FINDING GOD ON THE TRAIN STORY BLOG - NOTES ON ENLIGHTENMENT

LIFE SET ASUNDER - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT INSPIRED BY THE FINDING GOD ON THE TRAIN STORY - QUEST FOR A POSITIVE, PERSONAL, AND CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY

 

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asunder |əˈsəndər| adverb archaic or literary

apart; divided: those whom God hath joined

together let no man put asunder.

• into pieces: the desk burst asunder

 

To be honest, Ann and I have been

facing a personal family tragedy that

has moved through our lives like a

cyclone. Never have I experienced

sorrow to this depth, descending

into a deeper valley than I imagined  

existed. 

 

Although, I have worked to maintain

some distance in my blog posts, 

I now often feel numb, questioning 

whether I am the appropriate

messenger at this point. With this,

I have at times, questioned the very

underpinnings of my beliefs.

 

Last night, a bit tired and distraught,

I decided that I might have to relinquish 

this mission, and regain my footing in 

this dark night of my soul. 

 

This morning I prayed and meditated 

asking for some guidance that would

direct or inspire me. After meditating,

I started to write a note and I just could

not finish it. I decided to start over and

just listen for clear direction. 

 

I then transcribed the note below,

titled Life Set Asunder, which I feel

is not only the guidance I needed

but worthwhile guidance for anyone 

who may be facing their own particular

life trauma.

 

This note has made me realize that I

should not partition off my sorrow, 

and pretend it is not happening. 

So, I have decided to share what is 

occurring in my life on the blog, and

by doing so, address how I, you, or we

might all possibly recover,  or even

transcend, the suffering we all must

encounter as part of active living.  

  

LIFE SET ASUNDER

In the confusion of life set asunder,

we may be tempted to lose our direction,

to wonder why the hands of fate have

twisted the life out of our existence, 

failing to understand the valleys we

now traverse, will in time, flatten out, 

and begin their ascent once more.

Although we may rail at our lives set

asunder, tempted to discard our faith

and turn away from our true north,

let us be reminded that the topography

we now so reluctantly set foot on, is not

the product of divine will or neglect.

So, how is it that we, with our lives set

asunder, find the strength and courage

to walk through the valleys, we now face?

Perhaps, by remembering who we are,

rather than where we are, by recalling

we have never been, or will ever be, alone!

AT BY G 11.14.2013

 

WITH LOVE, G.

 

 

 

 

THE SQUIRREL - NOTES ON ENLIGHTENMENT INSPIRED BY THE FINDING GOD ON THE TRAIN STORY - QUEST FOR A POSITIVE, PERSONAL, AND CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY

 

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It is choice and free will - our ability to create

ourselves out of our desires - which often

underscores the complexity of being human,

of being alive.  We can conceive in our minds 

the full blossoming rose - wine red with petals

of silk - and we are astonished by the beauty

arriving from one seed. Or the squirrel, the star

of the brief note below, who knows the pure

pleasure of being a squirrel and offers us

a simple nut of wisdom.  

 

I wrote this note below for Ann on a sleepy Sunday

morning, looking out at the gray sky, the snow

on the lawn, the oak tree outside of our sunroom,

watching a squirrel navigate a nut along a long limb

and marveling at the simplicity and the complexity

of existence.  Almost like a Zen master, I jotted

down the following note without explanation,

leaving the mystery of its meaning to the reader.

 

 THE SQUIRREL 

Through the sunroom window

  I see a squirrel maneuver

the limb of the tree – 

  how wondrous –

the squirrel being exactly

what the squirrel should be –

  a squirrel.

How perfect the life of a squirrel –

never desiring to be anything else

but a squirrel and succeeding.

 

As you can see, the note is shorter in length than

my usual Affirmative Thought notes, which are

usually first written for Ann before I publish them

on the blog. When I presented Ann with the note

later that morning with her first tea of the day,

she read it and gave me a half-smile and a casual

thanks as she tossed it gently on the dresser.

She turned and said, “I guess you didn’t have much

to say? I said,  “perhaps more than is apparent."

Half joking I said – “I just receive the messages

from God, I don’t take responsibility for the length

or content.” Ann gave me a half-laugh.

 

Almost two weeks later I am having dinner with Ann

at a local Italian restaurant, the kind of place we all

go to get a quick meal close to home, and Ann is

talking about work and she says, “you know, I have

decided to be a squirrel - I am no longer going to

try to be a rabbit or a dog but just the squirrel

I was made to be.” I almost dropped my fork 

full of pasta, thoroughly surprised the squirrel

had surfaced again.

 

Ann admitted that when I gave her the Squirrel

note she had dismissed it, thinking that I was just

tired or did not feel like writing that morning,

but the image of the contented squirrel kept

appearing in her mind. As time went on, she

decided the squirrel was being what the squirrel

was meant to be - fully authentic, and that was

why the squirrel was so happy and succeeded.

