Guidance

GUIDANCE

10/14/11

A gray day, heavy clouds

but there is some brightness there.

The dogs stop to sniff

and again to the heavens do I look.

The full moon bursts forth

sliding out of the clouds

with a lone star by its side.

A ring of amber glow surrounds it so,

into my mind this vision sinks.

Of God and a Guardian Angel

named Jane do I think.

For I'm trying to cultivate

living by my spiritual essence,

guided by it throughout my day.

So briefly do they both appear,

slipping away into the heavy clouds

that grace the sky this day.

But as I look for them again and again

visually they are not there.

Ahh . . . but in my mind’s eye I still see

for they are ever present to me.

That's the feeling of spiritual guidance I seek.

The knowing that it is ever present,

the ability to call on it and see its message.

For it's not like someone

knocking on your door.

Perceptive you have to be

to the subtle answers

it's willingly giving thee.

May you notice

the spiritual guidance

you receive this day.

For it's ever present

in your life too.

There are no coincidences

stay aware, watch for signs

for spirit talks to you 

anywhere and everywhere.

All my love always, Keith

The Breeze

THE BREEZE

10/13/11

There's a warm moist breeze

blowing in my face today.

For it has rained overnight.

Warm and moist it may be

but at times

it still puts a chill in me.

Savor the feeling I do.

So much so,

I close my eyes,

as I walk along

to heighten the feelings.

The breeze caresses my cheeks,

the soft lilting whistle of it in my ears.

It fills my soul this day

this feeling of nature,

as it sweeps me away,

such a gift it is today.

May you find

your own breeze today

and just let it sweep you away.

Be thankful I say.

For we were meant

to life this way.

So rich with life

let the feeling

of life and living it

just sweep you away.

Another Post

ANOTHER POST

10/12/11

I've got four more of these,

backlogged in my drafts file they are.

Don't want to bury you with my musings

but today's a different day.

A number of you

have continued to implore me to write more

and so that is why I post this day.

For last night, I did start a book.

A dear friend removed my block. 

By asking but a simple question,

in an e-mail over the weekend,

"How did you and Jane meet?" she asked.

For I'd pondered where to start

aimless I was for a few weeks.

But that one question released it all

for now I knew where to start

and so I did.

Couldn't sleep

Came down to write I did. 

So it's 2 hours of writing I did do.

Someday to share it with you.

For I know not how long it will take.

Nor how it will be received.

Nor to where it will actually lead.

Maybe it's just a legacy for my grandkids

and their kids that I leave behind. 

Those of you who offered help. 

I'll be in touch.

For I'm not real secure in this venture

and will need encouragement

again I'm sure.

I'm reminded of the most famous verse

of the Tao Te Ching:

A journey of 1,000 miles

begins with but one step.

So as I leave you today

take the risk, begin something new

or try something different.

Stretch from the known to the unknown.

For I know not where I'm going

other than that

I've taken the very

first step.

You are not a drop in the ocean.

You are the entire ocean in a drop.

- Rumi -

All My Love Always, Keith

When was the last time?

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME . . . .

10/11/11

Alex gets in the car going out to dinner we are.

He turns down the radio to low.

Wow, you were really jamming on the way home he says.

I say I had it loud and really enjoyed my drive home.

That's all I say for I've played it since the start of the day.

A customer pops in the shop,

he comments on the wonderful music

I play that day.

But when was the last time . . . .

music moved you to tears of joy?

For new music, I had downloaded the day before

Josh Groban's "Thankful" it was

that moves me to tears this day.

"Each of us must find our truth."

"It's up to us to be the change" he sings.

"There's so much to be thankful for."

How does music move us so?

For it matters not if we even know the words!

The next song I downloaded was "Ave Maria"

Sung in Italian by Josh it was.

I questioned why I downloaded this one

then the answer came, over all of me,

all at once.

