Reckoning and Anticipating on Black Friday
November 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Thanksgiving, which we celebrated in the US yesterday, is a celebration of God’s abundance - a time to give thanks for the harvest and for the many blessings in our lives. Today is the day after Thanksgiving, called in the popular press "Black Friday" because of the multitude of people who will descend on stores in hopes of finding a good bargain. For me, today is a day of reckoning and of anticipation. I am reckoning with the tightness of my jeans this morning, with all the leftover food in our refrigerator and the memory of spending all day in the kitchen yesterday. The words of my husband, who exclaimed last night as he was cleaning up after our extravagant feast, "This seems wasteful - why do we do this every year?" echo through my mind.
I didn’t have the words to answer my husband last night, but now I do: I reckon that for me to spend one day a year in the kitchen creating food for my family and friends is a creative and worthy endeavor. For me, preparing an extravagant Thanksgiving feast is a labor of love. It is a way to honor the memory of my mother, who was commander-in-chief of my birth family’s holiday feasts and celebrations. It is a way of celebrating God’s abundance, blessings and the love that I am so fortunate to share with my amazing family. This is why we do this every year. To do any less would seem, well, less abundantly thankful.
I am not against making Thanksgiving simpler, and I may be moved to do so in the future. For now, this is what feels right.
Today is also a day of anticipation of the coming holiday season. Many of you have already been out in the stores, snatching up a bargain and working on that Christmas life of gifts. For many, however, this Christmas will be a lean one, due to lay-offs, slow-downs and reduced revenues caused by an economy that seems to careen from one disaster to the next. Instead of focusing only on gift lists, Christmas cards and the business of the season, take some time today to anticipate how you will find meaning this holiday season. In addition to preparing a budget for your holiday gift spending, make a budget for participating in fulfilling holiday experiences, many of which cost no or little money.
What will bring you the most satisfaction during this holy time of Advent, Christmas, Hanukkah and the Solstice? How will you honor the birth of the Christ child and the return of the Light within you this season?
- Will you re-commit to your personal prayer or meditation practice and be more faithful to it?
- Will you attend a retreat or special religious service that connects you with the real meaning of the season?
- Will you participate in a service project, either at your place of worship or in the community?
- Will you contribute money to the causes and charities that mean the most to you?
- Will you find some time in every day to listen for the still, small voice of God in your life?
- Will you attend a concert, ballet, play or Christmas pageant that brings joy to your heart?
- Will you bake a family recipe and deliver it to a friend?
Take some time today to reckon and anticipate. Take a reckoning of where you are right now, in all aspects of your life. Then, anticipate how you will celebrate the true meaning of the holiday season.
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The Miracle of Resurrection - in the Garden
May 5, 2008 | 1 Comment
I love to garden and I love plants - how they smell, how
they look, how they grow. I love the miracle of a seed’s transformation into a seedling and finally into a mature plant. When traveling, I always notice gardens, the smell of new plants, the pollen, the leaves - you get the picture.
There are so many spiritual lessons found in the garden. One of them is the miracle of resurrection - of life returning after supposed death. And all deaths are supposed, if we believe that death is the soul’s transition into a new form of life. Resurrection is a symbol for the new life and new beginnings we experience in our lives.
I’ve witnessed multiple resurrections in my garden this spring. I conducted a mental funeral for two of my beloved black foot daisies last fall - but they staged a spring reprise and are blooming with innocent abandon. Such a miracle! I thought sure that the scabiosas in the front were gonners this winter, but they’ve come back with mounds of blossoms this spring. A miracle! Even the white swan echinacea that I just knew had kicked the bucket have returned and are about to bloom. Miracles are all around me!
But the most amazing miracle of all happened yesterday afternoon. I found it around by the back door where I have a secret garden - a garden that doesn’t get much sunlight except for the harshest rays of a late summer afternoon, where nothin’ much grows. I had planted Confederate Jasmine there three or four years ago in a futile attempt to reproduce the smells of a California garden in Texas. What was I smokin’? To think that I could grow even a well-adapted version of the jasmine that perfumes just about every garden in California - well, only a crazed, cowboy-boot-wearin’ Texas gardener would think she could transplant California to Texas. I swear that Confederate Jasmine plant hasn’t produced even one green leaf in at least two years, but I found it yesterday not only growing up the trellis and onto the roof, but bedecked with small, lightly fragrant white blooms like Christmas lights on a garland of greenery. I wanted to throw a party then and there!
