today, i must take a day of sabbath, a day of savoring the quintessence, the essence of essence… love, sweet love… as i float in the spaciousness of the stillpoint, i re-member a poem that it is said that Charlie Chaplin read on his seventieth birthday which re-minds me of the uplifting letter the beautiful Irina, pictured here, wrote on her birthday…
“Happy birthday my darling one. The world is a more beautiful place because you are here. I celebrate you. I welcome you into this day lovingly. May you be always feel welcome here. I am honoring you today with all of my heart. I accept you with everything you are and feel, with all that you do. I honor your journey so far and today I pause to see all that you have become. I am in awe of you and I deeply bow to your being, your heart, your soul. Thank you!”
“Tears blessed this letter and I took a photo of this single teardrop filled with the transmission of Grace. I want to share it as my gift to you on my birthday. Thank you all for this amazing journey we are on together, for each of your individual journeys, your work, that birth the possibility of a new world where Grace roams free.”
and now to the poem that it’s said Charlie Chaplin read in 1959 and that many years later Kim McKillen wrote a book with these words, whether the words are only Kim’s or both of theirs and many other people’s words, the poem is so beautiful, so filled with wisdom and exactly the medicine that makes my heat sing along the rainbow trail…
As I Began to Love Myself
As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth. Today, I know, this is “AUTHENTICITY”.
As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody if I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me. Today I call it “RESPECT”.
As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow. Today I call it “MATURITY”.
As I began to love myself I understood that at any circumstance, I am in the right place at the right time, and everything happens at the exactly right moment. So I could be calm. Today I call it “SELF-CONFIDENCE”.
As I began to love myself I quit stealing my own time, and I stopped designing huge projects for the future. Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm. Today I call it “SIMPLICITY”.
As I began to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health – food, people, things, situations, and everything that drew me down and away from myself. At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism. Today I know it is “LOVE OF ONESELF”.
As I began to love myself I quit trying to always be right, and ever since I was wrong less of the time. Today I discovered that is “MODESTY”.
As I began to love myself I refused to go on living in the past and worrying about the future. Now, I only live for the moment, where everything is happening. Today I live each day, day by day, and I call it “FULFILLMENT”.
As I began to love myself I recognized that my mind can disturb me and it can make me sick. But as I connected it to my heart, my mind became a valuable ally. Today I call this connection “WISDOM OF THE HEART”.
We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations or any kind of problems with ourselves or others. Even stars collide, and out of their crashing new worlds are born. Today I know “THAT IS LIFE”!
