Affirmative Prayer for the week of July 24, 2016

Years ago a dear friend encouraged me to begin a blog. I followed her advice. She wanted me to include affirmative paryers in this blog. I did not follow her advice. She is once again nudging me to do this. This time, I shall follow her advice. My intention is for this to become a weekly entry into this blog. An affirmative prayer (please refer to my website as to the definition of Affirmative Paryer or Spiritual Mind Treatment ~ www.maredaeckert.com) to guide and uplift the readers of this blog follows. And so it begins...

Taking in a long, slow deep breath and releasing the stresses of daily life,  I consciously connect with the Presence of God. The Presence that is all good, all knowing, all intelligence, all power. There is absolutely nothing but this Thing that I call God. Right now, I know that It dwells within me, acts as me, and truly is me. There is absolutely no separation now or ever.

This is true for all life, all sentinent beings. All are a spark of the Divine. All have that within them that is Good. No matter what the appearance, there is Good within everyone, everything, every experience. Deeply held within the soul of man there is Good.

Knowing this, I speak these words for those who have feelings of fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of that which is different, fear of those who speak differently, fear of those who worship differently, fear of loss and limitation. So many fears and yet the biggest fear is the absence of love. The Love that created us at the moment the Divine thought of us.

Knowing this, I now proclaim that the hearts of all humankind are opening to the spark of Love that knows only courage and grace. Every action is now guided by a deep and abiding wisdom that supercedes any feelings of fear. A great "aha" reverbirates through the universe. Lives are changed one by one. Light overcomes the darkness. Love overcomes hate. Peace overcomes violence. No longer is it necessary to judge those who seem to be different. Underneath we are one. Our hearts and souls are connected with a Divine Thread that cannot be broken. The knots of this Divine Thread are now coming undone and there is a free flow of Perfect Love.

Life is Good. God or the Universe or Divine Intelligence is Good. I now accept this for each and every person reading these words. Lives are changed as hearts are opened. Accept only the Good. Share that Good with everyone you meet. Love as you have never loved before. Remember you are an emmisary of the Divine. You have been chosen to spread Love by your Creator. This is your purpose. Begin Now!

These words I am speaking have power for they are coming through me from deep within. I release them knowing they are beginning a ripple of Good that shall start a Love Revolution.

I let go knowing it is done. And so it is. And so I let it be.

Peace and Blessings,

Mareda

For a personal affirmative prayer, 
please contact me at 
maredaeckert1@gmail.com.

For more information about me 

and the assistance I offer, 

please go to my website

www.maredaeckert.com.

Feel free to share this prayer.

Namaste.

Fifty Years!

Fifty years - 600 months, 2,607 weeks plus one day. I could go into days, hours, minutes and seconds but I think you get  the point. Lots of time.

The year of 2016 marks 50 years since I graduated from high school. It really doesn't seem possible. I still "feel" the energy of my school years. The fun, the excitement of a win at football, the winning basketball team, walking down the halls of DHS to an exam, the angst common in teenage years and so much more.

Earlier this year a group of the DHS Class of 1966 began to meet to plan the best reunion ever. At first, I wondered why in the world did I want to get involved. I'm already busy. I've been in planning sessions before and they ain't fun. A couple of people end up doing everything with others just offering criticism. But...

This is not what happened. We started meeting and these planning sessions became fun. We did the work. Goodness we even had an agenda and took notes. We made plans, set deadlines, and assigned projects. We also reconnected. It was almost like no time had gone by. Sure we are all a little bit more mature with our bodies showing symptoms of the fact that 50 years have passed. Some of us are a bit grayer, balder or have added a few pounds, but...

At heart, we remain the same. Kids who like to laugh and relive those glory days of high school. Forgotten are those times we didn't understand geometry. Forgotten are those days we felt inferior or self conscious. We remember the fun, the classmates, the teachers. Our reunion is still in the planning stages with two more meetings before the actual party. If our DHS Class of 1966 Reunion is half as much fun as the meetings have been, we will have succeeded in having the best reunion ever.

