Love to all from Montana

[dmreed2]

Thank you Jeanne and Al for your kind and wise words. I have enjoyed reading them many times over. Your sweet splash of life has added more color to mine. When I was first guided to this forum several months ago the problems in my life were beginning to build and I kept sweeping them under the rug in an effort to avoid them. No matter how careful I was, I kept tripping and getting bruised. After reading how dedicated Jeanne and Al are to prayer and the techniques they use, I realized how little and few mine had become. Maybe because things had been moving along just fine, except for a few ups and downs but nothing I could not handle, that I had fallen out of the habit of prayer. After following their examples the lumps in my rug are much smaller and my bruises are gone. Sharing has helped me to reflect on those times when I was more dedicated to it and how much calmer I felt. Thank you for your outstanding examples Jeanne and Al. Now I won’t have to buy a bigger rug.
Loves and Hugs
David

[jeanne]

David! You ROCK! you are such a great writer....well helping each other with our lumps and bumps is what it's all about, eh! We are all so deeply needed....so deeply needed.

I had an interesting experience last nite. On the way home from work, when it was dark, raining and cold, I stopped to pick up a few groceries and was loading them into the car when a young man, nicely dressed, came up and approached me apologetically. He kept saying he was sorry and asked if he could help with my groceries while explaining that he had run out of gas, left his wallet at home and was late for a meeting at the university. He said he'd never begged before but if I could lend him a couple of dollars for gas he would gladly pay me back double the amount. I wasn't sure if he was conning me or not but felt it didn't really matter if he was. I pulled out a $20 bill and handed it to him and asked him if he could please pay it forward and help make the world a better place. He rushed off and said yes, he would pay it forward. I've been praying for him ever since -- he seems close in spirit somehow -- so I've asked that this small gift will inspire him and provide an opening into his soul and his mind for God's Love to make a difference!

What kind of work do you do, David? Did I dream it, or did you mention in a previous post about seeing stars at nite?!

Thanks again for your posts....Love Jeanne

[dmreed2]

The reality is my thoughts move in one direction well my words move in another and I have trouble pulling them both together. My friends sometimes think I mumble incoherently and our conversations can leave them confused. I really don't know why?

Me: I heard a great song today.
Friend: So what is the name of it?
Me: I don’t know.
Friend: O.K., who is the Artist?
Me: I guess I don’t know that either.
Friend: How do the lyrics go?
Me: Well, let me think….. I can’t remember but it was really really good, you should go buy it.

Turn the lights on and carry me Home…

I drive a delivery van to different cities and towns in Montana late at night and into the early morning. The distance between cities can be quite long so the sky is not obscured by lights. Before the moon rises the stars really stand out. I wish my trip wasn’t timed so that I could stop and enjoy them more.
What you did for the man and what you are doing now is awesome. Telling him to carry it forward was a great idea.
Rock On sister

love upon love,
David

[jeanne]

I don't find your words incoherent or confusing....I would say "creative"! I think you have wonderful writing skills - a gift! Thanks for the complements which is a mirror reflecting what YOU see! I am humbled and touched. Love Jeanne

[lizaduff]

Hello David, and all those dear friends who have written on this forum to David,
I have spent a long time reading and enjoying all that you have written David, and all that has been written to you....as I have not had the time to read on our forum very much, and so there are many stories and themes to take in....so now I will just join others in welcoming you, and also want to say I have also appreciated your stories of your spiritual journey as well, and agree with Jeanne that you are a fine writer and teller-of-stories...and I, too, come more and more to understand how importnat frequent prayer is in our lives....pray, pray, pray....and all else will follow...taking quiet time to pray in the morning, and then again in late-day....and stopping frequently to listen-within, or to just ask our Father "what is needed here?" or "what is Thy will?", throughout the day....there will always be more, and our prayers become more and more ingrained, and we see more clearly that we are meshed with our brothers and sisters, we become more aware of our soul's deep desire for love, which has so often been misdirected in the material world...

I related to your experiences of always feeling the 'outsider' in the two religions in which you were raised...and I related also to your being willing to recall the good that was there, despite the ignorance...I will only tell one little story that this reminds me of (although it may seem tangential to others): I and my four siblings were raised in the Roman Catholic faith...after years of religous arguments, our Presbyterian father had finally converted to Catholocism, a fact his mother never accepted....and all five of us children came into adulthood and left the Catholic religion...one sister is now an orthodox Jew and yet last week, when she and I discovered a little grotto by the local Catholic church, and sat in front of the religious statues--we've had lots of catholic-bashing talks in the past--- but this time, I mentioned that, while I don't share the theology of the Catholic faith anymore, I must acknowledge that I do recall feeling very special warmth during parts of the Mass...that despite the ignorance of the church and many of its members, there was something UNDERNEATH it, which must be the yearning of their souls for something more than what human religious insitutions are providing...there was that yearning...and my sister surprised me by acknowledging that she, too, remembers such precious and loving moments (which we both sensed are not a credit to the church, but to our Heavenly Father and His Love)...and something about her admission touched me very much because it is so unlike her to remember anything warmly from her youth....
with sisterly love,
elizabeth

[dmreed2]

Thank you Jeanne for your heArtfull words. And thank you for the warm welcome Elizabeth. I enjoyed reading your story, it’s interesting how different and yet similar our spiritual journeys have been. Despite the religious differences or dogmas of the various churches it seems our Father has taken special care to help us remember the moments of love despite the rigidity that goes on in each. I think a few of my siblings would have liked their religious faiths to have been more directed and consistent. I am glad to have been allowed to view these things as a member and also as an observer. It allowed me to be more contemplative and gave me permission to not simply accept all that I was being taught. Like you, my siblings have gone in different directions with their faiths, and our love is still there. And like you said the yearning for something greater than ourselves remains and there is no shortage of churches to offer direction. Can be quite a confusing mess to navigate. I’m so glad I don’t have to anymore. It’s wonderful that you and your sister have been able to enjoy each others founder memories of your childhood Catholic experiences. I appreciate your encouragement to pray more, I do need to keep working on that. It is becoming easier to do when I recognize the way in which my prayers are often answered. Your dedication to this is inspiring.
Love,
David

[lizaduff]

Hi David,

I have enjoyed reading your very thoughtful reply. I resonated with your comment that it's nice to not have to navigate all those confusing choices anymore! We have the truth that is so basic to every human heart, that yearning from the soul for Love, and which also moves humans to create/seek out the religious institutions that they do. I am more and more comfortable in the past year with seeing that, and with being able to pray in the presence of others whose religious beliefs are very different from mine, without argument or even talking about those differences of belief at all. This is a relief to me as I'd spent a lot of time arguing in my life

may your day be filled with the Joy of our Father's Love,
elizabeth

[dmreed2]

You said it Elizabeth, the truths are so basic. When I first found the messages I felt like I had stumbled onto the Holy Grail. I found out real quick that not everyone felt the same way. However, the statement “Gods Truths are not so complicated that it would require a highly developed mind to understand.” did resonate. The religious institutions have gotten so complicated. Maybe this is the result of trying to explain something that is unexplainable and if abandoned would cause the church to crumble. Thank you for sharing with me a glimpse into your life and your insightful observations. May the light of God carry us home.
God bless you my sister,
Love,
David