Spring house cleaning

A friend just put her condo on the market. In preparation she’s been really sprucing it up. She discovered a special joy by including some mental house cleaning. As she sorted and tossed accumulated books, clothes, other stuff, she also sorted and tossed unwanted thoughts that had cluttered her head for too long, no longer productive or useful. Her mental house sparkled when she finished. Probably her condo is sparkling too! She found this poem somewhere, and sent it along.


CLEANING HOUSE FOR 2007

Last week I threw out Worry, it was getting in the way.
I brought in goals God-centered, and I’m living these today.

I threw out a book about “My past”-- should have tossed it long ago;
Pages of bad memories, don’t know why I kept them so.

Hate, resentment, anger – Small grungy books tossed out
Bad habits, nothing useful They’d make anybody pout.

I found some spiffy new books too, “I CAN,” “I WILL,” “I MUST.” Threw out “I might,” “I think” and “I ought.” You should've seen the dust.

The doorbell rang, it was my pal, I hadn't seen him in a while.
It was my Father (you know, God) and I really like His style.

He helped me do some cleaning and brought some gifts Himself -
Like “Prayer,” “Hope,” “Faith,” “Love,” – and placed them gently on the shelf.

God brought this special item, it sits just inside the door.

It’s such a treasure - PEACE. So nothing bugs me anymore.

I discarded Worry last of all – there just wasn't any space.
Yes, I've got my house in order. Looks great around the place.

It's good to do house cleaning, you feel so refreshed and new.

As you toss what has no meaning. you realize you’re a happier you.

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We should become more familiar with good than with evil,
and guard against false beliefs
as watchfully as we bar our doors
against the approach of thieves and murderers.

Mary Baker Eddy

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God's protection isn't flimsy

exquisite work of art

Someone sent this story about a Marine on a Pacific Island in WW II.

Separated from his unit during intense fighting, he took refuge on a high ridge in one of several small caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that as the enemy swept up the hill, they would search the caves and he would be killed.

While he waited, he prayed, “Dear Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will, though, I love you and trust you. Amen.”

As he listened to the enemy searching for him, a little spider began her work on a web – right across the cave door. Strand after strand the spider weaved.

It struck the Marine as funny that while he had hoped for a brick wall, the Lord had sent him a spider. He figured God had a sense of humor.

The enemy drew closer. From the darkness of his hiding place, he could see them approach, and he got ready to make his last stand. After a glance in his direction, though, the patrol moved on. He realized that the spider web across the cave opening indicated that the cave was empty.

Humbly, the soldier prayed, “Lord forgive me, I had forgotten that in your eyes a spider’s web is as good as a brick wall.”

Whether this exact story is true or not, the point is a good one - as many WW II GIs, and today's soldiers as well, can affirm - that God's protection isn't flimsy, and it can come in surprising ways.

Whoever goes to the Lord for safety, remains under His protection. (Psalm 91)

When is seeing not believing?

Seeing is believing. Isn’t it? Sometimes.

The physical senses claim to tell us everything that’s real and true – but they often fall short. As I see it, what they observe is a counterfeit of the “big picture” – of what’s true from God’s point of view.

If God is infinite Spirit, and I believe He/She is, then Spirit is going to see things very differently than its opposite, matter. Matter by its very nature is limited and constantly changing, so it reports a material world that is limited and constantly changing. Spirit by its infinite nature is unlimited and changeless, and gives a very different report.

So when I’m tempted to be upset or angry about something or someone, I try to realize that whatever has ruffled my feathers is not the whole story. And that I need to go to God to find out what He/She knows about His creation in order to have the best perspective for finding a solution.

When I really follow through this way, this spiritual outlook has the effect of lifting me above the turmoil, so that I can become part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

Regardless of the fact that the photo at the top looks like a great tourist spot with a fantastic view of the falls, it's actually a painting on the surface of a flat brick wall. If we run eagerly to see the waterfall, we’ll bump our noses on the wall.

The Pepsi's are actually not in the truck, but painted on the flat side and back.

Even though these appear 3-dimensional and real, (and at better resolution, they do!)

they are both just clever paintings.

Pretty, and amazing, illusions.

So when emotions that are not so pretty, roil us up and tempt us to react, it’s a good idea to step back first and find out what’s real. My experience has been that when I ask God what's going on, He/She is always glad to tell me. When I'm willing to subordinate how I think I want to react to what God is telling me, then I can respond intelligently and wisely.

