Live as if you liked yourself, and it may happen.
--Marge Piercy

The mind and body are famous for holding the heart ransom.
--Hafiz

You are closer to glory leaping an abyss than upholstering a rut.
---James Broughton

At every crossroad be prepared to bump into wonder.
---James Broughton

Sounds
Karen Hagen, Fall 2006
(Karen offered this opening reflection at the Spiritual Directors annual Fall Gathering, Sounds, Songs and Rhythm: Portals to the Spirit.) Sounds.
Sounds of nature.
Sounds of the day.
Sounds of silence.

Sounds that weave themselves into our being. Sounds that call us out!

Sounds that open us to the holy.
Sounds then, we hear now.
Sounds that trigger a memory or touch a longing.
Olds sounds, new sounds.
Body-mind-soul sounds.

The sound of your own voice.

Are there times you remember a sound calling you back or framing something new?

….a musical note or melody, a phone ringing or radio playing, a bird chirping or brook babbling, a voice whispering/clearly speaking/shouting/singing?

Are there times you remember a sound calling you back or framing something new?

….a drum or rhythm, a bowl singing or baby crying, a train chugging by or waves lapping the shore? ….the sound of your breath, your heart, your hope? A quiet holy hush?

Sounds.
Sound of nature.
Sounds of the day.
Sounds of silence.
The sound of being one….you and the holy.

As part of the 2005 Annual Appeal, friends of The Center to BE were invited to write brief reflections in response to the question:

What is your spiritual experience of receiving through giving?

Here are the thoughtful replies of those who accepted this invitation to share their insights with our readers.

Awakening

In the early morning darkness, in that mysterious space between sleep and wakefulness, I become aware of Emma, rising from her scruffy brown blanket, padding lightly to the bedside. No sound, no movement, just the absolute awareness of her presence. My hand lazily slips from the blankets. Emma begins to lick my hand, first gently, little kisses caressing my fingers, then longer, more generous lapping into the palm of my hand. My hand dangles, suspended, receptive. I am now closer to waking than sleeping, to awareness that comes with touch and smell.

With magical motions, she turns her head so that my hand is now on top of her head, seeking the touch, the tickle, the reassurance of response. My fingers trace the outline first of one ear, then the other, the exquisite sensation of flesh on soft, silken fur. Another turn of the head and she has placed my hand under her chin. Now I am giving and she is receiving, the long-awaited, multi-fingered rub at the scruff of the neck that makes our blood flow. I am awake but still have not opened my eyes, the last vestige of sleep. Our day has begun with the sacred consciousness of one another. I lie in the morning darkness with the stark awareness of life.

Momentarily, I push back the blankets. We rise together to greet the day. My uplifted arms mirror Emma's long body stretch. We move into the early morning, mindful of the start of a new day. My spirit calls me to pay attention, to embrace the stillness, to enter the creating and sustaining Mystery of life in which giving and receiving are one continuous cycle. How can I give if I do not receive? How can I live fully if I do not rise daily to a more profound awareness of the needs all around me? How can I be of service to others if I do not first celebrate the gift of life? It begins with each new day......in the mysterious space when darkness turns to light and gratitude turns to action.

Contributed by Nancy Anderson, Sheboygan, WI

“The only thing that comes back to you is what you give away.” This line stayed with me after listening to a story on public radio. The man was talking about learning generosity from his father, a victim of Hurricane Katrina. His father was a great cook who always shared his famous gumbo with both his friends and anyone passing on the street.

Giving isn’t always easy for me; it’s something I have to ponder. I envy people who give their time and money, seemingly without a second thought. But like anything else, generosity becomes easier when I practice.

Simple acts like passing along a book to someone who would enjoy reading it or giving a few dollars to a stranger in need bring a sense of freedom that I didn’t expect. When I hold on too tight to anything, it becomes a burden and complicates my life. The freedom comes when I “unburden” by letting go of my attachment to possessions.

Recently I came across a beautiful hand-dyed blue scarf in my drawer that I had not worn. While it was lovely, it was wrong size for one outfit, or the wrong color for another. The scarf sat on top of my dresser for a few days while I decided how to use it. Then I realized it was not for me to use at all. I thought of a friend going through chemotherapy for breast cancer. She was losing her hair and could make much better use of this scarf.

Now I wonder who could make better use of other things that I currently own. What freedom could come with giving more away? After all, if the man’s father was right, what I need will come back to me.

