Speaking of Spirit

For whatever reason, I have been under the misguided impression that today was Saturday.  Consequently, my usual early morning missive was not posted for you all.  But, perhaps this is what Spirit wanted after all.  Perhaps, I was meant to post late at night.   Today, the sun was out for the first time in over a week. So, thinking it was Saturday, I attacked the gardens, weeding and trimming to my heart's content. While I worked, I thanked God for my gardens, for my dear Roger working alongside me and for the gorgeous day, resplendent in shades of green and bird song.  When I finally stopped, it was late afternoon and we hadn't lunched, yet. So, after a quick clean up, we sat and ate, resting for a bit.  At close to 6 pm, I suddenly realized it was Sunday.  Yikes, I thought, I must be getting old! However, after talking to my granddaughter on Skype, (she and her Mom usually call me on Sunday evening) I realized that I had spent a lovel...

Yesterday, my post was interrupted by the need to attend to family. As I drove the 3 hours to be with my daughter as she gave birth, I prayed.  As I prayed, I thought about the tile from Ireland, sent by my friend, Jeanne.  I thought of the tile that sits beside my desk, where I can see it, daily. I thought of the tile that had me chewing on words and meanings. All poetry is prayer, Beckett wrote. Were my prayers poetry? As I drove through the rain to Maine, were the prayers I said poetry? Creator, be with my daughter until I can stand by her side. Momma, be with her - let her feel your presence - Calm any fears she may have. Dear Jesus, guide me to the hospital safely. Thank you, God for all my blessings. Poetry, by definition, is a "rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts; verse."  My thoughts were definitely elevated!  Given that, they were a form of poetry. But, what o...

Earlier this month, I received a gift from a friend from my hometown. The gift came from Ireland - a pottery tile with the Samuel Beckett quote, "All poetry is prayer."   Over the past few weeks, I have meditated on this quote. I have thought of the poems that I have written and the ones I have read. Surely, I thought, Beckett was seeing something I wasn't, because I have read poems that didn't appear prayerful at all. So, I delved into the meaning of prayer... ___________________ More to come tomorrow, I was called away to be with family, today.  Blessings to all! 

Yesterday was my mother's birthday. Momma would have been 89 years old yesterday. I had been thinking about her all day, and at one point was feeling very melancholy that I couldn't share something with her that I had found. How I wished she could be just around a corner waiting for me, or simply at the end of the phone ready to chat. As I thought this, I unconsciously picked up my phone to check my Facebook page. This isn't something I do regularly, because I try not to be a slave to social media, so the serendipity of what happened next was not wasted on me.  The post at the top of my page was from the mother of a close childhood friend. She had posted the essay below, written by Rev. Henry Scott-Holland as part of a sermon he gave in 1910 after the death of King Edward VII.  Death Is Nothing at All by Henry Scott-Holland Death is nothing at all. It does not count.  I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains...

On this day, thirty plus years ago, I became a mother for the second time.  Waking in the early hours this morning, I wondered how best to celebrate my daughter, who is many states away, enjoying family and friends on this auspicious day. Spirit has a way of nudging me when I ponder like this. "Give thanks!" she whispers in my soul, "Give thanks!" Of course!  So, for all my girls, I give thanks. THE BLESSING OF DAUGHTERS Blessed Parent of us all, I lift up my heart and soul to you in eternal gratitude  for the blessing  of daughters! I am rich beyond measure,  because I share in each of their lives. I treasure each smile, each tear, each bump and bruise, each triumph, each broken heart, each joyous event, each question and each bit of wisdom. Thank you for our times together - and our times apart - for those times especially, help us see how precious "together" is. Thank you for our differences, for these differences make us...

Photo Credit: (c) 2017 L. M. Rhinehart Neas Whatever kindnesses we do for others, we do for the Divine, which is what we read th roughout the sacred scriptures of almost all faith paths. As children growing up with a vivid imaginations, we may find it easy to see the Divine in others. However, as we grow older, more occupied with the trails and tribulations of life, this ability wanes.  How can we meet others in a continual spirit of Love and Compassion? How can we keep our inner eyes open to seeing the Divine in all, even those who are difficult to care about in this world, now?  First, as always, we must see the Divine within ourselves. Each of us is born with this Sacred Spark within us. This is what helps us to feel the pain of others when they suffer, and the beauty around us when we are in nature. This is what brings us joy.  If we feed our spirits, the spark can become a beautiful, loving Light. If we continually harden your hearts, ignoring the pain and...

Holy One - we come today to pray for the fathers of this world, who daily struggle to provide for families, to care for and nurture their children,  and for whom the responsibility can be too great.    Bless all the fathers  that, daily, hold their children in wonder, sharing with them Your Love.    Bless all the fathers - even those who are absent - Open their hearts and minds to Love. Bless all the families of fathers who are in eternal rest. Give them joyous memories, strength to carry them through the days ahead,  and the balm of Your Love to soothe their grief. Creator of All - we come to you in prayer for all the fathers of this world. Hold them in Your Hand, give them wisdom, strength and gentleness, so that they may be models of Your Love to their children, and their children's children, now and for years to come. Amen.

