Thomas Merton's 96th Birthday

Thomas Merton
by David Mah

Blue Eyed Ennis prompted me to post about Thomas Merton today, because of her enriching post about his birthday. Just before I looked at her blog, I had been talking to a friend in Houston who mentioned reading about Thomas Merton. These connections brought this contemplative to mind, especially as he is so often quoted, even though he died in 1968.

“The things I thought were so important – because of the effort I put into them – have turned out to be of small value. And the things I was never able to either to measure or to expect, were the things that mattered.” (Thomas Merton)

First off, where I found the icon picture was here, which has a short article entitled "Father Louie and the Little Sister." and then Blue Eyed Ennis has various quotes and links on her post. Please look!

Thanksgiving

Sanctuary, All Saints Episcopal Church
Corpus Christi, TX

I am grateful that I rejoined the Episcopal Church some years ago; though I didn't really "rejoin" because I "re-activated" my membership. The Methodist Church was a good beginning for my faith renewal in the 1990's; it is also where I learned what a community meant. It was the first place I knew people prayed for me and wanted me around.

However, yesterday I attended a funeral there for an elderly lady (Annelle) in the Conley-Wesley class, which no longer exists. The Conley-Wesley class started out in the early 20th Century as a large group (100+) of women. By the time I started teaching Sunday School classes there in the mid-90's, there could be 20 older women attending. As time went on ladies died, moved away, or were too ill to come. When the class closed about seven years ago, there were only two elderly women left, one of whom died this past week. I still taught every two months of each year until the demise of the class, which occurred about a year before I moved back to the Episcopal Church.

After the funeral, someone asked me if I was still going to "that" Episcopal Church. When I affirmed that, telling her that three of our four children had been baptized there in the 1980's, she then asked disapprovingly, "Isn't that church liberal?" Yes, it is!

I am grateful for the accepting, open-minded, and friendly people at All Saints Episcopal Church. The choir and liturgy on Sundays create a holy atmosphere. Today we are having one service, followed by a pot-luck. There is macaroni and cheese baking in my oven as I write this. (I wonder if people will like homemade macaroni and cheese, instead of the boxed variety.) Just as I once found a home at First United Methodist Church, I am grateful to be in the All Saints family now.

Techno-Travails

I experienced the joy of seeing my grandbaby Avery with Skype yesterday, but I/we continue to encounter difficulties in getting SOUND.

Before MJ left for Spain, she installed Skype on both our computers so that she could see/talk with CB and me while she is gone. On Thursday morning she delighted us by calling: It was wonderful to see her and hear her voice! Using the webcam she and her sister gave their dad for Christmas, we got it to relay the video of CB and me, BUT we never were able to turn on the microphone.

Here is a plea for help: How do you turn off the "muted" microphone? On the computer screen, we see a red picture of a microphone with a slash through it. No matter how we click on it, we cannot UN-mute it. So far we have not discovered how to do this with searches on the internet either.

Finally today I remembered the earphones with microphone that MJ's older sister AE gave me when she went to Korea. Maybe that will work if and when MJ and I connect again. The 7-hour difference and our activities make it difficult to be on the computer at the same time.

However, she just called, and the headphones work!! We'll talk in a little while. Yay!

Friday Five: Verses

At RevGalBlogPals, Songbird suggests:
For today's Friday Five, list your five favorite passages/verses from the Bible and tell us something about why you love them.

1. He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

This verse was first emphasized for me on a Walk to Emmaus that my (walking) friend Katherine led about 14 years ago. I believe this is a rule of life for all people, which is also represented in the first three steps (of the Twelve Steps) of Al-Anon:

1. We admitted we were powerless over people, places, and things (alcohol)--that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him/Her.

2. Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)
I am newly aware of the Presence of God in the practice of meditation--NOT all the time, but in the effects I see in my life. In stillness and quietness, waiting is the way for faith to grow.

3. God is Light. (1 John 1:5)
I like short verses I can repeat (and remember)! This reminds me that nature shows the Holiness of Life. The metaphor of "light in darkness" means a lot to me, especially when I remember my struggles with depression.

For a long time in depression, I did not feel or know God was with me, but eventually I did--as a "light in the darkness." This continues to be a lesson to me to keep going in faith, even when I doubt and forget, because I remember the hope I found in despair.

4. . . .my soul is like the weaned child that is with me. (Psalm 131:2b: all of Ps. 131)
I've always loved this Psalm 131, mostly because of the image of the weaned child. I remember holding my babies and toddlers when they had finished nursing and how sweet that was. It is comforting to think of that.

