Debra Basham

Living and Loving

Tag: Sacred Stories

  • Like Talking to Your Dad Again!

    Sacred Stories

    Her dad had passed six weeks ago. She was living with her mom.

    Her mom’s college roommate and husband had recently come for a visit and helped with a bunch of house projects. Afterward, she and the husband spent a few hours just talking. They really enjoyed an in-depth conversation.

    He said he had loved that kind of conversations with her dad, and was hoping he might be able to share that way with her too.

    Several times during their conversation he remarked how her speech and behavioral mannerisms were just like her dad’s.

    “It is like I am talking to your dad again….” he told her.

    Rather than a sense of emptiness, she also feels her dad’s presence at the house. She says it is comforting, adding,”I very much believe there is more to this world than we can experience intellectually.”

  • Moth Magic

    Sacred Stories

    When she woke up, she walked outside and this beauty was on the door.

    Automeris io, the Io moth, is found throughout the eastern half of the United States, as far west as Utah, Colorado, and Texas. Its range extends as far north as Quebec, Ontario, and southern Manitoba, but as with many other moth species, it is less common now in parts of its range.

    Just the evening before she had sketched this Emperor gum moth in preparation for her Young Naturalist nature sketchbook class scheduled for this very morning:

    While it was not the same species of moth, it is just as beautiful, and magical. She had never seen this species in her area before.

    She wrote: Life and art…. art and life…

  • Linear Garden

    Sacred Stories

    She was out enjoying an early morning bike ride with a friend. The friend was sharing about a program she had seen the night before featuring the ecological benefits of converting cultured lawn space back to nature’s landscape.

    As she turned onto her road, a magnificent linear garden stretched out before her.

    She pulled over to take this photo.

    No fertilizer and no irrigation….

    Be mindful of other ways we have discarded basic beauty for believed better.

  • More Turtle!

    Sacred Stories

    She was visiting with her young granddaughter, out for a walk near the canal. They saw this turtle.

    As the turtle began to move away from them, her granddaughter motioned to the turtle saying, “More turtle.” She had learned to do that with the dog.

    The turtle stopped, turned around and came back their way!

    Imagine recognizing divine intelligence everywhere. Breathe into the wildflowers, “Grow.” Tell the coronavirus, “Soften.” Whisper to your sweet spirit, “Fly…”

  • Song for Someone

    Sacred Stories

    Feeling a sense of self-judgment and doubt, she asked for guidance related to whether a spiritual group she was practicing with was right for her.

    In Buddhism, the antidote to doubt is faith, an active willingness to suspend self-judgment and to see for yourself what is true.

    “A Song for Someone” by U2 came on and the line in the lyrics she heard was:

    There is a light you can’t always see!

    She realized this was the answer!

    If there is a light
    You can’t always see
    And there is a world
    We can’t always be
    If there is a dark
    Now we shouldn’t doubt
    And there is a light
    Don’t let it go out

    She could see the mind state of doubt for what it is. And she was willing to see for herself what is true.

    And this is a song
    A song for someone
    This is a song
    A song for someone

  • Let’s Change Your Medication

    Sacred Stories

    He was navigating a medical condition with as much grace as possible when one more sleepless night due to pain motivated him to determine, “I am going to tell the doctor that we need to do something else.”

    The following morning the doctor called him, saying, “Let’s change your medication.”

    That was such a confirmation!

    Dean Ornish, M.D. was quoted as having said, “There is no “I” in wellness.”

    It is so important (especially during difficult conditions) to realize we are ever-connected.

  • Trees!

    Sacred Stories

    She sent a tree emoji in a text message to a friend, including one with the yoga tree pose.

    A little later during a gathering via Zoom, several people expressed how trees help them get or stay grounded and centered. Late arriving to the group, one woman explained that she had been painting a tree, and even turned her iPad around to show the group the trees outside her window!

    While her phone’s ringer was off, she had received a text message from another friend. That friend was sharing a video of her baby daughter looking out the window, talking to the trees.

    The baby was so engaged with the trees she did not even respond when her mom softly called her name a couple of times.

    The only words in the text message were: She knows about the 🌲 🌳

  • Bluebird

    Sacred Stories

    His mother-in-law had passed and his wife’s family was gathering at their home to share a meal—safely, out-of-doors.

    After setting up tables and doing preparations, he was so surprised to see a bluebird visit.

    In over 35 years of living here, bluebirds had never been part of his backyard birds. His lot was too wooded.

    When the family moved to to the other side of the house to take advantage of shade, the bluebird followed.

    It was then he recognized the visitor!

  • You Are My Sunshine

    Sacred Stories

    After his uncle passed, he received a message to give to his aunt. It was the light-hearted song “You Are My Sunshine.”

    Although he felt a bit awkward with the message, he felt compelled by his uncle’s spirit.

    His aunt was so touched!

    “That was our song!” she exclaimed.

    They both knew he could not have ever guessed or made that up.

    This mind, which is unborn and primordially pure,
    is spontaneously present from the very beginning!
    ~ Flight of the Garuda, by Lama Shabkar, Tsogdruk Rangdrol

  • Catalpa Tree Magic

    Sacred Stories

    During break time on the last day of their meditation retreat, out for a bike ride, she stopped to take photos of some gorgeous blossoms on the side of the road.


    June afternoon dharma talks under the catalpa tree… blossoms drifing down on them. Fabulous fragrance. She knew the photos would be precious to her meditation teachers, and a friend who always attended the retreats too.

    She had ridden this same route the day before but had not noticed the blossoms. How could she have missed them? They were so beautiful and there so many of them!


    Sharing the photos with her sister they realized it was soooo significant for her to have seen the blossoms on Father’s Day. Their dad owned and operated a bait and tackle shop, and he always gathered the worms that fed on the catalpa trees!


    She shared this story with another meditation group a couple of days later. Several in the group had connections with catalpa trees, and one woman shared an amazing story. She had been told to choose a tree, put her forehead against that tree, and imagine connecting to the lead fairy of that specific tree species. Artists, they were to be able then to draw or paint the image. She chose a catalpa tree.

    Her fairy image was an Aboriginal-like child with wings where the ears would be!

    In the middle of the fairy’s forehead was a spout, out of which light and love and wisdom and blessing poured down upon anyone who was looking up at the tree.

    After sharing her drawing, she learned that the noun ‘catalpa’ derives from the Creek katáłpa, a compound word that translates literally as “winged head.”