A Poem Based on, "I bless the world because I bless myself." W-187 A Course in Miracles

A Poem Based on
I bless the world because I bless myself. W-187 A Course in Miracles

“What will I give her?” I ask of myself.

By giving it away it is gone from my shelf.

Will it be lost?

Never again to be seen?”

“Impossible.  Can’t happen.” ("Your answer’s quite keen.")

“What you give is truth, unconditional love.

You’re offering your spirit

And the Peace of the Dove.”

“Will it hurt me,” I ask. “Will sacrifice prevail?”

“How can it, Dear Child, when already you ail.

When you give, you receive, filled with pure ecstasy.

Nothing like it on earth

In your mind you’ll be free.”

“And I’ll teach you, I’ll guide you, I’ll show you The Way

To offer your brother, your sister each day:

Forgiveness.  Non-judgment.  The light of your heart.

From what I am teaching, that’s a pretty good start.”

“I’ll try it,” I said.

“What’d you say is Your Name?

You offer me insights.

There’s much You proclaim!”

“Call me Spirit.  Try Source.  Or, God, if you must.

Doesn’t matter to Me, as long as you trust

That together we travel.  Together we live

In the peace of our offering.  In the joy that we give.”
 

This is what I understand today. Barb

 Pictures by Barb Adams (c)

I Challenge You to Peace

 

 As a junior high teacher (then an administrator at that same school, and later at the new middle school) I was asked to address the student body and our teachers. 

Please click on the link below to my YouTube video of a return visit to that speech and then come back and finish reading this post.

YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYTstuj6ICw&list=UUHy9qpzFLC819m7VJnuXrRQ


That was then.  

What would I change in that address if I were to speak to students now? 

Well, first of all keep in mind that I worked at a public school. So I would make no mention of spiritual beliefs. Morality, yes.  Character, yes.  Use the words Spirit, God, Source, Holy Spirit, Master?  I couldn't.  And I wouldn't out of respect for, and belief in the Separation of Church and State. 

So, taking into account my parameters, I think I came close then to what I have come to remember now. If I were given the honor to speak to a group outside of public school, I would likely replace certain words and phrases. In place of "Look into the eyes of the child," I would say, With your spiritual eye look into the heart or soul of that person and see the Christ within them.  

When I said, "We tend to have one of four reactions to someone who is different than ourselves,"  I omitted something from my listing that I would include today: We judge them. And that judgment is really a projection of our fear onto that other person.
We think it's safer that way because then we don't have to own it and try to heal from it.

I said in that address, "We need to look beyond the differences into the alikeness." Today I would say, We need to recognize that we are all one.  One with our Source and one with each other.

When I said, "I believe that human beings crave survival, equality, balance..."  today I would change that to, I believe that all of us crave LOVE. We are either offering love or putting out a call for love.

Then, I said, "I see each of us as a child hidden within our various bodies."  Today, I remember that each of us is one with the Spirit of God merely masked by the illusion of the default-vision from our wrong-mind. Right-minded vision sees only truth, oneness, love and joy.

I did score a "BINGO!"  I hit it on the head with identifying fear as the motivator for committing unloving acts. 

So, after having watched my video and read the changes that I would make. I invite you to let me know by your comments what you would change.  See if you think that the presentation that I made in the late 1990s is something that would lead junior high students and teachers to at least think about moving from fear to love.

 

Photos by Barb Adams (c)

Sitting in this Chair-Part II

 Sitting in This Chair

Part II

Again, I draw my inspiration from another well, that of my 32+ years as a professional educator.

As a House Administrator, one of my major tasks was the enforcement of the Disciplinary Code of Conduct. Many students passed through my office and following the District's guidelines, I meted out a range of consequences. So, I ask you, why would a student whom I  had just suspended for bullying (not her first infraction of this nature)…why would she reach over to hug me?

You may have your reasons for this contrary-to-popular-belief reaction.  And I have mine.  It is actually quite simple. I had acknowledged her as a person whom I respected yet whom I had a responsibility to hold accountable.  She knew the boundaries and the consequences so she was not surprised by the outcome.  What likely caught her off guard was that she was not demeaned, belittled or humiliated.  She was shown tough love yet she felt cared for and safe.  This middle school girl was simply expressing gratitude and relief for all of the above.

