Excerpt from the Introduction by Molly Larkin
“In 1987, I was ready to die. In a twelve-month period, I lost my business to an unscrupulous partner, filed for personal bankruptcy, my lover committed suicide and, after rebounding into a relationship with an old boyfriend, I was left for a nineteen-year old receptionist. My life was at its darkest point, and I had gone so far as to make a plan to end it. Then I met Bear Heart.
“His words gave me hope, and my work with him since then has dramatically changed my life. It seemed only natural that a book on his teachings could inspire countless others just as he has helped and inspired me.”
FROM THE BOOK:
ON DAILY LIFE:
“The beauty of silence, the lack of frenzied activity for a period of time helps us collect our thoughts and center our lives so we can maintain a sense of calm when we return to the hectic society and resume our work. We will be able to cope with life’s many challenges by incorporating that stillness in our daily lives. That stillness is actually the presence of the Higher Being who is with us at all times, even in the busy city. Get away, get in touch once again with what life was supposed to be about, balancing the physical and the spiritual. We have many religions but we have only one spirituality and that’s what we need everywhere. Not only in this country but in the entire world.”
ON COMMUNITY:
“It’s time to stress the things we have in common with one another, to show how much alike we are. We might be surprised to find that we are truly all brothers and sisters in this universe, and most importantly, that we have to maintain that relationship in order to grow.”
ON DIFFICULT TIMES:
“Live hopefully. It does not matter what happens, what your circumstances are, you have something to connect with. When you yourself cannot solve a problem, there’s a problem-solver available – lie down on this Mother Earth, she’ll caress you. She still gives you energy, an she still says, “Look up to the Creator. Talk to Him, pour your heart out. The answer will come.”
“When the sun goes down in the West, it’s the benediction of another day. At the end of each day, stand facing West and say, ‘Thank you for all the things that happened today, the good as well as the bad.’ Why be grateful for the bad? Because there was a lesson in it. Try to find that lesson and grow from it. If you let difficulties bother you all the time, you’re building a wall around yourself. Happiness is on the other side and inside is misery.”
ON SUCCESS:
“Whatever we want in life is possible for us to achieve, although the attainment of it may not be easy. If it’s a worthwhile goal, it keeps us going forward. Too often we define success in terms of financial achievement. I view success as doing your very best at all costs.”