Reflections

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  1. Robin Ann
    Robin Ann
    2 days ago

    My Adult children, my grandchild, my guy companion for years now sharing sailing, celtic music and travel, my BFF’s . My extended family.

    My son is buying a house with his new “partner for life”. very exciting ( in a nice section of Providence). I am a tad bit sad since we have shared living space for years but I am moving downstairs to a bigger space in which I am excited. I am so happy he has finally met his person. They seem so connected and that is so special. They both want a family too. LIfe is full of change and so I embrace it 🌞💕

    1. Michele
      Michele
      2 days ago

      Are you moving in with him or a different place? was a bit confused

      1. Robin Ann
        Robin Ann
        1 day ago

        No he is keeping this house and just bought a new one. I will stay here.
        I may move to florida some day to be closer to my daughter or at least spend winters down there with her!

  2. sparrow51014
    sparrow
    3 days ago

    A full life
    is one without many regrets . . .
    unfortunately
    (or maybe not)
    this piece of wisdom
    is wasted on the young,
    who build towers of them
    as they careen thoughtlessly
    through their early lives . . .
    I did.
    My sister did.
    My brother did.
    Being the children of a preacher perhaps,
    made us more likely candidates
    for this kind of rebellious behavior.

    I found my way
    out of the deepest chasm one could imagine
    and am growing up like a child
    all over again.
    Learning to be grateful–
    really grateful
    has opened new worlds
    and new visions . . .
    learning to let go of regrets
    as been an onion peeling project
    with the skins falling off
    one by one.
    Now there are very few left,
    but they are closer to the bone
    and harder to separate out from the heart.

    These things . . .
    being grateful
    and letting go
    have given me admittance to the world of fullness,
    which I have access to
    every day.
    When my heart is full,
    my life is full,
    and there is very little that I lack.
    I’ve also learned to make do,
    which is a skill worth gaining
    because it makes me realize
    that what makes my life full
    is living without want or need . . .
    I can make my own joy,
    just as a prisoner in a cell
    can make his or her own freedom.

    I can see and feel the holiness that surrounds me
    every day . . .
    whether it shows or not,
    the Spirit of the Universe
    lives within me
    always,
    and I find that to be
    a glimmer of hope
    in the darkest day. ♥

    1. Mary
      Mary Mantei
      23 hours ago

      I bow to you and your story, Sparrow. This is a rich life.🙏

    2. Joseph
      Joseph McCann
      2 days ago

      Dear Sparrow, one of the easiest concepts for me to grasp, is the eternal now. The past is gone, regret like resentment is taking poison and waiting for the other to die. Plan for the future, but do not place to much import on such plans. If things go awry, less chance of suffering, resulting from disappointment. I most definitely preformed many bonehead maneuvers, but seem to have preformed enough not so bone headed. 5 steps forward, 3 steps back. 6 forward, 4 back. 7 forward, 5 back. Always some progress, with plenty of time to view the path. Again and again. Letting go of shame and guilt of my past is easier for me, than it is for my lovely wife to do. I feel it silently upsets her. Enough penance I say!
      The divine in me, bows to the divine in you.

      1. sparrow51014
        sparrow
        2 days ago

        Bless you,
        dear Joseph,
        for your kind words . . .
        I agree with you
        that regrets are a waste of time,
        and have very few . . .
        only one,
        perhaps,
        and that is
        that I hurt someone I love
        very badly,
        and someday
        I hope to let that one go too.
        Enough penance
        already. ♥

  3. Barb C
    Barb C
    3 days ago

    All of it, whatever “it” is. I have to turn to the Galway Kinnell poem I shared recently.

    “Prayer”

    Whatever happens. Whatever
    *what is* is is what
    I want. Only that. But that.

  4. Clay
    Clay
    3 days ago

    I am blessed by the beauty of the world, the grandeur of nature, and the elegance of human creations. I give thanks for all of my relationships, including my beloved husband, my family, my friends, those I do not know, and those with whom I struggle with disagreement and difference. I get to share the joys, hopes, and pain of the people in my life. The joys and hopes are easy sources of gratitude. Pain, not so much, but Br. David reminds me that in that pain is an opportunity to be present and supportive, and I can be grateful for that opportunity. Undergirding my appreciation of all of these items that fill my life with meaning and wonder are my spiritual practices, which bring me close to the Source of life and meaning and provide everything that I have mentioned above. A great fullness indeed. _/\_

    1. sparrow51014
      sparrow
      3 days ago

      I found your reflection,
      dear Clay,
      to be whole-hearted,
      wise,
      and full of the life you love,
      reminding me
      how important it is to me
      to Practice,
      and to Practice daily.
      I am happy
      that you feel embraced by the Universe in this way.
      Thank you. ♥

  5. D
    Drea
    3 days ago

    The practice of living. There is the wonderful: the waft of croissants from a bakery, the sensation of ocean on bare feet. The tender: laying in the arms of my partner, yoga in the park with a friend. There is the gutting, the infuriating, the alienating. The ecstatic. I think the fullness of life is in knowing myself, and through that, knowing the world and the divine. Light and dark, major and minor cords—embracing all of it.

