The effort
Sometimes the effort can seem wasted when trying to help. Also the reality of condescending attitudes have to be honestly faced and simply named, for I am not sure anyone can do anything with pure intentions and motives. Yet these should not be obstacles in seeking to help and understand others. Once certain aspects are named, they remain within sight and do not run the show from behind the curtain so to speak. Unconscious motivations leak out and are picked up by those we try to
Consigned
If someone can’t swim, but simply sinks when hitting the water, do you let them drown?
Emotionally, as some are, consigned to a small cell, are they to be left alone?
Those who just don’t understand for whatever reason, are they to be isolated and forgotten, written off?
The strange ones, the outsiders, those weird, who react to life in unusual ways, are they to be avoided?
Inwardly, in their inner sanctum are they so different? Perhaps you dear reader belong to such a gro
Feel you feet
A woman talked to me today. She was really in a tight spot, wore out and feeling empty. She asked me what should she do in the next three days while here. Well, sleep if you need to. What if I am too tired to sleep she responded. Then I said you can try this. Simply sit down, get comfortable and feel your feet touching the floor, that is all. It sounds too simple I said, but it can become a deep form of meditation and even leading to a profound sense of rest on all leve
Faith in the process
Being ‘steadfast’ is not about being simply ‘willful, for ‘willfulness’ comes and goes. It is about being ‘willing’ and open to where the path we are on leads us. While it is true that we need to be responsible and use discipline in our lives no matter what the endeavor; we also need to be willing to simply take one step at a time and to develop the patience to wait out obstacles, or to work through, or around them. Perhaps the greatest discipline is to simply move f
Grace
God works in secret, or so it is said. We do what we can, which in reality is probably a freely given response to graces promptings to grow and mature in the first place. Life can at times seem to be an obstacle course with no end to it, though there may be some resting stops along the way. Trust grows slowly for me. Yet as I age, I find it starting to blossom. My trust in God’s love for me as well as for others seems to be taking deep root. Fear and trust cannot live together; on
Automaton
Inner awareness is more important than success. Without some level of centeredness we are more often than we would like to think, simply robots. Getting up, doing our morning clean up, coffee, work, rush hour traffic, struggle at work, success, interplay with others, then back home, more rush hour traffic to get home and watch TV. This can be done without any real level of being aware, it is simply done. The mind can wander all day from one tape to another, though the characte
Prejudices past on
On a culture level, I think we are all victims of prejudices past on. Some of this is done in ignorance by our families, while others are actually taught which leads to bigotry. Prejudices we will always have with us, for it comes from a primitive tribal aspect of ourselves and we for the most part know it is not true. Bigotry on the other hand is dangerous, because it is believed to be true. It is prejudices all grown up, rigid and brittle. So much pain and sorrow
Lord teach me
Lord teach me to love you for yourself,
though I am far from that state of being as of yet,
you withdraw your presence to lead me deeper,
my thirst leads me to continue the journey,
my inner emptiness waits to be filled
and yes Lord healed.
Allow me to return your loving gaze,
in silence teach me to wait for your living waters,
when prayer seems impossible
tasting like dry sand.
I pray for patient endurance
leading to deeper joy.
Touch
We all need touch. One way to touch someone deeply is to listen, see them and not try to control or coral them into being a certain way. I believe that we are all teachers for one another and those that cause us to stretch, are our most powerful mentors. Our enemies so called, often are on target in how they perceive us. So yes, even those who hate us can if listened to, be our teachers; our best ones. Though they themselves may need to also learn from us and ask what it is that
Tar baby
God is not watching us, no, he is one with us. It is love that keeps us in existence. We are pursued and treasured and I guess most of us do what we do best; we run. Many have a rough background when it comes to their faith traditions and it can keep them from experiencing the joy, which is the fruit of a loving relationship with God. When human emotions are projected onto the mystery of the Eternal then we get into trouble. God loves without need; human love is the opposite of
Fasting
Fasting is about making room. About letting go of a crutch that allows us to get away from inner discomfort, to a place of temporary release from inner pain or disease…though of course it is short lived. It is about food, or perhaps noise, or TV, or drinking, well just about anything. Letting something go to see what happens can be scary. For then we may experience emptiness that in the past has been filled, but now allowed to be and not ran from. People are often surprised when
There are "burps' in life
Life can be funny at times and it is good to enjoy such events to their fullness. Laughter can bring perspective to just about any situation. When we can laugh at ourselves, that is the first step enabling us to laugh at others in such a way that is compassionate and not hurtful or cruel. I do know a few people who don't have a sense of humor and boy they can they be hard to live with and I find it difficult to be at ease when in their company. There are "bur
Ash Wednesday
While it is true that the taking of Ashes on the first day of lent is a reminder of not only of our own death, but also how passing all things in our world are…. that is not all of it by any means. It is not just about death, this taking of ashes. No, it is a call to begin seeking anew those things that lead to an ever deeper love and enjoyment of life. It is a call to let go of that which keeps us from having a deep and loving relationship with God. We are asked to face li
Starting point
We can only start from where we are at. To wish to be somewhere else is foolish, if the present starting point is overlooked. Impatience to rush things can really slow the journey down, causing more missteps and hindrances. If the same starting place is arrived at everyday, well, patience is learned from perseverance and not giving up. Results in reality are secondary, since they can only come into being, after some new starting place is arrived at. Be at peace, our jour
Softly, gently, with tenderness
Tread softly,
for the ground we walk on is brittle, life is fragile
Speak gently,
for those with whom we communicate can easily break.
