Seeing the Same Moon

The divided, ascending
paths at the foot of the mountain
Do differ, but
We all see the very same
Moon at the summit

~~Nitobe Inazo
1862-1933
(an early Quaker!)



Artist: YOSHITOSHI TSUKIOKA: One Hundred Views of the Moon, 1885-1892

This is Yoshitoshi's most popular series: the selection demonstrates why. More can be seen at the Stuart Jackson Gallery.

Here's another about enlightenment and the moon:

The night clouds dissolve
Hotei pointing at the moon
holds no opinion

Where did you feel most welcome?

Today at church there was a town hall meeting about "hospitality." After eating lunch, each table was supposed to answer the questions: (1) Where did I feel most welcome/accepted? and (2) What are the impediments to hospitality here?

From the conversation at our table, I was reminded of one of the nicest things that ever happened to me, most unexpectedly. When my dad died in 2002, we had a memorial service for him at Garden Street United Methodist Church in Bellingham, WA. He had not wanted a funeral; as his only child, I wanted a memorial service. Neither of my parents went to church, nor did CB's parents attend one at that time. Garden Street UMC kindly offered to hold the service when we told that we were members of the Methodist Church in Corpus Christi, TX.

What was surprising and very gracious was that the United Methodist Women had a lovely reception following the memorial service. They offered to do this for an unknown family, with no prospect of us becoming members. Having no siblings or close relatives, there was no expectation of anyone joining their church! Their hospitality was spontaneous, generous, and kind. My heart is still warmed when I think of this.

This was an example of hospitality to the stranger(s).

And this is where both my parents' and also my mother's parents' ashes are interned--at Greenacres Cemetery in Ferndale, WA.

Jeffrey Sachs' New Book

Did you ever read The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs? I really liked that book.His new book sounds hopeful and idealistic, but I have not read it yet. You can hear a little bit about it on the video described below that I couldn't post.

I tried to post the video of Jeffrey Sachs and Jon Stewart on the March 18, 2008 "Daily Show" but was unable to do so. I first saw it at Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation, where you can watch the video, too. But below is a review from The Economist of Jeffrey Sachs' new book Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet. More reviews of the book are here.

Sachs appeal
March 27, 2008

Economist.com

"IF GILBERT AND SULLIVAN were looking for the very model of a modern intellectual, they would surely pick Jeffrey Sachs. He is so “right on” that when Time magazine featured him in its global list of people who influence the world, his profile was written by Bono, a rock singer. His job titles—director of the Earth Institute and special adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals—seem almost tailor-made to get up the noses of conservatives.

"Nor is Mr Sachs lacking in ambition. His previous book was called “The End of Poverty”. Now he has moved on to tackle a wide range of other challenges facing the planet, from climate change through to disease eradication. His goals include stabilisation of the world's population, a move to sustainable energy use and “a new approach to global problem solving”.

"If the above makes Mr Sachs sound like an impractical dreamer, that would be rather unfair. This densely written book is packed with statistics and carefully worded arguments. Nor is the author a left-wing ideologue. He recognises that the private sector and market-based solutions have a vital role to play. He cites, for example, the success achieved by public-private sector initiatives in tackling acid rain and chlorofluorocarbon emissions.

"On population control, he makes the good (if counter-intuitive) point that improvements in infant mortality are an important part of the solution. When families know that more of their children will survive into adulthood, they have fewer kids. Reduced fertility in turn leads to improved living standards and, eventually, by cutting the numbers of idle and impoverished young men, reduces the potential for conflict and terrorism. As he remarks, this makes the Bush administration's negative attitude towards family planning even more difficult to understand.

"Courageously, Mr Sachs does not ignore costs. He reckons the bill for tackling the issues he raises will come to a total of 2.4% of rich-world economic output (about one year's growth). That seems a reasonable price to pay, provided of course that you are not paying it. Indeed, the book's rather jaunty tone plays down some of the hard choices that will need to be made if the world's problems are to be tackled. On climate change, Mr Sachs is very enthusiastic about carbon capture and sequestration, a technology that is unproven on a large scale and will be difficult to adapt to existing power plants. One must also doubt whether all the world's cars could really be converted into gas-electric hybrids by 2026, as he suggests.

"This brings us to the main problem with the book: it is unremittingly worthy and expects other people to be so too. When the author writes that a post-Kyoto agreement on climate change “should include all actors, not just the rich ones, and not just the rich ones who are willing to reduce emissions”, one wonders how many real people would vote for that. Similarly, he says blithely that “in order to combat poverty and inequality, it is also essential to combat racism and intolerance.”

"If everyone in the world were as reasonable as Mr Sachs, his solutions would be easy to implement. However, if everyone were that reasonable, there would not be so many problems in the first place."

Give

"In the spiritual lore of India, it is said that God whispered only one word in our ears when he sent us into the world: “Give.” Give freely of your time, your talent, your resources; give without asking for anything in return. This is the secret of living in joy and security."

~~Eknath Easwaran


The Thought for the Day is today's entry from Eknath Easwaran's Words to Live By. (Copyright 1999 and 2005 by The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation.)

Select the Thought for the Day for any day of the year.

