humble expectations

Spiritual resource to share: a spiritual approach to new experiences

I was surprised when clicking off my Godwords* before our trip that it started with humble expectations. But as we headed off to the airport, with our bare minimum luggage and packs, long list of contacts and addresses - humble expectations were the one thing I kept reminding myself were most important.

This wasn't a trip in which we were trying to get away from it all, nor was it a luxury trip. It was a trip designed for the four of us to have time together to explore and play off our own discoveries of what we were learning and enjoying with each other and with the people we met along the way.

Humble expectations helped me to NOT outline, and to be open to new experiences. So, if the food, accommodations, travel arrangements or weather were not what we were used to, we have already set up the framework of this trip to be ready for anything and thrive outside of our own comfort zone!

O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts

Humble expectations helped to clear the deck so we could see beyond what was familiar. Drawn to what is infinite and good, we weren't disappointed!

The first week, we lived in a clean and airy beach cottage with electricity and running water, just a two minute walk to the beach. Every day, we would do something - sea kayaking, ziplining, visiting an animal rescue center, hiking up through the jungle, eating and smelling our way through with the help of a new friend whose family had lived there for decades.

Every afternoon we would take in the beach, or explore the town or just relax. Dinners were out in the bohemian town of Puerto Viejo where reggae, arabic and hip hop could be heard on the streets. Nights we were together, talking, reading, writing, falling asleep to the sound of the waves or the wind....

The last two weeks were spent up in the mountains of Costa Rica where we went to language school and volunteered in the community and took in the incredible diversity of the flora and fauna and the people.

"The earth is full of Thy riches" and I was enriched by just letting go of any outlining and letting in the beauty and the fun that was there for the taking.

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

good is not helpless

Spiritual resource to share: true power in organizations

These statements have persistently intrigued me: that good is not helpless; truth always triumphs and love never fails. The power behind these absolute statements forms the basis for their expression.

So - I have puzzled - how do you engage with organizations that seem to fall flat of ethical and noble goals? Who have told outward lies, blatantly disregarded laws? Quitting those organizations is one option. Staying with and trying to bring about change is another. Both responses to these moral dilemmas are difficult.

Once a group hired a non-professional musician who was earnest and consistent and, as one friend said, "he plays most of the right notes most of the time." This grateful and compassionate approach helped me to see how I could engage with other groups where I didn't always agree with how they operated. I could see the good that they do and work with that.

But this went deeper. This wasn't a Pollyanna approach.

I understand that good works are born of honesty, commitment, dedication and selflessness and are powerful. In fact, these are the only qualities that accomplish anything worth accomplishing!

Deeply understanding the fixed nature of good trumps the mesmeric and discouraging aspects of greed, selfishness and even criminal thought that would bring on apathy and a sense of hopelessness.

Understanding the nature of good also heightens our awareness of good so that we don't mistake well intentioned efforts incorrectly.

I realized that it doesn't matter how many people are involved in an organization or how many differing opinions arise in the operation of an organization. Good will prevail.

Tangled bureaucracy, rumor mills, gossip and lawlessness do not have an absolute or spiritual basis. They can't stand.

Like a blade of grass pushing up in a desert - Truth, Life and Love - all elements of good - are insistent. Truth slices away at the tons of conflicting opinions like sand dunes drifting back and forth. Love plants its roots deeply. Life continues to create and perpetuate Life.

I continue to apply these ideas to my own life, the smaller groups I belong to and those larger groups that are fighting genocide, are encouraging earth stewardship and global efforts toward peace.

A human organization with noble goals is working its purpose out as surely as I am understanding and fine-tuning my life purpose.

Compassion, patience and an absolute hold on the power of Truth continue to guide me and remove any baggage as surely as it is guiding each of those organizations that I am committed to. I found I need to be as patient and persistent with these groups as I hope others are with me.

This can only bear good fruit. Love never fails; Truth always triumphs; and good is never helpless.

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

a story about a healing

Spiritual resource to share: humility

I had been struggling with an insistent back ache for three days which made driving, sleeping, walking all very difficult.

As I approached this situation prayerfully, I asked myself how much did I really know about God? I challenged myself to dig in deeper.

