I bet you could identify several things going on in your life right now that you wish would end or change. Am I right? Everyone’s list would be different but yours could include things like a challenging situation between you and another person, a physical ailment, a difficult work project, boredom with a repetitive task, debt, a global issue or even loneliness.

As I was headed to bed last night, I was thinking about the events of the past week and fear swept across my heart. “What am I afraid of?” – I asked myself. The only answer that came to me was that I feared that my beloved life might change or be threatened by events and decisions happening way beyond my control.

When I read this quote by author Stephen King, I chuckled at the ironic truth of his wisdom! As we gather in spiritual community, we learn a whole lot about how to live a life of love and light, compassion and creativity. We study ancient sacred texts and modern spiritual teachings and everything in between, gathering information and nuggets of insight. However, it is not until we face some real-life challenging situations that we get to put it all into practice and start “making pearls.”

Last week I was in Provincetown for my 60th birthday, and I was mesmerized by the colorfulness of humanity all around me. With June being Pride Month, I don’t know a better place on the planet to experience rainbows than Ptown! Everywhere I looked I saw expressions of individuality and expressions of acceptance and oneness.

Let’s talk about love! We all long for love. We want to experience that incredible feeling of being seen, appreciated, cherished and chosen. We want to know that others care for us, even when we are not in their presence. It is a universal longing.

The people who spend significant time with me may notice that I wear the same pieces of jewelry pretty consistently. When asked about them, I am always willing to share the story behind each one. Most were gifts from people who have played major roles in my life, but some of them I purchased for myself to signify something important to me.

I have a quote by the Sufi mystic poet, Rumi, displayed in my home. It reads, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” – Rumi

Recently we took a drive through the southernmost states of our country. Having spent most of my life well north of the Mason-Dixon Line, this was foreign territory for me. I had only ever known about it through books and news stories, so my knowledge was largely academic and probably somewhat skewed.

Have you ever wondered why you can run into the same situation multiple times, but have a completely different experience each time? To give an example, imagine having a friend cancel a scheduled lunch date. This has probably happened multiple times in your life, as it has in mine.

During the month of May, we are talking about aligning the values that guide our decisions to our highest values, or those that support our spiritual expansion. One of those values must be love, as God is love. If God is love, it is our soul’s calling to be the love in our lives.

There is a certain way that I stand with my arms folded. When I catch myself standing that way, I am suddenly aware that I am standing exactly the way my mother stands. When I am excited, I find that I rub my face just like she does. Those who know both of us well can probably point out many other ways that I have picked up my mother’s mannerisms. Genetics are astounding! Sometimes I am amused when I show up like my mother, and of course, sometimes I am less than amused.

Are you paying attention?

I am energized by creativity. It clears the mental cobwebs and provides new insights. It brings me such joy to write, paint, bake, garden, etc. I appreciate seeing music, theater, and art shows. I am in wonder of the talent and beauty of what I see and hear, and it all gives me energy!

As I heal my broken ankle the pace of my life has slowed, and the number of daily activities that I enjoy has diminished, leaving just a simple few. If I sat and counted all the things I have “lost” over the past 3 weeks, the list would be long, and sometimes, when I indulge in my self-pity, I consider making that list. If I went on to count the losses throughout my life, it would be staggering.

Table stakes: Prayer does not change God. Prayer changes me. This is profoundly important, and so often forgotten. Lots of people pray the “please God look the other way just this once” prayer, the “if you just let me get away with this, I swear I’ll never do that awful thing again” prayer. Those prayers have not, will not, and cannot work.

As I was traveling in Washington, D.C. last week I had an accident that resulted in a fractured ankle. We were there to celebrate a special occasion, with several restaurant reservations, tours booked, and outings planned. It was supposed to be a lovely Spring trip to enjoy some cherry blossoms, eat great food, and see monuments and museums.

“Sometimes, I need only to stand, wherever I am to be blessed.” This was one of the first songs that Karen Drucker sang on Friday evening to open the Women’s Retreat in Orlando. It is a fairly new song that I hadn’t heard before from her album, “My Heart Is With You”. The words immediately touched my soul and set a tone of openness for the retreat. I almost felt complete, as if had already gotten what I needed from the retreat.

It may be hard to accept the fact that you are enough, but if it is, I invite you to reconsider what “you” are you measuring? Sure, our “human self” is still learning the best way to go through the circumstances and relationships and lessons our souls chose in this lifetime, and maybe you are just discovering the power of your “spiritual self”, or your inner self. If you do find your human self to be lacking, the good news is that you have something within you that is more than enough – always.

This past weekend I had family in town, and we went to a spring training baseball game. The weather was spectacular, and the Red Sox played well, so overall, it was a fun outing. As all good ministers do, I spent the time considering the possible metaphysical messages I could find in baseball.

I attended various spiritual communities and centers before I realized that I had gotten it wrong. Each place taught a different way to bring god into my life. In other words, what most people call prayer.

Isn’t it disheartening when you go out to dinner and you confidently order your meal, then look over at your companion’s choice and wish you could go back and start with a different order? Their dinner just looks way more delicious than yours! So, if you’re like me, you resign yourself and go ahead to eat your dinner, while secretly, or even overtly, coveting theirs! It happens.