For Sunday August 2nd, 2015

Hello everyone, looking for serene beauty within extreme difficulties can be daunting, and yet wonderful. When that which is spiritually correct is heart-breaking on a human level, where do we turn? To paraphrase Sir Water Scott, "A willow may survive a storm better than an oak tree." 

In the face of sick and dying children, when hearing incensed orators, or dealing with our own mortality, a calm overview can be helpful. Not that any one thing is specifically right or wrong but can it be weathered with wisdom? 

May we all look within during our times of difficulty. May we take the time. May we find the quiet space. May acceptance accompany good actions. 

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday July 26th, 2015

Hello everyone, the lengthy childhood of human infants drives scientists a little bit batty, in comparison other social animals reach adulthood very quickly. As they busy themselves with evolutionary and reproductive theories perhaps they're missing the point. 

Perhaps, under the heading of 'and a small child shall lead them,' it is us the adults who need the long exposure to spirituality which children naturally bring. Children, having come so recently from spirituality, show us how to see the world through new eyes. They remind us of the joys of wonder. They provide us with giggly love when happy and invite us to reach for empathy when sick or upset. 

May we sit this Sunday for the gifts which children can bring. May we treat each child we meet as a precious piece of the future. May we allow a child to lead us there.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday July 19th, 2015

Hello everyone, as we know, no kindness is ever wasted however small it may be. Even the effect of a simple honest smile, given once, lives on within the receiver of it. 

Here's a thought experiment: Imagine a straight line running from now to far into the future. Now imagine another line starting from the same place but angled just a tiny bit, only half a degree.  In 10, 20, or 30 years the final outcome of those two lines can be far, far apart. 

That's what a simple honest smile can do over the course of a lifetime. You don't know until the end how much change you've actually made with it.

May we sit this Sunday for the smiles we give and share, for laughter which may come, and for the tender lives we touch in loving ways. 

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday July 12th, 2015

Hello all, on this day when Vaughn Boone is 99 years and 1 day old let us look at what a life of service can be. For him, it has included being a singer, musician, ventriloquist, spiritual teacher, etheric surgeon, husband, father, friend and helper to many, many people. It has been an exemplary life, and he is not alone.

A life of service is a mixture of interest and talent infused with compassion, things we all have. If each of us were to follow our interests and use our talents with all the compassion we can muster the world would absolutely change, not only personally but the entire world.

May we sit this evening for this change. May it occur within us, around us, and for us. May it benefit all.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday July 5th, 2015

Hello everyone, we are meant to grow, to move beyond our current selves into the unknown, just as a seed is destined to become a flower, something it has never been.

However, in our righteous desire to connect with the divine, and by the mechanics of our psychology, we often diminish the divine to bring it within our mental grasp. In seeking to connect with the immeasurable, we have defined it in measured terms - and cheated ourselves out of our need to reach and grow. 

May we sit this Sunday for the release of expectations, of what we know, of what we think, of all the known. May a pure and loving spontaneity well up within. May the Divine draw us forward.

Thank you,

Richard