The Story of the Little Cow

I just finished reading “The Walk” by Richard Paul Evans and this story was at the end of the book.  It made me think about my own life and the ways I am holding myself back, and I thought I would share it with you.  

The Little Cow

“A Master of Wisdom was walking through the countryside with his apprentice when they came to a small, disheveled shack on a meager piece of farmland. ‘See this poor family,’ said the Master. ‘Go see if they will share with us their food.’ ‘But we have plenty,’ said the apprentice.

 The Master said, ‘Do as I say.’ The obedient apprentice went to the home. The good farmer and his wife, surrounded by their seven children, came to the door. Their clothes were dirty and in tatters. ‘Fair greetings,’ said the apprentice. ‘My Master and I are sojourners and want for food. I've come to see if you have any to share.’

The farmer said, ‘we have little, but what we have we will share.’ He walked away, and then returned with a small piece of cheese and a crust of bread. ‘I am sorry, but we don't have much.’ The apprentice did not want to take their food but did as he had been instructed. ‘Thank you. Your sacrifice is great.’

‘Life is difficult,’ the farmer said, ‘but we get by. And in spite of our poverty, we do have one great blessing.’ ‘What blessing is that?’ asked the apprentice. ‘We have a little cow. She provides us milk and cheese, which we eat or sell in the marketplace. It is not much but she provides enough for us to live on.’

The apprentice went back to his Master with the meager rations and reported what he had learned about the farmer’s plight. The Master of Wisdom said, ‘I am pleased to hear of their generosity, but I am greatly sorrowed by their circumstance. Before we leave this place, I have one more task for you.’

‘Speak, Master.’

‘Return to the shack and bring back their cow.’

The apprentice did not know why, but he knew his Master to be merciful and wise, so he did as he was told. When he returned with the cow, he said to his Master, ‘I have done as you commanded. Now what is it that you would do with this cow?’

‘See yonder cliffs? Take the cow to the highest crest and push her over.’ The apprentice was stunned. ‘But Master...’

‘Do as I say.’ The apprentice sorrowfully obeyed. When he had completed his task, the Master and his apprentice went on their way.

Over the next years, the apprentice grew in mercy and wisdom. But every time he thought back on the visit to the poor farmer's family, he felt a pang of guilt. One day he decided to go back to the farmer and apologize for what he had done. But when he arrived at the farm, the small shack was gone.

Instead there was a large, fenced villa.

‘Oh no,’ he cried. ‘The poor family who was here was driven out by my evil deed.’ Determined to learn what had become of the family, he went to the villa and pounded on its great door. A servant answered the door.

‘I would like to speak to the master of the house,’ he said. ‘As you wish,’ said the servant. A moment later a smiling, well-dressed man greeted the apprentice.

‘How may I serve you?’ the wealthy man asked. ‘Pardon me, Sir, but could you tell me what has become of the family who once lived on this land but is no more?’ ‘I do not know what you speak of,’ the man replied. ‘My family has lived on this land for three generations.’

The apprentice looked at him quizzically. ‘Many years ago I walked through this valley, where I met a farmer and his seven children. But they were very poor and lived in a small shack.

‘Oh,’ the man said smiling, ‘that was my family. But my children have all grown now and have their own estates.’

The apprentice was astonished. ‘But you are no longer poor. What happened?’

‘God works in mysterious ways,’ the man said, smiling. ‘We had this little cow that provided us with the slimmest of necessities, enough to survive but little more.

“We suffered but expected no more from life. Then, one day, our little cow wandered off and fell over a cliff. We knew that we would be ruined without her, so we did everything we could to survive. Only then did we discover that we had greater power and abilities than we possibly imagined and never would have found as long as we relied on that cow. What a great blessing from Heaven to have lost our little cow.”

• - - - - - - - - - - - 

Sometimes we get stuck in the smallness of a situation and can’t see the possibilities because feeling safe is more important.  Is there a little cow in your life?  Are you holding yourself back from living a bigger life?  Growth and change usually come when we get out of our comfort zone!

A Retreat Into the Woods

Sometimes you just need a change of scenery.  A retreat from everyday life, a change of environment.  It really makes a difference.

This week I did just that.  We rented a little cottage in the mountains near Big Bear Lake.  The elevation is around 8,000 feet - the air was thin, the trees were tall and green (pine trees that smelled so good) and the sky and the lake were amazing shades of blue.  It was the total opposite of my normal life in the dry, flat desert (it has it’s own beauty!)  The contrast is part of the makings of a good retreat.  

