9-11 A Blessing???
by Laura Duksta
Over the past few days I have received numerous emails from teachers
and individuals all with their own unique messages. Before I just forwarded
all those messages, I felt the desire to express my own thoughts rather
than just sharing someone else’s, which in and of itself is a blessing
in my life.
This week I completed a program called Self Expression and Leadership.
It is the last part of what is called ‘The Curriculum for Living’
at Landmark Education. What completing this curriculum offers you is
that you will be able to, ‘Live a life you love and live it powerfully.’
On Wednesday night, September 12, the final night of a three-month seminar,
we had to give a talk about who we are and what we’ve accomplished
in the program. During the previous week I had finally gotten "IT"-for
me I got my life. What that was for me was that I got, I understood,
I was absorbed by LOVE and GRATITUDE. I sat with tears in my eyes saying,
"I love my mother, thank God my mother is the way my mother is.
I love my father, thank God my father is the way my father is. I love
my brother-in-law, Doug, Thank God Doug is the way Doug is." I
went on and on acknowledging just about every person in my life now
or who ever has been in my life-family, friends, ministers, bosses,
co-workers, teachers and acquaintances. So yes, each and every one of
you, I acknowledge, "I love you, and I thank God for you."
I thanked God for every situation in my life for the opportunity it
had provided me to grow. I was in love with and grateful for everyone
and everything in my life because I finally acknowledged how everyone
and everything-LIFE- was serving me as an opportunity to grow. That
was IT, things happen so that we may grow as individuals, families,
communities, nations and as a world.
That is how I went into Wednesday evening, as, ‘The possibility
of love and gratitude.’ Being a possibility in the language of
Landmark doesn’t mean that you have or are that possibility only
for yourself; it is what you generate for others in your life and for
the world. This was a most interesting week to stand in that possibility.
What happened Tuesday has altered everything and everyone. I will admit
at first I got caught up in the tragedy and the idea of necessary consequences
for those involved, almost with a ‘by any means’ mentality.
Now, wherever you stand about Tuesday, 9-11, is perfect, it is all the
different views that balance this world, making it the ‘earth school’
that it is. And, in knowing that I create my world-that whatever I ‘make
up’ about ‘what happened’ is the story I get to live
through. I am choosing to live as the possibility of Love and Gratitude.
Our biggest lessons in life always come from those events that at the
time appear most tragic. It is those times in our lives that we feel
we may not even make it through that end up strengthening us. Every
situation serves, the quicker we can find the blessing the quicker we
can move out of fear and move forward empowered. If this was perhaps
the most tragic event in the recent history of the world, than it makes
sense that it will also be the one that teaches us the greatest lessons.
So, I began to ask myself…How could I get to the point that I could
say, ‘Thank God, Tuesday 9-11 happened, thank God for the terrorists,
thank God for the people who ‘unknowingly’ sacrificed their
lives so that we may learn to love one another and unite as a country
and a globe."
This does not mean that I don’t feel there shouldn’t be consequences
for those involved, I do. It’s just not what I’m choosing
to focus my energy on. My thoughts and prayers and support are with
those whose responsibility it is to instill justice. Yet I’m looking
at the tremendous good that is capable of coming from this. The good
that has already shown up is huge-New Yorkers are meeting one another.
The nation is joining together to do whatever needs to be done. There
is a surplus of blood, volunteers both civilian and professional. There
has been millions of dollars raised. People driving cross-country to
get help to those in need. All-denominational church services being
held, with world leaders present. We are praying together as a nation
and a globe; we are observing moments of silence. Imagine, if we are
capable of making this kind of impact this quickly in NYC and D.C. the
impact we could make on the world.
Maybe this was just a big cry out for help. And I believe we as a nation
were a part of that cry, as were our brothers and sisters around the
globe. A cry out for love-to be able to give love and be loved. We walked
around in the world, in our neighborhoods not making eye contact with
one another, not saying good morning to the people we see everyday.
Most of us do not even ‘know’ the people we are in close relationships
with because we are afraid of being vulnerable. Tuesday we became vulnerable
as a country; we let our guard down with one another and in many ways
it does not feel so bad. People are acknowledging one another, even
‘strangers’-what a word-people are praying for one another,
people are helping one another…people are loving one another.
What has happened with the loss of lives, security, business, etc.
is all an epic tragedy…AND… it has happened…there is
nothing we can do to create a different past. But, the future is what
we make it-we can create a future for our world and ourselves; one filled
with love, gratitude and compassion. We must be careful though not to
let the past run our future. We can do this by choosing to live in a
world where love prevails. By counting the blessings that show up from
this tragedy in our lives, our communities, our cities, our countries,
and our world. Remember, we live in a world of balance, of + and -,
for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. That means
that as much ‘tragedy’ as this event brings, that it will
equally bring as much ‘fortune’. I am taking on the role of
‘Treasure Hunter’ and searching for the gold. I hope you will
join me.
Two books I would highly recommend at this time are: for children-and
adults-this is the easiest and most beautiful way I have found to explain
people and situations like this one…The Littlest Soul…by Neal
Donald Walsh, author of Conversations With God. And, for adults, Count
Your Blessings, by Dr John Demartini. The stories and exercises in this
book can help to transform your perspective from one of tragedy into
one of blessing, if you so choose. My heart is filled with love for
each and every one of you-every soul in the Universe. An extra large
thank you to Dr Demartini, who has helped me to open up my heart to
Love…the balance of both good and evil, happiness and sadness,
joy and pain, hope and despair, tragedy and fortune. It is when we balance
these opposites that we truly love, that we are in alignment with our
soul, in alignment with Spirit and we SHINE-for love is light. (And
light is the balance of a + and – charge…a little Quantum
Physics for you all.) Let us be the light that guides others.
Oh Ya…one more book…MINE…I Love You More…For a
minute Tuesday, I thought, ‘how can I push forward trying to get
my book out, what does it really matter in the scheme of things???’
And then like the world crying out for help, I realized that it is all
that matters. That what the world needs now, more than ever, is a little
more love. For those of you who don’t know, I have written a children’s
book called, I Love You More, and a friend Karen Keesler has illustrated
it. Together we are Hippie and The Bald Chick, whose mission is to generate
the conversation of love around the world. We have taken on self-publishing
through our newly started company, I Shine, Inc. I would like to thank
all of you for your prayers and treatments in helping us to create our
dreams. We could use a few more, in that our book was on its way to
Japan for production on Tuesday and only made it as far as Alaska. Check
out our website that will be up and running by the end of next week
at www.hippieandthebaldchick.com to join us in spreading our message
of LOVE. You’re going to love it!!! Thank you and I love you all!!!!
One last thought…I received an email last week with this message…All
the darkness in the world is not enough to put out the light of a single
candle! Now that is what I call power. With that in mind…
Keep Shining ~L*aura
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