I am writing this post on Tuesday, March 23rd. The headline today is: 10 Killed in Mass Shooting at Grocery Store in Colorado. This the seventh mass shooting in seven days. What is happening in our world? Is it about mental illness, rage at perceived injustice, the need to control, hate, drug abuse? I’ll tell you what it certainly is about…pain. Pain, as in suffering, torment, distress, anxiety, grief, fear. At the root, it is pain that drives us to hurt ourselves and others.

Whatever else the solutions to gun violence include, we must answer this question: How can we address the pain? I am convinced that if we each could feel love, actually FEEL love…our pain would subside. If we could feel the genuine and caring concern from others…our pain would be soothed. Even little bits at a time.

I believe people do small acts of kindness everyday that help soothe the pain in others. Things like…an encouraging word, a smile, a touch, an offer to help, a complement, a hug, a phone call, a text. Simple words like…I understand, I hear you, I love you, how you feel matters to me, I’m sorry you’re hurting. Simple actions like…sending a card in the mail, listening without judgement, showing up for support. Sometimes we are completely unaware of how these small acts of kindness soothe the pain in others. We may not see it, but I know it’s there. I can feel it.

The news headline this morning brought up sadness in me. It also brought to my awareness this – pain is soothed by kindness. And kindness is something I can offer everyday.

Much love
Paula

News flash…life means what you make it mean. All of it. You choose.

We make life mean what it means by our thinking and our stories, what we believe and what we think is possible. We bring clarity or confusion, resistance or acceptance, distrust or thoughtfulness. It is our thinking and our consciousness that matters. These put us in the driver’s seat of our own life. That is powerful stuff!

Whatever is happening in your life…there is a chance for you to decide the meaning. What meaning will you draw from it? What will you learn? How will it change you? You get to decide!

Here is what I believe. Everything is available for my awakening. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. I remind myself of this often…when life is purring smoothly along and when I hit bumps in the road. When I feel sad, I let myself feel sad because there is something there for me. When I feel confident, I know there is something unseen supporting me. I carry this awareness – everything is available for my awakening. The hard stuff and the easy stuff. Change of plans, unwanted news, surprise gift, success, failure, disappointment, loss, celebration…all of it is available for me and my awakening.

Awakening to what? Awakening to meaning and possibility…to a deeper understanding….to the power and presence of God in me, as me.

Life means what I make it mean. This is it for me. What does it mean for you?
Much love
Paula

There is a lot of ‘good stuff’ in the Bible. By that I mean words to live by and a direction to follow. That’s what Jesus said…follow me. He didn’t say worship me. Basically he said…listen up and do the things I do.

Here is what he said in  Luke 6:37 from The Message Bible – Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier.

What a simple and powerful message. Be easy on people. Don’t be so quick to jump to judgment, call them names, shake your head and wag your finger. That kind of treatment tends to be returned right back to you. Why? Because like energy attracts like energy.

And there is something else to consider.  In the moment of judging others, of name-calling and sharp criticism, we embody that same energy that we give out…and that energy impacts us from the inside. In those moments our body is tense and our hearts are hardened. Holding condemnation and contempt, we stiffen, our blood pressure rises and our pulse quickens. Let’s face it, it just feels bad. In these moments we are far from love.

I believe the purpose of life is to show up as love as often as we can…to be easy on people. That is how we live a life of ease and a life of love. What could be more important?

With much love
Paula

That is the number of Covid deaths in the U.S. reported on February 22, 2021. A half a million people. I wonder how many days, weeks, months and years of life were lost. I wonder about the physical, psychological and spiritual toll so many deaths have placed on healthcare workers and families. People who are seeing so much death, like nursing home and funeral home workers. A half a million people are gone and more will die before we are able to stop the spread of this disease. Are we so hardened that this astronomical number is meaningless? It gets no more than a shrug and a sigh?

Take a deep breath. Bring your mind to ease. Come into this very moment now. Take another deep breath. No matter what is happening, can you pause in this moment and feel the sacredness of life? Of all life? Can you feel the tremendous heartache and loss? Will you allow it to bring you closer to love and kindness…for yourself and for all of humanity?

People have said to me…we’ll all be changed by this experience. I’m not so sure. I will be changed if I decide to be changed. The same goes for you. The best and lasting change comes from practicing loving-kindness. The practice of gently engaging in life from the Soul. To me, this means to engage in life from humility, understanding, love, respect, strength and steadfastness. Engaging in life from the Soul begs the question…what is my responsibility to myself and to humanity? How can I help?

With much love
Paula

It is hard to know what to do for others who are in deep pain…especially those we love. Our first thought is…how can I fix this, make it go away, lift their burden? Our heart hurts so bad watching them suffer. It feels unbearable. When we put our own self in angst as we care for others, we lower our vibration of love. And really, love IS what we have to offer. So, how do we vibrate at a higher frequency of love for others in the midst of their grief and suffering?

We vibrate at the highest level of love when we empty ourselves of resistance and judgment and feel our soul expand into our heart. Then we can turn our attention and vibration to the other and hold the space for love to do its work. Hold the space in your own self first…feel it, and then feel it expand into the other. Hold the space for love.

This is the most powerful action we can take to help another who is suffering. Hold the space for love…let love do the work.

Breathe
Paula

You just never know how much longer you’ll be on this earth. How many days go by when the thought of not being here doesn’t cross your mind? When the thought of those you love not being here doesn’t cross your mind? The truth of life in this body is that it will end. No doubt about that. Every person in your family, each friend, will leave first or you’ll leave before they do. It’s a fact. So, what instruction does this give us for how to live?

