Last Sunday I attended church for the first time in a  while. People were warm and welcoming and the sermon  stirred me because of its theme...fear. Fear is something we  all have to deal with from time to time, and perhaps more  so now than in recent years. These are certainly uncertain  times, and I occasionally find myself refering to Dr. Gerald  Jampolsky's book written in l979, called, "Love is Letting  Go of Fear."

Dr. Jampolsky, is a psychiatrist and graduate  of Stanford Medical School, as well as founder of the  Center for Attitudinal Healing. He studied, "A Course in  Miracles" in depth, and based his small book on the course  in a simple, direct way. I'm convinced that Love is the  answer, and gaining the trust and freedom to love is a  process of letting go. Letting go to a Higher Power is probably  experienced differently by each of us, even those of the  same religious beliefs who attend the same church. There  are a lot of us with shared values that categorize ourselves  by different names, but the words that count are, "honest" --  "decent" -- "kind," etc. Those are labels I notice.

The only  thing that stands between us and the awesome energy of  love...is fear.  Sometimes it is fear of, "the other." When we first  bought Old City Hall, we were told by a good friend that  we were categorized as "uber-liberals" on a blog he read. I  laughed! That was one of the most colorful names I've been  called. I wanted to show the blogger my NRA membership  card, but was still a little embarrassed about having joined.

Yes, I realized a long time ago that it is way too late for gun  control, I'm a staunch supporter of the Bill of Rights, and it  was nice to receive a great free cap with my initials on it.  It's so easy to label and categorize individuals. That way,  one can either accept them because they are an ideological  colleague, or reject them because they are, "one of them."  An easy no-muss-no-fuss method of judging others and  keeping life's choices simple. It saves time, and secures one  in preventing new ideas from challenging one's beliefs...

keeps the status quo. Undoubtedly, fear based behavior.  For me, spirituality has little to do with dogma and my relationship  with a Higher Power should be manifest in my  behavior toward fellow human beings. If I treat others with  loving kindness and respect, then I am following, my most  influential teacher, Jesus Christ. Even as a good Catholic  girl, my favorite Saint was Augustine, who in the 4th century,  said "Love God, and do as you please." I knew what it  meant, and that was dogmatic enough for me.

Do you think  that dogma could be the father of hypocrisy?  "The world we see that seems so insane may be the result  of a belief system that is no longer working." Perhaps it is  enough that we choose to see love in the world and appreciate  our common bond with one another, stay in the present  moment and let our hearts be filled with gratitude for the  clean air, good water, decent food, comfortable shelter and  each others' good will. I'm trying to feel grateful for all  that I have and all that I am, at least three times a day. It  helps me feel good.  I felt very good this last Sunday at St. James. The ritual  was reminiscent of my childhood upbringing and I felt surrounded  by loving kindness and peace.

Thank you.