Community

Being in my own religious organization I can see how ideaologies divide people. I saw Flight of the Pheonix recently and there was one character who s/d, "I'm not religious. Religion divides people. I am spiritual."
Without getting into a debate , I wanted to focus on the community aspect of it. In my community we have five kids, whom we all are responsible for raising. We love and care for each other. We gossip like mad and have little picts like every else. It's a strong sens eof family tied with devotion. And we exclude no one and invite everyone whether they believe in out path or their own.
All are valid.

When I find similar expressions of humanity, I tend to like it. So I stumbled across this site - The Thursday Night Gathering. The description from their website reads:
We are a group of friends and acquaintances. We are people who help each other move. We paint each other’s bathrooms. We make birthday cakes. We are people who want to recognize that time is not a renewable resource, it matters how you spend it We want to know the new lady with the little girl who moved in next door. The guy in the next cubical. The dreadlock barista at the coffee shop. The yoga teacher with the cool chimes. The plumber at our worksite. The outrageous waiter with the t-shirt that says, “I’m Gay.. Don’t Tell Anyone.” We are people who like life. We are artists. We are computer programmers. We are parents. We are beer lovers. We are people who fight, who laugh, get bored, get inspired. We make music; we make soup. We laze around in the sun; we play scrabble in the rain. We listen to loud music; we go with each other to get tattoos. We read good novels; we learn about wine and cheese. We are explorers. We are people who want to worship God, and talk to God, and listen to God. We are people who readily admit we are not entirely sure what that means. We are people who learn not from a leader, but from one another. We blow dust off of old books, we reform old beliefs. We uncover ancient practices and make them our own. We say, “I was wrong,” We look twice at something that catches our eye. We seek.

Just thought that was cool and wanted to share.

Prayer for a Stranger

I was at work when someone noticed that there was no traffice moving on the large suspension bridge a few blocks away. This was due to a woman who, distraught by recent events in her life, had climbed the side of the bridge with the intent of committing suicide.

While at lunch I was listening to the radio the various DJs took turns making wisecracks and suggesting there be a specific time limit prior to direct police action. The this girl called in.

She asked if she could say a prayer for the girl on the bridge. They asked if she knew who this girl was and she replied, "no". But she wanted to pray for her that she might get down off the bridge and get help for whatever was bothering her.

Surprisingly, the DJ allowed her to and it was just the most stilling and touching moment when she began praying for a complete stranger, regardless of faith.

From Tina

Tina sent me this and I thought I should share because it made me feel good:

I've been a little down lately, but I did a good thing today. My mother's birthday is Monday and she turns 75, but she's still in the nursing home. We sent a check so she could get her hair cut and colored and get a manicure earlier in the week, and today we came in with all sorts of gifts. But my most inspired move seemed to be walking in with a sheet cake big enough to feed all the people in her wing. Chocolate....with buttercream frosting....and it was really good. I checked with the nurses because I didn't want to give anyone anything that might kill them or cause an allergic reaction or anything, and they helped me set up a room so we could have a party. If you want to see 70 and 80 and 90 year olds turn back into little kids again...show up with a birthday cake.

One of the nurses said to me later "You did a good thing here today. I saw a man who's refused to eat for two weeks so that we've had to use a feeding tube l ight up and dig into that chocolate cake. In many ways, this was better therapy for them all than we can give them." It definitely seemed to perk my mother up, and I made friends and introduced them to her. She's not the type to make friends, I don't know where I got my friendly side....my grandfather maybe, he was a likeable fellow.

It was bittersweet, I was reminded of the shows I used to volunteer to do at nursing homes and veteran's hospitals. I was so full of cheer for them, but I wound up crying later every single time because of the things I'd seen. At least I didn't cry today, it seemed to pick me up as much as them.

The Four Candles

The Four Candles burned slowly. Their ambiance was so soft you could
hear them speak.

The first candle said, "I am Peace, but these days, nobody wants to keep
me lit." Then Peace's flame slowly diminishes and goes out completely.

The second candle says, "I am Faith, but these days, I am no longer
indispensable." Then Faith's flame slowly diminishes and goes out completely.

Sadly, the third candle spoke, "I am Love and I haven't the strength to
stay lit any longer." "People put me aside and don't understand my importance.

They even forget to love those who are nearest to them." And waiting no
longer, Love goes out completely.

Suddenly . . . A child enters the room and sees the three candles no
longer burning. The child begins to cry, "Why are you not burning? You are
supposed to stay lit until the end."

Then the Fourth Candle spoke gently to the little boy, "Don't be afraid,
for I Am Hope, and while I still burn, we can re-light the other candles."

With Shining eyes the child took the Candle of Hope and lit the other
three candles.

Never let the Flame of Hope go out of your life. With Hope, no matter
how bad things look and are, Peace, Faith and Love can Shine Brightly in our
lives.

Don't let these candles go out in your life!

If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, march down there
and turn it on yourself. -- Unknown

Something more.

I came across this woman's blog today and it spoke to me. The blog's description reads, "My husband and I own and manage a vineyard and walnut ranch in the sierra foothills of California. This was a long time retirement dream of ours. We have one daughter, and three beautiful grandchildren. Our son is deceased but still lives in our hearts and spirit. I was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).I am now starting my second challenge and considering making it official..."

Her entry for today is as follows:

My Bronze Medal!!
I have successfully achieved a bronze medal in the Presidential challenge. I am so proud of myself. I am now eligible to move on from the blf cadet , to the bfl top guns. WoooHooo! What a hoot. It is stuff like this that makes my struggle with M.S. take a back seat...


Kind of gives me a perspective of how people deal in difficult times and what I can do when I face them; and also what people are capable of accomplishing. there is also the example of personal strength and determination indicative of the human spirit that nothing else seems to define.

What I see in you...

This weekend I went to a Wiccan celebration of the coming summer, known as Beltane.
It consisted of drumming, community celebration, socializing and ceremony. I enjoyed it immensely.

The ceremony was very simple. They passed around a cup full of apple cider. Thanks was given to deity, in this case the god and goddess. Then one person turned to the next and told them a favorable attribute that they saw within the person they were addressing. People who had known the person next to them for five minutes or twenty-nine years participated. And I thought it was wonderful that everybody had something good to say. It was heartfelt and beautiful.

It took place under the falling light and misting rain. The sense of community was powerful and reassuring that if more people tries to see the everyday goo din one another, then perhaps the world wouln't see so scary.