If we can purposefully remember with focused meditative awareness that in each moment we are an eternal imprint of love radiating out into the world, our task here on earth is accomplished.
I'm so grateful for this, and for the myriad ways your presence, wisdom, and faith have inspired me. It is not partisan ro preach the gospel, yet walking the line of knowing who is in my beloved community, keeps me asking "is this the path of Love?" (That is from a poem, The Question, by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer)
Your post helped me wrap my head, heart and words into my talk at my Unity Church. We don't necessarily follow the lectionary, but I sure needed this gospel today, along with your powerful sermon. Thank you!
I recently read the following from another author I follow and want to share as the words have been sticking with me as I contemplate loving the Trumpers after the election:
Right now, who we are and how we talk about ourselves don’t match. Neither do how we talk about who we hope to become and how we treat each other.
We want to see ourselves as a beacon of freedom and opportunity, yet when we look at how we live, we are mostly determined to have our way. We are people who are far too familiar with violence in both word and deed. We are a people who seem more committed to division than unity. We are an impatient people who are addicted to the immediate. We are a people who act as if we are incapable of forgiveness. We are a people who seem satisfied with labels and summaries, which makes is difficult for us to do the real work of building relationships. We are a collection of people who all happen to be in the same country rather than a community of citizens.
Even in the best of times, those who see love as a primary value live in the minority. Hope is not real because it’s easy. We have to be willing to trust that anything can happen and then live into that trust. Despair, in this sense, is the stuff of privilege because it expects any change to come from somewhere other than ourselves.-- Milton Brasher-Cunningham
Thanks for this reminder and challenge. Part of the challenge is to come to an inner place where you can love yourself. Without a measure of self-love that combines humility and self-forgiveness, we project an undercurrent of self-loathing and guilt onto the other. It is a vain and destructive psychological trick designed to elevate ouselves. Accepting the grace and forgiveness of the Divine is the way to true, life-giving self-love and love of neighneighbor.
The word love has been so misunderstood for a very long time and I believe this is where many of us get stuck. Love has many meanings, but it is not always (nor should it be) the warm and fuzzy kind. I learned from an early age that love was either a romantic feeling or deep fondness with a desire for connection and relationship. And thus I was perpetually frustrated and blamed myself for not being able to “love” people who were hurting me or had hurt me. In time, through therapy, spiritual direction, and surrounding myself with wise people, I learned that more often than not, love means respect and dignity for other beings. This has been one way toward emotional sobriety for me. Every single being wants some basic things in life: food, shelter, love, safety, respect, dignity, a way to support themselves and their loved ones, good health and access to health care, some level of autonomy/agency. I’ve learned that if I can look at every person with these things in mind, I can love them with the respect and dignity that we all deserve. I can watch/hear DJT and think he sounds like an idiot, he can be mean, he is probably dangerous, etc., etc., AND he is in 1000 ways of pain. And I can love him out of basic human decency even if I very strongly disagree with him and he frightens me. I can be frustrated or angry (or a range of emotions) with the leaf blower, the person who cuts me off, the kids who bullied my son, the neighbor who for some reason won’t give me the time of day, the White Nationalists, the KKK, the people who don’t understand that a vote for DJT is dangerous and negligent…and I can still love them. Some of this personal evolution comes from years of involvement with prisoners, those who are hungry, those who are homeless, those who look and live differently than I do, those who have made different life choices than I have. I don’t need to be friends with people who are dangerous or toxic. But I can love the core of their humanity. I’ve been deeply appreciative of those who have loved me when I was troublesome or toxic to them. Every single one of us has the potential to be the “axe murderer.” If I can remember that, I can be more expansive with my love (respect/dignity) and live with compassion for myself and everyone else. I think that’s why the the group fell silent, no one dared to speak. If we’re honest, the problem often hits home. We are often the problem. I know I am. And so I breathe…and reset.
It's important to remember that healthy people never hurt another being. People who hurt others in word or action are always afraid of something or are in deep pain, and that includes the pain of mental illness.
While I so love hearing more from you on Mary Magdalene, I am glad you choose to share this ‘love your neighbor’ message. It couldn’t be more timely it this most challenging time. Thank you!!!
Dialogue won’t always bring us to agree (have you seen The Basement Talks documentary? Amazon Prime is one place to find it). The key statement in your illustration was “we thought it was out there but maybe it’s us.” Your turning it towards Christian Nationalists is too easy a target. We know the arguments there. You “keep talking” as you accuse them of doing. I know your heart is passionate about this election and the deep errors on “the other side.” But for this message, we ought to consider the “axe murderer” idea…how can we love Donald Trump? Ouch. I keep asking that of myself and have no strong answer. However, I know that when I dialogue (not debate) my Trump supporting friends, RESPECT is a close second to love. The division of ideas will always be there but can we heal relationships? Can we heal the tone and tenor? Demonstrate we are listening? Respect people as humans?
May Grace fill the gaps, indeed. Amen.
If we can purposefully remember with focused meditative awareness that in each moment we are an eternal imprint of love radiating out into the world, our task here on earth is accomplished.
The problem for me is the dualism of voting. It makes it all so good and evil. We have to meet somewhere in the middle.
The code for Southern Lights is not recognized. Can I get help to register
Pepe Bowman
SLVote24 - not 84.
Sorry! A simple miscommunication on our end.
