“People encounter God under shady oak trees, on riverbanks, at the tops of mountains, and in long stretches of barren wilderness. God shows up in whirlwinds, starry skies, burning bushes and perfect strangers.” Barbara Brown Taylor
Growing up my experience of sanctuary was a tall building with a steeple, stained glass windows, large looming statues, and lots of marble everywhere. There were so many rules in the sanctuary, one of them required being still and quiet. Only whispers were allowed unless you were praying or singing. When I was there I recited prayers I had memorized and followed the instructions of the adults. There was no laughing allowed, of course, that rule alone brought out the giggles at the most inopportune moments.
I never felt good enough to be in the sanctuary. I was there to confess my sins and my unworthiness.
Today my experience of sanctuary is sacred space and can be anywhere I feel connection with the Divine. Sacred space can be found in the forest, at the beach, or out to dinner with friends. It can be realized when playing with a puppy, helping a neighbor, or going for a walk in the park. My home is my sacred sanctuary, a place where I feel love, peace, freedom and harmony.
In the midst of chaos and uncertainty in the world, realizing our connection with the Divine can be a challenge. Try this simple exercise to reconnect when feeling out of sorts. Look around your space and see whatever is before you with eyes of gratitude. Take a couple of deep breaths and connect your breath to your heart. Silently say, “I see Love through all I see before me.” Repeat until you feel harmony and peace in your heart. Extend that love out into your neighborhood, community and beyond. Right where you are is sacred space.
Ernest Holmes reminds us of this infinite power. “Deep within each of us there is a place of calm, of peace and security, where trouble and accidents do not occur, where Truth and Love reign supreme and good is the only power. It is to this place that daily we go in the silence of our own minds to commune with the Spirit that is both around us and within us.”
I am grateful to experience the world as my sanctuary. I feel blessed to know God’s unconditional love and grace exist wherever I am.
“When you are inclined to wonder how thoughts and words of love can do much good in resolving various problems, remind yourself that loving words and thoughts seem supercharged with the power to produce good.” – Catherine Ponder
Awareness is everything. I noticed how easily I can be distracted — by ever-changing events around the world, illness updates from friends and family, and whatever the media considers ‘breaking news’ to be at the moment. I am continually having to shift my awareness and attention to focus on life’s goodness and grace.
I am grateful for author Catherine Ponder’s words, reminding us we can shift feelings and experiences when we invoke the healing power of love.
Speak this wisdom from Catherine Ponder aloud and repeat frequently throughout the day.
“Divine Love, expressing through me, now draws to me all that is needed to make me happy and my life complete.”
If you find yourself caught up in the conditions and drama of the world:
“I praise Divine Love that there is a strong, wise way out of this dilemma.”
If you are having challenges with a difficult person:
“I fully and freely release and forgive. I loose and let go all ill feeling. Divine Love produces the perfect result now.”
“True love is made of four elements: loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.” –Thich Nant Hanh
When I married my husband Laurence, I knew he was living with polycythemia vera, a rare type of blood cancer. He was managing his symptoms with meds and regular doctor visits. We were convinced that love was more powerful than the disease and that we would not let his diagnosis interfere with our lives. Until it did…
We knew whatever time we had was precious. We never discussed it, but there was a sense of living in the present moment and not taking anything for granted. We had our share of quarrels and arguments but we resolved them quickly and made a pact to never go to bed angry. We appreciated every day and activity. I am so grateful for every moment we shared together. He may not be here physically, but I am so aware of his loving energy.
Lately I’ve been thinking about how precious life is. Everyday for everyone. Our time here on earth is so brief. What if we truly lived knowing our time is limited? What would life be like if we lived with an intention to love and treated each other with respect and appreciation? What if we let disagreements and differences fall away and found a sense of peace—for ourselves and others?
I lost several beloveds this year: my spiritual teacher and friend, Rev. Dr. Marcia Sutton; my beautiful friend, Georgena Grace: my wonderful Aunt Dorothy who took an interest in everything I did; my lovely friend Charlotte, and several other friends and family members. They left before I could tell them what an impact they had on my life and how much I appreciate them.
I live in an awareness of deep gratitude every day. My intention is to live as love to the best of my ability, and to forgive myself when I mess up. I intend to let others know they make a difference in my life. I choose to see love in everyone I meet.
When I need help remembering, I use this prayer from Paul Selig: “On this day I choose to know my worth in love. On this day I decide to know the worth of all in love, regardless of my previous perceptions of them. On this day I know that all are worthy of love, and my sight, my expression affirms this every moment of my waking day. I know that this is so.”