The more I understood God's supremacy, the more in awe I felt - similar to my time skiing on a mountain, when I took a tumble in the knee deep powder. The day was beautiful, my fall was cushioned ever so gently and the sky a wide expanse of blue. "We are loved more grandly than this." I thought.

The more I understood of God's authority, the more strength I felt - similar to the strength I feel when defending an injustice or the protection I see in the wild when mothers defend their young.

The more I understood about God's love, the more calm I felt - similar to the time I saw the Northern lights for the first time with my mom, dad and brothers. And the wonder and beauty of it seemed to include the whole earth.

As I was painfully driving up to meet with others for an all day meeting, I struggled with the idea that I might not make it through the day. At that point, I totally turned to God. "God, I cannot do this without you." It was a letting go, a total surrender. All of what I understand about God helped me to yield to a life force that is authoritatively loving and supremely good. I could not "make" this healing happen, but I could acknowledge that God and God's power is made known in our present experience, here and now.

When I got to the meeting place, my back was much improved. When the meeting started, I forgot about my back. By the time the shortened meeting was over three hours later, I was totally free.

One idea that has been so helpful over and over again is that prayer-based healing is not about human accomplishment, but about divine acknowledgement.







To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

honest achievement

Spiritual resource to share: commitment to good works


The Urban Nutcracker from Skillimon on Vimeo.


"The devotion of thought to an honest achievement makes the achievement possible."

I'm inspired to see others' commitments to excellence, good works and progress. It's an affirmation that good is possible. It inspires me to become even more steady in my own commitment to grow in grace and in the practice of Christian Science. MBEddy offers some helpful guidance for those committing themselves to do good works:

... self-denial, sincerity, Christianity, and persistence alone win the prize, as they usually do in every department of life.

I have one such friend who has made an incredible commitment to use dance as a tool to inspire and empower youth and communities. Not only is this friend, Tony Williams, talented and experienced, but he has the humility and sincerity that one sees in leaders of many progressive institutions.

His company and school, Ballet Rox, puts on an annual show the "Urban Nutcracker." My older son got in at the ground floor and performed in its first and second years. Every year, there has been more growth and progress and it has expanded its audiences and shared its inspiration.

Enjoy the clip above and take in the celebration that encourages us all to deeply commit to our own paths of blessing others and see where it takes you!

More information about the Urban Nutcracker and how you can support it:
Press release on the making of a documentary about the Urban Nutcracker

Get involved





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having fun with humility

Spiritual resource to share: freedom from limitations

I 've struggled with pride on many occassions. And on each occassion, I have grown to see how wonderful it is to let it go and let humility take over and rule the day.

It has gotten to a point where I can recognize the tight binding that happens with pride. It sometimes comes into thought as an affront - like when I am deeply offended by someone's actions. Justification is quick to follow, proving why they are wrong and I am right. Ego stomps around with claims of how I am more smart, more right, more experienced, blah blah blah. Then it grows to a crescendo and then I recognize that all this grandstanding is empty. Totally empty.

Humility is the genius of Christian Science* and I am ready to let go of all of ego's claims to personal superiority (good riddance!) and wait expectantly to see God (as Love) move the situation from binding and limiting to freeing and spontaneously joyful solutions.

I realize I have nothing to lose! That God truly is omnipotent and in charge. That good is not helpless and evil or "error, urged to its final limits, is self-destroyed." I can stand back and see God work. My trust in God continues to grow. I see more clearly that my purpose is to glorify God and not my own agenda. I actively and insistently resist anything unGodlike in my own thinking and refuse to entertain anything unGodlike about others.

I love the surprise of God. God tenderly cares for each one of Her children and is leading us all to greater peace, understanding and harmony. I trust God to be always talking to each of His ideas/Her children, just as I trust God is constantly communicating to me. The more I dive into humility, the more I can let go of self and swim around in a sea of growing possibilities. I can trust God's action to bring about good exponential blessings and peace. I can also trust error to dissolve itself for lack of an audience and lack of attraction.

Can I say this is fun? Well, yes! I have nothing to lose by giving up my pride. I replace it with a growing confidence that God governs and we all have a irreplaceable role in glorifying God.



