Day 23 - I Give Thanks For ...

My current gratitude practice is to share at least 10 things for which I am grateful for each day without repetition.

Today, I give thanks for:

1. Discovering this meme about everyday magic being the result of seeing everything through the eyes of love. The spiritual practice I invited our community to consider this week was looking at every person and situation this week through the eyes of love.
2. My podiatrist, Dr. John, who has taken care of my feet for many years.
3. Lake Orion, Michigan which is where I grew up and went to school. I am referring to both the Village of Lake Orion and the larger Orion Township of which the village is a part.
4. Taking a drive out Central Dr. in Lake Orion, an area called Swiss Village where we lived as I came into teenage years and puberty.
5. Memories of sleeping out in the woods with my best friend at the time.
6. Memories of skinny dipping at night out of boats especially the night of July 20, 1969. About five of us were swimming and we had thrown our jeans in the boat. Someone turned the boat over trying to climb in and I dive for the clothes. Fortunately, I got them. We got into the house just in time to watch Neil Armstrong take the first steps on the moon.
7. Memories of my first sexual experiences which involved sleepovers and sleeping out.
8. Remembering the people who lived in most of the houses back in 1970.
9. The lake (Lake Orion) after which the township and village are named. We seemed to usually find houses to rent on the lake. 
10. Finding a 15-pound Rib Roast for Christmas dinner at Costco.
11.  A pot of "Boiled Dinner" (which is what my Grandma Ledger called it) cooking on the stove. It's soup made from the end of a ham preferably with the bone, cabbage, carrots, onion, celery, and potatoes. I substitute rutabaga for the potato. Then it cooks quite a while.
12. An afternoon in Lake Orion which stirred up the memories and the stories of my childhood, my mom and her parents, my Aunt Donna & Uncle Joe and so many others.

Always with Love,

Ric

Day 21 - I Give Thanks For ...

My current gratitude practice is to share at least 10 things for which I am grateful for each day without repetition.

PRISM Men's Chorus

Today, I give thanks for:

1. I woke up this morning.
2. Dancing with Owen in the kitchen to "Baby Shark."
3. Owen's happy reaction to the big stuffed Lion pillow I bought him.
4. Getting an important thank-you note written and mailed.
5. Reservations for dinner on Thursday with a dear friend who is a huge supporter. It will be good to catch up with each other. 
6. Watching Unsolved Mysteries, which is a program that my mother loved and I never watch. In fact, I don't think I've seen it since she made her transition. But I was going through the TV looking for something to watch for a second and there it's on and Mama is in my mind and here with me.
7. A short nap 😴
8. Finding my favorite pair worn pair of Levi 501 jeans from way back and they fit again.
9. A wonderful dinner with Kim and Simon at Brio Tuscan Grille.
10. Connecting with friends (from back in the day at Renaissance Unity) Joel and Sam with their friends & family.  
11. Attending The PRISM Holiday Extravaganza at the Macomb Center which was a wonderful event.
12. Talking to Coleen and Yvonne who were sitting next to me. The wait for the show to begin and during intermission was full of conversation.
13. 150 Men in "ugly" holiday sweaters. The PRISM Men's Chorus changed for the second act.
14. The PRISM Dancers were fantastic.

Peace, friendship & fun!

Ric

Day 20 - I Give Thanks For ...

My current gratitude practice is to share at least 10 things for which I am grateful for each day without repetition.

Today, I give thanks for:

1. The way the sun rising in the east hits the top of the trees in the west this morning. It only lasts for a few minutes but always makes me smile.
2. My office at home which is serene and comfortable like a favorite sweater.
3. The west-facing view from my home office window. At this time of year, I can look across the pond to the condos on the other side which makes a wonderful landscape.
4. Chicken wings without breading (thinking about last night's dinner.)
5. My chiropractors Dr. Rodney & Dr. Sara.  
6. Toast - the eclectic restaurant in downtown Birmingham.
7. A wonderful lunch with my colleague Carolyn this afternoon at Toast.
8. Finding a parking place in the structure at Merril & Pierce in Birmingham today.
9. Four days without Android Auto and my car disconnecting.
10. Being able to comfortably check the pressure in the tires on my car.

Love.

Ric

Day 18 - I Give Thanks For ...

My current gratitude practice is to share at least 10 things for which I am grateful for each day without repetition.

Today, I give thanks for:

1. The abundance of more than one warm coat to wear on this cold morning.
2. Jonna and her authenticity and easy way of being.
3. A bright crisp afternoon.
4. Finding a down jacket in my size (new sized me) at Costco.
5. Discovering this "lion pillow" which lept into my cart at Costco. It's a gift for Owen.
6. Being a Great-Uncle for the third time.
7. Being able to pay for things with my phone via Google Pay.
8. Paying my property taxes this morning at City Hall. 
9. Leone Outdoor Services arriving this morning to deal with my fall cleanup. After bad weather, the Oak trees tendency to hold their leaves forcing waiting later, and Thanksgiving.
10. Being a part of the Rochester area for more than half of my life.
11. Looking forward to meditation tonight.
12. Heated seats in my car.
13. Buying a shorter USB C cable to connect my phone and car to use Android Auto. The one I had was longer and frequently disconnected from the application
14. Android Auto which has so many cool features that integrate my car and phone to give me turn by turn directions, additional music capability, the ability to listen to an audiobook through my speakers and best of all, brings Google Assistant to my car.
15. Thirteen people who joined me for meditation tonight on a very cold night in this area. there's a powerful meditation because of the energy of the moon and the energy in the room.