Saturday in South Texas

The live oak trees have scattered pollen all around the yards and deck. Our fuzzy cocker spaniel Baillie keeps tracking it into the house. Pollen strands fall into the dogs' water dish, so it is refreshed frequently. There are piles of pollen along our driveway and the sidewalks.

I remember when I first moved to TX in 1978, I could not understand why a tree would be called "live" oak--were there "dead" oak trees living?? Oh, well. They grow into beautiful shade trees and don't seem to lose some of their leaves until after January.

This is the end of the third nine weeks period in our public schools here. This is the grand computation time--when the seniors will learn their final class ranking. MJ has been #2 all through high school. In a few weeks we'll learn whether she's maintained that spot and will be one of the graduation speakers.

Last weekend I noticed that my left elbow was hurting. By Easter it was swollen and has continued this way all week. I self-diagnosed myself as having bursitis in my elbow, a new "condition" for me. The Mayo Clinic advises consulting a doctor after 10 days, so I'll see how it is on Monday. My elbow swelled more in the middle of the week when I tried to live normally, so I'm back to coddling that left arm and icing it down a few times a day.

The dead animal smell is almost gone, though still somewhat detectable by the kitchen sink. I learned on the internet to put out bowls of vinegar, and that seemed to help defuse some of the odor. Last night we even ate our dinner at the kitchen table, which shows how much better the situation is.

Here's a classic picture of a Texas live oak tree with bluebonnets, which are blooming at this time of year. TX wildflowers are wonderful!

Growing which way?

"My Stroke of Insight" book

Due to the TED Talks video of Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, I had to read Taylor's book My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey. You may recall that I wrote about her video here.

At the same time of reading Taylor's book, I've also been Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61) , so that together these books brought great insight into the Presence of God always with us.

I am amazed at the intelligence and determination of Taylor in recovering from the stroke she suffered at the age of 37. You can see all that if you watch the 18 minute video of her TED talk.

Since she was (and is) a neuroanatomist, she had great knowledge and confidence in her brain as she suffered the stroke. In fact, she remembers telling herself when she realized what was happening: "Yep, I'm having a stroke. . .but I'm a very busy woman! All right, since I can't stop this stroke from happening, then, okay, I'll do this for a week! I'll learn what I need to know about how my brain creates my perception of reality and then I'll meet my schedule, next week. Now, what am I doing? Getting help. I must stay focused and get help." And she pleaded with herself: "Remember, please remember everything you are experiencing! Let this be my stroke of insight into the disintegration of my own cognitive mind." (46)

She prepares the reader for what happened by spending two beginning chapters describing in simple terms how the brain works. (I needed that info!) The she describes the stroke as she remembers and how her recovery went, which lasted more than eight years.

Taylor lost all her understanding of language and her ability to speak; she lost awareness of where her body started and ended; she lost much movement. She gained an awareness of her unity with ALL and even wondered at one point how she'd ever fit back into her little body. She became aware of her own composition of cells, as well as seeing the cellular makeup of her surroundings.

As the bleeding in the left side of her brain progressed, she suddenly noticed SILENCE. The chatter of thinking had stopped. Taylor believes that was because the left side of her brain was losing its various functions, so she relied on the right side, which was perceiving the bigger picture of Unity with ALL. She writes:

"In place of that constant chatter that had attached me to the details of my life, I felt enfolded by a blanket of tranquil euphoria. . . As the language centers in my left hemisphere grew increasingly silent and I became detached from the memories of my life, I was comforted by an expanding sense of grace. In this void of higher cognition and details pertaining to my normal life, my consciousness soared into an all knowingness, a 'being at one' with the universe, if you will." (41)

In the hospital, she could not understand what anyone said to her. She said she could sense whether someone brought positive and loving energy towards her or negative attitudes. The people who came close to her and talked softly and lovingly brought her to pay attention, which was a great effort. However, those people who were abrupt, hurried and talked loudly (to MAKE her understand!) caused her to retreat into herself to the "la-la-land" where she felt tranquility.

This makes me think of the energy that emanates from each of us and how our thoughts and/or prayers affect others. This goes along with the quote I have at the top of my blog by Quaker Harold Loukes: "An act of love that fails is just as much a part of the divine life as an act of love that succeeds, for love is measured by its own fullness, not by its reception." That gives me such hope for change in the world--by our hopes, prayers, and love.

In her recovery, Taylor became aware of how the cells in her body reacted to strong feelings and the ingestions of such foods that contained caffeine and sugar. She made choices to avoid agitation of the cells in her boy by refraining from caffeine and sugar (which I should do) and choosing to respond differently to situations so that anger or fear would not immediately appear unless needed. She wrote:

"When I become conscious of what cognitive loops my brain is running, I then focus on how these loops feel physiologically inside my body. Do I feel alert? Are my eyes dilated? Is my breath deep or shallow? Do I feel tightness in my chest? Do I feel lightness in my head? Is my stomach upset/ Do I feel antsy or anxious? Are my legs jiggling? Neuronal loops (circuits) of fear, anxiety or anger, can be triggered by all sorts of different stimulation. But once triggered, these different emotions produce a predictable physiological response that you can train yourself to consciously observe." (151)

Being aware of the present moment is a spiritual practice in all religions or spiritualities. This is what she's emphasizing. Taylor felt enlightenment or egolessness due to the effects of her stroke. Suddenly she didn't have all those chattering thoughts, which we try to rid ourselves of through meditation, contemplation, centering prayer and other disciplines.