* See Miscellaneous Writings by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 356



To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

River Lesson #5367

Spiritual resource to share: full engagement

I have learned so much from rivers. Rivers were a big part of my life for about ten years as a raft guide and whitewater kayaker and racer. Next to the the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, I probably learned more life lessons from this one natural resource than all others!

This lesson, lovingly called #5367, was about putting down the pride of accomplishment and fully engaging in the present state of things.

With rafting, I learned how to get a group of novices to work together quickly to play in the rapids and have fun; with kayaking, I learned much about overcoming fear and being able to trust; with racing, I learned how to sharpen my skills and got stronger, faster and more accurate with each race I took on.

HOWEVER, whenever I got to the river, got in my boat, and stuck my paddle in the first current, I noticed how unimpressed the river would be with all of my past accomplishments. Nothing from my past mattered except what I could put to use that day, that moment on the river.

In all my runs – whether it was with a group in a raft, or on my own in my kayak – I was successful when I was committed to the moment. And by successful I mean that I could experience the full joy of dominion over fear, of blending with the strength of the river and of increasing skill.

So, how does this translate?

When an experience is new to me or some new element or person has come into my experience, I find this lesson very helpful.

When the pride of experience tempts me to plow through another’s obstruction, I remember that a river flows around the rocks, and I am careful not to get caught in the eddy of turbulent water behind the rock. I can be gentle, yielding, and not get caught up on a rock!

When another challenges how I do things, I remember to not stand on the things I did in the past, but on what wisdom directs me to do now. Progress is a law of God and so is constantly working. I can listen.

The river is constant; constantly moving and will find its own level. God is constant, and as God’s expression, we are constantly moving and expressing all of God’s qualities. We will all find our own level of expression that is full and satisfying, strong and enduring and joy-full!

Mary Baker Eddy shares these ideas from an article from Miscellaneous Writings (p. 224):

We should remember that the world is wide; that there are a thousand million different human wills, opinions, ambitions, tastes, and loves; that each person has a different history, constitution, culture, character, from all the rest; that human life is the work, the play, the ceaseless action and reaction upon each other of these different atoms.

Then, we should go forth into life with the smallest expectations, but with the largest patience; with a keen relish for and appreciation of everything beautiful, great, and good, but with a temper so genial that the friction of the world shall not wear upon our sensibilities; with an equanimity so settled that no passing breath nor accidental disturbance shall agitate or ruffle it; with a charity broad enough to cover the whole world's evil, and sweet enough to neutralize what is bitter in it.....

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

Today is a good day to listen

Spiritual resource to share: listening

"Abiding Place" by Sonja Maneri

Today I am reminded of the importance of listening. This was prompted by a very dear friend who shared with me a song that she loves.

O may we be still and seek Him,
Seek with consecration whole,
Listening thus to hear the message,
Far from sense and hid in Soul.

He hath promised we shall find Him,
Love divine its promise keeps;
God is watching with the watchful,
God is Life that never sleeps.

If we pray to Him in secret,
Lift to Him the heart's desire,
We shall find our earthly longings
All made pure by Love's pure fire.

Then upon the precious metal
God's own image will appear,
Faithfully to Him reflected,
One with Him forever near.

This song's melody is a waltz, which just fits its harmonious message of quietness, repentence and closeness.

So today is a good day to pay attention and listen.
I know that God is constantly communicating ideas to us. God, as Love, Principle, and omni-action, is constantly actively connecting us with right ideas that nurture our growth.

I know that I can listen better.
I know that I reflect God. I know this about all God's children - we all reflect God. I can listen with the compassion and gentleness and insight I know from my relationship to God.

I can listen for openings, for new ideas, for fresh approaches; for redemption, recovery and renewal.
I can listen even if I have strayed from seeing my fellow man as less than Godlike, and I can instantly re-connect.

And then, when my listening is full, I can follow God's lead into the day.

Today is a good day for listening.







To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

the hero in us all

Spiritual resource to share: humility and willingness

My son and I have just finished watching three movies recently: Hotel Rwanda, Schindler's List and The Nativity Story. And interspersed with these viewings was a neat Sunday School conversation about what it means to be a hero.

The three men in the stories actually had a lot of spiritual qualities in common: humilty, willingness, listening to that voice within that rose up against injustice, and courage. But all three men were vastly different: Paul Rusesabagina was a family man who just wanted to be a good employee, Oskar Schindler was a ladies' man and war profiteer, and Joseph was a single man soon to be married.

