Excerpt
from Volume 2
Introduction
i.
It
is not important to the scope of this book that you know my
entire life-story, but it is worth noting that my life has
been a great launching pad for all my current endeavors, including
my writings and recordings.
Suffice
it to say that like many of you, I grew up in a little town,
progressed through school, went to college, fell in love-
did all the things that we humans do. It is important for
me to mention, as well, that from an early age I was encouraged
by my parents, both intellectuals, to read voraciously, and
to become a life-long seeker of truth.
And
so I have.
I
believe my purpose (as I currently understand it) is that
of artist and healer through art. I am a writer, poet, musician,
composer, orchestrator, and recording artist. I believe that
God and I decided, before my soul incarnated here on earth,
that I would use these abilities to help others in the world.
My
life seems to go in eight-year cycles. For the first eight
years after college I used the above abilities to teach and
educate others in a variety of ways. I have for the last eight
years used those skills to perform over 5000 inspirational,
live, musical programs for elders in the various settings
in which they reside.
ii.
Now,
at the direction of Spirit, I am entering a new mode where
I believe I will work more at home as an artist: creating
recordings for elders in my studio, writing journals, poetry,
music and books on the spiritual journey, and making inspirational
CDs, cassettes, and videos for people of all ages.
In
this way, I hope I can touch many more lives with messages
of love, healing, and joy through music and the spoken and
written word.
This book, which is a synthesis of many things I have learned
on my spiritual journey is one of the ways I hope to accomplish
the above goals and new direction in my life and work. If
you wish to see other books I have written, or recordings
I have made, please consult Appendix B at the back of this
book.
I
do not purport to be a spiritual teacher and certainly not
a guru by any means, but I am an ardent and quite diligent
seeker of truth. It is my sincere hope that many of the things
published in this book may resonate with you and be of help
to you as you move along your own spiritual path.
I
wish, in closing, to say a few words of thanks:
I
thank God, who is present in us and all around us, and in
whose love we swim!
I
thank the Reverend Louise Dunn, who is the best therapist,
and spiritual counselor I ever had, and who is a great spiritual
teacher.
iii.
I
thank Rev. Joan Cerk who so unhesitatingly believed in my
new projects, and right from the beginning gave me her prayers,
made my work a part of her tithe, and primed the pump of abundance
for me with her spontaneous giving.
I
thank all scriptures and wise words, spoken or written, which
are based in love.
I
thank all avators, saints, sages, and spiritual leaders who
have sown seeds of love throughout the ages
I
thank my dear friend Jackie Martin, whose counsel, aid, love,
patience, flexibility, and hard work on my behalf has made
this transition into a new phase in my work possible.
I
thank Jackie's niece Andrea Welsh, who was a helper with my
work for a little while. I thank my current assistant, Creg,
who is so clever and hardworking.
I thank my parents: David- my father, Marlene- my birth mother,
and Judi- my angelic stepmother whom I thank for truly being
a mother to me. I thank my parents for giving me birth, support,
financial help, and teaching me to love goodness and wisdom.
I
thank my family, immediate and extended, who always love me,
come to my aid, and never seem question or doubt me- even
when I seem constantly to be moving in a new direction, and
be forever "evolving".
I
thank my friends and all those I have loved in my life for
the love and teaching they have given to me me over the years.
iv.
I
thank Dewey for his generosity and support. None of this new
mode of serving God and humanity would have been possible
without his help.
And
finally, last but not least, I thank my little doggie Merty,
whom I named after Thomas Merton, the Trappist hermit who
paradoxically was very much in the public eye, due to his
writings. My little Merty was a special friend during a difficult
period in my life, when I felt very alone, yet spent a great
deal of time performing in public. Merty forgives me when
I am too busy and don't give him all the love he deserves.
He reminds me to rest, and to play; and sometimes, he positively
makes me step outside of myself, stop what I am doing, and
pay attention to him- which sometimes is just what I need
to do!
A
poem on what it means to be human…
1.
ANGELS
DANCE 'ROUND US
angels dance 'round us
with quiet feet
we cannot hear their movement
though sometimes there is a small audible sigh
sometimes
we feel their frustration
sense their amused little stare
angels
dance 'round us
as we are carried on God's shoulders
which are very wide
perched stop them as He moves
we feel the cosmos spin
and want to dance with God and the angels
but
we are clumsy
we
are like the Tin Man
in need of oil-
a rusty machine-man
which has forgotten how to run
and
all around us
the angels whirl!-
pushing and pulling our feet up and down
as we try to get the steps
feel the beat
and the joy
and
just when they are ready to give up
falling down all around us
winded, exasperated
weary of pushing and pulling our feet:
we
get it!
we dance!
dance
the joyful dance
to the music of earth, heavens, stars and spheres
dance to the pulsation of life-
finally
we move freely
we are quickened
dancing the dance of joy
and finally expelling fear
we dance the dance of Love
of life!
AN
ORIGINAL WORK OF ART
My
rendering of an Egyptian tomb relief.
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