Wed Jun 30, 2010
In our book section, you can find Oprah Winfrey's favorite book, "A New Earth".
Rabindranath Tagore
Dear Hearts,
Some years ago, the sports world was abuzz with a young 12 year old Jersey boy who leaned over the right field railing at Yankee Stadium, stuck out his glove and gave the
Yankees a gift home run. The young boy later said "I just wanted to be part of the game."
As we think about that story, how many times have we been content to sit in the bleachers of our life -- simply watching as others seem to sticks out their gloves catching the countless balls that life throws? Balls of opportunities and new beginnings, balls of new ideas and new ways of perceiving and prospering,
The truth is, on a daily basis, Life is always throwing every one of us myriads of balls, however we have to be prepared to catch them. We're not here to simply be spectators in this game of Life ~ we're here to catch the proverbial ball. Today, let's commit to moving to the edge of our seats with our gloves outstretched, prepared to catch the next new idea or perspective or gift that Life throws our way. Let's listen carefully to the voice of the Great Umpire within that is constantly whispering to us "Play ball!"
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Tue Jun 29, 2010
In our book section, you can find Oprah Winfrey's favorite book, "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle
Dear Hearts,
What do we say when a tragedy strikes the lives of someone we know or love? At such a time, there really are no words to say other than "I'm sorry." To say that we know how another person feels, is simply not true. We can never know what another is truly feeling.
So, what do we do? Perhaps simply saying "I'm sorry" and giving the grieving person a hug is appropriate. If we are invited to the grieving person's home, don't wait to be served...begin serving. Cleanup the kitchen or make hot tea or coffee...anything that might help the grieving person or family.
Our words will soon be forgotten, but our actions, which always speak louder than our words, will always be remembered.
We are here to serve one another. There is a fable talking about the difference between heaven and hell. In the fable, hell is a place where the most delicious food is served but each person is given forks so long, they can't get them into their mouths...so they just sit and stare longingly at all the beautiful food prepared that they are unable to eat.
Heaven, on the other hand, is also a place where the most delicious food is served. Again, the forks are too long for a person to feed themselves...so they simply use the long forks to feed each other.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Mon Jun 28, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
St. Augustine
Dear Hearts,
As we read the haunting words of St. Augustine, they serve as a wonderful reminder to us that it's never too late to begin a relationship with God. Augustine paints a beautiful word picture saying to us that God is both the Ancient and the New, in other words, God has always been and always will be.
God's love surrounds and indwells us -- we can never be separated from the love of God. If today, we are feeling alone and apart from God, let's remember that it's not God that moved...it's we.
To heal that feeling of separateness, we can simply make a decision to return to Love ~ putting love first so that every decision we make, every word we speak, every action we take comes from a loving place.
Today, in making the decision to return to love, we have made the decision to return to God.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sun Jun 27, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth"...Oprah's Book of the Month.
Eckhart Tolle
Dear Hearts,
As we go about the daily routine of our lives it is so easy to loose track of what our real purpose is. Do we really know why you’re alive? Well, some days we might answer, “yes". We go to our place of employment or to go to the store to make certain there’s food in the house or we care for our children and provide for our families”.
However, there is so much more to us and to our lives…and we must be very careful not to get carried away in the minutia that we miss our divine purpose.
If every morning upon awakening we realized that we are here…not by accident but by divine appointment. That we are here to be the eyes, the ears, the voice, the very heart of God to all we meet. It’s not just the job we do, or the children/family we care for/or running our errands, it’s how we do them.
How kind are we to all we meet? Do we give our complete attention to what we’re doing, i.e. if we’re doing our work at the office, are we really doing our work or is our mind thinking about fifty other things? Do we listen, really listen as others talk to us or are we already formulating our answer?
When we live our lives in this manner, we elevate our lives from the mundane to the sacred…and we become a living blessing to all we encounter.
Today if I’m asked. “Do I know why I’m alive, I answer with a resounding 'Yes! Yes!', I know why I'm alive". Thank you God and so it is!
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sat Jun 26, 2010
In our book section, you can now order Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth"...Oprah's favorite book.
