Unconditional Love, Love Without Condition

I love you as you are, as you seek to find
your own special way to relate to the
world.

I honour your choices to learn in the
way you feel is right for you.

I know it is important that you are the
person you want to be and not someone
that I or others think you "should" be. I
realize that I cannot know what is best
for you, although perhaps sometimes I
think I do.

I have not been where you have been,
viewing life from the angle you have. I
do not know what you have chosen to
learn, how you have chosen to learn it,
with whom or in what time period. I
have not walked life looking through
your eyes, so how can I know what you
need.


I allow you to be in the world without a thought or word of judgement from
me about the deeds you undertake. I see no error in the things you say and do.
In this place where I am, I see that there are many ways to perceive and
experience the different facets of our world. I allow without reservation the
choices you make in each moment. I make no judgement of this, for if I would
deny your right to your evolution, then I would deny that right for myself and
all others.

To those who would choose a way I cannot walk, whilst I may
not choose to add my power and my energy to this way, I will
never deny you the gift of love that God has bestowed within
me, for all creation. As I love you, so I shall be loved. As I sow,
so shall I reap.

I allow you the Universal right of Free Will to walk your own path, creating
steps or to sit awhile if that is what is right for you. I will make no judgement
that these steps are large or small, nor light or heavy or that they lead up or
down, for this is just my viewpoint. I may see you do nothing and judge it to be
unworthy and yet it may be that you bring great healing as you stand blessed
the Light of God. I cannot always see the higher picture of Divine Order.

For it is the inalienable right of all life to choose their own
evolution and with great Love I acknowledge your right to
determine your future. In humility I bow to the realization that
the way I see as best for me does not have to mean it is also
right for you. I know that you are led as I am, following the
inner excitement to know your own path.

I know that the many races, religions, customs, nationalities and beliefs within
our world bring us great richness and allow us the benefit and teachings of
such diverseness. I know we each learn in our own unique way in order to
bring that Love and Wisdom back to the whole. I know that if there were only
one way to do something, there would need only be one person.

I will not only love you if you behave in a way I think you should, or believe in
those things I believe in. I understand you are truly my brother and my sister,
though you may have been born in a different place and believe in another
God than I.

The love I feel is for all of God's world. I know that every living thing
is a part of God and I feel a Love deep within for every
person, animal, tree and flower, every bird, river and ocean and
for all the creatures in all the world.

I live my life in loving service, being the best me I can, becoming wiser in the
perfection of Divine Truth, becoming happier in the joy of ...

Unconditional Love



by Sandy Stevenson

DREAMER

the dream that i dream is only being dreamed by me
the characters are the different aspects of myself
it is my dream, therefore; i can change it at any time
should it become a nightmare, i can wake up realizing it is only a dream

i dream i am rich and famous; that i am healthy and fit;
that i am surrounded by a kind and loving family
i dream that i am a teacher, a musician, or any infinite possibility

since it is my dream, i can awaken from it any time i choose;
or fall into a slumber of forgetfulness, mistaking the dream as reality

so i ask myself concerning this dream called Life, "is it that which i desire for myself? "the reality of my being is that i am Spirit, dreaming that i am having a human experience i review the scenes of my life with detached observation to grow in spiritual understanding and to come to know fully:
I Am that I Am.

"Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, said the Lord."
Jeremiah 23:32

The Greatest Performer Ever.

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009).

What moves through us is a silence, a quiet sadness, a longing for one more day, one more word, one more touch, we may not understand why you left this earth so soon, or why you left before we were ready to say good-bye, but little by little, we begin to remember not just that you died, but that you lived. And that your life gave us memories too beautiful to forget.

Forgiveness

None of us wants to admit that we hate someone...When we deny our hate we detour around the crisis of forgiveness. We suppress our spite, make adjustments, and make believe we are too good to be hateful. But the truth is that we do not dare to risk admitting the hate we feel because we do not dare to risk forgiving the person we hate.

We attach our feelings to the moment when we were hurt, endowing it with immortality. And we let it assault us every time it comes to mind. It travels with us, sleeps with us, hovers over us while we make love, and broods over us while we die. Our hate does not even have the decency to die when those we hate die--for it is a parasite sucking OUR blood, not theirs. There is only one remedy for it. Forgiveness.

Forgiveness begins when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well.

PURPLE GRACE

in my small world
with a great deal of sunshine
i am situated at a greater height
delivered with a connoisseurs potency
her soft bouquet born in buds
a sweet, grapey earthy foundation
i morph into a self-determining agent
responsible for a number of possibilities
my spirit mutters a warm, intense
prayer of gratitude to GOD
for granting me divine inspiration
and the knowledge that HE is understood

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND

You are in a transitional period of time and sequence, and the disappointments that you have endured have to do with being ready to forge ahead at an accelerated pace. I have gone before you to prepare the way, but everything must be done in order and in the flow of My Spirit. Now is the time to come into rest, silence your flesh, and trust Me to bring you forth in the right season and at the perfect moment. I am not tardy concerning My promises, says the Lord, everything will come to completion in the process of time.
Marsha Burns--April 2009

1 Corinthians 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

EASTER

Easter is not a time for groping through dusty, musty tomes or tombs to disprove spontaneous generation or even to prove life eternal. It is a day to fan the ashes of dead hope, a day to banish doubts and seek the slopes where the sun is rising, to revel in the faith which transports us out of ourselves and the dead past into the vast and inviting unknown. ~Author unknown

