And as always happens when I am open and willing to listen (without solving), the universe provides more clarity and a message. This time it came through my friend’s, Joe Monkman, blog post. He wrote this week:

“Are you open to believing that the next step awaits? Are you open to knowing that the path you have chosen is absolutely in line with your highest good? Are you open to continuing to forge what may seem to you and others to be an unusual path?

The unusual is calling. The extraordinary is beckoning. The road less traveled awaits.”

Yes, the unusual is calling me. I am certain of my uncertainty and open to seeing the next step that awaits. The road of more joy, growing edges, and bliss awaits me – for that I am certain!

Mary Anne

What parts of ourselves have we not forgiven?

If you are interested in expanding your thoughts and experiences about forgiveness, join me for an upcoming Resting in Radical Forgiveness 4-week telecourse (on the phone from the comfort of your own home).

In this 4-week telecourse we will deeply examine forgiveness from many points of view. We will see where we are carrying the pain of not forgiving and why it is important to be free. We will spend time looking at the 4 levels of forgiveness. You will leave the course with a deeper understanding of resting in radical forgiveness and the impact it has on your daily life. Guided meditation/imagery, deep listening, examining world views, and inspired writing are all a part of this course.
Monday’s, November 1, 8, 15, & 22, 2010 at 8:00PM – 9:00PM (ET)

For more information and/or to register: http://toningtheom.com/events/?event_id=105

Peace!
Mary Anne

If I Had a Heart
Holy War
Genocide
Suicide
Hate and cruelty…
How can this be holy?
If I had a heart, I’d cry
Holy Earth
How can we heal you?
We cover you like a blight…
Strange birds of appetite…
If I had a heart, I’d cry.
{If I Had a Heart}

and… another song…

Love never looks for love
Love’s not puffed up
Or envious
Or touchy
Because it rejoices in the truth
Not in iniquity
Love sees like a child sees
Where as a child I saw it face to face
Now I only know it in part
Fractions in me
Of faith and hope and love
And of these great three
Love’s the greatest beauty
Love
Love
Love
{Love)

Love more.
Mary Anne

According to the Associated Press, there have been at least 12 cases in the U.S. since 2003 in which children and young adults between 11 and 18 killed themselves after falling victim to some form of “cyberbullying” — teasing, harassing or intimidating with pictures or words distributed online or via text message. And according to statistics, gay and lesbian youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide.

I personally know the pain of wanting to hide my sexuality and even having suicide as an option as a teenager. Luckily for me, I was never humiliated or harassed.  I didn’t experience the hate and intimidation that so many of our gay youth face.

Every time we destroy another human being in any way, we destroy something far greater than one individual or group.

What is the cost of intolerance? Lives.

Mary Anne

As Holly Near sings:
“Something changes in me anytime there’s someone singing

All the songs I’ve never forgotten, let our voices sing them strong

Something changes in me anytime there’s someone standing

For the right to be completely all the good things that we are

There’s a change of heart

Anytime there’s someone counting

All the lives that won’t be thrown away

There’s a change of heart

Anytime you join the choir, be a voice up on the mountain

Or see a fire…in the rain

Something changes in me when my arms are held wide open

Fear and hate are set aside and only love remains

Something changes in me and I feel a deep emotion

While the ones who offer help replace the ones that just complain”

Where am I offering help rather than just complaining? It’s time to stand up more each day for the right to be completely all the good things that we are!

Mary Anne

There are so many places in our life when keeping the status quo seems easier than going with something new that may fail and we might learn from that. What if we redefined our definition of failure so we could experience something new, make changes, and create new opportunities?

Stepping up with a new idea and failing and then making changes is far more successful than doing the same thing with little or no result. I think of my friend Joe who will move to the West Coast in January after twenty years in New York to live his dream or my friend Clayton who invests in promoting his LGBT organization by offering gift card incentives to homeowners.

I am looking at how I could redefine failure. I could stay with the status quo and continue doing really good work in New York or I could expand into Provincetown and/or other global parts of the world and see this as an amazing chance of growth—even if there is some failure.

I am ready to do more than the status quo. Will you join me?

Mary Anne

Meditation is about cultivating the mind. The very word “meditation” in Sanskrit means “to cultivate.” In Tibetan, the word meditation translates into gom, which means, “to become familiar with.” Meditation is about becoming familiar with ourselves over and over again. It allows us to cultivate the chatter and draw out what we have kept stuffed inside.

Cultivating our mind is essential if we want to develop our emotional well-being, create inner peace, and our service to others. The more we attempt to block thoughts during meditation, the louder they will be. The whole purpose of meditation is to show us what we need—to allow our thoughts to arise and dissolve into mindfulness. This might mean allowing ourselves to set a course that is most desirable for our experiencing peace.

Imagine the benefit of giving ourselves a new experience of the world with each passing breath. All it takes to start is ten to twenty minutes daily to get to know our mind.

Why do you meditate?

Mary Anne

As I started singing along, I heard her lyrics:
“Only love is real
Everything is love
Everything you feel
That’s what your world is made of

And when I took a good look around I see
My thoughts are coming back to me
So look around
We are in charge of our own dreams
We have more power than it seems
So look around”

I’m looking around with love.
Mary Anne

I love speaking with my nephew as he can always make me smile – even without realizing it. He is just so open, real, and pure and he reminds me I can still be like a seven year old in the world. About two weeks ago we spoke on the phone and the conversation went something like this:

Me: Hi George.
George: Hi Aunt Mary Anne (said with glee).
Me: What are you doing?
George: Playing my Nintendo DS.
Me: Which game?
George: Mario Brothers.
Me: How was school today?
George: Great!
Me: What was the best part of your day?
George: Well…I think it was when I was in the lunch room and saw Mrs. Henderson (the lunchroom lady).
Me: Why was that the best part of your day?
George: Well, I like Mrs. Henderson because she is nice.
Me: That’s great George. Have you ever told her that you think she is nice?
George: No, but I do give her a hug.
Me: I am sure she likes that.
George: Yea.
Me: George?
George: What?
Me: Are you distracted?
George: Yes, I am distracted.
Me: What’s distracting you?
George: Well, I am talking to you.
Me: Thanks for that. I love you.
George: I love you too, lots and lots.

Note to self: play more, thank people more, remember the best part of my day, give more hugs, and focus on love.

Thanks George.
Mary Anne

I had the opportunity to watch my seven-year-old nephew at his Irish Step Dancing Show. He stood on stage in a black shirt and pants with a black and gold cummerbund. With a big grin on his face, he held hands with six other girls dancing on stage. Each child had a chance to dance a solo Irish Step and as it came closer to his turn, my nephew started shaking and smiling. He even looked out to see if he could find the table of his family and waved. He went last and when he finished dancing, he took a bow. His face lit up and all I could see and feel was glee.

Glee is about opening yourself up to joy. Seeing a seven year old filled with glee only reminded me of how all of us have the chance to open ourselves up to joy. Share your joy.

When do you experience glee?

Mary Anne

Congratulations to my nephew, George, on his amazing dancing.