I mean, that’s what I want to be clear about…for me. How does this fact guide my life? Because, I want it to guide my life. I want to remember how temporary life is. I want to remember how important it is for me to show up. I want this fact to give me courage, make me brave and fearless. I want it to soften my opinions and purge me of righteousness. I want it to make me more kind and loving. I want this fact to inspire me…so when the time comes I’ll know I’ve left it all on the table. I’ll be ready.

When Rev Richard Levy, Unity of Wilmington minister, passed on in 2014 I gave a talk based on a message he had spoken about. In it he had asked that we consider these questions as we travel toward our next great adventure beyond this body.

Have I loved well?
Have I lived fully?
Have I learned to let go?

Am I loving well…myself and others? Am I living fully…living my life, without fear, compassionately, the best I can? Am I letting go of every thought that doesn’t serve my highest good and every judgment I hold toward myself and others?

Still here…still loving, living and learning.
Much love.
Paula

“I will surrender to my greatest highest good. I will release any fear that blocks my way. For every step I take is taken in pure faith. And I am stronger every moment, every day.” Karen Drucker, Morning Prayer

This is a perfect chant to start the morning. I hope you take a moment to listen, by clicking on the link provided above.

Sometimes we surrender to fear or doubt, to the opinions of others or our own internal dialogue of ‘not enough’ and to resistance and needing to have it our own way. Surrendering is not about giving up or giving in…it simply means to be open to…and we have a choice about what we are open to. The idea of surrendering to my greatest highest good helps me to be at ease in the day that is before me. I feel more hopeful.

Faith is one of those ideas that can seem hard to get hold of. I’ve decided this about faith. Faith rests in a conscious decision to discount the physical in favor of the spiritual…to discount limitation in favor of possibility…to abide in calm and serenity in the midst of the storm. Stepping in faith may look crazy to the world. But faith is not about what we can see, it’s about a power that is invisible. I don’t intend to prove there is a greater power in the universe, I intend to live by it. That’s my choice, and it’s a choice you can make, or not.

Life is a mystery. So many unanswered why’s and how’s and wherefores. Instead of trying to figure it out, I’m going to practice surrendering to my highest good and taking each step in faith. It takes a little courage and some practice….but I feel stronger already.

All is well.
Paula

Maybe today is the day to just take a break. A day to set aside all the doing and growing and being this or that and just sit a while. Put away your phone, stop reading the news, shut down your computer. Here is a simple meditation for you.

Let your body relax, let your face soften. Watch your breath in and breath out. Close your eyes. Let your mind travel to wherever it will without judgment. Feel what you’re feeling. Sad, exhausted, content, frustrated, happy, grateful, worried, uncertain, restless, lonely.  If you notice your body stiffen or your face tighten…bring yourself back into softness.  Relax your shoulders, soften your face and follow your breath. Don’t try to change the feeling, simply soften into it…soften your face and your body into your feeling…and watch your breath in and out. As your mind wanders, just check in with yourself by returning to the breath. Notice the softness and notice the breath. Feel what you feel and notice the body and the breath.

Maybe today is the day to take a break. A day to set aside all the doing and growing and being this or that and just sit a while. Maybe with a cup of tea, a view of the birds, a warm blanket, quiet…softness and breath. Today is the day. Please enjoy.

Much love
Paula

You have most certainly heard the phrase: The end does not justify the means. Or maybe this: The end justifies the means. So which is it? Well, you might say, it depends. If the result is for the good of many people, maybe we can live with less than noble means. But, is it only about the end result…or is the means a greater consideration?

I am a true believer in the end not justifying the means. I believe in integrity and honesty. I believe in treating others the way I want to be treated. I believe in compassion. I take seriously the call in John 13: Love one another. These are my ‘means’…this is my foundation.

Sometimes it requires me to forge a new path rather than taking the straightest or easiest road. It requires me to know who I really want to be in this life…how I want to show up. It requires me to not always follow the crowd. It requires that I don’t always put myself first. It requires that I consider the big picture and the longer view. It requires that I stay true to my values…no matter what and no matter who might notice.

Some years ago I stopped to put gas in my car down near Ocean Isle Beach. I put the nozzle in my tank and started to pump gas before realizing that the cost per gallon was $0.28 rather than $2.80. In that moment I had a choice. Get an almost free tank of gas or let the owners know there was a mistake in the setup of the pump. For me, it was an easy choice.

There are other situations and examples that are more complex than this. Some have long term impacts in our own life, our community and indeed the world. I invite you to question your own choices, who you support with your money and time, how you act toward others. Take a moment and understand your own values. Does the end ever justify a less than noble means?

Learning with you.
Paula

We either contribute to healing or not. Is healing what you want? For yourself and for all others? Do you want healing and harmony to be the experience we have together…as a world, a nation, a community, a family? Your choice, then. You either contribute to healing or not.

Or maybe what you really want is for others to pay for their mistakes and misdeeds…to admit they’re wrong…to perform some kind of act of contrition..to be banished, removed, shamed and humiliated. Is that really what you want? Does any of this sound like healing?

So you need to decide what you really want and what you are willing to do to get there.

Healing takes time. And it takes effort. And it doesn’t always end up looking like what we hoped it would be. But healing always helps us feel better…and it helps others feel better, too. So, notice how you feel. Do you feel hopeful and encouraged…or do you feel furious and angry? Do you feel inspired and carefree…or bitter and heavy?

How you feel is an indicator. You are either contributing to healing…or not. Your choice.

Much love
Paula

Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., from his 1967 address :
“Where Do We Go From Here?” :
“Hate is too great a burden to bear. I have decided to love.”