Planet Journey The Lonely Trail Of Virtus Covey

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He begins to question the fundamentals of society, politics, race relations, and his place in the universe. A very entertaining story and a most unlikely hero!

Some readers often do not attempt sci-fi works preferring contemporary plots and characters. I am one of those types of readers but I gave this new work a try and was pleasantly surprised. Although it is labeled sci-fi, it presents a story grounded in today with a nod to the old west, while taking us to a world of the future. There are many innovative ideas and possibilities presented while entertaining us with a good story and interesting characters relevant to today's world.

I especially enjoyed the part relating a trip aboard a rickety train through a primitive jungle world inhabited by misfits, outlaws and mysteries. Give this work a try. You will not be disappointed. This was a wonderful piece of speculative fiction, and a real page turner with delightfully unexpected twists and turns. Mr Wicks weaves a great tale with layers of intrigue, compelling characters and fast moving story.

I haven't read something I enjoyed this in a long time. I hope that there is a sequel in the works. See all 4 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. Set up a giveaway. There's a problem loading this menu right now.

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He loved telling people who asked him how he was, "Well, I'm way past my 'sell by' date. Because happiness, contrary to popular belief, is not dependent on circumstances. It is meeting whatever happens with what my brother called "Vitamin T" — the virtue of trust. The Book of Mormon says: So, where do we find meaning and happiness? Joy comes when we find our calling, offer a needed service, do something that matters. It doesn't have to be big or earth shattering. Mother Theresa said, "Not all of us can do great things.

But we can do small things with great love. Sufi poet Rumi said, "Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. We serve our purpose by loving others and forgiving their frailties, being a faithful friend, being thoughtful, kind, sincere, and trustworthy. The courage to do the right thing, walking with integrity, brings a deep sense of inner peace, and creates a wellspring of positive energy. Sometimes we confuse desire and addiction with happiness.

But it doesn't last and it isn't real. It stirs up discontent and a desire for more and more. Thomas Aquinas said, "Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures. Genuine spiritual joys come when we are fulfilling our unique destiny — the meaning and purpose of our lives.

And of course, men need to understand and believe the great law of the universe: I have been riding a wave of joy here in this island Paradise of Aitutaki Cook Islands, but something tragic pierced my joy. In a vicious act of violence in my birth country, the US, a nineteen year old slaughtered fourteen students, two coaches and a teacher and injured fourteen others, in a Florida high school.

Then I learned about the violence that erupted here in the Cook Islands community over the last two weekends with a knife and broken bottles, and my grief deepened. There is a temptation to give into helpless sadness and hopeless anger about events like this. We might vaguely wonder, what can be done to prevent it? What in the world can any individual do about it? And then I saw a video of one of the students who survived the massacre — Emma Gonzalez, a year 10 student at the Parkland, Florida school. She is one of many students eloquently speaking out, calling for gun control in the United States.

It's not enough to send "thoughts and prayers," she said. There comes a time to act. She paraphrased the words of Indian leader Mohatma Ghandi, saying "We need to 'be the change we wish to see in the world. Oprah and other celebrities are using their wealth to help support the movement. Countries such as Australia, Britain and Japan that introduced tight gun control laws have dramatically reduced not only homicide but suicide, and mass shootings have been zero ever since new legislation was passed.

In my opinion, the United States has every reason to follow their example, especially when it comes to weapons of war. A New York Times columnist wrote, "Don't succumb to despair. The root of jealousy is poor self-esteem, which breeds a kind of helpless rage. When alcohol inebriates the brain, one loses his mind and his morals. So, what can we do, even here in this tiny country?

I asked various islanders their thoughts about why violence happens and what the solutions might be. The most profound response was from a Year 11 student at Araura College, who said, "People that get drunk and act violently have no passion in life, no purpose. They need a dream. The victims had dreams, and now they will never fulfill them. We all need to do whatever we can to nurture those dreams of a bright future, to replace violence with virtues. Recently in a conversation with a friend, she shared a scripture with me that rang a bell.

We were talking about how often people promise to show up, yet we never know if they will or not, whether for a social occasion or a repair job. She confessed that she used to be like that. It was a learned behavior. My parents did it all the time.

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So he'd go and "endure the excruciating evening" waiting in vain for her to turn up. Then she got to the heart of the matter. She said, "I never knew I mattered, so my word didn't matter. Who would care whether I showed up or not. The friend said, "Have you ever seen the Scripture 'Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no'? I counted on you, but you rarely came when you said you would".

