Why I Joined "Be The Match"

I’ve encountered many people in my first 43 years of life who have battled cancer. My mom was the first; she had more than one while I was growing up. A cousin’s husband out east was the second. The third was the mother of a dear friend from high school; she passed away when he was 16 years old.

In the last few years alone I have known or crossed paths with several people who have succumbed to it. A singer songwriter named Katie Reider, who left behind her partner and children at age 30 after losing her sight in one eye and her ability to sing and perform her music. My daughter’s elementary school teacher (this affected my daughter deeply for quite awhile)…one of my son’s teachers from middle school…a favorite member of the church I used to attend…the list goes on. With each of these people I felt helpless to do anything about their suffering, their illness, or their loss.

I’ve only now come to realize the helplessness I felt was the same feeling I had when my mom was battling cancer: Same circumstances, same emotions…different person each time. Growing up, most of the details about my family members’ health struggles were kept among the adults – I only picked up pieces of conversation here and there. This only added to the feeling of helplessness…and isolation; I felt separate from another who was suffering, and not being permitted to share in the experience. Childhood is all about learning from experiences – I had learned, or become conditioned, into feeling helpless around cancer.

I started working in the IT department for the National Marrow Donor Program – the organization managing the “Be the Match” Registry – in March of this year. I don’t remember what event took place first: Starting the new job, or finding out my cousin is battling cancer. (Not the one whose husband had it when I was younger, but her sister.) I’ve spent a lot of time since in trying to understand the coincidence of it all. During this time I discovered that so few people know about this opportunity, compared to how many people could be helped. One of my supervisors told me that for every one person that the program has helped with facilitating a bone marrow transplant, six were on the waiting list who didn’t yet have a match.

As I pondered and meditated over this whole set of circumstances, I came to another realization. I’ve been blessed with good health most of my life, to the point that I’ve actually felt guilty around others who have not had that experience. (That contributed to part of my feeling of helplessness as well, I’ve come to find.) I’ve donated blood several times, and platelets once, and have never felt any ill effects. I’ve committed on my driver’s license to be an organ donor upon my death: Since I’m still using everything at the moment, this donation is on hold. :-) It finally made sense to me to take all this to the next level.

So now I’ve signed up with the Be The Match Registry at http://www.marrow.org/index.html to be a donor. As I’m not too proud to admit it, I’m going through a financial hardship right now. So I took advantage of their current drive to add donors: Signing up before June 22nd, I’m receiving my tissue-typing kit at no cost to me. I’ve decided that I’ll pay it forward for the next person when I’m back on my feet – they accept donations on their website to support such efforts.

[For the record, I'm not receiving any benefits from anyone at National Marrow Donor Program for sharing this with you. That's not my style. This is simply me feeling compelled to share an insight with you, knowing that someone else in the world feels the same way that I did. That's my understanding of how the Universe operates.]

For all the reasons I’ve have now for signing up in the Registry, the biggest one for me is entirely personal: I feel empowered. I don’t have to feel helpless around cancer any longer. I can do more than empathize or feel compassion for whoever I encounter who is suffering from this life-altering disease. I can actually offer hope for anyone who is waiting for a match now…and anyone in the future who may need that sense of hope. I like being able to do that.


Thank you for allowing me to share this with you. Namaste.

Paying your (karmic) dues

The last time you pay a karmic debt is the time you fully release its origin. This is the backdrop behind the adage "those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it". Studying history on its surface only makes you an expert in repeating the outcome. Releasing the belief -- thought and emotion -- in back of the event allows you to finally be free from it. Be aware.

Namaste. Enjoy the day!

Why aren't you?

If you are watching what's going on in your world today,
or in your country today,
or in your neighborhood today,
And if you know how to pray,
or how to release,
or how to ho'oponopono,
And you're not doing any of these things
to help the people you see
and circumstances you witness,
Then I only have one question for you:

Why aren't you?

And if you haven't learned how to pray,
or to release,
or to clean,
Then I only have one question for you:

Why haven't you?

It doesn't matter where you are,
or where the other is,
or who you are,
or who the other is.
There's always something you can do, to act from a place of compassion.

If you can do nothing else:

Learn how to Pray, and then Pray.
Or
Learn how to Release, and then Release.
Or
Learn how to Ho'oponopono, and then Clean.


Now, what are you going to do?

