Debra Basham

Living and Loving

Tag: inspiration

  • Mahogany Table

    My friends wanted a larger dining table. But it had to be one that could also be small enough for the four of us to play cards or dominoes, as we often do.

    I had put an item on Marketplace but the smaller items that had not sold went home with my daughter for her to list in a larger market. I thought I had pulled all of the listings and was surprised to get a message about the Bose sound system. Searching for my listing, I came across a dining room table and 4 chairs: “Beautiful mahogany table with claw feet. Antique table that goes from 4 feet to 7 feet.” It was less than 30 minutes away. And the price was very reasonable. I sent that listing to my friend.

    A few days later I received a text message from her, “Going to look at that table from Facebook Marketplace today at 5:30. Hoping it works!”

    I wrote back, “The craziest thing is that I saw the listing for the table when I was responding to a message about a listing I thought I had pulled.”

    She added, “Crazier yet is that I’ve been looking on FB Marketplace for a month or more now and never saw this one.”

    At 7:38 pm she sent a photo of their new beautiful antique mahogany table already set up in their dining room along with this message, “And three leaves so it will comfortably seat 12!”

  • Today I Will Choose Joy

    Regrets are like eating rat poison expecting the rats to die. Rather than living with regrets, we can choose to savor every opportunity to love. This is how my yesterday felt (feels).

    When my niece was in 8th grade she went to live with her dad and step-mother. She will be 52 on her next birthday. I feel like one year ago she came back into my life and my world is so much richer because we are here now. Her mom passed in January.

    As we were planning her day here with us we decided to leave options open, and yesterday she drove over from Ann Arbor area to spend the day. We had a glorious day. Each moment was precious. There was ample time for both tears and laughter….

    (Note* If you receive this post via email and the photos are not included, please click on the title and read it on the website so you don’t miss anything.)

    Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will share a set of photos that gives you a clear sense of our day. The first is a close up of a banner (had been a favorite of her mom) our niece gifted to my sister after her mom had passed. It now hangs over the massage table for clients to see above them. It says: Today I Will Choose Joy.

    The challenge became how to get a photo that showed clearly it was on the ceiling above the table, so the fun began in earnest. Here is my niece on the floor and my sister at the foot of the massage table each trying to get a shot….

    Then I had the idea for all three of us to get on the massage table and take a selfie which sounded plausible until we realized the banner was backwards!

    One last try resulted in total failure to get the banner but we captured a beautiful memory of the three of us.

    We drove by my niece’s childhood home, her elementary school, the fields where she played ball, and the former home of her her maternal grandma and grandpa. All of our sharing and shenanigans put us driving by the home of her paternal great grandma and great grandpa at the exact time a man was crossing the road to get his mail. “That’s a relative!” she burst out. Soon I was turning the van around and she spent precious time with the cousin who had grown up with being called a twin to her father.

    As we headed back to the house to meet the guys, we marveled at the holy timing of our being there to see him. We had made two calls asking about an impromptu visit with a couple of folks, but both had declined. It probably took him all of two minutes to come out and walk across the yard. The exact two minutes that we were creeping by….

    Earlier in the day as she had gotten close to our house a car almost side-swiped her on a road heavy with memories. She told us she had said out loud, “Nice try, Devil dog, not this time. You lose, I get to choose.”

    My niece shared with us how she would give her testimony as evidence that painful things (awful things) can (and did) happen to us but the holy love of Jesus carried us through and we can look back and see that we were carried. She said the day could not have turned out any better.

    And as the three of us posed for this photo on our porch, words from my sister’s text message this morning say it all: “Yesterday was one of the most wonderful days of my life.”

  • A New Look at Service

    Twice in the past several days I have have been invited to look at the habit energy of a person doing or not doing something in opposition to one’s own desire out of obligation or not wanting to offend, disappoint, or hurt another. I decided to put this situation to question using AI.

      Take time to identify what’s truly important to you in this situation. What are your personal goals, values, and limits? Sometimes saying yes to others means saying no to your needs.