Her experiences made me feel that a scientist observed the spiritual reality I believe in. Each of us has the ability to perceive our unity and connection. We need to pay attention!

"Step one to experiencing inner peace is the willingness to be present in the right here, right now." (159)

"Your stuff is your stuff, and my stuff is my stuff. Feeling deep inner peace and sharing kindness is always a choice for either of us. Forgiving others and forgiving myself is always a choice. Seeing this moment as a perfect moment is always a choice." (148)

Stinky!

There is a strangely familiar, dreadful smell in the kitchen. It's been getting stronger since last night. Now it's 83 degrees F. outside, which must be fermenting the dead animal in our shallow attic. Squirrel or rat? Doesn't matter; it's some kind of dead animal. It stinks. And this is in our KITCHEN!!

Golden Rule

Native Spirituality
We are as much alive as we keep the Earth alive.
Chief Dan George

Sikhism
I am a stranger to no one; and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all.
Guru Granth Sahib, pg. 1299

Christianity
In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
Jesus, Matthews 7:12

BaHa'I Faith
Lay not on any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself.
Baha'ullah, Gleanings

Judaism
What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary.
Hillel, Talmud, Shabbat 31a

Buddhism
Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.
Udana-Varga 5.18

Islam
Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself.
The Prophet Muhammad, Hadith

Taoism
Regard your neighbour's gain as your own gain, and your neighbour's loss as your own loss.
T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien, 213-218

Hinduism
This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.
Mahabharata 5:1517

Confucianism
One word which sums up the basis of all good conduct...loving kindness. Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.
Confucius, Analeets, 15.23

Jainism
One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated.
Mahavira,Sutrakritanga

Unitarianism
We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Unitarian principle

Zoroastrianism
Do not do unto others whatever is injurious to yourself.
Shayast-na-Shayast, 13.29

Silence/Presence

o “Become empty of yourself and realize inner silence.” Lao Tzu - Tao

o “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10 – Judeo/Christian

o “Thus, only true Silence is eternal speech, the Heart-to-Heart talk.”

Swami Satyeswarananda Giri - Hindu

o “Be silent that the Lord who gave you language may speak.” Jahal – Al – Din Rumi -Islam

o “Silence is a privileged entry into the realm of God and into eternal life. For silence is a language that is infinitely deeper, more far reaching, more understanding, more compassionate, and more eternal than any other language.” Meister Eckhart – Christian

o He (the American Indian) believes profoundly in silence – the sign of perfect equilibrium. Silence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind, and spirit. Ohiyesa – Native American

o “When you pray…you yourself must be silent; let the prayer speak.” Archimandrite Kallistos Ware – Greek Orthodox

o "It is as we join with others in a way that only human beings can, in a shared engagement in a common vision, that we find ourselves in the presence of another presence that is the final source of our hopes and intentions, and that undergirds and sustains them." -Rabbi Judith Plaskow - Jewish

o "The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers." Thich Nhat Hanh - Buddhist

(From Spiritual Directors International email 3-25-08)

Please pray!

Please pray for 18 year old Kiel, who is struggling with drugs. He relapsed after being in out-patient treatment and needs to go away to a residential facility, but refuses. Pray that he agrees to go there. Pray that Kiel will be saved.

Gartenfische posted this quote awhile ago, but it is what I keep thinking of now:

Life smooths us, rounds, perfects,
as does the river the stone,
and there is no place
our Beloved is not flowing
though the current’s force you
may not always like.

-Teresa of Avila

Smooth the way for Kiel's healing, O Holy One. Amen.

"Body of War"

My daughter posted this video on her blog. I was so struck by it that I felt that I should copy it here.

Body of War is a documentary that will be released this Spring.




See if it's showing in your city and go watch it.

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

Eckhart Tolle writes in A New Earth:

"I usually congratulate people when they tell me, 'I don't know who I am anymore.' They look perplexed and ask, 'Are you saying it is a good thing to be confused?' I ask them to investigate. What does it mean to be confused? 'I don't know' is not confusion. Confusion is 'I don't know, but I should know' or 'I don't know, but I need to know.' Is it possible to let go of the belief that you should or need to know who you are? In other words, can you cease looking to conceptual definitions to give you a sense of self? Can you cease looking to thought for an identity? When you let go of the belief that you should or need to know who you are, what happens to confusion? Suddenly it is gone. When you full accept that you don't know, you actually enter a state of peace and clarity that is closer to who you truly are than thought could ever be. Defining yourself through thought is limiting yourself." (90)

I'm not there; I'm confused.

Grandpuppies!

We have no grandchildren yet, but CB and I do have two grandpuppies. You met Troy last November, when he was three months old. He and son BJ visited us during last weekend, and Troy was energetic, rambunctious, and sweet, all at the same time. This is what he looks like now:Of our own two dogs, Baillie, the 11 year old Cocker, usually ignores Troy by growling and walking away. Troy badgers Cisco to play; even though Cisco is now slightly smaller than Troy, Troy remembers Cisco's superiority and will still give in to this 5 year old Shepherd mix.

