I was reading some quotes written by my spiritual teacher, Adyashanti. This one in particular really resonates with me.

“That which you are is totally in love with seeing Itself everywhere.”

 To me, this is the key that opens the door. Seeing that what we are Is seeing Itself everywhere. And that it loves seeing Itself everywhere is the whole point of this life that we are living. That’s it. Life wants to experience itself. Life loves to experience Itself in every way. When we let go of everything, that includes expectations and trying to control the outcome, and we can truly accept what is, we begin to become lovers of what is. Here lies the secret of putting an end to suffering. When we are no longer trying to control an outcome or putting expectations on events, then we can accept what is happening whether it is joyful or painful and just be there and truly experience it. You will begin to see the beauty in everything. Yes, everything. You will come to realize that everything is the One. The One is manifesting itself as a duck or as an eagle or a dog or whatever the One wants to experience life as.  Sometimes Life wants to experience sadness, death or broken heartedness. And even this is beautiful!

When we realize that everything is the One and the One is totally in love with seeing Itself everywhere, we start to let go and just Be that One. Here is your invitation to let go and as Adyashanti so poignantly puts it, “Enjoy Yourself”!

I’ve been reading poetry from my favorite spiritual teacher, Adyanshanti, from his book, “My Secret is Silence”. He has such a beautiful way of speaking the Truth.

One quote of his, really hits home to me. I have actually heard him say this quite a few times. “You are not a walking mistake. You are not a problem to be solved”.

Whenever I feel really down on myself, I try to remember those words. It lifts the weight of the world off of my shoulders. It really does. These words help to remind me that I don’t have to Do anything. I don’t have to Be anything. I don’t have to Solve or Fix anything. Life is doing all of the doing through me. I just need to simply take my hands off of the steering wheel and let Life do the driving.

My daughter, Samantha, would call me and tell me about her woes. I would simply listen. And then, I would gently remind her that She was not a problem that needed solving. After these words were spoken, I could hear the sigh in her voice, a gentle releasing of all of the stress and worry that she was carrying around with her. She would then say, “thanks, Mom”. And she would hang up and go about her day.

These words are very powerful. You Are Not a Problem to be Solved!!!

I went to a five day silent retreat in the beautiful hudson valley a couple of months ago. One rainy day, while sitting in a small room for meditation, I happened to look up at the chalkboard on the wall.

I saw these words “Be Still and Know That I am God”. I remember hearing or reading these words long ago. They come from the Bible. I do not recall where exactly they can be found. But I distinctly remember this phrase.

As I looked up at the board, I saw these words were separated out like this:

Being

Stillness

Knowing

That I am

God

Written out this way, the phrase took on a whole new meaning for me. These words are all pointers to the same thing. The hidden meaning behind this phrase is that We Are This. We are: The Being, The Stillness, The Knowing, the That I am and God!

I found myself meditating on this phrase in this way. It became a powerful mantra for me.

Be Still… and Know, That I am… God!

Rest in the stillness, knowing that you are that stillness, you are that Being, you are God.

My dad passed away a few months ago. He was in a terrible bicycle accident. He had such bad brain injuries that we had to let him go. I sat at his hospital bed for two weeks, holding his hand and sending him Reiki, hoping that he would open his eyes. Still, we had to let him go. It was the toughest decision that my family ever had to make.

When we took him off of life support, my family gathered around in a circle, held hands together and prayed. We thanked my dad for loving us and being such a wonderful father, grandfather and husband. We said goodbye. But, being the fighter that he was, he wasn’t quite ready to go. He hung on for another 24 hours. And that was the hardest time ever. I sat with him at his bed, still holding his arm and sending him Reiki. But now it wasn’t about hoping that he would open his eyes. It was about giving him permission to pass on. I sat there asking him to let go. I told him that it was time go, that we all loved him and that we know that he has to go now.

I vividly remember the moment of his passing. I stayed awake the entire night watching him, watching his breathing. I was alone in the room with him. The sun was starting to rise. I knew that the family could not handle another day of this. I just knew that he had to go now. His breathing changed. I sent powerful Reiki love to him. I just kept sending it. The whole room filled with peace. I put his favorite music on, the sound of the loons.

His breathing became very unsteady and his lungs were filled with liquid. I knew that the time was getting close. Being the fighter that he was, his physical body was not going to go without this one last fight. Dad’s breathing became very hard. It was very difficult to sit there and continue to hold his hand and watch this struggle. But I did not budge until he had taken his last breathe. And then it was over.

How do you say goodbye? I don’t know if you ever do. I know that my dad is still with me. He is out there somewhere watching over me.

Dad had a favorite poem that he wanted read for his children after he died. I find it so perfectly fitting. I do not know who the author is. It is called the “Navajo Prayer”.

I give you this one thought to keep

I am with you now…I do not sleep

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush

of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not think of me as gone,

I am with you still…in each new dawn.

Take five minutes out of your day to breathe. Close your eyes. Sit and feel the silence. Breathe. Let go. Let your life go in this very moment. Relax your eyes. Relax your mind. Stay in this moment. Take a deep breathe in. And let it go. Feel the release move down your neck to your belly, to your legs and out your feet.

We are all busy, especially us moms. But try to take five every day. Lock yourself in your bathroom if you have to. The stress of a busy lifestyle can cause us to forget how to relax and breathe.