Worship. I'm not one to use that word or think of it as a part of my spiritual practice and philosophy. However, I like what Emmet Fox had to say about it when he spoke about God being bigger than any problem ("Around the Year with Emmet Fox," July 24). "God can help you in proportion to the degree in which you worship Him." Fox said you worship God by (1) really putting your trust in God, (2) recognizing His presence everywhere, in all people and conditions, and (3) praying regularly. He also said "You pray well when you pray with joy." [There's that word "joy" again which seems to be popping up a lot lately.]
Well, then it's an especially good time for me to be "worshipping" God as I find myself between jobs unexpectedly and thus my main channel of financial income gone. Due to an organizational restructuring, the work contract I had that was to last one year has now ended after 7 months. I'm grateful for the two weeks' notice, i.e., 2 weeks of pay I would not have received. Still, I have to say that I've never been given 2 weeks' notice - well, any notice for that matter - in my entire career!
I'm ready for a corporate break so I guess God did for me what I could not do for myself (quit!). While job hunting is at least a full-time endeavor, this time around I'm doing it differently - especially since I feel like a kid who's been released for summer break! I'm including more time for me, my physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being.
I plan to practice yoga more frequently, get back into water aerobics, continue with my SharePoint and Visio learning, dive further into studying Naam Yoga and Universal Kabbalah, create new relationships and nurture existing ones, and who know what else?! As I've said for many moons, who even has time for a job?!!! It could also be an especially opportune time to really explore what work would nurture my spirit while I am of great service to an organization that appreciated it and me, and could provide good financial compensation. And so too, I plan to spend more time "worshipping" Spirit: strengthening my trust, seeing the Presence more and more around me, and talking (praying) to and listening (meditating) to Spirit.
Change, change, change! It's never ending. This here Life on planet earth is an adventure - if I choose to view it that way.
And, oh, if you're so inclined, for additional reading "pleasure," I've attached
my latest resume in case you hear of a role that might be a win-win for all parties. Thanks.
Blessings,
Inspirational Music
Inside God: A Story of Love
If you're going to be in the Phoenix, AZ area, nourish your soul with inspirational musics and lyrics by attending Dennis Hubert's lighthearted, spiritual comedy "Inside God: A Story of Love."
They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in,
their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within."
- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Spirituality
Time
I told someone about my schedule getting freed up a bit for a while now that I'm between work contracts and she said "Enjoy your free time!" I initially caught a little bit of an attitude, thinking "does she not know that looking for a job is a full-time job, so it's not that I'm going to have all this free time - I just won't be going to an office and will have more flexibility in my schedule, but I'm still going to be busy..." and yadda, yadda, yadda. But I knew what she meant, and appreciated her good wishes.
And, I got to contemplating the phrase "free time"... Is there really such a thing?
Michael A. Singer's chapter "Contemplating Death" in his book "
An Untethered Soul" speaks about how life belongs to death. "Death is the one who comes in his own time to take life from you. Death is the landlord and you're the tenant. Death is the one who comes to claim his property because it has always belonged to him. You should have a healthy relationship with death, and it should not be one of fear. Feel grateful to death for giving you another day, another experience, and for creating the scarcity that makes life so precious. If you do this, your life will no longer be yours to waste; it will be yours to appreciate" (page 163).
And so, is time really "free?" It just IS, by the nature that I'm still alive and breathing. How I label it or judge it makes no never mind as ultimately, I will "run out of it." In the meanwhile, it is mine to use to make as rich a life experience as possible, moment by moment. And that's what counts.
People Helping People
Stormy Weather
Everyone is familiar with how stormy weather can put a real crimp in plans and be frustrating, even downright disastrous. Read about the kindness of not just people, but total strangers who helped make an event even more special and meaningful than had originally been planned.
Dulce Gonzalez was sure her beach wedding was ruined.
Heavy storm clouds crept in to spoil the once-sunny day just before the ceremony was set to begin on a picturesque beach along the Mississippi coastline. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed as wind and rain whipped up white-tipped waves - and drove down her hopes.
"I was trying to hold my tears," Gonzalez said in an interview with The Washington Post this week. "I'm about to have a panic attack, I'm asking my mom, 'What am I gonna do?'"
I trust you are enjoying the summer. It's difficult to believe that August is upon us, but it's also comforting: we know that we are getting closer to the more bearable temps, especially here in the Southwest!
Have fun and keep safe.
Blessings,
Missed some of my newsletters? You can visit the archives and
read them online.
e-newsletter designed, developed, written, and published by Joyce S. Kaye
You, Me, and Spirit
I was a devout atheist until about 28 years ago when I "came to believe" in a Power greater than myself. Thanks to hearing the novel idea (well, at least it was to me!) that one could choose their own concept of God - and name too - and the workings of synchronicity, I embarked on a new way of thinking, a new way of living, a new way of being in the world and with others. It impacted all aspects of my life and relationships.
Since that time of commencing my conscious spiritual journey, I have endeavored to remember The Presence in all that is, all whom I meet, and all that I do - including working with clients in my own business and in the corporate world. I strive to be of service and to nurture the human spirit in all environments.
I'm ready for a corporate break so I guess God did for me what I could not do for myself (quit!). While job hunting is at least a full-time endeavor, this time around I'm doing it differently - especially since I feel like a kid who's been released for summer break! I'm including more time for me, my physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being.
I told someone about my schedule getting freed up a bit for a while now that I'm between work contracts and she said "Enjoy your free time!" I initially caught a little bit of an attitude, thinking "does she not know that looking for a job is a full-time job, so it's not that I'm going to have all this free time - I just won't be going to an office and will have more flexibility in my schedule, but I'm still going to be busy..." and yadda, yadda, yadda. But I knew what she meant, and appreciated her good wishes.
