Thought for the Month – September

By: Vince DiPasquale

“Return is the motion of the Tao. Yeilding is the way of the Tao. The 10,000 things are born of being. Being is born of nonbeing.” – 40th Verse of the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

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Today’s message reminds us that we all have a round-trip ticket from our Creator to life, and back to our Creator. At the moment the ticket was issued by God, we were given a plan for our journey on earth. We were reminded that each person is connected to one another. We are taught by the Tao to be open to God’s plan. At the same time, our Creator gave us freewill, an ego, and our spirit. We have to yield, by openness, to all the teachers who are sent to us on our journeys. If we close our minds and try to control life, then we are not listening to our Creator’s message.

Life is not complicated, but we are. Because of our humanness we have to learn our lessons the hard way. The world we live in is both negative and positive. As people, we need to experience both sides. Each negative or dysfunctional experience we go through happens to us so that we can in time learn and discover the positive lessons which are part of our journey. The Tao teaches that if we release control and open ourselves to life’s lessons, we will be able to discover our purpose in this world. All of us, beginning with our birth, are sent to join family systems. Every childhood teacher and family member continue the cycle of life. They pass the baton to us in the race of life, and we will pass it to those who come after us. With each generation new lessons are hopefully learned. It’s so important to be in touch with your history and the history of your family and country. There are so many lessons to learn, if only we are open to our teachers and our place in the circle of life. We are all connected to each other throughout history. We need to take the time to realize that there are really no differences in any of us i.e., race, culture, creed, sexuality. Each one of us is connected to our Creator. I’m glad that our Creator made us to be different and yet the same. All of Gods creatures are on a spiritual journey back to the Source. We have a round-trip ticket on the carousal of life. Each day, pray for the spirit of gratitude and the spirit of openness. We need to learn the simple principles that will allow us to look at life with a positive attitude.

As pilgrims on our daily journeys, through our connections to others, remember every person we meet along the way is our teacher. Life is to be lived not just to be survived. We all experience hurt, struggle, fear, and wonderment. They are all the ingredients which make up life. We experience hurt and pain so we can experience healing. Struggle is the ingredient to show is everything in life that’s worthwhile. We must earn ~ no pain, no gain. Fear is necessary to teach us how to walk thorough it for strength and safety. Wonderment shows us that life is an adventure with no answers. It teaches us to look at nature and creation in a mystical way. I thank God everyday that our Creator has a sense of humor. We need to laugh at life even when it isn’t funny.

God gave us a formula for our journeys ~ be honest with yourself and others because honesty is centered on love. Another word for love is acceptance. If we accept ourselves then we will be able to accept others with all their humanness. Each day when you wake, go look in the mirror and laugh. Laughter is the greatest gift of life, the ultimate healer. Isn’t it wonderful that God created all of this with defects. Humanness is our healer.

Remember we all have a round-trip ticket. Stay on the journey, be yourself,