"Spiritually Speaking" by Rev. Carla Golden

The wisdom and love of Mother Teresa

Mothere Teresa would be 100 years old if she was alive today. Her words are alive though, and they continue to inspire us. Watch this video and be reminded of what is really important in life. What can you do today to show love and kindness to another human being?

Just For The Joy of It...The JK Wedding Dance Video

You've probably at least heard about this, if not seen it yourself, as it has been a hit on YouTube as well as mentioned on the news. Why is it that this video of people dancing down the aisle at a wedding has been watched time and time again by millions of people (myself included)?

To me, it's about JOY. Watching these people dancing down the aisle to the song, "Forever" by Chris Brown, can't help but make you smile. So let yourself feel the joy and watch the video. It's a great way to start the week, don't you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

Playing the Cards You Are Dealt: Randy Pausch & "The Last Lecture"

Randy Pausch made his transition last week. His talk, “The Last Lecture” has had over five million hits on the internet. People are hungry for the inspiration and encouragement that Randy offered in his talk, which was given to the students at Carnegie Mellon, but which was really written for the benefit of his three young children.

 

Randy knew that he would not be there for his children as they grew up, and he wanted to leave them with a message that they could listen to time and time again and which would help them when they faced challenges in their own lives.

 

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand,” said Randy.

 

Life dealt Randy pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms. I have known two people who died of this disease. But during the course of his illness, with the time he had left, Randy lived life to the utmost. He didn’t spend much time feeling sorry for himself and he didn’t want anyone else to pity him either.

 

What’s up for you in your life now? What cards are you holding? Are things looking rather bleak? I would suggest that you pick up a copy of Randy’s book, co-authored with Jeffrey Zaslow, which is also entitled The Last Lecture. It’s a relatively quick read filled with Pausch’s wisdom and humor. Small enough to fit into your purse or briefcase, it’s great reading for commuting on the train or for those times when you’re sitting waiting for Mother Nature to take it’s course.

 

I’ll be doing some blogs on some of the topics that Randy wrote about in his book.  In the meantime, if you’d like to listen to Randy’s lecture, which is on YouTube, here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo .  

800 Million People in the World Are Chronically Hungry

I heard this statistic yesterday. It's mind boggling to me that 800 million people in this world are going hungry on a regular basis. How can this be on a planet with such great bounty and prosperity?

Another statistic...in the U.S. there is a larger percentage of children in poverty than in any other developed country. The United States of America is now being called the "richest third world country". Why is this?

Normally I don't like to focus on negative things, but it is important that we be informed about what is happening in our world and especially in our own country. The question then becomes, "What is ours to do?"

The most obvious thing and something that does not cost a penny, is that we pray. We hold the "high watch" for this world. We envision a world where people are the priority, not oil or money. We hold the vision of a world of peace and prosperity for all people in all countries. We hold in our thoughts all the people who are in need--no matter what that need may be; and we know and affirm that God is now working in and through us all to bring about change. We open our hearts and our minds to guidance on what is our part to play, what is ours to do. 

"There Is No Hell" Says Bishop Carlton Pearson

Carlton Pearson's church, Higher Dimensions, was once one of the largest in the city of Tulsa, drawing over 5,000 worshipers every Sunday. But several years ago, scandal rocked the church. Bishop Pearson didn't have an affair. He didn't embezzle money. He sin was seen by many as being even more unforgiveable: He stopped believing in hell.

As a result, Carlton Pearson was cast out of the church and labeled a "heretic." In his new congregation, instead of preaching sermons of fear, fire and brimstone, he now preaches about God's love and inclusion.

Bishop Pearson believes that everyone is destined to go to heaven. Hell, according to Bishop Pearson, is "completely out of character with what we know about God. ...(It) didn't originate with Christianity or even Judaism, but with pagan religions."

In his new church, Bishop Pearson welcomes homosexuals and people of all religions.

"When love, healing, tolerance and justice cease to be the cornerstone of the Christian faith, it is not the non-Christians of the world who are damned. It is Christianity itself---Christianity deserves better. Christ deserves better."

Amen, Rev. Pearson.

Beautiful People Do Not Just Happen

The most beautiful people are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen." --Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

A beautiful person sent me this quote yesterday. She has been going through some challenges, or "growth opportunities", as some of us have called them. If you are also going through a G.O. right now, isn't it somewhat comforting to know that you will come out of it as a more compassionate person, someone who is better able to help others?

Have you ever shared your sorrows with someone and you could tell that they had no understanding for what you were experiencing? And haven't there been others who you shared your pain with and you could see in their eyes compassion and empathy and maybe even a few tears? You knew that they understood.

When you first saw the title to this article, you probably thought that it was about physical beauty. Am I right? Well, it's time to look at beauty in a different way and see that physical attractiveness is merely that. But true beauty is something that radiants from the inside out.

(The picture is of Amy Turner Tunick who made her transition back in 2006. She lived with pancreatic cancer for 32 mos. Beautiful, inside and out, Amy wrote the "Feel Good" column in a local newspaper in Florida during her illness. She inspired many to stay positive and to never lose hope.)

Dancing With One Leg -- Dancing With One Arm: An Inspirational Story

She was a teenaged dancer in China, having trained from early childhood, when she lost her left arm in a car accident. Depressed, she turned away from dancing for awhile. But when asked to coach a group of children, she realized her love of dance was still there.

She returned to dancing, finding at first that it was difficult to maintain balance in her turns and spins without her lost limb. But gradually she learned to compensate.

A number of years later, she heard of a young man in his 20's who had lost his leg. He, too, was going through the roller coaster emotions of denial, depression and anger that she had gone through. Although he had never danced before, she talked him into trying it.