We need to realize we do matter and our word is precious. One way to nurture love and friendship is to be utterly truthful and trustworthy. He didn't need to because he only and always told the truth. He asks us not to swear either by our own head or by Heaven, but only to let our word 'Yes' mean 'Yes' and our 'No' mean 'No'. According to the Baha'i teachings, "Truthfulness is the foundation of all virtues. The whole house could fall down. Another powerful passage in the Torah of Judaism tells us never to swear by God or to promise something to God that we don't deliver.

Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than you should vow and not pay. It calls for the Virtues strategy of Setting Clear Boundaries, that are based on justice for ourselves and for others. Good self-care dovetails perfectly with reliability since it calls us to agree only to things we have time to do and that we actually want to do. I often quote Jalal'u'din Rumi, Sufi mystic poet saying "Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are thousands of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. And we certainly shouldn't agree to everything others request.

So, I was thinking about this and realizing many people say yes automatically because they want to please the person who has asked for something. Better to please God and make only vows we can keep. Only say what we mean, and mean what we say. Don't swear to anything or make false or uncertain promises. To accomplish this, we need new ways to respond to requests that give us time to consider them. Here are a few that are truthful and trustworthy:. My friend treasured her teachable moment as a result of her friend's truthfulness with her.

She now strives to only vow what she truly intends to fulfill. How powerfully each one of us can contribute to the level of trust in our communities, simply by keeping our word — not promising, or swearing we will do something, not agreeing to something prematurely, but only telling the truth.

The place where we live could be a brighter light in a world longing for truth. What a foundation we would be building for a culture of integrity where every individual, family and government only made promises they could actually keep. The beginning of a brand new year is an ideal time to wipe the slate clean and set our hearts and minds on positive change. For resolutions to be meaningful, and most importantly, sustainable, it's helpful to review the past year, to gain insight into what really matters in the next.

As Greek philosopher Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living. What do you most want to change in your life? What I aspire to is a continual pace of Grace. I want to "go with the flow" without hurry, pressure, or overdoing.

That means pacing myself, only making promises I can keep, and being content with what I am capable of at this season of elderhood. I don't want my mind to write cheques my body can't cash. It's really important to reflect on what a healthy pace of life is at this time in your life and to have the humility to recognize when you can no longer perform as you used to. Even new parents need to make this assessment. My younger son has just had his first child, and he is over the moon in love with his boy. He is also realizing it's time to change the way he expects to spend his time, including when he gets to sleep!

Tis the season for families to gather for the holidays. Whenever you ask people here in the Cook Islands what they value most, their first answer is often "Family. Family has the power to lift us up, give us a sense of identity and safety, or devalue us and have us wondering all our lives, "Am I enough? Although it is not always possible or even wise to reconcile our differences with a family member, whenever possible, healing should be a priority.

We all have the capacity to sweeten each other's lives with our love, trust, and generosity. What we often lack is the will. Or if we are willing, the other may refuse to take part. In my experience, when there is a rift between parent and child, it takes enormous detachment to let it go. A friend of mine shared that at one point, she had to admit that she and her son had irreconcilable differences. So, she said in prayer, "Lord you gave my son to me. I'm giving him back to You. I'm leaving him in Your hands. Even without major drama, family gatherings can be an experience we would choose to forget or one full of joy and good memories.

Virtues are the guide to the best family times ever. First, there needs to be a commitment, a promise you make to yourself to avoid the "troubled C's" of negativity — criticism, conflict and control — and instead practice the virtues that create family unity.

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Appreciation, attention, affection and assertiveness are the essentials of a good family season. Maori families, including Cook Islanders, have a huge capacity for play, whether in a fishing tournament, time on the beach, a volley ball game, or a tug of war. Play is the real work of family time. That and of course cooking!

Sharing a fabulous meal is a great way to share love, and love is what this season of unity is all about. What do the world's sacred traditions reveal about suffering? Does it have any meaning? How does it serve our purpose on this earthly journey? All Faiths share a virtues perspective, which is the key. They tell us that to reap the most joy and meaning from this short life, we need an attitude of openness and even gratitude during periods of hardship or grief.

