returning is good....

I've complained a bit about my new computer--and one of the complaints is that if I turn away for more than a minute or so, it goes to sleep.

It actually doesn't 'go to sleep', it starts a slide show of all my photos. But I do have to sign back on to keep doing whatever I'm doing....

I've been doing stuff tonight that causes me to look away for a time. And every time I do, the photos start.

At the Making a Difference Workshop in Ireland, the second or third time we practiced Centering Prayer, someone bemoaned having so many distractions.

(I don't know what you know about Centering Prayer. Here it is in a nutshell: sit comfortably, INTEND to be with God who dwells within you, clear your mind and whenever you notice a distraction, use a prayer word to return to the center.

Pretty simple. In fact, so simple it drives people crazy who want to "do it right". You see, there is no "right or wrong" way. It is a prayer of 'intention' and if you 'intend' to be with God, whatever shows up is what shows up while you're being with God.

Basil Pennington, who gave the workshop Centering Prayer, used to reply to people who complained of having to use their word to 'return' so much by saying: "You had to use your word 50 times? How wonderful to 'return to God' fifty times!!!")

I'm going to apply that wondrous and sacred wisdom to my computer taking me off line if I don't touch it often enough.

The first photo I always see is of Mimi looking back at me and pointing in wonder to the bridge in Sydney, Australia. The other photos are all of people I love and pets I love and vistas I love.

So, when my computer takes me off line from now on, I'm going to say to myself, "how wonderful to 'return' to Mimi and all these memories again and again...."

Feels better already....