The Bigger Picture

Would you believe I woke up 30 seconds before the cat pounced on me in anticipation of the rude awakening?

Sometimes we know things before they happen.

How does that work?

Last night I went into the local Correctional Facility to talk to a group of female inmates about what life could be like for them if they stopped drinking.

There were eight women there and they were all (perhaps save one -- though she looked it) First Nations.

I was reminded of Steve Earle's song "Billy Austin" in which Billy describes the men in his prison as "mostly black, and brown and poor."

All of these women were brown and poverty was something they had no doubt all experienced. All of them were there because of crimes committed under the influence of alcohol.

We were talking about the "spiritual experience" of noticing the world around us, seeing the bigger picture, connecting to a higher sense of being through nature; tuning in to the colour of the sky, the texture of the grass, the birds flying above.

By the end of our session there was hope in the room.

Inspiring Message for the Day: When we take the time to think about how a tree can grow from a tiny seed, how the earth spins around the sun, how we can know things before they happen, we are connecting to the Life Force Energy of the Universe, and we can overcome hopelessness.