By the middle of the song

my whole being was covered with goose bumps

or God bumps as a friend of mine has called them.

Tears of joy and sobs flowed freely as I listened to that song.

It mattered not that it was in a foreign tongue to my ears.

I need not question my download now

my physical reaction was proof enough.

For How does music move us so?

I listen to it now and go still

lost in the music that fills me so.

May you find that today

Something that moves you so.

"Some days we can't see the joy that surrounds us."

See the joy that surrounds you!

"There is a place we're all connected."

"Each of us can find each other’s light."

"So tonight we pray for what we know can be!"

So see the joy that surrounds you so

and pray for what you know can be

and realize there's so much to be thankful for

and have the most wonderful of days today!

May your light shine brightly this day

so that all you meet sense your inner glow

and know we're all one in the same

 in that way, you know.

All My Love Always, Keith

Darkness

DARKNESS

10/11/11

As I wander off today any lights seem to be

an interference with where I need to be.

So it’s off into the darkness I do wander.

Seeking where there’s not a light to see.

It sets the mood for contemplation.

Not really, I guess, for it was no-mind.

That’s what I was seeking, no thoughts at all,

just feeling and sight with no thoughts at all.

I feel the earth rise as I walk along,

over a mound did I stroll.

See it not did I.

But experience the rise and fall I did.

Looking down my feet I did not see

for it was pitch black, a darkness so stark.

But the rise and fall of the land I experienced

without the aid of sight.

And so I found in the darkness what I sought,

a no-mind state,

and experienced wandering in quite a different way.

May your day surprise you like that

when an ordinary experience

appears in an extraordinary way.

All My Love Always, Keith

Of Snail Mails and Emails

OF SNAIL MAILS AND E-MAILS

10/10/11

Went to the mailbox yesterday

and there I found a letter to me.

Telling of an event that changed her life

in 1968 did she.

Sharing it with so few over the years

but now with me.

For she’s read my posts

and knows I know of events like these.

Reading an e-mail that same day

talking about life’s events was she.

How they’ve unfolded for her,

trying to find meaning in these.

And in these two I see a commonality.

For it’s the experience of life that molds us,

now our paths have crossed for a reason.

It has been a long, winding, journey for all of us.

But here today my relationship with both

has changed.

We talk about things rarely spoken to anyone in years

but the time has come

where it just fits the day.

I wandered along today

relishing my morning walk on yet another day,

feeling the oneness permeate myself and the day.

I’m reminded of what a friend told me just the other day:

“It’s like you live your whole day in meditation.”

On this day I agree,

for it’s not so bad,

when filled with the joy of life you are.

I just wish I could give you all a taste of what I felt today.

On that morning walk, that is but a meditation,

on the oneness that we all share and are.

All my love always, Keith

Qi Gong

Qi Gong

03.13.15

An ancient Chinese practice.

Depending on the archeological source

it has been traced back 5 to 7,000 years.

To me, it’s a wonderful spiritual practice.

This morning as my wife and I entered our practice

I was stewing over a comment I had heard earlier.

I was letting my monkey mind run with it

and it was upsetting me.

Off in all different directions it went.

As I settled into the beginning exercises

I became aware of how my mind was racing off

here and there with this idle comment.

Then I remembered some lines from

The Untethered Soul by Micahel A. Singer.

Relax and Release, Open Your Heart.

This was so wonderful.

I felt myself moving into acceptance

and belief of this simple phrase,

amazed that I could open my recently chaotic heart and let God in.

I had God bumps washing all over me in wave after wave.

Letting me know that spirit was with me,

right here and right now.

The other thing I noticed was I didn’t have to allow God in at all.

I just opened my heart

and Christ's Presence within expressed itself as love. 

I continued on with a wonderful time of practice.

There is one movement called Harmony of the Universe

that always feels so very special and spiritual to me.

I form my hands as if holding a ball of energy near my knees.

As I raise it up, I feel it filling with infinite, unconditional love.