Dancing horse

All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
Cecil Frances Alexander

Somebody sent this amazing video. Yes, it’s a dancing horse.

Just feel the incredible love between horse and rider, the intelligent communication between them; their total focus as they dance their way to equestrian fame. Just for fun, watch the tail. Who choreographed the tail?

Love, intelligence, communication, timing, grace, discipline, joy, one Mind.

While spectacular sunsets remind us of God’s love expressed in quiet gifts, what about this? This is a joyous, bouncy gift.

Thank you, dear Father-Mother for surprising us with the infinite ways you show your love.

What is prayer to you?

peaceful place to pray

Recently Kevin Ladd, psychology professor at Indiana University South Bend, received from the John Templeton Foundation, a $735,000 grant to support his research into prayer

Ladd points out that even 10 percent of atheists pray. What prayer is to one person, he says, would not be prayer to another. He wants to define prayer and discover how people engage in prayer.

It’s certainly true that there are many forms of prayer, and many different ways to pray. One of my favorite definitions of prayer is this one by Mary Baker Eddy in her little book, No and Yes. “True prayer is not asking God for love; it is learning to love, and to include all mankind in one affection. Prayer is the utilization of the love wherewith He loves us.”

Then she describes what prayer does. “Prayer begets an awakened desire to be and do good. It makes new and scientific discoveries of God, of His goodness and power. It shows us more clearly than we saw before, what we already have and are; and most of all, it shows us what God is.”

Maybe we can look at prayer types this way:

1. Mountaintop prayer – where we’re asking nothing for ourselves, except to learn how to love as Jesus loved.
   
2. Walking on the mountain path prayer – where we are asking questions, looking for a higher view, or maybe some sense of direction in our lives.
   
3. "Just get me out of this valley!" prayer – a very basic, “Please help me, God!”

We might pray all three kinds in one day!

May you find the prayer that’s meaningful to you, that helps you through your day, or gives your heart peace, or helps you be a better person.

Another type of prayer
Jesus prayer

Letting divine Love be true north

finding true north

It remains a mystery how my two good friends could go so wrong. It was easy (for me) to see exactly what changes needed to be made so that their lives could get back on track. Trouble is, neither of them felt anything was wrong with their attitudes, or how they lived. Fact is, they didn’t even know each other.

So what did they have in common? Me, as chief and self-appointed critic.

I do try to listen to God a lot. So while I was dithering about my friends, I was also kind of praying, and God, whom I alternate between calling Father-Mother, and Love, asked these questions. “Andrew needs to change? Ed needs to change? What’s wrong with this picture?”

When we are willing to listen, and hear the answers from God’s point of view – even things we think we really don’t want to hear – God has a way of speaking to each of us in a way we’ll understand. I got the point right away. God was telling me I was not their boss. That He/She is in charge of all His children, and is constantly speaking to each of us, telling us whatever we are willing to hear.

Appreciating God’s part in this conversation, I backed off from the dithering. The next day a dear friend reminded me of the best way to help difficult people in our lives -- to love them. To love whatever it is God loves about them. And if we cannot think what God could possibly love about them, that’s OK, because God knows what He loves about them.

Whatever they need to sort out in their lives, will get sorted out much more quickly as we love and support their true selves as God knows them. Whatever they may be indulging that is ungodlike will dissolve sooner in the bright light of love.

I was immensely grateful to realign my thoughts with healing, rather than criticizing. It feels so natural to side with Father-Mother Love. As a compass needle swings naturally to the north, so God is my true north. I know I’m on the right track when my goal is just to love God's creation, when I am divine Love centered.

Families are for caring

Significant day

Recently I was an honored guest at an eight-year-old’s First Communion. He was well aware of the significance of this special occasion, and basked in the approval of teachers, peers, and family as he accepted God into his life.

The priest’s sermon extolled family. He told us that what we do is more important than what we say – a wonderful launching point for discussing the many opportunities parents have for character building by example. But the sermon took a different direction – that parents should not just talk about church, but actually bring the children to church. He said at their church they were all one family who cared for each other.

His words struck me as a worthy aspiration for every church family – to care for one another.

I immediately thought of my own church family – of individuals who are hunters and gatherers. They hunt for those who need nurturing, and gather them into their arms – literally and figuratively. They find ways to include them and to make them feel useful and appreciated.

