Attitude

The struggle is real.

And so is the solution.

Every pageant contestant can tell us about how they value world peace. It's a simple cause to advocate because it is of universal concern - excepting, of course the fanatics out there.

We're thinking globally, but want for ways to act locally.

And let's think very locally --- very micro.

I was washing dishes this morning when I felt like I needed a sandblaster to clean one plate. With each revolution of my hand, I grumbled. I complained. I cursed the stuck-on bits of food.

I noticed that it felt like I was massaging my plate.

The motion of my hand changed as the context of this chore changed. I became mindful. I became relaxed. I became. I was the focused Karate Kid of dish washing.

The work is going to always need to be done. I learned a great deal about how an attitude can change things.

Maybe instead of let there be peace on Earth...

Let there be a global attitude adjustment, and let it begin with me. [Smile]

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Peace be with you!

Viola Liuzzo and our comfort zones

As we observe Black History Month, we remember the heroes of the movement that expanded rights and freedoms for us all, regardless of race or ethnicity. Hidden among the legendary figures of that turbulent time is the name of someone who is nearly as obscure as the life that she lived and lost.

The 1960s were the decade of Donna Stone and June Cleaver, so we don't normally give much currency or credit to the 'average' housewife of that era. The women of that time were supposedly mopping floors while wearing a fabulous mink stole, cleaning toilets with a string of pearls around their neck or fussing over a fixing dinner for a surprise visit from her husband's boss.

These indeed were comfortable times for many suburban Americans who watched helplessly while young people from all walks of life risked their lives in the killing fields of the Deep South. So, why did Viola Liuzzo, a white woman from the Wolverine State, take it upon herself to leave her domestic life to get entangled in the bloody civil rights movement?

She saw the injustices being committed against her fellow human being. The flickering images of Selma inspired her to stop viewing life from the sidelines and she took a stand; she was already attending her local Unitarian church in Michigan and joined the NAACP. This however, was not enough.

Mrs. Liuzzo believed that she was fighting everyone's fight when she decided to go south to do what she believed was the right thing. She marched from Selma to Montgomery to show the voices of hatred and intolerance that the voices of love and peace are louder than any bigot.

Mrs. Liuzzo, tragically, was killed by four klansmen for committing the unforgivable sin of ferrying protesters in her family car. She left her comfort zone, as many Americans dared not do, so future generations could enjoy the freedoms and liberties that we take for granted today.

Mrs. Liuzzo's death did not end injustice or prejudice, but opened the eyes of a nation to what can be done for others. If only we would leave our own comfort zones to take the brave step toward building a better nation that works for all. We are Mrs. Liuzzo's legacy if only we speak out wherever and whenever we can.

Thank you, Viola Liuzzo (1925-1965)

Big brother is waiting...

This Saturday evening was much more loaded with anticipation for an only child who attended kindergarten down the block and lived alone with two loving parents. His father was out to sea and his grandmother flew down from Ohio. Having moved from his birth state of California, Florida was a stable new home for him and there were no major upheavals in his early life save the passing of his maternal grandmother. As his own mother grew in size and great with child, he was puzzled by this impending arrival. He was astonished that there was somebody growing inside this magical oven. He rubbed his mother's tummy in hope of feeling a kick or a nudge from the newest Meeks. The day came on a Monday when his mother was spirited away to hospital and he pondered the scene of the delivery. He was going to be a big brother. He was going to be an elder in his own home with lessons and joys to share with this bright, new sibling. The brand new girl came into the house much smaller than I had anticipated, as I announced to my mother and grandmother that she was too small to play with yet! New life entered my home and, suddenly my home became our home. My parents became our parents. My world became our world. Ashlee Ja'Near Meeks meant an expansion in my world and growth in my spirit. Thirty-three years later, I think back to that weekend of waiting. Thirty-three years later, I remember the door opening. Thirty-three years later, I am still a boy who is proud to be a big brother. I love you! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

