Author: tomgrasso (Page 9 of 38)

Ram Dass – “Heaven and Hell”

April 20, 2012 / tomgrasso

A story from Ram Dass’ “How can I Help?”

A big, tough samurai once went to see a little monk. “Monk,” he said, in a voice accustomed to instant obedience; “teach me about heaven and hell!”

The monk looked up at this mighty warrior and replied with utter disdain, “Teach you about heaven and hell? I couldn’t teach you about anything. You’re dirty. You smell. Your blade is rusty. You’re a disgrace, and embarrassment to the samurai class. Get out of my sight. I can’t stand you.”

The samurai was furious. He shook, got all red in the face, was speechless with rage. He pulled out his sword and raised it above him, preparing to slay the monk.

“That’s hell,” said the monk softly.

The samurai was overwhelmed. The compassion and surrender of this little man who had offered his life to give this teaching to show him hell! He slowly put down his sword, filled with gratitude, and suddenly peaceful.

“And that’s heaven,” said the monk softly.

The Note that Life Has Sent to Me

April 20, 2012 / tomgrasso

I am experiencing a class called “Foundations for Living” through the Center for Conscious Living in Moorestown, NJ. This class has been amazingly transformative for me in showing me the power of our Minds to create and, more importantly to me, the importance of belief in the creation of our conditions.

Last night, we participated in an exercise that was kind of mind blowing for me as many others in the class. We were to center ourselves and, without thought, write a letter to ourselves from life’s perspective. Equally challenging (and unknown to us as we were given the assignment) was that we had to swap our letters with a partner. The partner then had to read our letter back to us over and over again during a set time limit.

I want to share the letter Inspiration ended up writing through me in order to show you the power of this way of thinking. It was amazing how high our vibrations were sent in seeing ourselves through a Loving perspective. I highly recommend this exercise for everyone since we all seem way to eager to be hard on ourselves and much more resistant to Loving ourSelves.

So, here is what was written. Remember, you have to begin with Dear (Insert Name Here) and sign in “Life”.

Dear Tom,

Thank you for having this experience. You have helped countless people in their time of need, both when you are aware of your efforts and when you aren’t. You have helped bring three lovely people to Live, and share with them the wisdom of your experiences while allowing them to have their own.

Thank you for forgiving a past often left dark by circumstance. Thank you for being willing to challenge yourSelf to us even the darkest of conditions to bring some light into the world. Thank you for remaining that little boy who questioned and would not give up claiming his right to find his own Truth.

Thank you for working to leave this place better than how you found it.

Thank you for wanting to bring joy and happiness by sharing the reality of who you are.

Thank you for turning from the experience of violence to the beauty of non-violence.

Thank you for questioning the roots of the faith you were born into in such a way that the tree itself fell.

Thank you for bearing the weight of fear so that you could know Love. Thank you for surviving the storms knowing that the rains bring the flowers that bring the beauty that you adore. Thank you for learning to stop to learn, and for being open to the possibilities that I have to offer you.

Thank you for Being for without you I would not have been the same.

Peace,

Life

What would Life thank YOU for this moment? Sit down, still your mind (and end your bias, fear and negativity) and have Life write you a letter. Read it to yourself, or have someone special read it to you. Have that someone special

The Power of Choice

April 13, 2012 / tomgrasso

So here I was just needing to write something, anything, but having the experience of “writer’s block” that is usually very foreign to me. Usually, inspiration channels through me like breath in a way that I can neither control nor prevent. It just happens, dozens of times a day. Today, however, I just sat in silence staring at my keyboard.

Because there is so much “shit” going on in my life right now I should not have any blockage whatsoever. With some very notable exceptions, things are falling apart around me. Family that I once counted on seems to be turning their backs on me as my divorce proceeds. Ridiculous games are being played. Demands. Financial stress. Physical pain. Missing my kids. Employer bankruptcy. No, there should literally be a topic of choice at my fingertips as every single part of what I once “knew” is challenged and transformed. Finding inspiration to write really should be a like shooting fish in a barrel (although I would never do that!) but today it wasn’t. No, today I was simply blank.