      Acknowledge people-pleasing tendencies. Recognize that you’re tempted to agree to avoid conflict or gain approval. Understanding the root cause can be helpful in overcoming this behavior.

      Consider the source of the request, the quality of your relationship, and whether the favor aligns with your values and capacity to help. It’s normal to feel guilt or anxiety when you start setting boundaries. Acknowledge these feelings as part of the process and remember that saying no isn’t a rejection of the person, but a commitment to honoring yourself.

      Be direct and kind. State your needs and limitations clearly and assertively, but with respect for the other person. Avoid making excuses or over-explaining your decision.

      Use “I” statements to express needs and limits without sounding accusatory or confrontational. Saying no is a crucial aspect of establishing boundaries and prioritizing needs. It is important to honor true feelings and communicate expectations.

      If appropriate, suggest an alternative solution or a different way to help without compromising needs. Be firm and consistent: Once a boundary is set, stick to it, even if others push back.

      The wisest approach involves a process of self-discovery, respectful communication, and a commitment to prioritizing your own well-being without neglecting the needs of others. It’s about finding a healthy balance between being kind and considerate to others, and being true to yourself.

    Stacey and I had some heartfelt sharing about all of this on our bike ride while she was here last week. We spoke clear intentions to love one another and ourselves and to be willing to express with continued honesty and trust as circumstances change. And circumstances do…. that is for sure.

    I remember Betty Lue Lieber teaching us that our service must also serve us. The lyrics to the song “Garden Party” by Ricky Nelson come to mind:


    “But it’s all right now
    I learned my lesson well
    You see, you can’t please everyone
    So you got to please yourself.”

  • August Wedding

    It was 1976. Their daughter was six years old. Cancer!

    It was only June but their daughter was sooooo excited about an upcoming family wedding. Her dress had already been chosen. The wedding was not until August.

    As the doctors listed off the side effects of the chemotherapy her mother began to pray, “Lord, please don’t let her hair fall out until after the wedding.”

    Their precious child went to that wedding with a full head of beautiful black hair.

    The morning after, her beautiful black hair fell out…. But her beautiful black hair grew back in. Praise God!


    And when this Sacred Story was posted in July, 2025, that “child” was a fifty-five-year-old mother-of-two and grandmother.

  • Hilma of Klint

    “She was well-educated,
    she had a mind of her own,
    and she painted like nobody else.”
    ~ opening words from the trailer of the Zeitgeist Films
    “Beyond the Visible: Hilma of Klint.”

    The jigsaw puzzle she had borrowed from the public library featured an image done by the artist Hilma of Klint, born in Sweden in 1862. Hilma was both an artist and a mystic. Her paintings are considered among the first major abstract works in Western art history. Hilma died in 1944.

    Leafing through the April/May 2025 edition of the Smithsonian Magazine she was surprised and delighted to see an article featuring Hilma of Klint! What are the odds of that??? She was awestruck to be seeing the article on the very day she was doing the puzzle of the Hilma piece….

    She does not subscribe to the Smithsonian magazine but a friend she seldom sees had sent this edition to her by mail because the cover story is about the Buddha and the friend said she didn’t know anyone else interested in the Buddha.

    The magazine arrived many days earlier, but as she had time to do a puzzle that day she thought she best also look at the free magazines which had collected. Among the pile was the Smithsonian. She felt she should check out the story of the Buddha and thank her friend for sending it.

    And there was Hilma waiting for her!

    She writes, “It was so out of my control. It was a great teaching for me that I do not have to control everything. TRUST Life. Things will unfold without your pushing them along.”

    Her sense of wonder amplified as she looked again at a drawing she herself had done during the pandemic. Perhaps she, too, was both an artist and a mystic. The urge to draw circles highlighting energy or essence that might otherwise be missed was palpable as she saw deeper meaning in her persistent inner calling to “Pick up the brushes….”