The joyful news that He is risen does not change the contemporary world. Still before us lie work, discipline, sacrifice. But the fact of Easter gives us the spiritual power to do the work, accept the discipline, and make the sacrifice. ~Henry Knox Sherrill

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. ~Robert Flatt

Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness. ~Floyd W. Tomkins

Hermosa Beach California

The Strand ... best described as a wide sidewalk extending along the beach from Palos Verdes to Malibu. But this is probably the best section for tourists to hit. You can rent a great bike at Hermosa Cyclery (no gears really required ... it is flat after all) and cruise along the beautiful sand. Go north into Manhattan Beach, and then south into Redondo. The homes along the strand are amazing to see, and the people on the sand are also very attractive. Stop and watch a beach volleyball game as well. When you get back, you can head to the Hermosa plaza for a drink or a quick meal. This is the beach lifestyle!!! See you this weekend.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths

"the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
know that wisdom is such to your soul."
-Proverbs 24:13-14

Being a student of life, i am gaining wisdom that is preparing me for a full and fulfilling life. i move along from one level of understanding to a higher level. i have learned more from my mistakes than my accomplishments. when i make mistakes i remind myself that i can do better and i also remind myself that i did the best i could at the time. i realize the the biggest defeat i can give to the growth of my spiritual awareness is scolding myself for not doing something better. today, i realize that i always have much more to learn, therefore, i am always learning.

Grace

Grace is a gift of God. Because it comes to us at God's initiative, there are some things we can't do about grace. We can't earn it. We can't control it. We don't have to deserve it. Accept that you are accepted. Practice receiving. Receive objects, love, help. Notice when presents and presence come to you without your effort.

We want to believe we are in control. We assume there are specific moves we can take to ensure that we are rewarded. But grace does not work that way. Instead, it teaches us to let go and let God. Not only are we not in charge, we don't have to be. Those persistent feelings that we are unworthy, that we don't deserve all that we have, that we're not as good as people assume, that we've messed up, that our whole life is a mistake. Grace doesn't listen to that. It isn't based on a scorecard. Grace happens

Play

They say that what we know is not worth knowing, and what's worth knowing cannot be known through our ways. Most of us don't play enough. We're either too "busy," a code word for workaholism, or we're too serious, mistaking earnestness for accomplishment. We're predictable, too, equating free-spiritedness with irresponsibility. The best treatment for these conditions is play.

Play has an important role in the spiritual life. Play is the exuberant expression of our being. It is at the heart of our creativity, our sexuality, and our most carefree moments of devotion. It helps us live with absurdity, paradox, and mystery. It feeds our joy and wonder. It keeps our search for meaning down to earth. Laughter heals the body, mind and soul. So today, lighten up. Go out and play.

Yours

Of myself,
I have nothing,
not hope,
not peace,
not love,
not even breath.
By myself,
I have nothing.
I die.
With You,
I lack nothing,
not hope,
not peace,
not love,
not even breath.
With You,
I have everything.
I live.
Let me be Yours,
just Yours.
Anonymous.

Openness

Enhances: Empathy/Flexibility
Balance/Counters: Close-mindedness

The Basic Practice
It is important in the spiritual life to keep an open mind, open to ideas, experiences, people, the world, and the Sacred. Openness is an ability to go with the flow, as Taoism puts it, without expecting predetermined outcomes. It means being receptive to new possibilities, without prejudging them. It is an ability to make yourself available to out-of-the-ordinary opportunities. Indeed, openness to the unknown, the exotic, and the bizarre is usually seen as the mark of a free spirit.
You can increase your openness by practicing empathy. Move outside yourself into another's situation. Try to access the other's feelings and ideas. For the purposes of practice, the more eccentric your choice, the better.

PEACE

Enhances: Serenity, Equanimity
Balances/Counters: Anger, Violence, Worry

Peace is built on the foundations of other spiritual practices: connections, compassion, justice, unity. It is a goal of all spiritual people. Peace is an inner state of well-being and calm. It is also an outer project of promoting nonviolence, conflict resolution, and cooperation in the world. The root of the Hebrew word for peace, "shalom," means "whole" and points to this twofold meaning: peace within oneself and peace between people.

Practice peace by refusing to participate in violence either directly or indirectly. Try to stay composed no matter how agitated the people around you become. Meet conflict with equanimity. Disarm yourself — lower your guard — as a first step in disarming the world.

HUGGING

Hugging is good medicine. It transfers energy, and gives the person hugged an emotional boost. You need four hugs a day for survival, eight for maintenance, and twelve for growth. A hug makes you feel good. The skin is the largest organ we have and it needs a great deal of care. A hug can cover a lot of skin and gives the message that you care. It is also a form of communication. It can say things you don't have words for. The nicest thing about a hug is that you usually can't give one without getting one.

mY pRAYER

oh Creator of all things, help me
for this day i go out into the world naked and alone,
and without your hand to guide me i will wonder far from the path which lead to success and happiness
guide me so that i may acquire ability equal to my opportunities
humble me through obstacles and failures; yet hide not from my
eyes the prize that comes with victory
spare me sufficient days to reach my goals; yet help me to live
this day as though it be my last
guide me with my words that they may bear fruit and prosper with love
endow me with patience which will concentrate my strength
bath me in good habits, grant me compassion for my weaknesses in others
let me become all you planned for me when my seed was planted and
selected by you to sprout in the vineyard of the world
humble me, guide me