Debra Basham

Living and Loving

Tag: Debra Basham

  • What Is My Contribution?

    I woke up yearning to get out on my bike but clicked on the video by Mary Reed (The Unwitting Mystic). I spent the next hour hearing, feeling, knowing I was right where I was to be.

    I have spent time with Mary Reed in person, and I have followed her video offerings. Mary is the real deal. Her message of love is simple but not easy.

    In the video, she describes the mechanism of creation as the FOCUS of awareness, the INTENTION of awareness, and OUR REACTION to what we’re aware of.

    Mary shared this talk in reaction to the latest mass shootings, but it is in all of life that we are being asked to observe honestly, “What is my contribution?”

    It is so easy to think we have nothing to do with horrific events, but as Mary says, everything that is happening is only happening within me…. there is no other way it can happen.

    I am aware of that which I am in oneness with, and I am in oneness with that which I am aware of.

    It is vital to remember, I am the only place from which there can be a different reaction.

    I can focus clearly….

    I can intend wisely….

    I can react lovingly….

    I can ask myself if I really am willing to be that presence of divine love. And I can answer, “Yes, I am.”

    Regardless of how busy your life seems, you will be glad you took an hour to watch.

  • Re-Gifting

    Sacred Stories

    She and her sisters were together celebrating her birthday. As she opened one of the gifts, a pronounced whiff of perfume hung in the air.

    “This was mom’s, wasn’t it?” she chided her sister. “You are giving me a re-gift!”

    Their mother was famous for buying and wearing something and then giving it to one of them as a gift. The fragrance was palpable.

    “I bought it new!” her sister assured her.

    The sisters looked at one another as the obvious now dawned on them: Their mother was letting them know she was there celebrating the birthday with them.

    When your beliefs are stretched, you can let yourself honor your experience. Sometimes just looking into other cultures helps you understand truth.

     

     

  • Everyone Benefits or Everyone Suffers

      Faith.
      It’s all about believing.
      You don’t know how it will happen.
      But you know it will.
      ~ Anonymous (AwakentheGreatnessWithin.com)

    Sometimes I think it could be quite helpful to be an astrologer, or a psychic, or a saint. Especially when life presents challenges.

    Below are three recent journal entries. The “D” stands for Debra, and the “V” stands for what I call The Voice (of the Holy Spirit). I have used XXXX where an individual’s name was recorded in my journal. I think you will agree the messages are for us all.

    D: What would Spirit have XXXX XXXX know in consciousness about her son XXXX? (Autistic and threatened harm to them both.)

    V: It may be time for her to seek a residential program for him. She (all of you) must recognize your limits. You are human. You cannot live every day in such distress. What would happen to him if she died?

    D: We don’t like to think about that. We need to…

    V: Karma helps us see truly. Her staying in a situation that is detrimental to her generates karma for him; generating karma for him generates more karma for her. As she chooses freedom for herself, she is helping him. People are so worried about doing something that is selfish. Sacrificing yourself in the name of love is the most selfish act you can do. Loving (doing the most wholesome thing for) yourself is the most generous. Everyone benefits or everyone suffers.

    Tell all who know. They all know.

    Love,
    Holy Spirit

    V: Yesterday you reminded your friend of ‘the rule of six.’ Can you come up with six options you see you for her husband?

    D:
    1. 24-hour care
    2. 16-hour care
    3. Facility
    4. Bed pan
    5. Catheter
    6. Hospital bed / wheel chair

    V: Notice these all go downhill. Are you able to imagine him having another rally? He has had many. Make sure you don’t turn a rough moment into a rough day or rough period into a rough life.

    D: Thank you for that! I see what you mean.

    V: Tell all who know. They all know.

    Love,
    Holy Spirit

    D: XXXX is so distressed over her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, following the granddaughter’s recent attempt at suicide. What would you have her know?

