Volume 9, Issue 1 | January 2020
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Greetings!
Well, Happy New Year! I know it’s a bit late already -- one-twelfth of it is gone. Here we are in a new decade too; seems like it was just
Y2K!
… Which makes me think about what I did New Year’s Eve back in 1999: fire walking! Yep, I was living in Santa Fe, NM and the man in my life at that time had done it many times and thought it a great way to bring in the new millennium. I was game. We were led first in meditation, and then in other preparatory practices, before going outdoors to the runway. I made it through 1,000 plus-degree (F) coals pretty much okay, strangely with one foot in perfect condition, and the other a little worse for the adventure. The midnight sky was wondrous and it was a memorable way to end the old year and enter a new century.
And, this past New Year’s Eve? Although I’m living in Gilbert, part of the Phoenix metro area, I actually spent several days in my former home town of Sedona at the end of 2019. I had often attended kirtan on Sunday nights when I lived there, but never got to say good-bye to the old year and welcome in the new year through chanting on New Year’s Eve. I got my chance and shared the experience with a precious friend.
I’ve actually never been much of a fan for going out in the evening on the 31
st
of December. Still, to leave the old year and decade behind and enter the new one doing one of the most soul-nourishing activities (singing/praying), with dear, like-minded folks, in beautiful Red Rock Country was pretty awesome. I’m glad I ventured out.
And so here I am now... with a January in its waning hours, yet surely days ahead full of promise and possibilities. Still, I’ll strive to stay in the present moment no matter what day, year, or decade I find myself in, for life is lived bit-by-bit, moment-by-moment. Spirit is only present in the Now, and that’s where I want to be.
Blessings,
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Inspiration and Contemplation
Once a Woman Said to Me
Once a young woman said to me, “Hafiz, what is the sign of someone who knows God?”
I became very quiet, and looked deep into her eyes, then replied.
“My dear, they have dropped the knife. Someone who knows God has dropped the cruel knife
that most so often use upon their tender self and others.”
-
A Year with Hafiz, January 31
by Daniel Ladinsky
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Spirituality
Connect with Source
“We are like divers in earth suits, exploring the wonders of life on this planet. The earth is not our home; we are visitors here. Our true nature is not physical, but spiritual. We, too, have a life-support tube, and that is prayer, meditation, or any other form of communion with our Source. If our supply of spirit is cut off, we will not live well or long. Our connection to God is as important to our soul as the diver’s supply of air to his body.
“Each day, take time to feed your soul. Make your first priority any activity that nourishes your inner being... Any activity that renews your spirit is a form of prayer.
“Commit to your spiritual practice first… Feed your soul; it is the most important meal of the day.”
- Excerpt from
A Deep Breath of Life: Daily Inspiration for Heart-Centered Living
,
October 14
by Alan Cohen.
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People Making a Difference
Fifth-Graders Help to Right a Wrong
I first read this story in the Jan/Feb 2020 issue of
Angels on Earth
, and subsequently learned more when I went online.
On November 30, 1957, newlyweds Gilbert and Grace Caldwell traveled to the Mount Airy Resort in the Poconos (Pennsylvania) for their honeymoon. “I wanted to treat my new bride to a nice place,” Gilbert says. But the manager turned them away, citing the hotel’s segregation policy. The couple spent their wedding night at a black-owned hunting lodge. “Guns what not what we had planned!” Grace says.
Soon after, Gilbert, a Methodist minister, met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and began working alongside him at national events. In his retirement, he continued to speak out against segregation and discrimination.
Which brings us to the fall of 2017 when the Caldwells shared their honeymoon story, as they’d often done, but this time with a class of fifth graders in New Jersey. The fifth graders were so moved by the story, they wrote letters to the Poconos resort, requesting an all-expenses-paid honeymoon redo for the Caldwells. The resort granted the students’ request, and the Caldwells were welcomed with open arms for their sixtieth wedding anniversary.
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Every breath is a new beginning.
Gratitude.
Joy.
Peace.
Until we meet again, take good care of you.
Blessings,
Joyce
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Joyce S. Kaye
, MSW
928.301.7292
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e-newsletter designed, developed, written, and published by Joyce S. Kaye
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You, Me, and Spirit
I was a devout atheist until about 30 years ago when I "came to believe" in a Power greater than myself. Thanks to hearing the novel idea (well, at least it was to me!) that one could choose their own concept of God - and name too - and the workings of synchronicity, I embarked on a new way of thinking, a new way of living, a new way of being in the world and with others. It impacted all aspects of my life and relationships.
Since that time of commencing my conscious spiritual journey, I have endeavored to remember The Presence in all that is, all whom I meet, and all that I do -- including working with clients in my own business and in the corporate world. I strive to be of service and to nurture the human spirit in all environments.
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