All posts by Lemfel
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Gandhi
From earliest childhood I was a seeker of wonders, exploring our Wisconsin farm with my dog as soon as I could walk. When Mom wanted me out from under foot, she’d tell my dad, “Read to the boy.” He did – the Sunday funnies, candy bar ads and everything I asked about until I learned to read. In books the wonder of ideas sprang to life and led me to science fiction, Fate magazine and other grist for a seeker of wonders.
But my father and mother were both practical, active people. My dad farmed, ran trap lines, worked as a cowboy, operated heavy equipment on road construction, and carpentered. My mother’s steadfast, no-nonsense approach to life influenced me too and I learned much from both of them that helped balance my idealistic tendencies.
Ours wasn’t a religious home and this seeker of wonders didn’t know about the Great Ones then, but looking back now, instances of their unmistakable help stand out.
The Cold At twelve, I was on my paper route on a winter night with temperature at minus 10. With just half the papers delivered, I was freezing, barely able to move. At my wit’s end, hunched over, unwilling to quit, just wanting the strength to finish, I prayed, “God have mercy on me!” An amazing warmth flooded my hands and toes, face and body. Suddenly I was able to stand erect again, move on, and have never felt that cold again.
The Fall In my early teens, exploring with friends, I was climbing around in an abandoned quarry. About fourteen feet up one side, I lost my balance and fell. I knew I was in trouble but something calmed me and made me turn so I landed straight-legged, sinking both feet into soft mud on either side of the block of stone I was straddling. I was unhurt.
The Colt 45 In the Marines, I was about to leave the base when a guard I barely knew came up behind me, pressing cold metal to the back of my head. Turning, I saw him twirling his Colt 45 pistol and asked what the #%&* he was doing. “It’s not loaded,” he laughed as he pointed it down the hall and fired off a round that shocked us all. The ricocheting bullet missed three men in the hall but tore a small hole in one’s shirt sleeve. Five Marines were blessed that day, and I know the Great Ones were with us.
On my own path, I studied electricity, electronics, lock smithing, woodworking, metal working, drafting and welding. I was an airline ticket agent and helped build navy ships, leased and managed apartments. You might say I had a hard time making up my mind what I was going to do, but these seemingly random experiences fit together beautifully later on.
Since a friend introduced me to the Lemurian Fellowship, the Philosophy has been a growing part of my thought and actions, providing the grounding and spiritual wonders I had been searching for since childhood. It became the foundation for my life, my marriage, and the source of strength so needed to recover from a life-threatening heart condition and make important changes.
After many years of helping out by living near the Fellowship, with my wife’s passing and the last of the children leaving home, I was free of family responsibilities and able to fulfill a lifelong dream by applying for Lemurian staff membership. All the practical experience gained throughout my life can now be used with the many construction, maintenance, and repair jobs at both our locations, and with the realization of that goal, this seeker of wonders came home.
Our fourth blog post, 16 months ago, was “The Day the News Brought Peace of Mind.” We want to revisit it for two reasons. First, the newspaper is bringing us more and more unhappy news now, and we need a break. And second, that post talked about Earth Day, 2015. Today is Earth Day 2017, and tomorrow, the Lemurian Fellowship is manning a booth in Balboa Park to honor this event. We hope many of you can come by!
The morning paper 16 months ago arrived as usual, but the news was anything but.
The front page headlined the 60th anniversary of a group called I Love a Clean San Diego, just completing their annual Creek to Bay Cleanup. They’ve done hundreds of cleanups, removing over 200 tons of litter a year. They believe education can make people want to change their behavior. “We don’t support propositions, bans, or lawsuits,” they said. A surfer added, “They do a really good job of showing people what they can do, instead of what’s wrong with the world.” A deeper understanding of service.
This group joined an Earth Day parade that attracted 60,000 people to Balboa Park and the 300 environmentally friendly exhibits at the EarthFair. Organizers say it’s the world’s largest free environmental fair.
Also on the front page, after declaring for weeks that it would have to close, the San Diego Opera decided it would do whatever it takes to remain in business after all.
There was an inspiring story about a local Ramona pharmacist who decided to check on an elderly customer who hadn’t picked up his prescriptions. His calls unanswered, he drove to the man’s home, and when his knocks brought no response, called the sheriff. Inside, they found the man lying in the bathroom after a fall two or three days earlier. He’s glad to be alive now, thanks to an alert young man thinking about helping others.
These stories caught our eye and raised our spirits. Oh, there was other news, little noted and unremembered – bad weather cut through several states, hospital errors were up, there was a killing somewhere – the kind of story you find every day. But why make ourselves miserable scouring the globe for the most upsetting world conditions, then beating them to death every night on the news? How does this bring greater peace of mind? If we think so much about catastrophes, are we becoming more afraid, even attracting a disaster of our own?
One Lemurian said recently, “I used to listen to the news on my way to work, and was filled with anxiety over all I heard. Listening to the Lemurian Viewpoint CDs is a much healthier way to start my day.”
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,” wrote James Allen.
So what shall we think about? The choice is ours. The troubles of the world? Or all the good that positive, hopeful, and ingenious men, women, and children do every day in spite of the trouble and unhappiness around them? Who do you want to think like? Who do you want to be like? Who do you want to be?
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. – Paul the Apostle
