A MESSAGE IS INCLUDED WITH EVERY FEATHER I FIND

My interest in feathers was fueled a number of years ago by a dear literary friend from British Columbia who had studied in depth the celebration of "Potlatch" by the Indigenous peoples of Northwestern B.C.

While the symbolism of the feather and its connection to the "element of air" is one factor of why Indigenous peoples use feathers in their smudging rituals, birds in general play an extremely important role in the culture. Because of this, feathers are utilized in many rituals and ceremonies, and are commonly included in traditional clothing and costumes.

Birds in fact share many messages and lessons with Indigenous people. For instance, as a new day arrives and the sun begins to rise, birds greet the new day with their songs and help to wake everyone up for the new day. Each bird plays an important role, with specific work and tasks to be done throughout the day.

Wild Turkey feather from my
collection dwarfs one from a
Sparrow that also happened
to fall onto my path. I keep
them displayed together near
my computer keyboard as a 
reminder that size need not
be indicative of the value 
of the messages I convey on
this site.

Birds are also believed to have a special connection with the Creator, and the use of their feathers helps to forge a deeper connection with the Spirit, the Creator, and ourselves. That, succinctly, is at the root of my fascination for the discarded "gifts" that I find along the way, compliments of our winged friends. I am never without at least a dozen feathers scattered in various locations throughout my house at any one time.

I even devoted a chapter to the subject in one of the books I published a few years ago and more recently shared 50 feathers from my collection with a church congregation during a worship service I was leading.

For me, finding a feather is to experience the joy that lies behind its perceived meaning, and it creates an unblocking of any bad energies I may be experiencing at the time. It is almost instant as I feel the waves of peace crash around me.

While this harmless exercise requires a degree of creative imagination, believing that this moment is only for me gives personal space to explore any issues I may be experiencing, particularly those related to overcoming past hurt, which is a great comfort. 

From the realms of the divine to the physical world, feathers convey messages of love and care directly to us. Since they are believed to be sent by angels and to represent spiritual beings of light and faith, spotting one signifies that you are extremely fortunate to have found happiness and comfort in your day. A message, perhaps from Heaven, meant specifically for the one who finds it, probably in the grass or on a sidewalk immediately below a tree.

Finding any kind of feather can be a sign that your angels are nearby, but it can also serve as a reminder to tune in to the energy in the air around you so that your vibrations can be balanced. 

By pausing your thoughts and tuning into their golden white light, you can engage in introspective reflection and allow that light to energize your soul.

I am reminded of an incident involving my granddaughter Becky almost 30 years ago. A toddler at the time (now a mother of two sons) Becky had become my aide-de-camp with an uncanny radar in adding to a growing collection of feathers. 

My wife Anne had just passed away and we were visiting her grave site for the first time a few days after the funeral when Becky suddenly bolted from the car, almost before it had come to a full stop. She raced directly to a spot in the cemetery, some 50 yards away, and bent down as if to be picking up something.

When I caught up to her I realized she was standing directly on Anne's still ungroomed burial ground and lo and behold she was cradling a rather large black feather in her chubby hands.

Temporarily, I could not believe what I was witnessing. I vaguely recall mumbling words to the effect: "That (the feather) is surely a message from Gramma in Heaven and she's telling us not to be sad," to which Becky registered silent but knowing childish agreement; her radar for finding feathers having kicked in once again.

As we waited in amazement, without prompting Becky took it upon herself to carefully place the feather on her grandmother's grave stone. Overcome with the warm essence of Anne's presence, we paused in silence for a few minutes before turning and walking back to the car. A chorus of birds chirping in a distant tree broke the summery silence. We didn't say much on the way home.

Special emotionally moving spiritual moments like that you never forget.

A skeptic may well assign coincidental happenchance to what I have just described...I choose to be convinced otherwise, however.

There's no harm in any of that!

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?

What's a smoothie got to do with it?

Recently I was watching a children’s television show, when the host was asked, “What is the meaning of Life?” His response was typical: “I don’t know,” but what he said next made me laugh out loud: “I don’t know, but I could really go for a smoothie right now!”

