselves out? How can we know when each one of us may on the brink of some new creative way to live our lives? How can we know?

Stay in this moment. Breathe. Look at the world through the eyes of this moment.

Getting ahead isn't everything!
Warmly,
meb

Take a moment today...

Dear Friends,

Maybe you're busy today. Today is Saturday, and like most of us, you probably have a list of things to do. And everything is important. Like most of us, you'll probably also get through your list today. What we need to do usually gets done.

One thing you can do that will enhance the rest of your life, however, is to take a moment today to remember that you are alive. Take a moment to get inside yourself, inside your body. Feel the buzz of life there. Feel your alive-ness. Feel the energy that reminds you that you are so much more than your list of important things to do.

Whenever I take a moment to do this, I find myself filled with gratitude. No other response seems necessary or important. There is such gratefulness in simply being alive.

Warmly,
meb

Fear and Love...

Dear Ones,

These are days of great fear and anxiety. The papers are full of articles about panic and uncertainty. We are all affected, like it or not.

Each one of us, however, can choose whether we are motivated by the fear and anxiety around us, or whether we are motivated by the greater power of Love within us.

Today, look for the Love inside of yourself. Feel the fear, and then find the love. There is only room for one or the other.
As the scriptures say: "Perfect love casts out fear." While the times are very different, the human experience of fear remains. The truth is, we have a choice. The choice is not somewhere out there, in the right job, or the perfect solution to our problems. The choice is right here, inside of ourselves, in this moment.

Fear, or Love?
Warmly,
meb

Thanks for everything...

Dear Friends,

Even when you're having a difficult time forgiving yourself, try this: "Thanks for everything, God!"

When we're having a hard time, when life is piling up, when we are filled with fear and we seem to be immobilized, when you seem unable to make a decision and don't know how to go forward, say: "Thanks for everything, God!"

It may be that at the time nothing seems to be something to be grateful about. Then you may have to say: "ok, so I don't feel it, but a part of me knows it's true: thanks for everything, God!"

When you look at things from your deepest point, deeper than the fear and the uncertainty and the list of things that seems too long, and when relationships seem to be shattered, your deepest self knows that your life is really about giving thanks.

And who really knows the outcome of what is happening to us now? Who among us has the sight to know how things will turn out? Who among us can really tell all the possibilities of making one decision or another?

"Thanks for everything, God!"
Warmly,
meb

Lightening up...

Dear Friends,

If you are carrying too much with you these days, lighten your load. For you, that might mean going through your things to get rid of items you haven't used for years. That's a good way to begin. Lighten your load by lightening up on what you own. What you own, you have to take care of, after all. Taking care of it means time and energy.

We really lighten our load, however, when we surrender those things that don't serve us well. Our resentment and anger toward someone else probably doesn't hurt them at all, but it hurts us if we hold it inside of us. Our fears don't serve us; most of our fear is something we gathered around us to protect us a long time ago. Anxiety can be surrendered: anxiety is simply a rush of energy. Transform the energy by surrendering to it, and then letting it go.

Many of us won't admit to ourselves that we carry these things. We have talked ourselves out of the truth!

Practice lightening up. What can you surrender to the Universe today?
Warmly,
meb

Giving a blessing

Dear Friends,

It will enhance your life to give a blessing to everyone you meet today. Yes, the gift will be yours!

Try it! When you get into your car, bless the person on the sidewalk who is hurrying to work. When you get into traffic, bless the other drivers. When someone rages at you, bless them!

The magic is that the blessing will be yours. Instead of ruining your day, those who cross your path will be your greatest blessing.

Have a blessed day!
Warmly,
meb

Beneath the Clamor...

Dear Friends,

Beneath the clamor of your thinking mind there is another, spacious, peaceful place.
Maybe it seems as if you can only be aware of the mind, but with practice you can remember that spacious place.

Try it now. Allow your thoughts to flow. Don't try to "turn off" your mind. Just let it be without resistance. Stay focused on that deeper, quieter place.

See what difference it makes when you center your life in the place beneath the clamor.

Warmly,
meb

Taking the Time...

Dear Ones,

I'm sure your life is filled with many things. Like most of us, you have a schedule to keep. You have important places to go, important appointments to keep, important people to see. Many of you also have others' appointments and calendars to keep. Maybe you are the calendar-keeper for the whole family.

Take the time, however many important things you have to do, for the quietest and least demanding of all important things, however. Take time to sit with the quiet place inside yourself. Take a few moments now.

Take a few moments every day to remember that you are so much more than your schedules, than your important clients, then the next important meeting you have to go to.

A friend of mine with a demanding job has found the one place where she can take the time to be in silence. Her place is her car! Now the people she works with know that if they see her in her car, she is busy, taking the time to be with herself, in silence.

