Oneness – Be as One

Writing lessons. Creative lessons. Living lessons from St. Paul.

Published on March 19, 2016March 23, 2016 by susanwbaileyLeave a comment

I love St. Paul. And I am a woman. Yes, I am fully aware of the famous passages in which he instructs wives to be “submissive to their husbands” and how they are not to speak in public. I believe these passages need to studied carefully for their true meaning for nothing is ever as it seems, but that’s for another day.

Why St. Paul?

Remember my post on deliberate intent? St. Paul embodied that in everything he did. It began with a zealous persecution of Christians (for he was a Pharisee) and ended with himself being persecuted and killed for the faith he sought originally to destroy. Continue reading “Writing lessons. Creative lessons. Living lessons from St. Paul.” →

Taking a moment to just … be …

Published on June 25, 2015March 23, 2016 by susanwbailey4 Comments

Last Sunday was a stressful day. It was one of many.

Sometimes life travels too fast. The plate becomes full to overflowing. Carrying a load of worry and frustration can become oppressive.

Time to off load my burden … time to take out the kayak. Continue reading “Taking a moment to just … be …” →

Reconsidering the purpose of my Be As One blog: from Me to You

Published on March 6, 2014March 19, 2016 by susanwbaileyLeave a comment

Eighteen months ago I started Be As One with the idea of chronicling my life in my attempt to pull all the various pieces together and live as a whole and integrated person. It has occurred to me that I used a flawed approach. As a result what I see is a random collection of posts about things I am interested in but that are not connected to each other in any obvious way.

I am wondering if you see that too.

I thought I was doing the work by sharing these various posts but in fact I was asking you to do the work:

I expected you to know what was going on in my head.
I expected you to do the work of connecting all these random pieces together.
I expected you to put aside what you care about in deference to what I care about.

In the end, I have a blog that may not be terribly hospitable to you.

If I want to demonstrate living life in a single flow rather than in a bunch of fragments or compartments, then I need to show connections.

Connections between the civilized world and the natural world
Connections between the earth below and heaven above
Connections to what is outside of us and what is inside of us
Connections between each of us

My last post about the little kitten’s demise and the foster dad who tried to save him went viral. Obviously I wrote that post for a community I love and the community is active and large. Posts about pets are bound to do well.

For me, this post was an eye-opener about the necessity of stepping outside of myself and writing about what I see around me. Writing about you. Making you feel welcome in my little corner of the virtual world. Considering things that both you and I feel are important.

I won’t hit the mark every time, I am sure. I hope you will let me know when I have hit it or not. This blog has been evolving and will continue to evolve. But I want you to know that I will consider you every time I write a post. This will no longer be a dumping ground for things that concern just me.

I’ve changed my tag line from “Living life in a single flow …” to “It’s all about connections.” Because it is! We are not meant to live as little islands; we are created to be social beings. This, coming from a notorious introvert who jealously guards her solitude. But I understand the need to stay connected even as I pursue my solitary interests.