It’s funny to think about, but isn’t that how many of us respond to the big questions of life? "I don’t have the answer but a smoothie sure sounds good right about now!"

We end up numbing ourselves with immediate pleasures when what we really need to do is search for the truth. We mask our deep longings for meaning in different ways, sometimes with the classic drugs of our society -- alcohol, opiates, food, prescription pain killers -- or we do it with “good things” that become ends in themselves: our careers, our families, our busyness, our God-given abilities.

YOUR EXISTENCE MATTERS. YOU ARE A UNIQUE BEING WITH SOMETHING SPECIAL WHICH YOU MAY NOT EVEN BE AWARE OF.

Look within, it may sound funny at this moment if you have never done it before, but so what? Do it now! The potential exists for a new day...and a new you.

As Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth Living”. So when the deep, foundational questions of our existence bubble up to the surface, may we look first deep within ourselves...instead of a smoothie.

Know what I'm saying!?

HEAVEN HELP US IF WE LOSE COMPASION IN THE END!

There is a psychological condition known as “compassion fatigue.” Sometimes referred to as the negative cost of caring, it is characterized by emotional and physical exhaustion leading to a diminished ability to empathize or feel compassion for others. 

Yet, as a community, we know that exercising our compassion ultimately strengthens us, and expressing compassion for others is at the heart of what is right in today’s world.

I like the story of a family that was living in cramped quarters. Good fortune struck, and they were able to move into a much larger home. Someone asked the ten-year-old boy in the family how he liked his new house. He said, “I like it a lot. Now I have a room all to myself, and so do each of my sisters.” Then he paused for a moment and said, “But I feel sorry for mom. She still has to stay in dad’s room.” 

Although he misunderstood the situation, it was clear that the little boy was expressing a genuine feeling of compassion for his mom. I think his father would have appreciated the innocent humor tucked away in such sincere sentiments.

There is also a French play with a passage in it that might be a bit haunting if you let yourself think about it for a while.  In the play all the good people are at the gates of Heaven on the day of judgment. The gates are about to be opened, and the good folks can hardly wait to get in. And then a rumor starts. Even at the gates of heaven, it seems, rumors start. Someone says, “He is going to forgive those others too!” 

For a moment, the people clamoring at the gates are utterly dumbfounded, speechless. Then they look at each other and start to gasp and sputter in disbelief, all trying to talk at the same time: “After all the trouble I went through!” “If only I had known this, things sure would have been different!”

Some the would-be Pearly Gates entrants are so worked up by the realization that God will also have compassion on those others that they begin to curse Him. And in that instant, they are damned. 

It all came down to compassion and the so-called “good” people lost sight of it in the end, much to their eternal peril.

ON LIVING IN THE MOMENT WITH "I AM"

...In keeping with the season:

In Matthew's biblical account of the birth of Jesus, we read, "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son and they will call Him Immanuel, a name which means God-is-with-us" (Mt. 1:23).

The following poem, entitled "Windows of Wonder," offers us a moving reflection on this Gospel Text. In it, the author imagines the following dialogue with the Lord God:

I was regretting the past,
and fearing the future.
Suddenly my Lord was speaking:

"My name is I AM"
He paused.
I waited.
He continued.

"When you live in the past,
with its mistakes and regrets,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I WAS.

"When you live in the future,
with its problems and fears,
it is hard. I am not there.
My name is not I Will Be.

"When you live in this moment,
it is not hard. I am here.
My name is I AM."

*Dick's message to self: "Live in the here and now. That's where you are at...And so is God!

IN REALITY PEACE ON EARTH MEANS GLOBAL HARMONY

Have a holly, jolly Christmas
It’s the best time of the year
I don’t know if there’ll be snow
But have a cup of cheer
Have a holly, jolly Christmas
And when you walk down the street
Say hello to friends you know
And everyone you meet
Oh, ho the mistletoe
Hung where you can see
Somebody waits for you
Kiss her once for me
Have a holly, jolly Christmas
And in case you didn’t hear
Oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas
This year

NOTE TO READER: This post is not intended to take anything away from the "real" reason why we of the Christian faith celebrate the Christmas season. Rather, it is to give significance to the "Holly Jolly" aspect of Christmas that has been introduced with the emergence of a mythical old gent by the name Santa Claus and the spirit of giving.