Warmly,
meb

Taking Responsibility

Dear Friends,

One quality of character that seems to be lacking these days is the quality of taking responsibility for our own actions. There is a great power in naming and then saying what is your responsibility in any situation.

First, naming your responsibility. What is your purpose in being present? What were your thoughts? What was your intent? What did you feel? What did you hope to accomplish. What did you learn?
These are questions that are helpful to you as you discern your responsibility.

Then, speak the truth. For example, "I am aware that I could have spoken more clearly and with less anger when we spoke earlier. I am sorry. Let me say again what I had hoped to say..."

We don't take responsibility when we blame someone else for our feelings or our actions. When we don't take responsibility, we limit our ability to grow and develop as an individual.

Learn to take responsibility for your part in any interaction. Truthfully, not only are you responsible for yourself, but you are the only person you can change.

A radical thought!
Warmly,
meb

Living in service

Dear Friends,

Karma Yoga is the yoga of action. So many of us can relate spiritually when we know we can take action and have the action grounded in our spirituality. For us, that is a matter of integrity.

Do everything in the service of others. Have each choice you make, each action you take be in the service of others. When you act, do so with a deep devotion to universal love. Do not be attached to the outcome of your actions. Simply take the actions from a spirit of love and devotion.

The gift is for you when you live in service of others.

Warmly,
meb

Put it down...

Dear Ones,

Whatever you are carrying with you today that doesn't belong to today, put it down.

Maybe you are carrying some old hurts. Maybe you are carrying some unresolved conversations in your mind. Maybe you are carrying the sadness from a relationship that didn't work out. Maybe you are carrying anger. Maybe there is a heaviness inside of you.

Put these things down. They are weighing you down, like a bag that is too heavy for you to hold. So often we place our energy into things that weigh us down, when we are meant to fly free.

So put these things down. If it helps, make a list. Then burn it. Or, make a list and put it in a box in the back of the closet. Let God handle it until you take the list out at some later date. By that time, things will have changed. If it helps, go for a walk and talk to God, the Universe, the Holy One about all the things that are bothering you. Tell God you are going to put these things down.

Then do it.
Warmly,
meb

Missing the Mark

Dear Friends,

Maybe, like many of us, you grew up with a list of "do's" and "don'ts" that satisfied someone else's list of what was a "sin" and what was not a "sin." If adults around you were really into "sin," particularly someone else's sin, then you probably grew up with a sense of guilt about you, about what you do, about who you are.

That kind of guilt is hard to get over. Lots of times that kind of guilt makes you want to stay away from church or "spiritual" people as much as you can.

The real meaning of "sin" is: "missing the mark." You miss the mark when you choose your ego over your silent, inner knowing. You miss the mark when you forget how beautiful you are, when you forget how important you are to the rest of creation. You miss the mark when you forget that you are completely whole and good as you are. You miss the mark when you choose to think your way out of things, instead of getting in touch with your deeper self.

We all "miss the mark." That doesn't mean we are bad. When we live with a sense of guilt or shame, we "miss the mark," as well.
"Missing the mark," sometimes choosing our smaller self instead of our larger self, is simply part of being a human being in this human body. Get used to it! Learn to forgive yourself when you "miss the mark." Forgive yourself and move on with your life, trusting that you are beautiful, whole, and that you are an important part of the creation, simply by being alive.

Warmly,
meb

Go with it!

Dear Friends,

I know it doesn't feel good to be angry, or sad, or frustrated. Our first inclination is to change something - anything - that could be causing our anger or sadness or frustration. What we try to change is inevitably someone or something outside of us. It is good to remember, with some humility, that our anger or sadness or frustration belongs to us. Nothing is wrong. Nothing needs to be changed. All that is happening is that you have a feeling - as uncomfortable as it might be.

Go with it! Go with it! Fall into the feeling. Say hello to it! If your feeling were a person, what would it look like? What would you say to someone else who had the same feeling? Let your feeling talk to you. Let it get the depth of what it is about out. Give it a hearing.

Then...

Warmly,
meb

Making a Choice

Dear Friends,

How often do we hear that we have a choice? Most of us know that it is easy for someone else to tell us that we have a choice - when we are in the throes of resentment, or anger, or thinking we have to say "yes," when we want to say no.

Every single choice we make goes deeper than these things, however. Every day, we ultimately must choose between fear and anger, silence or the loud voices inside our heads, between what others think we should do and what we feel best serves our deeper truth. We can choose to be angry with someone forever - a choice which harms us more than them - or we can choose to feel the anger, speak our truth, and then move ahead, free from the anger and with having to have it our way.

We can choose to be controlled completely by our feelings by ignoring them and thinking we are completely rational in all of our choices, or we can choose to feel our feelings, to discover what they are communicating to us about ourselves, and then to let them go.

Every moment holds a choice. We can live in the past or the future, or we can choose to live in the present. Fear or love. Dark or light. Compulsion or freedom.