  • Xfinity

    Where is the beginning of a ring? What is the beginning of a climate with four seasons? Which stage of a butterfly is the beginning or the end? In starting this blog post, I know not these answers.

    “The Game of Life” is a Sacred Story posted on 4 July 2025:

      He took The Game of Life & How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn with him to the beach. They were not going to spend the whole day as they were planning to visit a friend. Arriving on the friend’s porch, he mentioned the book adding that it was a small book and perfect for beach reading, plus, it was something he had wanted to read for a long time.

      Soon their sharing became deep enough he was making a few notes on his phone. As their visit was winding down he said, “Earlier you shared a quote — until it is felt in the body, peace is just a word — and you did not give an attribution.” Then he asked, “Where did that come from?”

      “I don’t have an attribution,” she replied, “because someone shared it at church on Father’s Day without an attribution. I have not tried to find out where it came from but I find it to be very powerful.”

      He began reading to her the conclusion from his AI search for the attribution: “The quote — until it is felt in the body, peace is just a word — is most likely attributed to Florence Scovel Shinn….

    The Sacred Story “Positivity” posted a bit later on 4 July 2025:

      She received the following list of “Affirmations & Denials” from The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn in a text message from a friend.

      Affirmations & Denials

      (For Prosperity)
      God is my unfailing supply, and large sums of money come to me quickly, under grace, in perfect ways.

      (For Right Conditions)
      Every plan my Father in heaven has not planned, shall be dissolved and dissipated, and the Divine Idea now comes to pass.

      (For Right Conditions)
      Only that which is true of God is true of me, for I and the Father are ONE.

      (For Faith)
      As I am one with God, I am one with my good, for God is both the Giver and the Gift. I cannot separate the Giver from the gift.

      (For Right Conditions)
      Divine Love now dissolves and dissipates every wrong condition in my mind, body and affairs. Divine Love is the most powerful chemical in the universe, and dissolves everything which is not of itself!

      (For Health)
      Divine Love floods my consciousness with health, and every cell in my body is filled with light.

      (For the Eyesight)
      My eyes are God’s eyes, I see with the eyes of spirit. I see clearly the open way: there are no obstacles on my pathway. I see clearly the perfect plan.

      (For Guidance)
      I am divinely sensitive to my intuitive leads, and give instant obedience to Thy will.

      (For the Hearing)
      My ears are God’s ears, I hear with the ears of spirit. I am nonresistant and am willing to be led. I hear glad tidings of great joy.

      (For Right Work)
      I have a perfect work In a perfect way: I give a perfect service For perfect pay.

      (For Freedom from All Bondage)
      I cast this burden on the Christ within, and I go free!

    Moments later she read the Daily Word July 1, 2025:

      With positivity, I embrace all aspects of life. Positivity means living free of doubt, seeing clearly, and feeling secure. Even when my worldly fortunes shift, I maintain my positive outlook and believe the presence and power of God is in and through all things.

      I understand the ebb and flow that is part of everyone’s life. If I find myself in undesirable circumstances, I honor my feelings by witnessing my fleeting negative thoughts and feelings with self-compassion. When I feel ready, I release and let them go.

      I deny that negativity has any power over me. I use affirmations to realign myself with my positive nature. I accept the conditions of my life even as I strive to improve them. Positivity is my way forward. With gratitude, I affirm God is with me as I claim my highest good.

      Set your minds on things that are above,
      not on things that are on earth.
      ~ Colossians 3:2

    Take note that this body of work was first published in 1925 — 100 years ago! I was so inspired by Shinn’s works I created the following composite affirmation for myself:

    I do not resist any situation. I put it in the hands of Infinite Love and Wisdom. Let the Divine idea now come to pass.

    Infinite
    Love
    and
    Wisdom
    = LAW

    I am in perfect harmony with the working of the LAW. I stand aside and let Infinite Intelligence make easy and successful my way.

    True confession is that I am the “she” in both of these Sacred Story posts. And the rest of this subsequently sacred story is even a bit more shocking….