Shakira
Dear Hearts,
Singer/songwriter Shakira reminds us of the enormous power of dreams. Shakira is a hugely successful pop singer, born in Columbia to very modest means. However, no matter what obstacles she encountered, she never wavered on her dream of being a successful singer/songwriter. At one time when the road seemed to close to Shakira's dream, she simply regrouped and decided to try a different road. Had that road not worked out, she was willing to continue looking until she found the road that allowed her to fulfill her dreams.
This give us all food for thought on several fronts. Number one…do we know, really know, what our dreams are? Often we vaguely have a notion of what we want, but it’s not focused and not passionate. If we’re not clear on what our dreams are, how do ever expect to achieve them?
And number two…what we learn from Shakira’s unwavering belief in her dreams is when life throws us a curve (which it will) and the doors to our dreams seem to close, do we just give up? Or do we do as Shakira did and go to plan B and if that doesn’t work, we go to Plan C. As Winston Churchill said, “Never, never give up”.
So today, let’s ask ourselves “Are we clear on our dreams”? And if not, then let’s pray for clarity so that we can indeed become clear. And what do we do when the door seems to shut on our dreams? Do we give up? Or are we willing to regroup and search for other avenues (which are always available) that keep us moving in the direction of our dreams?
Today I open myself up to day dreaming, kowing that if I can dream it I can be it. I accept this expansion for me and mine. Thank you, God and so it is!
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Thu Jun 24, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book, Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
-Oprah Winfrey
Dear Hearts,
Many of us are raised with the idea that failure is paramount to disaster and must be avoided at all costs. However, when we have the mindset that we must avoid failure we also avoid opportunities.
Today perhaps we might re-assess our relationship to failure. We might think about a baby taking it’s first steps. How many times do babies fall before they finally walk steadily? Do we call it failure each time the baby falls? Or do we call it a learning experience, something to be expected, until the baby gets strong enough walk steadily?
When we start something new, we are literally babies at it. So it stands to reason that we will make mistakes and have a certain amount of failure until we gain the knowledge and experience needed to be successful.
Walt Disney had countless failures before he finally succeeded. Thomas Edison had several hundred inventions fail before he finally succeed. Dr. Jonas Salk had failure after failure for years…yet didn’t give up until the Polio vaccine was perfected. Any successful person could tell us stories about the many times they have failed before they finally achieved success.
There is no growth without some sort of failure. We can think of failure as the worst catastrophe of our lives, or we can think of failure as simply a stepping stone that is taking us to our greatest yet to be. It’s all about how we choose to think. Let’s remember that it’s OK to fail…for it’s only with failure that we learn to succeed.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Wed Jun 23, 2010
In our book section, you can order Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth"...Oprah's Book of the Month.
Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith
Dear Hearts,
During this lifetime, there is no escaping pain. It comes physically, emotionally and spiritually. It’s not a question of pain coming into our lives, pain will enter all of our lives. But what about suffering? Do we have to suffer?
When pain presents itself we have the opportunity to move through the painful experience. Sometimes we find that we need to seek spiritual, physical or emotional assistance to help us…but the key words are “move through the pain”.
We suffer because we refuse to or are unable to move through the painful event or time. Sometimes, long after we have endured pain, we cannot or refuse to let it go. We continue to think about it, to relive it, to torture ourselves with statements such as, “if only” or the unanswerable question of “why?”. When we do this, we turn our pain into suffering. Must we forget a painful event or time? No…but we don’t have to continue to relive it.
Some people spend a lifetime reliving a painful event. What good does it do? It doesn’t change the situation. What it does do is stunt our growth and keeps us stuck in some past and painful time.
So it’s not “If pain comes”, because pain will come. The question is, “When pain comes, how do we handle it?” We are at choice. We can allow the pain to overtake us and become suffering. Or we can move through the pain, utilizing whatever tools we need to help us. Then we can move on with our lives thus becoming all that God has meant for us to be.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Tue Jun 22, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth and "The Power of Now".
Mary Jane Blige
Dear Hearts,
During an Oprah's interview with Mary Jane Blige, it was intimated that Mary Jane did not have the easiest time during much of her life. When Oprah asked her how she rose above the trouble and heartache, Ms. Blige said that one of the things she learned was to, “Blame no-one and forgive everyone.”