What will it be for you today?
Warmly,
meb

Fear and no fear

Dear Friends,
We live in a time of fear. While that can be said for most times, it seems as if these days, fear is used to motivate us more often than any other motivational tool.

For example, you will look old if you don't buy the right kind of creme for your face. You won't be safe unless you buy a certain kind of car. Unless Congress does exactly this - no room for creativity - we will fall into an abyss as a country.
Make sure you wear the right clothes, or you will look out of date.

Each of these examples requires us to be motivated by fear. When we are motivated by fear, we are buying into the thoughts we have about what is good and what is bad. These are only thoughts. Thoughts have power, of course - the power to make us feel good or bad, happy or sad. And - thoughts can be changed.

When you are surrounded by fear, acknowledge the fear, but don't succomb to it. Listen to it, take it in, and give it a good look. Examine your thoughts. If you are thinking something like: "Oh - no! - this is really bad!" Change your thoughts. Keep your options open. Tell yourself that you can wait until more information surfaces, or you can gather more information. Don't make decisions when you are feeling afraid.

There is a larger part of yourself that is not afraid, regardless of what is happening. Do you know that part of yourself?

Warmly,
meb

Holding that Thought...

Dear Friends,

What do you want to do with your one "wild and precious life"? (Mary Oliver). Well, I want to do... this and that... etc. We each have our own lists, of course.

What if you held your thoughts about this differently? What if you thought: "I am on a trip to Italy, enjoying the beautiful sea and the warm people of Italy..."
"I am a professor of English at __________ University, with a specialty in Middle English. I enchant my classes with my love and knowledge."
"I am ---"

Then, see yourself and feel yourself into the thoughts you hold. For a few moments, don't feel the longing you feel as you think about those things. Instead, feel them happening now.

Make this part of your prayer. Ask: What am I called to do with my one wild and precious life?" When your answer is clear, hold that thought as if it is happening now.

Let's see what happens!
Warmly,
meb

Changing Seasons...

Dear Ones,

Today is the first full day of autumn, after our passage yesterday morning, the turning of the equinox.

Especially at the start of fall, we are aware of how things speed up. School begins, fall schedules begin, meetings seem to multipy, classes start up again, we make appointments we may have put off over the summer, and we work hard to get as much done as we can before the crunch of the holiday season.

In winter, we are often aware of how things "cocoon" - we try to get home earlier, with the darker evenings, we turn on more lights, we drink a few extra cups of tea.

Our lives have these seasons, as well. "For everything there is a season...," the Wisdom writer has reminded us. This may be a season of your life when you are changing, a season when you are feeling hopeless and uncertain; this may be a season when you are focusing on earning your way in the world, or building your community, or searching for a life partner; this may be a season when you are letting go of old ways of being, and are searching for a new identity; this may be a season when you are discovering that you are, like everyone else, growing up - or growing older!

Whatever season of life this may be for you, remember, all the seasons change, one season is constantly moving into another season. Who you are now is changing with the passage of the seasons.

Warmly,
meb

What do you want, body?

Dear Friends,
I am learning to ask my body for advice, for the best advice it can give about itself. I am discovering that my body does, in fact, answer my questions.

For example, I am simply learning that my body likes to move. Of course, through the years I've moved to lose weight, moved to fit into my pants better, and moved because the doctor told me to move! Sometimes I've moved because someone said to move!

Lately, though, as part of my spiritual practice, I have been moving simply because it feels good to move. I get up from my desk more frequently, go up and down the stairs more frequently, walk when I could drive.

And I am also learning that my body likes to be listened to. When I listen and don't try to make my body change, it likes that!

What does your body want today?
Warmly,
meb

Return to the Quiet Place

Dear Friends,

Maybe you have a quiet spot, a place you like to go. What place comes to mind? A chair in a corner is fine. A place next to a window is great, too. Maybe your quiet place is outside, where you can see the colors of the seasons change, and where you can sniff the subtle changes in the air.

Wherever you go, take your quiet place with you. Find the quiet place inside of you, now. The quiet place is always there, always in deep and blissful silence. You know the place. Find it now. Even when your mind is buzzing, even when your calendar is filled with important happenings and the schedules of others as well as yourself, you have within you a place of deep and blissful silence.

As often as you remember, return to that quiet place, now.

Warmly,
meb

Take a few moments today

Dear Ones,

Today, take a few moments to make friends with a tree! I mean it. Simply sit and watch a tree. See how it breathes. Sense its being. If you sit long enough, you may find you have something to say to that tree. What would it be? "Thank you..."

As you sit with your friend, the tree, discover your own connection to the tree. Feel the connection within yourself.

This is a good friend, indeed!

Warmly,
meb

Who you are...

Dear Friends,
Who you are is very different than who you think you are, or who you want the world to think you are, or your life goals, or your frantic searching for your life purpose.