Love one another. It's why we're here.

Ric

Day 16 - I Give Thanks For ...

My current gratitude practice is to share at least 10 things for which I am grateful for each day without repetition.

Today, I give thanks for:

1. Genisys, the credit union I have been a member of for almost 30 years.
2. A mutual friend informing me that Michele was in the hospital and going to have surgery.
3. A 2 for 1 day at Beaumont today, visited/prayed with Michele prior to surgery and a lovely visit with Steve that had been planned the night before.
4. Walking down the hall at Beaumont between pastoral visits and meeting up with Jim Fortune who is a new volunteer patient transporter. He inspires me!
5. Paying down debt earlier than anticipated. Yeah!
6. Getting the termination letter for Planet Fitness mailed. I need more assistance than they can provide to help me get started.
7. This powerful quote from Oprah Winfrey, "Everything Is Always Working Out For Me!"
8. The "coincidence" of stopping by the church on my day off to use the potty and noticing I had a phone message alerting me to Kim F's declining condition.
9. The privilege of visiting with Kim F and sharing some thoughts with her about death and dying.
10. Sharing with Michelle, Kim's daughter
11. The spiritual gift of pastoral care which flows from a deep place within me.
12. The salad bar at The Mackinac room at Wm. Beaumont Hospital.
13. The people like you, who find and read this blog. I hope that you are working with some kind of gratitude practice to establish a deep conscious of gratitude as a way of living. 

I am in Love with Life,

Ric

Day 15 - I Give Thanks For ...

My current gratitude practice is to share at least 10 things for which I am grateful for each day without repetition.

3 of 4 Critters Chilling

Today, I give thanks for:

1. Work that I love so much it seldom seems like work.
2. Waking up feeling rested and a bit better than I had been feeling yesterday.
3. Nasal Spray that works.
4. Peace between the four four-leggeds that live with the three humans in the house.
5. Seeing the new (to us) large face clock that Bonnie gave us recently, hanging in our Sanctuary.
6. Christine's cheerfulness while making the coffee each week.
7. A wonderful second Sunday in Advent service this morning.
8.  Chatting with Saundra, Sharron and her mother at lunch after service.
9. The gift of a "Bless Somebody Else" by Curt Karr CD from Saundra.
10. An unexpected visit and mind-blowing gift.

Living in Love,

Ric

Day 8 - I Give Thanks For

My current gratitude practice is to share at least 10 things for which I am grateful for each day without repetition.

Today, I Give Thanks For ...

1. Waking up in time to finish the preparation for my talk even though I overslept 75 minutes.
2. Christening Laura & Katie's infant daughter Isabella during our service today.
3. Meeting her sweet Grandma & Grandpa who thanked me way too many times.
4. The number of friends and family who came to our service for the first time to be part of the christening.
5. The opportunity to share the Unity version of the first week of Advent with these mostly younger people.
6. Andrew Mucha waiting to talk to me after service to explain the tears he had shed (when I saw him in the Sanctuary) were tears of Joy.
7. The Sunday Morning crew of Harvey, Nick & Simon and the ways they have taken charge of Sanctuary preparation.
8. The huge success of the first Youth & Family Ministry Artwork auction
9. Purchasing several items from the auction including these rainbow decorated items. 
10. The energy in the service, during the silent auction and fellowship afterward that seemed ignited by the focus on the baby.
11. Discovering that Ashley had made my bed for me with clean sheets.

Enjoy the Journey!

Ric

Thanks As A Way Of Living - Day 17

Porkchop's New Blanket

1. I am grateful for this new blanket for Porkchop's bed in my home office that I bought at Aldi for a really good price. He seems to like it too since his old blanket was worn out and he likes to be covered up and warm.
2. I am grateful to have a plan in place for someone who can pick me up and get me to URO to deliver the Sunday lesson if the roads are too bad fr me to drive. It is important to me that we have service even if only a small number of people attend.  Carol has a Yukon, yeah!
3. I am grateful to have a warm house on this cold night. I am mindful of the many people in our area who are homeless and the many people working to provide shelter.
4. I am grateful to discover a young (he will be 16 on Christmas Eve) musical genius named Ethan Bortnick tonight on PBS. What a blessing he is as he inspires young people to transform the world. Wonderful talent and he reminds me that the best is yet to be so hang on world!
5. I am grateful to have a dishwasher which is running as I finish this blog entry and work on the sermon for tomorrow. For most of my life, I was the dishwasher.

