Speaking of Spirit

  Being Pyotr Ilyich: Tchaikovsky’s Inner Life, Revealed by Himself 130 Years Later , a spiritual memoir by Chris Nielsen that delves into past-live regression and the journey a soul takes through life. The following is a memoir of my own. Many years ago, I took a trip to the Provence. When we arrived in Arles, I knew exactly where I was, as if coming home after a long time away. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning.  When I was a little girl, I loved looking at art books. I was one of the few children allowed to go into the adult section of the library in my hometown. Art books called to me along with books on people from around the world. One day, as I was thumbing through a book on Impressionism, I came upon the section on Vincent Van Gogh. The minute I saw, Vincent’s “Starry Night” something inside me clicked. I just sat studying the painting, running my small fingers over the images on the page. I knew this painting was mine; it was painted for ...

Over the years, I have written and spoken about our need to love others without making exceptions. Today, our world needs to remember that this idea - to love one another - is not just a Christian concept. In fact, this is an ideal that has been passed down the generations for millienniums.  The following is a list in chronilogical order of that same ideal (said differently, but meaning the same) from around the world.  Hinduism: 3200 BCE , From the Hitopadesa - "One should always treat others as they themselves wish to be treated."  Judaism: 1300 BCE , from the Old Testament, Leviticus 19:18 - "Thou shalt Love thy neighbor as thyself."  Zoroastrianism: 600 BCE, From the Shast-na-shayast 13:29 - "Whatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto others." Confucianism: 557 BCE, From the Analects 15:23 - "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others."  Buddhism: 560 BCE, From the Udanavarga 5:18 - "Hurt not others with that...

ICE is out of control. They are not using due process, a right ALL people living in the US are afforded. They are distroying families, putting children in danger by arresting their parents and leaving the children, sometimes infants, behind unattended. They are arresting citizens, people with green cards and anybody else that stands in their way.  In WWII, my father fought against this kind of behavior. He risked his life both in the Mediterranean  and in the Pacific to stop regimes in Germany that terrorized citizens just as ICE is doing. My father and his comrades did not fight in that war so that the people of our country would live in fear. Thanks to all those demostrating and pushing back. There is no honor in what ICE is doing. Their tactics are pure terrorism. We must stop it immediately.  To all our politicians...For the sake of our country's people and the civil rights of all, stop these people from carrying out orders that break the law, now.  

Queering the American Dream by Angela Yarber is an exciting, funny, heartwarming book full of stories of strong, fierce women who helped inspire Angela and her family as they lived their dream. One of the things that I enjoyed the most about this book was how down to earth and real it was. Angela's stories of the trials and tribulations of crossing the country, camping in a tiny trailer in the wilds of the US with a toddler and dealing with family issues back home left me laughing, crying, and eager to read more. Intertwined with the adventures that Angela and her wife met head on, are the stories of "Subversive Sister Saints," one of which hangs proudly in my living room reminding me daily that I can be fierce, strong, courageous as well as soft, kind, and gentle.  Subversive Sister Saints are the growing collection of paintings created by Angela, an ordained minister, in order to process the pain and hurt of being an openly lesbian clergy. While on the outside, it look...

Today, I have the great pleasure to share my blog with a fellow academic, writer, artist, activist, and minister, Angela Yarber .  Angela and I met online when I was drawn to her "Subversive Sister Saints," one of which now hangs proudly in my living room. I was so impressed with her work and advocacy that I wrote a blog post about her and her art.   You can find it here . However, today is a time for Angela to share some thoughts on why it is important to publish marginalized authors. This is the topic I chose for her to write upon as part of her Women in Writing blog tour for her book, Queering the American Dream .  So, without further ado, I welcome my subversive sister, Angela Yarber! ~~~~  Did you know that only 16% of published authors identify as LGBTQIA+? Even worse, only 11% are BIPOC.  As a queer woman, these aren’t simply statistics but my lived reality. And after I had my first seven books published with four different presses, it dawned on me t...

  The following photos were all inspired by the sea and then combined with my words or the words of others. May they inspire, heal, encourage and bring you peace. Blessings!