I’m not real good at that, so those who spot and utilize these opportunities for compassionate caring hold a special place of awe approaching sainthood in my heart.

There are other unsung saints as well. One church member just donated a kidney to a high school classmate who was having trouble finding a match. Would every Christian Scientist do this? Probably not. But it was his way of being family to a stranger who had now become a friend. It was incredibly selfless, compassionate, and generous. He says simply that Christian Scientists and doctors share a common goal – healing. And the donation was his contribution.

Every family should be known for such caring for one another.

What is God like?

A friend sent this today.

The challenge to the kids was to come up with TV commercials in which you can substitute God for what the product promises to do. How well did they do? You decide.

____________________________________

What God is like – thanks to

television commercials from the 80s

God is like... BAYER ASPIRIN
He works miracles.

God is like... A FORD
He's got a better idea.

God is like.. COKE
He's the real thing.

God is like... HALLMARK
He cares enough to send His very best.

God is like... TIDE
He gets the stains out that others leave behind.

God is like... GENERAL ELECTRIC
He brings good things to life.

God is like... SEARS
He has everything.

God is like... ALKA-SELTZER
Try him, you'll like Him.

God is like... SCOTCH TAPE
You can't see him, but
He’s holding everything together.

God is like... DELTA
He's ready when you are.

God is like... ALLSTATE
You're in good hands with Him.

God is like... VO-5 Hair Spray
He holds through all kinds of weather.

God is like... DIAL SOAP
Aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wisheverybody did?

God is like... The U.S. POST OFFICE
Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor ice willkeep Him from His appointed destination.

Life is not a card game

Prayer better than luck!

A friend in the interior design field believes in prayer rather than luck. Life is not a card game, he would agree. He is usually grinning from ear to ear with some amazing story about how a client needed a certain product that was no longer produced, or unavailable, or some other hopeless sounding theme.

My friend prays to know how God’s love fits into the service he is providing his client. If the answer is to proceed with the unavailable product, he starts making phone calls, and always finds, often in unexpected ways, exactly the amount needed for the job.

This happens not once or twice, but often enough that he sees a law of eternal good operating – not for a special person, or a special business. But a Life-law of good already in place, already active for all of humanity. My friend taps into that law when he prays to be a blessing for his clients and his community. Then he hears the ideas he needs to go forward with the projects he feels God has given him to do.

My friend loves to be of service, making people’s lives more beautiful, more harmonious, more joyful. His life embraces the spirit of Anne Hawks’ simple prayer-poem, comtemporarily reworded:

I need You every hour;
Teach me Your will;
And Your rich promise, Lord,
In me fulfill.

Humpback Whale Rescue

God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God's nature. . .
God blessed them . . .
"Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
For every living thing that moves on the face of the Earth."
The Message

This blog, among other things, chronicles unusual animal/people relationships, because I believe deeply that the Creator of the universe put man here to tend and steward this world. That commission includes looking after the creatures. Here's another of those amazing stories where man and wild animal intelligently, gently, and briefly intersect.

Marine Mammal Center photo

December 14, 2005, Peter Fimrite of The San Francisco Chronicle, reported a great rescue. Here’s Fimrite’s tale:

A humpback whale freed by divers from a tangle of crab trap lines near the Farallon Islands nudged its rescuers and flapped around in what marine experts said was a rare and remarkable encounter.

It felt to me like it was thanking us, knowing that it was free and that we had helped it," James Moskito, one of the rescue divers, said Tuesday. "It stopped about a foot away from me, pushed me around a little bit and had some fun."

Sunday's daring rescue was the first successful attempt on the West Coast to free an entangled humpback, said Shelbi Stoudt, stranding manager for the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County.

The 45- to 50-foot female humpback, estimated to weigh 50 tons, was on the humpbacks' usual migratory route between the Northern California coast and Baja California when it became entangled in the nylon ropes that link crab pots.

It was spotted by a crab fisherman at 8:30 a.m. Sunday in the open water east of the Farallones, about 18 miles off the coast of San Francisco.

Mick Menigoz of Novato, who organizes whale watching and shark diving expeditions on his boat the New Superfish, got a call for help Sunday morning, alerted the Marine Mammal Center and gathered a team of divers.