Our testing times are not meant to be merely endured, but understood as teachable moments, and virtues are the lesson plans. So, when life seems hard, think of yourself as a spiritual champion, whose Coach is pushing you to your very limits, not to make you suffer, but to train you in strength, to stretch your capacity for greatness. Everything that comes to you is a gift. Baha'u'llah, Prophet Founder of the Baha'i Faith, wrote: Sufi poet Rumi wrote, "These pains you feel are messengers. A young woman recently discovered that she has breast cancer.

After an initial reaction of shock and grief, she opened herself to what she calls "my healing journey" with courage and hope, "eager to see what teachable moments are in store for me and my husband. This approach to life is not some Pollyanna, "make nice" approach. It is facing and honoring our feelings — the tears, the rage, the confusion — with deep compassion for ourselves.

Then, through reflection, prayer, journaling or talking to a good spiritual companion, we open to the Grace of the situation — the learning that is our soul work. Jesus's experience in the garden of Gethsemane is a powerful example for all of us. I think of it as "The Gethsemane Secret". Jesus knew he was going to be killed, and all he asked was that his disciples "keep watch" with him, so he wouldn't face it alone.

And what did they do? They fell asleep — twice. Alone with God, Christ discovered the most profound courage and strength possible, through an act of total surrender to the Divine will: And he said to Peter, 'So, could you not watch with me one hour? First, Jesus admitted he was sorrowful to death. He felt the sorrow. He suffered the betrayal of his closest companions. He realized he could rely only on God. Then, after asking to be relieved of his fate, he asked that God's will, not his own, be done. In our own Gethsemane times, we must know what we feel, acknowledge what we wish, yet be open to our destiny.

To trust even in the darkest times, that the Divine has a greater plan for us than we have for ourselves, is our true soul work. It leads to resurrection, the fulfillment of our purpose and our joy. They shall mount up on wings as eagles; they shall run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. Another virtues facilitator endured several catastrophes in a short time — the death of both her parents, the murder of her son, and a head injury sustained when a stewardess dropped something heavy on her.

She has moved through all this, open to the waves of grief, in touch with her soul as never before. She has never been more radiant and, as she put it, "whole-hearted. Some suffering is not creative at all — the pain we cause ourselves through our own misconduct and destructive choices. But a spiritually rich life involves meeting our tests with courage, open to the teachable moments that bring us closer to our true calling.

Composer Leonard Cohen in an homage to Rumi wrote in his magnificent song, "Anthem" , "There's a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in. In this way, they celebrate the beauty of brokenness. There is such sweet freedom in recognizing our cracks, loving our wounds, open to the messages they bring. My first thought, when I learned of the recent tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas, was a prayer, "Please, God , don't let it be a black man.

Athletes who kneel during the Pledge of Allegiance are attacked for calling on their right to protest the senseless murders of black people for such absurdities as reaching into their glove box to get their registration when stopped by highway police. When a white man is the mass murderer, it's assumed he is mentally unbalanced, a one-off, or possibly the work of a terrorist group. If it were a black man, it might well be pinned on the entire race as fearfully dangerous. My second thought was another prayer, "Please God, is my nephew safe?

Fortunately, he let us know on Facebook that he was safe. But 59 souls lost their lives, and hundreds are injured. So much violence prevails across the world, including the storms pulverizing islands such as Fiji, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where my brother Tommy lives.

He narrowly escaped the cyclone having planned a trip to New York, where he remains visiting family, unsure when he can safely return home. In the wake of such shock waves, how are we to keep from despair, even on our little island in the South Pacific? I believe strongly that each of us must, as non-violence leader, Mohatma Ghandi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Help someone's soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd. The Baha'i Faith teaches that God is calling humanity to a new age of peace and unity, in which, as the Bible prophecies, we will "beat our swords into ploughshares", letting go of all prejudices, giving up the love of power for the power of love. Think of your life as a ripple effect — your actions, your words, even your thoughts and your moods — impacting first your loved ones, then those you serve in the workplace, and moving out into the world in ways you don't even know.

Every act of kindness is a breeze of the breath of God. Every smile enkindles hope and encouragement, every loving word brings joy.

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I was at a take-away the other day and enjoyed a huge Cook Islands size helping of food. I went up to the chef and said, "I love you! Tell me something new. I have feasted on that small moment of shared pleasure for days. Trust and love grow in small moments such as this. A central figure of the Baha'i Faith, Abdu'l Baha' wrote to someone at a time of great suffering: Strong ships are not conquered by the sea; they ride the waves! Now, be a strong ship, not a battered one. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely… In that spirit, I hope you will write this on your wall: When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt.