Contributed by Bonnie Andrews, Milwaukee, WI

Thirty years ago I found myself at an impasse. Working on a doctorate in Literature at Notre Dame, I was close to the finish line (dissertation stage) when I hit "writers' block," calling into question everything academic. I decided to take the summer of 1967 "off" to serve in Appalachia, to experience mountain life, to simply BE. Not to be a grad student, a teacher, a writer, but just to BE.

Somehow, though, I found myself recording an oral history, writing newspaper articles about local organizing groups, potluck suppers and wellness workshops. Phone calls from my graduate school friends and professors would sometimes end with: "Are you making any progress on your dissertation?" To which I would quickly change the subject.

One summer evening at a potluck supper in Big Stone Gap, Tennessee, an elderly woman stopped me and asked: "You're the writer, aren't you?" At that moment the writers' block melted away. I realized that she was right. I said, "Yes," and the rest is history. I returned to my studies in the fall, wrote the dissertation, and have spent the intervening years teaching literature and writing. I didn't stay in Appalachia as I thought I might, but Appalachia stayed with me. That mountain woman gently led me back to my life. She gave me permission to reclaim my gifts. Indeed she was the gift!

In the morning, I often walk to the park near my home on the shore of Lake Michigan. As the sun rises, I settle into God in the rhythm of the waves, so like the breath of the earth. This is the time that I center in Spirit so that I can open my heart for the day's work of busy attention to many tasks and so little time for rest and reflection. As I open my heart in this reassuring breath of God, I open to the many ways in which I can give and to the ways the world gives back to me. Now I wonder who could make better use of other things that I currently own. What freedom could come with giving more away? After all, if the man’s father was right, what I need will come back to me.

Contributed by Mary Beth Duffey, Wauwatosa, WI

My attention to the muscles of my chest as it rises and falls with the waves is my invitation to Spirit to open me. Without this opening I would be separated from God and separated from my path of learning to love the world and all that is in it. I could not experience communion with God with a heart closed to the diversity of experience each day brings. When the opening comes, by grace, I experience the motion of Divine Truth as it enters me fully and enlivens me for the day ahead.

How could I experience the beauty of the people and activities of the day without an open heart? The gift I receive in being able to open my heart to those I meet throughout the day is a depth of experience of Divine Truth in each one of them and in myself. My spiritual joy is in being in the Truth, whether suffering, joy, or the middle road of steady sameness. As I walk in this Truth throughout the day, my cup is replenished with the "the universally available present reality," the Holy All That Is, where I find my strength, and I am grateful.

Contributed by Elizabeth Evans, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Receiving through Giving……

I got a hug last night. I dropped off a purse that an elderly client had left at the day center. It wasn’t far off my usual route home, so my sacrifice wasn’t really great. The purse was empty – it always was – but for this client, who suffers from dementia, the purse was an anchor. Without it, her daughter said, she becomes agitated and frightened. The daughter was so very thankful that her family could now avert what would otherwise have been a difficult evening and a long night. With very little sacrifice on my part, I was the recipient of a wave of gratitude that will warm my heart for a long time to come. What I did – as small a gesture as it was – mattered.

The lessons learned are many. What seems a small gesture may loom very large in the eyes of the recipient. It is, after all, the recipient who determines the value of the gift received – and it is the wise recipient who knows and understands both the giver’s intentions and the giver’s abilities in valuing the gift. It is the giver who must be open to and recognize the gratitude, who must listen and feel and experience the depth of the thanks, however it is expressed. An empty purse may have worth beyond measure; being warmed by a blanket of gratitude clearly has worth beyond measure.

Contributed by Barbara Moore, Germantown, WI

Overtip – It Makes a Great Day Even Better

This summer my wife, Leanore, and I made a trip to Door County. While driving there Leanore was reading an article in Good Housekeeping Magazine titled “Remedies for Rotten Days.” She found it so enlightening that she read it aloud and we started discussing some of its suggestions.

That evening we went out for dinner. We had a coupon for a buy-one get-one-free dining experience at a nice restaurant. When our bill came, the waitress included a calculation of a suggested tip on the check. I was insulted by this approach. We had received good service and I was planning to leave a reasonable tip based on the total value of the two dinners. As I sat there starting to get a little warm under the collar, I thought of the article we had discussed earlier that afternoon. The second suggestion in the list of remedies for a rotten day was: “Over tip – A small act of generosity not only brings a spot of pleasure into a hard-working person’s life, it also floods your body with feel-good hormones.”