Any great avatar or saint has basically said the same thing…stop blaming and start forgiving. When we’re caught in blame, we’re still caught in the situation. Meaning we’re still caught in the very event we would like to put behind us. The only thing blame does is keeping us from moving on with our lives.
It’s easy to say we’ve forgiven…yet if we find we’re still blaming another or an event that has taken place in our lives, we have work to do. A renowned psychologist once said, “Remember, that was then and this is now”. If we want a successful life “now” we can’t continue to blame for what happened “then”. When we stop blaming others we begin to take responsibility for our own lives. That is called successful living.
No matter what has taken place, it does no good to blame…it just keeps us living small lives. We’re meant for greatness and part of achieving that greatness is ~ “BLAME NO-ONE AND FORGIVE EVERYONE".
Is there someone/something we’re still blaming…and can we let it go?
Today, I begin with a clean slate without blame. I take responsibility for my life and know that if it’s going to be, it’s up to me. I accept this good for me and mine.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Mon Jun 21, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith & Ricky Byers
Dear Hearts,
All great scriptures tell us that God spoke to or through the prophets, the avatars and the saints. The voice of God was heard as statements of encouragement, direction, love and reassurance. Did the voice of God end with the great prophets and saints or is the voice of God alive and well within each of us?
Each day we have two voices that continually speak to us. One is the voice of the ego that either is telling us how much better we are than others or decimating us by telling us that we’re simply not good enough.
The other voice that speaks to us is a softer, quieter voice. This is the God self of us…the spiritual voice of truth within each of us. If we aren’t able to hear that voice today, perhaps it’s because our ego voice is drowning that voice out.
How do we recognize the spiritual voice within us? The spiritual voice will always speak to us in terms encouragement...of what we are rather that what we aren’t; it will speak to us about what we can do as opposed to what we can’t do; it will tell us what’s possible for us rather than what’s not possible; it will whisper to us ever so softly that we are God’s beloved in whom God is well pleased.
Today…we are at choice. Which voice will we listen to? If we are willing to listen to that still small voice within us, we will find that our lives will reach heights and potential that we never dreamt possible.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sun Jun 20, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
The Course of Miracles
Dear Hearts,
Don't we often attach certain preconceived ideas about the duties of the ministry...whether in the person of minister, priest or rabbi? We might say that the duties of the ministry are to be a loving presence to others, to care for the dying, the sick and the poor; to comfort the afflicted; to be an inspiration to our youth and to speak uplifting and inspiring words to all.
However those duties are not exclusive to the Office of the Ministry. In truth, it's the job description issued to each and every one of us. We are all here to be ministers. Who do we minister to?
On a daily basis the core of our ministry is every individual who shows up in our lives, our families, friends and neighbors, the cashiers at the store, our coworkers, etc. These are the folks we get to care for when their ill (even by a comforting call), visit when their in the hospital, speak uplifting words to when they're experiencing a difficult time. We get to be a comforting presence when they're grieving and, through our conduct, we get to minister to the children through example and love.
Jesus, the Master Teacher, said about his ministry, "I must be about my Father's business". Whatever we want to say about our ministry, the fact is that the call to ministry is issued to each one of us daily. Our ministry is right in front of us. However, it is up to us.
Today, we'll we accept the call to do our ministry?
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sat Jun 19, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth and "The Power of Now".
Emerson
Dear Hearts,
Today, let's think about mental equivalents, which is our subjective idea of the good we deserve. Let's be very aware that we set the limit on our good. The Universe will give us any amount as long as we truly believe we're worth it.
There's a wonderful story about a college grad who goes to work for a top firm. The company is so excited about this man that they offer him their best sales territory with the potential to make a great deal of money. At the end of the year, what the company found is that the young man made only $45,000 when in fact he could have easily made 5X that much. The President of the firm decided not to fire him, but instead to give him the worst possible territory, where it would be almost impossible to make any money. Guess what? At the end of the year, our friend made exactly $45,000. Why? Because that is exactly what he believed he was worth.
