WELCOME 15

P. 54-55

As I sit with these reflections about our Sunday morning class, there are two things that stand out for me. First, I do not feel as if I was as aware and centered as I could have been, and the second is a sense of gratitude for your willingness to question and comment, because more than anything else that stretches me.

The primary focus of our gathering on Sunday encompassed a sense of being in the Kingdom. I am often reminded of the statements of Jesus regarding the kingdom of heaven when he expressed, “the kingdom of heaven is within you; the kingdom of heaven is now, and unless you become as a little child, you shall not enter into the kingdom.

To me, these days, being in the kingdom means being in a state of loving awareness, no matter what I am doing. I am not thinking about being in a state of loving awareness I just am. Now being in loving awareness or being in your bliss might be experienced by each one of us in different ways. 

During class on Sunday I was drawn to powerful piece of wisdom expressed in Thornton Wilder's “Our Town.” This scene involves Emily, who died young and who requests from the stage manager if she could revisit her life for one day. She decides to come back for her 16th birthday. What she experiences, however, is her father being busy fixing a watch (to make little extra and needed income) and her mother being busy making a cake for her birthday. Emily decides that most people reside in a place of unawareness.* 

I became rather fixated with Emily’s conclusion. I did not realize that by doing so I was negating or ignoring many other possibilities. I was thinking to myself that being in the kingdom meant to being present and loving to the one before me. As important as that is, I discovered that your questions and comments encouraged me to widen my perspective. Who am I to say that baking a cake or fixing a watch cannot be a reflection of perfect love or bliss and being in the kingdom?

I came to that paradoxical place where my intellect was pushed to its limits and when asked the question, What constitutes being in the kingdom?” I had to answer “I don't know.” I can know what works for me in this moment, but other than that whatever comes next I do not have a clue.

I must also say that being in this place of mystery of the unexplainable does not negate or take away from the truth that we are continually confirming; “I know who I am; I know what I am; I know how I serve.”

“When you understand this, that your worth is the key and that what you would claim is always in accordance with your worth, you begin to think outside of yourself. And you begin to think of the larger issues that present you each as a species, as a civilization, as an aspect of the Creator operating in tandem with others.”

In reflecting this last piece, we began to move from a more personal sense of awareness to one that was more universal in truth. We are part of a race, a civilization that is also evolving and transforming.

And finally there is this marvelous image of the guides taking us by the hand, that we need to willingly stretch out; taking us by the hand and leading us more and more into a deeper, deeper awareness of the kingdom of heaven.

I know I have shared this image before, so I hope you do not mind me sharing it again. I happened to be present when our oldest granddaughter was learning to walk. I have noticed that every child goes through this stage a little bit differently, but what Mikayla did was, after she would struggle up to her feet, she would simply stick one hand up in the air, waiting for someone to take hold and someone always did,

I am grateful and as we extend our hand, it is taken in love to lead us forth to a more deeper awareness of the truth of who we are.

Peace