I decided that despite the fact that I felt insulted I was going to over tip this waitress and so I took her suggested tip and doubled it. I was amazed at how quickly this decision worked its wonder in me. As soon as I made the decision I felt good all over. We were still getting a wonderful dinner for a very reasonable price and I realized that I was providing a surprise and a blessing for a waitress who had provided us with very good service.

I thanked Leanore for sharing the article with me and we both found that this simple act of generosity gave us great pleasure and joy.

Contributed by Alan Rommelfanger, Oshkosh, WI

My experience with receiving through giving is still developing. I can tell you that my experience with organized religion and giving is not very good. I remember as a child hearing my parents debate about how much more they should give. I grew up in a poor farm family in a rather wealthy community. To make matters worse the church published a directory of what every member of our congregation gave over the entire year. Needless to say, during most of the years I grew up we were near the very bottom and I felt embarrassed when the annual "giving" book came out.

After starting college when I came home I would throw a few dollars in the collection plate, instead of filling in the little envelopes with my name and amount like I had used when I was living at home. This would upset my mother because the family wasn't getting credit for my unrecorded anonymous gift. The idea of the privacy of an anonymous gift always appealed to me -- maybe it was because of a movie I saw staring Rock Hudson as a spoiled rich kid who got into all kinds of trouble by misinterpreting the secret of anonymous giving he had just learned from a kindly older gentleman. Eventually, Rock learns that your motivation for giving is as important as not taking credit for it (it took a beautiful and forgiving Loretta Young to make that happen).

I'm not sure how old I was when I saw the movie, and I can't say I've learned its lesson. Giving without expecting something in return has not been very evident in my life. I expect friends to do for me what I have done for them. Return on investment has pretty much been my attitude and guiding principle. The fact that my nephew has M.S. probably influenced me to do some volunteer work for the national M.S. organization, just so I could impress him with my contribution in fighting M.S. Much to my surprise, however, I have not yet told my nephew of my volunteer work, and I just might not tell him ever. Why this change of heart?

It just might have something to do with the fact that I just started volunteering this year as a member of the Board of the Center to BE and the kind of work that is being done by caring and authentic people is inspirational to observe close up. When you think of others first you become aware of receiving a spiritual energy that can enlighten your life.

Contributed by Dave Rupnow, Racine, WI

…if heaven is any kind of a heaven at all 
it is a place where 
the true worth of our gifts 
comes clear 
even to us 
---Tony Sayer 

Peace doesn't mean being in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means being in the midst of those things and still being clam in your heart.

We tend to think that work is the only activity we have in which we are using time well.

If you want to rich, give; If you want to be poor, grasp. If you want abundance, scatter; If you want to be needy, hoard.

All streams flow to the sea because it is lower than they are. Humility gives it its power. Lao-tzu in Tao Te Ching

In the torment of the insufficiency of everything attainable we come to understand that there, in this life, all symphonies remain unfinished. Karl Rahner

…the truth we all seek is found not in isolation from those who differ from us, but in dialogue with them.
Tom Stella in A Faith Worth Believing

We are challenged to live in the time between “no longer” and “not yet”.
Joan Borysenko

We don’t need to learn to let go; we need to recognize when something is already gone.
Suzuki Roshi

God is patient with the slow pace of the soul’s change.
Jennifer Hoffman

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye." 

We are closer to God when we are asking questions than when we think we have the answers.
--Rabbi Abraham Heschel

There is no passion to be found playing small-in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
--Nelson Mandela

Dwell as near as possible to the channel in which your life flows.
--Henry David Thoreau

Living Eulogy
She danced.
She sang, she took.
She gave
She served.
She loved.
She created.
She dissented.
She enlivened.
She saw. She grew.
She sweated.
She changed.
She learned.
She laughed.
She shed her skin.
She bled on the pages of her days,
She walked through walls,
She lived with intention.