Coming out of the wilderness

I've been delving deeper into myself, into all the scary places I've been avoiding up to now. The glimpses of light in the forest have been beautiful to behold (continuing the metaphor for a moment), but it hasn't been without its challenges. I did finally understand in all of this, however, what I'm supposed to be; I simply need to fully commit myself to the course that lies ahead. So while I put together the plan and plot the course out of the woods once and for all, I appreciate your patience in my less-than-regular communication.

I hope to make what I send going forward worth your while.

Namaste...enjoy the day!

Polar Plunge for a Good Cause

Someone I used to work with is stepping out of her comfort zone big-time for her daughter. She is jumping into a frigid Minnesota lake in the dead of winter this Saturday, March 7th, 2009, as a fundraiser for the Special Olympics. When my children were little I did such a grand venture simply for a t-shirt, and mostly to fulfill an ego gratification for bragging rights for the rest of my life. :-) She's doing it for a much more noble cause. I applaud her for that.

I've waited this long to blog about this because I wanted to find out what the Twitter community in general (and internet community at large) were capable of. Here goal is $1,000; as of this writing, she has $525 to go. I would love to see how many people go out to this web page -- http://www.specialolympicsminnesota.org/Polar_Plunge_App.php?step=pledge&action=showwebpage&event_id=9&regid=6180&team_id=928 -- and step up to the hole in the ice with her in spirit by contributing toward her cause. I thought it would be really cool if 525 people around the planet chipped in $1.00 and a little note letting her know that her efforts to do what she can for her daughter are appreciated. Of course, if the Spirit moves you to chip in more, I'm sure it will be welcome!

Wouldn't we all like that kind of encouragement when we're stepping out of our comfort zone for our family?

Please forward this blog entry to anyone you know who would benefit from helping out a mom who is helping out her daughter. Your encouragement is greatly appreciated. As a reader of Simple Intentions, or a follower of @SmplIntentions on Twitter, I thank you from my heart.

Enjoy the day! Namaste

Love is All You Need

No one and no thing will fill the void you feel within you. You will achieve the goal, acquire the item or the love of another, and will still feel unsettled and unsatisfied. Go within, release what holds the void in place, and allow the Love of the Universe to fill the empty space within. Then go share that Love with others…not to fill any void within them, but to show them what you did and what you found. The best you can do for another is to be a good example.

Enjoy the day! Namaste

Guidelines for the Intention Circle

This blog entry is intended to provide guidelines for the Intention Circle that Simple Intentions is facilitating. I hesitate to use the word ‘rules’ here; usually that’s such a rigid set of instructions to play under. This is more of an explanation of how the whole process is intended to operate…a framework, if you will. My hope is to keep this as simple as possible. More than likely this will be tweaked over time.

Purpose:
The purpose of this Intention Circle is to give everyone an opportunity to create and allow a miracle in their life, through communion with the Universe (or whatever name you give the concept of a Higher Power) and the people within it who are applying their spiritual practice for their own benefit and the greater good. There is tremendous power in focusing your intention and attention on an outcome. There is even more power when many people focus their intention on the same outcome. And following the Law of Karma, what you put out into the world always comes back to you…multiplied. So this truly becomes a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Your role as requestor:
As you prepare to tweet your request, please keep in mind the following:
- We live in a universe of thoughts and emotions. Everything that has ever been created has first come from a thought and an emotion. Everything.
- You do not need to fully understand the Laws of the Universe in order to work with them in this context. Everyone in the Intention Circle is acting on your behalf to support you in this purpose. Your knowledge and understanding will improve.
- Know that whatever you intend will come to you. Be open to what is happening and trust all is well.
- To the Universe, time is simply another dimension…like physical distance is to us. Thus, “when” a retweet occurs isn’t as important as the fact “that” it occurs. When you tweet your request, know that it will be retweeted to the group as soon as possible. If that doesn’t take place for an hour or two – or even half a day – do not be concerned. If you do not see it within 24 hours of submitting it, however, please send it again. Technology is not perfect, and there’s always the potential of a message getting missed or falling through the cracks.

Send your request in either of two ways:
- As a reply to @SmplIntentions. This will be displayed not only to me but to anyone else who follows you.
- As a direct message: “d SmplIntentions …” Your identity will be kept in confidence, as I will strip away the twitter login before retweeting the request.

