Growing our Gardens

Karen Dancing Doe, a member of Unity Athens presented a very special Easter message yesterday. She wrote:

As the seasons change it offers us the opportunity
to ask ourselves some questions. Spring is a time of
renewed growth, a time of sprouting out.

Ask yourself what seeds you want to plant in your garden
of life...

What are the seeds you want to nurture?
What aspects of your life are you pleased with?
Cultivate gratitude toward them and fertilize them frequently to
ensure their growth.

What areas of your life feel like they are lacking or need
improvement?
Set your intention to plant these seeds, to nurture their growth
and cultivate their development.

As you enjoy the season of Spring remember to tend your
seedlings and honor their growth in your life's garden. Allow
nature to be an example for you this spring and all year long. Don't
forget to weed out whatever does not serve your highest good.

After considering these thoughts while admiring spring's blooms throughout the neighborhood, I decided to spend this morning weeding out my own garden. It's been awhile, and I realized there are quite a few seedlings I need to make room for - quite a few I would like to plant this year.

In particular, I want to cultivate Compassion, Friendship and Fun. I spent the first cup of coffee reorganizing my wish board, and revamping my Universal desires. I honestly believe what you put "out there" is what comes your way. So, I thought carefully about how to ask for the things I want.



Number one is MORE GOD. Really, I just want to have a deep sense of gratitude and awareness for the multitude of gifts in my life.

This hit home tonight when I stopped by St. Mary's hospital to drop off flowers. Looking at the BEAUTIFUL creations Todd (another Unity member) put together for church yesterday, I thought the arrangements could serve a higher purpose. Sure, they added a festive touch to the service, but I felt like the love, time and dedication Todd put into these creative pieces deserved so much more.


So, I worked with the ICU nurses to find 3 people who didn't have much in the way of family or visitors. The first woman I met was completely bedridden, unable to talk or sit up. Yet, her spirit was POWERFUL. She took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, just enough for me to feel her energy, her life, her complete refusal to give up.

I walked (on my own two feet) away from that experience with a new found sense of gratitude and compassion. I am aware of my blessings - my health, my family, my friends, an abundance of opportunities.

With this I plant in my garden compassion and renewal. I am working on staying mindful of these gifts and finding unique gifts in others.

Blessings

,
I have been thinking a lot lately about all of the AMAZING blessings in my life including my family, friends, my dog, my home...the list is endless. Every morning, as soon as I roll out of bed, I give thanks for life, for Earth, for the amazing plants, animals, and humans that exist in harmony. For each breath I take and the multitude of opportunities that continue to surface.

Since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, the resounding message in our home was always count your blessings. Be thankful for what you have. Yet, it seems as we grow into adulthood, and become purportedly wiser, we tend to forget this simple precept. Somehow the day-to-day encounters of our lives engross and capture us so much, we have a tendency to postpone gratitude.

Why do we do that when it is so EASY to take a moment and REFLECT in the SILENCE? How often do we complain about the chaos in our lives and never take a moment to silence it? How often do we forget to hear and see God in this chaos and give thanks because it is the chaos that keeps our lives moving?

Blessings are abundant and they are powerful. They give us reason to pause and reflect on our true purpose in life. From each breath that we breathe to each color we see, from our feet that keep us moving on our different journeys to the laughter that brings us together, all of life's blessings provide balance and solidarity.

Nothing is accidental. It is all dependent upon what one asks for, how one asks for it, and, really, what one is open to receiving. We are all blessed, in so many unique and individual ways. It is up to each one of us to honor that, respect that, and remain open to the idea that our blessings are meant to touch others, as theirs are meant to impact us.

We are not a solitary species. We must work together to raise peaceful balance on individual, local and global levels. Start simple. Take a moment to breathe. Take a moment to truly reflect in the silence and offer thanks, to whatever higher power you believe in, for the breath that enters your body, the positive energy it produces, and the amazing contribution YOU can make to your life and the world at large.