But that is not what great ships are built for. You don't have to have a college degree to serve…You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. It has never mattered more. Twenty people from the U. Spiritual Practices for a Grace-filled Life". One of the themes of the retreat was recognizing the connection between knowing ourselves and knowing God. Only in cultivating a relationship of truthfulness, trust and love with ourselves can we have an authentic, intimate and trusting relationship with God. We are created in the Divine image, capable of reflecting in our souls all the virtues that are the fruits of the spirit.

In the world's sacred traditions, cultivating our virtues is the very meaning and purpose of our lives. With that understanding, we considered the dream calling to us at this time in our lives. A dream often begins with a vision. The cat says, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there. Make a start, and then, as Dan said in his stellar talk, "Grace will take care of the rest. Whatever you can do, or dream you can…begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

There was a boy named Monty Roberts, who held onto his dream despite the prejudice and discouragement of a teacher.

His father was a horse trainer, so they moved from ranch to ranch, and Monty constantly changed schools. In his last year of high school, his teacher asked the class to write about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Monty didn't hesitate for a moment, and wrote a seven-page paper about his goal to own a large horse ranch. He described his dream in detail, and even drew the stables and a house plan.

He received his paper back with an "F". After class, he asked the teacher, "Why did I receive an F? There's no chance you will ever reach your great goals.

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I can help you rewrite a much more realistic paper. His father answered respectfully, "This decision is very important for you, son. So, you need to make up your own mind on this. He said, "Sir, you keep the F, and I'll keep my dream. He owns a 4, square foot house on a two hundred acre horse ranch, and still has that school paper, which is now framed over the fireplace. Follow your heart, ask for guidance, set your goals, and act. Never let anyone take your dream away. Rumi said, "Let the beauty we love be what we do. See my Author Facebook page for information. When I thank someone here in the Cook Islands for excellence, whether in music, dance, cleaning or cuisine, people often say "Still learning.

Dan and I celebrated our anniversary this week, and I said to him, "It's a miracle. We're pretty much opposites, and have tested each other mightily. Thank goodness for the fact that opposites attract! I believe that marriage is God's laboratory, where we get to do some of our most important soul work. What other relationship wears down the rough edges of character?

Where else can we develop so much love, patience, self-control, forgiveness and every other virtue? Why are we touched by seeing an elderly couple laughing together, holding hands? Long-lasting love gives us hope. On the other hand, some couples exist for years tossed in the "Troubled C's" of control, criticism, contempt, and contention. I remember being in a hotel steam room when an elderly gentleman walked in. My first thought was that I was grateful for the bathing suit rule! We started chatting, and I found him to be a gentle, interesting, humorous person.

Suddenly, a blast of cold air hit us as the door opened and a woman growled in a disgusted tone, "Why are you still here? You always keep me waiting! Get out here now! I'm always too slow for my wife. She could have gone shopping without him, allowing him his own pace, or made a simple, positive request: To replace these negative habits of thought and communication, apply the virtues of Acceptance, Appreciation, and Assertiveness. Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Han says, "Each person has his or her own suchness.

If we want to live in peace and happiness, we have to see the suchness of that person…understand him or her, and there will be no trouble. We can live peacefully and happily together. I don't know if it's a secret, but I never tell him how to drive. It's essential to accept your partner's feelings rather than ridiculing, arguing or ignoring them.

When a problem arises, don't get furious, get curious. Listening to understand their point of view helps your spouse get to the heart of the matter rather than escalating emotionally. Companioning is magic, and can bring peaceful solutions. Expressing appreciation, especially using Virtues Language, meets a deep need everyone has to be loved and valued. Simple, but they can bring a powerful transformation.

Develop clear boundaries based on justice, deciding what you will do about a disappointment, rather than repeatedly experiencing the needless pain and frustration of attempting to control your spouse. Alcoholics Anonymous has a great saying, "Expectations are pre-meditated resentments. If your partner cannot deliver, find another way to meet that need, through friendship or by taking care of yourself. Your partner is likely to resist. Make simple, positive requests. Tell your partner what you do want, rather than criticizing them for what they're not giving you or what they're doing wrong.

