"The world's libraries and places of worship are a treasure trove for all seekers." What are your favorite treasures that helped you and continue to help you on your spiritual journey?"
First off I would like to say what a awesome statement / question! I could use this every single day for the rest of my life to remind me that my goal is to look at life as a spiritual journey.
There are so many things I consider treasures. One of my favorites is a gift from my wife. A simple daily calendar the is flipped over every day and it has a contemporary quote and then a biblical quote that addresses a topic. I LOVE THIS THING! We have it on a little shelf right above the toilet on a cabinet. (I can't miss it) Over time I have come to look forward to these nuggets, most days I get to see it more than once and it is a little anchor for my daily routine.
Other times I get into sitting down and reading daily meditations. Usually in the AM while it is still quiet. Quite a stack of books are scattered all over our home. The 24 hour book was one of the first items I read; to this day I keep a copy in my car. It's great for traffic jams or times of confusion when for whatever reason I cannot talk to someone, or I just need to "re-center" my crazy, racing mind. Conference approved pamphlets are awesome. I love reading about the disease of Alcoholism, what AA is and what AA is not. There is something about the written word that settles my mind and bumps me back toward reality.
Other heavier books will find there way into my search. Emmit Fox's Sermon on the Mount is a very powerful book. The translation of the Beatitudes and the simplification of the Our Father holds a special place for me. Music can overcome me. Gwen and I went to see Sinead O'Connor recently and I was brought to tears. I felt like there was a connection of our spirits. (Gwen, Sinead, myself others around us) Listening to classical music can do it; I listen to Christmas Carols, try to sing @ church and there it is again. Something, contact? Emotion?
Being "conscious" is completely aware... that is very difficult. I have felt fully aware and alive. It is fleeting, usually a split second or so. Very powerful, words will never be able to express this. Yet I share it with others! With a knowing smile or a momentary connection of our eyes, that I think is GOD. Two people connecting, sharing a joy and gratitude for anything is a power that cannot be dissolved. When I get in a spiritual "groove" I feel that anything is possible. Positive energy is contagious. The words written in books over the centuries continue to feed us all.
The Bible is probably the biggest book. I have tried to study it; and aside from reading our daily quote calendar I am by no means a Bible student. (although I find myself drawn to it more and more) I wonder if anyone has even tried to quantify how many people have been effected by this book.
I am rambling on now.... It is 11:00AM on Saturday, lots to do. Life is WAY FULL! I could go on and on and on.... Here are some other "free associations" I would call treasures:
My Wife
My Son
My Mom
My Dog
My Family
The wind and the sky
All wild animals
Flowers
Trees
Rivers
Lakes
Oceans
Clouds
Any artwork (espically children's)
My five senses
Quiet
...........................
God Bless
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Improve Our Conscious Contact
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Day after the day
Hello Blogland...
I wanted to try and express a life altering event for me. On Sunday November 4th I ran my first marathon. Location: NYC
What an experience!
I have been running for a few years and always had the goal of completing a marathon. (26.2 miles) Earlier this year a fellow runner nudged me toward this event. If you have ever been to New York it can be an intimidating place.
I now feel like I am part of New York. (perspective) Running through the five boroughs was an amazing thing. The people and the spirit of the city carried me to the finish line in Central Park.
Just to get in to the marathon was exciting. Back in the spring I entered a lottery along with almost 90,000 other hopeful souls. Roughly half get in; many try for years. Me, first try - BOOM I'm in! I actually projected the positive thought that I would get in... my neighbor teaches Sunday school @ her church and had her students pray for me... IT WORKED!
Let the training begin. 18 weeks, over 500 miles; hot sweaty summer days, aching feet, chaffed body parts, my family was very supportive. "Gotta run" was my mantra, 5 days a week, one long run per week... the longest was 18 miles. Tick-tock, tick-tock, counting the days until the race.
Finally the day came. Up @ 5:00AM to get to a bus that dropped us off in the staging area along with the 39,000 other runners. Surreal. Helicopters buzzing overhead, loud speakers emitted instructions in a dozen different languages. The language thing confirmed to me that this was a WORLD event. I imagined for a second that this must be what it is like during a catastrophe, masses of people huddled together waiting. Only, we were waiting for something good.
The excitement grew as the start timed crept closer. Checked my after race bag with the UPS teams and figured out where the BLUE starting corral was. (we were all sorted into one of three different color groups to facilitate the density of bodies)
A red Coast Guard Chopper hovers overhead, very low; taking photos? Or, are they scanning the crowds for bad guys? Eerie thoughts mixed with anxiety mixed with anticipation.
Now all I have is the heat sheet wrapped around me, I have discarded my expendable clothing.(most folks had on sweats or warm up gear that they knew would be discarded right before the start) That too was kinda weird, were we moving towards a race or a orgy? We shuffle towards the Verrazanno; more helicopters... BOOM, the cannon blasts signals the START! NEW YORK, NEW YORK blares out of the loud speakers.