And isn’t that what we educators, we parents and grandparents are supposed to do?  Recognize that our charges may have some basic needs that are somehow not being met and offer a modicum of relief from that starvation?  Yet, we must do so in a way that shows that we are centered and will hold steady-the-course.

As a struggling student from a disadvantaged background, this second-year middle schooler felt safe at that moment.  She felt cared for.  She felt that the ‘punishment fit the crime,’ and she was ready to walk the walk.

In Course-speak, I showed that frightened girl that I had forgiven her.  That I had seen her light, not the worldly transgression of her developing self.  I saw a call for love.  And at that moment, when she looked up at me with her swollen red eyes, we shared a holy instant.

Again, I know.  I know.  I had a job to do and I did it.  I enforced the Code of Conduct.  Yet, what I felt moved to do was to recognize her spirit beyond her infraction.  And at some level she became aware of that.  That’s why she reached over to embrace me.  I reciprocated.

Before I headed home that evening, I sat down with my thoughts and put pen to paper.  When completed, I typed my poem, printed it and placed it where I, or anyone who sat at my desk could see it and be reminded.  I hung it on the wall directly above the chair where that 7^th grader had sat only hours before.  The chair in which the next child, and the next child after that would sit:

Sitting in this chair

Is a child, a

Beautiful

Vulnerable

Fragile

Child,

Someone’s baby

Who is in the process of

Developing

Maturing

Learning.

Always remember to

Treat this child with

Acceptance

Dignity

Respect,

As if this is

Your child,

Your baby,

Sitting in this chair.

Sitting in This Chair-Part I

 Sitting in This Chair

Part I

Today, I draw my inspiration from another well, that of my 32+ years as a professional educator.

The success of education hinges as much on educators deftly delivering the art and science of their subject matter as meeting the needs of their students.  I contend that the latter must be addressed with care (or love, depending on the comfort level and interpretation of the educator) before the former has the slightest chance of meeting with success.

On the first day of meeting with my students one of the statements that I would make to them was, “I will treat you with as much respect as I offer to your parents, other teachers, the principal and even the President of the United States.  Why?  Because you deserve it.”  My follow up line would be, “And of course, I expect you to do the same.  Why? Because I deserve it.”

There was much more that I delivered to each section of my classes on the first day of every semester.  My goal was to set the tone of a well-controlled classroom where each could feel safe, emotionally as well as physically.  I found success with this formula as students, year-after-year expressed their appreciation and joy for having been in my classroom.

Toward the end of my career in education I ventured into, what teachers often refer to as The Dark Side…administration.  I enjoyed the challenges of my tenure as a House Administrator and interim Director, but I also missed the classroom.  What I did come to realize, however, was that meeting with a student in my office (most often for some rule infraction) was simply an opportunity for one-on-one teaching.  I needed to come to this realization if I were to find the satisfaction that I needed to sustain me during (too) many challenging situations.

On a particular day, a young middle school girl sat across from my desk.  I had been questioning her about a bullying situation of which I suspected she had played a key role.  When she saw that I held the trump card, she began sobbing, “The truth will set you free,” she wailed.  “The truth will set you free.”

I asked her what she meant. 

“My grandma always told me that ‘The truth will set you free.’”

“And the truth is?” I queried.

More sobbing, until…  “I did it, Ms. Adams.  I did it.”

My initial impulse was to move from behind my desk to the vacant seat next to her.  I placed my arm on her shoulders and felt the quaking that was emanating from her frail body.  I wanted to hug her more warmly, but unfortunately, we educators have been warned to be careful of such displays.  So, I merely softened my voice another level and reminded her that she was not a bad person but that she had done a bad thing, and that I was going to have to suspend her.  I reminded her that I still cared for her and that she was in fact a good person.  She looked up at me and from behind that tear stained face came a pleading smile.  That little girl reached out to hug me.  After telling her that I was going to suspend her!  

Part II to follow.

A Letter from God

 A Letter from God

To:       All of God's Creations
Date:   Eternity

Time:  Doesn’t exist
Re:      Love, Light, Wholeness, Unity, Forgiveness, Truth

My Dearest Beloved,           

When I created you, I extended My Spirit and formed your essence. You were neither separate from Me nor removed from Me. You were, are, and will always be an extension of Me, as I am of you. We are One.