--Mary Anne Radmacher-Hershey - 1919

It is unlikely that we will deepen our relationship with God in a casual or haphazard manner. There will be a need for some intentional commitment and some reorganization in our own lives. But there is nothing that will enrich our lives more than a deeper and clearer perception of God's presence in the routine of daily living.
--William O. Paulsell

All human nature vigorously resists grace, because grace changes us and change is painful. 
--Flannery O'Connor

The most overlooked feature of genuine humility is the quiet acceptance of our strengths-those qualities God-given which are just as surely ours as our limitations and weaknesses.
--Ronald V. Wells

We are waking up to the fact that we don't live in front of the earth as if it were a stage set. We are part of it. its imbalances are being felt in our bodies and spirits.
--Elizabeth Roberts in Embracing Our Essence by Susan Skog

Ultimately, our spiritual lives are a gift of grace that comes to us not only by our work and intent, but out of the pure love of God for creation.
--Joan Borysenko in Embracing Our Essence by Susan Skog

The degree to which you get sick in your life is the degree to which what you say you believe and how you live your life differ from each other.
--Christiane Northrup, M.D. in Embracing Our Essence by Susan Skog

You Americans, you have mastered the art of living with the unacceptable. 
--Breyten Breytenbach in Embracing Our Essence by Susan Skog

We just have to realize we're all spiritual and any denial of that is denial.
--Alexandra Stoddard in Embracing Our Essence by Susan Skog

We forget that "no" can be an answer.
--Madeleine L'Engle in Embracing Our Essence by Susan Skog 

If you can give up the sense that life is a linear journey and see there is another dimension to life where time is not linear but eternal, then you can begin to put the spiritual component back into your life.
--Bonnie Steinberg in Embracing Our Essence by Susan Skog

God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. 
--Lawrence Kushner

All you need is deep within waiting to unfold and reveal itself.
--Eileen Caddy

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. 
-Nelson Henderson

We can be grateful because we are happy, but we can also be happy because we are grateful. 
--Roger Walsh, MD, 

A good time is a taste of God. 
--John Aurelio

The mystic is perpetually busy with thank-you notes---written, spoken, sung and lived.
---Edward Hays

The tree the tempest with a crash of wood 
Throws down in front of us is not to bar 
Our passage to our journey's end for good 
But just to ask us who we think we are 
--Robert Frost "On a Tree Fallen Across the Road" 

No one can celebrate 
a genuine Christmas 
without being truly poor. 
The self-sufficient, the proud, 
those who, because they have 
everything, look down on others, 
those who have no need 
even of God-for them there 
will be no Christmas. 
Only the poor, the hungry, 
those who need someone 
to come on their behalf, 
will have that someone. 
That someone is God. 
Emmanuel. God-with-us. 
Without poverty of spirit 
there can be no abundance of God. 
--Oscar Romero

Friendship is the inexpressible comfort 
of feeling safe with a person, 
having neither to weigh thoughts 
nor to measure words 
but pouring all out, 
just as they are, 
chaff and grain together, 
certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, 
keeping what is worth keeping 
and with a breath of kindness 
blow the rest away. 
--translated by Dinah Maria Mullock Craik

May there be peace within today; 
May you trust your highest power that you are 
exactly where you are meant to be; 
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. 
May you use those gifts that you have received, and 
Pass on the love that has been given to you… 
May you be content knowing you are a child of God…. 
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow 
Your soul the freedom to sing, dance and to bask in the sun… 
It is there for each and every one of you… 
--St. Therese

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway….

Haiku Expressions of Capacitar Experience

Capacitar
Strangers finding friends 
Following a common path 
In search of ourselves

Tai Chi
Bodies in motion 
Dance a soulful, swaying prayer 
For our wounded earth

Massage
Touching and stroking, 
Finding flesh of the body 
Massages spirit

Labyrinth
Partners in silence, 
Reaching a destination 
By going nowhere

Feng Shui
Looking at life space, 
Transforming the energy 
Into safe shelter

Pal Dan Gum
Lunging bodies meet 
Warrior stances and shouts 
As the lion roars

Finger Holds
Sweet, simple comfort 
Discovered in our own hands 
By just holding on

Breathwork
Conscious awareness, 
Listening for the rhythm, 
Inhaling life's grace

Polarity
A barely felt touch, 
Relaxing and pulsing points, 
Connecting the calm

River of Life
Drawing on the past 
As currents of memories 
Carry us to shore

EFT
Can you believe it? 
Tapping fingers relieve our fears, 
Awaken our trust

Chakras
Discovering self 
In a vibrant explosion 
Of rainbow hued truths

Pat Cane
Pure serenity 
In a mellow, calming voice, 
Showing us the way

--Janice Weinfurt, Training in Healing and Transformation, 2003

We join spokes together in a wheel, 
but it is the center hole 
that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot, 
but it is the emptiness inside 
that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house 
but it is the inner space 
that makes it livable.

