At the church I work at, we have an annual New Year’s Eve service.
My favorite part? ……My commute home afterwards.
Not for the reason you might think, although going home after a long work day is nice.
I drive home from Northeast San Antonio. That means I go a long way down 37 and then get on 181 till I get to Floresville. And New Year’s Eve is the one day out to the year my commute SPARKLES.
Yes, it literally sparkles. On either side of the highway, in the dark, people are lighting off fireworks. So beautiful!
When I got home, I decided to stay up this year. At midnight I went outside, and enough of my neighbors were lighting fireworks that I was surrounded by sparkling lights on all sides as I observed from my back porch. Absolutely dazzling.
A wonderful reminder of one of my core understandings; that we are here to shine light into the dark places in life. We are here to shine and sparkle; not unlike fireworks, or the stars in the nighttime sky.
We originate from the same Source that made those stars and are indeed are physically comprised chemically from some of the same elements. Author Vincent Cronin who published The View from Planet Earth wrote in 1981:
“Our bodies contain three grams of iron, three grams of bright, silver-white magnesium, and smaller amounts of manganese and copper. Proportionate to size, they are among the weightiest atoms in our bodies, and they come from the same source, a long-ago star. There are pieces of star within us all.”
On Monday in our chapel service, we explored some stories about people with disabilities, overcoming them through their faith. I think they did so by accessing that pattern of perfection that is the Source of All, to achieve their heart’s desire, great or small.
We learned of a man that was visually impaired, completely blind, and of modest means. Yet he was able to send all 16 of his children to university or some sort of trade school after they graduated high school.
We learned a story of an amazing performance by Dionne Warwick. She had jetlag, and a terrible cold that made her voice difficult to hear. She confided to a friend she was just ready to quit singing altogether.
But she knew at the 1992 opening of the Olympics in Barcelona where she was signing that there were millions around the world in anticipation of these wonderful games that bring together the world community. Relying on her inner strength, she gave this heartfelt performance at the opening of the games, without one single flat note.
Performance perfection! Yet, she was in less than perfect condition at the time. How is such a thing possible?
We learned of a minister I know of that has a severe visual impairment. He still holds down the humongous task of running a church, even if he has to do most things in a different way than those who have no visual impairment. Yet, unless one works with him very closely, one would never notice his visual impairment.
My only conclusion? He truly walks by faith and not by sight, relying on the pattern of perfection underlying everything that is the Source, or whatever language one might insert to describe that Source: The Divine, God, Allah, Christ, Buddha, etc. Relying on that pattern of perfection, through his spiritual practices, something remarkable happens. Even though his body is not perfect, the imperfections aren’t noticeable.
What makes that possible? I would say the sparkle that is naturally ours to shine and generously give.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
This is a cosmic view of life, that the same force moving the planets is accessible to us, and is what moves us. If we are open and receptive to this idea, practice, and have heartfelt intention, amazing things, big and small, are possible.
Something to consider as we move into the New Year. What will our intentions be? What do we have to offer the world?
People tend to take on a lot of things in the New Year. Ask anyone who works in a gym. They tend to get a lot of new memberships this time of year. And people tend to drop off pretty quickly shortly afterwards.
I recently read an article by Rev. Kelly Isola, one of my teachers from school. In the article she reminds us to, “Open yourself to the movement of the stars and the movement of your heart. Realize you are a necessary part of the interconnectedness of all life.”
She also provides an achievable to-do list for the New Year that might serve us better than a gym membership, or even support us in the area of motivation for that gym membership. I share it with you today.
Even if we took just one item on from this checklist list in 2020 and affirmed it for ourselves regularly, we would be doing a big part in making the world a better place:
Checklist for a Transformative New Year
I recognize that I am a sparkling gift from the cosmos. It is time to unwrap myself and share myself with the entire world.
I sing love songs to my soul. It’s not about carrying a tune; it’s about playing the symphony that is me.
I treasure my loved ones, even when they seem unlovable. It is in those toughest moments they are saying most loudly, “Somebody, please love me.”
I look each day in the mirror knowing: I am love made visible.
I am an angel and an ancestor with this planet. My presence makes a difference—and also leaves an echo of perfection for those who are yet to be born.
I find adventure in every day. I have courage to do new things, big and small, and know this inspires others to unwrap themselves for the world too.
I recognize with every sadness I am blessed to have a heart cracked wide open. One of the great mysteries in life is that by feeling our suffering we also invite in the possibility of feeling great joy. Suffering and joy are our partners in wholeness.
I delight in knowing my light has already illuminated darkened paths. My gaze has lifted broken spirits. My gentle life has changed the destiny of all I have touched.
I carry the peace of the world within myself.
Keep sparkling this year, my friends.
I thank you for reading. Be blessed this day, and for the entirety of 2020
Comentários