For Easter, son DC and wife AA came to visit with their 11 week old miniature Bull Dog, Sampson. He is roly poly, cute, and much more laid back than Troy. Sampson affected our dogs differently than Troy--Cisco left Sampson alone, but Sampson aroused Baillie to watch and supervise him rather than sleep, as usual.

I never thought I'd like a Bull Dog, but I fell in love with Sampson:

He is Risen!

	He is Risen
	Dr. He Qi is a professor at the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary and a tutor for master candidate students in the Philosophy Department of Nanjing University. He is also a member of the China Art Association and a council member of the Asian Christian Art Association.
Date:	2001
Artist:	He Qi

Easter

Day Before Easter

Holy Saturday
by Roxolana Luczakowsky Armstrong

Roxolana Luczakowsky Armstrong was born in Stanislaviv Ucraine in 1938. Her family, victims of Soviet persecution, fled to the West in 1945 to settle eventually in Philadelphia in 1950. Her art education started with study under reknowned Ucrainian painter Pietro Mehyk, and at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine arts in Philadelphia. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and an active member in the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. Roxolana, along with her teaching commitments, works at church decoration, book illustration, icons, as well as architectural and landscape painting. Her artistic endeavors may be seen both in museums and private collections on both sides of the Atlantic.

Astonishing Light

I wish I could show you
when you are lonely
or in darkness
the astonishing light
of your own being.

~~Hafiz

Hafiz quote is from Inward/Outward. Subscribe here.

Jesus' Reminders by Philip Yancey

"The image Jesus left with the world, the cross, the most common image in the Christian religion, is proof that God cares about our suffering and pain. He died of it. Today the image is coated with gold and worn around the necks of beautiful girls, a symbol of how far we can stray from the reality of history. But it stands, unique among all religions of the world. Many of them have gods. But only one has a God who cared enough to become a man and to die.

"Dorothy Sayers says:

For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is - limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death - he had the honesty and courage to take his own medicine. Whatever game he is playing with his creation, he has kept his own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that he has not exacted from himself. He has himself gone through the whole human experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and the cramping restrictions of hard work and lack of money to the worst horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair, and death. When he was a man, he played the man. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it well worthwhile.

"To some, the image of a pale body glimmering on a dark night whispers of defeat. What good is a God who does not control his Son's suffering? What possible good could such a God do for us? But a louder sound can be heard: the shout of a God crying out to man, "I love you." Love was compressed for all history in that lonely, bleeding figure. Jesus, who said he could call down the angels at any moment and rescue himself from the horror, chose not to - because of us. For God so loved us, that he sent his only Son to die for us.

What practical effect does Christ's identification have on the person who actually suffers? A dramatic example of the effect of this truth was seen in the ministry of Dr. Paul Brand while he was working among leprosy patients in Vellore, India. There he preached a sermon, one of his best known and best loved. At the time, Brand and his workers were among the few in the area who would touch or closely approach a person with Hansen's disease - townspeople quarantined them. Brand slipped in late to a patients' gathering, sitting on the mat at the edge of an open courtyard. The air was heavy with combined odors of crowding bodies, poverty, stale spices, treated bandages.

"The patients insisted on a few words from Dr. Brand, and he reluctantly agreed. He stood for a moment, empty of ideas, looking at the patients before him. His eyes were drawn to their hands, dozens of them, most pulled inward in the familiar 'leprosy claw-hand,' some with no fingers, some with a few stumps. Many patients sat on their hands or otherwise hid them from view.

"'I am a hand surgeon,' he began, and waited for the translation into Tamil and Hindi. 'So when I meet people, I can't help looking at their hands. The palmist claims he can tell your future by looking at your hands. I can tell your past. For instance, I can tell what your trade has been by the position of the calluses and the condition of the nails. I can tell a lot about your character; I love hands.'

"He paused and looked at the eager faces. "How I would love to have had the chance to meet Christ and study his hands! But knowing what he was like, I can almost picture them, feel them."

"He paused again, then wondered aloud what it would have been like to meet Christ and study his hands. He traced the hands of Christ, beginning with infancy when his hands were small, helpless, futilely grasping. Then came the hands of the boy Jesus, clumsily holding a brush or stylus, trying to form letters of the alphabet. Then the hands of Christ the carpenter - rough, gnarled, with broken fingernails and bruises from working with saw and hammer.

"Then there were the hands of Christ the physician, the healer. Compassion and sensitivity seemed to radiate from them, so much so that when he touched people they could feel something of the divine spirit coming through. Christ touched the blind, the diseased, the needy.

"'Then,' continued Dr. Brand, 'there were his crucified hands. It hurts me to think of a nail being driven through the center of my hand, because I know what goes on there, the tremendous complex of tendons and nerves and blood vessels and muscles. It's impossible to drive a spike through its center without crippling it. The thought of those healing hands being crippled reminds me of what Christ was prepared to endure. In that act he identified himself with all the deformed and crippled human beings in the world. Not only was he able to endure poverty with the poor, weariness with the tired, but - clawed hands with the cripple.'

