Holden Prayer for Peace

The picture you see to the left is a picture of Holden Village nestled in the Cascade Mountains of the Wenatchee National Forest in Chelan, WA. It is a place to retreat, but also a place to be in community with others. It is probably the most serene and peaceful place I have ever been. They make it very clear to you that the intention of Holden village is to provide a place for people to come to nourish their spirit. And in so doing they carry that renewed spirit back into the world as a way to help bring peace and well-being to our world. In 1985-1986 a piece of music was written called, Holden Evening Prayer, to hold and uplift the spirit of people and facilitate peace in our world. In that same spirit of peace, an excerpt of the prayer is offered here.


~ For peace between nations, for peace between peoples...hold us in love
~For all those who govern, that justice might guide them...hold us in love
~For all those who labor in service to others...hold us in Love
~Grant weather that nourishes all of creation...hold us in love
~Keep watch on our loved ones and keep us from danger...hold us in love
~Help us, comfort us, all of our days.

It is a beautiful prayer. May you be held in grace and love~

Open Your Hands

Open Your Hands

I always find that when I am in need of a bit of inspiration or a different perspective, just the right thing will come along to remind me of what I need to know. That happened today as I realized I was holding unto something that I needed to let go of. I opened a book and this story appeared as if it was just waiting for me. Maybe some of you have heard it before; it is simple and yet powerful. The story goes like this...

In China, traps were set for monkey's by hollowing out a hole in a coconut the size of a monkey's open hand. Rice was put inside the coconut and left in a place where they would surely find it. Hungry monkeys could smell the rice and would put their open hand inside to get the rice. When they grabbed the rice in their fisted hand, it would no longer fit through the hole and they became trapped. The only way they could free themselves was to unclench their hand and let go of the rice.

As I read this again, I wondered what the motivation was for me to hang on so tightly and what it was exactly that I was holding on to? It may not be as important to get the answer, as it is to ask the question. The process of that opens your heart and mind to new possibilities. The story suggests that you open your hand to let go but I also know there is more. When you open your hand to do this, you are also opening your hand to receive what comes back to you. We tend to think of it as a one way movement, but in reality it is reciprocal. When we loosen our grip and set free what we are holding we put in motion the possibility of receiving. The native Hawaiian people have a ritual they practice each evening of letting go of the events of the day. This process opens the pathway for them to receive.They know and trust this two-fold process as a powerful way to embrace possibility.This is an invitation for you to imagine what the power of this process might look like in your own life. Blessings to you as you practice opening your hand to this reciprocal process!

Sandy

We would love to hear your stories, either by posting a comment or by sending us a email at: inpeaceandjoy@msn.com

Am I Good Enough?

Last week I watched the T.V. special by Oprah called, Building a Dream. It had been a dream of hers to build and develop a leadership school for girls in Africa. Just a few months ago, this dream became a reality when the school opened in South Africa. This show talked about the thought, care and love that went into making this dream a reality.

Having travelled to Africa just last year this show held special interest for me. The picture above was taken in Tanzania, Africa. These students are from the Image (E-magi) School and they were welcoming our group to their small village. While I was there I had the opportunity to visit many schools and interact with students of all ages. In a country where half the population is dying from AIDS and are largely uneducated in many areas, education is of extreme importance. Headmasters of schools and other leaders we met with, understand that if Africa is to rise from poverty and disease they need to educate their people. That is why the leadership academy Oprah built is so important.

But, that is not what really peaked my interest as I watched the special. As I traveled the villages of Tanzania and watched and interacted with the people (sometimes with translators and sometimes not)I realized the people have a strong sense of self. For the most part, they are clear about who they are and what they bring to the world. But they are also human. As I watched Oprah interview each girl I heard this same sense of self come through. Then she interviewed one girl who said with tears rolling down her cheeks, "Do you think I am good enough?" It is true, that question is part of all of us. Sometimes we are brave enough to say it out loud and sometimes it just hangs there like a cloud. With a tear coming down her face, Oprah gave the girl a hug and said, "Yes, I think you are good enough". We should all know we are "good enough" but sometimes we just need someone to put their arms around us and help us remember that yes, we are all "good enough" just as we are.

I believe that is the most important thing we can do for ourselves and others is to stay connected to our own self worth and help others do the same. That is the beauty of being in relationship with self and others...it helps us to re-connect to that part of us that gives us life. And it is our relationship with others that helps us remember when we have forgotten.

~Blessings to you~

We would love to hear from YOU...post a comment, or email us at inpeaceandjoy@msn.com. This is so important because it is part of relationship and being part of community. We are looking forward to hearing from you.
Sandy and Paula