Initially, it should be explained that "real reality" is used to distinguish an experience or interaction from virtual reality or any other fictional, fantasy or lifelike experience. Philosophically speaking, what is and isn't real is a matter of debate, especially when virtual reality and other digital experiences are becoming increasingly hard to distinguish from real-life experiences.

‘Tis the season to be jolly! But to do that, is it necessary to believe in a plump little man with a white beard who gives away presents?

Absolutely not! Because there really was a Santa Claus … St. Nicholas, whose nickname was Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas (Dutch for Saint Nicholas). He was admired for his piety and kindness, and it is said he gave away all his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick.

Dr. Pieter Noonmen

In my studies I have discovered another humble, pious man who spread joy, kindness and wisdom … and who also has passed on (2019), yet is still offering his “gifts” to all those who care to have them, just as free as Santa’s Christmas presents. His name was Dr. Pieter Noomen, and his gifts are the massive amount of wise and spiritual writings he posted on his website. 

Another similarity between St. Nick and Pieter Noomen is that both believed in a higher power, and many of Dr. Noomen’s writings are the words of that higher power, which he believed were spoken directly to him. He didn’t like to make a big deal out of it; he just wanted to share what he had learned. Perfectly relatable in the context of one like-minded writer to another. 
 
“I hesitate to provide personal data,” the late Dr. Noomen once said. “Not because there are things to hide, but because my not-spectacular background may, in a negative way, influence readers who are not familiar with the world in which I grew up -- the Western European and the North American culture. The particulars of my life as an average person are not too interesting, except that they may lead to the wondering, ‘If someone like him (St. Nicholas) was given the possibility to be in direct contact with the full, the Real Reality, while still on earth, then it must be possible for me, too.’”

And perhaps it’s possible for all of us, too. Here is what Dr. Noomen said he was told by his Real Reality one December day:

“You are in the midst of Christmas celebrations. Many, also outside of your culture, are touched by its sphere. 'Peace on earth,' indeed, means global harmony in activities and interests for all pulling and pushing forces. Each human being, with or without religion, has moments of longing for this. Naturally, because it is a component of their own constitution. Allowing this longing to grow and acting upon it solidifies your connection with eternity. It will not bring 'heaven on earth,’ but it uncovers what existence is all about.”

Oh, how those words and the ones that follow resonate with me! 

“When you live up to your nature as a free contributor to the totality of life and do that as harmoniously as you can by being a bringer of peace, forgiveness and new perspectives, then your journey is a blessed one.”

POST NOTE: Dr. Pieter Noomen sought to forever change the soul of humanity through meticulously recollecting the communications he shared with a spiritual presence, which brought him profound wisdom and insight. His website, www.wordsforall.org, is for anyone seeking an authentic connection with our Maker.

The time will come for all of us to meet our Maker. But, according to Noomen, we need not wait until the end of our physical lives to experience a direct, personal connection with the One Who Is Life.

Noomen, who passed away in April 2019, was a psychotherapist who, about 25 years ago, began studying the insights of Dr. Peter D. Francuch, who communicated with what he called “the Positive State.” Noomen would go on to read about, and meet, others who had experienced a direct, personal connection with the One Who Is Life — and that is when his own spiritual path widened significantly. Before his passing, Noomen shared his remarkable experiences and offered access to the Source of that information in his writings on his previously-mentioned website.

He posited that directly or indirectly, life stems from one common source and that to connect with that source is the highest level of existence we can achieve on earth. Over the course of many years, he experienced transformative “visits” on the spirit level — and he freely shared the universal and eternal facts of life that were communicated to him.

As Noomen himself explained, “I can only say that the information came from a presence on my innermost spiritual level I was in communication with for some time. The words seem the result of my spirit merging with the spirit of life It/Her/Himself.”

