Feeling the Presence of God

Feeling God's Presence

Friday, August 2, 2013

Feeling the Presence of God

I'm inspired...just looking out my window!   There's choreography going on with all the leaves in my sight.   I have some mighty trees and they all have healthy, sturdy branches and boughs, festive  with the greenest leaves...and when the wind blows, it's a sight to behold...they're all doing a dance...graceful as can be...and I never get tired just watching.

It makes me know that God is in charge and the performance outside my window proves it.

It's spring and even the newest green leaves have joined in, firmly attached, and it's like a big chorus where they all move.   No wall flowers on my tree!    They move in unison!  And when the sun shines between the branches, that's an added bonus...it's in 'living color

They dance and if a bug is on a leaf, they get a real ride...just like going to Disney.   There are thousands of leaves just moving around right in front of my vision and I'm delighting in every one.

  If I desire to open my window, I get sound!   The melody of the rustling of the leaves...so tranquil and sweet.     It makes me feel happy from within.

And when fall comes...we have mulch.

Shredded Leaves are natures favorite mulch. Shredded leaves can be used as mulch anywhere and have the added bonus of being free

Much better than dancing with the stars!   This is no competition...more like dancing with the sky!  

These are living things and I treasure each leaf for the happiness and the natural air conditioning it brings.  The birds also take pleasure in my tree...a resting place from their flight.   Even the squirrels scamper up and down the trunk....so much fun!

In Genesis in the Bible, the tree is one of the very first things that God created..and all through the ages our ancestors have seen what I'm writing about.

Dear Reader, you, too, can have a thrilling day...just look out your window!
 
So much excitement...and all for free!  Take it all in!

A Blessing for a Surrogate Mother

 

9

I just had to put this in my blog

“Do you know of a prayer for a surrogate?” The question came over Facebook Chat a few nights ago, sent by a young woman in my community named Tara. In the coming days, Tara will begin carrying an embryo for a couple who were not able to conceive on their own.  For Tara, this has been a deep spiritual journey. She has two children of her own, and felt so blessed by easy and healthy pregnancies. And while cherishing her own beautiful sons, she felt overwhelmed by the deep pain and heartache that infertility causes to so many people. Tara knew she wanted to help.

In the Hebrew Bible, we meet many women who struggle with infertility. There’s Rachel, who watches her sister carry baby after baby, struggling herself to conceive her own beloved sons, Joseph and Benjamin. There’s Hannah, who is so deeply pained by her inability to bare a child, that when she prays with all of her heart, Eli the Cohen believes that her passion and her devotion is a sign of being drunk. Hannah sways back and forth, opening her mouth, and only releasing a voice that is loud enough for she herself to hear. This kavanah, or deep intention, is the model that we use for personal prayer today.

Possibly the most well known story of infertility is found in this week’s Torah portion—Vayera.  After struggling for years to conceive, Sarah is told that she and Abraham will have a child in their old age – and she laughs, and thus the child is given the name Yitzhak. Our rabbis teach that her laughter carries with it a feeling of surprise and even doubt. And yet, I prefer to focus on the essential truth that exists within big, unbridled laughter—tremendous, heartfelt, contagious joy. Sarah would finally know the extraordinary joy of being a mother.

Today, I know so many women and men who desperately want to experience that very same joy.

In just a few short days, an embryo will be implanted within Tara’s uterus, formed by a loving mother and father who are unable to create a baby without Tara’s help. And so, for Tara, I have written this blessing:

Makor HaChayim, Source of Life
= = = = == = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = == = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Inspire me to become a holy vessel, blessed with the opportunity to carry this precious seed, providing nourishment and warmth within the deep embrace of my womb.

Infuse me with patience. Through each hour of each day, may I have the strength to feel the blessing of the moment, knowing that with each breath that we share, life is closer to being renewed.

Rekindle within me courage, for in holding this seed, I am not merely making a child—I am also creating a mother and a father. I am forming a family. And within that family, a whole universe of possibility dwells.

And at this time, especially, instill within me the power and potential of love, that I may remain tender and devoted to all those who are connected to my heart.  As my body changes and grows, so may my capacity to embody love expand and unfold as well.