Blue Sky Living

On Religious Diversity, Spirituality, and Finding God

I enjoy following the High Church calendar.  I also enjoy observing the Jewish High Holy days. I'd make a good Jew, some of my Jewish friends say.

I also like Buddhist spiritual practice.  It keep me in the moment and allows divine presence to overtake. My friend Misi says that Buddhism is Christianity in it's highest spiritual form. (She may be right. But don't tell that to the fundamentalists.)

I suppose my spiritual openness comes from being raised and living in a culturally diverse area. I now do spiritual work with Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, atheists, agnostics, the observant, and the non-observant.  My spiritual openness also comes from having friends that weren't raised like me and don't believe like me. 

Diversity has allowed me to enjoy life more and certainly has strengthened my faith.

More on Shingles

I've learned a lot about this nasty condition called shingles and some of what I had thought about it isn't true.

Here's what my doctor has told me about how this virus.  (This is not medical advice, but notes on my experience.)

My Recent Vehicles of Transformation

I've been away from this blog for a while and it's certainly not because I didn't want to write.  I enjoy writing and sharing ideas in this forum. But that hasn't been possible recently.

A few weeks ago I felt what seemed to be a pinched, sciatic nerve.  The pain proceeded to jolt through my hip, down my leg, to my foot. 

You make a better door than window

We often speak metaphorically of windows: 'the eyes are windows to your soul,' or 'window of opportunity', or 'a window on the world.' We think of them as opening to gaze through, to see things in a new way and maybe set our thoughts free.

Read her whole post via talecatcher.typepad.com

Tracy is my cousin in England. She uses storytelling in professional and corporate settings.

I love what she says here:

"Both of these people say they want things to change, for people to feel different around here. I wonder what they would see if they looked out their windows...the moment of pause, to use the open space for reflection, might be the start of something bigger."

So often we rush in without thinking. Or we sit in safe seats of judgment without fully engaging intellectually, thoughtfully, with insight. Beneficial personal or institutional change only comes when we engage our our hearts as well as minds.

Kenan

Momo and I drove to the Palm Beach Gardens Community Center.  I hadn't seen her in a year and a half so it was a treat to have some one-on-one time together.

Momo is my maternal grandmother.  She's a saint so don't mess with her or you'll be messing with her whole family.  She's the matriarch and has a head full of red hair that has never been touched by dye or color.  We should all do so well.

We were headed to Kenan's final basketball game of the season. Five- and six-year-olds dribbling a mini b-ball (well, mostly fighting over a mini b-ball) hardly constitutes a game.  But we were going for family and for Kenan, not to see who'd win. 

For that we go to Kristopher's games. 

Drama Free Week

This is the first week in months that there's not been any drama.  I'm not sure what to do with myself.

I mean, not only no drama for me, but no drama for the people in my life either. They are all doing great.  Or maybe we've just learned how to cope better.

Work is good.  Relationships are healthy.  Bills are being paid.  My world seems amazingly normal, sane, stable.  I've no crisis to be fueled by.  What's a guy to do?

The past couple of years have been so hectic I've about forgotten how to enjoy a normal week.  But don't dismay: I'm enjoying it--and am grateful for it as well.

Drama and trials and crisis can steal your hope and ability to enjoy the present moment.   So here's to reclaiming virtue, reclaiming life! Joie de vivre, here I come, here I am. Grateful, embracing, thankful, fully present.