Set a boundary about what you will do if an essential problem continues unresolved. Lastly, it's wise to remember words on a pink sweatshirt Dan bought for me: Another is "Happy wife, happy life. To me, it's a foretaste of Paradise. We are surrounded by the beauty of turquoise lagoons, verdant hills, soaring mountains, abundant flowers, graceful palms and people in the varied colors of the Creator's garden.

There is beauty in island music, as in the soaring harmonies one hears in church when people " Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. There is beauty in dance, drumming, costumes, carving, embroidery and other arts. There is abundant Joyfulness seasoned with humor. There are shrieks, giggles and bubbles of laughter when two or more islanders are together. At recent youth Rugby games, I sat beside two mamas, crocheting rapidly while screaming out directions to the players and laughing uproariously.

Beauty and Joyfulness — two virtues that nurture and heal the soul. As well as laughter, there are heaps of hugs and kisses. Everyone needs loving touch. Respected family therapist, Virginia Satir, said, "We need four hugs a day for survival, eight for maintenance, and twelve hugs a day for growth. The pace of life is gentle, particularly in the outer Cook Islands, such as Aitutaki.

As I walked toward a tourist recently, he stopped to ask me a question. He said, "You're a local, so tell me…". If you were any more relaxed, you'd be horizontal," he said with a laugh. I was wearing a flower behind my ear and a pareu blouse, but still, I like his explanation best. A virtue that touches me is the wonder Island children find in the simple pleasures of sea and shore. Walking the beach with my three island grandchildren, they shout out, "Look, Mama, another Etu Moana!

Star Fish " A tiny hermit crab or a super big one evokes the same enthusiasm. The children are content and happy with a stick, drawing hopscotch squares, love notes, and "jail", which is a circle rapidly drawn around me so I can't move, until I hit the "magic button" which they draw at a distance. I take aim with my flip flop, and whenever I miss, they find it hilarious. We draw lines in the sand for hermit crab races. My granddaughter first learned to read from words I wrote in the sand. She was playing hopscotch, and I wrote "hop, pop, top, mop".

She sounded them out and then ran home to share the news. When the children spook a flounder while paddling in the shallows, there are shrieks of delight as it hoovers off. We often notice schools of small silver fish leaping in an arc over the water to escape a predator. Going to different beaches is a special treat. First we gather and bag man-made rubbish along the beach, then they gather shells, look for crabs in the rocks, climbing over the old makatea petrified coral rock.

Tiny baby eels and fish dart around in tide pool nurseries, and when an adult eel is spotted, excited screams fill the air. When the full moon rises, we watch waves crashing on the reef. Once, at the beach on my own, I saw a pod of whales swimming by and breaching. I hope to share that wonder with the children this whale season. Last night, as we swam in the lagoon together, they celebrated small visits and events of beauty. The clouds were illumined with gold and pink.

Four enormous frigate birds, called storm birds by the locals, soared overhead, foretelling rain, which sure enough came this morning. A mother heron and her offspring flew just over our heads. Over and over, schools of small silver fish leapt in an arc close by, evading a predator. My oldest grandson had taken off his shirt and dropped it in the water. We couldn't find it anywhere we swam. So, I introduced the children to St. Anthony, patron saint of lost things. I said a prayer to him aloud, and suddenly my granddaughter shouted out that she had found the shirt. The boys' eyes were big and round.

The 12 year old said, "Mama, how do you know such things? I love seeing them smitten by beauty and simple discoveries at the beach rather than constantly craving electronic entertainment. When my six year old granddaughter visited New Zealand, she said it was "boring", despite shopping the malls, using a tablet, and attending parties. She missed the simple rhythms of island life.

All of us blessed to visit or live here can partake in the beauty of living the dream. Have you ever considered that wherever you live, in a city, suburb, or a rural area, there is beauty and delight waiting outside your door? Nurture yourself with beauty by tapping the potential for wonder right in your own back yard. Be a tourist or better yet, a pilgrim in your own town. Break through your normal routine, step aside from your work ethic to give yourself an experience of awe and wonder. A city skyline at sunset, a stroll through a park, a visit to an art gallery, a picnic in the country, finding a place to view the stars, will help you to live the dream, wherever you are.

Have you ever experienced burn-out? Whether from overwork or other pressures and stresses in life, it's a sense of utter exhaustion, constant anxiety or depression, emptiness, and mental confusion. It often involves physical symptoms of both tiredness and jitteriness.

