In this spiritual work, my friends, I thought it was against the rules to get overly personal, to draw attention to myself. But, today, to hell with the rules! This is a love letter.
Tomorrow, on the 22nd of December, I turn 62 years of age. I have to tell you, friends, I like getting older. I don’t want to be 25 again, no matter what they say! With age, I have become more loving. With age, I have become wiser. What a relief, what a blessing! I am truly grateful for the life I have been given. But, I didn’t use to be. After all, who can be grateful for pain and suffering? The insecurity, the angst, the intense loneliness, you know what I mean. I didn’t know myself, I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t want to be here. Today, I enjoy almost a complete transformation. Who could have known?! Call it life, call it the spiritual path, call it whatever you would like. Things are different now, things are much better. I imagine, I still don’t know everything about myself, but I know enough. It’s good. You see, the wonderful life I have been given was, and is, an opportunity to discover who I am. Even more importantly, it has given me an opportunity to discover who you are. Is this what love is? It certainly feels like it. Before, when I looked at another person, when I looked at you, I saw only opposition, something I had to compromise with, something I had to tolerate. Today, I see you only as an opportunity to understand what wholeness is. Love is the gateway to wisdom. Wisdom comes from experience, including the pain and suffering. Yes, the pathway to peace. Essentially, a freedom to be me. I understand you are still with the pain. I know you still experience misunderstanding and frustration. The only thing of value I can impart to you, is that no matter what it is, it will pass. It will change. I wish I could heal you. I wish I could heal everything, but I cannot. Indeed, as much as I love you, I know I cannot do it for you. What I can do is tell you that I have found some peace, and some freedom. What I can tell you is that because I have found these, you will also. We walk the same path, and this is the guarantee for all.
A little older, a little grayer, too! That’s ok. Self-love must come first, or nothing else is possible. A lot of hard work, hence the gray! You see, the dimmest light, the tiniest fragment of light, the smallest amount of love, is what each of us finds within our heart and mind when the time is right. It is enough. To find more light, to find more love, what has already been found must be given. Is this what love is? Dearest friends, the spiritual work, our desperate need to find a way to be of service, well, we just make it more complicated than it needs to be. To know what love really is, we have to let others in. They will show us. To know what service really is, we have to let ourselves out. We will show them. It is a simple recognition. Giving creates more of what already is. Wholeness is a feeling and a knowing of togetherness. The loneliness is gone. By the way, the words provided on these pages at Indigo Mountain don’t come from just Todd. They come from the higher part of Todd as well, the greater group to which we all belong. Todd is a part, and you, friends, are a part. The truth, then, comes from all of us together, otherwise, the truth could not be at all. Having said that, I want to sincerely thank you for being here. With all my heart and mind, I love you. Again, I am truly grateful for this opportunity to serve. Happy Birthday, Todd. And, Happy Birthday to each one of you! Any day, every day, an opportunity to celebrate life. Wow, what a life it is!
The holiday season is upon us. Take the day off. Take a few days off. I don’t mean from work, I mean from yourself. Let it all go, just for a day. There is no fear, there is no opposition, there is no worry. Getting together with friends and family? Be there. Look at each friend, each family member, as an integral part of you. Without them, you could never know who you really are. Love in service is a higher kind of sacrifice, you see. It isn’t hard, it doesn’t hurt, that is, if we simply recognize it as an opportunity to be whole. Go ahead, then, be whole!
Together
*Just a quick little note here, friends. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something, now is as good a time as any! At the bottom of the front page of Indigo Mountain, you may have noticed the standard indication of a copyright. For the most part, you can disregard that. In other words, please do copy this material and share it. If there is something you would like to quote in the work you are doing, please go ahead and do so. If you change the content, however, I would prefer you leave my name off of it at that point. Also, don’t feel the need to acknowledge me in any formal way. Having the opportunity to do this work, to be of service, is enough of an acknowledgement for me. Honestly, the teaching I am able to provide comes from other sources to a certain extent, coupled with my own experience of it. The reality is, we’re all encouraged to translate all the teaching into our own words, place it within the context of our own experience, and then send it back out to the others we are working with, either in our own writing, or teaching within a formal group setting. In this way, we can reach even more of our fellow workers, you see. This is very important. But again, if you change any of the content on this site, and then republish it, put your own name on it. Just as a reminder, I make no money publishing this page, it is free and available to all. In essence, although I am the author of this page, I do not own it. It belongs to everyone. Fellow companions, the most important thing is that we get the work out there. Let’s just respect one another as we proceed. Ok? With that, share, share it all, and be well.