Inspiring Stories of Love, Healing, & Empowerment Inspirations |
July 2002 |
Welcome to Inspirations! Global Community For All sends out this e-zine filled with short, inspiring stories of love, healing, and empowerment once every three months. We share these wonderfully inspiring stories to encourage and inspire each other to be the best we can be each day of our lives. Thanks for joining us, and may these words inspire us to ever deepen our commitment to love, heal, and empower; to open to divine guidance; and to choose what's best for all. |
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About five years ago, though I led a very good life, I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated. My life was incredibly busy and full, and I really loved everything I was doing, yet at the same time, I really regretted not having more time to spend on my own. I kept promising myself I was going to make time for myself, yet rarely did I actually manage to do it. I felt increasingly frustrated that any free time in my schedule almost invariably vanished because of some pressing need. |
Finally, one day I had a powerful revelation. The reason I kept giving up the times I had hoped to spend alone was because something too good to pass up would come along, or a friend I really wanted to see would call to get together at the last minute. Yet what I realized was that in continually giving up my time to myself, I wasn't making me a priority. I was putting everyone and everything else above me and my needs! I realized that if I didn't want to be frustrated about this any more, I had to treat myself with the same importance as I treated everyone else. |
So what I did, was to take out my calendar and write in a time for myself one night of each week. I basically made a weekly date with myself. Not only that, but I also made a deep commitment to treat myself with just as much respect as I would treat any of my friends. This meant that, as with any good friend, I would not break any appointments with myself unless it was a real emergency. |
What a joy it was to find myself with one evening a week all to myself! I had a whole evening to read, relax, write, go on a walk, or whatever else I wanted to do by myself. Suddenly my whole life felt so much richer and fuller. I had finally given myself the gift of the thing I felt I was most missing in my life! |
This was all over five years ago. I have faithfully continued my weekly date with myself and almost never given it up through the years. My life continues as full and rich as ever, yet my frustration about not having time to myself has disappeared. I now thoroughly enjoy this special time to be with myself every week. It has even developed into a deep spiritual practice where I use the time each week to ask for divine guidance as I review what I'm doing with my life and what I'm really here on this planet for. This weekly date with myself (and with God/Spirit) has helped to my make life so much richer and fuller than it was before I started this practice five years ago. Thank you, God, for this inspiration and gift in my life. |
For any of you who find yourself overwhelmed with appointments, meetings, etc., and not having enough time to yourself. I highly recommend considering making a date with yourself and writing it into your schedule. Not only that, consider also making a commitment that you are as important as any of your friends or meetings. Don't break your date with yourself without a really, really good reason. This is a wonderful way to ensure that we love, support, and empower ourselves, just as we love, support, and empower all around us. I wish each of you all the very best in whatever you choose to do in your life. |
A Palestinian and a Jew Find Peace Together – Marion Pargamin, Jerusalem |
I would like to tell you about a quite
extraordinary event that happened to me during a peace walk organized by a
Vipassana meditation group in Israel. The eight-day walk took place on the
first week of April. It was intended to give an opportunity for Palestinians
and Israelis to walk together, to develop dialogue and self-introspection,
inspired by the ancient traditions that guided people like Mahatma Gandhi and
Martin Luther King. During these eight days, participants walked together
from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, passing by Jewish and Arab towns and settlements
in silence and awareness, declaring a commitment to deep listening and
nonviolence. |
Then, a Palestinian woman on her way to Jaffa
gate bursts onto the scene. She jumps to the conclusion that the old Arab is
under attack and rushes in a frenzy to rescue him. She yells insults at the Jewish woman, and the situation heats
up again. All my attention is now
focused on her. She is like a bomb ready to explode. I try to explain to her
what is going on, but she is furious with me, screaming out her hatred, her
despair and her pain.
I let her express herself for a long time without interrupting her. As she
continues to shout at me, I tell her that she has no need to speak so loudly,
because I am listening to her with all my attention. At the same time I find
myself caressing her arm. She lets me do it and progressively lowers her
voice, while continuing to let her despair overflow. |
I give all that I am completely into the service of All That Is. – Fred Burks |
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