Visitors to Noomen’s website can read about the 12 components of life through his 12 booklets: Oneness, Love, Life, Fire, Space, Connectedness, Progression, Effect, Free-dom, Joy, Differentness and Harmony. Throughout his writings, Noomen avoids using the name of any deity, such as God, and instead uses what he refers to as The Seven Names, each of which relates on a human level to the situation at hand: One Holy, Love, Truth, Proper, Healing, Manifestation and Energy.

A series of lessons on the site shares 147 thought-provoking questions and the illuminating answers that came to him during his extensive communications with the All Spirit.

“In death,” Noomen wrote, “everyone will, without exception and in a purely personal way, find out whether or not there is another dimension of existence.” The reflections shared on Noomen’s website invite readers to not wait until the end of their earthly lives for the answer.

Born in the Netherlands, Dr. Noomen completed doctoral studies in theology and pastoral psychology at the Free University of Amsterdam and was senior minister of three protestant churches. Later he worked as a psychotherapist and as a staff member of a Los Angeles metropolitan church. He was involved in mental health issues like suicide prevention and hospice.

TRUST AND FAITH CAN FULFILL US TOO

There is the story of a man crossing the desert in the days of the early American pioneers. He had run out of water and was dying of thirst. Suddenly, he spotted a water pump near an abandoned shack. He inched his way to the pump, mustering enough strength to work the handle, but nothing happened; no water came. 

Then he noticed a jug near the pump with a note attached. The message read: "There is just enough water in this jug to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. This well has never gone dry, even in the worst of times. Just pour all the water from the jug into the pump and then work the handle quickly. After you have satisfied your thirst, refill this jug for the next person in need."

What should the man dying of thirst have done? The contents of the note called for complete trust in the person who wrote it. But if the dying man followed the instructions, he ran the risk of pouring all the water from the jug into a pump that might fail. He was being asked to put his trust in the message unconditionally. He was being asked to respond to the message in complete faith. He was being asked to accept, without reservation, the absolute truth of the message. And in so doing, he may save the next dying person to come along.

Hmmmm. Kind of reminds one of the Christian belief system that many of us old folk grew up in, doesn't it.

Through the Bible we learn that God has plans for everyone of us. We may not understand those plans but it is up to us to study every detail He’s given humanity so we can see what He can (and does) do for us in untold ways. We might not ever understand His plans, but we can learn that we don’t need to understand them. We just need to trust and have faith in them.

...And govern ourselves accordingly by leaving jugs of water at the pump of life that may fulfill the thirst of others who follow us.

ABOUT FULFILMENT AS IT RELATES TO PURPOSE

Comedian Paula Poundstone once quipped, “Adults are always asking kids what they want to be when they grow up because they are looking for ideas for themselves.”

Indeed, life’s journey offers us endless choices. The problem is, as some say, “by the time you know your way around, you don’t feel like going.” Perhaps that is somewhat the way author John Stuart Mill felt at one point in his life. In his autobiography, Mill said that his father had recognized that he was a very gifted child and proceeded to cram his head with all sorts of knowledge. However, since he had no religious faith of his own, the father would not allow anything religious to become part of his son’s education.

Looking back on his education with a deep sense of loss, Mill said that his mind was full with information, but his soul was starved. He said, “I was left at the commencement of my voyage with a well-equipped ship — but no sail.”

There is little doubt that many can identify with John Stuart Mill’s complaint — a well-equipped ship but no sail. We need something to push up the value of our hopes and dreams. We need something to push us up and over the waves of emptiness that pound our bored and weary souls. We need something to give us new life. We need something to get us sailing again toward genuine life goals. In the words of Louise Fletcher:

“I wish there were some wonderful place called the Land of Beginning Again, where all our mistakes and heartaches could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door and never be put on again.”

In recent posts on Wrights Lane I have talked a lot about finding (or losing) purpose in life. Well, lets get real folks!

A lot of people believe that finding their purpose in life will give them happiness. Chances are pretty good it won’t. Here’s the thing about purpose: it may not be pleasant or happy. For instance, what if your purpose in life is volunteering at a crisis call center? Or working in a hospital emergency room? Or working with people in poverty?

