I had an experience at church on Sunday…

The love of God is loving me

and resting in the love of God

I know that all is well.

                                                                   -Rickie Byars-Beckwith

Sunday I got to bring my sister to church! She’s a Unity person too, though the town she lives in does not have a strong Unity community, so it was wonderful for her to be able to join us for the service.

Rev. Hank talked about something called neuro-linguistic programming(NLP). He described the concept like this, you think of a really happy and good moment, and get into a wonderful positive zone over it, and then combine the memory or vision with a physical movement, such as an ear tug, or maybe tapping a finger on the back of your hand, something subtle you can do without drawing too much attention to yourself, creating a physical sensation in the body. You practice this good thought combined with the physical gesture, and in short time you will be able to snap yourself out of a negative spin by merely doing the gesture. The good feeling will be triggered by the gesture alone. 

Interesting concept. I sat there listening, and of course wondering how I might be able to teach Riley this, to help with her anxiety.

After the talk, and meditation, Kathy Sullivan, our music director, led us in an “experience” in song.  Because just hearing or singing a song ain’t enough for Kathy. We gots-ta experience it! She taught us a Rickie Byars-Beckwith song, the lyrics,  

The love of God is loving me

and resting in the love of God

I know that all is well.

Then,

The grace of God is grace in me.

and resting in the grace of God

I know that all is well. 

Love of God. Grace of God. Peace of God, and so on, add a word. Then, as the music played, Kathy instructed us to go back in our minds, and find a memory when we absolutely knew all was well, and to connect it with a physical gesture, ala NLP. Eyes closed, with my sister on my right, I immediately flashed back to a memory of an Easter when I was about five or six years old. My grandmother had lovingly and joyfully made us matching dresses, and I knew, we were beautiful. My sister and me. No doubts about my worthiness. No doubts about my body. No doubts about my place in the world. I was just reveling in our awesomeness, and in Gramma’s love. Strutting around in the sunshine, happy to be me.

Now, I am an easy meditator. I’ve been doing it a long time, and can usually let the thoughts go, and slip into stillness in a heartbeat. But this time, sitting there beside my sister, eyes closed, I had the memory of the dresses, and a flashing white light was happening behind my eyes, a rapid on and off, and I felt my gramma right there with us. She made her physical transition in 1997, but I felt her, as clearly as if she’d been sitting there beside us. I also somehow felt she had put the idea in Kelli’s head to hop in her car and pay us this surprise visit. Feeling my grandmother’s presence so strongly, and feeling her love again on a visceral level, brought tears streaming down my face, and as I came out of the “experience” I reached over and held my sister’s hand. Later that evening, a healing between us would take place.  

(And yes I did my little NLP gesture during the “experience” and it will remain a subtle and private move)! 

I searched and searched and finally gave up trying to find the photo. Of course once I let go trying to find it, it turned up. Left to right it’s me, our young mom, my brother Christopher, and my sister Kelli. Note the special hand knitted pom-pom on my hat, and Kelli’s fancy bag, and of course our knee socks. BTW, I have not seen my brother Chris in a tie since, with the exception of his wedding day.

What a memory! What an experience! What a weekend! What a church!

The love of God is loving me

 and resting in the love of God

I know that all is well.