Then a dear Friend, an Angel, posted a video of a great song (if you want to smile and increase your vibe just open it up…I dare you). Her heading was “The message of the day seems to be Choice…”

So, I now found myself in a type of kirtan listening to that awesome song (go ahead, you know you want to hear it) and the floodgates opened. Yes, my Friend, hallelujah!!!

Here’s what I see. Feel free to disagree if you’d like, but I kind of dare you to find error here. Not because I am Mr. Perfect and “right” but because I’ve spent a lifetime trying to prove this wrong and failed. Yes, failed. So, in essence, I am daring you to make all of the bullshit I’ve created in my life that has led me to pain and suffering somehow “right” although I can promise you will fail as I have.

Every experience we have is a lesson from which we create our futures. For instance, my experience from a young boy created a high level of distrust in people. Those experiences, to a great degree, proved to me that people were basically angry liars and cheats. Nice people were pushed around. Those who didn’t control others were lied to and bullied. Emotions were a bad thing. Yes, I was taught these lessons well from a very early age.

I was a very sensitive and peace-loving young boy who lived in a rather abusive household. I once burst out in tears in front of my entire grade school at the end of Old Yeller (the movie version) for what are, to me, obvious reasons. I remember asking “what is WRONG with you people, didn’t you feel ANYTHING when Old Yeller was shot?”. I mean seriously, how do you NOT cry at that moment?

I was a big, strong kid who should have been able to kick some ass, but I never wanted to hurt anyone. So, I would get picked on from time to time and, being in a Catholic grade school, could find no peace in the writings of Patañjali, Krishnamurti, Yogananda and others. I had the New Testament and the teaching of Jesus, but even though they seemed to promote peace and harmony it seemed the focus we were taught was placed more on control, fear and threat of hellfire. I would read the words of Jesus and think “I don’t really have anything to fear” only to be told how I was going to burn in hell while gnashing my teeth for simply touching my penis or thinking about Sally naked in a shower.

Now, imagine a 13 year old boy who could throw 100 pound bags of grain around like they were empty being picked on by a twerp who couldn’t seem to tie his shoes without mommy. That was me. Eventually, however, the violence at home (and the lessons I was being taught in other areas) and the frustration within turned me violent. That’s how I spent my 20’s and half of my 30’s. Angry, violent, lying, cheating, hating, and CREATING (but more on that in a minute). While those who knew me saw me as nice, caring, considerate (but sometimes scary), that is not how I saw myself. I wanted people to fear me so that they would keep their distance and, if they refused, I was going to emotionally hurt them away. While this was all going on, I knew this was not me, but the me I knew as a young boy didn’t seem to serve me well and this “me” did. I had made a choice, and for quite awhile I stuck to that choice like it was all I had. In other words, I felt I “had no choice” even though it was a choice that I had made.

That is my story, but it no longer has any hold on me. I’ve long forgiven that young man, and I’ve returned somewhat to that boy. I cry often when I feel the urge. I offer my hand in Love to everyone. My Creator even helped me out because, despite my Nature of Loving Compassion, I don’t get picked on. See, 6-foot tall, 240-pound men who are bald with goatees don’t ordinarily get picked on. If only I had shaved my head and had facial hair in grade school!!! Yes, I am laughing at the suggestion.

The value of this story is simple to me now. It doesn’t define me, but it certainly helps me create my future. How? Well, I can use this experience to actually KNOW something. In that knowledge I can make CHOICES. As a boy, I chose the Love that was inside of me over the fear. As I developed, I chose the fear over the Love. Now, I can use the experience of both to create not only my “Now moments” but also my future. I don’t focus on creating my future, I focus on creating my Now knowing that it will help me define my future.

So, I can look at the “shit” going on in my life and decide what I chose it to be. I can also choose whether or not I really want to make that smelly junk my focus at all. See, for each and every pound of “shit” in my life I have 10 pounds of sweet, fragrant roses. We all do if we choose to simply LOOK where the sweet smells are coming from. And while I am fortunate that I have all of these wonderful gifts in my life, I’m even more fortunate that I choose to see them. WE ALL HAVE THEM, WE ALL JUST DON’T CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON THEM.