You feel like you could sleep for a week, but have trouble falling and staying asleep. You either lose your appetite or overeat to comfort yourself, which makes you more sluggish. Irritability is often a symptom of the FOG Syndrome — fatigue, overwhelm and guilt — guilt about never getting it all done, not coping well with the demands around us. You're like a vehicle running on fumes. So, how do you refill, revive, and refresh yourself? How do you go from burnout to bliss? I ran into a Cook Islander friend recently, and as usual, she was all smiles. I asked her, "What gives you such joy?

I love all my different jobs. They give me energy and happiness. She rests every afternoon by reading good novels, including I'm happy to say, my novel, A Scent of Sage. She has a strong sense of confidence and gives excellence to everything she does. As Sufi mystic, Rumi says, "Let the beauty we love be what we do. One of the most powerful ways to invite a pace of grace is what I call "practicing the Presence" — connecting each day with the holy. Whether through reflection, prayer, or seeking inspiration in nature, we all need a routine of reverence. Above all, prayer is a relationship, one in which we are encouraged to be constant and to be real — to pray our anger, our hurt, our joy, our gratitude.

Begin each day or find your best uninterrupted time for sacred time and sacred space in which to connect with your Higher Power. When my brother John faced death from brain cancer, Dan and I moved into his home to care for him. Read, Pray, Meditate, Serve. We reflected on the meaning of the words, meditate on them and apply them to our lives. Then we prayed, using revealed prayers from our Faith, or sometimes our own words. We would meditate silently, and then I would companion John with a questions such as "How are you, really? He leaned his head back on the high padded chair we brought in to keep him comfortable, and closed his eyes.

Then he said in a quavering voice, "Today, there's a wall of tears. I waited quietly, then asked "What's behind that wall? It was a relief to cry because I held my own sorrow back in order to meet John where he was each day. His tears were of gratitude and grief in equal measure. When his weeping subsided, we did the last piece of our RPMS — serve, which involved each of us randomly picking a virtue to practice for the day. He often received the virtue of Openness, which contains a quote from Jack Kornfield: And I'm well past my 'sell by' date! His primary service at this final season was to open himself to the Divine in ways for which he had never had time or focus before.

And he did so with whole-hearted acceptance. He felt the presence of Spirit more deeply than ever before and died a happy man. Whatever means you have of practicing the Presence, it's the best investment you can ever make in your own spiritual life. There are four elements in a Pace of Grace lifestyle: My last blog was about purification — replacing habits and relationships that drain us with practices and people that sustain us, while nurturing our health with clean eating and plenty of water.

Now let's focus on "Pace Yourself". A pace is a rhythm, a speed, a balance of work and play, reflection and action. It's a spiritual approach to time management. A friend and I regularly treat ourselves to breakfast at a seaside resort. We leave feeling truly fed — body and soul. The other day, with a huge smile, she said, "I need more time out on the water — fishing, swimming, canoeing. She wants better balance so she can receive the blessing of Nature's beauty more often. She said, "I need a plan, to make sure I spend my time as I really choose.

Pacing ourselves means making a plan for the day or the week that contains play as well as goals and tasks. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, I "chunk" my time into bite sized blocks of time — first, prayer and meditation, then chores, writing, time with my husband, play with him, friends or island grandchildren , and an afternoon rest.

So, for me, and probably you too, it means not writing checks your body can't cash. It is helpful to pause before saying yes right away "I'll let you know" , and say no graciously. If I'm asked to do something during rest time, I let people know that time is sacred. If we wait to rest until we're exhausted, it's nearly impossible to get up again, and we'll probably miss dinner! A ten to twenty minute power nap about six hours after awakening is ideal and refreshes us for the rest of the day.

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A pace of Grace means putting people first, including oneself. Time alone is crucial to our spiritual wellbeing — whether praying, meditating, sleeping, or just being. Our soul longs for reflection time, and it is the only way to open ourselves to the Divine.

What great promise there is in Jeremiah Socrates, said, "The unexamined life is not worth living. Put relationships first in your priority list. Take care of your work too, with wholehearted love and concentration. Work smarter, not harder — delegating what can be done by others. A peaceful mind is more creative and productive, so a pace of Grace offers spiritual efficiency. Do one thing at a time and refuse to rush. Give yourself and your children time to get ready in the morning without stress.

Bless your day by getting up a half hour earlier for devotions or just to putter before gearing up for your busy hours. Managing your days with mindful moderation brings balance. It is the only sustainable way to have the time of your life. The first step in creating healthy balance in your life is to take an honest, compassionate look at yourself, and ask, "How am I, really? What stresses me and what blesses me?