The pain that you have been carrying around with you, although it has felt very real, does not exist except within your mind. For as long as you nurture the pain, in pain you shall remain. However, when you choose to release your perception of the world, Spirit will hear your call and will remove any shred of doubt of your Oneness with Me.

Your perception of yourself has resulted in you choosing to form a foundation of perceived weakness, vulnerability and powerlessness.  Again, this is not real, nor true, but a belief that you hold deep within your mind on which you have formed the basis of your relationship with others.  As you interact with those around you and you perceive that they do not share your ‘rules,’ you have reacted by getting angry when in fact what you were perceiving was that you were weak, vulnerable and powerless.  As a result, you feared that your foundation would crumble. You chose to attack before being attacked.

You have perceived yourself as standing on the shore of a rising, raging river and, in an attempt to protect yourself, you have blinded yourself to your true power.

My love, since you are One with Me, you have already been saved, but as Spirit whispers this in your ear, only you are capable of acknowledging the truth.  

I invite you to recognize your strong foundation.  A foundation made of LOVE, LIGHT, STRENGTH, and POWER.  Have the vision to see that together you and I are the Bricks and Mortar of this invulnerable base that supports your life. 

I am you and you are Me, my love. If you perceive yourself as vulnerable and weak, then you are sending Me a message that you believe I am the same.  We both know this not to be True.  In our Unity, We are STRONG, LOVING, and CAPABLE.  We are Light. We are Love.

Dear One, the answer is simple, but your will must be strong.  Offer yourself up to Me.  Rid yourself of your false perception of yourself.  It does not exist unless you choose to give it life. Do not mourn its passing.  Instead, celebrate your true journey Home.

Forgive yourself, love yourself and extend your forgiveness and love to all of our brothers and sisters.  In this way, you will finally be free to be.

With Love Abounding,

Photos by Barb Adams (c)

In the SPIRIT of Independence Day

 In the SPIRIT

of 

Independence Day:

No longer dependent on guilt, fear, judgment 

and attack as a way of life.

How is this achieved?

Do we need a Revolutionary War in order to achieve this?

Who is the enemy?

How do we advance?

Must there be sacrifice?

What will I need to give up?

Does someone, anyone need to suffer?

What will we need to renounce?

Will there be bridges to cross?

Must there be a winner and a loser?

How will we gain our freedom, our liberty?

Will there be justice for all?

Whom do we need to follow?

Who will shout out the orders?

Who is our Leader?

How will we recognize victory?

 How is this achieved?

Through forgiveness, that is by seeing only the light within our brothers and sisters. Our only function is to heal and by doing so we heal others.

Do we need a Revolutionary War in order to achieve this?

The only revolution we need is that within our mind. We will need to move from wrong-minded thinking to right-minded thinking. We need to create miracles, of which there is no order of difficulty.

Who is the enemy?

Truly, there are no enemies.  Our only adversary is our ego who works tirelessly to capture our attention.  The ego invites us to live in the illusion of darkness rather than the reality of light.  The ego thrives on advancing the illusion of separation.  It is that which we fight and through this fight we lose sight of our natural state of peace.

How do we advance?

We advance by asking Spirit to see things as they truly are.  Our task then is to quiet our mind so that we may hear Spirit’s Answer.

Must there be sacrifice?

Sacrifice is ego-based.  If we offer gifts to our sisters and brothers and feel that we must sacrifice in order to do so, ego experiences bliss.  However, when our gift of love is offered with no thought of sacrifice, we experience the reciprocal gift of love.

What will I need to give up?

Rather thinking of giving up something, which would imply sacrifice, it is more helpful to think about what we must change in order to recognize Truth.  We will want to change our thought processes from wrong-minded thinking.   That is, listening to the cacophony of the ego.  Instead we’ll want to quiet our mind, ask and then receive guidance from Spirit.  We may receive this guidance through something we are reading, through a conversation with another, through a line in a movie or any other medium through which Spirit chooses to communicate.  But, we must be willing to listen for, and recognize the Answer.

Does someone, anyone need to suffer?

