The Book of Days X: 21 Things That Nurture My Spirit

Copyright 2011-All Rights Reserved

Nurturing My Spirit

I read an article by a woman on this topic this past year. It got me thinking about things that nurture my spirit. Not listed in order of importance, here’s what I came up with. It's good, I think, to reflect about what things nurture your spirit as the new year comes in.. . and to resolve to indulge yourself in these things as often as possible.

Think about my list as you read and perhaps you will come up with your own. 


1. Ansel Adams’ Photos


2. Walking in Gardens


3. Flowers and Plants


4. Gardening.


5. Dogs


6. Snuggling with/Holding Hands with My Honey


7. Colors


8. Sunlight


9. Native American Flute Music


10. Walking/Hiking Park Trails


11. The Sight of a Full Moon


12. The Sound and Sight of the Ocean’s Ebb and Flow


13. A Hug


14. Listening & Talking to Friends


15. The Sights of Red Rock Country. Looking at The Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Arches, Bryce Canyon,


16. Swimming


17. Yoga


18. Listening to Luther Vandross’ Music


19. The Visual Arts (Photography, Sculpture, Painting, Collages, Pottery, Glassmaking)


20. Writing


21. Reading



Happy New Year!


May 2012 be a year that brings all the positive energy of the universe to you and those you love.

May this be a year that begins and ends with love and connection...

with creativity and with purpose...

with a willingness to save and preserve all the beauty and bounties of our earthworld.


End

In Memoriam: For Reverend Darren McCarroll-Jones

Copyright 2011-All Rights Reserved


Reverend Darren McCarroll-Jones (May 20, 1963 - November 27, 2011):

Ordained Minister of Unity Fellowship of Christ Church
Pastor of Unity Fellowship Church, Detroit
1st Minister of Music for the Mass Choir of Unity Fellowship Movement
1st Musical Director and Minister of Music for Unity Fellowship of Christ Church, Los Angeles





Reverend Darren-McCarroll-Jones, Minister of Unity Fellowship of Christ Church


Darren McCarroll-Jones first heard about Unity Fellowship of Christ Church (Los Angeles) on Jefferson Boulevard from a friend back in the late 1980’s. Although Darren was directing the choir at his home church on Sundays, he managed to dash over to Unity a Couple of times to find out if what he’d heard about the church service was true.


One Sunday, he came for the entire service and was deeply moved by Archbishop Carl Bean’s healing words, as well as the termination of the small choir performing without musicians or a choral director. For a time thereafter, Darren would come from his church for the last half of service. All the while, he considered whether he should move his membership and offer to serve as Unity’s Musical Director. “It was not an easy decision,’” he admitted. The turning point came in January of 1990 when an associate pastor at his church preached a blistering sermon denouncing homosexuality. Shortly afterwards, Darren met with Archbishop Bean and offered to help with the choir because he had made the decision to move his church membership. Bean, a gospel singer in his own right, eagerly accepted the offer and Unity’s Music Department with Darren as Musical Director was born.

Under McCarroll-Jones’ guiding hand, many talented musicians, singers and choir directors emerged to share their gifts at the Los Angeles church as a part of the voices of Unity each Sunday, during his tenure at the Detroit church, as well as during the Movement’s Annual Fall Convocation. In addition, McCarroll-Jones directed the choir on the first L.I.F.E. Records CD, titled Right Now, recorded by the Los Angeles church, featuring the original music of Archbishop Carl Bean. http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/bean_c.html

In the early nineties in Los Angeles, Reverend McCarroll-Jones was a tireless worker in the field of AIDS at Unity’s Minority AIDS Project and the first to serve as Program Director for MAP’s Treatment Advocacy Program. In later years, in Detroit, he served as Unity, Detroit’s pastor, earned his J.D. degree, served as a consultant in the Detroit mayor’s office, taught as an Adjunct Professor in Paralegal Technology at Wayne County Community College District.

I was fortunate to know and work with Darren at MAP in Los Angeles in the late 1980’s through the early nineties. It was true heaven to sit in the audience of Unity, L.A. and listen on Sundays to the Voices of Unity under his musical talent and direction. He was a smart, dedicated, and talented man.

I will and do miss him.
 
End

Original Myths - How Flowers Got Their Colors, Prologue

Copyright 2011-All rights Reserved

1. Prologue


At the beginning, all things came to be in this dimension by vibrating themselves into being from the engergy of All-Spirits. Each thing, as it came into this dimension was to bring its own particular color with it.

And so, the shining Sky children--Sun, Moon, Rainbow, and Stars, came to be by rippling and shimmering themselves into the heavens.

Then came the Four Sacred Elements: Earth, the Pillar, manifested itself by whirling and spinning faster than the eye can see, while Fire, the Resplendent One, flickered and crackled; Water, the elixir, surged and gushed; and Wind, the Sage, wafted and danced itself into existence.

One by one, other things vibrated themselves into existence, like Mountain, who came to be by quaking and thrusting itself up so that it stood tall and mighty against the sky, and like Valley, who dipped down so that it lay snugly beside Mountain. Plains and Meadow and Trees and Grass blazoned forth by rolling and zigzagging into the spaces where Mountain and Valley could not fit.

Then Flowers wiggled and waggled themselves into being so that they peeked out between blades of Grass sprouting on Meadow. But, alas! Something had happened to them as they vibrated!

This is the story of what (happened). And who (was brave enough to find out). And how (everything was put to right).

Next Time: Part 2- "Honeybee, Hummingbird, and Butterfly"