Your role in the Intentions Circle:
If you already have a spiritual practice that you use to commune with the Universe, then you’re all set. All you need to do is keep doing what you have been doing, with the introduction of three actions to your practice:
- Spend a few moments every day contemplating the topic of the week. There are 13 topics that become a focus for a few minutes of your daily spiritual practice. One topic is taken each week, from Sunday to Saturday. When the cycle has been completed, we start again with topic #1. This allows everyone – initial participants and newcomers – an opportunity to complete a cycle in a very short period of time (13 weeks = about 3 months). The topics are:

• Gratitude
• Abundance
• Non-judgment / Discernment
• Faith
• Forgiveness
• Communication
• Knowledge
• Love
• Courage
• Health
• Harmony / Understanding
• Unity
• Peace

- Spend a few moments every day reading the tweets that come from @SmplIntentions. They will be any of three possible messages:

• A reminder of this week’s topic.
• A request for a spiritual practice (if anyone asks for such an intention during the previous day.)
• A request for a miracle or other intention. (If this volume becomes too large, I will post the requests as a blog entry and tweet that link to you.)

- Spend a few moments every day in your spiritual practice, with the intention of benefiting everyone who asks for an intention. You can pick a specific request that resonates with you, or apply your time for the intentions of everyone on the list. If something resonates with you strongly, may I suggest you ask the Universe why and work on that first before proceeding. Remember, this can be as much a healing process for you as for the other.

As a practice, I will not make recommendations for readings on the topics. There is such a wealth of information available that it seems redundant to do so. Allow yourself to be open to the information that comes to you or, if you choose, seek out materials to read that expand your understanding of the topic of the week.

Having said this, if something happens in my experience that may be useful to the group, I will blog it at simpleintentions.blogspot.com and send out the link. I invite you to do the same as a reply to @SmplIntentions.

If you do not yet have a spiritual practice to apply, I suggest your first action is to make that your first intention, and then commit yourself to following along with us through an entire 13-week course. Following others who are following Simple Intentions is a great way to open yourself up to receiving information on a spiritual practice to follow.

Expressions of Gratitude:
If you feel compelled to offer something in appreciation for receiving the benefits of your request, let me offer the following suggestions:
- Share your experience: Send a reply to @SmplIntentions with any comments you would like to share with people who are set up to watch these replies (see “A Further Suggestion” below).
- Pay it back: Continue following @SmplIntentions with the desire to improve your spiritual practice by benefiting yourself, others and All That Is.
- Pay if forward: Invite others to join @SmplIntentions, sharing with them any benefits or gains you have received from your participation in any role.
- Donate: In the future, there will be a page that you may use to send a donation. Simple Intentions is not a non-profit enterprise, so your donation is not tax deductible. The donation page will not be available for the foreseeable future; the focus right now is benefiting the people who participate with their time and spiritual talents.

A Further Suggestion:
As an option, consider using a tool that will allow you to follow replies to @SmplIntentions. TweetBeep.com is an excellent tool for this purpose. Then you can read messages that are sent to @SmplIntentions. (Note: At the time of this writing, TweetBeep.com is experiencing problems with their server. I will make other suggestions for keyword following as I receive them.)

My role:
My role as facilitator for the group is to make certain the requestor’s message is retweeted to the rest of the group. I will perform this task graciously at least once per day. While I will do my best to stay on top of this responsibility, please note that right now I do have a day job, so this will not always come first in my to-do list.

I will reserve the right to change the text of a request in order to align it with what I understand to be the principles the Universe operate under, for the stated intention of creating a miracle and benefiting All That Is. If a request comes in the form of a negative, I will change it to a positive: Something of the form “Please help me get even with so and so” will likely look like “Someone intends to get in harmony with their adversary”, or something like that.

The Universe’s role:
The Universe was putting together the resources needed to fulfill your request before you had made the decision to ask. Remember, time and space are simply dimensions the Universe operates in. It’s at the moment that you make the decision that the Universe goes to work putting everything in place and sending you on your way. Once your request is made, be mindful of opportunities that present themselves on your path, and always be grateful for whatever comes.

As one who is including a request as part of your spiritual practice, be mindful that you are performing a great and wonderful service not only for yourself and for the requestor, but for the entire Universe as well. What you sow, you will also reap. And what you ask for will be granted unto you as well…multiplied.


Thank you, friends, for your time and attention. As always, I hope you find benefit in these words.

Enjoy the day! Namaste