Photo Credit: (c) 2017 L M Neas Each year at this time, young people graduate from high schools and colleges. This is a rite of passage for these young people. The door of childhood is closing as they are guided into the world of adults, hopefully with the tools and wisdom that will sustain them through the rest of their lives. Let us pray - Great Teacher of All that Is, bless these young people, near and far, as they take their first steps of independence. Watch over them as they test themselves - and the world; bless them with wisdom to know when to stop, and when to go forward; bless them with courage to say, no, and to fearlessly say, yes, to the challenges  before them;  bless them with open hearts and minds. Protect them, Dear Blessed One, from harm, from despair and from bad judgement. Surround them with your angels -  both ethereal and corporeal - to guide them through the dark tunnels, twisting paths and ...

Entwined - photo by L.M.Neas Scientist recently released a study that said that trees communicate with each other through their root systems . One tree becomes linked to all the other trees in the forest by means of soil fungi and neighboring plants. This got me to thinking... The grandmother trees in the forests of our world are connected one to the other across acres and acres of land. We humans are also connected one to the other through thousands of millions of DNA strands.  Just as a tree has one core but many branches fed by many roots, we humans have a common essence but our branches and the roots that feed us are many. This idea fueled my thoughts further... Mother's Day is difficult for many people for various reasons. Some people have had no relationship with their mother, others have had painful and abusive relationships. For those people, I offer this. Think about the people, female or male, that nurtured you. Many children had a Dad who supported...

Photo Credit: (c) 2016 Linda M Rhinehart Neas A New Day In the past 48 hours, I have read of 2 suicides, an attempted suicide and multiple post on suicide prevention and hotlines .  (1-800-273-8255) Those who are suicidal feel alone and desperate. They have lost all sense of hope. However, those around them can help. There are several common assumptions about suicide . Learn the facts. Here are a few: Assumption - People assume that suicide happens suddenly with no warning; however,   (FACT) hindsight has taught us that most people either blatantly or subtly give warning of their hopelessness. Assumption - Thanksgiving and Christmas are when most suicides occur. (FACT)  Actually, more suicides occur in the spring season.  Assumption - Most suicides are by people of minority groups and lower socioeconomic classes. (FACT)  Don't fool yourself, suicide can be found in every culture, subculture, race, religion, and socioeconomic class.   Th...

A colleague asked me this week how I stayed so positive - wasn't I upset by the happenings around the world?  I stood looking at her for a minute, collecting my thoughts.  Of course, I'm upset about the horrors of this past week, month, year!  The pain I feel for my brothers and sisters around the world is palpable. But, if I succumb to the pain, how can I do the work I need to do?  So, I stay positive. How? First, I limit my access to the news media (no TV, no cable) .  I know what's going on in the world.  I read the headlines. (BBC is my go-to news source because I have found it gives a much less biased view of news than other agencies.) I don't need to sit in front of a television screen 24/7 to know that the world has serious issues.  I don't need to be terrorized in my own home by newscasters who sensationalize every event and promote an aura of despair, distrust, hate and apocalyptic claptrap. Second, I focus on what I can do to make t...

Several years ago, as I was cuddling my newest granddaughter, who had yet to be named, I had a revelation. Looking into her little face, not knowing her name, I knew without any doubt that my heart was full of love for her.  This realization, that I could love her no matter what, gave me cause to ponder. If I, a mere mortal, can feel that way, can you imagine the breadth and depth of the Creator’s Love for us?  Think about it...the Source of All Loves us no matter what we are called; whether Mary, John, Kinjal, Xiaolin, Eyes that Shine, Malidoma, or Nasser. The Great “I Am” Loves us no matter what we look like; whether big or small, black, white, pink, tan, yellow or red. The Great Spirit Loves us no matter what we do; whether we are a president of a country, a pauper in the street, a farm hand or a skilled worker. God Loves us no matter how we behave; whether we follow the Path mindfully or constantly wander off into the briars. The Creator Love us...period. Th...

By Bliu pastels (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 ] This Father's Day, my mind turns to all those fathers in our world who are struggling to find balance in this life for their families, who are living with the task of making decisions no parent should ever need to make and who are battling forces that threaten the lives of their children as well as their own. My mind turns to all thos e men who have fathered children not their own, simply because t hey needed the love and gentle touch of a man who could spend the time to be there. My mind turns to my father - my Daddy - who battled in equal measure the threats to world freedom and freedom from disease.  My mind turns to my sons-in-love, all of whom work tirelessly to provide their children with the best life has to offer by being present in ways their fathers weren't able to be present. With all these fathers in mind, I offer my humble prayer... Abba , Gracious Source of All, bless those who struggle to raise their childre...