What does this experience tell me?  Remember the good times, the fun, the joy in living. Remember to laugh more, complain less. We tend to focus so much on the negative that we forget about all that is good. And I don't care what the media says, there is a lot of good in this world. Make the naysayers crazy with your laughter and positive attitude.

Maybe communities could have planning sessions that look for the good. Maybe their agendas could include the following:

Give hugs. 

Forgive. 

Show gratitude. 

As has been said before, be the change you wish to see in the world. 

And last but not least, LAUGH! Laugh till you cry! Big, bold, belly laughs. 

Staying with the subject of high school, maybe this can jumpstart the laughter. 

Peace and blessings,

Mareda

Sad...again!

I really don't have much to say. I really don't know what to say. The fear and hate felt by so many in this world is beyond my comprehension. So, once again, in the words of the late John Lennon:

Imagine

My wish for today is that the people who are saddened by the latest act of hate which occurred in Orlando stand up for what is right and good. That they unite in Love and Light. Darkness cannot prevail when the Light enters. 

May Peace surround and support all those who have been affected by senseless violence. 

Peace and blessings,

Mareda

Going Home...A Tribute to Those Who Have Left This World

Today a good friend is "going home." Others have gone before him and we will all follow at some point in the future. The majority of the time, I am accepting that this is a part of the life we live. It is just a step into another experience. An experience I expect to be one of Goodness, Truth and Infinite Love.

Sometimes I find it very difficult to accept this death of a body. Some people are just larger than life. There have been a few people who I still feel walk this earth. Maybe they do just not in a body as we know it. I can think of three people who fit this category.

Digna Amano Martin 
I worked with Digna years ago when I lived in DeSoto, Missouri. She was the nurse for Dr. Andres Bonifacio. We became very close friends. Digna was challenged with lupus. Her body was ravaged by this disease. Yet I never heard one complaint from her. She was there for everyone even to the week before her passing. Someone needed her help babysitting. She was there for that baby.

Ernie Hays
Ah, what can I say about Ernie that has not already been said? First time I heard of Ernie was when my minister, Rev. Satterlee, told me this man would be the new organist at our church. Rev. Satterlee said "he plays for the Baseball Cardinals." Not a baseball fan, I couldn't figure out how a baseball player was going to be in church on Sunday mornings. I soon discovered that Ernie was an extraordinary organist. He was also one of the sweetest most giving men I have ever known. His jokes were another story but made him all the more unique.

And then there is Marvin Levin
Today is the day Marvin is officially sent home. He graced this earth for 91+ years and left a legacy that few can match. His contributions to the diabetic community changed the scene for the diabetic foot. I cannot even find words to express what Marvin meant to me. His emotional support during a very difficult time in my life was always present. His "to-do" list on a yellow legal pad made the work day a little more organized and very busy. Yes, there were days when all I could say when he appeared in my office was "Marvin!"  He would respond with "Ok, I'm leaving now." Ah, to hear those words again. Maybe I will today at his Memorial Service.

Other family members and friends who have passed are missed and still loved beyond anything I could have imagined. It is not my intent to minimize their passing. There is just something different about these three people. I am wondering if any of you reading this blog have this experience.

The following song was played at my maternal grandfather's memorial service in early 1970. It has always touched my heart at a very deep level.

Going Home by Libera

Peace and Blessings,

Mareda

Church

A few months ago, a friend asked me why I no longer went to church. For the last 30+ years, my Sunday mornings were spent at church. Attending, participating, speaking, teaching Sunday School. You name it and I did it. It was a choice I made because that was where I wanted to be. My church of choice was New Thought/metaphysical so there was no demand that I had to attend. This was where I received my infusion of spiritual energy for the coming week. I loved it.

Something happened though and I changed. No longer was I infused with the spiritual energy after attending church as I relished in the past.  I started searching for something more.

I attended various New Thought Churches and enjoyed them. I "live-streamed" Agape International Spiritual Center with Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith and must admit my psyche was lifted. I meditated on Sundays for a longer period than my usual daily morning meditations. All of this was good; however, this morning I truly discovered why the church of my choice had radically changed.