What do we really believe we're worth? And are we willing to expand that belief and make a larger demand on a Universal Law that knows only to follow the direction of our belief system?
The following poem says so much:
And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at evening
When I counted my scanty store.
For Life is a just employer,
It gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.
I worked for a menial's hire,
Only to learn dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have willingly paid."
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Fri Jun 18, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth and "The Power of Now".
~ John-Roger with Paul Kaye
Dear Hearts,
The woman shared that she had an extraordinarily busy day. By the time she got to the supermarket at 5 p.m. she was running on “fumes” of energy. After doing all of her shopping and waiting in the lenghly check out line for ten minutes, she realized she had forgotten one of the main ingredients needed. She was undecided whether to get out of the long line and get her item thus going to the back of the line or ask the man behind her if he would mind if she got out of line to get it. She decided to ask him and was amazed at how kind he was not only saying, “Yes” but telling her to take her time!
She relayed that it was such a little thing and yet it almost brought her to tears. It reminded her how important kindness is. As she went to pick up the forgotten item, she shared that she felt completely energized and felt a sense of connectedness to the great circle of human kind. As this man was so kind to her and she felt uplifted ~ she then went forward and passed that kindness to everyone she met.
Seemingly such a small thing…a few kind words uttered by a stranger and yet it was a reminder that we're all in this life together and a reminder of the enormous power of kind words.
So today, let's let kindness begin with you and with me.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Thu Jun 17, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Sarah Ban Breathnach
Dear Hearts,
So many people come and go during our lifetime. Marianne Williamson says it so beautifully, “People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime”. No matter what length of time an individual stays in our life, from the briefest moment to life long relationships, are these individuals better for being in our presence?
During our daily comings and going, we encounter so many people. Instead of putting a label on them, such as “salesperson”, “policeman”, “doctor”, etc. let’ try to see each person we encounter as human beings that have needs and wants just as we do. A good question to ask when we have an interaction with any person might be, “how would I want to be treated?” and then let’s act accordingly.
All of us have impacted many lives. Many for better…perhaps some for worse. However, from this day forward, we can make a commitment to ourselves that any person whose lives touch ours will be touched by our love, kindness and graciousness. We are here to make a difference for good in this world and we do that one person at a time.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Wed Jun 16, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
~ Marie Howe, from “What the Living Do”
Dear Hearts,
How often have we caught a glimpse of ourselves, whether in the mirror or reflected in a window and immediately begin a litany of criticism? We’re too short, too fat, too thin, too many wrinkles, not enough hair, too much hair ~ the list goes on and on.
When we continually berate ourselves it’s as if a little part of us dies off. We suck the confidence, the joy, and the vitality right out of ourselves and then we wonder why we have no energy, no zest, no vitality…why our life is so flat.
When we’re really vibrantly alive and savoring life, then our very essence reflects that aliveness and we radiate beauty because we’re allowing the Spirit within us to come to life, to glow and shine forth. We become irresistible not only to ourselves but others.
Next time we catch a reflection of ourselves and begin to criticize, let’s remember that we are putting a nail in the coffin of our lives. Let’s appreciate ourselves, let’s give thanks for every part of us (even though we may not perceive it as perfect) because beauty is so much more than skin deep.
When we can look at ourselves and appreciate what we see, then we have joined the ranks of those who are truly alive! Today let’s give thanks for this marvelous & magnificent thing called you and me.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
*Auntie Mame
Tue Jun 15, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Oprah Winfrey
Dear Ones,
What an interesting concept to keep a “proud” journal! Perhaps keeping such a journal would give us pause to consciously think about doing things during our day that would deserve to be placed in such a journal.
It’s so easy to sleep walk through our day…attempting to simply survive each day. Let’s not lose site of the fact that our primary purpose on this earth is to make a difference for good. However, without conscious thought, we forget that purpose.
If we were to decide to keep a “proud” journal, it might do two things, 1) make us want to have something to put in our journal each day, and (2) bring to our mind a conscious awareness of what would make us proud of ourselves (not what would make our parents or spouse or friends proud) but would behaviors make us feel proud?
