Power Outage

Last night as the full effects of Tropical Storm Fay literally inched closer to our home, we found ourselves facing ever increasing torrential rain and strong, gusty winds. My wife and I were just hanging at the house watching all of it when suddenly everything went black. We live outside the city and even with the electricity running in normal fashion, it is very dark at night. Last night it was as black as crude oil. So black was this kind of darkness, in fact, that it was dangerous to try and walk around in our own home for fear of tripping.

We like to think we're pretty prepared for things. We got out a flashlight, turned on the weather radio, located some candles, and provided our own light. It was adequate for seeing where we were going, but the amount of light necessary for normal function was not available to us. It seemed that no matter how many candles we lit, we were still short on the amount of light we desired. Hmmm, I smell a ramble.

As I sit here now in reflection, which is my favorite thing about Sunday mornings, I am conscious of an analogy regarding light and dark and how the two play into our daily lives. I should add that for me there is no such thing as actual darkness. It is simply the absence of light. How's that for eternal optimism? I am also fairly certain that scientists concur with that statement. :) And when I refer to light, I don't necessarily mean physical light, although we certainly depend on it to see. What I'm really talking about is the kind of light required to see what is really happening.

I am on the other side of a very difficult event which culminated late this week with what I felt would be a wave of relief. Instead, I have sensed a subtle difference between the feeling of relief I expected and what I am actually feeling, which seems to simply be a strong connection with appreciation. It really took until last night for all of that to sink in. Up to that point, I still struggled with some of the remnant emotions related to that event and the impact all of the uncertainty has had on me. I have been looking for things in my life for which appreciation has not been the operative word, and I am finding the process very healing. On a personal note, I am especially appreciative of our dear friends the Johnsons. They know me and they have always been here for me. They allowed me to further my processing this weekend without judgement, and it has played an important role in my getting my head out of my rear end. Thanks guys! You are both good and true; two very needed elements in today's world. These two qualities alone, when uncovered in an individual, constitute a strong foundation for the act of light bearing.

For me, it has become inescapably true that being in the light is good for me. I am honored to be a light bearer when it is my duty to do so, but I am at the same time a willing and hungry soul longing for that kind of light to be poured into and all over me. I never want to be in the dark although it would seem that it is sometimes unavoidable. I like being able to see. I want to really see what is really happening, and I have discovered that seeing is only possible when there is sufficient light. :O

There are many among us living in a sort of darkness that restricts our ability to see. It is disturbing to watch. Sometimes we are not successful in sharing love and light in these situations. This shadow is so overwhelming for some of us that it has the the potential of reaching a point of becoming almost debilitating. We are all responsible for our neighbors, and when we encounter these specific souls, it is imperative that we do all we can to share our selves with them. Lift up your head and look around. It is a beautiful world filled with beautiful people... our extended family, and we are all connected to each other whether we choose to believe it or not. We are truly living in the light when we recognize and see our brothers and sisters as we look into the eyes of those whom we meet in our everydayness. Give yourself away today. I mean it! No hidden price tag connected with just giving yourself away as completely as you can to the one you see who needs it. There is no greater gift than to give your life away in service to another. Your love, your money, your time -- your life.

Peace for the heart of your Sunday, love for the fuel of your mind, no thoughts of self, only for "them" and begin to see your Spirit soar ;-) jb Join my blog network on Facebook

Who is my neighbor?

Happy Friday! If you've been following this blog from the outset, then you know that I have a big issue with exclusion. Oh yeah, I have been excluded but that's ok, my skin is a little thick. I blog some about the term "them" and how we are all touched by this powerfully descriptive word. Today I'm talking about the verb "exclude" and how we all participate in its energy. There may be times when we are aware of it, but at other times it seems to be some sort of auto-load program that just kicks in as a result of some long-held belief. It could simply be our upbringing. Whatever it is, and in spite of our effort to ascend and grow in love, we unknowingly fall into an automatic response mode when confronted with anyone that does not meet, even an unspoken, criterion or condition that we have already set in our minds. When we take place in the experience of judging someone for some reason, the act of exclusion takes place. The really sad thing is that it takes place in our hearts because suddenly we get a case of amnesia in the head. We forget how it feels to be left out and so we do it to someone. How I wish it were not so.

Now, I am not Jeff Baker Psychic. I am Jeff Baker Talks, so I am only speaking/talking from my observations. If you have never excluded, left out, ignored, or snubbed anyone, then I am humbled that you are reading this blog and I insist that you immediately inform me of the source of your secret power -- just kidding -- sort of. I'm certain I don't personally know of anyone that has never done it... but I am nearly equally as certain that most of us have been on the receiving end of it and we know it sucks!

Were it possible (it is not only possible, it is inevitable) -- but even if it was only a remote possibility that we could all remember a truth each time we encounter another person, I believe the world would change in that instant. Now, this may sound like a ramble, and if it does, it's because this is on my mind continually. I am sick of myself and the way I have conditioned my mind to filter people. Some call this profiling. It's not important what we call it. What is important is that we become aware of it and stop it.

Here's a truth: Each person alive today is who they are because of the things they have experienced even up to the very point that their path converges with yours. You are who you are for the very same reason. Of course, you already know this about yourself, right? You do know that you have evolved into the one that others observe by encountering the things you've encountered along your life's journey. You also know that by applying what you've "learned," you now view Every Thing through that specific lens. Agreed?

So, you're walking along and someone with a gas can walks up and tells you they need some money for gas. Their car is stranded up the road. This person has a funny odor and bad teeth. They're dressed shabbily, and they definitely missed out when God was handing out the best skin color. You suspect they are lying anyway so why did God let this horrible situation occur in the first place? Whoa child of God. Remember, you just met another child of God, and they are only the way they are because. So if I'm you, my only appropriate response is to allow that person to be who they are in that moment. Of course, I give them some money. There is never a question of the other's worth, so in a time of need I am honored to help out. Who knows? I might need help one day. I am not judging. I am allowing. For clarity purposes, I am not referring to tolerance. I can tolerate someone and still look down my big nose at them.

However, if I hold in my mind that all any of us really wants is to be loved and accepted just like we are, and like I do, then I can truly allow "them" to be them and I can be me. If we look through the lens of love at each other, we can only see God. Now who would not want to help God out with a little gas money?

Think. About. It.

Peace to them, love for them, including thoughts about them. They are us. And God bless us each and every One. -- jb

Hey! Drop me line. I'd love to hear what you think about these rambles. Who knows? You might just save us all a bunch of time while I'm trying to figure this thing out. In the meantime Join my blog network on Facebook Blog Networks. Thanks!