“Yesterday was my Dad’s 10th anniversary of passing away.”

Three readings. A song that says the rest. And inspiration for whatever this day is here to teach.

A lone surfer riding inside a great curling wave

Read — the readings that opened the day

Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations

“Spiritual recovery & health go hand in hand. As we learn to leave behind our old learning, we open more to the Spirit of Love, tuning into ourselves and to others. We can take a step back & say, "Thank You, it is all good. I'll work with it!" Today, I will not hide myself; nor do I have to be the perfect person I was trying so hard to be. We have been the Gift of Freedom, to share, and to continue growing into the loving person God intended.”

The Daily Reader for Contemplative Living

Thomas Keating

“Have you ever experienced a few moments of interior silence? How would you describe it? Why is it such a difficult state to maintain or return to? Repeated experiences of interior silence is a need that everyone has in order to be fully human. Our capacity for the transcendent is precisely what distinguishes us most from the rest of visible creation. It is what makes us most human.”

Adapted from The Daily Reader for Contemplative Living

The Sermon on the Mount

Emmett Fox

“The great essential for success in prayer—for obtaining that sense of the Presence of God, the secret of healing oneself and others, is that we first attain some degree of true peace of mind. This true, interior soul-peace was known to the mystics as serenity, and they are never tired of telling us that serenity is the grand passport to the Presence of God.”

Adapted from The Sermon on the Mount

Reflect — Steve L.'s own words

Yesterday was my Dad’s 10th anniversary of passing away. I received a surprise call from a friend to come meet a man who had worked with Dad at GM Corporate in Detroit. At 90 years old, Jerry Evans shared stories with names I had heard all through my childhood. As he discussed Dad’s love of engineering, his ability to focus on the hidden web of blueprints behind the production process, my Dad became alive again! As we looked over a few classic Corvettes in the garage, including my ‘67 427 Convertible, Jerry told stories of that model, and how it shaped the engineering department's excitement to produce, at that time, cutting edge performance. That passion had carried over to Dad's assignment to build the 1st Camaro. The true passion of his career was driven by the intricate production process; not the showroom presence that swept me into fantasy land on Woodward Avenue!

We got into the ‘67, and as we pulled out of the driveway, smiles from the sounds touched my heart. Thanks, Dad, and thanks God for blessing me with a life, dancing today with a new inner freedom and joy!