  Thursday is our Day of Thanks but the next day was the epitome of consumerism – Black Friday. In addition, stores start vying for customers with Christmas sales and what I call the Season of Gimme, Gimme starts. How can we break this cycle?  Tecumseh, the Shawnee Chief said, “When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living.”  Giving thanks helps us to count our blessings and realize the richness of our lives.  When I do spiritual counseling, I often recommend that people begin Gratitude Journals. Over the years, there have been a few folks who have commented on how keeping a Gratitude Journal has helped them realize how blessed they are, in spite of various hardships and traumas.  Working with immigrants and refugees, being involved in several nonprofit organizations, I am acutely aware of just how privileged we are. Even with all the up and downs of the economy, ...

We welcome Christian author, Ivonne Morgan. Ivonne shares her wisdom on how Christians can deepen their faith in today's world. Her most recent book is, Gypsy for God, the story of a middle-aged woman looking to answer the call to serve, yet doubting she can actually do the work she is feeling driven to complete. How can we deepen our faith in a secular world? First, we must make Christ front and center every day. Some believers try to box God into a Sunday-only God while living with one foot still in the material world. These kinds of Christians make me think about the old bumper stickers: “God is my co-pilot.” Some Christians still believe they can pilot their destiny without Jesus along for the ride. But is that the relationship God wants with His people?  God created us for a relationship with Him. But, He also made us to serve His purpose in the world. The Great Commission Bible verse found in Matthew 28:19-20 sums up God’s purpose for us, to share our faith in Christ with oth...

  Ivonne Morgan has crafted an inspiring tale of how a woman blessed with the ability to recreate herself after retirement finds, through a series of epiphanies, the work she has always felt she was born to do.  Gypsy for God is a work of love and faith. This book looks at the dichotomy between privilege, poverty, disease and the horrors of human trafficking.  Kathleen, the protagonist of the book, not only has to come to grips with her own self-doubts and biases, but she also has to deal with a husband who has trouble seeing through her eyes. However, through deep faith and support, she realizes the path she is to follow as she travels the world, visiting various countries that often take her out of her comfort zone, which in turn opens her eyes and heart to the work she is called to do.  Gypsy for God is about asking ourselves those difficult questions and then listening with an open mind and heart to the answers.  I recommend this book, especiall...

Throughout the past four years, I have become acutely aware of how simply being with others can bring comfort and peace. Sitting beside someone and holding their hand, working together on a project, snuggling grandchildren, and taking walks along the shore or around the neighborhood cost nothing but time.  In today's world, we get so wrapped up in the need to buy gifts, that we forget that the best gift we can give anyone is ourselves. The tiny moments of "you and me" time are priceless, no matter what you are doing together. Be available for others in your life and you will find that you are rich beyond measure. Not monetarily, but rich in love, hope and joy, which are the greatest treasures we could have. Blessings!  

  In our modern times, many people feel unimportant, overlooked and unnecessary. This is the furthest thing from the truth. Each of us is a miracle and each of us, like a snowflake or a grain of sand is necessary to make up the whole of this life.  Being different is what makes our world beautiful. From a distance, the expansiveness of a beach can overlook the fact that millions of grains of sand, each different, come together to line the edges and floor of the sea. Looking up at a white-capped peak, the summit may appear uniform, as if painted, but that whiteness is comprised of millions of small crystalline flakes of ice, each different from the next. From space, Earth appears to be an exquisite blue marble, yet, if we focus in our perspective, we eventually see that it is made up of oceans, continents, rivers, lakes, valleys, plains, cities, towns, villages, forests, woodlands, meadows and millions of creatures and people. Each and every one is unique, mysterious and import...

