The Gravel Road to Grace

Years ago, a co-worker/friend was going through some life challenges. She had also shared some past experiences and how mistakes from years ago still haunted her and she didn’t know if they would ever be resolved. I told her that, one day, when she was ready to share all of it, I would write her story. We would call it, The Gravel Road to Grace.

Fast-forward a few years – her situation changed. She moved through the life challenges with dignity and resolve. She achieved her heart-felt dream of resolution for some old issues and life is better. She has fulfillment, love, peace. Life is Good.

Of course, this summary is missing a lot of the detail, a lot of the “gravel” my friend had to drive over – or be dragged over – on her way to a lighter, happier life. It’s the same for all of us. Our human life on earth has many challenges. There are usually more gravel roads than paved, from the viewpoint of resistance, stubbornness, unforgiveness. Does gravel go on forever? No. When we do come upon a smooth stretch of pavement, we need to make the most of it and enjoy it while it lasts. Does the paved path go on forever? No. It’s a mix of the two. But I do believe we can get to a place where there is more paved than gravel, or where there is more peace than pain, more tolerance, acceptance, unconditional love, Gratitude. Grace.

The path to Grace is a journey of Awakening. We have heard about God’s Grace, for example. And, statements like, “There, but for the Grace of God, go I,” meaning we recognize when someone else seems to have a tougher road to travel than we do. But I believe Grace is not something we have to earn through hard trials and repentance. It’s more a State of Being we Awaken to or become Aware of as we continue this journey. Often, these periods of enlightenment come during some of life’s most challenging experiences. It’s easy to turn to God, or Spirit, or Source, or the Universe, when we are suffering. It’s a knee-jerk response. It’s automatic. “God! Please help me!” we cry as the walls close in, the light fades, the friends desert us. For some reason, it’s more challenging to keep God in our forefront when times are Good, when things are going our way, when the path is smooth. Maybe not so much challenging as mindful. When the tank is full, why worry about running out of gas? When life is Good, why keep praying and keeping ourselves in conscious connection with our Creator, when we don’t have any disasters facing us?

If you’ve ever ridden a bike down a gravel road and crashed, you know the pain and anguish of gravel and dirt mixed with blood and torn skin over knees, shins, elbows, hands. You thought things were going along fine. The wheels were turning, your hands were controlling the steering of the handlebars, then suddenly, the front wheel hits a rock or hole; or your attention is diverted, causing you to lose your grip. You may wonder why this happened? What did you do wrong? Of course, this is symbolic of the trials and tribulations we face almost every day, but having a regular practice of prayer, meditation, mindfulness, or some other centering activity that helps us stay Aligned with our Higher Self, our Inner Being, God, or whatever you identify with in that regard, helps to keep us balanced and focused when tough times arise, when we have those gravel-road crashes and detours.

Some people say Grace has to be earned, that it’s not a given; that it is given by God to those who suffer the most and therefore deserve it. But I believe that Grace is part of our Original Blessing. It is available to anyone who is willing to receive it. The Creator does not reward and punish us with our life challenges. We do that through our own choices (made with our Free Will). The Creator’s Grace is available to us as part of our spiritual evolution. It’s all about levels of Awareness. No one person is more Spiritual than another – no one has the market on Grace, Spirituality, Goodness. We are first and foremost Spiritual Beings, expressing part of our Spirit or Consciousness into this physical plane for the purpose of learning about Creation, Growth, Blessings, Unconditional Love, Grace. Everything we go through is for the purpose of our own growth and development in Knowing who we are as Spiritual Beings. When we practice this Awareness every day, we develop strength and confidence (Faith) that is available to draw upon during the physical or gravel road experiences of life. Everything hinges on our Awareness, Acceptance, Allowance.

There will always be times when we are traveling down the gravel road, but Grace is right there with us, our co-Driver, if we allow it.

May the Blessings and Grace be yours, no matter the road you travel.

(I know this is a little jumbled, but I wanted to capture these thoughts while they were fresh)

(gravel road image by wire stock on Freepik)

The Sourceful Surge of Inspiration

Last week, I was writing words of appreciation for Wanda Sue Parrott and her influence on my writing and spiritual life, and made reference to the term “Sourceful Surge,” in reference to the unrelenting sense to express creatively that which Spirit or God or the Universe or Whateveryoucallit instills in every human. If we wake up in the morning, it is within us, seeking expression through whatever words or actions we commit ourselves to that day. Wanda was inspired by that term, which I have not seen used before, and she correctly refined its meaning as Unconditional Love. That’s the True Essence of what God expresses through us. We get to choose how we express – or repress – it. “Sourceful” is the Point of Origin of Creation, the Heart of the Creator flowing forever forward in Its quest to be revealed. “Surge” is the verb, the action part of the quest, that pushing-pulling-dragging feeling we often fight against.

You can tell when you’re experiencing the Sourceful Surge by how you feel. It feels natural, automatic, connected, mindless, wordless, soundless, boundless, timeless, except for the feeling of Freedom as it flows from you, courses through you. Runners call it the “Runner’s High.” Others call it “being in the Flow.” You lose track of time; you forget your surroundings; time passes without your awareness. You might seem spaced out or zoned out, but in those moments, whether minutes or hours or days, you are Divinely Connected to the Source of All Life in the truest sense of the word “Connection.”

