LightNotes

Dear Unity Friend,

In Unity you will not hear us speak of humans as "sinful creatures." If we use the word sin it is usually in the context of the Old English word "syne" an archery term meaning to "miss the mark." Now there's no doubt that we "miss the mark" many times a day.

The philosopher, Albert Camus said: "If there is a 'sin' against life, it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life as in hoping for another life and eluding the implacable grandeur of this life." I love that -- "the implacable grandeur of life." What a waste of time to be wishing we had a different life than the one we have now. Why not feel a deep gratitude for what we have and thus create the template for what we can be. When we focus on the beauty that we already have in our lives we begin to bring heaven to earth.

The mystic, Meister Echkart, said, "If the only prayer you say in your whole life is 'thank you' that would suffice." Thank you to the Divine Presence, our loving God, thank you to the elements of air -- gentle breezes and fierce winds; thank you to fire -- the unconditional givingness of the sun; thank you to the earth -- the deep, rich fertile soil; thank you to the water -- the wild oceans, gentle streams, deep lakes; thank you to our loved ones who provide much love and comfort; thank you to even the greatest challenge and the person who wears the disguise of enemy. Each of our most trying experiences can provide the best fertilizer for a WHOPPING BIG HARVEST!

How often do we take things for granted? The sacredness of life is revealed when we have the eyes to see the divine in the seeming ordinary.

Author, Rabbi Harold Kushner, speaks of the "holiness of the ordinary." He put forth the query, "Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted -- a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul."

My prayer for each of us is that we step out of complaining about what isn't happening and into proclaiming the good that is just waiting to be discovered or I should say "uncovered."

Take time each day to say "thank you" to the souls who serve your food, take care of your banking transactions, serve you as police, firefighters, grocers -- in short the collective we call humanity. Let this gratitude expand out to encompass all creatures who share this earth and the grandeur that is Mother Earth.

Then at the end of our day we will not lay out our litany of complaints during our time of prayer. Instead we will begin to exclaim,

Thank you God!

I have no complaints!

May God bless you, keep you and set your heat on fire with gratitude.

Namaste,

Sue Ellen