We work with being, 
but non-being is what we use. 
--The Tao Te Ching

Heavenly Father, heavenly Mother, 
Holy and blessed is your true name. 
We pray for your reign of peace to come, 
We pray that your good will be done, 
Let heaven and earth become one. 
Give us this day the bread we need, 
Give it to those who have none. 
Let forgiveness flow like a river between us, 
From each one to each one. 
Lead us to holy innocence 
Beyond the evil of our days 
Come swiftly Mother, Father, come. 
For yours is the power and the glory and the mercy: 
Forever your name is All in One.

-- Parker J. Palmer 
in Peace Prayers 
edited by Carrie Leadingham, Joann E. Moschella, and Hilary M. Vartanian

You, the one 
From whom on different paths 
All of us have come.

To whom on different paths 
All of us are going. 
Make strong in our hearts what unites us;

Build bridges across all that divides us; 
United make us rejoice in our diversity.

At one in our witness to your peace, 
A rainbow of your glory. 
Amen.

-- Brother David Steindl-Rast 
in Prayers for a Thousand Years 
edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon

Do not be afraid

Fear is a huge obstacle in the lives of many people. It stops us going where we want to go. It stops us doing the right thing. It stops us from speaking out when something is wrong. Fear stops us reaching out to people, stops us trusting. It is a block to having free, open, loving relationships with others. Jesus knew this, and liberating us from this fear was clearly a vital part of his mission. In the gospels, we hear him say "do not be afraid" no less than nineteen times. Fear can be just as much an obstacle in prayer, in my relationship with God. I may be afraid of what I find if I look honestly at myself, or afraid of what I might let myself in for if I begin a conversation with God that I am not in complete control of. But God, who knows me better than I know myself, loves me passionately despite all my faults. I have nothing to fear from opening myself to God - I have only to reach out and accept God's loving embrace.

--Sacred Space website www.jesuits.ie

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back. 
--Maya Angelou

Worth / $20 Bill

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the $20 dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE. You are special - Don't EVER forget it."

First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others. 
--Thomas A. Kempis

If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies. 
--Moshe Dayan

To create peace, we have to be peaceful. We must do a personal disarmament. The only way to be peaceful is to concentrate on what brings us peace. 
--Christiane Northrup

Once we characterize our adversaries as beyond the scope of God's mercy and grace, their lives lose all value. 
--Jimmy Carter

"There is no way to peace; peace is the way." 
--A. J. Muste

We can begin to express love within our daily lives. When more and more of us awaken our hearts to universal love, harmony and peace will prevail on earth. 
--Masami Saionji

If you love peace then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed-but hate these things inside yourself, not in another. 
--Mahatma Gandhi

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. 
--Mother Teresa

The earth is too small a star and we too brief a visitor upon it, for anything to matter more than the struggle for peace. 
--Coleman McCarthy

We who work for peace must not falter. We must continue to pray for peace and to act for peace in whatever way we can, we must continue to speak for peace and to live the way of peace; to inspire others, we must continue to think of peace and to know that peace is possible. 
--Peace Pilgrim

Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing. 
--Arundhati Roy

Deep peace of the running wave to you. 
Deep peace of the flowing air to you. 
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you. 
Deep peace of the shining stars to you. 
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you. 
--adapted from ancient gaelic runes

If there is to be peace in the world, 
There must be peace in the nations. 
If there is to be peace in the nations, 
There must be peace in the cities. 
If there is to be peace in the cities, 
There must be peace between neighbors. 
If there is to be peace between neighbors, 
There must be peace in the home. 
If there is to be peace in the home, 
There must be peace in the heart. 
--Chinese Philospher, Lao Tse - 6th Century BCE

You must be the change you wish to see in the world. 
--Mahatma Gandhi

A Call to Peace
Lord, help us to lead our world in the ways of justice and peace.Help us to be at peace with ourselves, our families, friends and neighbours. May peace not conflict arise from our hearts wherever we go. Help us to be active peacemakers - to bring peace into the world by whatever means we are able. Help us never to stand back and watch people suffer, but to look for solutions in the smallest and the largest situations. May our peace be a sign of strength and not of weakness, that others may follow peace with peace. Amen. 
--Fleur Dorrell, Mothers' Union

…in the end we are all doomed to imitate the kind of God we believe in. If our god is tiny-spirited and mean, quick to be judgmental, easily disappointed, we have no choice but to be the same. If there is a no-matter-whatness to your love, and if that is how your God is, then you have no choice but to be that way with each other.
--Greg Boyle, S.J.

