Some Howard Thurman Goodness on Ecstatic Friday

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In my quest to learn more about Howard Thurman, I came across this quote: "Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." That's good advice for us all. If we are on earth, then we still have time to do that which we were born to do. And, what we were born to do is to come alive in every fiber of our being. Even if it is only a few moments a day, do it and watch the magic happen.

Happy Ecstatic Friday!

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I spent the week studying the works of Howard Thurman, minister, educator and influencer to MLK. As many have said, "Without a Howard Thurman, there is no Martin Luther King." While it will take some time to process what I've read, I've already fallen in love with this quote: "Do not be silent; there is no limit to the power that may be released through you." Do not be silent. Say something today which is authentically YOU. It could be kindness. It could be standing up for justice. It could be singing. It could be gratitude. Give voice to your truth and trust that the Divine will come through you in powerful and life-changing ways. And, that makes for an Ecstatic Friday! Let's live it. Amen

Finding our forever home

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Many of my FB friends have shared videos of adopted dogs finding their forever homes. Watching these transformations from sorrow to pure jubilation reminded me of this Rumi quote: "You think of yourself as a citizen of the universe. You think you belong to this world of dust and matter. Out of this dust you have created a personal image, and have forgotten about the essence of your true origin." Want to know the true origins of you? You are divine. You are joy personified. You are love in motion. You have a forever home. Here's to living some portion of today knowing this to be truest of truths! Amen. Right on. Shalom. Salaam. Namaste. And, so it is.

For Good, Ecstatic Friday, 6 November

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I woke up this morning with "For Good" that delicious duet from Wicked ricocheting around my brain. The song celebrates how friends change each other in profound ways. I love this phrasing, "So much of me is made of what I learned from you. You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart." In an every day world where we catch up via social media, text and, very occasionally, a phone call, I think it is important to state that if you are reading this, you have made a difference in my life. And, for that I am very grateful. We wouldn't be friends in this forum if you were not important to me. So, throw off your bowlines and do something today to celebrate the incredible person that YOU are. You deserve it.

Ecstatic Friday, 30 October 2015

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It is very rare that I awake on Friday without some inspiration to post. This morning, however, I had nothing. No insight. No quote. Nada. Zip. No amount of searching or prayer brought forth anything but silence.

Then, I turned to the silence and said, "What am I missing?" And, with loud, thundering clarity it came: gratitude.

And, close on its heels came this quote from Tecumseh, the Shawnee Chief: "When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light. Give thanks for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. And if perchance you see no reason for giving thanks, rest assured the fault is in yourself.”

Well played, Universe, well played.

23 October Ecstatic Friday

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Happy Ecstatic Friday from a bright and shiny Wichita, Ks. On my walk this morning, a Walt Whitman quote surfaced: "Some people are so much sunlight to the square inch.” Here's to your day being spent with someone who radiates sunlight for you. Or, even better, be your own sunshine and warm the world around you. Namaste!

Ecstatic Friday 16 October

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Leaves are falling here in Colorado signaling that 2015 will soon be at an end. I began this year as a dedication to remove all the unnecessary things in my life, à la Michelangelo setting the angel free from the stone.

While that is still a work in progress, there is one truth I can share from this time of discovery. It comes from Dr. Seuss: "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

So, get out there and celebrate being YOU today because you do it better than anyone else. Live it up and laugh it up.

9 October Ecstatic Friday

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Autumn always brings a certain amount of reflection in my life and this morning I was reminded of one of my favorite Steve Jobs quote. Not sure why I want to share it, but here you go for whoever needs it out there: "Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition." Exactly.

2 October Ecstatic Friday

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Today, I toast the "saunterers" of life... those people who stroll, dosey-doe and amble through this season of harvest. I read recently that John Muir hated the word "hike."

He said, "I don't like either the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not hike! Do you know the origin of that word 'saunter?' It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, 'A la sainte terre,' (To the Holy Land.) And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them."

I woke up this morning in my own mountain tabernacle. Hope you, too, are close to nature and can take a stroll to enjoy her good tidings!

Ecstatic Friday, September 25, 2015

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The novelist Graham Greene waited several years for a meeting with the wondrous Padre Pio.

When the time came, though, Greene walked out of the monastery without meeting him and said, "I don’t want to change my life by meeting a saint."

In my experience, when you meet someone whose life is aligned with the Divine, it changes you. The visit this week by the Pope seems to be working some magic. I hope all remember his wonderful advice: "We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace."

Preaching peace is a sermon I can get behind! Namaste.

Ecstatic Friday, 18 September 2015

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Our dog, Cooper, the bear tracking, fish trapping, grouse flushing mountain dog, has one very specific quirk.

If he ever gets his own poop on any part of his body he goes into complete paralysis and refuses to take one step more until divine intervention (in the form of one of us) gets it off. Then, he merrily trots away like nothing has happened.

While on our walk this morning, I realized that we humans are exactly the same way. We can take anything that comes our way from the external world, but the moment we come in contact with our own crap? Fuggedaboutit. We shut down. Paralysis takes over our bodies and we refuse to move until God, himself, intervenes.

Here's a revelation, folks, if you believe the Divine is omnipresent, then the Divine is in the crap, too. So, acknowledge the crap you made, but keep moving. That's the secret. Keep moving because as Hafiz says, "since Happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you." Believe it. Namaste.

Ecstatic Friday, 11 September 2015

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 Ecstatic Friday is hard on days when haunting memories of the fear, uncertainty and terror of 14 years ago come rushing back.

In these past years, I met a quote from Mister Rogers that helps me: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

That's the memory I choose to keep; from the brave first responders to the millions around the world who housed the displaced and comforted the hurting.

My friend, Kevin Tuerff, urges folks on this day to do 3 kind things to help a stranger. Isn't that a wonderful way to pay tribute? We are better than hate and fear; we are compassionate, resilient helpers. Namaste.

Ecstatic Friday, 4 September 2015

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Lately, I've been thinking about what being a couple means. Sometimes, being a "couple" subsumes the individuals. And for others, though -- like my brother, Jim and his wife, Fran Stout -- the individuals are stronger by being together.

In the end, whether it is being in a romantic coupling, being a parent, or being a trusted friend, we all want to find our own spot.

As Maya Angelou said: “You rose into my life like a promised sunrise, brightening my days with the light in your eyes. I've never been so strong. Now I'm where I belong."  

Ecstatic Friday, May 22, 2015

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First Ecstatic Friday 2015, Colorado style. Sunlight on snow-covered mountains, bunnies hopping outside. No matter where you are, I hope you heed these wise words from Anne Frank: “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.” Here's to finding your happiness today on this gorgeous gem called Earth.

Ecstatic Friday February 27, 2015

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To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Iwo Jima flag raising and the loss of 26,000 lives this week, Dad and I went to the Iwo Jima museum in Harlingen, On this Ecstatic Friday, when all around people are certain that thanks to immigration, religious extremism, changing times (fill in your own blank), that the US is headed for doom, it was a good reminder of Bill Clinton's quote: "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.” While some of you may believe we are on the path to ruin, I steadfastly hold that the spirit of democracy, innovation and compassion will always be the right course of action. It's going to be okay, people. Just breathe.