Who you are is vast, boundary-less, and connected to everything that exists.

Most of the time, we identify ourselves with a narrow version of ourselves. We know we are smart, so we want others to know we are smart. When something important needs to be done, we consider ourselves the best person for the job. We want to be seen as a nice person, so we make sure we look all put together, present a smile (even when we don't feel like it), and always use our best manners - according to our own standards, of course. We like to be known as industrious, so when something needs to be done, our hand is the first hand in there, making sure the job gets done.

None of these things is really who you are, however.

Spend a few moments today remembering and sinking into who you really are.

Warmly,
meb

Beneath the Buzz

Dear Friends,

As I was growing up, I was aware of a "buzz" that was part of the environment around me. When I went out on my own as a young person, I took the "buzz" with me. Of course, I didn't know that. The "buzz" likes to hang around!

Now, I can choose to live in the buzz, or beneath the buzz. I can choose to listen to every demand that comes, from myself or from someone else, or I can kindly refuse the demand.

Who I am is really beneath the buzz. Who I am has always been beneath the buzz. When I was only living in the buzz, I felt as if I was alone, because I was looking outside of myself for what was in there all the time.

Who are you, beneath the buzz?

Warmly,
meb

Remember Who You Are...

Dear Friends,

If you're having a tough time today, take a few moments to remember who you are.
Remember the YOU that has always been with you, the silent, witnessing, wise YOU that has been guiding your whole life.
YOU know who YOU are, and this is the part of you that has been forgotten in making your plans, listening to your mind, and thinking yourself into the future.

Simply take a moment now. Breathe. Settle into YOU for a moment. Look out at your surroundings, your part of the world.
What do you see? Notice your mind. What is your mind doing?

Remember who you are.

This is who YOU really are.

Warmly,
meb

Looking for answers...

Dear Ones,
If you are looking for answers to your questions about your life, then look no further... No! The answers are not out here, on the Internet... the answers are within you! That is absolutely true.

"I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time." - Anna Freud

When we pray, we may be expecting lighting-bolts to flash answers to our prayers. I, for one, have often prayed for a "neon sign," as the answer. But truthfully, the answers to my prayers have often arisen from my body, or in words someone has spoken.

I've learned that we are often looking for specific answers. We want what we want! And how natural that is! But when we ask, we need to be aware of what happens, simply to be aware.

Then, when we are looking for answers, we will know that they do, indeed, come.
Warmly,
meb

People I Have Known

Dear Ones,
We all have known people on the journey of our lives who have touched us deeply, or importantly, for better or for worse. Sometimes it is good to remember those people again.

Who are the ones who have listened to me, and have let me know my inner thoughts even when I did not know them myself? Who are the ones who have seen a wider path for me than I have been able to see myself? Who challenged me to be bigger than I thought I could be? Who helped me when I didn't even know I needed help? Who was with me when I needed them, and when they needed me? Who are the ones whose time with me seemed too short? Who are the ones I would see again today, if I was able?

See if you can make a list of the important people who have touched your life. And if you can, give thanks for each one of them. And if you can, maybe you can write a note of thanks to one or another of them.

Warmly,
meb

On being a bubble...

Dear Friends,

"It was worth having been a bubble to have held that rainbow 60 seconds." - Carl Sandburg, American Poet

A bubble is beautiful and vulnerable.

Today, remember you are the bubble. You are beautiful. And you are vulnerable.

And as you go through this day, see all the other bubbles who are living their lives along with you.

They, too, are beautiful. And they are vulnerable.

Warmly,
meb

Surrender and Gratitude

Hello, dear friends,
As I have been reflecting on the spiritual journey these last few months, I am beginning to understand that the central "practice" of any spiritual journey is surrender and gratitude.

Maybe other phrases would sound better than: "surrender." I know that for me, when I first heard about "surrender," I was not drawn to that practice. Why would I want to surrender what I thought was best? As I grow older, however, I have learned that "surrender" is simply another way of "going with the flow," "letting go," or "trusting what is." If one of those phrases works for you, then use that phrase.

How do we surrender? We breathe into the moment, whatever the moment brings. For a moment - even simply a moment - we accept ourselves and whatever is exactly as it is.
If we don't like it, we give a "nod" to that awareness, and we accept our dislike. Then we breathe into the moment. Practice this now. Whatever is in your heart or mind, breathe into this awareness. Breathe.

I suppose "surrender" is simply another word for "trust." And if you care to think about it, "surrender" is strongly connected to "forgiveness." When we accept, when we surrender to what is, we are in a state of "forgiveness." Most of us know we can't do this perfectly, but even a moment is enough.

Gratitude. Maybe this is the next step, after surrender. Maybe it's simply another way to say surrender. Say: "thank you,"to the Universe, to the Great I Am, to God.
Say, "thank you... well, I'm not completely grateful..." and see what happens!

