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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Unconditional What?

There was a time in my life where I professed that unconditional love amongst humans did not exists and was simply not possible. Unconditional love was something that was universal, godlike, a higher form not for the lower realm of humanity. I was even quite pessimistic and sarcastic about it. Now that I can look back, I understand why I professed that with so much conviction.

Today, I truly know, believe and profess differently. Unconditional love is the only kind of love. There simply is no other kind. Conditional love is simply not love.

It is expectation, it is assumption, it is selfish need, and it arises out of our fears and our wounds from the past.

So, I was broken and wounded… aren’t we all to some degree?

The shift from “not possible” to “the only kind” happened because I made a commitment to heal my own wounds from the past. I had a huge longing to be free and to be an instrument of love, so I chose to let love heal me, instead of looking for people, places or things to heal me. I decided to go right to the Source.

This happened because I was seeking a deeper experience of life and came upon a spiritual teaching that really spoke to my soul. It taught me that this Unconditional Infinite Love was already within me; always had been and always will be. I taught me that I was worthy of this Love.

Now Love is sweet, simple, free, and delightful and it still continues to challenge and grow me. And why not? It’s Infinite!

The Reverend Doctor Frankie Timmers is the Spiritual Director of Center for Spiritual Living Morristown, 331 Mt Kemble Ave., Morristown. 973-539-3114. CSLMorristown.org. 

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Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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