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So Grateful!

by Rev. Greg Hesch, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

Yes, I am so grateful! I am so thankful to each and every person, everything and every situation — past, present and future! Can I really feel this way? Yes, with the genuine love and peace that I feel inside from giving thanks.

This article started formulating a week ago, when a friend and I were talking on our weekly call. During our beautiful conversation, I was guided to say how grateful I was. For some reason I also said that I give thanks hundreds of times a day and also give thanks to the Holy Spirit for always being with me. Also, I am so grateful that the observer self that thinks it is Greg wants to stay connected with Spirit’s love and peace. Yes, I am so grateful.

After that, the ego started up in the mind. Hundreds? Right Greg! No way Greg! Lol. I have been with Spirit on this for a week now. And yes, I can say that I do say thank you hundreds of times a day.

I will use today as an example. As I was tossing and turning before I got out of bed at 4:00 a.m., I kept on saying thank you for this peace. Before these feet touched the floor, I bowed my head, paused and said thank you for several long breaths. I headed to the bathroom, yup — I am so grateful — I am. I am so thankful that this whole thing of being a body is not the truth. I am so grateful for this peace!

By the time I finished my three gratitude meditations, reading, emails, Facebook and exercises, I figured that I already had said thank you at least six dozen times. This was all within three hours. I started to say yes, maybe I do say “thank you” hundreds of times a day.

At 8:00 a.m. I was ready to take a shower so I could go to the farmers’ market. I noticed Greg was rushing, so I paused and said I don’t need to rush. I smiled and said thank you. It felt so good to slow it down. Before I drove out of the garage, I paused for peace and to give thanks. I always try to start the drive connected to peace. It sure did make the thirty minute freeway drive go by peacefully. I was able to give thanks as I was watching many cars go around me. A couple of times I noticed that I was racing, so I laughed, gave thanks and said that I am not in a hurry. Thank you Holy Spirit!

Even doing this all day, the ego still comes back in full force. After doing some errands at 1 p.m., Mike and I drove to pick up some pizza. After I bowed for peace, I went in to get it. The smell was awesome. Blessing everyone while waiting, I noticed the big smiles on the employees faces. I said that their smiles were contagious. We had a beautiful communion, giving thanks.

On the way home, I started to not feel all that well. I continued to thank Spirit for being with me, and felt the peace. It was like the smell of pizza in the shop and then in the car were a bit too much. As always, we paused to give thanks before we started to eat. Although I was at peace while I was eating, I was still not feeling that well. I kept on giving thanks for the peace that I was feeling. I continued to give thanks while cleaning up, even though I wasn’t feeling the best. I kept on pausing for peace and to give thanks for that peace. Eventually I was back to the peaceful and loving state that I had been feeling for most of the day. Giving thanks doesn’t always mean that the ego things don’t happen. It is that I “get to” continue to stay connected with Spirit as I go through them. Eventually I am back connected to peace and being grateful.

I needed to pause to give thanks several times, as the ego was trying to tell me that the body had a pain. When I pause for thanks, I can usually do what I need to do to adjust the body or to get the support to help alleviate the pain. So I still get the ego telling me that I have aches and pains, but I go through them with forgiveness and gratitude, then I receive the Holy Spirit’s peace and love instead of the grievances of the ego.

I had a great day as I was able to pause and give thanks while doing chores. As I folded the clothes, emptied the dishwasher, emptied garbage cans, did stretches and even when I put drops of medicine into Maggie the dog’s ears, we did it with the Holy Spirit’s peace and love together. Honestly it was a very peaceful time for us both!

I am very blessed that several times a day, I get to take the time to sit myself down in the recliner to have my gratitude meditations (most times are for 10-20 minutes). It really helps me connect/reconnect with Spirit’s peace and as a bonus they help with the body aches. As the mind wanders off many times, I have many more opportunities to give thanks. 

It is such a gift to keep on giving thanks, the gift grows as it comes back to me and then grows again as I am able to give it to my brothers and sisters. These holy instances of the Holy Spirit’s peace are so euphoric, they keep on enticing me back to give more and more thanks.

8:00 pm was my final gratitude meditation and then I went to bed. I had a rough time falling asleep. Someone shot off some fire-works and a dog was barking to get into its home. As I did the forgiveness fun on my judgments about my neighbors, I continued to give thanks. No matter how much sleep I actually get, I try continuing to give thanks all night. I don’t always have a great night’s sleep, but tossing and turning is so much more peaceful with lots of gratitude.

So yes, I do give thanks hundreds of times a day. Thinking about it, I am thankful hundreds of times more as I practice true forgiveness from A Course in Miracles. I get to bring all of these false ego thoughts and fears to the Holy Spirit. I am so thankful, so grateful and so blessed!

Rev. Greg Hesch is a Pathways of Light minister living in San Antonio, Texas. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

© 2023, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Refrain from Complain!

by Rev. Vicki Evans, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

My journey of working towards healthy relationships: I woke up one morning and I sat outside in a humid temperature of 101 degrees. I started a verbal complaint of feeling singled out by the weather. Then a domino effect started when I tried to turn on the coffeemaker while hoping to listen to some music and the weather on my smart speaker. The coffee maker did not respond to the start button and the sound of music never materialized.

