By Michael Avery
This song was inspired by my brother, Gordon’s, generosity. We grew up at a mining camp where our father was superintendent. We were fairly poor, but didn’t realize it since everyone around us was fishing out of the same boat.
Category: Stories from the Heart Page 4 of 12
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Reading Time: 2 minutes
Guest Post by Jim Jackson
At our tennis group luncheon last Tuesday, Frank Rees’s name came up because the subject was about being “quick” on the court—both with hands and feet. We talked about his abilities to be 1 foot from the net for a volley, then race back to hit an overhead. And, of course, his service ball toss. But most of all, that he would never quit.
Then someone in our group mentioned the event I wrote about demonstrating that. I had called it “One Point From Oblivion.”
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Guest Post by Gloria Lionz
As humans in a dynamic world, we’re constantly reminded of our vulnerabilities. Everyone’s life has ups and downs. Yet Spirit’s presence remains. How is it that some feel connected while others don’t? For me, it depends on where I put my attention. Recently, I took myself to lunch. Suddenly, it struck me that doing such a thing a few years ago would have been too painful!
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Guest Post by Dennis Ernst
It was July in eastern Washington and the early fruit was just starting to ripen. One of my Native American coworkers mentioned to me his uncle had a huge cherry tree in his backyard that was ready to pick. The old man loved cherries but was hoping someone could use some before the birds got them or they fell on the ground. As I love fresh cherries, I told him I was just the guy that could help him with that.
Reading Time: 2 minutes
By Pichaya Avery
One of my favorite spiritual exercises is called “The Open Heart.”1 It involves loving or caring for someone or something more than we do ourselves. I practice this daily and have experienced a variety of profound results.
I love cooking and baking for family, friends, and neighbors. On one particularly crisp winter morning, I was given an opportunity to express my love to a stranger. As I was preparing to leave home to facilitate a Satsang class, I was guided to do something I would not normally do. In addition to the homemade chocolate chips cookies that I brought every month, I included a bunch of bananas and a $20 bill.
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Guest Post by Dennis Ernst
Years ago, I wanted a dog as I hadn’t had one in a while due to changing housing conditions. I missed the companionship and the unconditional love I had experienced with other dogs I’d had.
I visited a local animal shelter, and I was only there a few moments until one dog caught my attention. I knew it was the right one for me.
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Guest Post by Gloria Lionz
These tiny red enamel and crystal beads (pictured above) have been separated by time and space for at least four months. Today, while returning jewelry stored in my safe (stashed there while my home went through another phase of cleansing), one of the missing beads appeared in a different box.
This is not a case of misplacement. In my heart and mind, it is truly a return from spirit. Why do I think this?
Reading Time: 3 minutes
By Michael Avery
A two-thousand-dollar settlement from my seventh car accident enabled me to buy a ticket to Mexico, where I planned to live for the winter and heal my broken heart after losing my mom to cancer. I had no idea how long I could live on the small bundle of traveler’s checks I carried with me in my wallet, but I set sail on this new adventure despite the inconvenience of a lonely headwind.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
By Pichaya Avery
The Universe has countless ways of teaching us about love, often through the most unexpected encounters. On the first day of 2025, as the world welcomed a new beginning, I received such a wonderful lesson at our favorite park, where a serene pond usually hosts a community of graceful ducks and a solitary great blue heron.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Guest Post by Nettie Clarke
Many years ago, a friend asked me if I would like to go with her to meet two little dogs that needed a home. She had originally sold them to a woman who moved and had left them with her brother who had no time for them. When I entered the home where they were staying, the entire living room was filled with a brilliant blue light. I recognized the Light as the presence of my spiritual teacher. As soon as I recognized the sign, the blue light disappeared.