It’s a conscious thought process. Are we proud of ourselves for cutting someone off in traffic? Or would we be proud of ourselves, that in the snarl of traffic, we allowed someone to go in front of us? Are we proud of ourselves when we snap at someone, or proud of ourselves when we’re kind and patient with others?
Sometimes we can get confused with the word “proud” thinking of proud as ego driven. That’s not the proud Oprah is speaking of. It’s the “proud” of just feeling good about what we’ve done and knowing that at the end of the day when we are writing in our “proud” journals that we have left the world just a little better place.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Mon Jun 14, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Phillipians 4:13
Dear Hearts,
At the time St. Paul wrote these words, he was imprisoned in Rome in the worst possible circumstances. He was given barely enough food to survive, he was chained to the wall of his cell and literally shared his space with innumerable rats. Yet, in the midst of these circumstances he ended up converting many of his jailers by his constant faith and cheerful attitude.
We will never have to face physical circumstances such as Paul did, but there are times, when mentally we feel that we do indeed occupy such a space. The human condition is frayed with difficulties and loss.
How do we cope with all of this? Well perhaps today we can all take a lesson from Paul who tells us very simply….we can do anything with God who give us strength. There is nothing we can’t bear if we realize, “if God be for us nothing can be against us”. In other words when our lives are God filled, there is nothing that can vanquish us.
As we enter into this beautiful spring weekend, let’s remember to call upon the Power and Presence of God to walk every step of the way with us, to comfort and protect us and to bless those we love. We then get to watch our lives take on new meaning, new energy, new vitality. We are able to look beyond the circumstances of daily living and know that right in the midst of our darkest moment, God is there as opportunity, as comfort, as a blessing and a benediction. We get to know that when God’s holy presence is near, there is absolutely nothing we ever have to fear.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sun Jun 13, 2010
Bringing good into our lives!
Dear Hearts,
Each and every day, we process so much negative information. It comes to us from all directions. We open our computer; we turn on TV; we read the newspapers and most of it is negative input.
So what are we deciding each day? Are we making decisions to dwell on the negative? Or, are we making decisions to dwell on the positive. The Universe hears our every thought…but it’s what we focus on that brings it into fruition.
There is a story about an old Native American Indian Chief whose Grandson came to him and asked the secret of successful living. The Chief said this, “Grandson, within each one of us there are two wolves. One that brings us good and wonderful things and one that brings us nothing but fear, doubt and despair”. The young grandson replied, “Well grandfather how do I know which wolf is stronger?” The Chief declared, “The stronger wolf will be whichever one you decide to feed.”
Within us, too, there is an opportunity to make a decision to moment by moment feed the positive in our lives to bring forth positive good. Once we make the decision of where our focus is…the entire Universe will work together to bring forth good and positive people, places and events into our lives.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
6/12/2010
Sat Jun 12, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book, Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
~ RICHARD CARLSON
Dear Hearts,
Often it doesn’t occur to us that just as today is a brand new day, we too have the opportunity to be new today. In Scripture we are told that God makes all things new and that applies to you and to me.
So often, we carry around old limiting beliefs of who we thought we were and what we thought we could and couldn’t do. We carry all that old “stuff” into this brand new day.
What if today we released all these limiting ideas? Because the truth is they don’t apply to us anymore unless we allow them to. Let’s be aware of the old limiting thoughts when they come up. Let’s feel free to talk back to them with statements such as, “That may have been true of me yesterday but it is not true of me now. Today, with God’s help I am made new and have unlimited possibilities”.
We have a God that is so much bigger than any limited idea or belief we have ever had of ourselves. There has been a promise made to you and to me “With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible”.*
Today, let our prayer work be that with God’s help we leave the past behind…because that’s no longer who we are… and with arms outstretched to whatever lies ahead of us we go straight for the goal.
Today, we are born anew.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Fri Jun 11, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book, Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Warren Heer
Dear Hearts,
When we think of miracles, we often associate them with some huge event taking place. We might envision a miracle in the form of the dead coming back to life, or someone walking on water or feeding thousands with five loaves and a few small fish.
