Revelation: Being Blessed

Krista Tippett's program,"Speaking of Faith,” was and is my primary electronic media source for discovering that which helps me gain insight into my life and how I have chosen to experience it. Some of the topics seem remarkably "unspiritual," upon reading the program titles. Remarkable, too, it is that it is in these most unlikely topics that I find the most self-revelation. "Speaking of Faith," has helped me gain insight about our individual and collective lives. Perhaps it can help you.
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/podcast/podcasthelp.shtml

Many of us spend much far too much time embracing, struggling with and trying to conform with what is outside of us. I encourage you to spend more time embracing, struggling with and discovering what is inside of you--your true self. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

I have rediscovered (yet again) the fact that I have only just begun to live what I intellectually have known to be true and have advised others; Live in the moment, not the past and not the future. It is only in the now, with your true and full presence can you recognize your blessings when they come to you. I am now living in a remarkable moment of revelation.
I have always known that I must overcome and banish from my life various painful experiences, afflictions, bad habits and wrong attitudes that have failed to serve me well. I have chanted and prayed with true focus and concentration on releasing these things that are obstacles to my intellectual, mental, physical and spiritual growth. I have chanted and prayed and now I am living the actual proof of the power of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, the center of my Nicihiren Buddhist faith in my current life experience.

It’s a kind of funny yet profound experience. The lessons often come disguised as adversity or suffering--or at least what we are in the habit of calling these experiences. I choose to regard them as learning moments. Moments when we must call upon our deepest, most honest self and recognize that indeed, the current situation is providing the perfect environment for learning or attaining that for which we have prayed. Getting beyond the pain, the wrong thinking to which we are habituated will lead us directly to the blessing we seek.

I say to myself; It is not easy but I will not be defeated.

Peace,

Yvonne

Whole Again: On becoming who I truly am

I haven’t posted for months now. I’ve been getting my bearings in my new home, my new job, my new spiritual community and, most importantly, with my family. My mother has Alzheimer’s Disease. As awful as it is, the person that it has transformed her into is a person that has allowed all of us the emotional space for all of us to let go of the past.

I am giving a lot of thought to how life begins to come full-circle at some point. It seems to be the same point at which one becomes capable of letting go of pain, anger, greed, arrogance and attachments. It is the best place I have ever been though my family are going though one of the most difficult yet unifying times of our lives. We are strengthening yet softening our hearts at the same time.

It is this that has given me the energy and motivation to begin to express myself in this way once more. The combination of maturity, spirituality and courage cannot be underestimated in its ability to its ability to allow one to let go of what is false and insignificant embrace that which is true and everlasting--like family and self.

Peace.
Yvonne