Rather than hanging out with negative people that bring you down, surround yourself with positive friends who lift you up. I received 10 Rules for Health in meditation, the first being, "Purity and Cleanliness". On a physical level, I was guided to practice hydration — drinking plenty of water, and immersing the body in water every day; eating primarily water-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables along with grains and a little meat or fish. The second Rule was: Breathing deeply several times a day is incredibly energizing.

When we are suffering from the FOG Syndrome of fatigue, overwhelm and guilt — stressed and over-worked — we often breathe shallowly, or hold our breath without meaning to. Sufi mystic Rumi said, "Cleanse the rheum from out thine head and breathe the breath of God instead. Andrew Weil suggests pausing often to breathe deeply with tongue curled against the roof of the mouth a yoga position that circulates energy throughout the body.

In through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale through the mouth for 8 counts, making a soft blowing noise, keeping the tongue curled in the yoga position. There was also guidance to learn yoga, which I found very healing. We need spiritual and mental "house cleaning" too. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit…" We need to mindfully examine the idols we set before ourselves — money, addictions, popularity, power — at the cost of our own spiritual wellbeing. A Baha'i prayer says: The best way to start cleansing our lives of negativity and unhealthy habits is to purify our language and our thoughts.

It's very hard to stop doing something you know is wrong for you. It's far easier to start doing something new — to flush bad habits out by pouring new ones in. The Language of Virtues is a vehicle for positive change. Abdu'l Baha said, "When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love.

Now that she is calling on her growth virtue of courage, she shares her thoughts and her talents more freely. Author, Anais Nin said, "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Purifying your life is a process of detachment, from what no longer fits you emotionally, spiritually, or materially. It is a wholistic approach to decluttering. When you discover a virtue you need in order to purify your life of something you want to let go of, you will experience new light, new life, and the blessings of amazing Grace.

As Jesus says in the Beatitudes which are all virtues! One of the most powerful answers to prayer I ever received came after I was hit by Post-Polio Syndrome in my early fifties. PPS involves a weakening of the muscles, painful joints and numbing fatigue, and it comes on decades after childhood polio, which I had at age eleven.

I was one of the last children stricken in the polio epidemic of the s, just before the discovery of the Salk vaccine. Post-Polio Syndrome is similar to energy diseases such as Chronic Fatigue. My doctor had nothing for me. You will have to find a way through it yourself. And you need to stop spending so much time with the angels. He didn't look the part at all.

He had a brush cut, and even wore bow ties. As it turned out, his words were prophetic. My capacity to meditation faded out completely as my mind fog deepened. I felt quite bereft until one morning when I was on my knees, asking God if I should prepare to just give up. I was so breathless and weak, I could barely walk, and wondered if I would survive. I called out, "Help me, God. I don't know what to do! Suddenly a clear, strong inner voice said, "I will give you 10 Rules for health.

Write them down and follow them. Yet, here was an amazing example of what God revealed to the prophet Jeremiah: I pulled myself up off my knees into my prayer chair, grabbed my prayer journal and starting writing fast, as if taking dictation.

Having lived on Aitutaki in the South Pacific Cook Islands for four years now, I've found that people here in Paradise need these steps for health as much as anyone. Islanders often overdo to the point of stress. There is chronic guilt for many of us about "not getting it all done," which is terribly pressuring.

Some islanders enjoy a healthy balance in their lives, while others struggle to get through the days and weeks. I later went to a Post-Polio specialist who was astonished by my recovery.

Outside Providence Road

He said it was miraculous and asked me how I did it. I showed him the Ten Rules, and he said, "This is the best recovery programme I've ever seen. Where did you find it? He now has A Pace of Grace on his shelf to share with other patients. To prepare for a transformational program such as A Pace of Grace, take time to ask yourself, what stresses you and what blesses you.

Here are some questions to reflect on and perhaps to share with someone you trust:. This is the first blog in a series on the Pace of Grace lifestyle, sharing 10 steps to health, which help to restore body and soul. He restoreth my soul. I have a friend, a Cook Islander who, after years overseas, has returned to live his final years in the place he loves best.

He runs a small shop. Whenever I appear outside his shop, he beckons me to a chair. I always listen, because he has an uncanny way of touching on something I am holding in prayer at the time. The morning of our latest visit, I was reflecting on the question, how to balance self-love with the virtue of selflessness.

