Dear Friends,

“July’s Affirmation”                                                                                                          “We have within us, a power that is greater                                                                        than anything we shall ever contact in the outer world.                                                      A power that can overcome every obstacle in our life                                                    and set us safe, satisfied and at peace, healed and prosperous,                                     in a new light and in a new life.”                                                                                 Ernest Holmes.

One Heart, One Mind Center for Spiritual Living shares this affirmation weekly during the month of July. I love saying it every morning because it applies to every activity, decision, obstacle through the day and in the future.

When we KNOW the Power of God is always present within us and only a thought and breath away, what is there to fear or worry about? God, the Mighty I AM already KNOWS what you need, when you need it and is always willing to provide it and/or something better! “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” spoken by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Letting go of fear is the first step to opening your heart and mind to greater good, greater prosperity, greater opportunities.

Ernest Holmes has another quote I love, “Humanity is Divinity made Visible!” YOU are the Divine. You are God in form. You as God already have the answers to the questions your mind proposes. The Mighty I AM within YOU already knows your soul’s plan and purpose and what you need for your highest good and Spiritual growth.

Speak it, Affirm it, Know it, BE it. You are God’s Joy, Love and Unique Expression. No one else is YOU. No one else has your soul plan or purpose.

You are an individuation of God, perfect and glorious! Trust in your inner guidance for answers to your prayers.

Let God Be God in YOU

 

Dear Friends,

“Let GOD be GOD in You!” (Kevin Anderson, Spirituality and Health”)

Kevin captured this phrase from the beloved Mister Eckhart. How often do we say, “Oh God, take this away, or please help me, or I don’t want to go through this…” We all go through challenges in health, life, relationships, work and more. Steve and I are not exceptions. This year 2025 has brought many challenges and apparently we are not done yet.

Recently we found out our home insurance cancelled us because we live in a high fire risk area. I called our insurance and they will not continue, under any circumstances after a certain date. So now what!? Who do I go to? What company do I call? I needed to go back to my faith in God, knowing there is the right company who will continue to insure us. I needed to surrender and let God be God in me. Needless to say, God is God in ALL people and God speaks through all people, because God does hear our prayers.

In the morning I light votive candles and say a short mantra. “There is only one Life, that Life is the Life of God, that Life is perfect and that Life is my Life NOW. I surrender my day unto you Oh Lord.” I then light the candles and especially the ones sitting in beautiful sculpted hands. So I surrendered.

Later that day, I was having my hair cut with my hair stylist and sharing this concern of mine. She immediately said, ” I cut and style a whole family and they are delightful! “In fact they own an insurance company and I am sure they can help you. As I was sitting in the chair she called her client and explained the situation. Her client said to have ME call her and she will help get insurance for our home. Amazing and wonderful. God shows up EVERYWHERE in places you least expect. That is how God works,      through people!

I did call this lovely insurance agent who is now working on my behalf as well as giving me another home insurance agent to contact. Now I have TWO working on helping us get the insurance we need.

Remember, if we let fear get in our way, it is like a block. Kevin said, “When I move this water faucet handle, water comes out instantly and when I move it back the flow stops. We don’t have to pray to the water, beg to help us or believe in it. It is always there, waiting for flow as soon as it is unblocked.”

Just turn the handle on!

FAITH is FLOW!

What You Are Seeking is Also Seeking You -Rumi

 


Dear Friends,

We had a wonderful Labyrinth Walk last Saturday.

Our theme was “What you are Seeking is also Seeking You.”This verse was first spoken by Jalal al-Din Mohammed Rumi a 13th-century poet and theologian. He was born to a Muslim family in Central Asia, and later became associated with Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam.

As a kid did you ever play HIDE and SEEK? When we hid we really wanted someone to FIND us. We did not want to be left out or forgotten. There was excitement and JOY in both the finder and the hider.

Our granddaughter loves to play hide and seek. Lately she loves to hide one of our small bouncy balls. When either Steve or I begin to look for them, she gets so excited, she sometimes takes our hand to lead us into the right area. When we get close, she actually points in the direction it is, and keeps pointing until we “find” it! haha She really wants us to FIND the ball and does everything she can to help us on our seeking journey.

When we are seeking something; a new purpose, a new job, a new relationship, a new idea, we are really seeking God. GOD is always seeking us as well by pointing out the way, giving us hints, ideas, thoughts and opportunities to find “IT.” GOD KNOWS what we want and most importantly God knows what we need.