So, what do you choose to see today? Do you choose to see the obstacles or the goal? Do you choose to see the Love or the fear? Do you choose to choose or do you simply give that power to someone else (see how silly that sounds)? Do you choose to focus on the roadblocks you’ve created to your Happiness or the Happiness itself? Whatever you choose remember, it’s YOUR choice. You are the Power, the Creator, and the magic that you often pray for is within your power to create simply by choosing to do so.

Today, I choose to Love you. I choose to cherish you. I choose to let these tears flow freely down my face as I listen to this song for the dozenth time realizing just how much in Love with this Life I AM. I want to feed you, clothe you, wash your feet, forgive you, hold you, protect you and, most of all, not get in the way of your choice. I want to plant the seeds in my Being that allow me to be and do all of these things. I want to water those seeds. I want to shed Light on them.

Right now I smell roses even as my dog is trying her best to remind me of the other smell (go away Juno!!). Someone once said (I’ve added the word in parentheses) “Forgiveness (Love) is the fragrance that the flower leaves on the heel of the one that has crushed it.” Unlike the flower, we humans Being have a choice. I envy the flower sometimes, but I also believe the flower would envy me if it had the choice to do so. It’s the exercise of our free will, the Power of Choice, that make us who we are in this unique experience of Living. Don’t overlook it. Cherish it.

Now, I know I dared you to prove me wrong. Minds greater than mine are working overtime to show me up. All one need to is watch the news to see proof of that. Still, here’s one I heard very recently from a friend:

“I didn’t choose to get sick.”

Maybe not, but you choose to view your illness in the way that you did. I don’t want to get into the minutia (a word dedicated to my friend Lisa) about how lifestyle choices can make you sick, that’s not the point here (although many of us, including me, could stand to make some better choices in that area).

Recently I was challenged by straining the ligaments in my right foot on one week and then my left foot the next (I go mostly barefoot from the beginning of spring to the end of fall and that transition sometimes causes me to hurt my feet). Now, I choose the “woe be me” space more than once during the days of pain. Mostly though, I decided to choose to learn something from it. I read more, and relied on others more to help me take the dog out and clean up. I began to see things from the perspective of people who can’t get around. I challenged my beliefs about certain things, particularly about the strengthening exercises my doctor gave me last year when this happened (wow, he may actually know SOMETHING other than how to fill out a prescription!!). I learned I have friends who care about me intensely. I learned the value of being able to walk, run, and actually move. Yes, I’ve learned a lot over these last couple of weeks.

Most of all, I learned that I have a choice. I chose not to do my exercises over the winter, so in effect I chose to have my feet hurt this spring. I chose to use the down time to learn, observe and count on others. I chose to ignore the pain to do the Climb for Air walk in Philly, which meant that I chose more pain afterward. I chose to focus on the repugnant smells around me and ignore the roses. I created it all…and can only say “how wonderful of me!”

Alright, enough of the soap box. You get the point, now do as you will with it.

Peace!

That is Where You’ll Find Me

April 11, 2012 / tomgrasso

Climbing up the Mountain,

Hiking up the Trail,

That is where you’ll find me,

Searching without fail.

Basking in the Sunshine,

Walking in the Moonlight,

That is where you’ll find me,

If you look for me tonight.

Laying together, Being,

You breathing softly in my ear,

That is where you’ll find me,

If you look at all my dear.

Sometimes you may need a hand,

Others just some space,

That is where you’ll find me,

In Love’s Divine embrace.

If by chance I leave this world,

Feel the wind, the rain, the Sun,

That is where you’ll find me

A journey’s just begun.

Winter Thaw

April 10, 2012 / tomgrasso

Basking in the glow of promise,

Expecting nothing in return,

I lapse into the warmth of your Divinity

And fall into the arms of Inspiration.

I laid there once, seeking the end,

Now I lay there embracing a beginning,

Oh how sweet is the nectar of the Divine!

Made sweeter by the sour taste of yesterday.

We walk together in the mountains of Promise,

We sit together by the waterfalls of Hope,

We talk together by the river Forgiveness,

So focused on the present as to have forgotten.

How strange God does give Her gifts!

One day the Sun fails to raise, the next it fails to set,

And others we barely seem to notice.