    V: In many ways, regardless of the conditions, the same message is called for:
    There is nothing to fix. There are only circumstances that require your loving attention. I wonder if XXXX has considered having them live with her? Not that this would be the final decision, but notice how XXXX’s town could be a good social environment for her granddaughter. Andrews University had many people of other countries and many with black skin. When we are willing to do whatever it takes, we are inspired, and what-ever-it-takes expands.

    Tell all who know. YOU all know.

    Love,
    Holy Spirit

    Years ago I wrote about the importance of using our WIT, whatever-it-takes. The phrase “resistance is futile” became prevalent in popular culture. The film Star Trek: First Contact used the phrase as the tagline for the 1996 film.

    The next time life presents a challenge, just try using your wit. Rather than bringing into focus all the things you are not willing to do to improve the situation, let yourself expand all the things you are willing to do. I am so often inspired by recalling the story of the man who got his arm wedged in the rocks while climbing. Using a pocket knife, he cut his arm off and got himself to safety.

    Most likely, none of the circumstances you are currently navigating—regardless of how challenging—require you to cut your arm off.

    Black Elk said it this way, “It may be that some little root of the sacred tree still lives. Nourish it then, that it may leaf and bloom and fill with singing birds.”

    Let’s all nourish our faith.

    You don’t know how it will happen. Why waste time imagining the worst.

    Even though it won’t happen exactly as you imagine it, imagine a scene that proves beyond a doubt, things have gone even better than you imagined….

    P.S. XXXX’s husband is doing better, and so is XXXX’s son. Join in holding space for XXXX’s granddaughter, too….

  • Sticky Note

    Sacred Stories

    She had just been asked to be part of a project for a spiritual group she was associated with. It was something she was capable of doing, so she sent a brief email reply that she was willing.

    Getting up from her computer, walking across the room, she noticed a piece of paper stuck on the bottom of her shoe.

    Here are the words written on the sticky note:

    This is a really good idea. Before you dismiss it, remember how you felt when it came to you.

    She had written the words from Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story, by Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor, on that sticky note several years before. It had somehow—at that moment—gotten from her keyboard shelf onto the bottom of her shoe!

    Take notice of the sometimes subtle and sometimes obvious way LIFE is always guiding you. Send email to Debra when you have a Sacred Story to share.

  • Overcoming Addiction

    Start by doing what is necessary,
    then do what is possible,
    and suddenly, you are doing
    the impossible.
    ~Francis of Assisi

    “Addiction, it has been said, starts in pain and ends in pain.” This is the opening line in the Editor’s Note in the January, 2018, edition of GUIDEPOSTS. The title is ‘Overcoming Addiction.” The entire edition is dedicated to the hope of recovery that calls to every addict and the people who love them.

    I am no stranger to addiction. My dad was an active alcoholic throughout my childhood. I am so grateful for his sobriety that came after my marriage and remained for the rest of his life. Grateful my daughter and grandchildren knew him in his sobriety.

    Last evening we were with some friends. This past week has been about her facing her son’s alcoholism. Several times during the evening I would be aware of the smell of alcohol. No one else could smell it, but it was obvious to me. Eventually I said, “It must be my dad.”

    Richard Rohr, an American Franciscan Friar ordained to the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church, published a podcast titled “Contemplation and Action on the Road of Recovery.” Rohr’s message begins with the radical truth that we are all addicted. He says the universal addiction we share is our addiction to our way of thinking. He says, “Literal-ism is the lowest level of meaning, the least level of meaning. Literal-ism gets you nowhere.”

    Whether taking something personally, literally, or insisting our way is the “right” way, addiction to our way of thinking is one of the most important things we can choose to give up. What would that be like? Recovery.

    Recovery is simply this: union with reality.

    Overcoming addictions is simply this: union with reality.

    Addiction is anything we know is not good for us but we do it anyway. So how do we change this?

    Here is a poem I wrote on September 25, 2017.  It is titled ‘Addiction’s Daughter.’

