Good morning…
Yesterday we gathered for our first Wednesday afternoon class of the semester to study Waking Up to This Day: Seeing the Beauty Right before Us by Paula D’Arcy. New faces joined our crowd of old friends, and the Holy Spirit bonded us naturally. To introduce ourselves, we shared one thing we noticed about the cover of our book or a word or phrase which touched us as we read aloud the first two paragraphs of the Preface.
We listened to this wisdom together. “This is a book about waking up to the day that is right before us – about meeting each moment as it is,” writes Paula. “It is designed for those of us who are ready to experience a deeper intimacy with ourselves, with others, and with all that is. At the heart of these pages is the belief that as we awaken to our deepest self, we stop relating to life and to others primarily through expectation or through mind activity. Instead, we begin to meet each person, place, or thing directly. We wake up to this day.”
“These chapters emphasize the power of being present to each moment,” Paula continues. “Charles Stanford writes, ‘Heaven must be in me before I can be in heaven.’ I hope you will come to know that wisdom. Awakening is not a concept or a set of holy conditions to attain. It is the direct experience of spirit in life and our full response to that presence. As a woman in a seminar recently observed. ‘It’s as if spirit whispers to us, ‘Uncover me.'”
Each person chose a word or a noticing and told a little bit about herself.
These were some of our insights. See beauty. Experience deeper intimacy. The teacup, an old fashioned symbol of slowing down and spending quality time. The peace and balance of the resting flower. The subtle lighting illuminating the saucer. Stop relating through expectation. Stop relating through mind activity. Be present to each moment. “Heaven must be in me before I can be in heaven.” Awakening is the direct experience of Spirit. The Spirit whispers, “Uncover me.”
Which of these phrases might touch you most deeply as you begin waking up to this day?
Right now, how might you respond to the invitation of God?
I will bless the Eternal, whose wise teaching orchestrates my days
and centers my mind at night.
He is ever present with me;
at all times He goes before me.
I will not live in fear or abandon my calling
because He stands at my right hand.
This is a good life—my heart is glad, my soul is full of joy,
and my body is at rest.
Who could want for more? (Psalm 16:7-9, VOICE).
…Sue…