    We have had an ongoing Xfinity internet issue since we got back to Michigan in April. “Eric” came in May and ran a bright orange temporary wire from the utility pole to the house and someone was to come back in the next week or two to bury the line. Michigan Gas Utility Company came and marked the gas line with spray paint on our lawn.

    On June 6, we received a text message saying, “You’re all set! Your new Xfinity underground cable line is complete. Get in touch if you need anything. Otherwise, enjoy your Xfinity service.”


    John and I had both been home all day on June 6 and no one had come to bury the cable and remove the temporary line. By the first of July the paint line on the grass marking the gas lines had faded and John was very tired of having to mow around the orange wire. We were again receiving the messages, “Your internet connection has been restored.”

    On Wednesday, July 2, I spent two hours of real time (not an exaggerated description) on a text chain during which I was offered two free Apple Smart Watches. When pushed for more information, I was told the bill for the two free watches with all the taxes and fees would be $25 monthly only. During this call, I discovered we had been charged $100 for “professional installation” on our June bill! I requested a refund. Even as I received both text and email messages saying our refund request could not be approved and the ticket had been closed, the text chat assured me I was getting the money back.

    Although I had been told the reason I had to stay on the text chat responding to each entry immediately with a word or even an emoji was so an appointment could be confirmed, when the text chat ended, I still did not have an appointment.

    Thursday morning was beautiful. Cool, good air quality, low wind, sunny. I headed out for a nice long bike ride. About 2 miles from home I stopped at a couple of garage sales. Walking back to my bike I suddenly $h!t my pants. (No, fecal incontinence is not a normal thing for me.) I had no choice but to high tail it back home.

    As I gingerly slid my butt onto my bike seat, I affirmed, “I resist nothing.”

    When I arrived at the house via the back yard, an Xfinity truck was pulling up in front of our house. With as much decorum as I could garner, I showed “Benjamin” where the orange wire was and updated him on our issues. As I headed into the house to change my clothes I quickly snapped a photo of the truck and sent it in a text message to John who was having coffee with his morning friends.


    He replied with two words: “No shit.”

    I wrote back, “OMG! Wait ’till I tell you the rest of the story!”

  • Positivity

    She received the following list of “Affirmations & Denials” from The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn in a text message from a friend.

      Affirmations & Denials

      (For Prosperity)
      God is my unfailing supply, and large sums of money come to me quickly, under grace, in perfect ways.

      (For Right Conditions)
      Every plan my Father in heaven has not planned, shall be dissolved and dissipated, and the Divine Idea now comes to pass.

      (For Right Conditions)
      Only that which is true of God is true of me, for I and the Father are ONE.

      (For Faith)
      As I am one with God, I am one with my good, for God is both the Giver and the Gift. I cannot separate the Giver from the gift.

      (For Right Conditions)
      Divine Love now dissolves and dissipates every wrong condition in my mind, body and affairs. Divine Love is the most powerful chemical in the universe, and dissolves everything which is not of itself!

      (For Health)
      Divine Love floods my consciousness with health, and every cell in my body is filled with light.

      (For the Eyesight)
      My eyes are God’s eyes, I see with the eyes of spirit. I see clearly the open way: there are no obstacles on my pathway. I see clearly the perfect plan.

      (For Guidance)
      I am divinely sensitive to my intuitive leads, and give instant obedience to Thy will.

      (For the Hearing)
      My ears are God’s ears, I hear with the ears of spirit. I am nonresistant and am willing to be led. I hear glad tidings of great joy.

      (For Right Work)
      I have a perfect work In a perfect way: I give a perfect service For perfect pay.

      (For Freedom from All Bondage)
      I cast this burden on the Christ within, and I go free!

    Moments later she read the Daily Word July 1, 2025:

    With positivity, I embrace all aspects of life. Positivity means living free of doubt, seeing clearly, and feeling secure. Even when my worldly fortunes shift, I maintain my positive outlook and believe the presence and power of God is in and through all things.