9/11 - From grief to grace

I was teaching English at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida when the towers fell. My heart sank when I received word from our security officer that the World Trade Center was struck again. I recalled the time in 1993 when the World Trade Center was first attacked and it never occurred to me that these mighty towers would crumble like my heart would that horrible day. The outcry was swift and brutal against those whom we believed to be behind this act of terrorism that killed over 3,000 people. The anger was understandable, but it often manifested itself in violent words and actions that victimized innocent people who happened to share a faith that was perverted by an evil few. Having returned home from the United States Air Force, where I served as a medic at Dover Air Force Base, the memories were also fresh of being part of the ceremony in which the bodies of those who perished in the attack on the U.S.S. Cole were repatriated to America. I also knew that, as a new Uniteens sponsor that I could do something to make a difference in how we reacted to this crisis. Through fate or Divine Order, our Uniteens group had a lock-in scheduled for that weekend. While our original purpose was to have fun, we faced a more solemn task when we gathered for our weekend sleepover. That weekend, we prayed and meditated over the tragedy that befell our world and we prayed and meditated over the world that we were responsible for co-creating with God. Moving forward, I challenged myself and our Uniteens to reach out in Spirit to find the common good in all. After that lock-in ended, I decided that I would incorporate ecumenical lessons into our curriculum. I found a book that was based on the HBO documentary, "How Do You Spell God?" I also purchased a copy of the video to share with the Uniteens. I felt that it was especially urgent to learn more about world religions and faiths because, when I was in junior high school, I held onto the belief that we were either Christians or we were nothing. It was simply how I was raised as a young Baptist before I joined Unity. This was no simple task, but I chose to make it engaging and joyful for our children. We created mandalas, we performed service projects and we connected with other Uniteens' groups in the spirit of the world that we wanted to see become a reality. I also decided to leave my own complacent comfort zone and attended Saturday meditation at our local Buddhist temple. I also attended synagogue in the San Jose area of Jacksonville - and attended my first Bar Mitzvah. These were the lessons and gifts that I wanted to use to ensure that over 3,000 people did not die in vain. Healing is not easy, but it was something that I felt that it was a task that we were all up to taking up as a cause for life. We can still observe 9/11 through enlightening ourselves to vanquish the darkness of ignorance and hatred. This is our call and this is our cause to ensure that future generations will never have a day like was had on that fateful Tuesday. Epilogue: This morning I attended Sunday morning worship service as usual, but was treated to something unusual. One of the Uniteens who attended our lock-in during that week in 2001 started volunteering in our Sunday school today. I am very proud of her for not only enriching her life through Unity, but serving a new generation of Unity students in a spirit of love and light!

Young Hollywood

"I AM big. It's the PICTURES that got small." - Norma Desmond, Sunset Boulevard

When I took film making class at the University of North Florida, I made it a mission of mine to see as many classic films that I could find. Hollywood's magical machine had a way of telling stories once upon a time. Although a little worn around the edges from competing with new media, the motion picture is still the art form that surpasses the rest in defining our popular culture. The past is prologue in our lives and Hollywood provides us with a parable in honoring those who came before us. Before there was a Steven Spielberg, there was a D.W. Griffith. Before there was a Natalie Portman, there was a Gloria Swanson. Before there was a Brad Pitt, there was a Montgomery Clift. Our heritage is the legacy of those who blazed a path for us. Yes, Hollywood is preoccupied with youth. Yes, the youthful demographics are what prompt filmmakers to be fickle and flighty in who they package to be the next star. What will never change is the work after which we pattern our new plots and stories. You might ask me what in the world does a fantasy world have to do with the one we live in today. I would answer that we and the entertainment industry have a great deal in common. We can ill afford to discard our past for the sake of embracing the future. The Bible cautions us to honor our fathers and our mothers for we can live a long life from such respect. This, metaphysically, does not mean that being nice to our parents will extend our life expectancy. It means that by recognizing our elders in the flow of life, we understand that longevity is not a vice but a virtue. The picture was big for me when I was a youth and listened to my church elders. I scarcely knew who they were and I always wanted to know what they knew because they were a fountainhead of wisdom that would help me on my journey. One woman comes to mind when I think about my times in Grenson Hall - our fellowship hall - after our Sunday worship services. One woman of advanced age was a faithful attendee of our church. She had a faded tattoo on her arm that she extended to me in friendship. We always exchanged pleasantries and conversation as I staffed the doughnut table that was our YOU fundraiser to support our local, regional and international functions. She, like Rev. Bonnie Grenson, always wanted to take home a small treat for dessert. In return for her doughnut or cookie, she always placed her love offering in the YOU basket and she always paid me back with a smile I left for college and, when I returned, she was no longer there. I learned that she had made her transition. That is not the only thing I discovered about my late friend. Ann was a survivor of the Holocaust. That explained her faded tattoo. She chose a spiritual path in Unity that I trust helped her with her transition. I miss her because I could have learned a lot more from her, but I appreciate the influence that Ann had in my life. The pictures in our world only get small because we allow them to. We must open our eyes to the big picture that we are all big and that our presence must never shrink in the infinite Light, Power and Glory of God. And, when I am in the twilight of my own years in this mortal world, I hope that I will be honored even a fraction of the way I honored Ann and many of my brothers and sisters like her.

"The stars are ageless, aren't they?" - Norma Desmond, Sunset Boulevard

Power to the people!