The effect on the listening patients, all social outcasts, was electrifying. Jesus - a cripple, with a claw-hand like theirs?

"Brand continued. 'And then there were his resurrected hands. One of the things I find most astounding is that, though we think of the future life as something perfected, when Christ appeared to his disciples he said, "Come look at my hands," and he invited Thomas to put his finger into the print of the nail. Why did he want to keep the wounds of his humanity? Wasn't it because he wanted to carry back with him an eternal reminder of the sufferings of those on earth? He carried the marks of suffering so he could continue to understand the needs of those suffering. He wanted to be forever one with us.'

"As he finished, Paul Brand was again conscious of hands as they were lifted, all over the courtyard, palm to palm in the Indian gesture of respect, namaste. The hands were the same stumps, the same missing fingers and crooked arches. Yet no one tried to hide them. They were held high, close to the face, in respect for Brand, but also with new pride and dignity. God's own response to suffering made theirs easier.

"T. S. Eliot wrote in one of his Four Quartets:

The wounded surgeon plies the steel
That questions the distempered part;
Beneath the bleeding hands we feel
The sharp compassion of the healer's art
Resolving the enigma of the fever chart.

"The surgery of life hurts. It helps me, though, to know that the Surgeon himself, the Wounded Surgeon, has felt every stab of pain and every sorrow."

Philip Yancey, “Jesus’ Reminders,” from Where Is God When It Hurts?. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, copyright © 1977 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Scientist Tells of Unity

Bob Seal at Non-Duality Cartoons has posted an 18-minute video made by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a trained and published neuroanatomist. She specializes in the postmortem investigation of the human brain. In 1996, she suffered a massive stroke and has spent the period since then recovering, or "rebuilding her brain--from the inside out."

Her book blurb relates what happened to her:

Jill Bolte Taylor was a 37-year-old Harvard-trained and published brain scientist when a blood vessel exploded in her brain. Through the eyes of a curious neuroanatomist, she watched her mind completely deteriorate whereby she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. Because of her understanding of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and an amazing mother, Jill completely recovered her mind, brain and body. In My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, Jill shares with us her recommendations for recovery and the insight she gained into the unique functions of the right and left halves of her brain. Having lost the categorizing, organizing, describing, judging and critically analyzing skills of her left brain, along with its language centers and thus ego center, Jill’s consciousness shifted away from normal reality. In the absence of her left brain’s neural circuitry, her consciousness shifted into present moment thinking whereby she experienced herself “at one with the universe.”

If you watch the video, you'll actually see and hear Dr. Taylor describe her experience and observe her knowledge.

I'm wondering about reading her book My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey--which at Amazon has seven reviews that rated it with 5 stars (the best), with no other reviews. Maybe I'll have to buy another book!

TAKE THE TIME to WATCH THIS!

Spring Break Trip

Yesterday MJ and I drove to San Antonio for lunch and then on to Austin to visit her brother DC and wife AA. In between San Antonio and Austin we stopped at the Outlet Malls in San Marcos, where we felt like we were in the minority. During Holy Week, many Mexicans come up to the United States to shop and have fun.

We spent the night with DC, AA, and their new miniature Bull Dog puppy, Sampson. Sampson is very cute; he's roly poly with short legs. He is nine weeks old and hops around. He growls and/or barks when he wants attention, which is almost constantly. He loves to fall asleep on DC or AA's lap.

We drove through thunderstorms getting to Austin last night. It was much easier to drive home today! But our car, among many others, was spotted with red mud. Last night when I talked with my husband, he told me it was "raining mud," which sounded pretty weird. But that's what it was--and it happens when a dust storm meets a rainstorm! Texas is an odd state. . . .

Both yesterday and today we shopped for MJ's senior prom dress, but never found one. There was one she liked, but we didn't get it and probably should have. But Austin is 182 miles away from Corpus Christi, so we're not driving back there any time soon.

Windy Last Soccer Game

Shodo Art and Calligraphy

The wind constantly blew during MJ's last high school varsity soccer game this afternoon. It was about 75 degrees F. but seemed much cooler with wind gusts up to 40 mph. The girls played a San Antonio team, and MJ's team won 1-0. It looked hard to play with the wind sending the ball in unexpected directions and distances.

Our children have played 23 years of soccer, as our eldest child DC started playing when he was 6 years old. This was the last soccer game with our children playing. I guess CB and I are getting tastes of the "last" things with our youngest child and the "empty nest" looming ahead. MJ will go to college this coming fall.

China/Tibet

Originally from a French newspaper and found at Friends of Tibet.

Others have the words I cannot express about the horrors in Tibet, especially with China preparing for the Olympics. Here are a few places to visit. I'm sure there are more.

FranIAm
Mad Priest
Quaker Dave
Ageless Hippie Chick

And watch this--it only takes a minute.

Monday already

Well, it's already Monday morning. Happy Saint Patrick's Day? Are you wearing green?

But thanks to Katherine E., I now have some words of hope and will go to bed.

Do not look with fear
on the changes and chances of this life;
rather look to them with full faith that as they arise,
God – whose you are – will deliver you out of them.

God has kept you hitherto.
Do not but hold fast to God's dear hand,
and the Holy One will lead you safely through all things;
and when you cannot stand, God will bear you
in the divine loving arms.

