Mary G. Jackson, Author
My Blog & Writings
All I want for Christmas
My adult daughter lives with me and we have both been missing having a cat around since we lost ours in the last couple of years. So, we got two, 7-month-old kittens -- not the tiny kind. They look like small adults, but act like kittens. The orange male, Trouble, and tuxedo female, Sweetheart, like to play.
Choosing to Surround Yourself with Joy
I have been with a group for many years. The group is dying. The people are getting tired -- all of them -- they are not being refreshed with those who are new, rested, and energetic. The group is dwindling in size. It's getting quieter but when there is sound, it's the sound of critical disappointment in how things are going.
Do You Know Your Divinely-Given Gifts?
I really love some of the thinking attributed to Mother Theresa. I have reflected on this today – I adapt it a bit for my readers of many faith backgrounds.
”The only thing that can remove poverty is sharing. To use the gifts that God has given to people who have, to share with those who have not.”
Taking the Not-So-Good with the Good, Until…
Perfection is such a simple criterion -- just think if your most important relationship were perfect. If that other person would just change a couple of things about themselves, things could be perfect. But they are not. You must deal not only with imperfection, but you constantly ask yourself, "How bad is the not-so-good part of this relationship (or job or living condition?").
Friendships and the Fun Factor
I love having friends. They are fun, they provide a partner in adventure, expand a loving feeling, give such caring nurture and joy, and expand my spiritual energy into another person in a way that multiplies all the goodness of being connected. For me, they are a manifestation of Divine presence that bursts out with all the bells and whistles!
When can you feel the presence within guiding you?
I can remember when I was about 12 that I was so confident in my bicycle riding that I could take my hands off the handle bars and guide the bike with the subtle movement of the connection between my body and the bike. The internal contest was, how long could I do this automatic, no-touch steering before I had to grab the handle bars back again to avoid crashing. It was thrilling, yet dangerous to let go of what I had been perfecting for many years by then-- controlling the ride and the direction.
Open Yourself Up To Divine Guidance From Within
Every once in a while, you just have to look within yourself to find the Divine. Today is the day for you to find the best questions for you to ask yourself. Here are my favorite parts of tapping into the Divine within ourselves.
The Happy Joyful Life Right Now
Good Things Are Coming to You
It's not the easiest thing to be all smiles and hopes for good things. There are days when we might force ourselves to put on a happy face even though it feels like an unfamiliar mask. So what is this thing, that God is all about good and goodness? How can we tap into what is promised as a natural and ever-present availably of joy and really connect with that in a way that feels real, not fake?
A Prayer When Life is Rough Seas and Cloudy Skies
When life seems dark and gloomy, here is a prayer of hope, promise, and discovery.
Peaceful Rest is a Divine Experience
I like to think of myself as being a soul with a body (as opposed to a body with a soul.) A most common phrase when someone is a body without a soul -- that is, when they have "died" is rest in peace. But if the body is already at rest, does that phrase mean for the soul to rest?
Where is the Divine in the Terror of Change?
I have had a dream for my lifestyle for quite a while. I would like to live in a neighborhood with really fun people who like to be together and seek positive adventure. A year or so ago I found just that neighborhood in Lewes, DE in a development with a big club house, dog parks, tennis courts, gorgeous pools, and playgrounds. This was for me!
Does the Divine Want Us to Live in Black and White or Color?
You know how sometimes you buy a car and decide to save some money by not getting that feature you would really like? For the next who-knows-how-many years, every time you get in that car you wish you had gotten that feature. And you paid it off so long ago that you can't even remember how much extra it would have cost. But now you're living with chronic regret.
Saving Fortunes
There's a Chinese food restaurant that isn't far from my house that is a neighborhood favorite, and I have their food about every couple of months. They always include a fortune cookie, and I can't help myself -- I always look at my fortune. I keep a fortune if it seems to be meaningful, but they often end up in the trash or washed while in a forgotten pocket.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Which would you rather do -- fall into a cactus plant, or get bitten by a spider? How do you make a decision when both choices have serious drawbacks? How can you open yourself up to the presence of the Divine and feel Godly influence or spiritual direction when your choices simply leave you uncertain of the outcome either way you go, and either could be a disaster?
Do You Think God Makes Mistakes?
I have been making lots of mistakes recently. Most recently, letting really big typos get by me regardless of multiple careful readings. This is pretty important since I am giving final approval to print my upcoming book, PRESENCE Recognizing the Divine in Your Everyday Life. I sent out what I thought was a final to close friends and family, and where I was hoping for an "atta-girl" response, instead I got, "Uh you made a typo here, and you made a typo there."
The Soul of an Animal
Animal lovers often ask the question, "Do animals have souls?" I contemplate this question without answers, so I look to how the Divine is part of my everyday life to gain insight.
I have had a hole in my heart over the last two years since the loss of Tootsie and Wolfie, one from cancer and a year later, the other from thyroid disease. Their absence left my family missing them more than we thought possible. Their loss also affected our friends who grew to know and love them. They left a wide circle of those who missed them.
Surrounded by The Light
I am standing in the eye of a hurricane and feel the swirling of the dangerous, tumultuous winds around me, knowing that once the eye passes, I will be vulnerable to the unknown storm. I am in such a place as I contemplate the swirling of multiple transitions. Mostly, with the book PRESENCE coming out, I am about to step into a spotlight I have shied away from most of my life. My spirituality and my path have been private.
Friendship and God: A Two Way Street
I have had friends and lost them. I agonize over losing them. Sometimes it's just that we used to see each other all the time and one of us moved away and things just stopped revitalizing the relationship. Sometimes some awful thing happened and we just couldn't mend things. Sometimes it was a natural drift as we got interested in different ways of living.
The Value of Showing Up - the Divine Does this Right!
I hosted a very important party this past weekend. It was important because the purpose was to celebrate a real journey my daughter struggled through for many years to achieve an outstanding outcome. The people who came were priceless. Their presence meant the world to all of us.