Thursday, February 25, 2016

Today is Thankful Thursday: Thursday's Reflection







Last Sunday a friend and I presented a talk about mindfulness at church. We started by inviting the group to enter into the time and space with a brief breathing exercise by Thich Nhat Hanh:
                     
                     Breathing in, I  calm my body.
                     Breathing out, I smile. 
                     Dwelling in the present moment,
                     I know this is a wonderful moment.

I invite you to breathe gently in and out as you read these words or say them to yourself. Feel any different?

              The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything.
                                    Julian of Norwich

As you look ahead to this day when could you pause for a mindfulness moment? For example, can you imagine standing at the door before leaving the house, and giving thanks for the gifts in your life? Can you imagine sending your loved ones off to their day with a blessing?

Where are the natural transitions in your day and how could you transition more mindfully?

           Keep you heart in wonder at the daily miracles 
          of your life. 
                                      Kahlil Gibran

What are the obstacles in your life which prevent you from living more more mindfully? With greater awareness?

         How we live our days is how we live our lives.
                                      Annie Dillard

Today is Thankful Thursday, but every day includes an invitation to live and love mindfully. 
                           Faithful Friday
                           Sacred Saturday
                           Sabbath Sunday
                           Mindful Monday
                           Tranquil Tuesday
                           Watchful Wednesday

An Invitation
When are you most mindful? I would love to know.  
                        



Tuesday, February 23, 2016

On Eagle's Wings: Tuesday's Reflection


Since returning from vacation I have been in a state of preparation, presentations, and projects. For the most part I have been present to each task and event, but by Saturday I needed to pause. 

I suggested to my husband that we drive to Wabasha, MN to the National Eagle Center, which is located on the banks of the Mississippi River. The water remains open there all year round, making it a natural gathering place for eagles in the winter time. The center houses non releasable bald and golden eagles and offers ongoing education programs to the public. http://www.nationaleaglecenter.org

We talked last winter about making this trip, but somehow it never happened. Saturday was a perfect day -- fairly mild temperature, occasional sun highlighting the bones of the bluffs along the river.   The bare trees reminded me of porcupine quills poking up from the bare hills.  

We had a two hawk and 15 eagle day, not counting the eagles we met at the center. Just imagine coming around a curve and seeing a tree with five eagles in it or having an eagle swoop down in front of your car, as we experienced, twirling and swirling, dancing in a private performance. 

During the hour long presentation by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable naturalist, we not only were engrossed watching one of the center's eagles as he enjoyed his rabbit lunch, but we also learned so much about eagles. I was particularly intrigued to learn about how eagles molt or shed their feathers. The process happens over three years, one feather at a time. When a feather is shed from one side of the body, the next feather shed is in the same location on the other side of the body. In that way balance is maintained and so is their ability to fly. 

There is a lesson there, I think. The importance of maintaining balance in our lives, but also the patience needed to achieve a needed change. 

Native peoples view eagles as sacred, a symbol of Spirit, and they envision eagle carrying our prayers to the Creator God.

I had prayed earlier in the day that I might be able to set aside the tasks that were preoccupying my heart and mind. I prayed I could relax in the day and enjoy both my husband's company and the beauties we might encounter. 

My prayers were answered, and the eagles were both the source and the means. 

An Invitation
What feathers are you hoping to shed right now? Are you prepared to soar like an eagle?   

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Mindfulness. Not. Thursday's Reflection


Two stories.
1. Sunday morning, Valentine's Day, I head to the lower level to take a shower. I would have preferred to sleep in late this morning, but I am one of the presenters at adult forum between services at church, and we will go to the early service first. I have prepared my brief talk, a quick three minute one, and am not nervous, but nonetheless that is on my mind. I walk through the kitchen and down the stairs. I take my shower and dress and walking through the kitchen again, I return to the first floor bathroom where I put on my make-up. 

Great--I have time for a bowl of cereal before we need to leave for church. It is then, only then, I notice something new in the kitchen, the teeny, tiny kitchen I have walked through twice already this morning. On the window sill over the sink are four small red pots filled with fluffy, fresh herbs. A Valentine's Day present from my forever Valentine. How could I have missed them?

2. Monday afternoon I get in the car to drive to a friend's apartment. We will meet to plan a talk on mindfulness we have been asked to give at church. Yes, mindfulness. As I drive the familiar Mississippi River Boulevard, cross the river on the Ford Parkway Bridge into Minneapolis and then turn towards Minnehaha Falls Park and the route I take when I drive to my father's apartment in Edina, I think about how much I love that drive. And about the intentional decision I made quite sometime ago to choose that route, although longer, rather than taking the freeway. The changing river, little traffic, beautiful old homes, trees and green space now covered in winter white. A mindful decision, until I realize my destination this afternoon is not my father's apartment, but Ruth's apartment. I needed to take a left in the park, instead of a right. 

I laugh at myself and resolve once again to "begin again," as I think St Benedict said. I wasn't mindful. I wasn't present to the present moment, but I have yet another chance to begin again and to practice awareness. To wake up and be mindful. 

Mindfulness is not mysterious or magical nor is it something one accomplishes and can check off one's life or bucket list. Every moment is another chance to practice.

In a way when we stir ourselves awake from a mindless moment, we are offered a gift. Now every time I walk into our kitchen, I smile at the cheery green herbs in their red pots and think about the considerate. loving nature of my Valentine. And the next time I drive the familiar route I suspect I will pay more attention to where I am going and what I am seeing. A good thing. 

An Invitation
What has jolted you into a mindful moment recently? When have you realized you weren't mindful? I would love to know. 

