A Dose Of God 22 - Under The Blankets As You Snuggle

This episode is about uniting with someone I love to share a common experience that matters to us both. It is informed by verse "U" of the "ABCs of a Dose of God" poem, "A dose of God is Under the blankets as you snuggle by the flame." There is a brief description of the verse, a personal reflection demonstrating how the verse has facilitated my own resonance with Doses of God in my life, a statement of gratitude, and a few guiding questions that may be considered for your own reflection.

Transcript

Welcome to A Dose of God, A short-form, Self-reflective podcast series based on the book, A Good Dose of God, Everybody's Best Friend. The purpose of this series is two-fold. First, To enhance and sustain my own resonance with the eternal divine presence in my life. And second, To demonstrate how the book's poem, The ABCs of A Dose of God, May serve as a framework for others to regularly identify, Connect with, And express gratitude for what's good among common occurrences in their lives. This episode is informed by the verse of the poem representing the letter U. A Dose of God is under the blankets as you snuggle by the flame. It includes a brief description of the verse, A personal reflection demonstrating how the verse has facilitated my own resonance with doses of God in my life, A statement of gratitude, And a few guiding questions that may be considered for your own reflection. Here is a description of the verse. A dose of God is under the blankets as you snuggle by the flame. When you snuggle with someone under a blanket by the fire, You are physically representing the connection of two souls joined through the love of God. The air is brisk. The breeze is fresh. The stars are bright. You are snuggled in a cozy blanket with a loved one, Witnessing the beauty of crackling embers and a heartwarming flame. You are sharing a mutual moment of divinity with a special person in your life. God provides you with countless opportunities to connect with another soul and mutually witness his divine grace. You might realize a mutual moment of divinity while watching a good movie as you snuggle with someone close on your living room sofa. Perhaps you'll realize one while with your loved one on the front porch as you gaze out at the sunset. Or maybe you'll mutually realize the beauty of the moment as you and your loved one admire the picturesque scenery while on a road trip. Allow yourself the presence to experience these divine moments. Free your mind and let these opportunities emerge through your awareness. Here's my personal reflection on the verse. To me, This verse is about uniting with someone I love, In this case my wife, To share a common experience that matters to us both. I see it as distilling the range of differences and similarities representing the synthesis of our relationship in a way that allows us to observe, Contribute to, Or otherwise engage with a shared purpose. The purpose may be embedded within a sequence of moments that spans a brief or extended period of time. In the literal sense of the verse, Which represents a relatively brief series of moments, My wife and I have shared several experiences of snuggling, Or at least being in close proximity to one another near a campfire. The bond of our relationship has strengthened as we have shared roles around a fire, Which have included being observers, Establishes, And sustainers of the blaze. During our times together by a fire, We have been collectively comforted by its warmth and mesmerized by the expressive moments of its vivid flames. In some instances, We have been mere observers of the fire, Basking in the beauty and heat that it provided. In other instances, We have had more active roles in starting, Stoking, And adding wood to a fire to build and sustain its existence. In both types of instances, A campfire represents a shared cause or experience that has captured the attention of us both. If it was a fire that someone else had tended, We simply reveled in the shared experience of sensing its warmth and marveling at its majestic flames. If it was a fire that we had at least some responsibility for starting or stoking, We have appreciated the opportunity for the shared experience of watching and feeling the fire, As well as the shared experience of establishing and sustaining the fire. When we were responsible for keeping a fire alive, If we had fallen short on our execution of the tasks to stoke and add wood to the fire, It would have quit burning, Resulting in the absence of an opportunity for us to be reveled by its radiance. In a broader sense, I also see how the meaning of this verse is applicable to other areas of our lives, As we have been able to synthesize common and diverse attributes of ourselves in ways that have allowed us to pursue, Observe, Or otherwise interact with other shared purposes or experiences. A couple examples which span much longer sequences of moments than that of a campfire include establishing and sustaining our physical home and raising our kids. In terms of our physical home, My wife and I united several years ago in a manner that allowed us to share the experience of establishing a home by identifying and committing to a physical space where we would live. Since then, We have consistently pursued a common purpose of sustaining our home. Similar to how we have shared responsibilities of sustaining a campfire that kept us comfortably warm and intriguingly mesmerized by stoking fire and adding wood, We have shared ongoing responsibilities for sustaining a physical home that has kept us comfortable and intrigued. We have sustained the interior and exterior of our home to an extent that allows us to remain