But each man was thrown into circumstances that changed the course of history in various degrees. Each man varied in how long it took for a transformation to take place: Joseph's was immediate after he learned of Mary's conception. Rusesabagina grew as the cirumstances grew more dire. And Schindler's transformation took well after the start of the war.

Does one have to be a certain type of person to be a hero? The profiles of these three men show that heroes aren't a certain "type."

So what does this mean about heroes and what does this mean about us?

In our Sunday School class, we talked about the nature of Truth. MBEddy writes that "....
Christian Science speedily shows Truth to be triumphant." And that Truth, expressed in integrity, honesty and a foundation of love for mankind will be expressed. It doesn't matter what kind of person we are. As a reflection of God, we already have these qualities and it is our willingness to be of help and our humility to listen that bring these qualities of a hero forth.

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

the language of the heart

Spiritual resource to share: sincerity

Learning a second language (mine is Spanish) has always been expansive for me in knowing that there are worlds of ways to perceive things that go beyond our native language.

For instance, did you know that in Japanese, there is a word for the essence of a rock? In German, "zwischenraum" is a word for the space between things, and in Spanish the phrase for "to give birth" is "dar a luz" - which literally means to give to the light.

It takes humility to learn another language. I have visited a number of Spanish -speaking countries to use my second language skills and have found that it also takes a willingness to make yourself a little vulnerable as well as I have had to adjust my academic Spanish to the everyday spoken Spanish of that country! But the trade off is that you are entering another world, another way to see things. And if there is love in your heart for that country and respect for its people, doors will open up for you. It's well worth it. In Miscellaneous Writings, Mary Baker Eddy sums it up nicely:

When the heart speaks, however simple the words, its language is always acceptable to those who have hearts.

I thought of this whenever I find myself in a situation where I am not familiar with the "language" be it a visit to another country where English is not spoken, a party of people I have not yet met or being part of a discussion on an unfamiliar topic. If I bring a heart - sincere to understand, connect and contribute - there is always a level of acceptance.





click on image to see more about the 20 language families in the world


To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

not feeling inspired enough?

Spiritual resource to share: completeness
Have you ever had a morning that starts out...well, not as inspiring as you wanted? You have done everything you normally do for your spiritual study, but you feel there is something more. I have been working with this thought from Science and Health:

Love giveth to the least spiritual idea might, immortality, and goodness, which shine through all as the blossom shines through the bud.

To me, it means it doesn't take hours of study, fulfilling a schedule of readings, or logging on a certain amount of time for reflection. Spiritual study is about connecting with inspiration. And it just starts with one idea.

This one idea, even if it seems modest - like gratitude for a kind comment, a humble prayer of praise, or remembering a healing - has deep spiritual roots. It reflects God's omnipotence and has an eternal heritage. It points towards more possibilities for good. This one idea shines and blossoms. It fills you up completely with what is needed for the day.

Just one idea. Complete and satisfying for the day! What one idea has filled you up?




To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

gratitude + humility = protection

Spiritual resource to share: protection

• Humility is the stepping-stone to a higher recognition of Diety.
• Great charity and humility is necessary in this work of healing.
  - from Mary Baker Eddy's Miscellaneous Writings
  

I was an administrator of a nursing care facility in the late 80's and was attending a workshop hosted by our headquarters. A representative of the Board of Directors shared greetings from the Board and expressed gratitude for what we were doing. Well, I certainly felt justified in this gratitude - because after all, I was working nine hours a day and had to take occasional calls on weekends!

Then we were thanked again and this representative went into greater detail about just how grateful the Board was to have us there, how grrateful they were for the support of our families, etc. I remember thinking that that was nice.

Then, we were thanked again. I started feeling a little uncomfortable. But when we were thanked again for the fourth time, I started feeling that I needed to do much more if I was to be worthy of all this gratitude just pouring out from the Board!!

I also knew that this Board was under significant criticism for taking some new and innnovative steps. This only made their statement of gratitude even more poignant.