Most of my life I have had an affinity with the mountains, not sure why, but I know I feel it within my soul.  A deep connection that brings me a sense of inner peace.  This time was no exception.  With the addition of the little cottage in the giant pines with the lake just steps away, I was in a state of bliss.  Well, not right away, it took a while to acclimate.  Time for my deeper sense to recognize I was taking time to connect with nature.  It made me realize that a good retreat from life has to be at least 2 nights away, even better if it’s a week!  It takes some time to unfold into it, to let go of all the real life things that are keeping the mind preoccupied.  Letting go and relaxing takes a while.

After checking-in and unpacking, I went to sit by the lake, on the sandy little patch of sunny beach just a few steps away from tree shaded cottage.  The air was so fresh, the sky so clear and blue and in the distance I could hear the hum of a boat out on the lake.  I took a few deep breaths in, then exhaled and let my body and mind empty - like letting the air out of a balloon.  I stayed there for a while, soaking in the peace and beauty -- allowing it to wash over me.  What a wonderful feeling.  

When planning for this trip I knew I wanted to keep it simple and pay attention to living in the present moment.  I decided to bring my sketch book and watercolors - activities that I enjoy deeply and never make the time for and also bring me into focus with the “now”.  Being in this wonderful natural setting inspired me and painting kept me present.  This is part of a retreat that I enjoy most - freedom, relaxation and time to express myself.

Over the next two nights and three days I allowed myself the pleasures of relaxation, creative expression, walks in nature, quiet contemplation and wonderful food.  Jeff and I listened to a few chapters of “The Untethered Soul” an audio book by Michael A. Singer. (It’s awesome, I highly recommend it!).  And that helped bring some enlightenment to our little retreat and taught us even more about the importance of being fully present.  Just the right setting for opening our minds and hearts to his beautiful words of wisdom.

What a glorious time, I feel renewed.  

If you are thinking about planning a get-away, stop thinking and just DO IT!  If you don’t think you have the time or money, than stop thinking that!  Make the time and spend the money - it will pay for itself in the peace it gives you.  If you need to get away alone - than stop making excuses and go for it!  Make some reservations at a place totally different that your normal environment, pack light and take off!  You won’t even understand how much you need it until you actually do it!  What's stopping you! 

When was the last time you planned a personal retreat?  Tell me abut it.

Are You A Preoccupied Multi Tasker?

Most Sunday mornings I get on my computer and tune into Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith at Agape International and watch his service on live streaming video.  This morning I tuned in and moved the live streaming screen to the side of my monitor and started checking my email and doing other things on the computer.  I thought I would just listen while I was getting other things done.  The music was great, than the announcements and affirmations came next -- I was responding to emails, deleting junk mail, texting a friend, thinking about a million things I wanted to do today.  Then I realized something.

This is how I live my life.  Never really being fully present to the thing I am doing, but multi-tasking.  I always have about three things going at once, and thinking about the next thing I want to do.  Taking time to do “just one thing” somehow seems like a waste of time.  But this morning I realized I was not being fully present for anything I was doing!  With grace, the gift of the present moment presented itself to me.

I turned off my computer.  I picked up my iPad and my headphones and found  my way to the comfy chair in my office and logged on to the Agape Service.  I put in my earbuds, put my legs up on the ottoman, stretched back, took a deep breath, relaxed and allowed myself to become present.  It took me a few minutes, but I began to feel like I was right there with them in church.  My focus was clear and I began to hear each word of the sermon and knew Rev. Michael had a message for me today.  And I was here - present - ready to hear it.

I heard him say “What are you preoccupied with?  What is keeping you from recognizing that you ARE light and love. If you are not seeing yourself as light and love --then you’re preoccupied.”  Was he watching me through my computer?

Next he talked about our preoccupation with the mental clutter of our lives - worries about what others think of us, if we are following our purpose, if we are doing the right thing, getting caught up in the craziness of life,  not to mention listening to the voice that keeps telling us we are “not enough”.   He challenged us to “throw off the shackles of the mind!”   Because beneath all the mental clutter and distraction is all that we desire, already with-in us.  Love, peace, abundance, joy!

