An Invitation to Walk – October 1st 2016

Imagine just for a moment. Imagine people from many faith traditions standing and walking together in solidarity celebrating our common humanity and desire for peace while respecting religious variations and differences. Imagine that peace could be found in unity, not uniformity. Imagine that religious inclusion, understanding and dialogue could spring from the steps of those willing to walk, demonstrating that peace across all faith traditions is possible. Yes! Imagine that we could come together, for one day, to demonstrate what is possible. Our world is in desperate need of the hope, faith and love required to unite faith traditions on the holy ground of our common spirituality. For it is only here that we may come to see the face of God, beyond differences, in everyone. Let’s make our interfaith message visible by joining our footsteps in unison, walking in solidarity and linking our hearts in unity to become a living symbol of peace in the world.

It is time.

Rev. Stephanie Rutt
Community Organizer for the Interfaith Peace Walk sponsored by the Souhegan Valley Interfaith Council

Integrity

Living with integrity means:

• Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships.
• Asking for what you want and need from others.
• Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension.
• Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values.
• Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe.

Barbara De Angelis

From http://www.unity.org/resources/articles/prayer-protection

The light of God surrounds us;
The love of God enfolds us;
The power of God protects us;
The presence of God watches over us;
Wherever we are, God is!

The "Prayer for Protection" is known the world over, and Unity is often asked how it came into existence. James Dillet Freeman explained once in his Unity Magazine column, Life Is a Wonder:

Let me tell you how I wrote Unity's "Prayer for Protection."

When World War II was raging in Europe, we received many letters and phone calls from people caught in the conflict, but for a long time we did not have a prayer for protection that we were all satisfied with. This is how one came.

Silent Unity has always written a special Christmas Prayer Service just for Silent Unity workers. And in 1940 I was asked to prepare this service. We had never before needed a prayer for protection, but in 1940 we needed one, so I wrote one to go with the Christmas service. What I wrote was a little four-line verse:

"The light of Christ directs me;
The love of Christ enfolds me;
The power of Christ protects me;
The presence of Christ upholds me."

I had hardly finished this Christmas service before Silent Unity came to me again and asked me to write a protection pamphlet that we could send to people, so I did. It was called His Protecting Spirit.

They told me they wanted affirmative prayers for protection on the back page. Among these was the verse from the 23rd Psalm: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me" (Ps. 23:4 KJV).

One of the young women who worked in Silent Unity was reading my manuscript as I wrote it, and as she finished it, she came up to me and said: "Jim, if I were a woman in England and they were dropping bombs on my roof, or if I were a soldier and someone was pointing a loaded gun at me, I wouldn't want to feel like I was walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Can't you do better than that?"

I thought, You want me to do better than the 23rd Psalm? You have to be out of your mind. But rolling around in the back of my mind was the little verse I had written as a prayer for protection at Christmas. I had written it just for Silent Unity, but now it came rolling up to the front of my mind and demanded that I pay attention to it. It enticed me to see what I could make of it. First I took the rhymes from it. I felt it would be more universally received if it was not a rhyme. Then I changed Christ to God. It had been Christ because it was a Christmas prayer, but I felt if we were going to send it around the world, God might be more acceptable to more people. So the little prayer became:

"The light of God surrounds me,
The love of God enfolds me,
The power of God protects me,
The presence of God watches over me."

That is the way we first printed it. Then a line came to me that I felt would make the prayer even more powerful. The line was:

"Wherever I am, God is."

I added it as the fifth line. The "Prayer for Protection" first appeared as a four-lined prayer in 1941, but when we reprinted it in 1943, it appeared in the form it has had ever since.

"The light of God surrounds me;
The love of God enfolds me;
The power of God protects me;
The presence of God watches over me.
Wherever I am, God is!"

The "Prayer for Protection" came through change after change, not at all like "I Am There," when I felt that God spoke those words to me. But what is the word of God? It is possible that no prayer Unity has ever printed has reached so many people as the "Prayer for Protection," for not only has Unity printed it over and over, but almost every Unity church uses it to conclude its services. Like "I Am There," it was carried to the moon. On the very first flight to the moon, on Apollo 11, astronaut Col. James Aldrin carried Unity's "Prayer for Protection" with him. He did not know me or Unity.

It has appeared in hundreds of different publications that have no connection with Unity, and millions of people have carried it around on cards that fit into their pocketbooks, pockets, and billfolds. It has been translated into many languages. Sometimes it appears with me as the author. Often no author is given. Sometimes other people are named as the author.

It has been changed and changed again before it reached the form that it now has that best meets people's needs. This prayer is the product of much thought and concentration and of a mind that was willing to stay open to receive divine inspiration.