The lesson to me is obvious. When we think that the worst has happened, when it seems that death has surely triumphed over life, when the light at the end of the tunnel appears to recede rather than come nearer, God’s abundance and the miracle of new life whack us on the side of the head, fairly screaming, "Wake up and smell the jasmine!" Notice the new life, the small resurrections, that miraculously appear in your life. Are they new opportunities where you thought none would ever appear? An unexpected solution to a vexing problem? A phone call from a friend you’d lost contact with? New business opportunities that just drop in your lap? Appreciate them. Welcome them. Give thanks for the miracle of resurrection.
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Turn Envy into Blessings and Gratitude
March 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I used to envy other people’s success - their skills, their accomplishments, their car or vacation home, their income - you name it, I could envy it. When envious, I would often convert the feeling into a criticism of either the successful person or of me. If I criticized the successful person, I might say something like, "That person’s book/presentation/speech (insert object of my envy) really isn’t very good." Or, I’d turn my envy inward with a judgment such as "Poor little me, I could never do what they do! Not in a million years could I promote/sell/be confident (insert quality that I envied) like that!" Ouch! It’s embarrassing to confess my inner dialogue - it sounds mean and petty. Let me assure you that it didn’t make me feel happy to have those reactions.
One reason that envy that turns into criticism, either external or internal, is the critic lacks self-worth. Self-worth is a challenge for me, as you’ve probably surmised if you’ve been reading my posts (see the one on Self-Love here). I suspect that many of us have similar issues with feelings of unworthiness or of not being good enough. I had a breakthrough about a week ago by digging deep into that feeling of unworthiness and letting it go.
The universe is large and commodious; there is room for each of us to be successful and accomplish our heart’s desire. Success is not a zero-sum game: your success does not preclude my success or vice versa. Indeed, your success is a demonstration of how I might be successful. The realization of the abundance of the universe has helped me deal more constructively with envy.
Here’s what I do now when I feel envy boiling up inside of me:
1. The most important step, as with any emotion, is to be aware and catch it as soon as I starting feeling it. This quick intervention prevents the emotion from gaining a strong hold on my brain and heart.
2. I remind myself that there is room in the universe for both my and the other person’s accomplishments. I remember that just because the other person has done something I might want to do, there is nothing holding me back from doing it my way. In fact, my way may be more meaningful to some people than the other person’s way.
3. I bless the other person with a mental "Way to go!" I figure that by cheering for the other person, I send them positive energy or love which is likely to come back to me.
4. Lastly, I give thanks for the example they have set for me. I might say to myself, "Wow, I’m so grateful that other person was able to achieve that. Perhaps I, too, can learn how."
Envy is a good indicator of inner unhappiness. Be aware of and inspect what you envy so you can clarify your own desires. Then proceed through the four steps to transform your envy into blessings and gratitude. You’ll feel so much better when you do!
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Don’t Discount the Source!
February 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment
One spiritual practice that can help you attract more blessings into your life is to be aware of and grateful for the results of your intentions, however small. My wonderful business and life coach, Dr. Jayne Gardner (www.gardnerinstitute.com), calls this “Counting your wins” or identifying all the positive events that you attract into your life. One of Jayne’s three spiritual laws is “As within, so without”, which means that your inner mindset will attract external events and blessings into your life. Counting your wins is a way to become aware of and multiply those blessings.
We are wise to never discount the source of blessings. Blessings come to us in response to our inner work, our mental and spiritual outlook, and they can come in many guises. However blessings come, be grateful and pat yourself on the back for attracting them.
