I Miss You Dad

Dear Dad,

I have been thinking about you all day and I still miss you. It has been eleven years and still, I miss you.

I can remember the events of that day so vividly, as if it unfolded in slow-motion. The death of a parent is one of those "milestone" moments in a child's life. At some level, we must realize fairly young that we will probably bury our parents. Until it happens however, it is just an intellectual knowing and it doesn't hurt.

You seem to be getting smarter to me every year. I can still hear your voice at times--especially, your infectious laughter. I miss the time we used to spend at the end of the work day, talking about all the odd interests we shared. History and technology, space and extra terrestrials, politics and taxes. I recall your frequent statement that there was going to be some very cool shit developed in the next 100 years and you wished you could be around to see it.

Well, I wish you were around too! This has been a tough eleven years. So much death and change. I have tried to take care of things. Sometimes, I wish you had been able call you and get a little advice. Seems like at the point in my life when I was willing to really listen and even seek out your council, you were gone.

Happy Birthday Mom

Hey Mom,

It was great to just spend some time with you tonight. And I am glad you like the flowers. The older I get, the more I appreciate you and realize the sacrifices you made to raise us kids.

Happy Birthday Mom!

I love you so very much.

Ric

Celebration of Love

Happy Valentines Day!

Some say this day was created by the greeting card companies and floral industry and maybe that is true. But so what?

I think that being focused on love in a big way for a day is a wonderful thing. Valentines day is not about what you buy for your spouse or lover, it is not about how large a bouquet of flowers you send. This holiday can be about opening our hearts to those we care about and letting them know how we feel.

The bible tells us that God is love. On this St. Valentines day, let us acknowledge the sacred source of love and hold this day holy by keeping it real and honest and close to our hearts.

Dear God,

Thank You for Your love which fills and fuels our lives.
Thank You for love and for the people who love us.
Today, we open our hearts to each other and share what we feel without reservation.
Expand our ability to care deeply for one another and for our selves.
Help us not get hung-up on who or what introduced this holiday but focus instead on the incredible intention to bring more love into being in our world.
Instead of being caught in the frenzy to purchase the best, prettiest and most extravagant gift;
we intend to be open, honest and loving today and always.
Amen


Ric Beattie

copyright (c) 2005 by Richard L. Beattie

Awesome Day

Sweet Jesus,

What a glorious day this has been.
The new client and new possibilities are wonderful. Thank You God!
Thank You for leading me to attend church tonight to hear a terrific message.
Thank You for the consciousness awareness of Your presence.
Intellectually, I know that You are always with me.
But, when I actually notice that awareness, it is so sweet and deliscious.
Hold me close to Your sacred heart.
Sweet dreams of Your love and peace bless my sleep and renew my spirit.
I love You.
Amen

Ric Beattie

02/12/05 - copyright (c) 2005 by Richard L. Beattie

Rising Up

Dawn comes swiftly in a swirl of pink and blue as the rising sun chases the nighttime from the Eastern sky. I, too am rising up. Rising in consciousness and in expectation.

This day has begun to unfurl. I pray that each activity and every circumstance that I encounter today be guided by the Love that has created me. I open my heart and my mind to Your presence. I lift my hands and my voice in prayer and praise to You.

Here I am Lord! Use me for Your purposes. Love Your people through me.

So it is!

Ric Beattie

(c) 2005 by Richard L. Beattie, all rights reserved

Love is my intention and focus

Lord of Love,

My intention is to be focused on You today.
May my heart be guided by the love You fill me with.
May my words be sweet and uplifting.
May my thoughts be generous and kind.
May my speech and my words be gracious and gentle.
Pour Yourself into and through every aspect of my life,
guide the way I work, how I live and what I say.
May all who encounter me receive the attention and respect they deserve.
May my living be as a witness to Your grace and love.
Thank You God!
Amen

Ric Beattie

(c) 2005 by Richard L. Beattie, all rights reserved

Eight Months Ago...

Eight months ago today my entire life changed.

On June 3, 2004, a doctor in an emergency room leaned over me and said, "Ric, you had just had or are currently having a heart attack. "I looked up at him and muttered, "What the &*$% does that mean?"

And then, I let it go. It just didn't seem to matter. It occurred to me that I was not going to get to have a cigarette or go home. And I realized that life had suddenly gotten very real. And I knew that it was time to bring things into balance. I had been flirting with danger and skirting the consequences of many years of poor choices.

I will tell you that having a heart attack is a highly effective form of personal transformation. I quit smoking as well as I discovered that I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes--all in a single day. Everything changed. Quick! Fast! And in a hurry!

Thank You God for the changes! Since that most interesting day I have changed what and how I eat, adopted a robust exercise program, learned about coronary artery disease, embraced my
physical being in a whole new way and I am caring for myself with love.

Thank You God for my sacred heart.

Thank You God for this life, which I love.

Thank You God!

So it is.

And so I am.

Ric Beattie

(c) 2005 by Richard L. Beattie, all rights reserved

Called Into Love

I hear You, God.

And for the most part, I always have.
At times, I was not sure what it was I was hearing
or if I were merely mad and listening to my own thoughts.
Hearing You is sometimes like a gnawing in my gut
or a tapping on my feelings.
Hearing You can seem like catching the sound of the wind through trees.

Sometimes, I have intentionally ignored what I heard.
Busying myself with all manner of distractions and fluff.
Now, I focus on the hearing--on being in relationship with You.

You know me and You know my name--the very essence of me.
What shall we do today?
How would You have me show up in the world?
I know that You have called me into love.
Express Yourself in me now.
I love You!
Thank You very much.

(c) Copyright 2005 by Richard L. Beattie, all rights reserved

TYVM

Dear God,

Thank You very much.
This has been a sweet and quiet day.
New month.
New people, places and patterns.
You fill me with a new sense of purpose.
Incredible!
So it is.