And at the beginning or end of each day, write a list of at least 5 things for which you grateful.
Warmly,
meb

You are so much more...

For a long time, I identified myself with the scared little girl from my childhood. Whenever conflict arose in my life, I was afraid. I was afraid to try new things. I was afraid of being depressed, of being lonely, of being alone. I thought I was the scared little girl.

The truth is, I am much, much more than the scared little girl. She is part of me, it's true. She'll always be there, looking to me to mother her. I can see her as I write this message. She has big eyes, brimming with tears, and she is very, very needy.

So I embrace her. I tell her it's ok, because we have what we need to make things ok. What we need comes from my whole self, so big and so connected to the Universe, to God, to others, that I can't see my edges. I am big, I am much, much bigger, much, much more wise, much, much greater than the parts of myself I've identified with.

We all are. You are. Whenever you reach out to your Higher Self, to your Higher Power, you are remembering that you are so much more than you think you are!

Warmly,
meb

Enjoy!

My mother has been gone for several years, but of course, I think of her often. I think of the ways my Mom gifted me through the years: by who she was, by who she was not, through her bright spirit, and with gifts of things she bought especially for me, with me in mind. Many of her gifts were books, and of course, I have most of those books, even now. When Mom gave me a book, I knew that she would have signed the gift to me, right inside the front cover: "Enjoy! Love, Mom."

Enjoy! What a thing to say! What a way to live your life! The longer I live, the more I am beginning to understand that "to enjoy" is really what life is all about. Many of us have been taught to cast a critical eye onto our lives. Instead, begin to enjoy your life...

Take a moment to breathe in the air when you leave your office; take a look at the clouds in the sky; listen for a few moments to the birds that begin their song before you get out of bed in the morning; enjoy your early-morning tasks, as you get ready for the day; enjoy the sounds of children playing; enjoy the faces of people you pass on the street; enjoy the colors of your street or road; enjoy some music you especially love; enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

Make "enjoy" your spiritual practice. This is the life you've been given, through the mystery of the Universe and all that is in it. Enjoy! For as much as I can tell, to "enjoy" is the only recession-proof thing there is!
Warmly,
meb

On not being perfect

Today is Valentine's Day, and my Valentine's wish for each one of my readers is that you have someone in your life who loves you, just for being who you are.

"You do not have to be good." (Mary Oliver, "Wild Geese") Most of us have put a lot of our life into being good, and even more, into being perfect. When we are confronted with the fact that we are not perfect, we probably have a difficult time forgiving ourselves. Living with this level of perfectionism can be draining, and can keep us from living as joyfully and freely as we are meant to live.

Learn to forgive yourself when you do not live up to your own standards perfectly. When you learn to forgive yourself, you will find that you can also forgive others for their human foibles.

Many years ago, I learned an expression that helped me through a difficult time of change and growth. "Big Surprise!" When I was learning to live in new ways, to change my behavior and my response to difficult situations I discovered, much to my chagrin, that I frequently did not live up to my own standards of change. I wanted to be a new person, now, and perfectly! When I learned to greet my personal "relapses" with the words, "Big Surprise!," I learned to trust my changes more easily, even when I did not make the changes perfectly.

Forgiving yourself for being human takes practice! Most of us did not learn that as a child, and so we need to teach ourselves.

And even if you don't believe it - take my word for it: you don't have to be perfect. You only have to be perfectly who you are!
Warmly,
meb

Holy Waiting -

I don't like to wait - for anything. For me, that's probably because I think about things quickly and I think I know what the next step is to take. That may or may not be right, but it's what I think!

There is a quality to waiting that is Holy Waiting. Most of us are not inclined to do this very well. In fact, we are not encouraged to wait - for anything. When a candidate for the presidency is asked a question, they are expected to have an answer, right now. When a parent asks a child a question, the child better have the answer, right now. When we stop at a market on the way home from work and we're in a hurry to get dinner on the table, you want to make it through the line at the store, right now.

It's a bit of wisdom to know that it is all right to take time to think about things. It's really ok! Even in your work, if someone comes to you with a problem, learn to say: "let me think about that, and I'll get back to you." Then you can mull things over and possibly, some new thoughts will come to you that wouldn't have been there at the beginning.

Holy Waiting is another thing. Holy Waiting is what you do when you don't know what you want to do next in your life. Holy Waiting is what you do when you don't have the answer, for once. Holy Waiting is what you do when you trust that things are going to work out, whether you can see that or not!
"Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay...
Yet it is the law of all progress
that is made by passing through
some stages of instability -
and that may take a very long time." --- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J.