As I release my hands towards the skies, I think of loved ones

and send them this love.

I silently send love to family and friends

throughout this part of the movement.

As I bring my hands back over my head in a cupping motion

I feel as if I am seating some of this supply

of infinite unconditional love of the universe

in my being for the day.

I silently chant Gloria In Excelsis Deo,

Glory to God in the Highest,

as I rest my hands above my head.

I write this to remind you to enter your spiritual practice

especially on days when you feel not inclined too.

It sure changed my outlook for this day.

God blesses you and yours this day and every day.

Silent Sentinels

SILENT SENTINELS

10/9/11

Trees: the pines, the pine oaks, all of them

standing there like silent sentinels

watching over God’s domain.

Stars over their heads

and mother earth below their feet,

everywhere I look this day,

I see God!

Above in the heavens so bright

with stars bursting out everywhere.

The three dogs sniffing at things,

I know not what.

Their sense of smell is so much more blessed than mine.

They tug at their leashes pulling me this way and that.

When Skeeter, my cat,

appears out of nowhere once again,

follows us for awhile she does.

She likes to drop by and say hi

then she’s on her way.

I don’t even know when she’s slipped away.

Off into the darkness from which she came.

But we are all wandering in God’s domain,

soaking it in at the start of another glorious day.

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.

Mother Teresa

All My Love Always, Keith

Friends

Friends

10/7/11

Friends are such precious gifts

just when you feel blue

they cheer you up.

When you question yourself

they lend support.

When your day starts rough

They give a cheerful hello.

As this day began, I knew not how I really felt,

one of those tweener days, it could go either way.

For with a sinus headache, I began my day

then Betty shoots me an e-mail.

Envious she is of me

such obvious peace with the world

she says of me.

When her world is so rush, rush, rush.

Such faith in God as you write your inspirational piece each day.

It's as if the world stops for me she says.

So I write of Betty this day.

She lifted me up with her kind words.

So it is she who wrote this with me today.

For such good friends make you feel that way.

Often without even knowing they touched you that way.

So I ask you to do as Betty said in her closing today,

just take some time and STOP to appreciate the day.

Quite a life lesson she says.

Yes, quite a lesson for me today as well.

For a dear friend took the time to inspire me

to write yet again for all my friends.

So do take the time to STOP and appreciate this day.

For it's the only one you have that's called today.

Live in the moment and make it shine.

Make it your sole intention to have a good one you see.

For, after all, life is what you choose to make of it.

So let yourself shine for all others to see,

how intention and attitude make for a great day.

For Betty has raised my intention and attitude for this day

and for that I am so grateful to call her my friend today.

NAMASTE'

An Ancient Sanskrit Blessing 

"I honor the place in you where Spirit lives

I honor the place in you which is

of Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace

when you are in that place in you,

and I am in that place in me,

then we are One."

All My Love Always, Keith

With Every Breath

With Every Breath

03.12.15

Breathing something we take for granted.

Usually an automatic bodily response

to the need for oxygen that we just do, always.

Science explains we need oxygen to remain alive.

How many breaths do we take each day?

How many do we actually control

in any manner?

We just take breathing for granted.

It’s something we always do.

Yes it’s a natural process we all do,

from the day we are born until the day we die.

But have you ever considered it a gift?

A gift from God,

with every breath God blesses you

with life for yet another moment.

How loved are you to be blessed

with every breath!

I Googled how many breaths

the normal adult takes every minute.

The answer was 12-20.

So the next time

you feel stressed,

anxious, or depressed.

Remember this.

You are so very blessed by

God’s unconditional love

that God is blessing you

twelve to twenty times

each and every minute!

Think about that

and put a loving smile

on your face,

thank God,

and go about your day.

Every time you remember this

share the unconditional love

you receive with very breath

as a smile or act of kindness

with any and all you meet.

I’m sure feeling unconditionally loved

12-20 times each minute

will change your perception

as you go about your day.