Today I see it all, the Gift and the Giver are one.

The shell cracks open, the wall comes down.

Inch by inch, brick by brick we are exposed,

Our stories are told, our vision is shared,

And we find the sense of such unending harmony.

Oh how I miss the song when it grows silent!

I struggle to hear the echoes in my mind,

Feel the music in my heart, the notes in my Soul.

How I feel the absence of the Musician!

A smile, a word spoken, an embrace of Imagination

Sends me into the Light, spinning..spinning.

A question, a statement, a sign of Spring

The winter thaw that is much too long in the coming.

Remember (A Lyric)

April 6, 2012 / tomgrasso

Here I am silently

Staring into some distant memory

Can I remember?

I’ve picked it up

I’ve fallen down,

I’ve still see the time when I hit the ground

And I remember…

If I knew each time would be the end,

They would be the times that I would defend,

That last kiss, that last embrace,

That last moment our hearts raced…

Here I sit silently,

A smile comes to me at that sudden sound,

I still remember.

You’ve let me know,

You’ve let it go,

And let it fall and scatter pieces all around,

Yes I remember.

If I knew each time would be the last,

I’d hold on to each of those moments fast,

The last “I love you”, that last cry out

In the night is what I’d be about.

I can’t remember…

Fast Forward

April 3, 2012 / tomgrasso

I sink into the depths of despair,

Seeing no hope, no choice and no way out.

I want so desperately for you to turn back the hands of time,

And to simply change your mind.

I am lost, I am nowhere and nothing.

I can see only my own suffering as sleep escapes me.

Through the tears and the exhaustion I bathe in it,

Suffering, my friend, you have returned.

I can feel nothing but the numb stare through eyes not yet opened.

I can’t sense my own breath but fake it in repose,

My mind is racing but I hear none of it,

The voices rage as I allow myself to be swallowed by the storm.

I walk alone down an unholy path,

Toward some unseen destiny,

The sun does not rise yet the stars still fade,

The noose grows tighter as the anger begins to swell.

Why? I ask no one in particular.

I hold this moment in supreme disparity.

The question was the Daybreak

The answers…

Fast forward.

I sit in stillness, not seeing hope but feeling it.

The waves of Love and Joy fill my Soul,

I know I am not alone even if I sit in complete solitude.

I can love her without even having to hold her hand again.

I have let go of despair, and Love has filled that space,

I embrace the Universe and refuse to let go,

I seek the Love you have within you,

And pay no attention to the judgments you view me with.

I can feel your Love shower me as you look at me.

I can feel your Soul as you speak without ever saying a word.

I know you are getting to a spot where you need no reservation,

You simply need arrive.

I reach out my hand,

Not to help you or have you help me,

But just to say, “Let’s walk together

And share the journey for a while.”

I no longer feel any anger,

And the momentary waves of sadness quickly reside,

Replaced by a smile in my Heart

For where those waves have taken me.

I give thanks for the suffering,

I give thanks for the noose that saw no end,

I give my Love to you expecting nothing in return,

I give my Heart to the world and seek no reward.

The Gift and the Giver are One,

There is no separation nor distinction outside of our mind,

Am I holding your hand or are you holding mine?

The Truth sees no difference.

I now open my eyes, my Soul refreshed,

I inhale Peace deeply and exhale Love freely,

Ready to experience this moment in what it has to offer,

Ready to…

Fast forward into Now.

Today, Tomorrow, Forever

March 28, 2012 / tomgrasso

I am sorry my babies,

I could not end your tears

Or comfort your sobs,

Or keep your world from falling apart,

Like puzzle knocked to the floor.

How I would change this moment,

Take away this pain and replace it with a million smiles,

Take these cries and turn them into the laughs

That bring your sunshine to this world.

And never bring this darkness to your life.

My daughter, my sweet little girl,

I caress your face and hold on to your sweet voice in my heart.

I am your Daddy, today, tomorrow, forever,

You are my Angel when you do nothing but be who you are,

I wish this day never had to come.

My son, my buddy, my loving little boy,

I hold your hand in the night and watch you breathe,

I am here for you, today, tomorrow, forever,

I will hold your hand until my dying breath,

And always be sorry that we couldn’t keep the puzzle whole.

