My husband and I recently took my 9-year-old niece and 7-year-old nephew to a waterpark.

My niece wouldn’t go anywhere near the waterslides. She was content to spend most of her time floating on an inner tube. My nephew, with Uncle Ken in tow, headed right to the waterslides—even encouraging his uncle to go down when Ken showed just a hint of fear.

My nephew, though, steered clear of the “really big” waterslide. He was too afraid to go down that one, he told me. But toward the end of the first day at the park, I saw him grab an inner tube, climb a staircase that even as a grown up looked daunting to me. He reached the top of the stairs, walked up to the waterslide, put his inner tube down, and climbed on. Then the next thing I knew, he had the inner tube in hand and was heading back down the stairs.

He was too afraid to go down, he told me later.

How often have we done that? Set our mind to overcoming our fear…made the long climb…positioned ourselves just so… and then, just as we’re perhaps ready to go on the ride of our lives, backed out at the last minute due to fear?

What if we just missed out on the ride of our lives?

How about today we put that inner tube down, climb on and launch ourselves down that slide?

- Seeking the Greatest Good encourages you to find the wisdom that is within you.

I started off the day in a foul mood. I’m still wondering what it’s all about. What it’s here to teach me. I was kicking that around this morning, just as my husband was reading me something about “miracles” in his attempt to pull me out of the funk.

Just then my phone rang. It was a junior high friend of mine who considers his religious beliefs that of “Buddhistic, Shamanic, Daimista, Mystical, Spiritual, Human, LOVE!” We’ve gone in and out of contact over the years, but always remained in one another’s hearts. And here he was, in my hour of need, calling me up. Why? Because Spirit had told him to ring me. The reason? The stuff I was posting on Facebook pointed toward said funk. Things like: “Why do we always notice our flaws instead of our wonderfulness?” and “Learning more and more about letting it be… though letting others ‘be’ has seemed easier as of late than allowing myself to just ‘be’”

Observant guy, that friend of mine. Also love that he’s a person who trusts his intuition, his God-spark that told him to pick up the phone and call. Because his call was exactly what I needed. He reminded me that I’m a child of God. “There’s nothing to judge.”
And then he reminded me of Marianne Williamson’s wonderful quote. I’ll leave you with that – and encourage you to do what I did: Print it out and post it where you can see it every darn day; especially when that ego starts yipping at you, asking you who in the world you think you are? Yep, just read it and re-read it until it sinks into the pores of your soul:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

- Seeking the Greatest Good encourages you to find the wisdom that is within you.

I gave a talk at Unity Cedar Rapids on June 12, 2011 that centered on “letting things be.” It started with a trip to the Lost Sock Laundromat that brought me face-to-face with the realization of my need to just let some things “be.”

LISTEN to Unity Cedar Rapids talk.

- Seeking the Greatest Good encourages you to find the wisdom that is within you.

I asked this morning for a message for us all about Thanksgiving. This is what I received. Blessings – today and every day.

Dear one, blessed one. On this day of great thanks, allow your body to truly absorb love. To take in around you the beauty of all you see. To feel and know that all is well.

Dear one there need not be a single day that encompasses gratitude. It is indeed a daily, an hourly occurrence. Thanksgiving is merely a time when man decides to focus in, but too often, what occurs is negativity. Too much. Excess.

Dear one, when man can see daily all that surrounds him; when he can look into the face of an infant and see the magnitude of this creation; when he can look at another who is in this moment causing a negative response and find love in his heart; when he can side step a situation instead of engaging… all of this will lead to peace; will lead to understanding; will lead to immenseness.

Dear one, centered in gratitude, man can feel the enormity of this lifetime; can see clearly the joy, the light. Rooted in gratitude, he cannot feel hatred. Cannot feel discouragement. Cannot feel remorsefulness. Rooted in gratitude, man can only be in a place of love.

Dear one, on this day, it is fine to celebrate. It is fine to come together and remind one another of the love that is there. This is well and this is good. But to take from this day the goodness; take from this day the gifts – to bring that into daily life, ah, that is the glory. That is the preciousness.

(Spirit – how do we react to the situation in India? The terrorist attacks? Why do these things occur?)

Dear one, man has free choice, always and always. That is the beauty of this life experience. Man decides. It is not a time to feel despair. It is not a time to repel. It is merely a time to note that in this world, there are those who feel disenfranchised. There are those who are feeling pain. There are those whose hearts are hardened. They do not need anger and pity heaped upon them. What is needed is love – directed to them; directed to this region; directed to one another.

Dear one, what cannot occur is more anger; more hostility; more despair. More hatred. What cannot occur is more anger fueled by revenge. What is desired is to come to an understanding that a shift must begin in the hearts and minds of each one present in this time and space. Love conquers all. This is not just a pretty phrase; a hollow phrase. This is truth. Love conquers all. It bears repeating.

Sweet one, with love in your hearts, much can be obtained. But it takes the many, not the few. It takes each and everyone in any given situation taking the higher road; reaching past anger; reaching past hatred in the smallest of encounters… to get to a place of love. When this happens on this smallest of scales, it will be reflected on the largest.

(How do we do this? Make this shift?)

Dear one, it begins by believing it is so. It begins by believing that what is needed is love. In any situation. Any and all. That is not to say that man will never stumble. It is to say that if the overriding reaction is truth; if the overriding reaction is love, then ultimately that will permeate the energy of the collective whole, do you see?

Where one or more is gathered… that is the basis for change.

Dear one, take into this day a commitment to ask daily for love to be the overpowering choice. Ask daily to find in your heart kindness and strength. Ask daily how you can best be of service on this earth plane. Seek inside yourself a better way of being – to yourself, to your neighbor, to our loved one.

Dear one, it is simple, is it not? Once man realizes the enormity of his power, once he sees that with love at the basis of his operation, all will change. All will shift. All is possible.

Amen and amen. Glorious, glorious day.

- Seeking the Greatest Good encourages you to find the wisdom that is within you.

This day, proceed with love in your heart. See the glory in each and every being. Remember the truth of your existence.

Know that you are much more than this moment; much deeper than this experience.

All is well.

- Seeking the Greatest Good encourages you to find the wisdom that is within you.