I think Unity's "Prayer for Protection" is as much God's word as "I Am There" is. Sometimes God speaks to us when we don't even know it is God. I think God has many ways of speaking to us and not only in words that we hear with our ears. I think God speaks to our hearts and minds, and sometimes God's message has nothing to do with words. God is love and intelligence and life. More than anything we say God is, or even imagine God is, God is the one universal Presence and Power and is seeking to express Truth and beauty and good through all of us and for all of us.

A Woman On Purpose is a Mother.

She is a carer, a nuturer, a protector of Love.
She is a warrior, a worrier, devoted.
She will soothe you and heal you and hug you better.
Never desert you or leave you alone.
She is constantly working to make your world heavenly and won't stop until she knows that she has done all she can.
She can be soft and yet her strength is gargantuan if the children or helpless are threatened.
She feeds the soul of the earth through her tears of empathy.
She sows her kindness wherever she goes for she is a Mother, that is all she knows.

She plants the garden of love, never ending.
She feeds the heart of the world with her calm.
She sees the golden core of the souls of the earth.
She calms the angriest child.
She feels the pain and the suffering completely and does all that she can to contain,
The war and the hunger and anguish
of all of those in need of her and the help of the world.

Her heart aches with the knowledge that there must be a better way.
She looks into the eyes of unkindness and wills that they will see
The beauty that she knows is abundant
To her and to you and to me.

We may not acknowledge her wisdom all the time
We may not acknowledge her pain everyday
We may not give her the bounty of acknowledgement of this pure love.
Enough to truly sustain
But she carries on loving regardless
She carries on giving, no gain
And for that we acknowledge our grateful abundance
of Mothers On Earth, we remain
Dutifully thankful and yours.

To all of you Women On Purpose
Who care for us all everyday
Be sure to remember, you're worthy
You are treasured
You are loved
It is your Day, It is your Time, You are enough and you always have been x

Much love on this Mother's Day to all of you.

Please Like A Woman on Purpose, Comment and Share the message if you know a Goddess who is a Mother - We need to work together to make this world a better place.

The Pessimist complains about the wind;

The Optimist expects it to change;

The Realist adjusts the sails.

Jim Rohn explains the parallels between life and the changing seasons. To realize that the seasons will change without fail and what we can do to utilize each season to get the greatest rewards. This book is based on the parable of the sower and the reaper. What to do in one season to ensure success in another season. It's great for those who are going through difficult times personally or financially, because it helps them see that this "winter" in their life will eventually give way to "spring."

Topics Include:

• The Cycles and Seasons of Life
• The Effect of Environment on Circumstance
• The Value of Attitudes
• The Constant, Predictable Patter of Change
• The Spring
• The Summer
• The Fall
• The Winter
• Defeat - The Best Beginning

Amazon Link: The Seasons of Life

From Erica Sofrina at http://www.care2.com/greenliving/top-5-regrets-people-have-on-their-deathbed.html

Top 5 Regrets People Have on their Deathbed

I have always felt that if people could somehow be reminded of their death every day, they might live their lives quite differently. I don’t mean this in a morose way, but death is inevitable and yet something we often don’t think about.

I have always had a strange fear of having regret at the end of my life — regret from things I did as well as didn’t do. That is why I was fascinated to find this book by Bronnie Ware, entitled the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying. Bonnie Ware worked in palliative care as a hospice nurse — which generally entails working with patients who have gone home to die. She spends the last three to twelve weeks with people at this most vulnerable time.

When she questioned them about any regrets they might have had or anything they would do differently, she found common themes, which I found quite fascinating.

The most common of all was:

1: I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the one others expected of me.

Most had not honored even half of their dreams. She found that they went to their death realizing that this was a choice they had made, and they deeply regretted having never really lived their dreams, or even part of them. As Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw said, “most people go their graves with their music still in them.”

2: I wish that I hadn’t worked so hard.

This came from many male patients she had nursed. They regretted missing their children growing up and the companionship of their spouse or partner. She primarily worked with elderly men because this generation didn’t have as many women who were breadwinners. All of the men deeply regretted spending so much time “on the treadmill” of work and giving in to the drive to get ahead. As I suspected, no one ever said on their death bed, “I only wish I had worked harder.”

3: I wish I had the courage to express my feelings.

Many had repressed their own feelings to keep the peace, either with a spouse or family members. As a result, they settled for a mediocre life and didn’t realize their own potential. She said many had developed illnesses related to carrying the resentment and bitterness for so many years.