Always in Love,

Ric

#LivingThanks

Thanks as a Way of Living - my gratitude practice till the end of the year (at least). A minimum, of five things each day that I am grateful for and why without repeats.

(c) 2016 by Richard L. Beattie, All Rights Reserved

Thanks As A Way of Living - Day 8

1. I am grateful for my sister's willingness to drive to my house on a cold rainy night to let Porkchop out to do his business. A late afternoon appointment in Clarkston took much longer than I originally planned and I was scheduled to lead a group discussion at Unity of Royal Oak at 7. Should I go back to URO and start the group ontime or stop at home and let Porkchop out after more than 8 hours without a potty break? Fortunately my sister was willing to let him out, play with feed and generally love on him. 
2.  I am grateful fort the Thursday Night Thrive circle tonight. Safe, supportive and sacred--for all of us.
3. I am grateful for Sandy Hess and her insights and support. It is good to have someone to talk through the tough feelings with and to have the perspective of another person.
4. I am grateful that the time of an automatic death sentence from AIDS has stopped (at least here in the US.) On this World Aids Day, I remember the way too many personal friends that died from the mid 1980's until Doug's death in 1997. So much grief for so long I could hardly cry. 
5. I am grateful that there are alternatives to driving on the expressway. The past few years I have noticed that driving on the freeway at night when it is raining or snowing can bring on a bit of anxiety especially in unfamiliar or dark areas. So, I get off and drive the surface roads. It is good to have options.

Always in Love,

Ric

#LivingThanks

Thanks as a Way of Living - my gratitude practice till the end of the year (at least). A minimum, of five things each day that I am grateful for and why without repeats.

(c) 2016 by Richard L. Beattie, All Rights Reserved

The Time Is Now

The Time Is Now

• To end the hatred that kills young people because they are perceived to be somehow different. They die at the hands of the other and of themselves.
• To profoundly embrace equality and to trust that Love knows what its doing.
• To accept responsibility for the mess we have created.
• To put hands and feet to our prayers.
• To be more concerned about thousands dying in thousands of disasters than we are concerned about the new outfit we "deserve."
• To feed, clothe, cherish, educate, love and protect all children as if they are our children. (Because they are)
• To make peace and end the war that rages within that gets projected into expression as wars, hatred, fear and greed.
• To risk being authentic, vulnerable and human.
• To gift others with the same Grace we have been given.
• To talk with one another instead of pointing the finger or the blame.
• To listen with our hearts wide open.
• To live with our arms wide open.
• To focus on giving instead of getting.
• To live in Love with one another.
• For transformation at depth.
• To stand on the right side of history.

Praying for the Supreme Court as it ponders Equality in Marriage.
Praying for the people of Baltimore.
Praying for the people of Nepal.
Praying for the world.
Praying for peace for all.
Praying for you.
Praying for me.
So it is.

There in only One life, let us nurture it together.

Always in Love,

Ric Beattie



#prayforpeaceforall



(c) 2015 by Richard L. Beattie, all rights reserved

Lessons Learned While Doing the Laundry

What To Do With The Single Socks? - Random thoughts while doing laundry on October 12, 2014

• If suddenly all my outer clothing disappeared in the middle of a sermon, and I were standing there in my underwear and socks, what would the appearance and fit of the garments say about me?
• Time to retire some of this to the rag box. I lovingly appreciate past service and find a meaningful way to repurpose this item.
• Too many “holey” and not enough whole items.
• How long has it been since I really looked at the clothing I am folding?
• Some things that are comfortable and warn and I've had for a long time need to go into the rag box and this includes some clothes.
• An end to keeping my underwear and socks segregated!
• Socks
• Now mated (only) socks of any color are in one drawer.
• Someone must steal a random sock or two per week from my dirty clothes because there is always a solo sock when I am done mating the clean socks.
• I throw out both socks in a pair even if only one sock has a hole so that is not a cause for the singularity. I assumed that would nip this missing sock thing. So far, I have more single socks than ever.
• How long should the solo socks that used to be glob in the drawer be kept awaiting the matching sock to reappear?
• Should I tag the singular items with a destroy after date?
• What use for socks that are no longer part of a pair is there?
• Dusting furniture is one use.
• Underwear
• All the underwear are in one drawer regardless of color or style.
• After 45+ years of folding briefs one way, I adopted a more efficient (for my current dresser) approach proving that seasoned dawgs can learn new tricks.
• Worn out undershirts make great rags
• How long do I think I need to keep the pair of briefs that I never wear because they fit weird?
• Why do the sexy briefs always look better on the models than in the mirror?
• I have been taking a glob of lint out of the screen after drying each load and a large glob after loads of towels or white socks and underwear for many, many years. How long can this go on before articles of clothing just vanish?
• Perhaps this is where the missing socks go, they are transformed into lint and whisked away with the rubbish.
• The moment I think the laundry is done and there are no more dirty clothes in the entire house, I find something to throw in the basket that was missed.

Always in Love!

Ric



(c) 2014 by Richard L. Beattie, all rights reserved