We are all exactly what God had in mind when God made us. 
--Greg Boyle, S.J.

We don't think our way into a new way of living, We live our way into a new way of thinking. 
--Richard Rohr

Subject: GUIDANCE from an anonymous e-mail source

When I meditated on the word guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other. My eyes drew back to the word guidance. When I saw "G," I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i." "God, "u" and "i" dance." God, you, and I dance. This statement is what guidance means to me. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead. My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies be upon you and your family on this day and everyday. May you abide in God as God abides in you. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.

"It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a community; a community practicing understanding and loving kindness, a community practicing mindful living. This may be the most important thing we can do for the survival of the Earth." 
--Thich Nhat Hanh

We can't be creative if we refuse to be confused. Change always starts with confusion; cherished interpretations must dissolve to make way for the new. 
--Margaret Wheatley in Turning to One Another, 2002

Prayer for Peace

[O loving God], help us to be the masters of the weapons that threaten to master us.
Help us to use science for peace and plenty, not for war and destruction. 
Show us how to use atomic power to bless our children's children, not to blight them. 
Save us from the compulsion to follow our adversaries in all that we most hate, confirming them in their hatred and suspicion of us. 
Resolve our inner contradictions, which now grow beyond belief and beyond bearing. They are at once a torment and a blessing; for if you had not left us the light of conscience, we would not have to endure them. Teach us to be long-suffering in anguish and insecurity, teach us to wait and trust. 
Grant light, grant strength and patience to all who work for peace. 
Grant us prudence in relation to our power, wisdom in proportion to our science, humaneness in proportion to our wealth and might. 
And bless our earnest will to help all races and peoples to travel, in friendship with us, along the road to justice, liberty and lasting peace.

(This is an excerpt from a prayer, written by Thomas Merton, which was read in the House of Representatives by Congressman Frank Kowalski on April 12, 1962, the Wednesday in Holy Week.)

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING
(Written by a former child)

A message every adult should read, because children are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one. When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals. When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God. When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given. When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry. When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up. When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, "Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking."

Each of us (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher or friend) influence the life of a child. How will you touch the life of someone today?

Let us walk where there is no road. 
The road is made by walking. 
--Antonio Machado

Silence is the language God speaks and everything else is a bad translation. 
--Thomas Keating

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: It would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. 
--C. S. Lewis

When we sense that God is asking us to serve Him in a new and unfamiliar way, we should never say no simply because we feel inadequate. We may say, "We have only a few loaves," but the Lord replies, "Trust me. They are more than enough." 
--Unknown

Spirituality is not a private search for what is highest in oneself but a communal search for the face of God. 
--Ronald Rolheiser

"There are moments in life when all that we can bear is the sense that our friends are near; our wounds would wince at consoling words that would reveal the depths of our pain." 
--Honore de Balzac

Palms Down, Palms Up Prayer

Sit quietly.

Breathe deeply and slowly.

With palms of your hands facing down on your lap, ask to let go of all that is weighing you down, all that feels painful, all that holds you back. You may or may not be able to name what these things are. Feel the energy flow out of your hands.

Continue to breathe deeply and slowly.

Then, turn your palms up and ask to receive whatever you need to be faithful to your path, to act with integrity, to persevere despite difficulties. You may or may not be able to name what these things are. Feel the energy flow into your open hands.

This practice can be done in the morning before the work of the day, throughout the day when difficulty arises, or in the evening before sleep.

(with thanks to Carl Koch)

Last summer, The Center to BE Reads chose the book, I Will Not Die an Unlived Life by Dawna Markova. Many of its chapters are designed around questions for reflecting on our purpose and passion in life. A good question can open us to new insights and possibilities even as it can lead to uncovering things about ourselves we have not been able or willing to acknowledge. We offer several of her questions for you to consider with friends, pray over or journal about during the coming months.