By Vuvueffino (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons This was first posted here on December 2017. With all that is happing in the world, I thought it was worth reposting. Yesterday was such a lovely day...snow falling, peace-filled moments with my loved ones and joy-filled conversations. But... Once our sacred celebrations are over, w hat happens?   When the stable is empty, the candles are burned down, or the fire is gone cold, what do we do?  Do we simply return to our lives as before?  Or, do we take something from whatever practice we follow to begin anew in the new year?  Do we release the pain and sorrow of the past so that we might travel lightly and with strength into the future, believing that we ARE the change we have been waiting for all this tim e?   The following was written by Rev. Howard Thurman.  I first posted this back in 2012, but I think it bears repeating. The message in this poem is universal and we need to consider it mor...

  News Flash: Dateline, Massachusetts November 5, 2022 Happiness Isn't Found in Other People or Things! Contrary to popular believe, happiness is not found in others. Happiness is found within yourself...you make your own! Money can't buy you happiness. People can't make you happy. Additionally, happiness is not something that last every minute of the day, yet people who ARE happy can find joy in the most unlikely places and times. The first step to being happy is to be in relationships that honor and cherish WHO YOU ARE. Not relationships that try to make you into something else.  Relationships of any kind that hurt you physically, mentally, spiritually or emotionally steal your happiness. GET OUT OF THEM. Some people believe that as long as someone doesn't hit you, then you are not abused. This just isn't true! Mental, spiritual and emotional abuse bruises the mind, tears your soul apart and batters your emotions. Examples of invisible abuse are:  not being able t...

  When my daughter gave me the hanging strawberry plant for Mother's Day, I wasn't expecting to see many strawberries. However, as the days warmed and more blossoms appeared, we had the sweetest, tiniest strawberries you could imagine. June and July were filled with a daily crop of two to four berries - bright red and teaming with deliciousness. This got me thinking of how something so small could be so abundant, which took me into a meditation of all the small, tiny, wee treasures that surround our lives, daily.  How grateful I am for the hummingbirds that come to our feeder. Symbols of joy, they never cease to delight me. The cricket's song is another pleasure that fills my heart and soul with elation. The minute forget-me-nots must be added to my list of small wonders. Bluer than as summer sky, they always remind me of my mother. My list could go on ad infinitum.  As summer begins to wane, I will look for other gifts of abundance in my life to acknowledge, admire and a...

  What is it about humans that we can be the very best when things are horrible? The posts on social media have shown so many brave, tenacious, compassionate people...ordinary people...doing extraordinary things.   In the midst of war, people who just weeks ago were living ordinary lives, are now facing horrors no one should ever have to face. Yet, these same people can find hope in simple things...carriages left on a train platform for mother's escaping the bombings...babies born in train tunnels...grandmothers handing out sunflower seeds to soldiers who have invaded their homes and lives with the message, "Put these in your pocket, so that something good will come of your death." One thing is for sure, I will never look at a sunflower again without thinking of the courage the Ukrainian people are showing the world. I will never look at the yellow and blue colors of their flag without seeing the Babushka's sitting in their colorful scarves while behind them bombs dro...

  During these days of upheaval, turmoil and fear, we need more than ever a strong core - physically, mentally and spiritually.  When we are in balance, when our "core strength" is strong, we are better able to deal with whatever problems arise before us.  I was recently honored to be a guest on my daughter's podcast talking about this.  I pray that as you listen, you will find something that will inspire, inform or enlighten you.  Blessings to all. (Click the link below to listen to Strengthening Your Spiritual Health: The One Percent Better Show) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-141-strengthening-your-spiritual-health/id1455731748?i=1000552064697

Long ago, I was taught about mindfulness - to be aware of what is around me, who is with me, the sounds, the smells and the feelings of things and my response to them. Being "in the moment" is not a state of being that I can maintain always, but I am getting better at being there more often.    Sitting on the patio on a cold, clear, sunny morning, I was mindful of the perfection of that moment in time. Tears of gratitude ran down my cheeks.  Not more than a few minutes later, I read about the fear of war halfway around the world. My spirit instantly filled with the panic my students feel, who still have family and loved ones in harms way. My heart ached for those who I know and love who are military members and their families, now facing the greatest anxiety humans face. My mind raced as I tried to make sense of why humans cannot see that aggression, oppression, greed, and thirst for power is not only wrong, they are deadly - not just to the victims, but to those who perp...