“Today’s readings allowed me to remember my Mom and some other great teachers in my life.”

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

The Art of Letting Go: Living the Wisdom of Saint Francis

Richard Rohr, O.F.M.

“When you're able to welcome your own pain, you will in some way feel the pain of the whole world. This is what it means to be human. Now hand all of this pain over to God. Let it go. Ask for the grace of forgiveness of the person who hurt you, of the event that offended you. To forgive is not to forget. But letting go frees up a great amount of soul-energy that liberates a level of life you didn't know existed. It leads you to your True Self.”

Adapted from The Art of Letting Go: Living the Wisdom of Saint Francis

A Year With Rumi

Coleman Barks

“Your pure sadness that wants help is the secret cup. Listen to the moan of a dog for its master. That whining is the connection. There are love dogs no one knows the names of. Give your life to be one of them.”

Adapted from A Year With Rumi

Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Meditation for the Day “Like the shadow of a great rock in a desert land, God is your refuge from the ills of life; God can be your shelter from the storm. God's power can protect you from every temptation and defeat. Try to feel His divine power - call on it - accept it - and use it. Armed with that power, you can face anything. Each day, seek safety in God's secret place, in communion with Him. You cannot be wholly touched or seriously harmed there. God can be your refuge. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may find a haven in the thought of God. I pray that I may abide in that Strong Tower, strongly guarded.”

Adapted from Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Reflect — Steve L.'s own words

Today’s readings allowed me to remember my Mom and some other great teachers in my life. They taught me that Forgiveness is a gift; my Mom, so many times in her last 7 years of life, shared many of her innermost thoughts and feelings, and tools for peace. For people & situations that upset her, she simply would say, “Not everyone thinks the same; It is what it is. You can’t have any expectations.” Mom showed a lot of class handed down from her Mom, Fanny Lou Rosenbaum Ungar, raised in Louisville, with Southern manners and love. And how to enjoy life without everyone’s approval.

And In sobriety, mentors Stan Grant and Jim & LaVon Smith all suggested forgiveness as a tool to sharpen when my feelings were hurt. They simply said, “Steve, why not forgive and love them the way God has loved and forgiven you!”

He has, and it continues, so why not!? Raising kids, through marriage & divorce, having grandkids and a strong-willed girlfriend proves it works!!! Thank you.

Yesterday, we walked the town of Santa Barbara, meeting so many cool people and wandering into some wonderful places. We popped into Brophy Brothers at Santa Barbara Harbor, suggested by good friends, also home of David Crosby’s sailboat Mayan, for dinner and sunset, and wondered out loud how we really got here. Grace, love and forgiveness, and work.

Walking afterwards in the sand, after a beautiful sunset, it is obvious that these were the key ingredients in the formula. Like the song, It’s been a long time gone before the dawn. I’ll use them today to ride the waves and pass it on.