Labyrinth Story

After a health challenge with my back and legs, I finally felt good, and ready to continue to serve in whatever way I could. I knew I still was joyfully serving POINT Interfaith Team. However I wondered what else? My morning meditations were asking God, what is mine to do next? After my morning prayer and meditation I got busy doing what my intuition told me to do and what to put on my to do list. That day it was to sweep the labyrinth and clean the chairs, tables and couches in our back yard area, and so I did.

The next day I asked the question again, “What is mine to do?” That evening Steve and I were watching an old favorite TV show, “Touched by an Angel” and it was centered around a labyrinth. It was, as always, an inspirational TV show.

Next morning I asked, “What is mine to do?” I picked up one of my spiritual reading materials and there was a story/article about the benefits of walking a labyrinth. BINGO! I got it!

I am to create a Labyrinth Walk at our home! I believe God gave me the perfect theme “What you are Seeking is also Seeking You.” I was seeking the next idea of serving God and God was seeking me with hints, thoughts and ideas along the way. I finally trusted, surrendered and then listened to my intuition.

And that is how last Saturday’s Labyrinth Walk came to be!

What Are You Seeking?

 

Dear Friends,

We will be walking our beautiful LABYRINTH
this Saturday beginning at 10:30am
Our theme will be “What You Are Seeking, Is Also Seeking You.”

What is a Labyrinth?

Labyrinths are a walking meditation that are often seen as metaphors of our life. The walking meditation can be used for reflection, and problem solving with daily issues.

“Walking the Labyrinth has reemerged today as a metaphor for the spiritual journey and as a powerful tool for transformation. This walking meditation is an archetype, a mystical ritual found in all religious traditions.

It quiets the mind and opens the soul. The potential of the labyrinth is to inspire change, and renew. It serves as a guide to help us develop the higher level of human awareness we need to survive in the 21st century.” From Walking a Sacred Path by Lauren Artress.

A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is designed to confuse you. A labyrinth has only one path that leads in a circuitous way to the center. It is designed to find your way. This is what makes it a path for meditation.

Science has shown when wearing electrodes, and walking the labyrinth, the walkers automatically experience an Alpha brain state (Meditative state of mind). Even sight impaired people using a raised finger labyrinth exhibit the same Alpha wave.

Benefits of Labyrinths

  1. Beneficial in reducing stress.
  2. Helps quiet the mind.
  3. Opens the heart for prayer.
  4. Promotes the interaction of the mind, body and spirit.
  5. Fosters creativity.
  6. Increases personal and community transformation.
  7. Promotes Wellness. Helps heal present and past wounds.
  8. Increases self-awareness.
  9. Contributes to Spiritual Growth.
  10. Increases right brain activity. Balances both spheres.

LOVE IS…

Dear Friends,

JUNE is a popular month for LOVE and Weddings. Steve and I were honored to officiate a wedding for our friend and neighbor. It was a lovely out door home service and reception. Our wedding ceremony was loved by all who attended. Many came up to us and said how inclusive the words were. We were blessed by so many who shared their warm feelings. The bride follows Buddhism and the groom follows Krishnamuti. Attendees ranged from fundamental Christians to other religions. LOVE was and is the center of it all.

Part of our ceremony says, “To be loved by another inspires one to seek dreams. To give love to another, gives one the comfort of being needed. Life is empty and void without Love’s presence. Love brings companionship, warmth and understanding. It is forgiving angry words which hurt and actions which seem unfair. It is caring for each other unselfishly. Love is letting go, allowing both of you to be yourselves and travel individual paths from time to time. But above all, Love brings two people together as partners through life’s journey.”

We also read the poem by Kahil Gibran, “On Marriage.” Parts of the poem said, “Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each of you be alone.

Even as the strings of a lute are alone, though they quiver with the same music. Stand together yet not too near together: for the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the Oak tree and the Cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.”

GOD Has given us LIFE through LOVE. Every morning we can stand in GODS Presence and be grateful God’s love pours through us for ourselves, for our family, our friends, and strangers in our midst.

  • LOVE is guidance, not dominance.
  • LOVE is nurturing, not hovering.
  • LOVE is given without strings attached.
  • LOVE is given without expecting a return or favor.
  • LOVE is genuine when we do not make our loved ones always do what WE want them to do. Our input is important and if we are a couple, decisions need to be made by and agreed on by both.
  • LOVE is allowing our children to BE Themselves, follow their hearts and the wisdom of their Spirit, not in their “earthly father’s” footsteps.
  • LOVE is Joy, Freedom, “Patience and Kind” (Bible)
  • LOVE is looking out for the well-being of others as well as oneself.