4: I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

They would realize, too late, the importance of close friendships and in the last stages of life didn’t have the time to track them down to tell them how sorry they were. They were caught up in their own lives and let important friendships slip and realized too late how deeply they regretted this. She observed that love and relationships was ultimately the only thing that mattered to all of her patients in the end.

5: I wish I had let myself be happier.

She said this was surprisingly common and that many did not realize that happiness is a choice they could have made all along. Because of their fear of change, they pretended to themselves and others that they were content. Deep inside they longed to really belly laugh and be silly and not care what others thought. On their deathbed, what others thought was not important.

Wisdom is taking what others have learned from the trenches and integrating it into our own lives. I think the most powerful lesson I gleaned from this is that we have a choice. We may want to believe we are victims, but in the end we are only fooling ourselves. We can consciously choose happiness, to be a better friend, to spend more time with loved ones and to work less. Choosing these things is not easy. It might mean forgoing a raise or a promotion at work, but in the end, I don’t believe she reported anyone saying I just wish that I worked more and spent less time with loved ones.

We may not be able to choose the circumstances that lead to our physical death, but the choices we make during the course of our lives will inform the degree of psychological peace we experience at this final juncture.

Bronnie Ware has released a full-length book, which is a memoir of her own life and how she was transformed when she worked as a hospice nurse.

The book is available from her website and major online bookstores and is called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying – A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing.

Erica Sofrina is a motivational speaker, teacher and author and Life Coach.

What an enchanting evening we had in La Porte, Indiana; while listening to Laura Hernandez reciting her new poems from her latest book “The Circle of Kindred Spirits.”

Her poetry was not only read, but with her impressive creative mind, she sang the words to the poems, while strumming her fingers through the guitar.

Laura’s amazing artwork was displayed on each table that her guests were sitting at.

Her poems are so universal, that they touch our lives in every imaginable way. From Laura’s love of family, to the respect of mother earth and how we all are connected, was eloquently captured in this incredible book.

I was having my own synchronistic moment while sitting at the table, where she had displayed a picture, which was featured in her book on page 79 entitled “All Are One”.

As an Ordained Interfaith Minister, that is how I feel and approach my ministry. We all are one and to demonstrate that with love and compassion is a marvelous foundation for Oneness.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys life, art, music and poetry.

~ PEACE ~

Phone: 219-380-8048
Email: lauraspaintbrush@yahoo.com

Reverend Rhonda’s husband, Mike contributed the following story.

I grew up as the youngest of three kids and got a fair share of hand-me-down clothes in my early years. Dad was an electrical engineer and mom worked in the medical profession, so hand-me-downs were more of a practicality, rather than a financial necessity. There was never any concern about the clothing since it was typically jeans and shirts, which for boys rarely go out of style. Basically, my brother outgrew them and I wore them out.

The Remembrance item in the photo was made by my niece from my father’s wardrobe. As such, hand-me-down doesn’t provide the right connotation. With the thought, meaning and personal touch behind this apron, we move beyond the simple idea of reuse into a memento that brings out memories of particular events. Those memories instantly pan back over decades of fun, gatherings, smells, stories, laughter and entertaining antics among our family.

Dad passed away on Father’s Day, 2007, after a couple days in the hospital following a severe stroke. He left behind his three kids and his wife, my mom, of 53 years, plus several grandkids. A few years later mom was passing along the remainder of his personal belongings and I received a couple jackets and shirts. Dad and I were close enough in size that I could wear them, but they are hanging or folded out of the way as simple reminders of my dad and the wonderful memories of him over the years.

As mentioned above, dad was an electrical engineer. He retired after nearly 40 years from the Aerospace and Defense industry as a Program Manager. Dad always loved to cook. I remember some fantastic BBQ steak dinners, as well as dozens of Holidays where he cooked for the family, including kids, grandkids, and many more relatives. From delicious turkeys and hams to simple hamburgers and hot dogs, he always put out a great meal. We’ll just keep a multi-year string of beef rib mishaps quietly to ourselves, while acknowledging that he eventually got that under control and it became another dish we could all look forward to.

My niece is a costume designer for the movie industry and has made hundreds of costumes for dozens of movies. The photo is an apron she made for Reverend Rhonda and me from some of my dad’s final wardrobe. You can see that dad tended toward Hawaiian prints in his retirement years. This is certainly appropriate for the Southern California location where he lived and retired.

This gift was very touching and very appropriate. I’ve followed in dad’s footsteps as an engineer and I love to cook, as well. Having this lovingly crafted gift of my father’s clothing from my niece always evokes pleasant memories. Whether I’m happily sautéing a pan of onions and garlic or absent-mindedly incinerating a rack of ribs on the BBQ, I always feel closer to dad when I’m wearing this apron.