By 2:30 p.m., the rescuers had reached the whale and evaluated the situation. Team members realized the only way to save the endangered leviathan was to dive into the water and cut the ropes.

It was a very risky maneuver, Stoudt said, because the mere flip of a humpback's massive tail can kill a man.

"I was the first diver in the water, and my heart sank when I saw all the lines wrapped around it," said Moskito, a 40-year-old Pleasanton resident who works with "Great White Adventures," a cage-diving outfit that contracts with Menigoz. "I really didn't think we were going to be able to save it."

Moskito said about 20 crab-pot ropes, which are 240 feet long with weights every 60 feet, were wrapped around the animal. Rope was wrapped at least four times around the tail, the back and the left front flipper, and there was a line in the whale's mouth.

The crab pot lines were cinched so tight, Moskito said, that the rope was digging into the animal's blubber and leaving visible cuts.

At least 12 crab traps, weighing 90 pounds each, hung off the whale, the divers said. The combined weight was pulling the whale downward, forcing it to struggle mightily to keep its blow- hole out of the water.

Moskito and three other divers spent about an hour cutting the ropes with a special curved knife. The whale floated passively in the water the whole time, he said, giving off a strange kind of vibration.

"When I was cutting the line going through the mouth, its eye was there winking at me, watching me," Moskito said. "It was an epic moment of my life."

When the whale realized it was free, it began swimming around in circles, according to the rescuers. Moskito said it swam to each diver, nuzzled him and then swam to the next one.

"It seemed kind of affectionate, like a dog that's happy to see you,'' Moskito said. "I never felt threatened. It was an amazing, unbelievable experience."

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You can read the whole story with photos at:
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/14/MNGNKG7Q0V1.DTL

God gives the lesser idea of Himself
for a link to the greater, and in return,
the higher always protects the lower.

Mary Baker Eddy

Happy Mothering Day

Everyone can mother

In the United States, Sunday May 13 is observed as Mother's Day - where everyone has a special opportunity to honor their mothers. Many families get together today, just for this purpose. But - what if our mom is no longer here? Or what if we don’t happen to be a mom? Or what if we aren’t able to appreciate our mom? Are we doomed to aloneness?

It can still be a happy mothering day -- a day about what we have to give and can share, rather than about what we do not have. Every one of us can, and need to, express the essential qualities of mothering.

Single dads may be most in tune with this fact. They find they can comfort, nurture, nourish, cook, do laundry, as well as coach soccer without sacrificing their manhood. In fact this kind of no-apology-mothering -- being and doing the things normally associated with moms -- enhances genuine manliness, rounds out the full character of what it means to be a dad.

So whether you are a man or a woman, whether you are mothering goldfish, cats, dogs, nieces or nephews, grandchildren, neighborhood kids – rejoice in these opportunities.

Have you ever thought of God as your mom and the source of all the mothering you have ever done or seen?

Like as a mother, God comforteth His children;

Comfort is calm, that bids all tumult cease;

Comfort is hope and courage for endeavor,

Comfort is love, whose home abides in peace.
Maria Louise Baum

Whoever you are, the whole world needs your mothering, and you have something special and unique to give.

Song of safety and protection

That wonderful song of protection, known as the 91st Psalm, sings often in my heart. I like to feel that’s where I live – in God’s house. When I remind myself I live there as a servant, to serve infinite good in any way I can, I feel more comfortable.

This psalm starts:

He that dwells in the secret place of the most High

lives in the shadow (safety) of the Almighty.

A friend gave this a new spin when he said that he likes the idea of dwelling with his "most high" thoughts about God’s universe. As he chooses to think his highest thoughts about compassion, his best thoughts of justice, his finest thoughts about fairness – and lives these as truth in his life -- he finds he reaps the promises of this psalm, almost as a by-product. These promises include protection, safety, courage, steps guided thoughtfully by divine intelligence.

Another friend, Amy, discovered new meaning in another verse that says, “He shall cover you with his feathers, and under his wings shall you trust:” Amy has a beloved Amazon parrot named Larry. She says that under Larry’s wings are soft downy feathers found no where else on his body. She connects the warmth and protection a baby bird would feel nestled under a parent’s wing to the Psalm's image of God as a mother bird gathering her children securely and safely under her wings.

The 91st is a wonderful Psalm for anyone looking for comfort and safety outside themselves, outside the uncertainty of even human help. Maybe it’ll sing in your heart too!