Loving You All,                                                                                                                  Abigail and Steve

FATHERS DAY

Dear Friends,

Father’s Day is this Sunday and a time when we honor our dads, adoptive fathers, grandpas, uncles, mothers as fathers, and all who stepped in as a dad for us. This is the day I remember my “daddy” and Steve remembers his dad. Memories flood back and we smile and laugh, cry and pause knowing without that man we would not be where we are today.

My dad taught me how to swim, ice skate, dance, manners, and correct grammar. I used to ask my dad to check my school papers and then we would have to sit there for at least an hour while he perused my paper and help me correct any mistakes. He was an educator and would teach me why I needed to have a comma here or a capital there. When my dad and mother took me on road trips, I remember singing in the car and making up silly rhymes and goofy games. I love my dad and still miss him.

The beauty is, I know he is still with me always. Chief Seattle said, “Death is only a change of worlds. I believe life is eternal and our loved ones are always with us. The other side is but a breath and thought away, a door to open and walk through.

Today honor your father and/or the person who cared for you, loved you and wanted the best for you. Every person in our life is meant to be there. I believe we choose our parents, our families and even the seasonal friends along the way. For we are here to learn how to LOVE one another and to forgive one another. Perhaps your father wasn’t the best, so today may be the day you choose to forgive him for all his flaws and faults. Forgiving is not forgetting.

It is a releasing of the hurt to make room in your heart for greater good and love.

Remember GOD is your True Father. Love and worship God. You are God’s child first and foremost.

We wish you all a joyful Father’s Day!

WELCOME

 

Dear Friends,
Rev. Dr. Missy Higginbotham talked about how much she liked the word “Welcome” in the book New Thoughts for Today.
She welcomed the new day, new people, new ideas.

I started thinking about the word “Welcome” and I like it too. Very often at faith centers there are “welcomers” for members and newcomers.
It always feels good when someone looks you in the eye and says “Welcome to our church, or Welcome to our community etc.” I have also been to places
where I walk through the door into a service, a meeting or conference where I was pretty much alone to navigate my way through unfamiliar territory.

There are a lot of people who are lonely and feel left out and alone in the world.
How can we make our brothers and sisters feel seen, known and welcomed.
Any time you smile at someone, they feel seen.
Any time you say hello or say a kind word, they feel seen and welcomed.

Our country and our world is divisive right now where so many people feel unloved, unwanted and unwelcomed. It is time to do what we can in our own
little part of the world and to be on the lookout for a person who looks lonely
or left out. BE welcoming to them. Smile and say a kind word. If someone
is on the outskirts of a conversation, bring them in with a gesture or a comment directed to th

And for those who are immigrants, refugees, remember the words from
the Bible. Leviticus 19:33-37 GNBUK
“Do not ill-treat foreigners who are living in your land. Treat them as you would a fellow-Israelite, and love them as you love yourselves.
Remember that you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”

No one is a stranger. Who you see is who you are, for GOD is in all, and as all people. Be the “welcomer” in your life today.

Life is our classroom, Everyone is our teacher

Elementary teacher and her students using laptop during computer class at school.

The end of the school year is almost here. Children, teens, young adults will be happy to graduate to the next phase of their life, whether it be the next grade,a new school, college or their first professional job. We are happy for all of them. Let us be happy for our blessed teachers who give their life to that profession. It is truly a calling and a service.

As a retired elementary school teacher, I still love the idea of classrooms. I loved creating interesting and appealing bulletin boards, revising lessons, bringing new ideas to the academics as well as art, music and fun. I always prayed I made a difference in the lives of the children and parents. I always appreciated the parents for their support and help in the classroom. I tried to make the parent conferences enjoyable even if I had a concern about a student. I remember my principal telling me every time he walked by my classroom during conference week he heard laughter!

LIFE is our classroom and our teacher. Everyday is a new day and if we are open and receptive, we will learn something new. Every person we meet, everyone in our family, every co-worker, every committee team is our teacher. Our pets are our teachers as well. We are teachers to others. When we realize this truth, our actions, words and deeds become more inspired, purposeful, kind, and considerate. When you are kind, you are teaching kindness. When you are helpful you are teaching the importance of supporting someone. YOU are the teacher in your life. Everyone else is a teacher in YOUR life. Life lessons are learned with, by and through each other.