    I understand the ebb and flow that is part of everyone’s life. If I find myself in undesirable circumstances, I honor my feelings by witnessing my fleeting negative thoughts and feelings with self-compassion. When I feel ready, I release and let them go.

    I deny that negativity has any power over me. I use affirmations to realign myself with my positive nature. I accept the conditions of my life even as I strive to improve them. Positivity is my way forward. With gratitude, I affirm God is with me as I claim my highest good.

    Set your minds on things that are above,
    not on things that are on earth.
    ~ Colossians 3:2

  • The Game of Life

    He took The Game of Life & How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn with him to the beach. They were not going to spend the whole day as they were planning to visit a friend. Arriving on the friend’s porch, he mentioned the book adding that it was a small book and perfect for beach reading, plus, it was something he had wanted to read for a long time.

    Soon their sharing became deep enough he was making a few notes on his phone. As their visit was winding down he said, “Earlier you shared a quote — until it is felt in the body, peace is just a word — and you did not give an attribution.” Then he asked, “Where did that come from?”

    “I don’t have an attribution,” she replied, “because someone shared it at church on Father’s Day without an attribution. I have not tried to find out where it came from but I find it to be very powerful.”

    He began reading to her the conclusion from his AI search for the attribution:

    The quote “Until it is felt in the body, peace is just a word” is most likely attributed to Florence Scovel Shinn….

  • Wholesome and Wonder-full

    In meditation, the aim is to
    know the whole experience: the
    thoughts, feelings, and sensations
    surrounding an emotion, and the
    behavior of the mind — especially
    whether its motivation is whole-
    some or unwholesome.

    ~ The Daily Tejaniya

    This recognition of wholesome or unwholesome motivation is a game changer. In the same way that the right amount of spice is delicious and too little or too much spice is not, that tender lane of wholesomeness brings a yummy peace. For one thing, it keeps you in the present moment.

    Yesterday, Stacey and Rachel and I spent the morning garage sale shopping. Adam and Rachel just bought a BIG house in Lebanon. The house is very empty right now and with so many possibilities everything can feel a bit overwhelming. We had a wonderful time getting to know Rachel’s vision and went home with some really good finds!

    The round mirror ($5) is currently hanging near the front door entry way. Will it stay there as they continue to furnish their home? Only time will tell. Below the mirror is a piece she got for half price at an estate sale. Sometimes we can be uncomfortable with what is happening. We might not notice if we are missing blessings that are also unfolding. I certainly experienced this supporting clients through the birthing process while I was a working as a doula.

    Every moment with our great grandson, Jackson, brings this home. He is still nonverbal and not potty trained yet. But he is doing things this visit he could not do when we were with him on our way back to Michigan from Florida the first week of April.

    Everybody is coming here today for pool time and burgers. Tomorrow John and I will go to Lebanon and spend some time helping Adam and Rachel. Tuesday we will head back home.

    I posted this wisdom from Gratefulness.org on my Facebook page a few days ago, along with a fun filtered photo of Stacey and me laughing:

      Let the laughter come, even if it has not been heard for a very long time, especially if times are hard and the future uncertain. Laughter is as important in adversity as wisdom and courage.

      ~ Steven Charleston

    Moments here include laughter and the wholesome motivations mean our days are wonder-full….

  • A Real No-Brainer

    John and I are in Tennessee at Stacey’s. We drove down yesterday. While he was napping, I logged onto John’s MyChart to check for the last of the test results from his annual exam with his primary the day before. His thyroid is off again. His medication will be adjusted. But the results from the EKG need further investigation. Although he was already scheduled to have an echo-cardiogram, now seeing these EKG results the situation is experienced with a greater level of stress.

    Interestingly, several friends are navigating unknowns related to health. Some are worrisome. Some are severe.Some are life-threatening. It is very difficult to not get triggered into worry brain. I have been working on my upcoming Insights clergy article for the local paper. The theme is how life’s longest journey is the distance between the head and the heart.