Do not anticipate what will happen tomorrow.
The same everlasting God who cares for you today
will take care of you tomorrow and every day.
Either God will shield you from suffering or
will give you unfailing strength to bear it.

Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts
and imaginings.
~~St. Francis de Sales

Dinner "party"

Dinner Party by Amy Cutler

I definitely am not that dressed up, but my mood is much the same as I rush around trying to get ready for a dinner party for my husband's group of retired friends and their wives. For years we have been in a "casserole club" with them, which means a monthly dinner together. The host and hostess provide the locale, entree, and drinks. Each other couple brings something to complement the meal. And tonight there will be 14 of us!

Husband CB has barbecued salmon and chicken several times, and last year I baked lasagne. Today I am trying something I have never done before, and I'm a little worried about this. . . .but CB really wanted Crown Pork Roast, which I've only seen once (before this one I ordered). So we'll see how this turns out. . . .and I don't even like pork that much.

It's funny to be the "youngest" couple in this group of seven couples. I don't think there's much difference among the men, but I find that I am a little "odd" with the women, who like to talk about fashion, shopping, decorating, and tv much more than I do. Maybe the effects of growing up in the hippie west coast are too great to overcome!

Well, my break is over. . . .back to cleaning and cooking!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Everything is cleaned up, and all went well. I would recommend a Crown Pork Roast for anyone who wants to have an impressive meat that is easy to cook! Using a meat thermometer helped me know when it was ready, plus putting aluminum foil over each bone sticking up, so it turned out beautifully. Yay.

Hot Spring (?) Day

At 2 pm on Saturday afternoon, it is 93 degrees F. here in south Texas. It is the beginning of both TX colleges' and public schools' spring breaks. My daughter MJ and her boy friend are at the (crowded!) beach this afternoon. It is so HOT that it's hard to imagine Suzy at Luminiferous Ether welcoming her first spring robin! I miss such robins and daffodils and. . . .but I know all the kids are glad to have such beautiful weather for the beach. And it's good weather to hang towels out on the clothesline, which I did this morning. Also, this is when I really appreciate air conditioning, which enables the only way I can live in Texas. But is it still spring???

From "The New Yorker"

From Missy at Saint Anne, Pray for Us who got it from Episcopalifem. Thank you!

Book: "Mystical Hope"

I am re-reading an excellent book by Cynthia Bourgeault, Episcopal priest, author and retreat leader, which is entitled Mystical Hope: Trusting in the Mercy of God. The second chapter can pretty much be summed up by the quote I posted yesterday on Happiness.

Bourgeault defines "mystical hope" as:

1. Mystical hope is not tied to a good outcome, to the future. It lives a life of its own, seemingly without reference to external circumstances and conditions.

2. It has something to do with presence--not a future good outcome, but the immediate experience of being me, held in communion, by something intimately at hand.

3. It bears fruit within us at the psychological level in the sensations of strength, joy, and satisfaction: an "unbearable lightness of being." But mysteriously, rather than deriving these gifts from outward expectations being met, it seems to produce them from within. (9-10)

My detachment post fits that description, especially of #3. As C. S. Lewis wrote, such experiences are being "surprised by joy." I have come to realize that detachment is much more than merely letting go--it seems to be a filling of God's peace, love, and/or hope.

But this book goes on much farther to describe God's mercy as all-encompassing in what is "like a 'luminous web' intended to connect and interweave everything, in which all the knot ends of reality come together in a huge tapestry of divine love." (32)

"So when we think of mercy, we should be thinking first and foremost of a bond, an infallible link of love that holds the created and uncreated realms together. The mercy of God does not come and go, granted to some and refused to others. Why? Because it is unconditional--always there, underlying everything. It is literally the force that holds everything in existence, the gravitational field in which we live and move and have our being. Just like that little fish swimming desperately in search of water, we, too--in the words of Psalm 103--'swim in mercy as in an endless sea.' Mercy is God's innermost being turned outward to sustain the visible and created world in unbreakable love." (25)

The author goes on to cite Jacob Boehme, who "saw mercy as 'the holy element': the root enerby out of which all else in the visible universe is made. The Mercy is 'holy substantiality'--the innermost essence of being itself. It is that 'river of God,' running like the sap through the tree of live." (30)

Oh, to know all this--to realize this is what the mystics of all religions have been trying to tell us.
Just as Thomas Keating, proponent of Centering Prayer, says:

"The notion that God is absent is the fundamental illusion of the human condition." (41)

Isaiah 50:4

This morning I got an email from my friend MB that I should read Isaiah 50:4-9a, as she'd thought of me when she'd read this lectionary reading. THEN before our lectio group started, she read it to me and asked me to read it aloud, too. Later today, she emailed me again and only wrote, "Read Isaiah 50:4 again."

50:4 The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens-- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.

MB warmed my heart by connecting me to this verse. She sees me as a teacher and perhaps one who encourages others. I am glad; that is whom I would like to be.

But I think I need to be praying that I will awaken to listen each morning and be taught! I keep getting the message that I need to be more attentive. . . .

