SPIRITUAL – Page 3

“There is no Love greater than Love with no object. For then you, yourself, have become love itself.”~Rumi

The holidays are upon us and it is a sure bet that you are busy. The hustle and bustle of the holidays is also one of the most stressful times of the year and you get wrapped up in the business of life much like the tightly wrapped gifts placed under a tree.

The thing about a wrapped present is that you can’t see what’s inside until you unwrap it. What looks pretty on the outside could very well be full of pain and hurting on the inside and the really ugly, poorly wrapped present could very well be beautiful on the inside.

During this season keep in mind that many are hurting. They might lash out, be rude or even ignore you but it’s not necessarily because of you. They are wrapped up and maybe even trying to cover up their own pain. Whether it is emotional or physical, you might not be able to see it with your eyes so it is difficult to understand why someone acts or responds in a way you don’t think is proper. While in your own busy world this year why not bring a little peace on earth? Share the spirit of the holidays by taking a moment to respond with love!

Set aside judgement

Whether white, black, red, yellow, tall or short, gay, straight, bi, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist (or another religion), married, single, spiritual or not, Democrat, Republican or Independent whatever your beliefs or convictions are there are things which are true for all of us; We are ALL human beings and we ALL bleed red. We all have feelings and experience challenges and pain in our lives. Put aside your judgements or better yet, clear the energy of judgement altogether and spread a little joy and peace in the world!

It only takes a moment…

It only takes a moment of your valuable time to pick up the phone and call a friend or family member you haven’t seen or spoken to in a while. It only takes a moment of your time to smile at the homeless person you pass on the street. It only takes a moment to respond with love instead of hate. It only takes a moment to share a smile and say hello to connect with spirit. If someone has in your eyes ‘wronged’ you, it only takes a moment to forgive.

It only takes a moment to respond with love and compassion instead of resistance and anger. The choices you make, words you use and energy you put out at any given moment leave a lasting impression whether you realize it or not. You never really know another’s journey or what they are going through. How you respond can change someones day for the better and it only takes a moment to do it!

Peace on earth, goodwill toward “human beings” is not just a holiday saying. Choosing to “become love itself” only takes a moment. Choosing to acknowledge another human spirit brings heaven to earth. Connect with your own spirit and decide what energy you’d like to generate in this world. It only takes a moment to shine your light which in turn allows others to do the same. This holiday season make moments which take your breath away. Spread a little peace on earth by choosing love…it only takes a moment. ~Shine Your Light Debbie

Artwork ©Daniel Holeman Awaken Visions

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Chicago is a world-class city with world-class dance and since there is nothing as inspiring and spiritually uplifting as watching a dance performance, I went to the Chicago Dancing Festival’s finale which culminated a full week of FREE performances.

I have to say I got much more out of the evening than simply watching and enjoying an inspiring performance on a beautiful night under the stars at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. I got to experience it through the eyes of a 4-year-old boy I never met who just happened to be sitting next to me with his mom.

Chicago Dancing Festival is the ONLY free festival of its kind in the nation. The Festival’s mission is to present a variety of excellent dance, enrich the lives of the people of Chicago and provide increased accessibility to the art form, thereby helping create a new audience. Its vision is to raise the national and international profile of dance in the city, furthering Chicago as a dance destination.

I do believe Chicago Dancing Festival enriched the lives of many during their week of performances but I’d like to share a story of how the finale, “Celebration of Dance”, enriched and inspired the life of a 4-year-old whose mom could not otherwise afford to take her child to a performance.

It was a gorgeous Saturday evening and my friend Jackie and I walked over to Millennium Park where we knew we’d have to wait in line to secure seats in the pavilion. We were prepared with sandwiches, water and amusement. Yes, you must have your amusement while waiting in line for a free performance when it seems that all of Chicago wants to see it with you! They started letting people in at 6 so we found what we considered to be perfect seats and settled in. We still had about an hour or so before the show when a woman with her little boy sat next to us.

He was absolutely adorable so me being me, I said hello to the mom first and then the little boy. I asked him his name and with a brilliant smile and sparkly eyes he replied “Gabriel.” As a clairvoyant I can recognize a crystal child and there was no coincidence he and his mom sat next to us. After looking into those big brown, gold flecked eyes I thought, of course his name is Gabriel, and asked him if he was an angel. He giggled and proudly announced “I want to be a policeman!” I guess if you don’t want to be an angel when you grow up a policeman or fireman might be next in the mind of a 4-year-old. 🙂

We talked about policemen and what they do then I asked him if he was excited to watch the dance show. He nodded an emphatic yes. His mom said that she once took him to see a hip hop performance and months later found him doing the steps he saw. She added that she wants to expose him as early as possible to music and dance but can’t afford to take him so she really appreciates being able to bring him to a free professional performance.

Lower lights, que music, turn off all thought and be ready to enter the experience of world-class dance! The performance began with Chicago Human Rhythm Project’s premier of “In the Beginning”. About half way through the performance I looked over at Gabriel who was literally mesmerized. His gleaming eyes were as big as saucers as he (and all of us) watched this stunning, rhythmic, tap piece. For two hours Gabriel watched and listened intently. He didn’t take his eyes off the stage and his face really did look like that of a peaceful angel.

At the end of the show I turned to Gabriel and asked him if he liked the show. He smiled from ear to ear and said yes! His favorites were the tap and Ensemble Espanol’s gorgeous and colorful Bolero. He then proclaimed with enthusiasm “I WANT TO BE A DANCER!” I laughed and asked ‘I thought you wanted to be a policeman?’ To that he replied “nope a dancer”. (To all involved in the arts world who make performances like this possible, I hope you’re reading this!) Now I know this little boy will change his mind several times about what he wants to be when he grows up but in two short hours his spirit was touched. He will forever be touched by the vibration and joy of that performance.

It is so important we inspire our youth and expose them to the arts. Our youth are our future and those same youth are very the future of the arts! The arts are the physical manifestation of our spirits as well as an integral and fundamental part of our growth and expansion as a society. We must expose our youth to inspire them, enliven their spirits, encourage creativity and expand their minds by including music, dance, theater (or for that matter art in all its forms) so they pass along their experiences and do the same for generations to come.

To the Chicago Dancing Festival coordinators, dancers, choreographers, producers, directors and anyone and everyone involved I will say: Thank you! Well done! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

To Gabriel that little angel boy sitting next to me; Become a dancer, policeman or whatever else you want to be and when you grow up, remember how the dance made you feel. Bring your children and grandchildren and share the beauty of music, movement and dance so they too can support and grow the arts for their children. ~Shine Your Light Debbie

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