A minister once told me that she had a professor in seminary who advised his students to repeat Psalm 131 every day, which would result in growth in humility (see #1).

5. For though we have never yet seen God, when we love each other, God lives in us and his love within us grows ever stronger. (1 John 4:12)
I believe this.

A friend recently told me about her 95 year old mother who has Alzheimers. When asked if her mother remembers her, Gloria paused and then said, "She knows I love her and she knows she loves me, even though she does not always remember my name." That's what love is.

Me, Lately

Weather Underground

I have recently discovered Weather Underground Favorites and love looking up the temperatures for my loved ones, especially MJ in Granada, Spain. It's nice to have them all listed together, instead of me having to search for them individually.

Waiting

They Are Waiting (in Mesa, AZ)

This sculpture by Nnamdi Okonkwo of Orem, Utah portrays the emotions associated with waiting. The figures do not represent particular people, but humanity. The artist chose women because he likes the fluid lines and the simple, elegant shapes embodied in the female form. In the arrangement of these large, round shapes he finds his ideal of order, balance and beauty.

For more information on this much-commented-on sculpture, please click HERE.

I am waiting for MJ to call or email about her arrival in Spain. She is probably asleep--there, I hope.

~~I waited, but not in vain, because MJ emailed and posted on her blog. She arrived safely and has met some nice people who are also in the IES program. Orientation classes start on Wednesday morning for the 100+ students in this program.

TEXAS --> SPAIN!

Bored Cisco and Maisie, with MJ gone.

Today was the long-awaited day for youngest daughter MJ to leave for Spain. She left Corpus Christi this afternoon, changed planes in Dallas and is now flying to London. There, she will transfer to another plane that will take her to Malaga, Spain!

Last night MJ was "bundling" clothes in her suitcase.

Maisie is kissing MJ goodbye, while Cisco looks on.

After checking in at the gate, MJ is taking her suitcase to security.

RevGal book recommendations

The most recent Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals was about book recommendations, mostly for mysteries. Below is the list of authors I am going to check out at my local library in the future. These were all recommended by other RevGalBlogPals. I have a list already printed for my next trip to the library!

1. Airth, Rennie

2. Atherton, Nancy

3. Beaton, M. C.

4. Blake, Michelle

5. Bolton, S. J.

6. Bowen, Rhys

7. Chevalier, Tracy

8. Cleverly, Barbara

9. Connelly, Michael

10. Deaver, Jeffrey

11. Evanovich, Janet

12. Fluke, Joanne

13. Fox, Catherine

14. Gardner, Lisa

15. Gregory, Philippa

16. Harris, C. S.

17. Hawthorne, Clare Langley

18. Isleib, Roberta

19. Joseph, Alison

20. Kerr, Judith

21. King, Laurie

22. Krueger, William Kent

23. Linscott, Gillian

24. Mann, Jessica

25. Maron, Margaret

26. Penny, Louise

27. Quinn, Spencer

28. Rabb, Jonathan

29. Reichs, Kathy

30. Ross, Kate

31. Scottoline, Lisa

32. Shardlake, Matthew

33. Stanton, Mary

34. Tey, Josephine

35. Wiener, Jennifer

Let me know if you have had any experience with any of these authors in the comments below, please?

Thy will be done

Friday Five: Books!

Today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:
I hope some of you received books for Christmas presents; I did and have been reading ever since. Then I discovered a new author from those recommendations that pop up on Amazon.com. Instead of buying those books, I've been checking them out at the library, which will not help Amazon's future recommendations for me at all.

So tell us what you're reading, what you would and would not recommend--five books or authors! And if you don't want to do that freestyle, here are some questions:

1. What books have you recently read? Tell us your opinion of them.
As mentioned recently, I have been voraciously reading mysteries by Charles Todd. These were the books that were mentioned as recommendations on Amazon.com. I was very pleased to find them at my public library. These are about Ian Rutledge, a Scotland Yard inspector who suffers from shell-shock from WWI, while trying to do his job investigating murder cases.

2. What books are awaiting your available time to be read?
One that I started to read months ago and then put aside is The Contagion of Jesus: Doing Theology As If It Mattered by Sebastian Moore. While I spent a week at Lebh Shomea last week, I looked at two of Moore's older books and found them to be just as enlightening as they were when I first read them years ago: The Inner Loneliness and The Fire and the Rose Are One, both of which are out of print (and are outrageously expensive if found). Now I have to find that first book in my house somewhere!