He suggested that we set aside our desires and the endless search for what we “want” and instead ask “What does God want to flow through me”!  What is the gift I have to bring to this world.  If we can just set back and open ourselves to it, the flow will begin to take over our lives and the next thing you know you'll have embraced the possibility of your own greatness!  And the vision for your life will become clear, and along with that love, peace, abundance and joy!  The simple act of being present, surrendering to the wisdom that is already inside and then allowing it to unfold.  What a beautiful message!

All it takes it awareness--being present with the oneness of source and allowing the good within to pull you forward toward your a vision!  It requires letting go of preoccupation.  It means doing one thing at a time, staying in the present moment.  I read a quote some years ago that said,  “The only language God speaks is silence.”  In order for us to allow the flow to come through us, we have to find that silence and connect with it.

What a lesson for me today.  May the gift of being present follow me though the next few days, the next few weeks and months, through my surrender to the flow while I discover what God wants to unfold in my life.  May I be present.

What gratitude I have for the moment of grace this morning that awakened me to becoming present.  Divine intervention!

Are you a multi-tasker?  How do you find time to be present?  Tell me about it.

The Answer Is Inside

So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
And we never even know we have the key. - Lyrics from Already Gone, The Eagles

Over the years of the evolution of my spiritual growth I have had huge insights and incredible growth in so many ways.  But there have been other areas where I have only seen brief glimpses of the habits and behaviors that are getting in the way of my joy.  These visions have been brief and kind of blurry.  But, with each glimpse I am able to see a little more clearly what stands in my way.   However, I have either not been willing to see it fully or the timing wasn’t right for me to change some of these behaviors or habits.

Tony Robbins call these behaviors or habits --life rituals.  A ritual is defined as“a series of actions or type of behavior regularly and invariably followed by someone”.  That’s what I have! Some of these rituals are good and some not so good.  And it’s not just “one” thing -- one behavior.  It is the series of actions that keeps it so engrained.  The habit is reinforced with the arrangement of the behaviors - a cluster of habits. 

A couple of nights ago I had the opportunity to get a bigger glimpse of a tired old ritual that I keep repeating.  A wise friend pointed out to me that I have to stop looking for the answers outside of myself.  She said “The solution is in you!  You can’t buy the solution!” (Book, courses, classes, teachers etc.)  At that moment I had the clarity that at other times seemed so blurry.  This was it, a piece of my own puzzle--a ritual that I kept repeating that is not serving me.  Always seeking the next book, teacher, tool, etc. to help solve some “problem”.  Hoping that I would hear just the right words that would wake me up and connect all the dots and I would live forever in a blissed out state!  Who am I kidding!

Over the past 20 years I have read, explored, experienced, visited, attended, listened to thoughts and ideas from all areas of metaphysics, self-help, motivational, quantum physics, law of attraction, and spiritual teachings and teachers.  I can quote many of them as easily as I can say my own name.   This was my journey--I am a seeker.  And this journey has enlightened me and expanded my consciousness exponentially.  But at some point it is time to take the knowledge and use it!  What I suddenly realized (with the help of my friends) is that to keep seeking is a mis-guided search for an answer to heal what I perceived as broken.  The missing link, the “golden ring”, the one insight that would set me free.  

The truth--I am already free!  I just didn’t allow myself to see it.  The answer to all my questions, the solutions to all my “problems”, the harmony and peace I seek are already in side of me.  Honestly, I already knew this, but I wasn’t ready to hear it. It’s like when you hear something that you have heard a hundred times before, but suddenly you hear it like you haven’t heard it before.  This was the time for me to hear this big truth.

Time to set aside the seeking and take a look inside.  Allow the answers to my big questions to unfold naturally.  I have all the tools I need.  As a matter of fact, I have a big tool box filled with years and years of accumulated wisdom and awesome techniques to draw from any time I choose.  Not to mention, my own internal guidance system that I was born with!

Today, I am clearing my desk of the stack of books I have been waiting to read, deleting from my email the 21 Day Program I joined to learn more about EFT, putting away my list of goals and things to do.  Today, I am taking time to be still and get re-acquainted with my own brilliance.  It is going to take some time, but it begins in the silence of not doing, but just being.

Sometimes the longest journey is the one from the intellect (the brain) to the heart (our connection to source).   A big THANK YOU to my Mastermind group for helping me find the way to my heart!

Have you been looking outside yourself for the answers?  Tell me about it.