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.

2024 is a leap year and this newsletter will be published on that special day - February 29th. When I was a child, I had a good friend whose birthday was this date. As life would have it, she had to share her birthday with either this classmate born on February 28th or another born on March 1st. I always thought she was a bit cheated in this way. It also intrigued me that she would only have a “real” birthday every 4 years. This is the 15th time she will get to celebrate on her actual birthday. You could say that she has a complicated relationship with this date!

Spiritual growth is more than words. We know that, of course, but it bears repetition. I want to take a minute on this because a lot of people spend a lot of time making sure they’re using the right lingo. They’re careful to set aside old words like salvation, heaven, and evil, and pick up new ones like attunement, oneness, and vibration. Sometimes the gyrations folks go through just to keep up with the latest linguistic fashion is spectacular. Somebody might not go to an old fashioned, outmoded “church,” but they go to a spiritual attunement campus for an hour every Sunday. What’s the difference?

Screens. So many of them. Different sizes and shapes. All there to mediate, separate and ultimately connect me to the world beyond my room that is hidden from my sight.

Last Sunday, I shared a passage in my lesson that seemed to resonate with everyone present. It included a phrase that said something like - “Anything you are not changing, you are choosing.” That got my attention the first time I heard it, and it continues to be thought-provoking.

Do you want something new in your life? The spiritual Law of Sacrifice explains the truth that we must surrender things to have that something new. Perhaps you have learned this law for yourself.

Last week I moved to a new city, a new neighborhood, a new home. As we were unloading things, going in and out of the garage and house, several folks introduced themselves and welcomed us to the neighborhood. Most had dogs with them, so we also met several new friends for our little Maisy to greet on our daily walks. All the kids must have been in school.