If this is a time in your life when the future seems uncertain, and for once you are stopped dead in your tracks without knowing what to do or which way to turn,
practice Holy Waiting.
Warmly,
Mary Elyn

How to Pray -

Right now, I am facilitating a class called, "How to Pray." It is always an adventure to listen to others speak about how they connect to the Higher Power of the Universe. To connect, through prayer or meditation, is indeed one of the challenges - and joys - of the human condition.

How do you pray? How do you pray when you cannot pray? Through my prayers, I have learned that all of my prayers lead to that moment when I say: Ok, I accept whatever is, whatever shall be, whatever may come! All of the other prayers are like the steps leading to the top of the mountain. And in saying that prayer, I stand at the top of the mountain and take a step out - without knowing Who or What will hold me up.

I know this: Someone always does sustain me when I say that prayer, and when I take that step. Call that "Someone" God or Jesus or Mary or Buddha or Spirit or Allah or Higher Power - by whatever name, that step of faith, into the unknown, is the most powerful experience you will ever have.

And it is in the steps of faith we take every day that we take a lifetime of steps in a journey that is joyous, and free.

When we hear about the journey of faith, it often sounds like a set of rules. We "should" do this; we "should not" do this. What the rules really offer, however, is discipline, or practice in taking the steps that lead to the point of "surrender," or "letting go" into whatever is. This step, like the step off the mountain, is the moment when we realize that all of our planning, all of controlling, has led us nowhere. All we can do is trust, to take that step of faith.

And when you take that step, the step of perfect trust, you are free!
Warmly,
meb

We are all one...

When we think of ourselves as separate from others, it is easy to make others into the "enemy." When we think of ourselves as One, from one source, of one being, of one substance, as part of the whole of the Universe, then everyone is a reflection of ourselves. We can learn from everyone, from each situation, without regarding something as "bad," or "evil," or "awful." Every situation is only another opportunity to learn.

For example, someone who is present in my life almost every single day is someone who I would not choose to have present in my life almost every single day! For months, I used precious time and energy trying to change this person... although most of us do it all the time, I'm sure we all know it is impossible to change someone else! But that's what I did. I thought about him, about how I would respond to him, about what I would say, about how I could make him think differently.

Then, I put a note on my desk: "What does he do that is hidden in my shadow?" In that moment, I was empowered, empowered to look at myself, who is someone I might be able to change, just a little! I changed the energy of my relationship to the one who had dominated my thoughts and actions. I changed the way I looked at the other person. I changed myself!

Warmly,
meb

Pay attention!

"Pay attention!" sounds like the voice of an elementary school teacher to an unruly class. But "pay attention" can be the way into your spiritual life. "Pay attention" can be the words you use to bring yourself into the moment, and into what is really happening in your life, what is really important.

"Pay attention" invites you to pay less attention to the harsh critic that lives inside so many of us. Let's face it - we often cannot give ourselves a break! The harsh critic makes for a difficult world - a world where we blame others and find it hard to forgive others because we cannot forgive ourselves. Instead of judging everything you do, simply "pay attention" to yourself, to your thoughts, to your actions, to your feelings. Notice how you respond today.

When we don't "pay attention," we live our lives unconsciously. The spiritual life invites us to be conscious of our own actions and reactions to life. When we live life in an un-conscious way, we harm ourselves and others. When we are conscious, we become aware that we have choices, in every moment. When we "pay attention," we slow down our reaction time and we learn to respond, rather than to react. We can choose to be kind instead of harsh, we can choose to be sad instead of angry. The choices are endless.

And the choices begin when you "pay attention!"
Warmly,
meb

Identify with your spirit

How do you identify yourself? If you're at a party, the most likely question you'll be asked by a stranger is: what do you do? That's an easy way to make contact with a new person, to have a way to start a conversation.

Most of us do identify with what we do. We're a mom, a dad, a teacher, a doctor, an office manager, a beautician, an artist. All of these are roles, and of course, these roles are important.

But our roles are not who we are. We are so much more than our roles. We are - spirit - a part of the whole, of the Universe, of the cosmos. We are so much more than our roles.

Practice this for a day: identify with your spirit. See what happens. Remember that you are so much more than your ordinary worries, your problem relationships, your ability to make decision. Identify with the larger you, the one who has been leading you all along.

As you begin to identify more with your spirit, you will find that you look for the spirit in others, as well.

Warmly,
meb

What do you want?

"Ask, and it shall be given..."

I have found these words, the words of Jesus, to be perfectly, perfectly true. And I have not found these words to be about some "pie in the sky." Instead, I find them to be grounded in the reality of living an ordinary human life - my life.

"Ask, and it shall be given," implies that we ask for what we want in our lives. That doesn't mean things will magically appear. We will have to work for what we want. And we will have to take responsibility for what we want. If we want a safer, more humane existance than we are living now, then we will have to take the steps to get there. If we want a life free from loneliness, then we will have to look for good people to be our friend; we'll have to get out of the house and find some good people. We'll have to ask ourselves: where would I find some good people, people who will care about me? And we'll go to that place, wherever it may be.