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Unplugged: Tuesday's Reflection

This is me unplugged. I am tucked under a beach towel on a windy day at one of Florida's sandy beaches. What do you look like when you are unplugged? 

Our church has selected "unplugged" as the Lenten theme this year. We are encouraged to unplug from "things that interfere with our relationships and faithful priorities." 

There are some obvious ways to unplug, even though they may not be easy to put into operation. For example, before our recent vacation time in Florida, I thought about how I wanted to unplug during that time. I decided to unplug from this blog for two weeks, and I told friends and family not to expect frequent email updates. I have some presence, but not much, on Facebook and decided that could be set aside as well. 

I have a feeling, however, the invitation to unplug from what interferes with who we were created to be can lead us into a deeper dialogue with our hearts. In what more profound ways do I need to unplug? What am I holding onto that is begging for release? What about you?

I invite you to close your eyes lightly, not tightly and take a nice deep breath. Imagine standing in front of an electrical socket and holding onto a cord. The cord is attached to a long held belief, a regret, fear, or anxiety. Or perhaps an expectation of yourself or someone else. Even a routine, which you no longer recall the reason for establishing. 

Name what needs to be released. 

Take another deep breath and gently ease the plug from the socket where it has been held in place for a long time. Far too long. Continue to breathe. Pause in the stillness and the new space. Experience the freedom of movement you have when you are not shackled to that plug. Experience the movement of God within and around you as you discover the possibilities of new and creative life open to you.

Don't be scared. You can always plug back in. Unplugging is not an irreversible decision, although in some cases you may wish that were the case. But give yourself a chance to try out a new way of being. 

An Invitation
What needs healing in your life? How would unplugging be a step towards mending the brokenness? I would love to know 



Thursday, January 28, 2016

Midwinter Break

I've decided to take a midwinter break from writing new posts, but I will be back in this space February 16th.

I hope you will be back, too. 

The Love of God: Thursday's Reflection

How do I respond? 

The words handwritten by a friend on her annual Christmas letter surprised me and continue to puzzle me. I have not had face to face contact with this friend for a long time, but I am grateful we have this once a year peek into each other's lives, and perhaps there will be a time when we can have more than that. I wonder what we will discover about each other. 

In my printed Christmas letter I wrote:
          What has been your prayer this past year? Have you
          prayed for healing for a loved one? Have you prayed
          for nations in strife, for cultures in conflict with one
          another, here and in other parts of the world? Have
          you prayed for healing of the earth? How often have
          you fallen on your knees in prayer this past year in
          agony for those known and unknown to you, who
          suffer or have caused great suffering? How often 
          have you said, "My prayers are with you," or "I am
          praying for you." When your heart vibrates in prayer,
          do you wonder if that is enough?

          I think prayer is only the beginning. Prayer has the 
          power to awaken us to a more open way of life. If 
          prayer becomes our ongoing practice, we begin to
          be aware of where we are closed, where we feel hurt
          and when we hurt others, and where there are 
          opportunities to offer compassion and to be present
          to others in their losses and needs.

I received so many thoughtful, pensive responses to my thoughts about the power of prayer and experiences of answered prayers--and sometimes answers that were unexpected and surprising. 

But this particular letter weighs on me. Along with sharing that she feels the need for prayer and the need to live her faith, she expressed concern that Christian churches have become "watered down" and people have "turned God into some vague concept of love." 

I am not a theologian. I am a seeker, a woman who remains on a long and rigorous path to a deeper relationship with God, but every fiber of my being says, "God is love." And I don't think there is much else I need to know. Really need to know and then live that love. 

               God is love and those who abide in love
               abide in God, and God abides in them.
                                           1 John 4: 16

If I were sitting in spiritual direction with my friend, I hope she would be willing to tell me her story and to share her vision of God and her experience of love in her life. I hope I would do that without judgment. I hope I would listen with an open and loving heart. 

An Invitation
What is most basic to your understanding about God? I would love to know.  




Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Book of the Month: Tuesday's Reflection

Maren at the Red Balloon
Our granddaughter Maren is 13 years old and in the 7th grade. A bright and strong student, basketball player, actress, canoer-camper, devoted friend, lover of the Boundary Waters, Harry Potter, and BOOKS. On their recent vacation to Mexico she read ten books. Maren and her younger brother Peter always have a book with them, for you never know when you might have a chance to read a page or two.

They both have a passion for reading. 

Her Papa and I like to think we had something to do with that passion. 

When Maren was born we decided to enroll her in a very exclusive book club, The Sweetwater Farm Book Club. (The name of our home when we lived in Ohio was Sweetwater Farm.) So exclusive that Maren was the only member of that club until Peter was born, and the club expanded to two members. 

As part of membership in this club each member receives a new book every month. Every month without fail. In their younger years Papa and GrandNan had fun picking out books for them, ones we knew we would enjoy reading to them.  Now, however, they both read so widely and voraciously, we can't keep up with what they have read. That means once a month we have an outting to a favorite bookstore, like Red Balloon in St Paul, where they pick out their book --or let's be honest--bookS of the month. 

Maren has to earn a good chunk of money for the privilege of going to Camp Widjiwagan this summer, and I asked her if she would prefer receiving the cost of a book each month, instead of a book. She could add the cash to her camp stash. She didn't have to think twice before saying she doesn't want to give up the book. She will find a way to earn the money, she said, and I know she will.
Peter lost in a book


Books are just one of the bonds we have with Maren and Peter, but it is a major one and one that keeps growing. Just like their personal libraries.

An Invitation
If you have grandchildren, what are the special ways you connect with them?