Such a heavy burden this end to a miracle

Placed on your souls, your minds, your future,

Who are we to cast such a shadow in the Light?

Sorry souls are we who have given up on all that was,

And replaced it with false hopes of normalcy in what we have deemed necessary.

For now I can wish it all away,

And give you what I can in Love unselfish and pure.

I will wrap my arms around you today, tomorrow, forever,

I will dry your tears and make you laugh,

While searching for an answer to your questions that I can’t answer for myself.

Sleep now my babies,

Someday these tears will fade and your sadness will return to Joy,

Now

March 27, 2012 / tomgrasso

Smell it in the air of Remembrance,

The timeless sweet odor of Love’s own discovery,

Lost in the nostrils of ignorant,

And a devotion to a stench left to die long ago.

See the ripples in the still waters,

Created by falling branches from this Tree of Life

Leaving behind the weight of a thousand yesterdays

Creating a million tomorrows in the process.

See those ripples fade but never go away,

They will break upon the shoreline,

And take away the sands of time and hopes of the Lover,

Who is lost trying to remember his own childhood dance.

Why hold on to things that cannot last?

Why bask in the glow of yesterday’s sunset and miss the rising of the sun this moment?

Do you so love the storms of yesterday as to miss the sunlight of Now?

That voice that silences the happiness within you speaks so loudly!

You put one foot in front of your other while stumbling backward,
You laugh as you land in your fall while tears stream down your face.

You look up at where you were while looking down at where you believe you should be,

While protesting loudly the blame you’d assign to all others.

Why miss the beauty of this moment for some fantasy of yesterday?

Do you need to walk backwards and believe you will not tumble off a cliff?

Will you only discover the Now while you are tumbling to the hard ground below?

Awake from the dream now before you hit the ground and die unrealized!

Smile, for you are where you wanted to be.

You have created all of this in your Mind, and therefore made it so.

Behold your Creation with the awe that had inspired it,

And know that you have danced the dance to the song you have always wanted to sing.

The Choice is Ours to Make

March 23, 2012 / tomgrasso

I need not be with you to Love you,

I need not embrace you to hold you in my mind,

I need not wipe your tears to comfort you,

Or brush the hair from your eyes to show you affection.

I need not hold your hand to be a part of you,

Or write pretty words to tell you how I feel,

I need not make protestations of Love to put you at ease,

Or to prove that which exists without syllables.

I need not walk with you to carry you in my heart,

I need not stand beside you to be there for you,

I need not fear the future because of the pain of the past,

Or ignore the present in order to worship some distant memory.

I need not make love to you to feel worthy of you,

I need not fear the shadows to feel your Love in return,

I need not hold on to the past to validate my present,

I need not be everything to be anything to you.

I can love you without feeling it in return.

I can seek to see joy in your eyes without doing a thing.

I can be who I am without your approval,

And seek tomorrow without ever looking past today.

I can walk along the beach without following in your footsteps,

I can feel the sun without seeking protection in the clouds,

I can look for you without ever opening my eyes or calling out your name,

I can bask in what is and know that it is real.

I can plant the idea that I Love you,

And I will Love you,

Or I can plant the idea that fear provides,

And be afraid…the choice is mine to make.

I need not kiss your lips to offer tenderness,

I need not feel your caress to feel yours in return,

I need not create an ideal for which you must be in line with,

Or create rules by which you must abide.

I need not pretend in order to be wonderful,

I need not be perfect in order to be sheer perfection,

I need not lie to you in order to make you happy,

Or hide who I am in order to gain your acceptance.

I need not be angry in order to find protection,

I need not make you angry in order to feel something from you.

I need not create drama in order to gain a reaction,

I need not cater to your drama in order to prove I am who I am.

You can plant the idea that I am beautiful,

And I will inspire awe in you unmatched in the Universe,

or you can plant the idea that I am ugly,

And I will revolt you in unimaginable ways…the choice is yours to make.

The choice is ours to make,

What we see we believe, what we believe we see.

We can chose what we believe and believe in what we choose,

Yet the choice is ours to make.