    1. sparrow51014
      sparrow
      3 days ago

      Your reflection today,
      dear Drea,
      made me think of John Denver’s
      ‘Annie’s Song’.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyJRsp5t9mA

      Thank you

  6. Kathy29496
    Katrina
    3 days ago

    The great fullness of my life comes first from the Holy Other. I enjoy it through my husband, children and grandchildren, my dog, my sisters and great friends. I experience it in all kinds of natural settings, I feel it in the the movement of my body and the ability to think, create, wander and wonder, to hear good music, appreciate color, laugh, eat good food, and engage with people of all kinds – the people on this site, included.

  7. Antoinette88615
    Antoinette
    3 days ago

    The universe Meditaion to let go of the false human mind world.

  8. Maeve
    Maeve
    3 days ago

    the “great fullness” of my life is always nature. I spent last week in the lake district in New Hampshire surrounded by an expanse of water and green. We swam everyday in different lakes. Am thankful for this and don’t want to take it for granted as so many parts of our country and Europe experience excessive heat and wildfires.

    1. Robin Ann
      Robin Ann
      2 days ago

      Sounds ideal!

  9. L
    Loc Tran
    3 days ago

    My circles make up the gratefulness of my life as I continue to develop connections beyond Ngoc.

  10. Y
    Yram
    3 days ago

    Right now I am experiencing the both/and.
    I am grateful for the all in my life. But I am also feeling empty and nondirectional.
    Maybe that is my “great fullness of life.”

    1. sparrow51014
      sparrow
      3 days ago

      Maybe a direction,
      dear Yram,
      is waiting to open up for you. ♥

    2. Maeve
      Maeve
      3 days ago

      Thanks for this.

  11. L
    Louise
    3 days ago

    I don’t really know anymore. I feel kind of empty since I stopped traveling during covid. I guess I’m on a spiritual journey right now trying to figure out what that could be for myself.

    1. sparrow51014
      sparrow
      2 days ago

      I believe,
      dear Louise,
      that a purpose
      will make itself known to you
      if you keep your eyes and heart
      open
      with love . . . ♥

  12. Patti
    sunnypatti
    3 days ago

    Being alive, able to breathe and move my body. I’m grateful to be healthy, and I do my part to stay that way.
    My husband, my partner on this journey. Experiencing and growing together but also maintaining our own identity.
    Our dogs, Ruger & Reese. Two big goofballs who love us so much.
    Yoga. My personal practice as well as getting to share it with others, whether it be teaching or just talking about it with friends. There are some friends I could talk yoga philosophy all day long with!
    Friends. Family.
    Enjoying good food. At home or going out to some of our favorite spots.
    Life is good!

  13. Mary
    Mary Mantei
    3 days ago

    My ability to be aware of my full life and respond to it as the gift it is. Just incredible.🌺

    1. Robin Ann
      Robin Ann
      2 days ago

      Love this!

    2. Barb C
      Barb C
      3 days ago

      Yes!

    3. sparrow51014
      sparrow
      3 days ago

      Being aware of it,
      dear Mary,
      is half of it,
      isn’t it?
      Most people in the world
      are not as fortunate
      as we are,
      but they live their fullness
      from their own perspective. ♥.

  14. Christina Rossi75270
    Christina
    3 days ago

    Literature, my writing, my friends, my family, food, a good life, even though I can caught in big emotions and miss that.

  15. D
    Deann
    3 days ago

    My children, my family, faith, friends, all the animals that have picked me, good health and the gifts of nature and spending time in it.

    Travel gives me fullness-, experiencing cultures, natural wonders, man-made wonders, learning to navigate different is a gift I have always been grateful for and hope to continue to experience.

    1. L
      Loc Tran
      2 days ago

      Deann, I’m with you on the 3Fs: faith, family, and friends.

    2. Maeve
      Maeve
      3 days ago

      Same about travel: it definitly gives me fullness and broadens my horizons in a wonderful way.

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