WE ARE FAMILY, SVAHA –
“[In the past] we
may have placed spe
cial requirements on our
friends, coworkers, or family
members.” ” … we’ve learned
that people can differ with us
on important matters and
still be loving, support
ive friends.” (Over
eaters Anon. , p. 134)
“A family is a
place where minds
come in contact with
one another. If these minds
love one another the home
will be as beautiful as a flower
garden. But if these minds
get out of harmony with
one another it is like a
storm that plays havoc
with the garden.”
Gautam Buddha (563 BC – 483 BC) ancient Indian spiritual teacher
WE ARE FAMILY ( Gene Hackman in drag – The Birdcage)
Brief Buddha Bio (3:40)
The 14 Principles of Life According to Gautam Buddha (3:49)
How have you helped strengthen your spiritual family, lately?
The Poor Devotee :
Once a very poor man lived in a village. He worked very hard the whole day. But the wages of his labour could barely feed his family once a day. His house was nothing but an old hut with a leaky roof. But all through such misery, the poor man did not ever complain to God. He was also thankful for what he had. He went to the village temple everyday. There he would offer flowers to God and then go around the temple seven times over. Only then would the poor man go to work.
Once, God felt very sorry for the poor condition of his devotee. So he thought, “Tomorrow I will keep a bag full of gold coins for him outside the temple. He will pick it up and all his miseries will be over.”
Next morning, the devotee decided to go around the temple with his eyes closed and chanting God’s name. So he never saw the bag with gold coins.
After his departure, God took the bag and said, “No one gets anything before his lucky time or more than his fortune has in its order.”
Good morning everyone + Happy Friday. Today’s thought is simply, WE ARE FAMILY! All we have to do to be in God’s family is to love + serve Him + to love + serve all others. If we can do this,the world will be at peace. Blessings. BB
I need to be reminded daily that I am a spiritual being learning to be human. So, every conversation, every event, every act in my life is a spiritual connection. Every act of spirituality (which is every act) is an act of intimacy and moves me closer to learning my spiritual purpose. Namaste.
I think something as simple as having lunch with someone,helps strenghten friendships and brotherhood/sisterhood within the group.
I am blessed to have some 7 deep friendships in which I can discuss spiritual matters, people that really know me. But they all live across the country. But I have very few in LA. So I would say the only close spiritual family that I am becoming a part of is AA. Which is huge but it is interesting that I’ve lived in LA for 4 years and am just getting around to cultivating a real life. I guess I always thought I wouldn’t live in LA very long. Spirituality for me has always been a very personal thing that I didn’t share much.
I have 7 people that I really connect spiritually just to clarify. Talking about spiritual things and being spiritually connected can be 2 different things.
That Gene Hackman in drag makes me laugh every time I see it. I mean, if he can take baby steps toward fully embracing the changes in his family then surely I can do my part as well in mine.
A friend at my job hates it when I say, “You’re always exactly where you are supposed to be.” So that when things are not going smoothly for me she will always chime in, “You’re always exactly where you’re supposed to be!” Regardless of her reason for saying it, it is a great reminder that at all times I am working a grand design to learn my life lessons: don’t be afraid of people; there is no such thing as failure; teachers will appear in your life; I make the lessons harder when I resist them; I have power in my own life; I have a Higher Power in my own life; sometimes it’s okay to sit back and watch the magnificence of the universe play itself out.