Practicing the Presence of God

Months ago I came across the words, Practicing the Presence of God, in something I was reading. I don't even remember what book it was in but I know that these words spoke to me. So for the last several months I have had them written on a torn piece of post-it note on my desk. Every day I look at the words and wonder what it means to be Practicing the Presence of God. As a way to think about this I broke the phrase down to ask myself, what is the presence of God? After all, how could I practice something if I could not define it! There was a time in my life when the answer to this question would be that I would have to go someplace to be in His presence. It meant that I was always seeking to find something that was outside of me, and often it was just outside my grasp. Over the last years I have come to understand that I don't have to go or do anything special to find this presence because it is right inside of me. I'm not quite sure how it was or even when it was that this happened. My guess it that it was many new understandings that finally brought me to this place of knowing. One day I realized that I was indeed created in His image and I was called, so to speak, to share the gifts I have been given with the world. The truth is that what each of has is different and unique. So unique in fact that what we offer is ours alone to bring. So each and every person is created with wonderful gifts and called to share them. That brings me back to Practicing the presence of God. It is everyday remembering what I bring to this world and honoring it not only as a gift I give myself but a gift I give to those around me. I say remembering, because sometimes life itself gets in the way. Every day we are called to bring into focus and let go of anything that would keep us from that. Here is a wonderful quote I found by Elizabeth O'Conner that speaks to this..."When that surrender is made, one is connected not only to one's own life, but to the pulsating, energizing heart of God at the center of the universe and at the center of every life.

What is does it mean for you to Practice being in the Presence of God? We would love to hear your comments and thoughts. Blessings to you as your journey unfolds.

Healing Conversations in New Orleans

I believe that we never really know how or when we might be in need of a Healing Conversation or when our ability to offer just that may be needed. I have just returned from a week of training on Mind/Body techniques in New Orleans. When I went, I knew that the training would be a nice complement to what I already have, but I was not prepared for what else the week might bring. I had only been there a few hours when a friend and I stopped in the hotel gift shop to buy a bottle of water. The clerk inquired about why we were there and then started to tell us her story of Katrina. As she told her story to us you could see the loss and hopelessness written on her face. She said, "We need someone to hear our stories. It feels like we have been forgotten even a year and a half later." We could not help but to be moved by what she told us. As we left, we stopped to ask the bellman a question and he told us his own story. He talked about all the dead bodies, poisonous snakes and alligators that were in the water after the storm. He looked away and said it gave him shivers just to think about it. We had heard two stories in such a short amount of time that gave us much reason to pause and be with what they had said.

As the training began, we realized about 40 of the participants were from New Orleans. On the first day we heard what it was like to live through Katrina, but also what it has been like since. At the end of the first day many people were at a loss of how to be of help to them. Then one woman said it very eloquently, "We just need you to hear us and be a witness to our stories. We are all in the same or worse position and so we have no one to tell our stories to. If you just listen to us that will be very powerful."

That is the one thing I could do, I could listen with a compassionate ear. As the week progressed I listened to many, many stories. One day several of us were shopping and the owner of the store started talking to us about her life after Katrina. She said she was under so much stress she finally had to get medication to help her. The store was empty so we asked her if she would like to learn some things that would help her stress. She quickly agreed and was deeply grateful for this small amount of help. I felt privileged to be a witness to her pain and maybe somehow offer a spark of hope.

While I was there, I made friends with Malcolm the hotel doorman. I asked how he made out in the hurricane and he said, "Oh Darling...I lost it all." He said this with a smile on his face, and then he said, "What should I do? Feeling sad will not help me so I come to work with a smile on my face because you only get one chance to make a first impression." Having said that, he gave me a big smile and hug and said, "Darling...have a great day!" His wonderful spirit was a gift to me and every person he greeted in the hotel lobby.

I came home and realized that each time someone told me their story and I listened with an open heart, that it was a healing conversation. Not only was it healing for them but also for me as I was reminded of the resiliency of the human spirit.

I don't know when you might unexpectedly find yourself in a place where the best thing you can offer is a listening ear and an open heart, but I know it is powerful beyond words.

We would very much like to hear your thoughts, so we invite you to post a comment on this blog or send us an email at inpeaceandjoy@msn.com

Mystical Hope

It seems like people for the most part are hopeful about their lives and our world. At least on the better days. But sometimes we have moments of disbelief when we are not sure what it looks like. It is a though it gets lost among the laundry, the running from place to place, but it gets really buried beneath the news of our world.

I came across a book called Mystical Hope. The author writes, "If it could be shown to be true that our life is connected to an innermost essence of great profundity and power, and that access to it is through what is innermost in our own selves, then we would have not only a conceptual understanding of mystical hope, but a practical way of orientating ourselves toward it."

In essence, mystical hope would simply mean that we find hope when we touch the innermost part of ourselves. What springs forth into the world from that, has the capacity to simply and profoundly change the world.

Tell us about the many ways in which you find hope in your life. We invite and welcome your comments.

Blessings to you~

Keep Imagining...

In December, we asked people to help us imagine what they wanted for themselves and the world. And imagine you did! We have had a great response to this blog and a even greater response to our Imgine 2007 Tree. Over 90 people responded to our invitation to add to what we started. Often as I walked through the waiting room of our office I would see people adding things and often I stopped to talk with them about they imagined. One thing we all agreed upon is that if we want to live in a world of peace and joy, we first have to imagine it as possible.

We have read every response many times and it makes us know that the work we all do is important beyond what we know. Can you imagine what we can all do collectively...that is where possibility is born and nurtured. So the invitation continues...please help us imagine in every way you know how. We very much want to hear from you so please post a comment on this blog or email Sandy and Paula at inpeaceandjoy@msn.com Thank you for taking this journey with us.
Blessings~