    His blood shot eyes told the story

    Her words a sloppy slur

    The arguments, lies, disappointed children staring

    wistfully out into space

     

    Alcohol’s real name is Satan

    Fermented devil Scotch

    And pray tell how one can in his right mind call it smooth

    a true velvety swindler

     

    Our broken dreams lie there shattered

    Memories all scattered

    Perfection in work and play disguising inward scars

    all weeping done in silence

     
    All weeping is done in silence in addiction. It is important we speak honestly. It is important we choose wholesome actions that invite recovery. It is important our awakened heart is capable of being present for our own suffering and the suffering of others.

    I have found the practice of Tonglen helps to awaken the heart.

    A Variation on Tonglen (receiving/giving) Meditation

    (Instructions in parentheses are a variation for Christians.)

    1. Sitting erect, note the breath moving in and out. Feel yourself in a circle of light (of God’s or Jesus’ presence, His Heart to your heart).
    2. Breath in, feeling that Light and infinite love move into you.
    3. Breath out. Let it fill your heart.
    4. Breath in, note the immense suffering of the world, then direct focus to one place/person.
    5. Breath out, sending that Love with the exhaled breath, to this suffering being. Here we are allowing ourselves to give freely, not to hold that Light which is so precious for ourselves but offering it freely in service to others.
    6. Inhale. See the suffering as a black, thick, tarry mass. Allow yourself to draw it into your heart. Note any resistance, any fear of allowing in that suffering, any desire to stay separate; soften around it. This is not a matter of forcing oneself, but gently opening one’s heart to fear, to the fear that creates illusion of our separation from the suffering of the world. We MUST do it gently. If there is resistance, allow in as much as you can. No ‘shoulds,’ no judgment, just the heart that gently opens when its fear is met with mercy.
    7. Exhale, allowing yourself to feel the heaviness of the suffering.
    8. Inhale, (remembering God); we as human need not hold the suffering and bear it ourselves.
    9. Exhale, release it out to whatever accepts it (to God or to Jesus).

    Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu is a Sanskrit mantra which means:

    “May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.”

    By chanting this mantra, we move from our personal self and radiate a prayer of love for the world around us. It takes us from the egoic, little self, and its limited world view, and radiates from us global wellbeing. It is a reminder we are a part of the universe and can positively impact all of creation.

    May all beings everywhere overcome addictions….

  • Elephant at Meditation

    Sacred Stories

    The group gathered each week for meditation. One particular day, a woman who lived in another area was visiting and also joined them.

    At the conclusion of the meditation, she said, “I just kept seeing elephants…. Other animals, too, but lots of elephants.”

    Finally one of the other women said, “Well, I did a painting of an elephant. I have it here with me today. I brought it to show a woman who is not here today.”

    Coming back to the group, she produced this amazing water color!

    How do you make sense of the amazing experiences we are having? To share your sacred stories, send email to debra@scs-matters.com.

  • A Blessed Visitor

    Sacred Stories

    They were traveling out of state when involved in an auto accident. She was taken by ambulance, leaving her husband behind at the scene.

    He made a desperate call to their home church asking for prayers.

    A member of the church who happened to hear the call had a relative in that town.

    The church member’s relative went immediately to the hospital, and stayed with the woman until her husband located her and arrived!

    Threads of divine connection reach out in all directions to nourish and support us like the roots of tall trees.

    Do you have a story to share? Send email to debra@scs-matters.com.

  • Liberation

      Deep Spring Center
      Thought for Today

      “I would ask you not to settle
      for anything less than liberation,
      and yet not to hurry toward it,
      but to know that if you practice
      with sincerity, love, and courage,
      it will come.
      May the way be very beautiful for you.
      May you find freedom and peace.”

    Aaron’s words slide over my being as smoothly as silk.

    We discovered mold under our dishwasher Sunday evening. It has been crawling along the floors.

    After mold remediation at the office, mold remediation on Lot 51, and now EXTENSIVE mold remediation happening here, I thought it wise to search for the meaning of mold as totem.