Happiness

“We are on this earth to be happy. God is happiness, because God is absolute security. If you have discovered God in yourself, if you feel loved by God, sustained by God, carried along by God like a wave is carried along by the ocean—that is the ultimate accomplishment. And you will find God through love through gratitude and gratitude through happiness. God is that non-dependent happiness that subsists through betrayal, trials and failure.”

~~Arnaud Desjardins

The Jump into Life, p. 159

Sad, but true

Thanks again to Ellie, this time at Child of Illusion.

Deep Listening in a Group

I facilitate a book study called The Wisdom Class every Tuesday at All Saints Episcopal Church. Last week a member brought information about the listening practices of Quakers. He suggested that we wait 10-15 seconds between speakers. I was in a position where I could watch the second hand on the wall clock creep slowly along and realized how long a time period those seconds seemed. I'm not sure that we all waited that long between talking, but there was a definite difference in the way we were listening to each other during the two-hour meeting.

I reflected on the depth of listening during the past week, and was surprised to find a relevant meditation from Henri Nouwen this morning in my email box:

Listening as Spiritual Hospitality by Henri Nouwen

To listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements, or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept.

Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond. Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. The beauty of listening is that, those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.

From the free daily message found at the Henri Nouwen webpage. Subscribe.

This also brings to mind the attentiveness needed in listening as displayed in Meister Eckhart's story of the burro-- Love Offers Freedom. Listening opens a space of freedom and acceptance.

Today we met again as The Wisdom Class and reflected upon last week's process. We agreed to try again to listen deeply to each other and agreed upon these guidelines:

1. What is said stays here.

2. Listen to what each person has to say:

Be open, sensitive, and tender to others.

3. Do not interrupt another speaker

4. Do not speak too often or too long;

allow silence between speakers.

5. Keep 10-15 seconds of silence between speakers.

6. Try to be aware that our desire to be present to each other is also our desire to be present to the Holy One.

It's going to take lots of practice!

Now

Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.

-- The Talmud

Thank you to Ellie at Does Not Wisdom Call?

This Day

No one knew the name of this day;
Born quietly from deepest night,
It hid its face in light,
Demanded nothing for itself,
Opened out to offer each of us
A field of brightness that traveled ahead,
Providing in time, ground to hold our footsteps
And the light of thought to show the way.

The mind of the day draws no attention;
It dwells within the silence with elegance
To create a space for all our words,
Drawing us to listen inward and outward.

We seldom notice how each day is a holy place
Where the eucharist of the ordinary happens,
Transforming our broken fragments
Into an eternal continuity that keeps us.

Somewhere in us a dignity presides
That is more gracious than the smallness
That fuels us with fear and force,
A dignity that trusts the form a day takes.

So a the end of this day, we give thanks
For being betrothed to the unknown
And for the secret work
Through which the mind of the day
And wisdom of the soul become one.

~ John O'Donohue ~

(To Bless the Space Between Us)

Shalom

"If there is to be shalom, it will not be just for isolated, insulated individuals; it is rather, security and prosperity granted to a whole community--young and old, rich and poor, powerful and dependent. Always we are all in it together. Together we stand before God's blessing and together we receive the gift of life, if we receive it at all. Shalom comes only to the inclusive, embracing community that excludes none."

Walter Brueggemann. Peace. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001. 15.

Thank you to PS at Purpletologically Speaking for this Brueggemann quote that is near the top of her webpage.

Book Review: "Christianity for the Rest of Us"

Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church Is Transforming the Faith by Diana Butler Bass is the book that is being studied in small groups for Lent at my church. It was one of those books that I bought months ago, but never had managed to read; thus, having a study about it helped me to read it. (Being a bookaholic, I LOVE TO buy books and have too many around that I haven't read YET.)

Diana Butler Bass conducted a three-year study of 50 mainline Protestant churches in the United States that were vibrant and growing churches. She found that these flourishing mainline churches were promoting and mentoring members to a faith that deepens their trust in God's abundant love and strengthens their capacity to love others. These churches are not trying to "make members; rather they are trying to make pilgrims" (73).

She found that "mainline churches decline when they neglect scripture and prayer, discernment and hospitality, contemplation and justice" (45).

Most of the churches Bass visited had had periods of decline and had changed in the last decade (243). "In many cases, change was made inevitable by numerical decline, financial crisis, or neighborhood transition. Spiritual anxiety gripped the community, pushing the congregation to realize that it needed to be different. Whether threatened by spiritual boredom or facing church closure, each congregation has asked two questions that sparked deep change: Who are we? What is God calling us to do? They discovered a renewed sense of identity and a clear purpose in serving the world. They experienced a change of heart that transformed their communal understanding of who God had made them to be" (243).

The book is divided into three parts:
1. What Happened to the Neighborhood Church?
2. Ten Signposts of Renewal
3. From Tourists to Pilgrims

The second section is the longest part with ten chapters devoted to practices or signposts to point "Christians in the right direction, toward the wisdom of God, toward love, toward home" (74). These are Hospitality, Discernment, Healing, Contemplation, Testimony, Diversity, Justice, Worship, Reflection, and Beauty. There are questions to help groups study each chapter at the end of the book.