Other books that I received for Christmas and will read sometime soon are:
Prayer and Prophecy: The Essential Kenneth Leech
My cousin Margaret gave me these two: You're Wearing That? Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation and Truth and Beauty: A Friendship.

3. Have any books been recently recommended?
When I had my hair cut today, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell was highly recommended. Today Sherry wrote a review of The Human Faces of God: What Scripture Reveals When it Gets God wrong (and Why Inerrancy Tries to Hide It) by Thom Stark on both of her blogs. I value both of these friends and their literary opinions and so will be looking for these books.

4. What genre of books are your favorite, along with some titles you like best?
Mysteries are always my favorite fun books, so that I even have a sub-category of posts about them. WWI era mysteries in England are Maisie Dobbs mysteries by Jacqueline Winspear and Ian Rutledge mysteries by Charles Todd. I like Daniel Silva mysteries but have read them all to date. In the past, I liked books by Dorothy Sayers, P. D. James, and Elizabeth George, among others.

I like books on theology, especially mysticism.

5. What have you read lately that you have a strong urge to recommend? (or to condemn?)
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee, which was a Christmas gift that was surprisingly interesting. It is not morbid at all and is a historical writing about cancer, with stories interspersed. The author is an oncologist and an excellent writer. It is amazing to see how human knowledge and consciousness grew over the centuries. Since my husband and two daughters were/are trained as chemists, I liked learning that the first chemists concentrated on making dyes, rather than relying on the limited vegetable dyes most people used.

Gazing as Prayer

Gazing at icons and the created world, seeing others and being seen through the eyes of Christ are all forms of prayer. Praying by gaze can be practiced in community as in the Eastern Orthodox tradition where icons fill churches and are part of the liturgy. We can also pray alone in front of a painting or by gazing at the created world in the midst of our busy lives. Gazing helps us attend to the holy that surrounds us in art, nature, and other people. Like other methods of prayer, gazing brings us into a deeper and more intimate relationship with God and opens the possibility of union with our Maker, the ultimate goal of the Christian spiritual life.

-- Jane Vennard


Thanks to Ellie at the Anchorhold.

This prayer is also posted at A Place for Prayer today. Please visit this ministry blog of RevGalBlogPals.

It's a new world!

It's a new world!

I am suddenly newly aware of all the technology that is changing the world (or my world).

Our nephew and his wife announced their decision to break up on Facebook: changing their status designations from "married" to "single." I guess that is the same as someone announcing an engagement or the beginning of labor in having a baby on FB. (I am showing my age.)

By blogging, I am participating in this new way of communication, too. I sometimes think of blogging posts as "notes" I would have written to friends and family. So in shorter and faster ways, communicating via FB or tweeting is the same.

The demise of the written word is occurring, as I have lamented about letter-writing. Others worry about the end of printed books: Tonight my friend Nancy told me that she can sync her Kindle with her i-phone Kindle app and read on her i-phone when her Kindle is left behind.

I will appreciate this technology when MJ is in Spain for the next four months. We will stay in touch through e-mails, Skype calls, FB, and her blog about Spain.

But I will still write her handwritten letters once in a while.

Stirrings

I remember when I was about three years old that I thought it was magical when I stirred a few chocolate chips into my bowl of warm vanilla pudding, it changed color and became chocolate!

Whenever we start to mix something into a liquid, the first stirring does not do much. It takes successive revolutions of the spoon to get things combined. At first, not much happens!

While at Lebh Shomea, I read a book about The Cloud of Unknowing by William Johnston and was struck by a short section about "stirring":

"The true stirring of God does not come through any of the senses, nor does it come from reasoning but from abundance of love welling up in the heart:

"'Look that thy stirrings to silence or to speaking, to fasting or to eating, to oneliness or to company, whether they come from within of abundance of love and devotion in spirit and not from without by windows of they bodily wits, they ears and thine eyes.'" (121)

Johnston, William. The Mysticism of the Cloud of Unknowing. NY: Desclee Co., 1967.

First stirrings of love or happiness may not be noticed, but in awareness these may be discerned earlier; then acted upon sooner.

In more modern language, we might say "nudges." However, I prefer to think of the stirrings, like the ways I began to stir the chocolate chips into the warm pudding.

Saturday Stuff

It is warmer than it has been for days and rain is pouring down, as I yawn and think of going to bed. Instead, I will be self-preoccupied and write bullets about the trivia that is occupying me right now:

• MJ is home after a week of visiting friends at Trinity University in San Antonio. She will leave for Spain on Jan. 24.

