Merry meet Friends!
Michelle here, bringing lots of love and light!
"Every decision you make stems from what you think you are, and represents the value that you put upon yourself." ~ A Course in Miracles; Foundation For Inner Peace
"Opening to the reality of what is can shift us out of insisting that we need ideal circumstances to make us happy, and into an appreciation of the growth that is called out of us by life's trials." ~ Barbara Cecil, Coming Into Your Own
"Nothing happens in life by accident. Nothing. Nothing occurs in your life by chance. Nothing. Nothing takes place without producing the opportunity for real and lasting benefit to you. Nothing at all. The perfection of every moment may not be apparent to you, yet that will make the moment no less perfect. It will be no less a gift." ~ Neale Donald Walsch, Friendship with God
"Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists, Herein lies the peace of God." These are the opening lines to A Course in Miracles. I started reading ACIM in the late 90's. The first lesson is "Nothing I see in this room (on this street, from this window, in this place) means anything." One can not discriminate, everything that your eyes light upon has to be included. As I practiced the first lesson, my eyes landed on my youngest daughter Tiffany sitting on the steps, I made the statement but didn't include her; my emotions wouldn't let me. I knew then, as I do now, that we are not our bodies, but I couldn't include her, I just couldn't.
I now understand better than I did then. I believe it has something to do with the losses that have occurred in my life. I can honestly look at anything and make that statement; including the bodies of my children and my own. (I do need to remind myself of that on occasions) Things are just that, and bodies are the shells in which our spirits reside. The second lesson says "that we have given everything that we see, all the meaning it has". That statement is so true. We attach meanings and values to everything in our lives. I am not saying that we aren't to take care of our bodies and the things we accumulate. We do live in these bodies and we appreciate items we have and care for them, for everything is energy. However, the value and meaning is what we have given it. It may or may not mean the same to someone else.
These first lines of ACIM can take some getting used to and requires some thought. If someone points a gun at one with the intent to rob, one may feel very threatened and that threat feels real. But, if we understand that the reality of who we are is spirit, then the real can not be threatened. This idea would take much practice because in the moment that one faces death, one wants to cling dearly to life. This is understood for it is all our conscious mind knows. We don't know death and what that brings. We do know, all of us, whether consciously or not, that we aren't our bodies. When someone transitions through death, the body we see is void of life. Life-less. This lets us know that the body is not the person. These statements aren't only about death; it's everything.
My oldest son, Donnie, is a recovering addict. Last July, he purchased a car. After working the day after the purchase, he came home took a shower, and decided to get an oil change. In less than an hour I received a call from him that he was being arrested. The charge was possession. The car was sold as is and was dirty. It even had things belonging to someone else in the trunk. This is the one time that I believe in his innocence. We went to court on Thursday. The lawyer was a public defender and lousy, the policeman even lied about what he said to me after the arrest. He also said that my son made a statement about drugs that a seasoned addict would never make. The judge found him guilty and said had it not been for the statement, would have found him not guilty. He will return in May for sentencing. He is looking to appeal.
I realize that it is not me facing charges or jail time, so for me to adhere to the above quotes about "growth that is called to us out of life's trials" and every moment being a gift, may seem insensitive. It's not. I believe we choose paths in life, sometimes consciously and sometimes not so much. We make decisions based on "who we think we are" as the first quote states. None of us have understood why Donnie continues to hang outside the store where he was arrested, yet we do know. Whether using or not, those are his "people". His decisions have seemingly cost him his freedom. I say, seemingly, because we don't know what will happen. What I do know is that we all have several paths, several futures and it is up to us to choose. Decisions today make our tomorrows. "It's a little hard to tell what's a failure and what's just shifting your life in a whole new direction." ~ Pema Chodron, Fail Fail Again Fail Better.
Donnie thought he would be found guilty because the lawyer didn't believe him. He put his faith in her ignorance and not in the wisdom of God/Goddess/All That Is. Our thoughts do matter. There are lessons in all things whether we pay attention or not. Maybe we could learn to ask ourselves what is the lesson in this situation and really listen for and to the answer. Maybe if we learn that life holds gifts for us even in the trials, we could better understand our lives and help someone else to "see". We could then possibly learn and understand, "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God." and we would have the peace that passes all understanding.
Until next Sunday,
Merry part and merry meet again,
Blessed be,
Gypsi Mama Michelle
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