All my love always, Keith

WOW !

WOW !

10/6/11

It’s so clear and crisp this morn.

The sky, the stars, so bright and close they seem.

A deep breath fills my lungs,

the crisp, cool air makes them come alive.

Ah the sensation

of another start

to a brand new day,

full of wonders yet to be.

For as I look to the sky

I stop and exclaim aloud . . . WOW!

A shooting star has graced my eyes.

Sliding into view out of nowhere.

So intense and bright yet so fleeting,

as it streaks so quickly through the sky.

For now it has already faded away,

back into the black abyss,

that gave it birth this day.

Only to become a fond memory

of how I started this day.

May you have a moment

like that today.

One that just makes you stop

and say aloud . . .  WOW !

All my love always, Keith

My Old Bike

MY OLD BIKE

10.26.11

Off to golf on Tuesday afternoons,

this beautiful afternoon I so enjoyed,

and as it ended

I thought "I don't want this to end."

When I got home

dust off my old bike did I

and ride another 36 minutes

on that beautiful afternoon.

It had been many moons

since I felt:

the wind brushing by my face,

the air flowing through my hair,

the rushing roar past my ears.

How I remembered being a kid

when off on my bike did I go.

For it set me free you know.

And what a pleasure this day

turned out to be

just riding away

my bike and me.

So do you remember

something you did

from your childhood?

Now go out and

just be like a kid again.

Enjoy your day 

with the reckless abandonment

of your childhood play.

All my love always, Keith

Experience

EXPERIENCE

10/05/11

Lots of stars, I wonder how many there are?

They say over four hundred billion galaxies.

A number I cannot even remotely fathom.

But if we could see them all,

all the stars and all the galaxies,

the night sky would be a twinkling blanket

of bright white light.

But alas that is not to be,

for then it would not even be night.

We can see but a few: some here, some there,

even more over there.

That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

We are here to experience life

in all its subtleties and nuances,

in all its richness and all its beauty

and to be ever amazed

at how it changes from day to day.

From Conversations with God

by Neale Donald Walsch

“Now the supreme irony here

is that you have placed

so much importance

on the Word of God,

and so little on the experience.

In fact, you place so little value on experience

that when what you experience of God differs

from what you’ve heard of God,

you automatically discard the experience

and own the words,

when it should be

just the other way around.”

May you experience

much of God

and discard little.

You are not a drop in the ocean.

You are the entire ocean in a drop.

- Rumi -

All My Love Always, Keith

Not Much To Say

Not Much To Say

10/03/11

I received an e-mail the other day,

expecting a motivational message

they were that day,

I had one ready but hadn’t hit send.

For I was getting it ready for that end,

and here I sit today with not much to say,

wondering if this will even get sent this day.

Conversations with God is my latest read

as I started I did stop

and proclaimed aloud what I thought

for this book is very good indeed.

For now I feel like a sponge.

So many books I have begun.

Soaking up so much information

is not the issue for me.

It’s the random nature of my quest.

I am reading multiple books at once

and how can that be good for me?.

By multiple I mean 6 or 7 for I’ve lost count.

So much to delve into and so little time.

That’s the issue

I’ve lost track of the premise

from the Power Of Now.

How all you can do

is live in this very moment.

You're just wasting your time

if in the past or the future you find yourself.

You must make the most

of this very moment you are in.

And so I guess a message I have left.

For I want you to live in this very moment.

I want you to live life full out.

With the reckless abandon

of a child bursting with endless possibilities.

Dream your dreams

and make them so vivid

they manifest into your reality.

For writing is like that for me,

there are just endless possibilities.

I’ve wandered through these lines today

 and finally found I’ve delivered a message this day.

And so the journey continues,

and what a joyous journey it has become,

You are not a drop in the ocean.

You are the entire ocean in a drop.

- Rumi -

All My Love Always, Keith