• CB and I saw "The King's Speech" yesterday. It was excellent. I learned a lot, while being very impressed with Colin Firth's performance as King George VI.
  

• I am voraciously reading mysteries by Charles Todd, all checked out from the public library. These are about Ian Rutledge, a Scotland Yard inspector who suffers from shell-shock from WWI, while trying to do his job investigating murder cases. I really like the Maisie Dobbs mysteries by Jacqueline Winspear, which are about an exceptional woman who served as a nurse in WWI, whose fiance returned from the war so damaged that he did not recognize anyone. It is interesting that these mysteries are connected to WWI.

• I failed in my month-long commitment to blog about "friends" for NaBloPoMo -- mostly because I did not pre-post enough before I went on my silent retreat at Lebh Shomea.

• It is hard to believe that one week ago I was there and only returned home two days ago. After so much time spent in meditation, I am somewhat surprised that I have been captured again by habits of home, etc.
  

• I have not thought of a "word" for 2011 yet. First it seemed like "friends" would be it, but at Lebh Shomea I started pondering the word "stirrings," which will be a future post.

• I saw many wild animals at Lebh Shomea. For the first time I saw a nilgai, which comes originally from India. On one of the trails, I saw a black object far ahead that I wondered about; it was so still, could it be a tree? As I came closer, something black and as big as a horse moved.

Friday Five: Why to Get Up

Singing Owl brings this wonderful cartoon and the following Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

Where I am it is dark, and it is cold, and it is snowing. I really wanted to stay in bed with the electric blanket cranked this morning. Share five things that made getting out of bed worthwhile for you today!

Even here in south Texas, it is cold. The cold seems worse for us (though it isn't) because we are not used to it. For the past few days the high temperature has stayed in the 40s F. It seemed especially cold while I was in a little dwelling at Lebh Shomea on my retreat, so I really can identify with wanting to stay in the warm bed, with lots of blankets!

Today I left my bed because:
1. It is nice to be home again; I felt like I was sleeping late until 7 am, because at Lebh Shomea they have a contemplative mass at 7 am.

2. Our weekly Renovare Group meets every Friday morning at my house at 8 am. This group, minus some members and added ones, has met weekly since about 1995.

3. Like Terri, I like to see what the Friday Five will be. This is especially true because I had a week with no access to a computer. (There seemed to be A LOT of time at Lebh Shomea.)

It was funny that Singing Owl pre-posted the FF to appear at 5 PM instead of 5 AM, so it was not apparent for awhile. Whenever a FF is late like this, I have a panicky feeling that it might have been MY turn to do it! Then I have to ask myself if this is the third Friday of the month, which is much easier this year because I have a calendar hanging above the computer. (It is one I bought in Alaska this past summer and features the amusing art of Barbara Lavallee.)

4. I was glad to read the morning newspaper, especially with its two pages of comics.

5. Reading the newspaper, I discovered that the film "The King's Speech" has finally reached Corpus Christi; I was not sure the movie would ever be shown here. Maybe we'll see it this afternoon!

P.S. I do not drink coffee, but I still love that cat's attitude!

Jan. Friends: Forever?

One of the characteristics of being an adult child of an alcoholic is extreme loyalty. It has taken me 50 years to realize that friendships do not always last forever. It is hard for me to acknowledge that.

I finally learned this with two different friends who supported and helped me through my years of depression. When I no longer "needed" them as I had become healthier, they disappeared. It hurt, and I could not understand that for a long time.

Oddly, what helped me accept these situations was an email someone sent me about 15 years ago. Like so many things I learned in Al Anon, much of it sounds like platitudes, BUT there is truth hidden in here:

"People come into your life for a reason, a season, or
a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you
will know what to do for each person.

"When someone is in your life for a REASON . . . It is
usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have
come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you
with guidance and support, to aid you physically,
emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a
godsend, and they are! They are there for the reason
you need them to be.

"Then, without any wrong doing on your part, or at an
inconvenient time, this person will say or do something
to bring the relationship to an end.

"Sometimes they die.
Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

"What we must realize is that our need has been met, our
desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you
sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.

"When people come into your life for a SEASON . . .
Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount
of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

"LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; things
you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional
foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the
person, and put what you have learned to use in all
other relationships and areas of your life. It is said
that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant. "

Author Unknown (found here)

Jan. Friends: Walking

I have two regular walking friends, whom I have walked with for over a decade. I will not be walking with them this weekend because I am at Lebh Shomea. (I just pre-posted some messages about friends so I could fulfill my commitment to nablopomo.com.)