“Healing isn’t just about a wound having the strength to close. Healing is also about a heart finding the courage to reopen again..”
– John Roedel
Physical wounds are obvious. We can see the cut, clean and bandage it and allow it to heal. Emotional wounds are much more difficult. We cannot see them and they often unknowingly direct and influence our thinking. Thoughts become emotions and emotions dictate our actions.
On the spiritual journey, our work is to be the observer and be aware of our thoughts, emotions, and reactions. As the observer, we are empowered to respond rather than react.
In his book Soul Awakening Practice, James O’Dea states that most of the time we don’t understand our emotions and we try to manipulate and control the outside world so that we won’t be faced with uncomfortable emotions. The wounds of our past are often running our present circumstances and they can limit our relationships and experiences.
There are a few helpful steps we can take to heal emotional wounds:
Be willing to look at the emotional upset. Just like a physical wound, we have to examine what is troubling us and bring it into the light to be healed.
Be willing to let go. Lay down any anger, separation, or belief and observe the situation in a new light. Be willing to forgive.
Be willing to write a new story. Claim your good and declare what you want.
We often struggle with how to forgive and let go. But the good news is — we don’t have to figure it out. We can surrender to Spirit and be willing for a new story to emerge. Give thanks for the gift of awareness and allow the wound to dissolve and peace to emerge.
I am grateful for this simple prayer practice from James O’Dea’s book, Soul Awakening Practice.
Our Wisdom of the Heart retreat was another wonderful experience of joyful connections. We arrived a bit weary, rattled and stressed from our busy lives. And we left uplifted, renewed, and realigned with the presence of love.
Here is some of what the retreat sisters shared:
–The retreat gave me a chance to look at what is really going on in my life. I received prayers and tools that I can use everyday to further open myself up to the gifts the Divine has already made available to me.
–As a new person to the group, I was amazed at the immediate acceptance and welcome into this amazing circle of women.
–The prayer night affected me profoundly. There was a powerful presence that surrounded us.
–Every day was filled with wisdom and tools to take home. And the music was awesome!
–Big love to Lauri for bringing such heartfelt, spiritual musical beauty to our experience.
–First time attendee and I will return. Rev Christine is an excellent facilitator responding to our needs.
–I always appreciate the flow of practices, the opportunities for sharing, and the balance of downtime. I do not have many opportunities to step out of my life to be supported in this deep work and I am so grateful that you continue to offer this transformative time.
–Each retreat has taken me deeper in finding the “real” me. The support of my “sisters’ is beyond anything I can imagine.
–I loved the whole retreat! I arrived rattled from the noise and clutter and found peace.
–Spending time in an old growth forest with heart-centered women led by Rev Christine is a gift for your soul.
–The retreat is a respite from the overwhelming cultural demands. It helps calm the spirit within and to know more clearly who you are.
Save the date for next year’s retreat: October 19 – 22, 2025.
“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” – Ruth Baer Ginsburg
I’ve been so inspired watching the determination, grit, and drive of the athletes at the Olympic games. Many of them have moved through so many physical, mental and emotional challenges to be there. To hear the stories of devotion of the athlete’s persistence and support of their families and friends is amazing.
I was especially in awe of watching Katie Ledecky swim the 1500 m freestyle. When she was previously interviewed she was asked how she stayed focused. She said she trained herself to not let any negative thoughts distract her from her goal. She monitors her self talk and has trained her inner voice to be a motivational speaker. So while she’s swimming, her only thoughts are ones to empower her to keep going, past pain, doubt, and limitation.
Wow! What a dedicated spiritual practice! Most days I can start out with a positive mindset, but my thoughts so easily revert to what’s not working or what I didn’t get done. Watching her persistence and determination was a reminder of the importance of staying focused and take one step at a time.
Disappointment, illness, financial challenges, loss are all life experiences we have at one time or another. Part of the practice is to acknowledge the pain and emotion and not bury it. Feel the feelings, talk about the pain, acknowledge the sadness. Have patience as you move through the process. Be gentle with yourself and your self talk. Reach out and talk with a friend. Know that this too shall pass.
After Katie finished her event, she told her a reporter that she let her mind wander near the end of the race. Her thoughts went to all the people who helped her achieve her success, and she was appreciating each of them. She ended the race with gratitude, humility and grace and a gold medal!
Feeling gratitude for even the smallest awareness helps to lift us up. Feeling grateful changes our vibration and allows us to be fully present. I am reminded of this quote from Melodie Beattie, “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more.”
What are you grateful for today? Is there an Olympic athlete that inspires you?
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