“Free at last, they took your life.  They could not take your pride.  In the name of Love, what more in the name of Love?” ~ Bono

Happy Sunday!

I am feeling lots of good feelings this Sunday.  I feel happy, wise, and proud.  “Pride in the name of Love.”  The song is in my head just now following my realization of feeling proud.  When I first thought to write on this subject that it seemed rather selfish to write about feeling proud. To get my writing flowing I decided to follow the trail that the song was taking me on and did some research. A website I found gave me the lyrics of the song to consider and the author wrote of the following about this song:
“The song is about singular “people” (including Christ as man) that lived their life with pride. Not in a boastful way, but with the pride a person has when their thoughts and actions are motivated by their understanding and full awareness of the dignity and sanctity of ALL human life.
The song is a tribute or illustration or reminder to us, of martyrs to this ideal. It speaks to how they lived their life with an inner Pride in all of humanity and that this Pride is really an expression of God’s love for all of humanity. These people did what they did because they were trying to spread this message of God’s love for all of mankind.” ~ from songfacts.com
I am feeling proud because I recognize that I am really using the tools that I have been recently taught to work through the lessons that life sends me.
Last weeks lesson that came from my fight with Peter was a big one so now I feel proud that I didn’t choose to carry the pain within my heart, ignore it, and identify with the suffering.  I stepped into it boldly with an open mind to learn from the pain and to heal myself and those connected to me.
My lesson was reinforced for me later last Sunday when I watched Oprah’s Lifeclass with Greg Behrendt and Amiira Ruotola on dating smarter.  They talked about how this notion that our partners complete us is wrong and that we need to go into relationships as complete individuals who love ourselves so we can better love another.  Amiira said that the symbol of a couple should not be two parts of a whole but a Venn diagram of two separate circles that overlap showing a shared region.
When I heard this I knew this was the ‘We’ energy that I was feeling that was birthed from my work to resolve my mis-perceptions of my relationship with Peter.  In my mind I imagined the two circles had bumped and banged against each other for a while and finally they joined to overlap forming the new region of We.
I know this new symbol will always be held in my mind to keep me aware and respectful of our relationship.
I am also proud this day that in dealing with a situation at work I chose Love over fear.  A situation was occurring that I let trouble my mind with fear and anxiety.  I put my own perceptions on it and became judgmental of someone.  After a couple of days of having my mind race to conclusions about the situation I recognized my stress as fear and asked the Holy Spirit to help me to see things differently.  The action that came was my knowing that I had to speak directly with this person.  To help me get through this hard conversation first I was guided to read one of my own blog entries from a few weeks ago which gave me courage in reminding me of my wanting to be supportive of another.  Then I asked for help from the Holy Spirit regarding the conversation.  I spoke with the person and heard his perspective, I understood, I felt compassion and have dropped all my previous thoughts about him and my perceptions of his behavior.
A part of me still wants to get anxious with worry about what will happen this week; this part of me wants to plan all the upcoming conversations that need to happen.  I have told my self to surrender it to God and let it be.  I will have faith that the best outcome for all will prevail and that I will choose my role correctly as things unfold.  I will look for the supportive (loving) path over the fear based path.
Finally, I feel pride in finishing my reading of the textbook portion of “The Course in Miracles this morning.  I have been fortunate these last few weeks to be aware of the final lessons of the text paralleling my life lessons on learning how to find compassion for my brothers.  I have used the tools given in ACIM to conquer the demons within myself to find the light in my brother.
I am proud that my vision has started to see that we all are the same in wanting to give and receive Love; that we are all struggling with the mistakes we make, and are all in need of forgiveness to heal our world.  I have learned that I am not alone; I am joined with my brothers and will always have our Father’s help.
I feel ready for the final section of ACIM, the Manual for Teachers.
“And now we say “Amen.” For Christ has come to dwell in the abode You set for Him before time was, in calm eternity.  The journey closes, ending at the place where it began.  No trace of it remains.  Not one illusion is accorded faith, and not one spot of darkness still remains to hide the face of Christ from anyone.  Thy Will is done, complete and perfectly, and all creation recognizes You, and knows You as the only Source it has.  Clear in Your likeness does the Light shine forth from everything that lives and moves in You.  For we have reached where all of us are one, and we are home, where You would have us be.” ~ ACIM final paragraph.
AMEN!