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

Friday, April 01, 2011

The Awesomeness of Being

As many of you know we journal almost every day. I thought this entry worthy of sharing.......And now a few words from Larry. Love, Charlotte

Every once in a while, I need a wake-up call, a call to pay closer attention. Too easily do I slide back into mediocrity, drifting along on the stream of life without putting my oars in the water. That call came to me recently from an unlikely source - from a novel that I was reading. In it, the protagonist was utterly convinced by the antagonists that his wife, whom he dearly loved, had been brutally murdered. He lived with the agony of that knowledge for a day or so before he discovered that it had been a cruel hoax, he had found her alive and unharmed. He was so overcome with joy and gratitude at the sight of her that he couldn't seem to get enough of her - the feel of his palm on her cheek, the smell of her hair, the little smile wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, the sound of her voice.


Would that we react that way every time we see a loved one, keeping in mind that they could be taken away in an instant. Oh, I know, we can't live our lives with that kind of dread but we can dwell a little longer over a cup of coffee with our loved one, listen to them more attentively, look at them with "seeing" eyes in order to imprint their image on our brain. Maybe turn off the TV and simply "be" with them.


What about the other side of the coin - What if you left this earthly plane today? Do you still have your "music" in you? Have you said everything you want to say to a loved one? Told them how important they are in your life? Have you apologized for a harsh word, perhaps asked for forgiveness? Just as meaningful, when's the last time you touched a baby, smelled their sweet baby smell, dwelled at the sight of a bed of flowers, noticed the smell of the rain on hot pavement, watched puffy clouds drift by or savored the taste of a freshly picked tomato? When's the last time that you looked at yourself in the mirror and said, "I love you"?


I'm present God. I'm listening. I'm seeing. I am Being.
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