We are not powerless. When we say that we lack power or strength, we are affirming not just the negative, we are telling a serious untruth about ourselves. We are all born with an indwelling and innate power that propels us into this world of the living and wakes us to a new day for the entirety of our lives. Power is not some abstract dream of absolute control. That is the abuse of our natural powers that were meant for good. Power is a natural force that we harness each day to bring about the best in our world and is a natural force that he harness each day to build a world that works for all. Call this internal engine what you want - God, Light, Spirit, Life, Truth or whatever - this is the motivation that is readily available for us all of the time. What is my motivation? What is your motivation? It depends on what your purpose is in this world That is not for me to decide for you. You must take charge and decide why you do what you do or do not do. What I do not believe in is allowing our engines to idle when our work is yet to be complete. I learned this important lesson once upon a time when I was in high school and president of my Youth of Unity (YOU) chapter in Jacksonville, Florida. Please forgive me for revisiting this topic as I have touched upon it earlier in my blog, but this experience is what directs my actions today. In the early 1980s, our church experienced a terrible split over differing philosophies about what Unity means. There were no heroes or villains, just friends who disagreed and decided to part ways. This parting of ways was never meant to be the end, but the beginning of new Unity in our community. Instead, it marked the beginning of exile for brothers and sisters in Truth who shared the same path with my church community. When I was elected to be president of my YOU chapter, I was only sixteen years old but I knew that power meant nothing if I did not express it for the good of my community. With the lessons that I learned in Unity, I reached out to our friends across town. I paid the price because this was not a popular move - especially for a Young Turk who was not supposed to know any better. Yet, I did not walk away because the Truth is what ultimately set us free from the bondage of division. I did not walk away because my brothers and sisters in Truth did not allow me to. Instead of being discouraged, I wanted to do whatever I could in my power to bring more Unity into the commUNITY. It did not matter if I was elected, appointed or chosen to do so. We have the power of ourselves and not position to affect change. Did it help for me to be a member of my church board of directors to continue bringing our Unity churches together? Yes, it did. It also helped that I was surrounded by friends and family who supported me every step of the way. When I saw our former ministers return from a long exile to visit with us, it made me proud to be a 'Unitic.' Their return marked a homecoming for the true unity that brought us to the movement in the first place. Do not misunderstand, power does not necessarily mean that we have to move mountains every day. The power that we have speaks to its own strength. Our power may manifest itself in moments, minutes, months or even beyond our lifetimes, but we do indeed have the power to make things happen. Namaste

FTW

Back in ancient times when I had a MySpace page, I wondered electronically about the possibility of being a failure as I approached my mid-30s. I was still single, had no children and rented an apartment in suburban Jacksonville.

To gain a greater perspective on my imagined competition that was causing my feelings of defeat, let's go back to the beginning. When I was spending the summer with my cousins in South Carolina and Maryland, we all played summer games on a level playing field. Although I was not the most physically coordinated child, I enjoyed our hide-and-go-seek, our foot races, and our youthful adventures.

Over the years, however, I felt like I was trapped in amber like a fossil while my generation lived their lives. They had children, they got married and they had more children. I felt great shame because I brought nothing to the table as my mother's side of the family was expanding and I seemed to be stagnating. My parents and maternal aunts and uncles were rightfully proud of the new blood in the family and I was simply becoming an irrelevant relic.

This seems to be the American way, right? We are always struggling to keep up with the Jonses to accumulate the most things in life. Yes, the two-car garage and the white picket fence figure in to that all as well, but I have struggled to be happy with myself unconditionally. Once I stop comparing myself to others, I know, I will be truly happy with all that I have and will stop seeking to be someone else.

Easier said than done. LOL!

This is the most frustrating part of my spiritual journey. I have spent much of my youth seeking approval from others. Although I know that it was to help me strive to be a better person, I still remember the times that my mother told me that I could not do anything right and that I was lazy. This admonishment has been a motivator and an albatross to be at the same time. Narcotics may never get the best of me, but the desire for approval and the desire to be liked have become my most incorrigible addictions.

I realize that the point of being on the path is to finally overcome and transcend, but some quests are more challenging than others for me. Between having a sister who is engaged to be married and a cousin who is expecting his fourth child, it does not seem to matter what I can do in life because I have failed in establishing a meaningful family of my own.

I bet you are asking why I am even writing this blog entry if there is no handy resolution to my situation. I guess it is out of my own understanding that this imperfect world will yield resolutions in its own time. As I pick up the puzzle pieces, I will find clarity as long as I realize that I have more growing to do and do not give up in my search for wholeness.

In the meantime, my mission is to teach myself and others that single does not have to mean lonely. I am grateful for the circle of friends that I have developed over the years through my school, my church, my work and my travels. And, in a time when single adults are outnumbering married adults, I dare say that I have become the Joneses in a weird way. But this does not matter as much as following my own bliss. Then, I will have truly won. FOR THE WIN