When we put miracles into the "big" category, we often overlook the small miracles occurring during our everyday lives. Small miracles might appear as someone showing up with exactly the information we need or a person giving us a smile when we're feeling sad. Small miracles might be the right words being said to buoy up our spirits when we're feeling lonely.
A small miracle might appear in the midst of a snarled freeway in the form of a car that suddenly slows down and makes room for us to enter or an ideal parking space turning up when there are seemingly no parking spaces available. A small miracle might be a new cashier appearing keeping us from standing in a long line. A small miracle can take the form of a warm feeling of love coming over us for no apparent reason or a feeling of peace in the midst of confusing or chaotic circumstances.
There are countless little miracles occurring throughout our day. We live in a benevolent and kindly Universe that will bend over backward to bring to us exactly what we need at any given moment. Today, will we be awake and alert and trusting enough to recognize the small miracles that continually grace our lives?
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Thu Jun 10, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Teddy Bruschi ~ New England Patriots
Dear Hearts,
Several years ago, defensive linebacker Teddy Bruschi uttered the above quote as he resumed playing for his beloved New England Patriots. In the prime of his life and in excellent health, Teddy had a slight stroke and then had open-heart surgery. Many people would have been taken out of professional sports forever. Not Teddy…he made up his mind that he would do whatever it took to get himself back into the physical condition to play the game that he loved so dearly.
Many times life throws us “curve balls”. Something happens to us that seems unfair, unkind, perhaps even cruel and leaves us bereft, devastated. We are at choice…do we lay down, thinking life is over (and as we think, so it is!) or do we do whatever is necessary to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and resume living our life once again?
It’s all in how we look at things. When we are struck a seeming cruel blow, it’s only natural that we take time and grieve about it. However, at some point we have a decision to make. Do we allow the blow to cripple us? Do we make a decision to live in the past of what “used to be”? Or do we begin the process of healing our lives and moving on to new opportunities.
Sometimes it seems as if life slams a door on us…but we can rely on the fact that the Universe abhors a void. If one door closes another will always open for us. We must be willing to look for that opened door and then be willing to walk through that door and explore what new possibilities life has waiting for us.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Wed Jun 09, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book, Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Randolph Ray
Dear Hearts,
How could we ever define the multiple faces of love? One definition could never suffice. However as we read the above quote, a very practical, profound yet simple word is used, "kindness". What good does it do us to profess our love for our spouse, significant other, our families, friends, ourselves, if we don't show our love through kindness? Kind acts, kind thoughts, kind deeds.
What can we do to be kinder? Perhaps before we act, speak, or send a letter, or E-mail we might ask ourselves one question, "Is this the kind thing to say or do?" And if there is any doubt in our minds that it's not, than we don't do it, say it or send it. If we adopted such a policy, our lives and our relationships would soar to a whole different level.
In the Bible as well as throughout Hindu scriptures, the term "loving kindness" is woven throughout the pages...these aren't just words, they are invitations to us to conduct our lives in such a way that all those who come in contact with us or those who walk the way with us are surrounded and blessed by the loving kindness that we express, today of all days, in every area of our lives.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Tue Jun 08, 2010
You can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book, Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth" in our book section.
~ Barbara Bartocci
Dear Hearts,
All of us want to be appreciated. Yet, it’s easy to get busy and/or take for granted what other do for us. Yet, what motivation do others have to do for us to do for them, when we don’t show any appreciation?
Each of us has an inborn desire to be valued, to know that we make a difference. When we do an act of kindness, we want to be recognized for it. A young couple recently shared that when they were thanked for their acts of kindness, they wanted to do more for each other. However, when what they did was simply taken for granted, their reaction was “why bother?”
Sometimes we get so lost in our own world that we’re hardly aware that something has been done for us. Sometimes we simply take kind acts for granted. Or, we have an air of entitlement, thinking that others “should” do for us.
The words “loving kindness” are often referred to in the Bible. In the Buddhist tradition, “loving kindness” is a spiritual practice.
We are here to recreate the Love and the Kindness that God is. We might think to ourselves that’s an “overwhelming task”. Yet, it can begin with two simple words, “thank you”. Because in essence when we thank another, we’re showing appreciation for their love and kindness and we’re expressing loving kindness.