It seems as if I could go on and on about the discomforts of life both physically and technologically as I realized that not even Alexa listens to my requests! I decided I needed a peace break to go to Holy Spirit and delve within myself to take a new direction for a new perspective! A phrase came into my mind: Refrain from Complain! I challenged myself to trade a positive statement for a complaint and made the commitment to try this activity for the next 12 hours so by evening time, I could evaluate my mood and outlook from the day.

I started with the simple act of mentally thinking that I could work with the summer heat by making an iced green tea and setting up an umbrella. I added cold water to the bird bath to create a water ripple effect while being mindful to find one positive aspect of the environment with each of my five senses. I became aware of the environment of nature that I previously overlooked when in a complaining mood. I heard cicadas, which sounded a little like some of the sounds I listen to on the relaxation apps that are available to facilitate peace! The sound of the cicadas was so loud and intense that any negative thoughts were blocked out of my mind!

Then I felt the sensation of gentle wind and focused on the effects of breeze such as swaying branches of green leaves and purple blooms of a crepe myrtle tree before they completely leave the tree to take a flight of purple rain blossoms. I had to work a little harder for aromatherapy but decided to try some new lavender incense sticks to repel (not harm) insects. The overall effect of my homemade nature spa was a moment of peace where I could reset my day towards grace and gratitude, instead of complaints and cursing fates!

I also wanted to continue to connect my learning from lesson 5 from Creating a Spiritual Relationship — Removing the Blocks regarding healthy relationships. I chose to ask myself what is behind my complaints.

I realized that anger and blaming can surface and fuse itself with complaining to ruin a mood. Along with refraining from complaining, I paired the thought of creating a thought of gratitude to replace an angry thought to lighten my mood and to nurture my relationships with others.

As I learned in Lesson 3 — Openness, Willingness and Patience, I embraced the ideas that, “Openness and willingness are important ingredients to healing any relationship. This means being open to new ideas and willing to try new ways of perceiving and interacting.” (¶ 2; sentences 1-2 on p. 12) I accept the need to change the way I think and learn new skills. I realize that my internal critical parent can set me up for complaining and blaming.

Now I practice relaxation breathing and mindfulness to take these thoughts to my wise Inner Teacher. “Your Inner Teacher always radiates a deep feeling of peace.” (¶ 8, sentence 3, p. 12)

I want to practice being the change that I want to see in my life. Along with practicing being aware of the five senses for mindfulness, I also make it a practice to speak in “I” statements, where I take ownership of my feelings and requests, instead of getting angry and blaming others for not reading my mind regarding my needs.

I practice openness by accepting awareness to help me be open to new perspectives and lay down defensiveness along with letting go of impulsive reactivity fueled by competitiveness. I look forward to the pure joy of a relationship with the wonder of how the day will unfold. If I feel anxious, I can always take a deep breath and say a positive mantra such as “we are all connected”; “we help heal the whole” (¶ 12, sentences 2-3, p.12)

We are all love. So, I aspire to start each day with a thought of gratitude, going to mindfulness to create focus and end each day with the joy and wonderment of looking forward to tomorrow to continue my journey of learning and purpose as a minister and forever student of life’s lessons!

Rev. Vicki Evans, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Dallas, Texas. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Phone: 713-775-9153

© 2023, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice and website address are included.

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Accepting My Role in God’s Plan

by Rev. Lynne Whitehill, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

“I will be still and listen to the truth. What does it mean to give and receive?” (W-106.7:5-6)

I was invited to meet friends for lunch near a busy shopping street in central London. I decided to get there early to see if I could buy some walking shoes in preparation for a Camino, later in the year. It was a sunny day and there were throngs of people everywhere.

As I walked along the crowded street, I noticed there seemed to be more homeless people than ever before. Some were in groups of 2 or 3, calling out for money, others were holding up handwritten cardboard notices or cards, all with the same words, ‘I’m hungry. Please help. God bless you.’

As I made my way along the street, I was aware of a growing feeling of discomfort when I passed people asking for money, so did what I learned to do in India, which was to put my hand on my heart in acknowledgment. I tried to look at the people directly and say a silent blessing with Holy Spirit in mind, but sometimes I felt intimidated and passed too quickly to do even that.

I was aware that guilt was arising. Ego was nudging me in different ways; into shame for wanting ‘expensive’ walking shoes whilst others were in need and asking for help, and into further shame for not giving any cash. I didn’t buy any shoes that day.

Later, as I reflected on my experience, I recognized that I had always felt challenged when people asked for money on the street; giving small amounts of cash now and again seemed inadequate and I was also aware of my resistance to feeling pressured into giving. Up to then, I hadn’t queried my thinking around this, I had just assumed it was a ‘natural’ ego response of the fortunate towards the less fortunate in these situations.