As the sun is shining we begin. It still seems like a dream. 26.2 miles, what was I thinking? I just tried to absorb in as much as possible... I am still processing the thousands of faces, the hundreds of hands slapped on the side lines... Streets lined with people. Many of them cheering - "Go John, You Can Do It!", "Looking good John" - the eye contact with a stranger for a mili-second that I will carry with me for life. Un-$#@%ing believable!
Inspiration to get through the many hurdles life holds. Cramping up in the last few miles introduced me to pain I had not felt before. Keep moving. "C'mon JOHN, you can do it!" I heard another hundred times....
In Central Park - just two mile to go, cramping agian. A medical volunteer hands me a salt packet, "you'll be fine, keep moving" - My favorite sign read "Finishing is your only F---ing option!"
Finally I MADE IT! Got my medal!
In reflection I have thought of the many instances were masses of humans get together with a common goal. D-day came to mind... Hurrican Katrina, 911, my mind swirls... GOD is amazing, the Human Spirit is undeniable. I am in awe of the sheer diversity of people invlovled in this event.
Please take a moment to remember the family of Ryan Shay.
He was a world class runner who died in NY competing in the Olympic Trials on Saturday Nov 3rd.
Say a prayer for Anna Marie, Helen A's sister who is battling with cancer. Helen and I shared the bus ride in to the start... Helen is 75 years old and was competing in her 10th consectutive NYC Marathon!
Grateful to be alive.
John
I wanted to try and express a life altering event for me. On Sunday November 4th I ran my first marathon. Location: NYC
What an experience!
I have been running for a few years and always had the goal of completing a marathon. (26.2 miles) Earlier this year a fellow runner nudged me toward this event. If you have ever been to New York it can be an intimidating place.
I now feel like I am part of New York. (perspective) Running through the five boroughs was an amazing thing. The people and the spirit of the city carried me to the finish line in Central Park.
Just to get in to the marathon was exciting. Back in the spring I entered a lottery along with almost 90,000 other hopeful souls. Roughly half get in; many try for years. Me, first try - BOOM I'm in! I actually projected the positive thought that I would get in... my neighbor teaches Sunday school @ her church and had her students pray for me... IT WORKED!
Let the training begin. 18 weeks, over 500 miles; hot sweaty summer days, aching feet, chaffed body parts, my family was very supportive. "Gotta run" was my mantra, 5 days a week, one long run per week... the longest was 18 miles. Tick-tock, tick-tock, counting the days until the race.
Finally the day came. Up @ 5:00AM to get to a bus that dropped us off in the staging area along with the 39,000 other runners. Surreal. Helicopters buzzing overhead, loud speakers emitted instructions in a dozen different languages. The language thing confirmed to me that this was a WORLD event. I imagined for a second that this must be what it is like during a catastrophe, masses of people huddled together waiting. Only, we were waiting for something good.
The excitement grew as the start timed crept closer. Checked my after race bag with the UPS teams and figured out where the BLUE starting corral was. (we were all sorted into one of three different color groups to facilitate the density of bodies)
A red Coast Guard Chopper hovers overhead, very low; taking photos? Or, are they scanning the crowds for bad guys? Eerie thoughts mixed with anxiety mixed with anticipation.
Now all I have is the heat sheet wrapped around me, I have discarded my expendable clothing.(most folks had on sweats or warm up gear that they knew would be discarded right before the start) That too was kinda weird, were we moving towards a race or a orgy? We shuffle towards the Verrazanno; more helicopters... BOOM, the cannon blasts signals the START! NEW YORK, NEW YORK blares out of the loud speakers.
As the sun is shining we begin. It still seems like a dream. 26.2 miles, what was I thinking? I just tried to absorb in as much as possible... I am still processing the thousands of faces, the hundreds of hands slapped on the side lines... Streets lined with people. Many of them cheering - "Go John, You Can Do It!", "Looking good John" - the eye contact with a stranger for a mili-second that I will carry with me for life. Un-$#@%ing believable!
Inspiration to get through the many hurdles life holds. Cramping up in the last few miles introduced me to pain I had not felt before. Keep moving. "C'mon JOHN, you can do it!" I heard another hundred times....
In Central Park - just two mile to go, cramping agian. A medical volunteer hands me a salt packet, "you'll be fine, keep moving" - My favorite sign read "Finishing is your only F---ing option!"
Finally I MADE IT! Got my medal!
In reflection I have thought of the many instances were masses of humans get together with a common goal. D-day came to mind... Hurrican Katrina, 911, my mind swirls... GOD is amazing, the Human Spirit is undeniable. I am in awe of the sheer diversity of people invlovled in this event.
Please take a moment to remember the family of Ryan Shay.
He was a world class runner who died in NY competing in the Olympic Trials on Saturday Nov 3rd.
Say a prayer for Anna Marie, Helen A's sister who is battling with cancer. Helen and I shared the bus ride in to the start... Helen is 75 years old and was competing in her 10th consectutive NYC Marathon!
Grateful to be alive.
John
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