"From the earliest days of the Christian faith, Jesus' followers, known as people of the Way, were recognized by what they did--practicing hospitality and forgiveness. Too often, contemporary Christianity seems to a religion about belief, a kind of spiritual club that can be joined by agreeing to a statement of faith.

"But emerging Christianity is not about pure doctrine or agreeing with a set of philosophical presuppositions. The kind of Christianity enacted in the congregations where I traveled is more like a recovery group: 'Act as if. . . ' If you act like a Christian by joining in its practices, by following its tracings, you may well become one. Being a Christian is not a one-moment miracle of salvation. It take practice. It is a process of faith and a continuing conversion. And it can be a long walk" (74-75).

This book gave me a lot of hope for the churches in the USA. Studies keep coming out that they are declining, that only the mega-evangelical churches are "succeeding," but this book gives concrete examples of growing and VITAL churches that are communities committing to grow in faith together. I think they take seriously Micah 6:8:

And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Daylight Saving Time

Thanks to Hoss at Old Horsetail Snake, who was found through Miss Cellania. Lots of laughs at these places!

Let God Love You

Be silent.
Be still.
Alone.
Empty
Before your God.
Say nothing.
Ask nothing.
Be silent.
Be still.
Let your God look upon you.
That is all.
God knows.
God understands.
God loves you
With an enormous love,
And only wants
To look upon you
With that love.
Quiet.
Still.
Be.

Let your God—
Love you.

~~Edwina Gately

Thank you.

Very sweetly, Easter A. passed on this award to me.


I nominate everyone on my links list, because each of you make my world a better place to be. Thank you.

Pray Every Day!

The world now has the means to end extreme poverty, we pray we will have the will

We ask that every house of worship in every country pledge to say this prayer aloud at every worship service - until the millennium goals are met.

"The world now has the means to end extreme poverty, we pray we will have the will"

Countingprayers.org will count each prayer, and update the totals on the world wide web daily. Evidence that you are not alone, and that a manifested will is building that will not be denied.

Q. How many prayers will it take until the Millennium Goals are Met?

A. Let's get started and find out.

Q. How long will it take until the first million prayers are tallied?

A. It would take 200 congregations about ten weeks.

Q. How long until the number of prayers exceed the population of your country?

A. Surprisingly fast.

Q. How long will it take until a billion prayers are offered?

A. It would take about 50,000 congregations less than a year.

Q. What might our elected officials think when they witness our will manifest?

A. That there is nothing that concerns their base more than bearing witness to the end of extreme poverty.

Q. Is keeping the millennium promise a political issue?

A. No. It's a moral issue.

Not only houses of worship can be counted, any individual may, also, make a prayer pledge.

Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation

The MDGs are nothing new. Our scriptural story is full of accounts of God's people doing these things and of God calling us to do them, too. Check out "The MDGs - Straight from Scripture" for plenty of examples. Also, EGR diocesan contact Eleanor Braun (Virginia) has put together this extensive list of scripture passages with peace and justice themes.

LIVE!

I would love to live

Like a river flows,

Carried by the surprise

Of its own unfolding.

~ John O'Donohue~

Friday Five: Signs of Hope, Signs of Spring

Sally writes for the Friday Five of RevGals

It has been a difficult week here in Dowham Market, and yet in the sadness there have been signs of real hope, young people, often criticised have shown us how caring and amazing they are. It has also been a strange week; it snowed for almost the first time this winter, and yet many of the spring bulbs are blooming, and the trees are blossoming!

I believe that if we look carefully we can see signs of hope all around us.... as for signs of spring... well you tell me....

Bluebells in my garden, before the snow!

What have you seen/ heard this week that was a :

1. Sign of hope?

Psalm 130 in our lectio group this week, especially

130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;

130:6 my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.

The sharing about the scripture were very hopeful. I felt like I was called to be waiting for God in expectation just as the father of the prodigal son waited in anticipation for his son's return.

2. An unexpected word of light in a dark place?

If you look at my post Detachment, you'll see how I experienced Light in what usually would be a very dark place in my own life.

3. A sign of spring?

The pink flowers pictured above are called by my friends in TX "buttercups" but I always think, "But they're PINK!" Where I grew up buttercups were yellow! Anyway, these pink poppies are the first Texas wildflowers I've seen--in fact, today in someone's yard!


4. Challenging/ surprising?

What is challenging that I have to plan a lesson on ten chapters of a book for Sunday, which seems impossible, so maybe I'll do half of those or a smattering. . .

5. Share a hope for the coming week/month/year....

I hope that I will choose HEALTH more consistently, especially in food and exercise.

Bonus play... a piece of music/ poem guaranteed to cheer you?

For the love of a tree, she went out on a limb.
For the love of the sea, she rocked the boat
For the love of the earth, she dug deeper.
For the love of community, she mended fences.
For the love of the stars, she let her light shine.
For the love of spirit, she nurtured her soul.
For the love of a good time, she sowed seeds of happiness.
For the love of the Goddess, she drew down the moon.
For the love of a good meal, she gave thanks.
For the love of family, she reconciled differences.
For the love of creativity, she entertained new possibilities.
For the love of her enemies, she suspended judgment.
For the love of herself, she acknowledged her worth.

And the world was richer for her…..

~ Charlotte Tall Mountain