"Ask, and it shall be given" also implies that we are not the victims of our fate.
It implies that we have the power to ask ourselves and God: "What do I want?" For most of us, that means we will have to carefully think about what we want. Do you want work that is more meaningful than what you do now? Do you want more money for what you do? Do you want your children to grow up in a caring environment, free from drama? These are all important.

We're still fairly new into this New Year, 2008. If you haven't taken the time to think about what you want, then do it now. Even looking at your calendar and marking off an hour to yourself to sit and think is a start. Then, look inside yourself and ask: "What do I want? What do I really want?"

Warmly,
meb

Listening to your body -

When I am stressed, or moving too fast, I don't breathe. I don't know if that's true for you, but it is true for me. I know, I know - if you aren't breathing, you aren't alive! But when we hold our body tightly wound by staying in a place of stress in our lives, our breath is contracted, barely there at all.

Think about your breath for a moment... there, feel your breath rise in your chest, as if in answer to being noticed. Think of it as your breath saying, "hello, I'm here..." In both ancient Greek and ancient Hebrew, the word for "breath" and the word for "Spirit" are the same word. Your Source, your heart, your soul, your True Self is intimately connected to your breath.

When I've been sitting still too long and I get up to take a walk, I can feel the shift in my body as the movement allows me to breathe more fully. If you've ever had a deep massage, you know the effect, too.

Give yourself the gift of your breath. Think about your breath - breathe! - as you go through your day. If you have a difficult task to accomplish, don't begin before you take a breath - take that moment to breathe - and then, do what you were going to do or say what you were going to say.

Or place your hand over your heart and breath. Give yourself the gift of breath. It costs nothing - and it means everything!

Warmly,
meb

Learning

A creative, and life-giving way to live your life is to always be learning. When you start a project, begin with telling yourself that you can't make a mistake - you'll simply learn. Learn as you go. Learn from your relationships. Learn from your work. Learn how you think about things. Learn what your strengths are. Learn what your weaknesses are. Learn to love. Learn to cry. Learn to care for yourself. Learn what makes you happy. Learn what doesn't work for you. Learn to care for others.

Learn a new craft. Learn a new language. Learn to laugh at the things that have made you cry in the past. Learn to laugh at yourself. Learn to laugh when things are difficult with your loved one.

Be creative about your learning. Be as open-ended and open-minded about learning as you can!

Put a spark into your life! Be in a spirit of learning.

Warmly,
meb

What do you want?

What do you want? What do you want for your life? What do you want for today?

One way to begin your day is to ask yourself what you want for today. "What do I want today?" Today, on a rainy, cold winter day in northern california (yes, it does get cold for us northern californians!) I wanted to be sure I had some moments of coziness. So when I got into my car I pushed the button for the seat warmer, and I put the heater up to its highest range. So today I was even cozy in my car! As I write to you now, I'm sitting by the fire, I've covered my feet with warm socks, and my plan is to stay inside for the evening.

Sometimes what we want is very small. We have to discover what small things make us happy. And when we wake in the morning, we can answer the question, "what do I want today?" with some small thing.

Sometimes what we want is large. Sometimes what we want won't be possible today. Asking for what you want is a way of praying - of asking the Universe, of asking God, of asking your Higher Self for what you want. Asking for what you want is a way of setting an intention. Maybe your answer to the question, "What do I want today?" will be the same day after day, for a long, long time.

Warmly,
meb

Ambiguity

Today is an interesting day. For a few moments, rain is pouring down, straight down, like the water in a shower. At the same time, the sun seems to be shining, somewhere. Now, for a few moments, it looks like a perfectly sunny day.

Life would certainly be easier if it were one thing or the other. Happy or sad. Good or bad. Interesting or dull. But life is so often a mix of things. While we may be comfortable in one part of our life, we may be unhappy in another part of our life. Why can't we be just plain happy?

Lately I heard a quote: "Being an adult means being able to live with ambiguity."

As people who want answers, who want clarity, who want structure, it is often difficult to live in the mix of reality, where often life and people and situations are simply not clear. For me, prayer seems to be the only route I have to live within the ambiguity of my own life. One practice for your life at this time may be to simply live into whatever life offers you - clear or not. Drop into the reality of the ambiguity...

Warmly,
meb

Looking ---

What are you looking for? Are you looking for more free time? Are you looking for a new job? Are you looking for happiness? Are you looking for meaning?

Maybe you know someone who is always looking for something, someone, something different, something that will fulfill them and complete them and make them happy forever. They move to another city, another town, another job, another place - and the same old problems resurface.

If you are looking, you don't have to go far. What you are looking for is here, now. All you have to do is to stop, to pay attention, and to say, "yes!" to your true self, to your wise self, to the one who is connected with all of creation. Who you are looking for is within you now, waiting and hoping that one day you will stop looking - out there! - and know.

