Anne's Note tells about her trip to the Parliament of the World’s Religions conference. The main article, Acceptance, contrasts the important difference between acceptance and resignation. Healthy Living looks at Liquid Supplements and Unregulated Toxic Chemicals. The Anne Talk is EZosophy: Living in Ease. The Featured Product this month is The I AM Affirmations Downloadable MP3 Audio.

The EZ Mantra: "Everything can be EZ or at least EZier." – Anne Sermons Gillis

Living EZosophy, October 20, 2015
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

Phone: 281-419-1775
Email: anne@annegillis.com

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  A Note From Anne

Dear ,

When you read this I will be returning from Salt Lake City and The Parliament of the World’s Religions. It’s been an amazing trip. There were 80 countries and 50 religions or paths represented. Ten thousand people melted into one compassionate human family. There were no strangers. Speakers included Jane Goodall, Marianne Williamson, Michael Beckwith, Nobel Peace Prize winners, youth, and indigenous people. There were prayers, meditations, dances, art, and music.

The Sikhs served us a free lunch each day. One day I ate lunch with a Nigerian princess. I asked her if she was a princess like Queen Latifa and she laughed and said, “No” and I said, “Are you a princess like Princess Diana.” She replied, “Oh no, Princess Diana married into the royal family. I was born into the royal family.” Side by side we sat, conversing about her role as the head of an international NGO that is affiliated with the UN. She was a gracious young woman living her dharma and helping the youth of the world.

I ran into several people I knew and miracle and synchronicity were the norm. We were called into action, inspired, and challenged. It was a time of community, playfulness, and empathy.

One of my favorite quotes from the conference: “If white Christians were more Christian and less white, black mothers wouldn’t have to teach their children how to act when confronted by a policeman.”

Another zinger came from a Swiss Muslim who talked about how the western media portrays Muslims. He said if he wasn’t a Muslim and all he knew about Muslims was what he read in the papers, he would be afraid of Muslims too.” He realizes, of course, that most Muslims are peaceful and that Isis is a result of American intervention. We heard statistics that showed that when the U.S. occupies another country, our safety declines.

One person said when the past Pope fed the hungry, they called him a saint; when he asked why the people were hungry, they called him a communist.

I will be ever grateful that I was able to attend the parliament. My heart is bursting with the impassioned drive to protect our earth, champion social justice, and to love my neighbor.

Anne

  Acceptance

Can you imagine losing your home to fire? Each of us knows someone who has been touched by a fire loss. One of my friends, whose house burned, lived in an apartment while her home was being rebuilt. The apartment was next to a railroad track. She was not used to the noise, horns, and activity the trains create. At first it was annoying, but as time went by, she made peace with the sounds, and at some point they seemed like friends. When she returned to her resurrected quiet home, she missed the trains, the horns, and the sound of her friends clicking down the tracks at regular intervals.

This is a story of nonresistance and acceptance. If she had focused on the noises and stayed irritated with them, it would have been stressful on her and her husband, but she accepted her plight and was able to be in harmonious accord with her temporary surroundings.

Nonresistance and acceptance are different from resignation. When one is resigned to a situation, it means she is beaten down by the situation and feels helpless to change the situation. People who are in abusive relationships often resign themselves to a miserable life. They feel unable to move into their power. And there are extreme cases where people cannot get out of abusive situations. This is probably truer for children than adults, but some adults are trapped in situations they cannot get out of.

We have more slaves in the world now that we did 150 years ago. While it is tragic that unimaginable abuse takes place, no one who reads this newsletter is in that position. Most of us can walk away from abusive systems and people and fight for justice for those who cannot fight for themselves. I don’t want to get off on the huge topic of injustice and abuse because my purpose is to point out how we can make life EZier by not attacking life as it is. That’s where acceptance or nonresistance comes in.

Acceptance is reserved for situations that we can’t do anything about and changing the way we view them will not put us in harm’s way. There are situations we should never accept, such as physical abuse or heavy emotional battering, but acceptance is a tool that disarms the ego and provides a healthier emotional climate.

My friend accepted that every day at a certain time, the train would pass. She couldn’t change that. She could move, but that would be a stressful alternative. She chose to make every day an EZier day.

We seem to think we have a right to be upset about any and every thing, and while this is true, we do have that right, how much does upset buy us? Upset usually pushes people away. That might be the payoff. When we stay a little ticked off and irritated with life, people will stay away, and we can feel safe in our loneliness. Another payoff for focusing on things we can’t change and complaining about them is that it takes the focus off any real problems we may not want to deal with. Focusing on the small inconveniences provides a robust platform for denial.

While the topic of denial requires a book, the grace of acceptance is simple and easy. We can take our noses out of the air and realize that everything is the way it is and as it should be. When we accept that, we find that life is always EZier and EZier.

Anne

  Quotes

"If there's only one path, it's the one to take."
— Anne Sermons Gillis

"If you aren't surprised, there is some way that your enlightenment is in control. True openness is fresh and keeps us in wonder."
— Gangaji

"When you are willing to stop looking for something in thought, you find everything in silence."
— Gangaji

  Featured Product This Month

  What is EZosophy?

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  Healthy Living

Liquid Supplements and Unregulated Toxic Chemicals

I once read the title of a seminar I did not want to attend. It was on vitamins and food supplements. I did not want any information on the possible bad effects of supplements. Vitamins are not regulated, and as far as I can see, neither are a lot of other things we ingest or use on our bodies – even the things we think are regulated.

Recently a friend mentioned something about magnesium stearate. I recognized that as a substance found in almost every supplement I take that is in tablet form. It is a binder. I braved up and did some research. The research everyone seems to quote is on stearic acid, which is made using the acid form, not on magnesium stearate.

It is one of those things I can’t figure out whether it is harmful or not. I found contradictory information, but I did find out that liquid supplements do not need fillers. My last purchase of potassium was in liquid form. Liquids are easier to digest, so when you buy your next food supplements, you may want to see if there are liquids or capsule forms available.

And moms, when you are buying your kids' toys, steer clear of the Dollar Stores. Mom’s Clean Air Force blog is one of many who reported on the recent research done on Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar. Tests done by Healthy Stuff revealed:

• 81% of the products tested contained one or more hazardous chemicals above levels of concern. Chemicals detected included phthalates; polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl); and toxic metals such as lead, chromium, bromine, and antimony.
• 32% of vinyl products tested (12 of 38) contained levels of phthalates above the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) limit for children’s products.
• 38% of the products tested (63 of 164) contained the toxic plastic PVC (vinyl).

It’s better to pay a little more for your toys than to buy toys loaded with toxins. It looks like those we pay to look after our safely fall down on the job, and it’s up to us to pick up the pieces.

Anne

  Anne Talks

This week's two Anne Talks come from a Sunday morning sharing I presented at the Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Church in The Woodlands, Texas.

Click to hear the Reading  - Tonglen Prayer.

Click to hear her Sunday sermon there.

  Anne Art

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   Anne's Schedule

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You may reach Anne by phone at 281-419-1775 or click the button below to contact Anne by email. Anne is also available to officiate at weddings and funerals.