She introduces these questions by quoting from author Rachel Naomi Remen: “We are not broken, we are just unfinished.”
· What’s unfinished for me to give?
· What’s unfinished for me to heal?
· What’s unfinished for me to learn?
· What’s unfinished for me to experience?

A Personal Experience of Capacitar
October, 2001

My name is Leanore Rommelfanger. I was a member of the first group to go through the year-long Capacitar training with Pat Cane through The Center to BE. Before taking the training for Capacitar, my husband Alan and I attended two of the day-long workshops on wellness practices. I knew from those workshops that the training would be a challenge for me. I felt like I was stepping into territory where I was not qualified because I knew there would be people participating with degrees and qualifications that I did not have. I was a stay at home mom, worked part time and I did not feel I had much to offer. Even after the first weekend I felt overwhelmed.

As part of the training we were required to start a group and share the practices we were learning. I was petrified of having to speak in front of a group. While in prayer one night just before we started teaching, I was praying that I did not feel that I was capable of doing what I was being asked to do. The Lord then told me that like Peter I should step out of the boat and walk to Him. I could see the reflection of the moon on the water. I cannot say that I never get nervous before one of our sessions, but I now know that the Lord is working through me and I am just His instrument.

When I do Tai Chi with a group it becomes like a prayer for me and over time I have become more comfortable being with a group. Alan and others have commented that I have grown. I like to think that I am realizing my God-given talents, talents I did not know I possessed and have kept hidden from others and myself. Learning about the chakras has made me aware that I have been hiding behind other peoples' power and/or trying to use their power. I have learned that I have power within me that I can tap into and use and the Lord is showing me how to do that.

Since completing the training for CAPACITAR, Alan and I have been working with Affinity Health Care, presenting two five week sessions incorporating Scripture, Tai Chi and other wellness practices in workshops here in Oshkosh and in Neenah. I have also helped Sister Judy, our parish administrator, conduct a weekend retreat for forty-seven women.

Blessed

Blessed are you who take the time, 
To listen to me, 
For you help me to know that 
If I persevere, 
I can be understood. 
Blessed are you who never tell me to "hurry up"; 
Or take my tasks from me, 
For I often need time or rest rather than help. 
Blessed are you who stand beside me 
As I enter new and untried ventures 
For my failures make me strong. 
Blessed are you who ask for my help, 
For my greatest need is to be needed. 
Blessed are you who understand that 
It is difficult for me 
To put my thoughts into words. 
Blessed are you who help me to my feet 
When I fall. 
Blessed are you who with a smile, 
Encourage me to try once more. Blessed are you who never remind me 
That today I asked the same question twice. 
Blessed are you who respect me 
And love me just the way I am. 
Because of you 
I am blessed.

~Kathleen Foster 
5/23/01 
(Kathleen was diagnosed with MS several months before writing this prayer.)

The Ten Commandments Now

1st Honor and respect everyone and everything as perfect manifestations of the UNITY which IS - Our Creator. 
2nd Accept all living beings as they are, neither harming them nor restricting their freedom. Do not kill or harm any living being needlessly. Give thanks and honor to living beings which make sacrifices for your well being. 
3rd Use your talents creatively, doing what gives you genuine joy. Each of us has unique talents that we must use to be truly happy. Using those talents will in turn bring us abundance. 
4th Embrace, heal, strengthen, and discipline your physical body. It is the clay that manifests who you are, and can be shaped at will. You are what you think, and what you eat and drink. 
5th Explore the possibilities life offers to the fullest. Choose adventure over boredom, love over safety. Make mistakes and learn from them. Suffer and thereby deepen your capacity to love. 
6th Provide service to your fellow beings and your community. Use your time and talents (not just your wealth) to make life better for others and for your larger social network. 
7th Strive to improve yourself. Based on your understanding of yourself, set personal goals to develop old and new talents, overcome your weaknesses, broaden your understandings, and enhance your wisdom. 
8th Accept what is. Recognize that what surrounds you is perfect and cannot be otherwise. Accept responsibility for the fruits of your actions, and seek harmonious and honorable ways to negotiate the challenges. 
9th Protect and further the natural world. Each of us must do our part to maintain and enhance our planet and its riches in a state of balance and beauty. 
10th Seek the stillness of the Void within yourself. What we see as nothing is the source and context of all things - pure potentiality. When we become empty, we are filled with the abundant blessings of the universe, and flow into our true natures. 
Sylvia Reed