Warmly,
meb

How to pray when you can't pray.

Sometimes we seem to know all sorts of things we want to pray for and about. We may be accustomed to praying for others: we pray for the well-being, for the healing of our friends and loved ones, we pray for peace in the whole world. And don't forget to pray for yourself! There is nothing as powerful or as moving as prayer to change us - the only person we can change!

Sometimes we simply do not know what is troubling us, or we don't have any idea how to pray or what to pray about or for. Then, ask God to let you know what you are praying. Ask your Higher Power to make your prayer clear to you.

Through the years, as I have practiced the spiritual discipline of prayer, I have come to understand and to know that there is nothing more powerful than the acceptance that comes through prayer. There is nothing more powerful on earth than this acceptance. And I have also come to know that sometimes I have to pay attention to what my deepest intention is, to learn what it is I am truly praying for.

Prayer itself is a great teacher. I think that if everyone on earth knew what prayer really is, no one would consider going through their lives without prayer.

Even when you can't pray, you can pray.
Warmly,
meb

Look for beauty

A spiritual practice that can be practiced at any moment is to look for beauty. We live in a fast-paced culture, filled with distractions that are meant to make life easier for us. At the same time, our fast-paced culture robs us of the ability to see beauty all around us. When you make "look for beauty" your spiritual practice, the world can open to you. Your own life will be filled with beauty - and you will also have the opportunity to open the lives of others to beauty.

As we all know, the newspapers, the radio and the barrage of information we receive is not filled with beauty. After awhile, we come to think of the world as dangerous, as people who do not care for one another, as a world devoid of feeling and beauty. To begin to make "look for beauty" your spiritual practice is to begin to open a door into the world which also surrounds us, beyond and within the buzz of the information which takes so much of our attention.

How about this? As you walk to your car, smell the air. See the colors around you. Watch an animal walk across the street. See the plant, carefully placed on your neighbor's balcony. What catches your eye? What color do you see on a foggy day? When you say, "good morning" as you enter your office, look into the eyes of the person you are greeting. Put some feeling into your, "good morning!" Even that is a thing of beauty!

One day I was stopped at one of the dreariest corners in my neighborhood, waiting for the light to change. As I sat in my car, I happened to notice a flock of pigeons circling the huge city corner in a wide arc above the buildings. As I sat waiting for the light to change, I became changed for a few moments, watching the beauty of these ordinary - and often pesty - critters flying overhead. For a moment, I didn't even want the light to change, so I could get home! I am grateful for that moment of beauty. I will look for it again, and I will look for others.

Warmly,
meb

Trusting

Omar Khayyam, The Rubaiyat:
"Why ponder thus the future to forsee,
and jade thy brain to vain perplexity?
Cast off thy care, leave Allah's plans to him -
He formed them all without consulting thee."

Some things that happen in our lives seem so big that there seems to be nothing else to do except to trust them to God.
In daily life, however, each moment can be lived in trust - or fear.

Our minds move into the future or look into the past - often switching with lightening speed. Trust involves another part of ourselves, our hearts, our whole selves. Trust encourages us to take each moment as it is. Something we name as bad or wrong may not hold that end. We don't know at the time. We don't have the sight or the wisdom to know.

Trust is another thing. Trust is faith lived, lived in each moment, in each day, in each relationship, in each event.

Free yourself! Notice the rapid movement of your mind and simply let it be. Instead, lead with your heart. Trust.
Warmly,
meb

"Pray for your enemies..."

One of the most remembered - and perhaps most controversial - sayings of Jesus was to "love your enemies, and pray for those who hurt you." While we may hear these words from time to time and wonder about them, sometimes, often we do not put them into practice.

Maybe there is someone in your life who is causing you a lot of grief. "Someone" may be your spouse, a co-worker, your partner, a child, a neighbor. Let's call this person your "enemy" for the moment, since there are lots of ways to define "enemy." How do you usually handle the "someone" who is causing you grief? Most of us find someone who will listen to us complain; or we worry about that person, playing over conversations with them in our head, over and over again; maybe we dramatize them as evil or more having more power to hurt us than they actually have; maybe we look for people who will take our side and at the same time side against the other person. There are other ways we handle an "enemy," the usual ways. You know what they are.

There is another approach. That approach is to pray for your enemies. That's right. Pray for the one who has hurt you. Pray for them to heal yourself! Pray for their best interests. Pray for them to receive what they need. Pray for the best to come to them. Simply see them bathed in Love's Light. Pray for your enemies.

Make this your spiritual practice. See what happens. In my own life, I have experienced dramatic changes in my relationship to someone who has been a thorn in my side, when I have prayed for them.

I have to believe that the world would be a safer, more sane place if we all prayed for our enemies. Who knows what could happen?
Warmly,
meb