As I sat in my sunroom with the windows wide open, I listened. I listened to the birds singing their songs of praise. No one was telling them what to sing. They just sang their hearts out. I watched as they flew from one branch to another. Some were building nests for their soon-to-be families. As I moved to my deck with my trusty companion Rasha, I felt the warmth of the sun on my face and the gentle breeze moving past me. The seeds I had planted a week or so ago were sprouting. Flowers were beginning to bloom. I saw the first rose of this season blooming amidst the thorns of the bush. Life was happening in all God's glory. No one was telling any of these living things what to believe, who to love or not love. They were just going about their business. Granted this was one of those days that could only be described as a perfect spring day, but I finally got it.

I do not need a church or church atmosphere to feel the Presence of God. I do not need someone telling me what the Bible says or does not say (or any holy book for that matter). I am divinely connected to the source and when I get quiet and truly listen with my heart, I know at the deepest level possible what is Good and Godly.

So this is why I only grace the inside of a church or church service occasionally. For those of you who go to church, I truly hope it is because you are infused with the Love of God in that holy place.

Peace and blessings,

Mareda

Peace ~ Harmony ~ Laughter ~ Love

In the past when I recommend meditation as a means to relieve stress or gain more inner peace, I've come across some resistance when I suggest using a mantra. Just the term "mantra" seems to bring up feelings of fear. This baffles me but ingrained belief systems are powerful.

This morning the following image appeared in my Facebook feed. I'm sharing it with you as I feel this could be a way to connect to that spot within that is Divine. With Namaste Cafe's permission, here is the image.

Five minutes a day could change your life experience. Try it. You might just like it. And, check out Namaste Cafe Facebook page. 

Peace and blessings,

Mareda

Sometimes Everything Just Works Out

Have you ever wonder why events in your life just seem to work out? I have. There are days that everything just falls into place. No challenges, or so it seems. No unkind people, or so it seems. Why does this happen?

Today is one of those days. Yesterday was one of those days. Wow, I must be on a roll.

In retrospect I think I know why. I am going with the flow and trusting. No resistance. No worrying. Just letting it all go and choosing to focus on all that is right in my life.

I had plans this weekend. I was going to install raised beds for the garden I plan to have this summer. I had young people to help, had a plan to buy 16 forty pound bags of soil, and was on my way to Home Depot to buy a new and improved shovel. Before Friday came to a conclusion my help couldn't help and snow showers were predicted for Sunday. What?!?!?!?

I must admit I was rather frustrated about this change in plans. The thought did run through my mind that if I were a bit younger and more fit I could do this myself. I wouldn't need anyone to help. I used to do things like this all the time. However, that is no longer my reality. This body I live in requires a bit of maintenance and care it didn't require 30 years ago.

As I moved through my day, I made the decision to go with the flow. Okay, no garden this weekend. Maybe it is too early anyway. After all it isn't even April.

With that decision, the sun came out in my world and all was well. Could it be that the decisions we make color our world? I think so.

We are living in a time of unrest, anger and division in this great country of ours. It is great already no matter what some people say. Maybe, just maybe, we need to believe this. Maybe, just maybe, we need to make the choice that life is for us and not against us. Maybe, just maybe, we who believe in kindness, compassion, inclusion and love could speak out loud and clear about our beliefs. Love and Light shatter the darkness. It is the responsibility of the Lightworkers of this world to be the Love, Kindness and Compassion we think is missing. We are stronger than any force of apparent greed, hatred and anger.

My intention today is to be the Love, Light and Compassion the Divine instilled in me at the moment of my creation. What about you? Can you stop complaining about the insanity and become the positive opposite?

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."

This may not be the easiest thing to do. I will be the first to admit there is a tremendous amount of anger and hatred circling our globe. Turning off the news on TV may be an option. Staying away from the Internet and Facebook might be another. Or maybe when something negative and hateful turns up in your news feed or on the TV, you can just bless the source with Love and Light. This could just change the world.  It's worth a try.

Peace and blessings to everyone today and always.

Mareda