Spiritual seeking has been a way of life for me. As a child I loved to go to church. My parents were not regular attendees, but on the occasions they did bundle up the family and make the effort to show up, I couldn't wait for the singing to start. I would stand up on the pew and sing along with the congregation-despite the fact that I didn't know the words, nor did I know how to read the hymnal.
I wrote poetry, too. The first poem I ever wrote was a prayer. I was about four years old, too young to put the words down myself. I asked Mom to do it for me and I still have the little blue piece of paper she used.
Dear God,
I love you. I love you.
Thank you for our work and play,
Every, every, every day.
We say our prayers every night
And go to bed after.
Thank you for our breakfast,
Thank you for our lunch,
Thank you for our supper.
Thank you for our bread and milk and water.
Amen
I love this sweet, sweet prayer and I love knowing that the innocent child who so adored and appreciated God was me. This child knew what 13th century mystic, Meister Eckhart, was talking about when he wrote, "If the only prayer you ever utter is thank you, that is enough."
A few years later I added to my prayer:
Dear God,
I pray that I will come to know you and love you more.
These prayers have never stopped. I have been seeking the Beloved. I have been calling out, "I love you. I love you. Let me come to know you and love you more!" The journey has led me to explorations, practices, worldwide adventures and studies at the University of Creation Spirituality.
I began my doctoral program at UCS in January of 2002 and it was there that my spiritual yearnings began to crystallize into an understanding of my own cosmology and how I fit into the entire radiant unfolding of the Universe. My transformation began. At my graduation in 2006 I wrote this dedication:
I have longed to find the words to describe
the seed that has been planted
in the womb of my being
during the four years
I have studied at
the University of Creation Spirituality.
I have longed for a way to explain
how I became impregnated here and
a way to shout out the miracle-
I am giving Birth!
To a mystic
an activist
an artist
a poet
a lover!
I bow in gratitude
for the gifts this humble
institution has given me,
and in adoration
of this glorious work.
I have since deepened into the practice, deepened into the knowledge, deepened into the adoration of the mystery. Today I am a woman in love with the lusciousness of life, beauty and the pleasure of inhabiting a human body on this magnificent planet. This love informs my work as educator and advocate of sustainable business at the University of Wyoming - as well as my play as gardener, writer, poet, dancer, mystic and celebrant. I am having fun.
I am honored to be a part of this new work, Creation Spirituality Communities, and humbled to serve as treasurer.