I caught myself recently discounting (for just minute!) the source of a blessing. In my previous post about abundance mentality (http://kristinrobertson.com/abundance.htm), I recounted the story of two unexpected checks arriving in the mail after I had donated some money to a local non-profit organization in faith that money would flow back to me in return. Here’s a big confession: one of those unexpected checks was from my father, the person who has taught me most about generosity and abundance. My first reaction was to discount the source of this blessing, as in “Well, it came from Dad, so that can’t count as a result of my intention.” Hogwash! I told myself as soon as I discovered what my false voice was chattering about. Who cares where the check came from? It arrived, and I wanted to be grateful and in awe of my tremendous ability to manifest my dreams.
About a year ago, another incident occurred in which I was tempted to discount the source of the blessing. It was during a time that I was mentally playing with the law of attraction. I decided to set an intention and see if I could manifest it: I wanted someone to bring flowers to the party I was hosting that night. About 30 minutes before the party began, a friend called to ask, “Is there anything you need for tonight?” By the way, this friend and I had been talking about the law of attraction just days before, so it was no coincidence that it was she who called. Fortunately, I was honest with her and said, “Oh yes, I would so love to have flowers on my table! Could you bring them?” Turns out she is an extraordinary flower arranger, so she not only brought the flowers but arranged them in a spectacular bouquet for my table. For a moment, I discounted the source – after all, I had to ask her for flowers, they didn’t just appear by magic – but then I realized that I had received exactly what I asked for.
Be grateful for every blessing you manifest, no matter the source!
Intention:
My dreams manifest in multiple ways in my life. I am grateful for all the blessings I attract into my life.
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Abundance
February 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment
My husband and I have been blessed financially during the almost-27 years we’ve been married. We’ve always been respectful of money, lived below our means and saved like maniacs. As we look forward to our children leaving the nest to go to college, we are proud that we’ve saved for their educations and for our retirement.
One aspect of our finances that I believe is important is generosity. What does generosity look like for our family? Well, it is paying people who work for us an above-market wage, tipping generously and giving money to charities and non-profit organizations. I have run my business on these principles, and I believe that any generosity that I have shown has been returned to me many times over. In other words, I think that one reason why both my family and my business have been blessed financially is because we give generously and out of a sense of the abundance of the universe.
Money is a representation of energy. When energy is dammed up and not allowed to flow, it disintegrates, like a battery that sits on the shelf and is never used. Love, another form of energy, multiplies when you give it away. Energy is enhanced by allowing it to flow. When we bless others by giving money to worthy causes, whether that be a generous tip to the hair dresser, a check to a family member who is in financial distress or a donation to a non-profit organization, we set up a flow of energy that I believe ultimately comes back to bless us.
I do not believe that we set up a flow of blessed energy when we spend money on ourselves. Although there is nothing wrong with having nice things (I believe that the Divine wants us to enjoy abundance in every way), buying a new car does not set up the chain of blessing that giving away money does. Buying a new car has a different feel and purpose to it – you don’t get the same satisfaction you get when giving to a cause that is bigger than yourself.
When I get concerned about money, I counter the anxiety by donating some money. For example, I am on a quasi-sabbatical through the end of this month, and cash flow has been a bit worrisome for my conservative fiscal nature. My local public radio station did a pledge drive last week, and I decided to give generously even though I am not bringing in much income right now. And, my husband and I hosted a reception and brunch for our extended family during a recent family reunion because we knew it was the right thing to do. These acts of giving were done on faith that these blessings would be returned to us. My husband simply says, “It’s the right thing to do.”
I’ve been thinking about this blog entry for the past two days, wondering if I had the guts to publish it. Well, now I do and here’s why: In today’s mail, there were two unexpected checks from different sources that equaled the amounts that we had recently spent on family and charities. We started the blessing, and it was returned to us. I feel so blessed.
Our US congress and president are currently considering sending each citizen a tax rebate next summer. What would happen if a large number of us would send our rebate check to a charity? Not only would it stimulate the economy, but it would stimulate a flow of blessings right back to us. I think that’s what my family will do.
Prayer:
Oh Holy and Abundant One, source of all our blessings, help us develop generous hearts and hands to do Your work in this world. Amen.