 

Ann said she then decided she was going to live

her life asking a simple question – “I am a squirrel,

am I trying to be something else by doing this? 

Am I trying to be the rabbit someone would

like me to be?"  Ann said she had decided to commit 

herself to always being just a squirrel? For Ann, the

squirrel had become a symbol of the authentic Ann - 

the Ann she was meant to be.

 

In the end, I also learned a great deal from Ann and

the squirrel. I do believe in our souls – we are born

with a divine spiritual instinct along with our genetic

predilections. When we know this Soul – this Divine

purpose  - our authentic purposeful life will shine –

we will discover the “Squirrel” in our hearts.

All we then need to do is ask Ann’s simple question –

are we being true to the squirrel we were meant to be?

 

WITH LOVE, G.  

 

THORNS STUCK IN TENDER PLACES - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHTS INSPIRED BY THE FINDING GOD ON THE TRAIN STORY - THE QUEST FOR A POSITIVE, PERSONAL, AND CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY

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THORNS STUCK IN TENDER PLACES

Let us listen to our own Soul’s roar,

forcing us to peer from inside out

and outside in, to familiarize ourselves

with the thorns stuck in tender places,

capturing our failing attention even

as we proceed on as if nothing hurts.

 

Let us recognize this veil of confusion instead,

as our distinctive vision blurs, and as such,

forcing our sight to focus on what we truly

are and deserve to be, not pawns but kings

on a sacred mission to regain our paradise lost.

 

Let us take this reclamation, without the taunt

of self–negation or abasement; forcing our

will only when our rationale argument fails

to deliver, fully ready to shed our worn

appearance and adorn ourselves with truth,

welcoming our noble transformation.

AT G. 12.16.2013

 

WITH LOVE, G.

 

Affirmative Thought For The Day - THE PRESENT OPPORTUNITY - Finding God On The Train - 3.26.2018

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Life exists in the present moment,

muddled for many of us by our mental

preoccupation with our wandering minds –

entrenched in a Psychic Entropy that

leaves us whirling in thoughts of mishap

and misfortune, trapped in a waking

nightmare. The way back, or better stated

as the way back to the present is through

our focus on mindfulness, staying connected

and aware of the here and now. This is

where life, love, God, our heaven on earth

resides, waiting for us to seize the present

opportunity.

 

THIS PRESENT OPPORTUNITY

 

Let us accept this moment now with total

heart and soul – fully alive and fresh

with the multitude of possibilities waiting

for each of us to gather our senses

and join in – immersing ourselves in

the joyous experience of living.

 

Let us embrace this moment now without

reservation or expectation, but instead

learn its dance, sing its tune, allowing it

to overtake our fears or concerns,

so we can frolic in its pure splendor –

drunk with the wine of God’s creation.

 

Let us unfold with this moment now,

letting go and letting God reveal the

authentic divine soul within, pulsing

through every heartbeat – expressed

with every breath – waiting to be

realized in this present opportunity.

 

AT G. 10.3.2014

 

WITH LOVE, G.

Affirmative Thought For The Day - GRATITUDE - Finding God On The Train - 3.24.2018

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GRATITUDE

 

Let us scan all of our positive emotions today

and choose the most powerful – gratitude –

knowing this sentiment represents our soul

felt thanks for the sentient life we now enjoy –

grateful for the delicate thread that stitches

the fabric of our lives together into a living,

vital, wondrous form - a divine thread sowing

a myriad of possibilities and situations into

an abundant, prosperous, and meaningful

existence, allowing us to discover and reveal

our sacred purpose, enabling us to be the living

hands and feet of God in a tangible world –

opening our eyes to the miracles sewn together

by a grace so significant and thorough, it leaves

no life forsaken – no soul untouched.  

 

AT G. 11.16.2012

 

WITH LOVE, G.  

NewThoughtNoteForTheDay - PERSISTENCE WILL PREVAIL - Finding God On The Train - 2.25.2015.

 

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prevail – prove more powerful than

opposing forces; be victorious.

 

Determination, I believe, is the creative

force of our human existence: the ability

to prevail, to prove more powerful

than the opposing forces – be they fate,

nature, lethargy, inner self-doubt, fear,

the opposition of others – well meaning

or just plain malicious.

 

I don’t really believe in, or give much

credence to, purposeful supernatural

negative forces, such as a devil, but

I do believe in counter forces, that

every action, positive or negative,

is often met with an opposing action,

as life itself resists change and adaptation.

 

We, humankind, are the rare natural

agents for change and creation within

current existence, other than entropy,

which is built into the natural system.

