I remember my grandparents having a party at their home when I was five years old. My grandfather owned a net shop, repairing nets for fishermen. My father was also a commercial fisherman for close to 30 years. It made sense that they would occasionally have a fish fry or clambake for their friends and family as well as many of my grandfather’s customers. There was always plenty of food, drink and music.

We were also a musical family, and at these parties the accordions would come out and there would be honest-to-goodness polka music. My grandmother, my aunts, my dad – all of them could play the accordion; at 5 years old even I had my own accordion. To hear all of them play would make me dance. It was so much fun! At one particular party I got in the middle of the room, dancing by myself with my mom and dad cheering me on – I danced my heart out. I remember my grandmother joining me in the center of the room, taking both my hands, wanting to show me how to dance. She told me to step on her feet so I could learn by following her steps. I got the hang of it – my feet on hers, we were dancing together. Of course, my grandmother limited her steps to the extent of mine. She could take much larger steps than I could as a 5 year old, but she only went as far as I was able to go.

I danced with her again as I got older and bigger. Eventually, I was too big to step on her feet, at least on purpose. I had a larger step, and when she danced with me then, I trusted her. I knew that she knew what to do. This time it was a much different experience. I trusted her and my feet barely stayed on the ground as s

remember my grandparents having a party at their home when I was five years old. My grandfather owned a net shop, repairing nets for fishermen. My father was also a commercial fisherman for close to 30 years. It made sense that they would occasionally have a fish fry or clambake for their friends and family as well as many of my grandfather’s customers. There was always plenty of food, drink and music.

We were also a musical family, and at these parties the accordions would come out and there would be honest-to-goodness polka music. My grandmother, my aunts, my dad – all of them could play the accordion; at 5 years old even I had my own accordion. To hear all of them play would make me dance. It was so much fun! At one particular party I got in the middle of the room, dancing by myself with my mom and dad cheering me on – I danced my heart out. I remember my grandmother joining me in the center of the room, taking both my hands, wanting to show me how to dance. She told me to step on her feet so I could learn by following her steps. I got the hang of it – my feet on hers, we were dancing together. Of course, my grandmother limited her steps to the extent of mine. She could take much larger steps than I could as a 5 year old, but she only went as far as I was able to go.

I danced with her again as I got older and bigger. Eventually, I was too big to step on her feet, at least on purpose. I had a larger step, and when she danced with me then, I trusted her. I knew that she knew what to do. This time it was a much different experience. I trusted her and my feet barely stayed on the ground as she swung me around. After I had grown up, I could keep up with her. Our dance became a shared experience of the music and each other.

This childhood memory speaks to me of the dance each of us has with life. There is a principle in New Thought that life operates through us at the level of our concept of it. What this means is that whatever limitations we place on life through our thoughts, beliefs and attitudes are the limitations we will experience in those various areas. This is similar to my placing the limitation of my much shorter legs and smaller feet upon my grandmother’s feet. She could take longer strides than I could, but she danced with me where I was able. Life is capable of flowing much more through and to us, but are we able to keep up?

Are there any areas of your life where you might have short strides? Are there areas where you may believe that what is possible for others is not possible for you? Think of this in relation to Jesus’ statement that "it is done to us as we believe." Wayne Dyer said it a little differently, "If we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change." If we hold beliefs about our life that there is not enough – not enough love, not enough money, not enough creativity, we will come up with all the reasons why it is not possible for us take larger steps in the world. Even though our potential may be greater, it will be held back by what we believe is possible for us.

But it does not have to remain this way. Over time, if we are determined that we want to dance a larger dance, we will find ways to stretch our thoughts –increase our beliefs about what is possible for us; we will then begin to trust that things will find a way toward working out for us. Our experience becomes more enjoyable. What we were looking at will change because we have changed the way we look at it.

The truth is that good is without bounds and is seeking to dance with us in an unlimited way. Up to now we may have been like I was as a boy operating from a limited idea of what was possible for me. But through diligence of regular spiritual practices such as meditation and affirmative prayer, applied personal growth, and spiritual community with like-minded people, we begin to take larger steps where we are no longer limiting life’s expression of good in our world. We move into a place where it is a co-creative dance. We are moved by the music, inspired where we dance like nobody’s business with the Divine, experiencing all the peace, joy and abundance available to us.

 

Alan Vukas is a New Thought minister, speaker and life coach. He is senior minister of Suncoast Center for Spiritual Living in Tampa. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Suncoastcsl.org.

he swung me around. After I had grown up, I could keep up with her. Our dance became a shared experience of the music and each other.

This childhood memory speaks to me of the dance each of us has with life. There is a principle in New Thought that life operates through us at the level of our concept of it. What this means is that whatever limitations we place on life through our thoughts, beliefs and attitudes are the limitations we will experience in those various areas. This is similar to my placing the limitation of my much shorter legs and smaller feet upon my grandmother’s feet. She could take longer strides than I could, but she danced with me where I was able. Life is capable of flowing much more through and to us, but are we able to keep up?

Are there any areas of your life where you might have short strides? Are there areas where you may believe that what is possible for others is not possible for you? Think of this in relation to Jesus’ statement that "it is done to us as we believe." Wayne Dyer said it a little differently, "If we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change." If we hold beliefs about our life that there is not enough – not enough love, not enough money, not enough creativity, we will come up with all the reasons why it is not possible for us take larger steps in the world. Even though our potential may be greater, it will be held back by what we believe is possible for us.

But it does not have to remain this way. Over time, if we are determined that we want to dance a larger dance, we will find ways to stretch our thoughts –increase our beliefs about what is possible for us; we will then begin to trust that things will find a way toward working out for us. Our experience becomes more enjoyable. What we were looking at will change because we have changed the way we look at it.

The truth is that good is without bounds and is seeking to dance with us in an unlimited way. Up to now we may have been like I was as a boy operating from a limited idea of what was possible for me. But through diligence of regular spiritual practices such as meditation and affirmative prayer, applied personal growth, and spiritual community with like-minded people, we begin to take larger steps where we are no longer limiting life’s expression of good in our world. We move into a place where it is a co-creative dance. We are moved by the music, inspired where we dance like nobody’s business with the Divine, experiencing all the peace, joy and abundance available to us.

 

Alan Vukas is a New Thought minister, speaker and life coach. He is senior minister of Suncoast Center for Spiritual Living in Tampa. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Suncoastcsl.org. See ad below.