We know when we speak hurtful words or do hurtful actions, they go right into the person’s consciousness and this person may then react with others in a hurtful way. We also know the Law of Circulation takes place and is a great teacher. What you PUT OUT to others in the Universe, always comes back to you. The Eastern tradition calls this Karma.

Teachers are often those we do not get along with. When we have difficulty relating to a particular person, we are in the position to stop, pause and ask ourselves, what is this person teaching us? We may not be able to figure it out and if not our heart, mind response can be, they are suffering in some way in their life. Put an invisible shield of LIGHT and LOVE around yourself. Send them thought energies of love, kindness and prayers.

Treat darkness with light,

Treat hurtfulness with kindness.

Treat confusion with inspiration

See the God within becoming known to them and act accordingly.

Always Forgive!

If you have a teacher, thank them for their service, and their kindness. Appreciate what they do. Become the teacher you would like to have in the past your life.

Blessings, Abigail and Steve

Keep the High Watch – Focus on Truth

 

Dear Friends,

We have several friends going through extreme health challenges right now and I keep them in my prayers everyday. As I went through my health challenges, they held me up and now it is my honor to hold them up.

The May Daily Word said, “No matter what their need, I remember my role is to hold the high watch for them. I affirm God’s presence and power. divine order is established and right and perfect outcomes are already unfolding.”

As I sat in my special chair during my morning meditation these words came to me, “I live in a human body. I am not my body. I AM Spirit living in a human body. God lives LIFE in and through me, as me. We are eternally intertwined and ONE.”

I realize this truth for all those I pray for. Spirit within them is their True Reality. What is Spirit? What is God? What is Divine Consciousness? IT is always wholeness, health, joy, wisdom, intelligence, guidance in them. Once we realize the body is the effect of who we are, we declare the truth that God is the cause of who we are. When we pray we focus on the Mighty I AM within us. That is our reality. It is not what is seen, but what is unseen that is REAL.

“Whether I have a cold or am coping with a serious illness can be restored to wholeness. Knowing the power of my thought and their effect. I keep my words positive and focused on truth. Thoughts of illness diminish as I relax and attune to the divine life flowing throughout my body and envision it renewing each cell.”(May Daily Word)

Focus on the Truth of YOU. See God/Spirit flowing in each cell glowing with health, love and joy. Your reality is God living and reigning within you as God lives life through you.

“God within me is mighty to heal. He healeth me of all my diseases and removes all fear from me. My God within is now healing me of all sickness and pain, and is bringing comfort to my soul. God is my Life, I cannot be sick. I hear the voice of Truth telling me to arise and walk, for I am healed.” Dr. Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind

Resolving Differences – See the Other View

 

Dear Friends,

In the ‘Science of Mind’ magazine, don Miguel Ruiz was quoted,

“Whatever happens around you, don’t take it personally…Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.”

 

Diana Ensign says, “We live from a place of authenticity, where the opinions of other people no longer control our emotions.”

About 4 months ago I experienced a harsh letter from an Interfaith colleague of mine. It was a long detailed email with everything she thought I did wrong on a team preparing for an event and even more. I read it and at first I was a bit shocked. I read it again and asked God to show me a new perspective on this letter. As I read it, coming from her point of view, Yes, I did step in and shared thoughts about how the program should be handled. I had been coordinator of many of these programs for years so I thought I knew the ins and outs and possible downfalls of how this team was coordinating the event. Problem was,

I was NOT the chair of this team. The chair felt threatened. I admit I overstepped when the team thought everything was in place and I proceeded to say it needed to be another way. I realized she had valid points and it was time for me to LET GO and allow others to proceed in their own way.

I chose not to take it personally. I chose to come from her point of view and look at it from a different perspective. I could see how I needed to let go and let the committee be what it needed to be.

I also chose to not let the letter control my emotions. I recognized I felt a bit hurt at first, because from my point of view, I was coming from a place of caring and wanted the event to be a success. However, I read her words carefully so I could see her perspective.

In my response to her, I “agreed with mine adversary” as Jesus taught. I chose to make amends and reconcile with her. I said I saw her point of view and thanked her. I also said I apologize for over stepping and I was only coming from a place of Love wanting the highest and best for the event. With that, we resolved this issue.

We all can resolve conflict without anger. There is truth in conflicting words on both sides. It is up to us to look carefully for the truth, view from a different perspective and make amends when necessary. Come from a place of Love and the Divine Solution will present itself.