Never smile at a crocodile

because it leads to trouble

In the musical, Peter Pan, a crocodile stalks the villain Captain Hook. Pan had once chopped off Hook’s hand and thrown it to the crocodile. The croc has wanted to eat the rest of Hook ever since.

One song offers this advice:

Never smile at a crocodile

No, you can't get friendly with a crocodile.
Don't be taken in by his welcome grin . . .
Never smile at a crocodile

Never dip your hat and stop to talk awhile . . .

If we treat the song as a light way to deliver an urgent message about the battle between good and evil, that message is that we cannot afford to get friendly with something whose sole purpose is to eat us. We don’t want to be polite, and we definitely don’t want to stop to talk.

From a spiritual standpoint, the croc is anything that would lead us away from God –any thoughts that don’t directly honor and praise God. The Bible depicts this lure away from good in the book of Genesis, as a talking, lying snake. Chatting with this snake leads away from the source of all good. The result is, predictably, unhappiness.

At the very beginning of his career, Christ Jesus was tempted to have a brief talk with the devil. Just think. If the devil could have distracted Jesus at that point, before his life work began, we would have no New Testament, and no Christianity today. (Some people would argue that violent distortions of Christianity have done more harm than good -- but that's another discussion.)

Jesus knew what that darkest evil was up to. Twice he quoted Scripture to the devil. To no avail. The devil quoted Scripture back. Jesus finally told Satan to buzz off. He made it clear he was not interested. He turned away from that fruitless discussion to commune with angels. What a great choice, and what a lesson for us!

We too can turn from the temptation to chat with metaphorical snakes and crocodiles -whatever would lead us away from God’s caring and love. We can always choose to turn instead to His angels - messages of wisdom, comfort, joy, and peace. And then we find the next step in the adventure God has planned for us.

Hold thought steadfastly

to the enduring, the good, and the true,
and you will bring these into your experience
proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts.
Mary Bake Eddy

"Lean on me."

It was really discouraging. Bookkeeping is not high on my list of favorite tasks anyway. Then last month two financial statements defied balancing. Neither came anywhere near the required figures.

But as I prayed, it occurred to me that although this looked like it was all about banking, this wasn’t really about balancing statements at all. It was about learning to rely on God for all my needs, big and little, significant and ordinary.

He who does all things well, was saying, “I’m here for you. Yes, even for this. Lean on me.”

God is here for all His children, all the time. 24/7. Never too busy, too tired, too anything. I know that’s true, but I needed this gentle reminder.

“Oh! Thanks for that!” I meant it. For several days I went about my business attending to other things – work, chores, neighbors, family. Whenever I thought about the balancing, I just thanked God for letting me lean on His goodness and allness as the reality in my life. The other day, it seemed time to sit down and tackle these statements again. I prayed first, thanking God once again for being the one universal Mind who knows all the answers.

It became clear that a statement for the previous month on one of the accounts was affecting the figures for the present month. So I asked God to show me how to fix that. In very orderly steps, that statement came to balance. Then the present month also balanced. The other account balanced as well.

I was overjoyed to feel these heavy burdens lift. Praying, listening carefully to what God would tell me, had shown me the right steps to take. God is so good!

For who hath known the mind of the Lord,
that he may instruct him?
But we have the mind of Christ.
St. Paul

Good luck - where does it come from?

It's true, I’m a little bit behind. The latest and final story in the Harry Potter series hits the bookstores in July, and I realized I hadn’t read the Half-Blood Prince yet -- the previous installment.

The Harry Potter books chronicle a young person’s involvement in the good vs. evil battle. From Harry’s "Potions" class comes our topic for today-- the good luck potion. If someone drinks just a little, everything will go exactly right for them for several hours. It turns out in practice that what the brew does is allow Harry to listen to his intuitions and follow them with confidence. As I see it, the effect of the potion had less to do with luck, and more to do with listening and following.

For me, luck has little to do with life. Life is about making decisions, preferably good ones. Which brings us to the incredible ability God has given each of us to listen to and trust our own intuitions. What if we define intuitions as angel thoughts from God, coming to us with good ideas?

Then how do we know if an idea is an intuition from God, or just a random thought running through our heads? For me it helps if I’ve asked God for an answer to something (big or little), then the intuitive answer has a clear relationship with the question. And I’ve found that usually intuitions can be identified because they are unselfish, generous, may require a change of plans, or just seem like the right thing to do, even if not convenient.