 

So, how do we prevail? The note below

suggests it is with persistence, with our

sights fixed on the goal - this goal fully

imagined and shaped in our thinking,

then held in thought with belief until it,

through our efforts or otherwise, attracts

and creates and forms its likeness.  

  

PERSISTENCE WILL PREVAIL

 

The waves of life at times may pound us,

disrupting our forward progress, thwarting

our planned momentum, yet if we persist

to venture onward with our sights fixed on

the goal – refusing to give up or give in –

persistence will prevail.

 

A thought held firm and not relinquished,

will outlast even a steady torrent of ill

fortune: if believed and held as truth

in prayer – so let us tend and grow

our strong intentions - sure in our

convictions.

 

All that is sure and worthy – our hopes,

dreams and pursuits may find their

form in our imaginings, shaped in our

thinking - held true in our believing,

attracted by our creating – until even

the winds of outrageous fortune fail

to impede our steady endeavors.

 

AT G. 2.25.2015

 

WITH LOVE, G. 

NewThoughtNoteForTheDay - HAPPY WITH WHAT IS - Finding God On The Train - 8.28.2014

 

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Perhaps, it is our mental ability to speculate,

our ability to imagine another way of being,

a more desirable alternative, or current

outcome that leads us to dissatisfaction.

 

It is Thursday morning, my dog Zephyr

is standing on hind legs against our

wooden back fence, barking menacingly,

at my neighbor, who, like clockwork, is

on his ride-on mower cutting his grass.

 

My mind, in frustration, imagines solutions:

Zephyr in a bark collar, my neighbor hand

cutting his lawn, the city council banning

mowing on Thursday morning when I am

writing, as a gesture of good faith to my

essential spiritual efforts.

 

Then, I am reminded that the theme of

this post centers on obtaining happiness

through acceptance of - what is - in our

lives.  I realize no level of imagining is

going to change my life today. What is,

my current reality, my here and now,

is, and the sooner I learn to fully master

this level of acceptance, the happier,

and less stressed, I will surely be. 

 

So, the New Thought message of the

day is to be happy with what is. But,

what if we were to say to do this, it

takes more than simple acceptance,

it may well require being grateful

for what is. To actually understand

that each moment of the life we are

now living is a gift and with this gift

is the opportunity to experience it,

to enjoy it, utilize it, make the most

of it. 

 

This is the message of Brother David

Steindl-Rast, Catholic Benedictine

monk, who is a co-founder of the

Center for Spiritual Studies along

with other prominent Jewish, Budd-

hist, Hindu, and Sufi teachers, and

who has championed an international

gratefulness movement, with over 17

million sacred candles ignited in a

spirit of gratefulness in cyberspace,

on his website Gratefulness.org. 

 

Below, I have included Brother

Steindl-Rast’s TED talk titled, Want

to be happy? Be Grateful. To provide,

if needed,  some assistance with making

this step beyond acceptance to gratefulness.

 

  

HAPPY WITH WHAT IS

 

Today accept what is with your whole

heart, realizing it could be no other way –

allowing it to be what it is as you focus

on living it well, with a song in your heart,

a smile on your face, intent on finding

joy and happiness even in a world that

appears gray.

 

Today accept what is as you affirm what

you are – a thriving, dynamic, creative,

industrious, loving being that is not made

more or less by the surroundings – who

realizes the truth and worth of your own

key contribution to this venture called life.

 

Today, accept what is, with your head held

high – your back erect – your confidence

fully evident in your stance, allowing no

one – no situation – to steal your joy and

zest for living – to convince you that this

is not your time for happiness – for your

heaven on earth.

 

AT G. 8.28.2014

 

WITH LOVE, G. 

NewThoughtNoteForTheDay - EVEN THIS - Finding God On The Train - 5.14.2014

 

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Even for the faithful, the loss and suffering

that follows the death of a loved one is

staggering. Our lives are destabilized,

often with regret, guilt, and despair our

constant companions.

 

When my youngest son died last summer,

I found myself caught in a consciousness

somewhere between life and death. Existing

in a waking purgatory, requiring all my faith

to climb out of and transcend.  

 

This simple note below, guided me during

this time, reminding me to refocus where

my life and God exists: in the here and now.

 

EVEN THIS

 

Today, here and now, is where our lives

reside, these are the moments that deserve

our reflection, our inner contemplation;

these are the times love touches us, and

our love touches the world.

 

Today, here and now, we make our mark,

we create the useful, the purposeful,

the meaningful – a life truly worth living,

and although our suffering is real, tangible,

we must never allow it to thwart our well-

being, our forward progress.

 

Here, now, this day we stand tall, breathe

deeply, fixing our sights on the worthy,

the valued, the essential aspects of our

lives – calling forth the courage, and divine

assistance needed to transcend, even this.

 

AT G. 5.14.2014

 

WITH LOVE, G.