Marian Head, author, Revolutionary Agreements marian@marianhead.com

Winter Solstice 2010

The Gift of Presence

During this season of giving, I am reminded that the greatest gift we can give to others — and to our Self — is our presence. The following message from the June 2005 Revolutionary News, is as true and important today as ever.

Are you living your life as history, mystery or now?

History: “I know this won’t work; I’ve tried it.” “I’ll never forgive her.” “I’m not good enough.” “I’m still scared.” Resentments, anger and fears rooted in the past keep us stuck, unable to enjoy the present.

Mystery: “I can’t make time for you/kids/making love/me today if I’m going to be ready for next week/year/when I retire.” Blaming the unknown imagined future, we take actions (or not) based on fear, and give ourselves excuses for not being here, now, to fully enjoy this moment and be all that we can today.

Now: Fewer of us live with hearts and minds fully present in this moment. My husband, Glenn, is one of these people. For him, it comes naturally; for me it is a practice. And it is well worth it. When I catch myself worrying about the past or future, I can take a deep breath and focus on the gratitude I feel for this moment, bringing me fully present to experience what’s in front of me right now. Only when I am present am I able to live my mission to enjoy my life and experience love in every moment.

When I am present, I feel a special peacefulness in which I feel deeply connected to all of life. When I am present, I see you in your full radiance and hear you to the depth of your being. I feel our common bond, our union through the Divine, and my heart fills with the joy of being alive, together, at this very moment.

When you are fully present, what is your experience? When not hindered by judgment over something that happened yesterday or immersed in a story about a yet to be determined tomorrow, what is different for you?

African cultural diplomat and musician, Babatunde Olatunji, said it beautifully:

“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”

To practice the final Revolutionary Agreement, “I Agree to Lighten Up,” does not require becoming a stand-up comic, but one who comes hither, delights in smelling the roses, alights at the foot of the speaker, and gives the greatest gift of all: presence. Try it today! (How about now?)

With gratitude for the gift of your presence,

           “Be here now. What do you mean, I asked the still, small voice inside me, where else would I be? But that one was easy: I would be somewhere else. Or more accurately, some when else: my mind was often away from now, mulling over some past event or worrying obsessively over some imagined future.
           “Be here now. All at once I got it--and my negative emotions vanished. They had to: they simply could not survive the now, because they all seemed to be related to something that happened in a remembered past or an imagined future…but they weren’t real any longer. In fact, they never really had been.
           “There was only, always, now.”

(From Revolutionary Agreements, page 156)

Love Note

Your presentation and workshop at the Unity Southeast People’s Conference in October was amazing and full of Grace. My friend and I learned so much from our experience and the small group sessions were so WONDER...FULL.
Linda Stanbrook, Unity Church of Hollywood

Editor's Note: During her small group session at the Unity Conference, Linda shared a beautiful insight with her group while studying the Agreement to "Honor Our Choices." She offered, "Honor means to hold in love."

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Editor's Light

Linda Leary, News Editor newseditor@RevolutionaryAgreements.org

In this time of change and transformation, this oldie but goodie still offers a timely reminder on choosing my priorities. When I am in gratitude it all seems to fall into place naturally.

Finding Peace in Gratitude
Linda Leary, November 7, 2005

I was feeling down and out of sorts.
My mind was racing fast.
Too many issues piling up,
I was living in the past.

Not long ago I was doing great;
it was all just smooth and fine.
It’s easy feeling powerful
when one’s ducks are all in line.

But then the ducks got out of whack,
life presented to me a test.
I went from high to very low;
I was no longer at my best.

I doubted my worth and self esteem;
I found I could not move.
I’d lost my sense of direction.
I was no longer in my groove.

But then a voice inside me spoke.
At first I did not hear.
It had to shout to get to me,
I was so entrapped in fear.

Stop and see your blessings,
spoke the voice inside my head.
You’re missing all that’s best in life,
you’re living life in dread.

In autumn of life you’re rich in gifts
that most will never have.
Allow those gifts to assuage your soul
like a sweet and healing salve.

I felt myself go very still.
No longer did I shake.
From my life of mounting lemons,
lemonade is what I’ll make.

I still have parents alive and well
who love me without strings.
My daughter is my precious gift
who makes my heart just sing.

My mate still thinks I’m beautiful
and I put him to the test.
No matter what he loves me still,
his hugs are just the best.

My gratitude moved on from there
to friends both near and far.
Their faces danced in front of me
like bright and shining stars.

In my plight I’d fallen fast
and gotten out of touch
with all the goodness in my life
that means so very much.

Life is change and that’s a fact.
It’s either smooth or bumpy.
My attitude will set the scene
to be of cheer or grumpy.

Once I choose to know the dark
I can really love the light.
I am grateful now for all the shades
between the black and white.

In gratitude and lightness
I’ve lifted up my veil.
As long as blessings I can see
I know I cannot fail.

Seasons Greetings to All!
From Marian, Linda and Helena

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