I could see how their sincere gratitude also provided a protection to the individuals on the Board. Nothing can really touch a heart deep in humility and gratitude. And not only did this provide a safe haven for those really out there making a difference, but it helped bring progressive ideas to the institution that are still in place today. So it provided protection to the individuals involved, to the institution as a whole and to the new and progressive ideas that helped many more outside of the institution's walls.

That experience gave me such a tangible sense of the power and protection of love, humility and gratitude, I will never forget it. It has and continues to embolden me to do those things I feel bring the most love and healing to others, and to do so with humility and grace.

Mary Baker Eddy writes in Science and Health "Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you. The cement of a higher humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity." We are safe when we love and when we heal.




To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

speak once...listen twice

Spiritual resource to share: listening





Speak once, listen twice - I actually heard that at a community meeting recently. Sage advice. And powerful, too, if you can do it!

My husband has been meeting with a men's group for over 15 years. The group has actually been meeting for decades with men going in and out as they wish. There has been a core group of his friends that have been meeting now for over 10 years.

Once when all the families of this group were together, I came up to the group and joined their conversation. I had something to add and spoke. As I was speaking I had this funny sensation. It took me a while to figure out: They were all quietly listening intently. I realized that this group has so diligently crafted the skill of listening so well, that it was startling!

There are people who are excellent listeners. (I count Christian Science practitioners as some of the best listeners I know!) They take time for the person speaking. They give their full attention. They silently engage and in so doing, they create an accepting attitude so the speaker feels a freedom to let his or her thoughts flow.

There's a lot to be said for good listening. Browsing the internet proves this to be the case. Check out these quotes from the international group Listen.org:

The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them. — Ralph Nichols

Effective listeners remember that "words have no meaning - people have meaning." — Larry Barker

Sometimes the most revealing part of a message isn't found in the words themselves but in the subtle messages wrapped around those words. Failure to pick up on these "secret messages" may leave you blind to what is really being communicated. . . . — Dianne Booher

Our first responsibility as effective listeners is to understand ourselves as communicators. ... (listeners)should ...know themselves. — Carolyn Coakley

Every person in this life has something to teach me -- and as soon as I accept that, I open myself to truly listening. — Catherine Doucette

The first step to effective listening is to stop talking! — Ken Fracaro

And here is some more fun stuff about listening:

LISTENING STYLES

• People listen through one of four primary styles, including people oriented,
  time oriented, action oriented and content oriented.
• Females are more likely to be people-oriented and males are more likely to be action, content, or time oriented (Barker & Watson, 2000).
• 40 % of individuals choose to listen with two or more distinct styles
  (Weaver, Richendoller, & Kirtley, 1995).
• Those with a high people-orientation have a low apprehension for receiving
  information (Bodie & Villaume, 2003).

But do listening styles differ across cultural barriers? Yes, says an Oxford Study:

Do the listening styles preferred by young adults in Germany, Israel, and
the USA differ significantly?

In order to address this question, college students in all three countries completed versions of the Listening Styles Profile (LSP; Watson et al. 1995) presented in their native languages. Factor analysis revealed four predominant constructs underlying the LSP, which were designated as people, action, content, and time listening styles.

Comparisons between the three cultures revealed distinctively different patterns of listening style preferences, with Germans preferring the action style, Israelis
endorsing the content style, and Americans favoring both the people and time styles.

And now, if you are really ambitious, you can even give yourself a test!

So, if you have hung with me thus far, and are still hungry for more listening ideas, let's go to the underlying basis of listening: LOVE.

The still, small voice of Love is what we listen for, and out of that "deep listening, life happens." Regardless of culture, age, circumstance or time, the love, respect and dignity given to the person you are listening to communicates volumes. Click here to hear one woman's account of listening to divine Love.



To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

Fire, sub-zero weather and thought police

Spiritual resource to share: watchfulness

So here we are, my husband and I, sitting around our living room fire while outside the temperature is dropping way below zero. And we are talking about God and my healing practice. [I know it sounds so cliche - the fire, the cold and the talk about God ; ) ] I like hearing my husband's views on Christian Science. He has been practicing it now for quite a few years and has a fresh take on many of the truths that I have grown up with.

"So, what do you think happens with a practitioner and patient?" I asked, curious to hear his perspective.

"Well, a practitioner is kind of like the thought police. Not in the sense that they are going to be punitive about it, but that they help you guard your own thought; help to bring it in line with what is real."

