Speaking of Spirit

Taking time away from all that life sends us is difficult. I always find myself putting "down-time" off because something more needs to be accomplished or finished. However, in my later years, I have discovered that this precious time away from work is a great gift.    Over the past two months, I have spent more time in the garden, time with family, and time just sitting in order to connect with Spirit. What I found is that I am calmer, more able to grasp what is important and much happier. Being able to stand in my garden, and really notice the beauty of the flowers, the wonder of how from a tiny seed food to nourish us is grown and the connections to all life has filled me such joy.   Likewise, time with my family after one of the longest times away from them goes beyond words. We held each other longer, listened more carefully, laughed, and sang louder. My cup definitely ran over! As summer winds down, as the days shorten, and as the world begins its next phase of seas...

  “There is a spiritual hunger in the world today - and it cannot be satisfied by material things alone.”   Adlai E. Stevenson, the renowned statesman and ambassador to the United Nations, had a deep spirituality. The quote above is as true today as it was when he first spoke it in his 1956 Democratic acceptance speech. The world still has a deep and unquenched spiritual hunger. Why?  I believe, as Stevenson did, that our priorities are in the wrong places. Too many of us are striving for a better life through material things. However, new cars, bigger houses, the latest technical gadgets and closets full of clothes cannot fill the emptiness in one’s soul. Since COVID, this emptiness has become more apparent due to the lack of things to occupy our minds.  Many of us have never sat alone with ourselves. How do we fill the emptiness? What can we do as we head into the eighth month of this pandemic?  For me, natural beauty of any kind fills my heart and soul ...

Baby Cardinal Outside My Window (c) 2020 Rev. Linda M. Rhinehart Neas   "The older you get, the less sleep you need."  This maxim was quoted to me in my youth by many of my elderly family and friends as an explanation of why they would be "up with the birds." Thing is, I never believed it to be true since many of them took long afternoon naps!   That being the case, I find myself up with the birds today. The sun has hardly crested North Sugarloaf Mountain, and I am wide awake wondering why. After all, at 5:45 it is still fairly dark. The birds singing didn't wake me because I can't hear them until I put in my hearing aids.  So, why am I wide awake?   Some people believe that waking early is a call from Spirit to rise and commune with the Divine.  Not sure if this is so, but I do know that when I find myself up and about in the wee hours, I usually use the time to pray, to write and to appreciate Nature.    Even in the semi-lig...

Out from the Core  (c) 2020 Rev. Linda M. Rhinehart Neas After a Zoom exercise class that my daughter was leading, she commented on my core strength. "You know Mom, you have great core strength."  Without thinking, I quickly replied, "This house is built on rock, Baby. No storm is taking me down!"  We laughed, said our goodbyes, and went on with our day. However, that term - core strength -  kept buzzing in my mind. Just what does  core strength mean? Physically, core strength means that the muscles in your back, abdomen, and around your pelvis are strong. According to the Mayo Clinic, " Core exercises train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen to work in harmony. This leads to better balance and stability, whether on the playing field or in daily activities. In fact, most sports and other physical activities depend on stable core muscles." In my late 60's, I am taking this as a good sign, but my mind kept wo...

 Bray Beach, Ireland (c) 2014 LMN “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”  ~ Charles Dickens ~ When Dickens penned these words over 150 years ago, he was writing of the world he knew. However, today, this iconic text speaks volumes about the state of things today.   In the past few days, many of us have seen or heard of the best and worst of humans, governments, and leaders. We have seen people fighting over rolls of toilet paper at one moment, only to turn and see young people delivering food to shut-ins and the elderly.  The Light and Dark of these days has been quite visible to all.  There is much Wisdom to be found, but also much foolishness.  Humankind has heard the Truth as well as the ...

The Altar for St. Ann  - St. Audoen's Church, Dublin, Ireland - (c) 2014 LMN This past year, I suddenly realized that there wasn't a month that goes by that I don't remember someone in my family who has died.  Some months there are multiple anniversaries to remember. For example, my baby brother, Matt died 9 years and 364 days after my mother. This month, I observed 10 years without Momma being physically present and one year without Matt.  Needless to say, my heart is heavy. Carrying grief is a balancing act. Some of us are able to walk the line without a wobble, others can hardly move, and still others fall into the pits of despair without knowledge of a safety net to catch them. Thing is, any of us can be at any point on this tightrope at any time. When I began this blog post, I was betwixt and between as to whether to post it here or in my writer's blog, Words from the Heart . The purpose of both is to help bring healing, nurturing, and compassion...