It’s been said that appreciation is one of the highest forms of human consciousness because it shines the vibrational light of love, joy and peace on everything. It’s connected to reverence, serenity and bliss which transcend and include all the lower frequencies. Today I want to look at reverence and appreciation because they seem interconnected in ways not ordinarily recognized and practiced. This is a journey of the heart so read it slowly and enter into the outer reaches of inner space.

When I learned the word appreciation as a boy it was equated with affirmation, thanks and acceptance. To appreciate something meant I could see it as okay and good in some way, shape or form. It held no high level emotional connection for me. I could appreciate being affirmed and could appreciate being accepted. Everything at that time for me was on a zero to ten scale of good and bad. Thanks was maybe a six and a half.  I was still trying to figure out what the good and bad was so thanks was good enough.

The word reverence and it’s emotional relevance didn’t enter my vocabulary and consciousness until later in life. It eventually supplanted the word respect which was a big word for my second generation German immigrant family. We were taught to respect the  elders, respect the authorities, respect the law and respect the teachings of the Church. Affirmation, acceptance and appreciation appeared as long as we followed the rules and were ‘good’ boys and girls. Growth here was learning the cultural conditions.

Reverence started showing up for me as wonder, loving companion presence, serenity, joy and peace in my twenties in the form of great love and great loss. It showed up in  marriage, in the solitude of a mountain cabin and in a first calving season. It showed up in a seminary chapel and a mass on the grass. It showed up in the birth of children, in the death of parents, dear friends and in the movements of life. Reverence showed up in the love and loss of daily events. It became one of my greatest teachers.

Ultimately, reverence taught me about the vastness of appreciation, not only for the big things in life but also for the little things. Not only for the pleasurable and fun things but also for the painful and difficult things. I began and am still beginning to experience reverence for Life itself and how we dismiss it simply because we’re not getting our way. It’s teaching me to see past the externals into the heart and soul of people, places, situations and things. It’s drawing me into the Essence of Life that’s everywhere.

Do you know what I’m talking about here? How have you experienced reverence and where has it led you by the hand into appreciation; into the creativity of, thanksgiving for and growth beyond where you’ve been and where you can be in this moment? What experiences have dropped you to your knees in awe, love, joy, and peace in a way that’s indescribable, even ineffable? Where have you experienced great love and loss, the illumination and darkness of Life in a way that stopped you in your tracks?

The quote above from Albert Einstein is speaking to us about the ineffable energy that’s here all the time. We come and go from it while it flows in, around and through us because we’re a part of it. It’s the high frequency energy which many call God. It’s the Generative Operating Design of the Universe. It’s the Holographic Being-ness that lives and moves and has it’s Being in all creation. As part of this Being, we have choice to align ourselves energetically and not. Reverence Life. Appreciate Life. Grow and Flow with Life. Love Life. Enjoy Life. Be at Peace with Life. Radiate Life. . . It’s Who We Are!

• Breath is Life. It’s the first thing we receive when we’re born and the last thing we give away when we transition back to spirit. It’s a constant reminder of our spiritual Being and Belonging. This week, become more conscious of your breathing. Breathe in 1. Breathe out 2. Breathe in 3. Breathe out 4. Breathe in 5. Breathe out 6. Breathe in 7. Breathe out 8. Now start over and do it again and again and. . . Awaken to the vibe. . . 
• Give attention to your vibes, the vibrations of your emotional energy. Work and play each day to reach a base line of affirmation, trust, optimism and acceptance. If you want to enjoy higher frequencies go to meaning, love, reverence, joy, serenity, peace.
• In your breathing exercise allow the divine energies to elevate you. Focus on higher altitudes, attitudes that appreciate everything you encounter; even your failures. Remember to smile awhile, laugh a lot and give Life all you’ve got. Feel the radiance.