    Adaptability in the face of widespread, often destructive changes….

    Black Mold helps to keep me humble, and reminds me of the privileges I enjoy, however temporarily.

    An incentive to find more eco-friendly options for food, water, shelter, and other resources.

    Any species that manages to increase its population due to human influence, rather than becoming endangered or extinct, is at least noteworthy for its adaptability.

    It is truly amazing to be aware of the full monty. The full monty (or the full Monty) is a British slang phrase of uncertain origin. It is generally used to mean everything which is necessary, appropriate or possible; the works.

    Even while feeling overwhelm, I am aware how easy my life is compared to so many. Along with emotions of dread, trust holds my trembling breast. If this is liberation, it is worth the wait.

    One of the Brahma Kumaris inspirations of the day I received this morning says simply:

    Repeat after me: My current situation is not my permanent destination.

  • Your Place in the Family of Things

    A few days ago, the mold saga continued as late in the evening our friend ripped up carpet preparing for solid flooring installation in the manufactured home she bought here in our park and found this:

    (see Lessons from the Mold)

    She was having a very difficult time navigating all of the uncertainty. I totally get that. I said I would come the following day while she was at work and I would get the rest of the carpeting up so she would know the scope of the problem.

    We are now lovingly calling my friend’s space ‘AREA 51’ as her home is located on Lot 51.

    It never occurred to me that evening I would know to ask for help even as I was giving help.

    There is a story of the Buddha when in a past life he offered himself as food to a hungry tiger and her cubs. The story says when you start off by sharing your dinner with the hungry tiger cub and then some years or lifetimes later, you are giving your dinner, it’s only a natural next step to simply give yourself. For one for whom there is a giver it would not be an appropriate action, it would create an unwholesome karma for both you and the tiger cub. What happens is at some point there is no giver and no one given to. You are not making a martyr of yourself, because there’s really no distinction between you and the hungry tiger. You see the being suffering and you give.

    The following morning, as I prepared to head over to her home, I spontaneously wrote a note to the guy across the street, “I need someone with strength at Lot 51 for a few minutes.” He arrived home from the gym as I was writing the note, so I walked across the street and knocked on his door. I pointed to the note, told him what happened, and said simply, “I could use your help ripping up the rest of the carpet.”

    He walked over as I drove. There he stood—with a large pair of pliers, a utility knife, and a snub-nosed spade. He was amazing…. He showed me how to use the spade, and by working together, in less than an hour, we had all carpet and pad removed.

    And we found NO additional mold. I sent my friend these photos:

    I came home to have some lunch and rest a bit. I wrote a ‘thank you’ note, slipped 3 twenty-dollar bills into it, and taped it on his door as I headed back to remove the tack strips, pull up the linoleum, and sweep up the mess.

    When I got back home the 3 twenty-dollar bills were in this envelope taped on my door:

    When I saw him later, he grinned and said, “I kept the card.”

      Wild Geese

      You do not have to be good.
      You do not have to walk on your knees
      for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
      You only have to let the soft animal of your body
      love what it loves.
      Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
      Meanwhile the world goes on.
      Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
      are moving across the landscapes,
      over the prairies and the deep trees,
      the mountains and the rivers.
      Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
      are heading home again.
      Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
      the world offers itself to your imagination,
      calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
      over and over announcing your place
      in the family of things.

      ~Mary Oliver

  • Flood Cleanup

    Sacred Stories

    Fortunately it was at the end of the summer camping season when a church camp in Pennsylvania experienced pretty extensive flood damage.

    The office was closed but the secretary had stopped briefly to pick up mail. She answered when the phone rang.

    A volunteer organization out of Texas had heard of the damage. They were on site and willing to handle the cleanup and repair!

    Sacred Stories happen every day. We are provided evidence that life is wonderful, and we are being supported. Notice. And share….

    Do you have a story to share? Send email to debra@scs-matters.com.