    Tired from our travel day I was able to fall asleep, but several hours later I was wide awake in worry brain. In my heart I heard my own words from the Insights article, “If I had my life to live over again, I would ask that not a thing be changed, but that my heart be opened wider.”

    Knowing I needed to activate the heart, I listened to with Dawson Church. I could see that it was even challenging to identify a person or a place which gave me peace. Finally, on the second listening to Dawson (“EcoMeditation”) I was able to remember the joy I feel when watching the birds at our bird bath from my kitchen window.

    The 7 Steps of EcoMeditation

    Before you begin, turn off your cell phone, laptop, and alerts. Give yourself the gift of 20 minutes of undisturbed time. You can do this first thing in the morning (my favorite time), last thing at night, or during a break in the day. Sit upright in a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.

      1. Use your fingertips to tap on each of the EFT acupressure points in any order, while holding the intention that you are in a calm and peaceful state, and nothing matters except the gift of undisturbed time you are now giving yourself. Tap from top to bottom, and when you get to the last point, start on the first point again. If you don’t know the tapping points, you can find them on the diagram here.

      This is time just for you. Let all your preoccupations vanish, and allow yourself to be fully present. As you tap, say, “I release any and all blocks to inner peace. I release all tension in my body. I release anything in my past, present or future that stands between me and inner peace.”

      2. Stop tapping and relax your hands. Close your eyes, and let your tongue rest loosely on the floor of your mouth.

      3. Feel your hands. Feel your feet. Feel the space inside your hands. Feel the space inside your feet. Feel the space inside your legs, your arms, your torso, your neck and head. Feel the space inside your whole body. Picture a big empty space behind your eyes. Picture a big empty space between your eyebrows. If thoughts arise in your mind at any point during the meditation, just let them go. Watch them drift like clouds across the sky, without attachment.

      4. Breathe slowly, for 6 seconds per out-breath, and 6 seconds per in-breath. Count to 6 silently each time you breathe in, and each time you breathe out. Notice how relaxed your tongue is. Picture the big empty space behind your eyes. Keep your tongue relaxed.

      If physical sensations arise in your body, such as aches or pains, just observe them. You don’t have to do anything about them. Keep your attention focused on your breath, counting 6 seconds in, and 6 seconds out.

      5. Visualize the location in your chest where your physical heart resides. Imagine breathing in and out through your heart, while maintaining 6 second in-breaths and 6 second out-breaths. Maintain a relaxed tongue.

      6. Imagine a beam of love pouring out through your heart toward a person or place that you love with each out-breath. Stay in this state for several breaths. Notice the big empty space behind your eyes, and how relaxed your tongue is on the floor of your mouth

      7. Bring the beam of love back into your body, into the area of your physical heart. Send that love to any part of your body that is uncomfortable or in pain. To end the meditation, take 3 deep 6 second breaths.

      When you feel complete with the meditation, return your attention to the room you’re in. Open your eyes and look at the object closest to you, and observe its characteristics, such as color, texture, and weight. Shift your gaze and look at the object furthest away from you. Notice your breath. Notice the weight of your body on the chair or on the surface on which you’re sitting. Feel your hands and feet. Be aware of the time.

      Bring yourself back to the here and now. While a meditative state supports our well-being, it’s also vital to orient yourself to the “real world” and function there effectively at the end of each meditation period.

      Do this every day for a week, and you’ll notice a difference in how you feel during the rest of the day. Do this every day for a month, and you’ll be hooked. It only requires 20 minutes, though you may want to gradually increase your time frame to 30 or 45 minutes.

    John is notorious for saying, “I realized that 99% of the things I have worried about never happened. That is proof worry works.”

    If you are not so sure that worry works, you will be interested to know that MRI scans show EcoMeditation decreases activity in the brain regions associated with self-focus and suffering, and increases activity in the areas of compassion.

    This seems like a real no-brainer to me….