Fall and Winter...again!

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…Ecclesiastes 3:1

Fall is a favorite season of mine, as it is for most people…the sight of colorful vistas. The smell of burning campfires and roasting marshmallows. The sound of dropping acorns. Hayrides. Pumpkin Farms. For me there is just something about the ‘process’ for fall that moves my spirit…picking apples, covering fountains and other plants, taking down the bird bath, and bringing plants inside.

Every year I look forward to the bursts of beautiful color even though I know it will be followed by empty branches, cold weather, and shorter days. And even though I am sad to tell summer weather good-bye, I know it is time to embrace the new seasons in front of me, fall and winter.

I used to think “wouldn’t it be nice if the beautiful colored leaves could stay on the trees?" Then I realized that if they did stay on the trees, there would be no room for the new green leaves in the Spring. Much of life is like that too. I think of all the people and things in my life that have “fallen” and how I wish they could have stayed. I realize that what is true for the fallen leaves is also true for the fallen people and things in my life.

But life moves forward…always making room for the new. Could it be that Spirit knows our longing to resist change and keep things just the same? Could it also be that Spirit knows how very much we will also appreciate the new growth and fresh opportunities?

This fall season I look once again to trimming back in my spiritual life. Cutting out what is dead in my spiritual life so I can rest and regroup in my winter time and prepare for new growth in my springtime.

So as I watch leaves drop one by one I realize Spirit is only making room for the gifts that will prepare us the future. Nature mirrors our own lives with new growth, full bloom, trimming back, and rest. There is much of me that feels I am in fall, and ready to rest a bit in my winter haven so I will be ready for new growth and full bloom once again.

Spring always comes.

I'm holding the high watch!
Rev. Donna

A Little Story About Fishing

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my friend, that’s when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

And the moral of this story is: ……… Know where you’re going in life… you may already be there.

This simple, little story has an excellent moral. How many of us are mindlessly going through the same routine day after day without a clear picture of where we want to be in life? Maybe we are already there!

Albert Einstein said “Too many people buy things they don’t need with money they don’t have trying to impress people they don’t like”

Take a step back and re-evaluate your life. Where do you want to go? What are you doing to get there? What needs to change in your life? Change your mind, change your life.

I'm holding the high watch! Rev. Donna

Spiritual Clutter

How many of us have a home filled with clothes that no longer fit, piles of magazines that are never read, and gifts from relatives we never use?

Can an overabundance of material goods be a drag on a person’s spiritual development? More and more, de-cluttering and downsizing are being viewed in a spiritual context, as ways to remove distractions to inner growth.

People "are beginning to see that their possessions become a weight and a barrier to their spiritual life and to their happiness," said the Rev. Elizabeth Braxton, pastor of Burke Presbyterian Church. They are realizing, she added, that "the more we have, the more we have to take responsibility" for it and "the less time we have for . . . the breathing space of God."

Feng shui, the ancient Chinese system for creating a harmonious environment, has become another spiritual voice warning against a surplus of material goods. The first rule of feng shui is no clutter because clutter creates stagnation and makes you feel depressed.

So here is the big question…is there a parallel between clutter in our homes and offices…and the clutter in our spiritual lives? Could our emotional and spiritual health be in danger by the clutter of our “stuff?” Could eliminating the mess in our homes and offices eliminate the blocks to our spiritual growth?

I’m going to clear off a chair in my home office, move a stack of books on the floor, and sit and ponder. Hmmmm….

Have You Lost That Loving Feeling?

In our relationships we often stay in adversarial positions with others because each of us is defending our interpretation of a situation. We each believe that OUR beliefs, memory, and feelings about the situation are correct and so we keep repeating and repeating our "truth" to the other person, expecting them finally to admit we are right, while they hold the same expectation about us! As long as both sides maintain this attitude, there is no peace or resolution.

What harm could it do to ask a few questions in the quiet of our own minds? Let's begin with this...was there a time in your life when you began creating a protective armor around yourself, picking up certain demeanors to avoid harsh words, guilt, fear? Usually those demeanors cause you to disconnect from a reality that is unpleasant. Those demeanors may have been life-saving in the past but now are creating the wrong sort of disconnections with those you care about.

Staying locked in a position increases chaos. It stands to reason that being flexible in our beliefs and attitudes will decrease chaos. Flexibility is not uncertainty. It is not weakness. Flexibility in our beliefs and attitudes leads to inner transformation.

So today ask yourself these questions: What am I being called to release? What am I being called to embrace? What must I cultivate in me to bring the feeling of love, not strife, to the surface? What must I do to remember my unity with all people and to bring authenticity and loving connection to each encounter?

We attract to us what we first become so let's consistently send out only loving vibrations. And let's start right now!

I'm holding the high watch!

Rev. Donna