Dear Member/Friend,

So much has been going on in the lives of people I truly love lately. Things that are so hard to comprehend the why and wherefore, much less to explain. I’m not talking about agape love here. That’s good, too, and necessary, but I’m talking about how I personally love these people. We have an emotional and physical and spiritual connection. When they hurt, I hurt. When they cry, I feel like crying, too. When they are happy, so am I. They are an essential part of my life. I care what happens to them, not just on a universal level, but at a heart level... my heart. I feel all the feelings that make me know we really are one. I can’t personally embrace the whole world but I can personally embrace them and I do.

These are good people that live good lives, that don’t hurt others on purpose, that know they are spiritual beings here simply having a temporary human experience, that strive to remember this all the time, that care about their families and friends and loved ones, that meditate and treat at least some of the time and see the Good in everyone most of the time, that are kind to and care about all of God’s creatures, that give to the less fortunate, that support their church and only say good things about their minister (a little note of humor here)… that know they truly are “spiritually whole, perfect and complete” and still things happen that they feel they have no control over…and they wonder “why.”

Sometimes life can be pretty overwhelming. Oh, they know all the answers. “We create our own reality.” “Everything starts with a thought.” “God is at the center of everything.” “Change your thinking, change your life.” “You are responsible for everything that happens in your life” “There are no victims only volunteers.” “No guilt.” Sometimes I try to explain to them things that don’t always make complete sense to me. Then I find something that touches my heart and reminds me what I already know. Like this wonderful quote from May Science of Mind magazine, “Once we came here, ripe with God, seething with life…”(don’t you love that?) then I remember who I am…and who we all are…and what we are doing here!

We came here to experience God in all its glory and that is what is happening in our lives, all of the stuff. Things we label “good” and things we label “bad”. We are “seething with life.” That’s what it is. Everything that happens is a part of the divine plan that we created…in the beginning. We didn’t come here just to kick back and not have to think or grow or to not use our God-given talents and abilities. We came here to experience every aspect of life that would challenge us and push us and motivate us and change us and perhaps even shock us into spiritual expansion like we’ve never known before. “As our bodies are planted into the earth, as the wheel of life turns and turns, we must change, too.” I fully believe this. “ As the river flows to the sea, our hearts are broken, and repaired—and broken again.” Then we find our spirits can’t be broken. We only become stronger in the broken places. I’ve been doing a lot of seething lately…moving back and forth between elation and sadness. It’s true, you can’t experience both at the same time. I’ve felt broken…and I’ve felt mended. I’ve felt love and I’ve felt helplessness for people I love…I’ve felt joy and I’ve felt sorrow…sometimes all in a fifteen minute period. Through it all I know that together, we are on a spiritual journey and all of our answers are waiting for us along the way.

Love and blessings,

Rev. Doris