comfortable by uniting common and unique attributes of ourselves in ways that allow us to collectively accomplish tasks that accompany home ownership. Such tasks have included coordinating the setup of household utilities, Furnishing our home, Decorating, Performing interior and exterior maintenance, Or hiring someone else to do the work, Cleaning rooms, Loading and unloading the dishwasher, Washing clothes, Taking out the trash, Mowing the grass, Raking leaves, Shoveling snow, Earning money and paying bills. We seem to have naturally gravitated toward a comprehensive and balanced allocation of tasks that are appropriate for our respective skills and interests. Partnering to accomplish these and other related tasks has nurtured our home as a sustained flame of sorts, Which has provided us with ample opportunity to simply bask in the heartfelt warmth of our home and observe its evolving and mesmerizing character that continues to capture the attention of our unique perspectives. Of course, There have been many times when we have fallen short in our responsibilities, Which results in a space that is not quite as comforting or mesmerizing. However, Overall, We have been able to maintain the space in a way that generally meets our standards. I also want to note that we are blessed to have my mother-in-law live with us and she has made substantial contributions to the development and sustainability of our home. In terms of our kids, My wife and I have synthesized our common and unique attributes into a unified parenting approach that has allowed us to share the experience of raising them with intentions to logically and intuitively support their ongoing development and well-being. Again, Similar to how we have been collectively responsible for sustaining a campfire and our physical home, We have also shared responsibilities of raising our kids in ways that have been comfortably heartwarming and mesmerizing. We have generally implemented a balanced parenting approach, Which has required both of us to promote their development by providing a wide array of supports, Such as food, Shelter, Finances, Transportation, Love, Care, Attention, And guidance. We have intended to be active and understanding listeners, And we have offered different perspectives and considerations for interpreting and addressing the smattering spectrum of simplicities and challenges that seep into their lives. In our unified approach, We have intended to raise them to be fit for life by attempting to promote development of their intellectual, Social, Emotional, And physical well-being, Provide opportunities for them to identify and engage in activities that they like, Find importance in, Want to spend time on, And want to put energy into, Cultivate their spiritual health in ways that allow them to maintain a mindful, Contemplative, Present state of being, And nurture their ability to interact with the world in ways that ultimately have positive effects on themselves as well as their families, Peers, And communities. As with the examples of an actual campfire and our physical home, Working with my wife toward accomplishment of our parenting tasks with these intentions has allowed us ample opportunity to simply observe our kids and bask in the awe of the vibrant ways in which they uniquely maneuver their lives. Also in line with the other examples, We have undoubtedly fallen short in the achievement of our parenting tasks and intentions on several occasions. However, Overall, We generally seem to be adequately supporting them in ways that allow them to pursue paths in which they will be able to have a sustainably positive impact on the world by consciously doing things that they can do well and love doing. I am immeasurably grateful for having been able to unite with my wife to share common experiences that matter to us both and will attempt to remain aware of opportunities to distill the synthesis of attributes representing our relationship in ways that allow us to observe, Contribute to, Or otherwise engage with a shared purpose. Here are a few guiding questions to consider that might facilitate your own personal reflection upon the verse, A dose of God is under the blankets as you snuggle by the flame. Take a moment to reflect on times when you have united with someone you love to share an experience that has mattered to you both. For example, What are examples of when you have united with someone you love to observe, Contribute to, Or otherwise engage with a shared experience? How do you feel when you share these types of experiences with someone you love? In what ways do you express gratitude for being able to unite with someone you love to share common experiences that matter to you both? What strategies could you implement to maintain awareness of opportunities to unite with someone you love to observe, Contribute to, Or otherwise engage with a shared purpose? In closing, When you snuggle under a blanket near a fire or share a series of other mutually divine moments with someone you love, You receive a dose of God. The next episode in this series will focus on the verse representing the letter V, A dose is in the value of moments you spend throughout this lifelong game. Thank you so much for listening. May you consistently position yourself to accept and resonate with the doses of God that are ever presently here for you. The reflections in this series represent my interpretations of the time they were transcribed and may have been different if they were written at other points in the past or future. Each episode is intended to be unique, However multiple iterations of common themes and examples are likely to surface throughout the series.

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