Today, let’s try it. Let’s become conscious of the smallest things that are routinely done for us and give an honest and heartfelt “thank you”. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Mon Jun 07, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
-Frank Tyger
Dear Hearts,
When we think about our future, it’s sometimes easy to look outside of ourselves and wonder what will happen to us? What will happen to our careers, our relationships, will we have enough money? Will there be people who care for us if we need it? Will we be alone?
The real question is, what are we doing about our future? There’s an old saying, “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” If we want financial security in our future, are we wise with our money today? If we want long and lasting relationships, are we securing those relationships now through our love of others? If we want to be cared for in the future, are we caring for others now? If we want successful careers, are we doing our best to secure that success? If we want healthy lives, are we consciously taking care of our bodies today?
And when the vicissitudes of life come to call...and they will ~ are we doing the spiritual work necessary to insure that we are tougher than those times? If we are, then we'll be able to successfully withstand any storm that life brings our way.
As we think about our future, let’s be careful not to look outside of ourselves. Our future lies within our own willingness to do the work that is necessary to secure the very best future possible.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sun Jun 06, 2010
In our book section, you can now order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Paul Ferrini
Dear Hearts,
How often do we continue to base our self-worth on the behavior, the words or even the looks of others? Have we ever felt really good about ourselves, only to catch a glimmer of disapproval in the eyes or tone of another, and immediately we felt as though all the wind has been removed from our sails?
From a very early age, we seek approval from our parents. However, some of us never grow out of this and while we may no longer seek approval from our parents, we now look for approval from our friends, or spouse, or boss, or children, etc.
To have our esteem be victim to the whims of others is a very painful, crippling way to live. When we choose to live this way, it prevents us from ever being truly authentic, because instead of living a proactive life, we are living a reactive life - reacting to everyone else's idea of what’s good or not good about us or what we do.
Shakespeare said it so beautifully, "To thine own self be true and it follows as night follows day, thou shall not be false to any man." Today, let's do our best and if we get approval, fine. If we don’t, let’s not allow it spoil our day, because the most important person of all ~ourself~ knows that we’ve done our best.
Love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sat Jun 05, 2010
You can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book, Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth" in our book section.
loving or more unloving.”
~ John Morton
Dear Hearts,
Most of us will be awake for approximately 1,020 minutes today. Each one of those moments presents the opportunity to be loving and kind or to be judgmental, harsh and critical. We can endear ourselves to others or we can alienate others.
There are times in all of our lives when we have reacted to people and situations. The words are out of our mouth before we have thought them through. How many words quickly spoken have we regretted for a very long time?
The challenge for us is to respond, not react. We react to another by saying the first thing that comes to our mind, whether it’s kind or not. However, we respond to another by giving ourselves a centering moment where we can ask ourselves “Is what I’m about to say kind and can I say it in a loving way?”
The great saints and avatars from every spiritual tradition have told us that God is Love. When we activate love through our responses, we are activating the Presence of God... therefore we become a healing, gracious presence. We find that people enjoy being in our company, simply because we consciously chose to be loving in the moment.
Our purpose in this lifetime is to love and in any given moment we can either choose love or turn our back on it… the choice is ours. Of our approximately 1,020 waking moments today, how many moments will we choose love?
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
*Howard Thurman
Fri Jun 04, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
-Bryan Adams
Dear Hearts,
Nothing ever challenges us as much as being truly authentic in our close relationships. Someone does something we don't like and the immediate reaction is usually from our "head" expressing anger or even outrage. Anger and outrage only beget more of the same. The "head" (mental level) will really take stock in being "right" and take a strong position of what another has done to me. The authentic emotion under all anger is hurt, and the more anger the more hurt.
It has been said that the longest journey we will ever have to take is from the head to the heart. Our head (mental level) always wants to be right, always wants to justify, to judge someone or something. Our heart, however, has no need to be right or to justify. The heart simply wants to love and genuinely understand others and situations. There is no defense against the true heart response. When we can say authentically from our heart, "I'm feeling really hurt about this", that kind of a response automatically extinguishes anger and invites the other person to speak authentically from their heart.
