As I was sitting this morning reading my bible, trying to decipher the meaning of the scripture verse I had just read, something came over me. I started to think about different times in my life that have led me to this point on my journey – where I have a passion to share faith, a desire to be better and a thirst for more.  The common denominator in all the situations (too many to list here) was a YES!

Three instances in particular stand out – first, when the deacon of my church approached and asked me to give a reflection before the entire parish, I had no idea what I would speak about or how I would put it all together, but immediately I said YES! Second, when I asked my pastor if I could start a meditation/reading group, he immediately said YES! Third, when I suggested to the group that we take a 14 hour drive to Kentucky to retreat in a monastery,  they immediately said YES! Continue reading “The Power of YES!”

What is it about this situation that bothers me? What is it about this person’s words or deed that rubbed me the wrong way?

As I continue to be consistent with the various spiritual practices I have adopted in order to grow closer to God and increase my peace and joy of life, I have learned to live from the heart as opposed to living from the mind.  Obviously, living from the heart means that our words and deeds come from a place of love, while living from the mind means to be driven by the ego.  I cannot pinpoint the exact moment the conversion happened but I can say with much certainty that the conversion occurred as a result of regular prayer, meditation, journaling and scripture reading. Since this conversion, I notice that I do not react so quickly but “sit” with whatever it is that is causing me to lose my peace, to sit with whatever it is that is causing me to move back into my mind.  What I have realized by doing this is the thing that is bothering me is simply my PERCEPTION and not necessarily reality. Continue reading “Perception vs. Reality”