Hmm. Neat image. Jesus has always given me the model of the most perfect and thorough healer, and I can see how Jesus helped others bring their thought in line with how God sees them. In Science and Health, Mary Baker Eddy writes,

"Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick."

In Jesus' healing of the leper (see other healings including the healing of sight) he touches the person. I looked up the word touch. One definition of it is "to bring to the same level of understanding."

I could see this in my healing work. When a patient calls, we connect and I work with them to awaken thought to a spiritual reality that is foundational to being - bringing thought to that level of understanding that says "You are made in the image and likeness of God, all-good, all-loving, all-embracing good."

Policing thought is another way of "...bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Or as Mary Baker Eddy explains it and its effects: "Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously."

I love the practice. I have been both a practitioner and a patient many times now. The calm, confident and comforting assurance of a practitioner helps to "police" the thought, remove the fear, while being a companion who is gently waking thought up to yield to the all might and tender love of our eternal Father, our forever Mother, God.

I know there are a lot of you healers out there! Your thoughts??

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

I'll walk with you anywhere

Spiritual resource to share: humility




The Ojibway work “Dodaem” means “That from which one draws one’s purpose, one’s meaning, one’s being”, and comes from the root word “Doodem”- to fulfill, and “Doodosh”- that from which I draw my substance.



There has been a slow boiling racism going on in this community for years between the Ojibway (Anishinabe) and whites. Moving here last year, I hardly noticed it right away, but little by little, different experiences came my way that indicated this was a problem with deep roots.

Recently there were racist threats at the high school, a preventative lockdown was called and now there are regular community meetings happening -- all in the efforts to heal this festering division.

I went to one of the meetings last night. It was put together by a dedicated and earnest group who had already had some successes dealing with this issue. They set up the meeting, identified the mission of the meeting, some rules of engagement, broke the group up into smaller discussion groups and gave them all two questions to answer - all this as a way to get to some solutions. The meeting was to end at 8pm.

The trouble was, the whole meeting was unnatural to the way the Ojibway worked. They expected to share their hearts; not be timed as the came up with their answers to prepared questions. By halfway through the meeting, all the elders of the tribe had left. Out of about 50 people remaining, only about a dozen were Ojibway.

After the agenda was completed, each one started to speak. First chastising the group for not allowing people to come and speak what was in their hearts, then taking the group to task for not addressing the issue head on - racism. Others spoke of the need to tell the truth about racism.

Richard spoke.

Racism is a division where words of fear and anger separate us. But it is our love that will bring us together.
Our children - we keep burying them. Why is that? Something is missing inside and we need to find it to give it back to them.
I remember a teacher who accepted me. She was Finnish. She encouraged me to go to college and I did. It was that spirit of love that she had. That spirit that is in all of us.

In this group, I just met Greg. I would walk with him anywhere. I don't see his color, I just see his fuzzy face.
Racism scares me. But it is love that keeps me going.
When you don't get your way, don't walk out the door. Don't walk out on one another. We can apologize to one another.

I don't care what color you are -- you came here to help. I'll walk with you all anywhere.

The meeting turned. Others spoke, recognizing that everyone who came, stayed to help.

It doesn't matter what color you are. You are here. I want to welcome you here. Wherever the next meeting is, I'll be there.

We appreciate the hard work that has gone into getting us all together. We can change the structure of the next meeting. But I love this community and it tears at me to see it be divisive. I want this community to unite.

I am shocked at the racism here. I want so badly for this crap to stop.

We need a strong community effort. We need to keep working together. We need us all.

What moved me was the humility of those who set up the meeting. There was a passion to do something. The community is in crisis. And so someone had to have the courage to step forward and do something. Even if it meant falling on your face.

What moved me was the humility of the participants. Not comfortable with the structure of the meeting, they participated and then spoke their peace and graced the rest of us with their forgiveness and encouragement to keep going.

And I know that what will deepen this experience in all of our hearts is the humility and love that persists until healing is revealed.

We draw our purpose from the same source. We draw our substance from the same source and we are fulfilled by the same source. In humility, we will come together and find healing. More to report on later...............




Would love for you to share how you have overcome racism in your life and community...

...or be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.