When two hearts meet, healings can occur, the level of love and understanding grows and deepens and our relationships are able to grow and expand in a most profound and intimate way. Remember the word intimate is an invitation to "into me see".
Today, let's make a conscious choice to move from our head to our heart knowing that at the heart of the matter, it's always the heart that matters.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Thu Jun 03, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book, Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth"
Arab Proverb
Dear Hearts,
This beautiful Arab proverb is a powerful metaphor to help us monitor our words and keep our words in alignment with Principle. Let's think about these three “gatekeepers”. The Proverb states that before our words get past our lips, the first gatekeeper must ask, "Is this true?" So today let’s take a moment and pause before any word escapes our lips and consciously ask ourselves “Is what I’m about to say the truth of this person or this situation?” This question in itself will stop many words from ever escaping our lips.
However, if the words get past the first gatekeeper, there is a second gatekeeper who asks, "Is it kind?" Often times we react with a sharp comeback or biting retort rather than respond from the heart with a kind and thought filled response. Let’ remember that we live in a kind and loving Universe and our call is to be in sync with the Universe though the love and kindness of our words. The last gatekeeper asks "Is it necessary?" How many things have we said over the course of our lifetime that perhaps would have been best left unsaid? As of today, we never have to do that again, if we will stop and remember this third gatekeeper…is what I’m about to say really necessary. Between these three gatekeepers, the conversations we will have today will be truth filled, kind and meaningful.
Today, I am surrounded by the love of God. I make a conscious choice to remember that my words have great impact on others, so I carefully and thoughtfully choose each and every word I speak. Today is God’s day and I rejoice in it.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Wed Jun 02, 2010
You can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book, Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth" in our book section.
~ Mother Teresa
Dear Hearts,
As we move forward into this beautiful day, let’s become aware that the small, everyday tasks we perform with love and kindness often bring us the most happiness and do the most good.
Many times we think we must do something really big and that it’s only the big things we do that really matter and bring us happiness. Life is made up of the small everyday details and it is those details that make-up the weave and fabric and design of our daily lives. Holding our child's hand, mowing the lawn, sitting with a friend, being there for a loved one, visiting a friend who is ill, conducting our business in integrity, listening intently to a colleague, cooking, cleaning, all give us the opportunity for greatness. Sometimes, it’s easy to believe that the small things we do don’t really matter. But the truth is, when we do each task before us with love, the small, everyday things we do with love and care are automatically lifted into the realm of greatness.
A 17th century monk by the name of Brother Lawrence was an example to all of us. He would peel a potato with such love and care, that his act became a living prayer. Love is the catalyst for making something seemingly small and insignificant into something great, beautiful and memorable. Are we willing to bring love and thus greatness to each and everything we do today, no matter how seemingly small?
Today, I am surrounded by the love of God. I make a conscious choice to perform with love the small everyday tasks presented to me. I know that whatever I do with love makes a difference in my world. Today is God’s day and I rejoice in it.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Tue Jun 01, 2010
You can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book, Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth" in our book section.
Wm. Shakespeare
Dear Hearts,
Remember the song, “The Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer.”? It seems that song bespoke a simpler time. A time before cell phones and Internet and the noise, rush and busyness that surround our lives today. Yet, the call of summer, the 3 R’s still beckon us…the call to Relax, Rejuvenate and Regroup.
As this summer begins, do we have a picture in our minds of what we want to do for ourselves? Perhaps more down time or time to read the books that have beckoned us. Maybe quality time to spend with our families and friends. Perhaps time to take a vacation; more time to pray and meditate; time to garden. Often, the time just gets away and our best intentions are relegated to “oh well, perhaps next summer.”
Each of us is asked to give so much of ourselves to the demands of our busy life. However, we have to have something to give from. We have to have a reserve of energy, of enthusiasm and of spiritual strength to draw from or we find ourselves resenting any demand made upon us…because we are depleted and have nothing to give from.
We have a beautiful summer ahead of us. Let's commit to nurturing and replenishing our souls so that we in turn can go forth relaxed, rejuvenated and "regrouped".
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara