If you're planning a Forgiving Litter Community Litter Pickup

here are suggestions for what to bring along:

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- A miracle smile. Bringing this along may change the life of someone you meet along the way, or even ourselves, maybe it will even save a whole lot of lives in ways we may never see while here in this world. (A story to read or scroll to the supply list below: In 2018, in a Chicago park, I was inexplicably drawn to a young man. He was clearly having a hard time with his mind. I learned later this was due to drug addiction and other mental health challenges. Yet, this boy's light was so bright. After walking and talking together for a bit, and learning he was open to calling his mother, I dialed my cell phone, made sure it was his mom on the other end. She was clearly concerned and deeply grateful. Then, I handed him the phone. It turns out the young man had been missing for days having left a mental health facility. I stayed with him for about 90 minutes at a McDonald's until his family could make it into the city to pick him up. God will use us in every moment we are willing to listen, even when our mind is not sure what to do or may be uncomfortable. Note: it is important to be sensible, a part of listening to God/Christ. We were in a well traveled area, and I simply did not have the feeling that this young man would want to cause harm even though his pain and

confusion was evident.)

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- Bags for the litter. Explore a bag-system that works for where you are. A disposable plastic bag or two works fine. One could be for litter and the other for recyclables, if recycling is available. Reusable bags are great if you are willing to wash and store them after the pickup. The bags with litter can be emptied in nearby trash cans as you walk along, if they are available. They can be re-filled and re-emptied along the walk. If no trash cans are near, and you are with a group, bring along one or more (depending on how much litter is in the area) of those large garbage or contractor sized-bags to empty smaller bags of the people in your group. Experiment with whatever works best for you. There are

infinite ways to do the same thing. We cannot make a mistake. If needed, be gentle on yourselves and each other as you and your groups explore different of systems. Make it fun. It's less about

the litter than it is about forgiving.

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- Reusable or disposal glove(s)

to wear while picking up litter.

Do you like using just one hand or

both to pick up trash? It's up to you.

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- If you are finding yourself loving Forgiving Litter Community Litter Pickup adventures, tools like litter-grabbing-tweezers with a long handle

or a broom and dustpan with a handle, available at hardware stores. Or borrow them from your city or park district. That's a great way to bring the community into picking up litter

with a forgiving/healing perspective.

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- Clothing suited for weather conditions that day and for picking up litter.

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- A full water bottle, and depending on how long you'll be out, snacks (if desired, in re-usable containers). 

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- Safety first. In picking up litter, please be gently aware of your surroundings.

If you're along streets or trails or wherever you are, give a good look all around. If all looks a-okay, connect with your forgiving heart and retrieve the peace of litter.

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- If difficult emotions arise, it's a-okay. Do not be hard on ourselves for these experiences. Simply let them be and place attention on forgiving or on Christ. Christ naturally helps us let go of difficult feelings. In a huge way, this is His whole job. You may find yourself naturally expanding into a peaceful inner space. Everyone's consciousness will feel this, even if only for a moment. Whenever this seems a challenge, no worries.

With a little practice and exploration letting go into forgiving and into Christ becomes effortless because

we begin to notice the results.

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Whether we believe it or not, only our own busy/full mind sometimes muddles up our naturally peaceful, forgiving, curious loving self. The mind will quiet from its resistance to forgiving and loving.

~ ~ ~

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Some day or right now, you may be given an insight or vision of wonder, seeing into the pain or the joy of someone that you never expected to experience. Maybe you'll see someone caught up in their mind, in a muddle, not fully aware of the Love all around or inside and they may absently-minded litter. We can pick up the litter and check inside our hearts if it would be helpful to approach them and start an uplifting conversation. We may or may not even bring up that we witnessed the littering. God will guide. 

What they may be needing is a prayer.

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~ ~ ~ 

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For a fun, enlightening adventure, notice your mind and any moods that flow inside as you pick up litter. If a grumpy or bumpy or sad thoughts, emotions or a mood comes, let it be okay without believing it. Just notice it without giving it much energy. If you like, get really quiet inside. Notice how quiet it really is inside yourself, beyond the busy or stressed mind. Perhaps say a quiet prayer asking to trust the quiet, God's Love and Light right. And simply be or carry on with whatever you're doing without expectations. This is a way of actively forgiving what seems amiss within us. It is a moment to moment experience of Love/Christ-Self/God. Thoughts/emotions/stories and moods

that are not from God (i.e.,

not pure love) will pass.

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Another exploration to try if you like is to explore picking up litter for a few minutes beyond when you want to stop. Simply notice inside yourself what's happening when you want to stop picking up litter. And, ask Love to show you what you are not peaceful about. And ask forgiveness. Simply observe what happens. In the quiet, trust Love and peace to guide. And, then, you will know if you are really ready to stop or want to continue. And, in either case, you may experience a deep sense of well being.

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What are some of your 

reasons why to see litter as

an incredible opportunity for

our collective healing?

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What we focus our attention on grows.

We are all invited by God to give groans and grievances that may seem justified, yet block us to Love, to God/Christ to heal.

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Even if we are not feeling alright inside about seeing garbage in all the "wrong" places, if our thoughts forget love, it does not help our inner peace or the world. All of us forgive all the time, and Jesus forgave those in his own tribe and the Romans who were deeply unkind to him. He knew the Truth about them, and how much they/we have forgotten about who we are and where we really come from.

Thanks for your time here at TrustingOurInnerLight.org and for exploring Forgiving Litter Community Litter Pickup. 

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