However, joining with Holy Spirit and with reference to Lesson 106, I was shown that my fear-based response to observing people in poverty is also a way of making the world of separation real and of maintaining my own belief in deprivation. I wasn’t willing to step back and look beyond appearances or recognize that, in truth, we are all in the same state of existence because we are the same being, God’s One Son. I wasn’t willing to believe that I could offer anything ‘more helpful’ than a simple gesture and silent ‘bless you’. Now, I see that I can let go of the temptation to abandon God and His Son by making the physical appearances of poverty real and seemingly insurmountable. I can ask Holy Spirit to show me, instead, what it means to give and to receive.

I can ask for a miracle and listen to God’s Word:

“Listen, and hear your Father speak to you through His appointed Voice, which silences the thunder of the meaningless, and shows the way to peace to those who cannot see.” (W-106.2:1)

I can know that His blessing is joyous because it heals all sorrow and despair. My role as part of God’s plan is not to avoid looking at the appearance of lack or guilt in the illusion, and not to be without compassion, but it also requires looking without judging what any of it means, including my own responses. When I am willing to listen and receive only the truth, it will be extended to thousands and this is the most powerful gift I can offer.

“Let me be still and listen to the truth. I am the messenger of God today, My voice is His, to give what I receive.” (W-106.10:3-4)

Rev. Lynne Whitehill is a Pathways of Light minister living in London, UK. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

© 2023, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Healing the Split Mind

by Dani Novak, Student of the POL Ministerial Program

For many years I suffered from depression. The irrational fears, dense self hatred and guilt were so great that I could not face them. They were too scary. I was barely breathing.
It all started one fateful day when I was 14. I was sitting by another student in a high school class in Israel. We were pushing each other’s arms and he told me one sentence with just two words in Hebrew. The English translation has three words: “You are gay.”
The words penetrated my mind like a sharp knife. When I came home I opened the old testament and read in Leviticus 20 13: “And a man who lies with a male as one would with a woman both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon themselves.” I wanted to die.
I envied my father who was 57 years old at the time that he did not have so many years left on the earth… I did not share this with anyone for years. Shame was too great and I stuffed it into my subconscious. My mind split.  “Because your mind is split, you can perceive as well as think.” (T-6.II.9:3) This is when the depressions started for me in this life.
Split mind leads to split life. On the surface I was a happy teenager. The inner life was hell. There was a constant chatter in my mind that I hid from awareness. I tried to prove to myself that I was not gay and started to hate gay people. I felt so alone. No one would guess since I tried to hide my thoughts both from myself and others.
Fast forward about 30 years: I became a Math professor at Ithaca College. I had a loving wife and was a father of two beautiful girls. The old fears took other forms and the mental pain and agony were unbearable. Then came a miracle. My wife told me to listen to the radio. It was an interview of a man called Jerald Jampolsky who wrote a book named “Love Is Letting Go of Fear”.
The words of Dr. Jampolsky were soothing my inner agony and I bought this small book. I read it and at the very end it said that all the ideas came from another book called “A Course in Miracles” (ACIM). I decided to buy that book also.
I tried reading ACIM but it did not make sense. It was filled with Christian concepts and I was Jewish. The book stayed with me for two years and one day when I just could not bear the mental agony of guilt any longer, I opened the book and it became a celestial poem. It soothed my sick mind. I found a local ACIM group and started to study the Course with other people. I started feeling better. Still the mind was split.
Moving fast forward 30 years later: Until recently I continued suffering from depressions that would be very painful and lasted for weeks. In between there were weeks and months of living a happy life. Each time the depression would strike I would feel terribly guilty.
I wanted to be saved. I wanted to find a formula where I would not suffer from these depressions. I did not realize that the “I” that wanted the depression to stop was not me. Only very recently (listening to Keith Kavanagh was very helpful for me) I experienced a breakthrough and this is what I want to share with you.

There were two insights: The reason for my severe depression was that the constant chatter in my mind was so scary that I was hiding my scattered thoughts from myself. My mind turned against itself. “A mind that has been blocked has allowed itself to be vulnerable to attack, because it has turned against itself.” (ACIM, T-8.VII.10:7)

I knew what to do: One night, when I could not sleep because of the attack, I was simply breathing (Michael Brown’s Presence process helped me) for hours and writing down pages of that scattered garbage that was in my mind. It purified me.

The second insight that came about a week later: I AM not the chatter. There is no need to stop the chatter. The chatter cannot stop the chatter. I realized experimentally that I can choose Love instead of fear, simply by choosing it. For example, when I get irritated by something (either a painful thought or a seemingly external trigger), I notice it and allow the feeling or thought to be there without judging it.
This is becoming my constant practice now. I am just a beginner in this but it feels so good to practice it, and I am becoming stronger. I am no longer afraid of the depression as I used to be. I am learning that I have a choice. The choice is always in the present moment. I am learning that I am not that insane chatter in my head. I know I am Love.

Dani Novak is a Pathways of Light ministerial student who lives in Ithaca, NY. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Web: https://www.ithaca.edu/faculty/novak (607)379-2463

© 2023, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice and website address are included.

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