The Call

In the words of Marianne Williamson: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thursday, May 14, 2009

A New Beginning



Where will the road take us next? Each day is a new beginning. This moment is all there really is. My journey begins from right here.... where I sit in this chair. Boy, it has taken me a long time to get to that knowing place. I thought I had to haul my past......my history around with me. I suppose at some cellular level it has played a part in defining me but my past does not have to be my identity.

I awaken as a new person each day.......just a little different from the person who was here yesterday. I know that at times, in the past, I have been stuck.......one foot in the quicksand and one foot wanting to move forward. That deep abiding spirit that lives within us calls us forward. Who holds us in the quicksand of history and past mistakes......the "only ifs and what ifs" of yesterday?

I have felt this deep longing to write for weeks now. I don't really have a specific subject. It is more like following a thread to see where it will take me. There is a voice deep inside telling me...... reassuring me that I will find my way. This will be a vision quest for me. I have been sitting on the bank watching the river flow by for some time now. It calls to me and this morning I have decided to slip into the water and see where it will take me.

Maturity has brought with it more fear and less daring. With life more than half over it feels like there is more to lose by putting things off. The magical time of youth has passed. When we are young we think we have all the time in the world to do and be all that we dream of. As the clock ticks on there is a sense that we are running out of time. It has forced me to start thinking about WHAT is really important. The list is getting shorter.

Time feels more precious with each passing day. We have put our dreams away like toys in a toy box. Is it time to find them again? Is it time to play in the world of our dreams?
Charlotte