Touch often with tenderness,
for those with which we live need healing.
Who does not walk this path?
One little bump in the road and I get angry.
Peace can evaporate like mist in the sun.
Anxious concern, or fear, arises like a storm cloud;
no bidding necessary…..There they are.
I at times cling to such emotions and reactions.
Unreasonable and irrational, these companions
that I now know so well. Like spoiled children they are,
complaining, or seeking to hide something, or to run.
Where do they seek to run?
Anywhere at all, just not here and now,
t
Grasping
If I truly stopped grasping, allowed all pretense to drop away, faced my fears and desired only truth, what would happen? Would Mark cease to exist altogether. What is below this ego that I have spent so much time building up, how much is truth and how much lies? Is death the final dropping of all false self image, is that why death is feared, the death of the ego?
Our common humanity
Emotional pain no matter what it is, can be a call to join with all who suffer the same affliction. We all share a unity by the mere fact of our humanity, our inner experience may be unique to each, but not so much that empathy and compassion or impossible. When we pray, our souls unite with an ever expanding circle, as our hearts seek healing of deep seated emotions and feelings of anxiety and alienation. We are never alone, love and prayer are the connection that dr
A relief
Selfcenteredness, without any way to swim against it, is wearying and leads to frustration and deep suffering. It is a relief to see one self in others, to actually understand that those around can be treated with love, compassion and concern.... as I think we all want to be treated. It brings about an expansion of consciousness, to see self in others, as well, for Christians, to see Christ.
Lighten the load
There are beliefs about life and there are also methods that allow us to slowly grow into living them. What we say we believe and living up to those ideals can be a slow, laborious, process. The “Golden Rule” is not a belief, but a way of life, a method, that takes a conscious willingness to not rush the process, but to strive without worrying about success. First, the need to see how one wants to be treated, which takes thought, can lead to more consideration of others.
Good by my dear friend
Just got word that a very dear friend from High School died. Her name was Donna and she was one of the kindest people I have ever known. She left Panama in the 10th grade and we got back together about four years ago. While in High School we would talk a lot, for hours actually and I never forgot her. She had a wonderful family and a great husband; his name was Stan. It is always hard to lose a friend, you would think we would get used to it, but I don't think we
The difference between hypocrisy and failure
There is a difference between hypocrisy and failure. To say we are sinners can be something positive. For it means we have freedom, we can choose. Responsibility is a given and it gives a doorway out of a destructive situation. It also means that we have a propensity towards behavior that is self centered and lacks empathy towards others; as well as compassion. Maturity takes time, effort and also openness for grace to do its work. Self knowl
Fears are like walls
Fears are like walls; they can be stepped over, climbed if very tall, or we can back away from them or beat our heads against them. They are all choices. Then, there are times when some fears should be listened to, but not all of them, most likely not most of them. They can wall us in making our world ever smaller and dungeon like
Inward storm
Any inward storm can be swam, when we know it will pass and we are safe. Jesus is at times asleep in the bow of the boat when we feel we are just hanging on, but in reality, we are held on to. I simply don't understand God's love, but I believe in it, because it is infinite, greater and deeper than any love that we know and at times we all get a small taste of it. . So storms will pass, good times will return, then go away, but the love of God is forever, eternal and uncondition
The kettle
There are days, like today, when I feel like my insides are boiling, like my soul is a kettle over a fire. Yet I can look into to the kettle, observe and not panic. There will always be days like this, as well as days when I feel at peace…..it is all the same. There is always that part of me that is more, that looks and thinks and observes. If I don’t lose myself in the kettle I can even make free choices on how I am going to use this dynamic and chaotic energy. Energy moves
