INTENT

Will Summer arrive suddenly? Our local forecast predicts it to reach 80 degrees F. today. That seems unlikely. My thermometer reads 54.6 and it is already late Morning. We will see.

Spring has finally and definitely arrived. I was able to water the sheep with the hose yesterday, even though the hose runs under a pile of snow left from the plow. I was surprised because I didn't think the hose would have been that well drained. Perhaps the pile of snow melts from the ground up as well as the top down. I am pleased to be finished with hauling water for another Winter.

It has been raining off and on. I actually heard thunder last Night. The rain has been light but it has reduced the snow piles. If the temp really reaches 80, the snow should be history by tomorrow. There are only a few piles of snow left, where it fell off the roof and the from the plow.

I am often reminded we are all works in progress; especially me. We can talk about unconditional love, being in the moment, giving up our egos, giving up the past, giving up judgement, refusing to entertain fear and more. Worthy goals to be sure but I know it ain't easy. Isn't that a phrase from a song? “I know it ain't easy” I can hear it in my head.

No it it is not easy but it doesn't have to be hard either. I don't think it is possible to reach our ideal while being in these bodies. It is a struggle to keep our minds free of judgement, fear and the other stuff, but we can love ourselves anyhow. That unconditional love bit needs to start with ourselves. We need to love ourselves warts and all, the rest will come.

Sure, we may look at ourselves and think, “gosh I have a long way to go”, but the length of the journey is not important. The intent to begin the journey is very important.

Intent is very powerful. When we make the intent to give up judgement we put our foot on a path that will take us there. The beginning of the path may be fraught with problems. We are learning what judgement has meant to us. It can be a thorny beginning. We learn how tricky our egos are. Hey that part of us likes to judge. Through the process we need to renew our intent. Eventually we will see what a burden judgement is; we will breathe the fresh air of not needing to judge. At an intellectual level it was helpful for me to realize that I can't judge because I will never know enough. I see that clearly. I will never know enough about another's experience to make any judgement I have valid. I am not at the end of my journey, but I often [not always] catch myself when I am judging.

Whatever we are working on at this moment, we need to celebrate that we could 'see' the need. There is joy in the work. When we make the intent to evolve it effects everybody around us. Our minds are not as separate as we think, when we have the intent to love unconditionally, be in the moment etc. it effects all other minds.

Let us use two of these concepts on ourselves; let us not judge ourselves and let us love ourselves. Let us celebrate that we are works in progress. We are great works in progress! Underneath our veneer we are great beings of light!

Sometimes on our paths we find ourselves walking through the muck, we take another step and then another, our intent will bring us to higher ground. Hey! Pause and appreciate the muck, love it, it is all learning.

Love and Peace, Gregg