Like the hero of the kids’ series, we need to listen to our intuitions, and trust them in order to follow them confidently.

Angels. God's thoughts passing to man;

spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect;
the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality,
counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality.

Mary Baker Eddy

See also: Angels according to kids

NOW

This is the moment you own

A friend sent his inspiraiton:

This morning this thought came to me: "Now!" That was it. Then I remembered the source -- St. Paul wrote to his church in Corinth "behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

"Now," right here, right where we are, at this very moment. “Now" is the most important time we have. Not when we get out of bed and get dressed. Not when we figure out our plans for the morning, noon, or night. Not after breakfast. Not when we look at our calendar for upcoming important events or obligations. Right at this very second.

_______________________________

What an exciting prospect! The beauty of “now” is, that we own it. We decide whether to be happy or sad at this moment. We decide whether to be pleasant or unpleasant at this moment. We decide whether to listen to someone else, or to let our thoughts wander. We have the glorious opportunity to choose how best to use this "now" moment. Shall we use it to criticize others? or to be grateful for the good in our lives? We cannot do both at the same time.

I'm learning that life is better when I choose to use each moment to praise what's good. It's a way of magnifying the Lord, the source of all that's truly good. If it isn't good right now, it doesn't come from God. If something comes from God, then it is good, and not a "mixed" blessing.

Good question: How can I improve this moment?

Awesome question: How can I improve this moment in a way that will bless my neighbor?

A lost opportunity is the greatest of losses. . .
We own no past, no future, we possess only now.
If the reliable now is carelessly lost in speaking or in acting,

it comes not back again.
Whatever needs to be done which cannot be done now,

God prepares the way for doing . . .
Mary Baker Eddy

Abou Ben Adam revisited

When all is said and done, the important question is, how well have we loved our fellow man? Not how well were we loved, but how well have we loved. Surely we all know someone who is generous and kind, and asks little in return.

I suggest you read the short poem below, twice. First just to appreciate the message. The second time, substitute your friend (or relative’s) name wherever you see Abou Ben Adam’s. The poem becomes a fitting tribute to your friend.

And beyond this small opportunity to praise a special friend, it can be a reminder to emulate some of that grace and generosity and thoughtfulness that you admire in them. And while this may seem a small gesture, it counts. You will have honored your friend, and you will have made the world a little better place because you're here.

Abou Ben Adam
By Leigh Hunt
Abou Ben Adam (may his tribe increase!)

awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw, within the moonlight of his room,

Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,

an angel, writing in a book of of gold.

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adam bold,

And to the Presence in the room he said:

"What writest thou?" The vision raised its head,

And, with a look made of all sweet accord,

Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one?" said Abou, "Nay, not so,"

Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,

But cheerily still, and said, "I pray thee, then,

Write me as one who loves his fellow men."

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night

It came again, with a great awakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blest,

And lo! Ben Adam's name led all the rest.

Parable of the Rocks in the Jar

What are your rocks?

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar (might have been a pickle jar) and proceeded to fill it with rocks - rocks about 2" in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed that NOW it was full.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. "Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, and your children - anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would nearly be destroyed. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, or your car. The sand is everything else - The small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same is true for your life: If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important in life.

Take care of the rocks. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

_________________________________

I've been coming to the conclusion that the important stuff in life -- the rocks -- for me are increasingly a God who is Love and Truth and light, and what this intelligent and wise God has created. Pursuing my relationship with this God is major.

And Christ for me defines my relationship to God and man. Christ invites each of us to contribute in caring and constructive and unselfish ways to the world we live in. To leave it a better place because we were here.

The rocks are also how we relate to one another. Whether we are kinder today than yesterday, more patient today than yesterday, more forgiving today than yesterday. Less critical today than yesterday.

The pebbles are pretty much what the story says, useful things that allow us to be better and more thoughtful contributors. For instance, we can offer non-driving friends a ride if we have a car. We can probably help with worthy causes more easily if we can drive there. Most likely we can be more generous if we have a job that provides income.

And the sand -- the small stuff -- that'll fit in if there's time. And if it doesn't, that's OK.

"Set your heart first on His kingdom and His goodness
And all these things will come to you
As a matter of course."
Phillips Modern English