September 12th, 2011
What happens when you have nothing to say? 
What happens when you remember this day?
What happens when the memories go away?
What happens when the silence remains?
What happens when we return to play?
What happens when emotions are no longer at bay?
What happens when love is here to stay?
Mary Anne
September 8th, 2011
Given a Holy Name
of hope
of possibility
of forgiveness
of redemption
of a past
of a present
of a future
My name is repeated
a duality of
people and places
An elder
passed down
to a younger
a constant reminder
of life
given, passed
shared and loved
What is my name?
Mary Anne
September 6th, 2011
Can you breathe more love into your day?
Can you breathe more peace into your day?
Can you breathe more joy into your day?
Can you breathe more light into your day?
Can you breathe more radiance into your day?
Can you breathe more kindness into your day?
Can you breathe more clarity into your day?
Can you breathe more trust into your day?
Exhale love, peace, joy, light radiance, kindness, clarity, and trust and notice what happens in your day, in your life, and in your world.
Mary Anne
September 5th, 2011
As many of us enjoy a day off to celebrate “Labor Day”, may we honor the history of this holiday. The first Labor Day in the United States was observed on September 5, 1882, by the Central Labor Union of New York. It became a federal holiday in 1894, when, following the deaths of a number of workers during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland wanted to reconcile with the labor movement. Fearing more conflict, he put through legislation making Labor Day a national holiday. It was rushed through Congress, where it was voted unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.
As we remember all those that gave their life for workers rights, let us dedicate this day as a “Labor of Love.” What is one Labor of Love you are willing to give yourself, another, and the world today?
How will you share in the Labor Love?
Mary Anne
August 30th, 2011
In the midst of all the chaos and recovery from the recent hurricane, I thought about how we all needed one another to get through the storm. I realized that despite our advances in technology, what really served us was our humanity. I was reminded how someone like Steve Jobs, who recently stepped down as CEO from Apple, used his genius to better our lives and keep us connected. It seemed that through all his health issues, he has inspired others to create something wonderful. As his quotes below express, he wanted young people to live their dream and follow their heart. Create good for humanity. In the end, that really is the greatest ‘App’ we can download within and then go out and share with the world.
Steve Jobs in some speeches/talks he has given over the years:
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.”
“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]
Peace, Mary Anne
August 29th, 2011
The wind shows us how close to the edge we are. ~Joan Didion
As Hurricane Irene made her way up along the eastern coast, I, like many others, prepared for the worst. I evacuated my home, made an emergency bag for myself and my partner, filled the car with food and water, and stayed with family in New Jersey. As I tossed and turned on an air mattress on Saturday night, I listened to the wind and rain pound against the windows. I prayed that all the glass would stay intact and we would get through the storm with minimal damage. When I awoke the next morning, I watched reports of massive floods, downed trees, damaged homes, and people stranded. While the news report expressed much relief that New York City was spared, many places were not. There were entire towns that were without power and completely under water, including many parts of upstate New York (in particular, the Catskills region), many towns in New Jersey, Vermont, and many more. As wind and rain swept through so many places, I felt ‘flooded’ with many emotions — relief, sadness, exhaustion, and gratitude.
When I looked up at the clear blue sky this morning, it looked as if nothing had ever happened. Then I looked down and saw all the broken trees and debris. I meditated on storms passing through. I wrote some thoughts from my meditation about lessons of storms passing through:
~nature will always have it’s say; it’s up to us what we are willing to hear
~in the end, life is about feeling vulnerable with ourselves and one another
~staying connected is something I value
~listening to wind without fear can bring me closer to God (spirit etc…)
~getting ‘submerged’ in fear is as easy as getting ‘submerged’ in water
~asking for help makes life easier
~trust that nature will care for itself through cracking, shaking, and washing
~time heals pain and remembering good memories brings comfort
~everything flows — in its own time
What lessons have you learned from the various storms in your life?
Peace,
Mary Anne
August 24th, 2011
As the earth shook yesterday after an earthquake, the responses were varied. Here in New York City, seeing streams of people on the sidewalks and streets brought back conversations and memories of 9/11. After finding the whereabouts of their loved ones, the conversation shifted to the earthquake itself. People wanted to connect and see what others had felt and where they were when it happened. This seemed to bring comfort to the people evacuated from their offices.
I was fascinated by two polar opposite responses: “I felt everything move in my office and I knew something was wrong” and “I didn’t feel anything at all.” As ‘normalcy’ returned to workplaces, there was a sense of fear about an earthquake happening in the east coast. People seemed surprised that the earth shook.
As I listened to various conversations about the earthquake, I realized how uncomfortable people felt with the earth rumbling. I had the thought that it was ironic that Washington DC was rattled by a quake given the current political atmosphere. Maybe we need shaking up from time to time.
The earth moves every day, but we are not as aware or attuned to it. What will this earthquake teach us? What else needs a little more movement in our lives?
As the writer Dominique Browning says about life, “It never gets easy. But if we are paying attention, it can get simpler.”
The earth will shake again. Are we willing to pay attention to what the earth is saying to us and what we are saying to the earth?
Peace,
Mary Anne
August 23rd, 2011
When was the last time you spoke to a blade of grass? 
When was the last time you listened to a grasshopper?
When was the last time you walked with a tree?
When was the last time you slept under the stars?
When was the last time you picked up a pine cone?
When was the last time you let the river run through your hands?
When was the last time you danced with daisies?
When was the last time you touched love?
Mary Anne
This is dedicated to my teacher, GH, who reminds me to breathe, to let life flow, to keep writing, and that everything is okay.
August 18th, 2011
How often have you looked up at the clouds and thought it looked like something familiar? The clouds have been magical this summer. I am not sure if they seem more magical because of all the summer thunderstorms or just because I have been noticing them more. While walking, I have looked up at the clouds and it feels like they are are putting on a show. The clouds have stopped me in my tracks and I have taken (too many) photos of them with my iPhone.
I have watched the clouds as they have moved softly through the sky or moved rapidly as if to remind me there are big changes happening. As I stared at the clouds, I sat and listened. In that quiet space, I meditated on and with the clouds. After a few moments, I wrote:
Where there is light, there is shadow.
Where there is hope, there is peace.
Where there is love, there is you and me.
Change comes in soft breezes and big thunderstorms.
Move with the clouds. Every sky has a rainbow. So does every heart.
Where there are clouds, there is life.
Mary Anne
August 15th, 2011
Could you be more Love?
Could you be more Peace?
Could you shine your Light more?
When we radiate love, we attract it.
What are you attracting into your life?
If you could radiate more of who you are, what would you be radiating?
Mary Anne