It was a challenge for both of them. They separated several times when the frustration became too great. He had no concept of how to use his muscles or even the most basic dance steps. Eventually, they broke through their frustrations and went back to training, hiring a choreographer to design routines for them.

What you will see in the five-minute clip, is a dance that won them first prize in a modern dance competition in China. If you believe that something is impossible, watching these two dancers will change your mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnLVRQCjh8c

Making a Difference

Back in the 1980's, I worked in human resources at a large, international accounting firm in Chicago. I encountered a young man, straight out of college, who truly stood out in the group he started with. He had sparkling blue eyes and a smile that reflected real warmth and compassion. He was always willing to go out of his way to help. Maybe that's why I remembered John Wood some 20 years later, when I saw him on "Oprah" a few months ago.

It turns out that John, who worked only briefly at the accounting firm, went on to do some incredible things. In his professional career, he ended up at Microsoft. He had a six-figure salary, an expense account and traveled around the world as a marketing executive for the company, staying in the best hotels. He lived in Australia for a time and then China. Life was exciting.

On a hiking trip through Nepal, he had a life-changing experience. He encountered children who had no books to read. John found that this was common. The majority of children were not literate and many young girls were not even given the chance to go to school. John decided to do something extroadinary. He quit his job and took his savings and started a charity called "Room to Read" www.roomtoread.org . This charity has built more than 5,000 libraries around the world and filled them with books. His goal in 2008 is to double that number. He has established scholarships for girls and also built schools and computer labs.

John has written a book about his journey and if you still need a Christmas present for someone, this book is inspirational and hard to put down. And in buying it you will help John's charity. The book is called Leaving Microsoft to Change the World. (See my recommended books to purchase from Amazon or use this link www.roomtoread.org to purchase from the charity directly.)

And if you're looking for a charity to give to, you can't find a better one than Room to Read. They've been recognized as a "Four Star Charity", which means that you'll know that most of your contribution goes toward the actual work of the charity and not to "overhead".

Acknowledging the Kindness of Others

I went to a new audiologist awhile back; one of my hearing aids needed some adjusting. An African-American man sat hunched over a desk focused on his work. He turned briefly to acknowledge my presence, "I'll be with you in just a moment." There wasn't much warmth in his voice; it was rather gruff.

Several minutes later, he got up from his desk and came over to where I was sitting. "How can I help you?"

I'm having some trouble with one of my hearing aids and I was wondering if you could adjust it. He took it from my hands and looked it over. While he was examing it, I asked about the picture he had on his desk of a woman and a little boy. The man's face changed immediately. It was like a doorway opened and light poured out.

"That's my wife and two-year old son. I have another one on the way."

He asked me about myself and I told him that my husband and I had moved to Kansas City from Florida. The conversation flowed easily between us.

The man looked up at me over the top of his spectacles. "I'm supposed to charge you for this," he said. Then he smiled. "But I'm not going to."

"Well, thank you." I smiled back. "What a nice surprise."

Then I remembered the SMILE Award card that I had slipped into my purse a couple of days before, just in case I observed an act of kindness.

"Here, I have something for you." I handed him the small, orange and yellow card which says: You have been observed making a difference by doing the following:

"You have made a difference in my life today by your act of kindness and I want you to have this. Feel free to pass it on to someone else."

The man looked down at the card for a moment. When he looked up, tears were pooling in his eyes.

"Thank you. You've made my day," he said.

I walked out of the audiologist's office feeling great. We had come together on that day and shared our light with each other. Who knows what kind of day that this man was having before I came. From the tone of his voice when he greeted me, it didn't seem to be a good one. But in our brief time together, we connected on the heart level. We both gave and we both received. It was a satisfying and uplifting exchange of energy.

If you'd like to find out how to obtain SMILE Award cards, go to www.smilemovement.com or email [email protected] .

Why Not Let Your Light Shine Every Day?

I was among the thousands who participated in the “Fire the Grid” project on the morning of July 17. I received emails from many friends and comments on my Gather articles from others who had said they were excited about the opportunity to be a "Messenger of Light" -- to pray and meditate for the healing of this planet and for peace on earth.

Sitting next to my husband in the quiet of our den, I was uplifted by the knowledge that so many of us were doing this at the same time around the world. I could feel the positive energy of this combined prayer consciousness.  Afterwards, I thought to myself that we need to continue sending this positive energy out into the universe and spreading the loving vibrations that were set forth in this project that we participated in on July 17. Then I remembered that my good friend, Rev. Elizabeth Haugen, had started a movement designed to help do this.

Here is what she has to say about her new project, SMILE, in her own words. I hope that you’ll check it out and get involved. It will cost you nothing and will continue the work that we have already begun.

Are you ready to make a difference in our world? Are you willing, as Mahatma Gandhi said, “to be the change you wish to see in the world”? The SMILE Movement (Sharing My Inner Light Everyday) was organized for just that purpose.

Individually we, as SMILE ambassadors, are dedicated to uplifting and healing the world, one heart at a time. We seek first to show up every day as loving beings who live by the SMILE Covenant of Being. This Covenant is to:

Speak with authenticity

Model an attitude of non-judgment,

Interact lovingly,

Listen deeply, and

Enrich the world.

We are also committed to recognizing and acknowledging others when they show up in positive and loving ways. When we interact with or observe someone being a positive light in the world we share SMILE Award cards with them letting them know that they have made a difference.

If you would like more information on the SMILE Movement, desire to become a SMILE ambassador, or are interested in obtaining a supply of SMILE Award cards for sharing with others, please go to our Web Site at www.smilemovement.com or e-mail us at [email protected] . There is no fee to become a SMILE ambassador.

“Individually we make a difference. Collectively we transform the world.”

—Elizabeth Haugen