Many things are worth doing that provide a sense of purpose but in reality aren’t happy at all. In fact, the things that really need to be done usually are not necessarily going to be happy. But dedicating your time and life to a purpose is something that can provide ultimate personal  "fulfillment".

Fulfillment, or filling a need within us...That is really what I am talking about.

Bottom line, fulfilment is at the heart of a life worth living. More often than not it involves giving of yourself in a meaningful way.

It is a feeling that transcends others because you can feel bad, frustrated, angry, or even happy and feel fulfilled at the same time because it is a feeling tied to the important things in life -- who you are and what you do with your life. In this regard I draw a direct parallel to the food-for-thought ramblings I post on Wrights Lane.

If you are able to align who you are and what you do with your life you will find fulfilment. But you will need help and support along the way to attain it and keep on the path that will sustain it. Dare I suggest encouragement that can come in unexpected forms.

So the question becomes not about what can we do to reach fulfilment in life, but more about who we are? how we express ourselves authentically? how do we get past personal defenses? how do we know what our core values and principles are? and can we rejoice in others as they fulfill their purpose through a wide variety of ways in which they give, share and express themselves?

It is such questions that will lead us to fulfilment of purpose in life and to answer these questions we need to do the work on ourselves. A little prayer along the way certainly helps too.

Anyway, that's the way I see it!

LESSON TO BE LEARNED FROM BEST FRIED CHICKEN

Sad to say, as my 85th year rapidly draws to a close and I struggle with some health issues that are sure to get me in the end, I find myself struggling to hold on to purpose in what is left of my life. In so doing, I am reminded of the following story.

There was once a man who was ambitious but didn’t really know what he was good at. He tried his hand at various businesses:

-- Ferry boats services
-- Selling lamps
-- Gas station
-- Motel

Unfortunately, he failed at all of those endeavors.

He was already 65 years of age at that time. Most people would have tossed in the towel and just accept life as it is. But he refused to give up...He tried cooking.

One day, he accidently fried some of the best chicken he had ever tasted. Unknown to him this was the turning point of his life. You see, this man eventually fried "The World’s Best Fried Chicken". Then he sold his recipe for a million dollars.

Who is this man? And how did he ever succeed even at his advanced age?

You no doubt guessed by now that he is Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), a Food and Beverage restaurant chain that has 25,000 branches all over the world.

The secret to his finger-licking good success is simple. He didn’t let his old age get the best of him. You see, Sanders realized that his true purpose in life was to be a chef and serve great tasting fried chicken to the world. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how poorly you’ve done in life previously, overnight success can be achievable when one discovers their true purpose in life.

But here's the thing, not everyone is as lucky as Sanders. Some people die with the song that hasn’t been sung and that is a shame.

As Mark Twain once said, "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why."

And you know what? I have just recognized, perhaps rediscovered, my purpose and it has everything to do with a God-given gift that I have increasingly sold short because I lacked faith in my ability to continue delivering in a meaningful way. I'm just not going to give in to that self-degrading impulse anymore.

A GIFT IN THE FORM OF A HOSPITAL NURSE

I spent all of last week in hospital due to complications suspected to be related to current cancer treatments. During the entire time I had a feeling that there would ultimately be a message in what I was experiencing, both emotionally and physically. 

My nurse on the day I was given the final all-clear for release was a rather imposing young woman with whom I felt an immediate connection. I watched attentively as she painstakingly scrolled the letters ZAWADI in chalk on the patient chart mounted on a wall in my room. Unable to contain my odd sense of humor, I asked: "Is that an Irish name?"

I detected a giggle and suspected a smile under the mask she was wearing, even though her back was turned to me.

"No, it is Swahilli," she responded rather matter-of-factly as she completed entering my latest vital statistics on the board. Almost as an afterthought, she then turned and asked "Do you know what Zawadi means in Swahilli?" Without pausing for an answer from me, she added "Zawadi means 'gift'!"

Nothing more was said on the subject but my mind was awhirl.

I'd received the message I was looking for and it was truly a "gift", thanks to an unforgettable  nurse named Zawadi.