Selflessness is putting others before ourselves. When is it a sign of strength and spiritual health, and when is it a sign of weakness? It is weakness if it is motivated by fear — fear of losing someone's love, fear of someone's disapproval or anger. Fear breeds a sense of shame, or worthlessness — the "disease to please".

When motivated by love and generosity, selflessness is a sign of spiritual maturity. It is a state of being in which the only one we seek to please is our Creator. We are happy to be ourselves, and our self-esteem is strong. Therefore, we can afford to give to others. We aren't running on empty, like a car out of gas.

We are full to overflowing, and that benefits everyone around us. During this visit, before I even said a word, my friend gave me the answer to my prayer. He began by saying, "Appreciation is very important. We have food on the table and a roof over our heads. People think too much about themselves. They need to think of others more.

Those who accumulate more and more things will never be satisfied. It's the simple things in life that bring happiness. The current dominant culture supports self-aggrandizement, wealth, fame and celebrity to the point of "idolatry", a sense of entitlement, and an obsession with self. At a time when ego is king, are people happier? Happiness seems more elusive now than ever, and people who are struggling financially, or find themselves low on the social status totem pole feel both ashamed and deprived.

Shoghi Effendi, a central figure in the Baha'i Faith, wrote to an individual: This is one of the great spiritual laws of life. He grows lemons, bananas and pineapples, and runs his tiny shop. I often hear him laughing with delight. He is a treasured deacon in his church. He has good friends, loves his wife and family, and loves this island home.

He is happy and content. Rabbi Hyman Judah Schachtel wrote, "Happiness is not having what you want but wanting what you have. One of the happiest people on earth, in my opinion, is His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, leader of Tibetan Buddhism, who said, "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. Yet, I have come to believe that self-care is the anchor for selfless service. Being selfless in the spiritual sense does not mean failing to love ourselves. We maintain our health by taking care of our bodies. We live fully in the moment, treasuring what is right before our eyes.

We are thankful for the blessings, virtues and talents God has bestowed on us. We have no need to crave possessions, because we trust that all we need is being provided and we take responsibility to be good stewards of our time, our money, and our energy. When we have plenty of love filling our own cups, love overflows naturally to others. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.

For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. On the morning of my recent birthday, a young woman came to my door, bearing an exquisite gift — a crocheted cloth of white thread with intricate designs that her grandmother had spent several months to create for me.

I was stunned by this gift of time and love. It was the first surprise I received that day. Later, my neighbour brought me some parrot fish he had caught. That night I celebrated with some of our many friends here on Aitutaki. Frankly, I wasn't expecting gifts, but found that that is something people here traditionally bring. I had awakened the night before with the thought of something I wanted to tell them at the party: Speaking of gifts, we now have three "adopted" island grandchildren.

Two cousins of our six year old granddaughter have moved here, and we have all connected as if we have known each other for years. One evening at sunset, as I walked the beach with the three children while Papa Dan took sunset photos, the eleven year old asked me if I had "other" children.

I told him about my two sons and three grandchildren who live in other countries. He looked sad when I told him, we hardly ever see them. This is why I decided to write about the importance of birthdays — we all need to be celebrated sometimes. One of the outstanding virtues of Cook Islanders is their love and enthusiasm for celebration.

We have attended some 21 st birthday events, where a special large carving called "a key" is presented, with symbols of great meaning to the young recipient, and massive buffets are laid out. Even if a family does not have the money to be lavish, it is so important to honor the ones we love and to celebrate them in some way on their birthdays. Seeing the sparkle in our grandson's eyes as we celebrated with him reminded me of the party we gave my husband's mother in the United States on her 90 th birthday this past year.

Friends and family drove many miles to celebrate her life. She was deeply touched by their loyalty, including a group of men in their sixties and seventies who had driven a long distance. They had been high school buddies of Jim, one of her sons Dan's younger brother who passed away a few years ago.

And they told her they wouldn't think of missing this chance to honour her. Although she had just come out of hospital, thankfully she was able to sit up, wearing a new outfit, looking like a queen, as she received hugs, kisses, and gifts. She still talks about it as the best party she ever had, being one of those children whose birthday was never celebrated when she was young. Mother Theresa said, "In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. One of the ways to express love is to tell them the virtues you see in them.

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