I'm so grateful for this, and for the myriad ways your presence, wisdom, and faith have inspired me. It is not partisan ro preach the gospel, yet walking the line of knowing who is in my beloved community, keeps me asking "is this the path of Love?" (That is from a poem, The Question, by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer)
Your post helped me wrap my head, heart and words into my talk at my Unity Church. We don't necessarily follow the lectionary, but I sure needed this gospel today, along with your powerful sermon. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Diana. This is something I’m struggling with. Your writing helped.
I recently read the following from another author I follow and want to share as the words have been sticking with me as I contemplate loving the Trumpers after the election:
Right now, who we are and how we talk about ourselves don’t match. Neither do how we talk about who we hope to become and how we treat each other.
We want to see ourselves as a beacon of freedom and opportunity, yet when we look at how we live, we are mostly determined to have our way. We are people who are far too familiar with violence in both word and deed. We are a people who seem more committed to division than unity. We are an impatient people who are addicted to the immediate. We are a people who act as if we are incapable of forgiveness. We are a people who seem satisfied with labels and summaries, which makes is difficult for us to do the real work of building relationships. We are a collection of people who all happen to be in the same country rather than a community of citizens.
Even in the best of times, those who see love as a primary value live in the minority. Hope is not real because it’s easy. We have to be willing to trust that anything can happen and then live into that trust. Despair, in this sense, is the stuff of privilege because it expects any change to come from somewhere other than ourselves.-- Milton Brasher-Cunningham
Do you know your discount code in your email link is incorrect?
Thank you! I see you previous post
As we "turn the clocks back” this Sunday morning I find my heart filled
with trepidation with the coming of Election Day.
How far are we going to turn the clocks back?
Back to 1930s Germany?
Back to 1860s “United” States?
Back to 1492 and the Age of Discovery/Oppression?
My personal choice would be to NOT turn back the clocks at all.
But instead to RE-TURN to the pursuit of a Vision - first glimpsed in a GARDEN
where ALL Creation, ALL Creatures and ALL Humanity
live in Harmony. With Love and Justice for All.
- early morning thoughts of one who is SO grateful for HOPE that will not disappoint
thanks
Thanks for this reminder and challenge. Part of the challenge is to come to an inner place where you can love yourself. Without a measure of self-love that combines humility and self-forgiveness, we project an undercurrent of self-loathing and guilt onto the other. It is a vain and destructive psychological trick designed to elevate ouselves. Accepting the grace and forgiveness of the Divine is the way to true, life-giving self-love and love of neighneighbor.
Beautiful ❤️. I hope we can watch “Leap of Faith” together. 🙏
Peace, Diana.
And may it be so. Amen.
The word love has been so misunderstood for a very long time and I believe this is where many of us get stuck. Love has many meanings, but it is not always (nor should it be) the warm and fuzzy kind. I learned from an early age that love was either a romantic feeling or deep fondness with a desire for connection and relationship. And thus I was perpetually frustrated and blamed myself for not being able to “love” people who were hurting me or had hurt me. In time, through therapy, spiritual direction, and surrounding myself with wise people, I learned that more often than not, love means respect and dignity for other beings. This has been one way toward emotional sobriety for me. Every single being wants some basic things in life: food, shelter, love, safety, respect, dignity, a way to support themselves and their loved ones, good health and access to health care, some level of autonomy/agency. I’ve learned that if I can look at every person with these things in mind, I can love them with the respect and dignity that we all deserve. I can watch/hear DJT and think he sounds like an idiot, he can be mean, he is probably dangerous, etc., etc., AND he is in 1000 ways of pain. And I can love him out of basic human decency even if I very strongly disagree with him and he frightens me. I can be frustrated or angry (or a range of emotions) with the leaf blower, the person who cuts me off, the kids who bullied my son, the neighbor who for some reason won’t give me the time of day, the White Nationalists, the KKK, the people who don’t understand that a vote for DJT is dangerous and negligent…and I can still love them. Some of this personal evolution comes from years of involvement with prisoners, those who are hungry, those who are homeless, those who look and live differently than I do, those who have made different life choices than I have. I don’t need to be friends with people who are dangerous or toxic. But I can love the core of their humanity. I’ve been deeply appreciative of those who have loved me when I was troublesome or toxic to them. Every single one of us has the potential to be the “axe murderer.” If I can remember that, I can be more expansive with my love (respect/dignity) and live with compassion for myself and everyone else. I think that’s why the the group fell silent, no one dared to speak. If we’re honest, the problem often hits home. We are often the problem. I know I am. And so I breathe…and reset.
It's important to remember that healthy people never hurt another being. People who hurt others in word or action are always afraid of something or are in deep pain, and that includes the pain of mental illness.
While I so love hearing more from you on Mary Magdalene, I am glad you choose to share this ‘love your neighbor’ message. It couldn’t be more timely it this most challenging time. Thank you!!!
Diana and Richard I tried to register for Southern Lights with the promo code and it didn't work. Please advise.
And very encouraging piece today Diana!
Code is SLVote24, not 84.
Dialogue won’t always bring us to agree (have you seen The Basement Talks documentary? Amazon Prime is one place to find it). The key statement in your illustration was “we thought it was out there but maybe it’s us.” Your turning it towards Christian Nationalists is too easy a target. We know the arguments there. You “keep talking” as you accuse them of doing. I know your heart is passionate about this election and the deep errors on “the other side.” But for this message, we ought to consider the “axe murderer” idea…how can we love Donald Trump? Ouch. I keep asking that of myself and have no strong answer. However, I know that when I dialogue (not debate) my Trump supporting friends, RESPECT is a close second to love. The division of ideas will always be there but can we heal relationships? Can we heal the tone and tenor? Demonstrate we are listening? Respect people as humans?