Suffering is the work of ego.  Spirit never wants us to suffer because it is counter to God’s plan of eternal peace, joy, truth and spiritual love.

What do we need to renounce?

Hmmmm, renounce is an interesting way to put this.  More helpful queries might be:

Q: What will I choose to turn away from?  A: ego’s thoughts, judgments and answers. 

Q: What will I choose to do?  A: See only the light in others and turn away from judging them and myself. 

Q: To Whom will I chose to listen? A: Spirit

Will there be bridges to cross?

The only bridge you’ll need to cross is that from illusion to Reality. It is well worth the trek, for on the other side you will recognize your Oneness with our Source.  Reality is the heaven that lives within our mind, which we access by healing, by forgiving.  Spirit holds the compass.  Your only task is to follow the directions offered you.  Remember however, it is your choice.

Must there be a winner and a loser?

Winning and losing exists solely in the ‘land of the ego.’  If one wins it is implied that another must lose.  Spirit has no such rulebook.  When we offer spiritual love to any of God’s creations the result is only a win-win.

How will we gain our freedom, our liberty?

By turning away from ego and turning to Spirit.

Will there be justice for all?

What is justice but fairness, honesty and fair dealing.  Of course God would be just.  That is, all of God’s creations are extended the same love because we are all one with our Source.  We are offered the same quality of peace, joy and eternal bliss because that is all that God want for His creations.  There is no entity more just than our Source.

Whom do we need to follow?

Spirit, but not into battle. Spirit invites us to follow the one true path to Peace.

Who will shout out the orders?

Whom you choose to follow will determine whose orders or invitations you opt to hear. The ego shouts orders constantly, continuously, and unyieldingly.  We have gotten so used to ego’s commands that we think ego is the only one in charge.  We stand at attention and blindly follow ego into the pits of hell.  However, (and here’s where free-will and choice come in) if you turn down ego’s volume, quiet your mind and decide to follow Spirit, you need only ask and listen to receive the gentle guidance necessary to attain the peace for which you have so longed.

Who is our Leader?

You know by now that you have a choice.  So, whom do you wish to follow?

How will we recognize victory?

You will recognize it when at last you remember that:

Nothing real can be threatened.

Nothing unreal exists.  
Herein lies the peace of God.
ACIM I-2.2-4.

 Photos by Barb Adams (c)

6336 on 7.3.14

 6336 on 7.3.14

This is just amazing!  I’ve been blogging on this site for less than two months. Yet, as of this writing, I’ve had 6336 page views.  My readers are from the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Bulgaria, Brazil, Malaysia, and El Savador!  I'm blown away by this!!

Simply from a communication point of view, to think that one could reach out and touch this many people in such distant corners of the earth in less than 60 days is a bit much to take in.

From a spiritual point of view, I shouldn’t even bat an eye.  Because we are indeed ONE, the vibrations that I put out into the Universe would, of course connect with others, would connect with you.

I would love for you, my new friends, to be alerted to each blog that I post. To do so, please click “follow.”

And, I would love for you, my old friends who have not already clicked on “follow,” to please also do so, AND invite another friend to do the same. 

We have much to share.

We have much to learn.

We have much to celebrate.

This is sent with love from,

Barb/Bobbi/Mom/Nonna/Aunt/and (as someone asked yesterday if he could call me) Babs. 

A Course in Miracles T-12.VII.5.5

A Course in Miracles

…and as you look out so will you see in. 

T-12.VII.5.5

When I think I see you, 

I'm really seeing myself.

All that I believe I see in you 

is actually what I see in myself.

That which I judge about you,

is that which I am judging about myself.

When I condemn you, 

I am really condemning myself.

When I sneer at you, 

I am actually sneering at myself.

That which I fear about you,

is that which I fear about myself.

What I scoff at about you,

is that which I scoff at about myself.

As I recognize the love within you,

I am recognizing the love within myself.

As I forgive you, 

 I am forgiving myself.

As I see the light that radiates from within you, 

I am recognizing the light that radiates from within me.

As I see the Christ within you, 

I am aware of the Christ within me.

As I recognize that you ARE love, 

I remember that I AM love.

WE ARE LOVE.

WE ARE ONE.

Therein lies the Path to Peace.

Therein lies the Peace of God.

Photos by Barb Adams (c)