Blessings of the Sourceful Surge experience include a loss of judgmentalism, judgment of others, criticism, unforgiveness, etc. It’s the closest thing we have to Heaven on Earth, when we allow ourselves to get into that Divine Flow. It is delicious. But what about when you “lose” the connection? How do you get it back? Artists may experience it as a “block,” as in Writer’s Block or Artist’s Block. It’s the time you don’t feel inspired to do anything or create anything. You want to, but you don’t have the desire or determination to finish anything you start. Sometimes, I feel so deeply the inspiration from Spirit to express Divine Ideas that it’s palpable, but the ideas only come when I allow them to flow from Source, when I allow myself to be inspired by Spirit, God, Source. If I try to force myself, then it won’t feel authentic. You can tell the difference, because you won’t have the Soulful Satisfaction of the creation or creative effort. I can tell when I block the Sourceful Surge from flowing through me because it feels off kilter. We look for excuses for why we can’t or shouldn’t do the thing we so desperately long to do. Lack of self-worth is the killer of the Surge, although you can’t really kill It – you can only deny its expression and then feel sorry for yourself for not-doing, which leads to judgment, condemnation, and self-criticism – the brick and mortar of the creative block.

Getting back into the Flow of the Sourceful Surge requires a willingness to surrender the thoughts of lack and limitation, excuses and exaggerations that we hold up like a mask in front of our faces so that when we look in the mirror, we don’t see the potential, only the apathy and powerlessness of self-denial. Getting back into the Flow of the Sourceful Surge requires a willingness to let go of concerns about what other people think. Eleanor Roosevelt is attributed to saying no one can make you feel inferior without your consent, and she was right, but it’s a difficult line to walk when there is so much emphasis put on opinions. We give too much consent to the opinions of other people, especially on social media, regardless of our relationship with them. It doesn’t matter how good we are at what we do, someone, somewhere is going to be a critic, won’t like it, might even hate it, but that is their choice. It’s more likely that, if we are expressing the true Sourceful Surge, then we are going to inspire others to do the same and we won’t be hung up on being an influencer or afraid of the feedback.

I invite whoever reads this to Surrender to your own Sourceful Surge: Welcome with open heart, open mind, open arms the inspiration It will provide to you, if you will allow it. As Abraham Hicks says in their General Well-Being meditation, “Source Energy will wrap you in a warm blanket of Worthiness – if you will allow it.” So, allow it, Dear Friend. Allow It.

(photo attribution, Image by Freepik)

Key Words

If I had to say, my friend Wanda Sue Parrott has had the most impact on my writing efforts over the 30+ years since I have known her. I don’t think there is anyone she has ever met whom she has not encouraged in some way. She encourages everyone she meets. She encouraged every person who ever attended her creative writing and poetry classes taught at OTC back in the day. As for critiquing prose or poetry, she always does so in the most constructive way possible, emphasizing the good aspects first and then offering suggestions for improvement.  She encouraged every wanna-be, would-be, gotta-be, will-did-was-has-been writer who attended the SWG and OWL meetings, and countless other writing groups she belonged/belongs to, in Missouri and in California. This former Hearst reporter turned creative writing and mystic master embodies the dedication to her topic that I still aspire to, in the sense of writing the words that matter to her, that flow through her Genius mind from the Creative Source and must be expressed. I have had that same Sourceful Surge but have repressed it in recent years because I didn’t think it worthy enough or important enough to be expressed. But what Wanda has taught me in the bigger picture of creative expression is that it doesn’t matter whether it’s worthy or important enough (in my own opinion) – it matters because the Creative Source is urging Its own expression through humanity, whether through art, poetry, writing, painting, dance, movie-making, clothing design, architecture, construction, data entry, whatever.

From 2014 to 2021, Wanda wrote about homelessness on the Monterey Peninsula in California, and homelessness in general. Every week, without fail and with few exceptions, she posted a new article. She wrote of homelessness in general, its growth in the area, the victims, the victors, the helpers, the helped. She did interviews with dozens of people in her community on the topic. She highlighted the helplessness and the hopefulness of the homeless and those who serve/served them. Sometimes she received feedback regarding her articles; sometimes she may have felt like no one was reading what she wrote. But she kept writing anyway because it was a topic that was meaningful to her, and she was inspired to share her message as only she could do.

While she doesn’t write about homelessness now, Wanda still writes regularly, promoting events in her community and Unitarian Universalist church. She uses poetry (haiku) to invite and encourage thought-provoking participation at her church. She expresses appreciation and gratitude to her community leaders for their support of the senior population through events provided at civic and senior centers. She has plans for publishing and republishing several manuscripts in 2024.

“Thank you” seems inadequate to acknowledge the influence she has had on my writing and spiritual growth, but my goal in 2024 is to care more about the Sourceful Surge within me to express Itself through my written words, and less about how many people read it. Allowing myself to Flow the Words of Spirit or Source as they are inspired to me will be a healing catharsis of creative expression long denied. Being in that Creative Flow, allowing the outpouring of ideas that go beyond mere thinking, is a Sacred experience. Throughout 2024, my goal will be to write about Key Words, in no particular order, but as they are inspired through me to be expressed, and thus revive this sleeping blog.

Everyone has Key Words, those words that strike a chord when you hear them, read them, or write them. They are the words that cause your ears to perk up, perhaps even cause your heart to flutter, bring your mind alert when you would rather stare off into thoughtless space. Sample Key Words for me include Faith, Hope, Grace, Gratitude, Peace, Prayer, Angels, Healing, Compassion, Divine Order. There are dozens to choose from. For years, I have had the idea of writing about Key Words and think this is a good place to finally start. I think people need to be reminded of their own Key Words, to give them attention in heart and mind with practical application in daily life. If we focus more on the power of our Key Words, we will be less affected in negative ways by the words regurgitated daily on social media, in the news, and around the water cooler. Like keys opening a locked door, closet, or treasure chest, our Key Words can help us unlock the power and potential we have as Creative Beings to cause, create, and command the change we desire to see in the world, starting in our own little corner and rippling out.

Key Words for today?  Faith, not fear. Walk Your Talk.

Thank you, Wanda.