My Saturday morning walking friend is Debbie, who is a biology high school teacher. This commitment has kept our friendship growing through 12+ years because we rarely miss a Saturday walk. We meet in the mall and walk for about an hour, which is one of the few times I am ever at the shopping center. We share about our lives, family and God as we walk; she guides me, especially about prayer.

The other walking friend is Katherine, who walks with me on Sunday nights. She generously meets me at my house every week and we walk around my neighborhood. We are both introverts, but talk almost constantly as we walk. Katherine is dealing with her elderly mother with Alzheimers and shares honestly about the joys and struggles this involves. I hope one (or more) of my children will regard me as Katherine sees her mother--as a person living as fully as she can, and NOT someone with lots of SYMPTOMS to be treated!

We all share our backgrounds of 12-step wisdom, as well as desires to grow in God in our daily lives.

Friday Five: Holiday "What Was"

KathrynZJ brings today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

Yes, I know it's January and yes, I know some of us are still on a cool sprint after only a brief respite (if that) from Advent and Christmas BUT... before we move too far along into The Next, I wanted to give us a chance to reflect on What Was.

A couple of staff members and I sat down today and wrote down what worked and didn't work during the Advent and Christmas season. There are quite a few things bearing down on us at the moment so it was a discipline to do it, but ten and a half months from now Future Me is going to LOVE that we made the effort.

And so partly to give us all a record and partly to give us all a chance to reflect on the 2010 Holiday Season now that we are out of it, I ask you this:

1) What food item was one of your favorites this year - a definite keeper?
Holiday Sparklers are our favorite family Christmas cookie, which was my mother's recipe. It is basically a butter cookie rolled into a ball around three chocolate chips, and this year I used Fair Trade chocolate chips!

The new cookie recipe I tried was one I found on the internet, which reminded us of old-fashioned cookies--mincemeat cookies. I tried it because I'd bought a jar of mincemeat, just because my mother always had that at Christmas to make a pie. I did not want to make a pie and so found that new recipe.

2) Was there a meal or party or a gathering that stands out in your mind from this most recent holiday season?
I loved the two vegetarian meals that daughters AE and KA fixed for us on two different evenings. Sweet potato quesadillas were wonderful!

3) Were you involved in a jaw-dropper gift? Were you the giver or recipient or an on-looker?
Getting my tree from all my children was a complete surprise to me. I love it! There's a picture of that in last week's FF.

4) Was there at least one moment where you experienced true worship?
The late Christmas Eve service was glorious, especially with all the music.

5) What is at least one thing you want to make sure you do next year?
Again make my friend Nancy's mother's pie crust recipe so we will have wonderful pies. That's something I did for the first time this year, and it made pie making so much easier and more delicious.

BONUS: What is something you absolutely must remember to do differently... or not at all!
I want to worry less about everyone being happy and take each moment as it comes, without worry.

OR: If you just want to sum it all up in a few words, that will work too.
Be grateful as often as I can, living out of a grateful heart.

Jan. Friends: Acceptance

Friendship is always a way of accepting others for whom they are. However, I am not always as welcoming to myself as I am with others. Having grown up in an alcoholic home, I was raised with unwritten laws of (1) do not talk; (2) do not feel; and (3) do not trust. These "rules" continue to affect me in my life, though I am growing out of them to some degree.

Unfortunately, during times of stress, I revert to old patterns and inevitably judge myself harshly. I am aware that I did this during our Christmas-time with all our children home: when things seemed to be rocky or not idyllic, I periodically would assume it was MY fault. But how can I be in charge of everyone else? Forgetting that the only person I can change is myself, I expected that I could make everyone happy! When that failed to materialize, I took on the blame or responsibility.

This is old, old behavior. So my family and visitors were teaching me lessons I needed to learn (and re-learn)--that feelings arise and disappear and are NOT who I am (or who anyone else is). I am NOT my feelings! I am beloved as I am, not in the future or the past--just as each person is.

What is necessary:

ACCEPT--ALLOW--RESPECT!

Newest picture of Avery

Jan. Friends: Cats

Jan. Friends: Silence

I am looking forward to going on retreat to silent Lebh Shomea in Sarita, TX. I will drive there on Friday (from Corpus Christi).

Words for 2011

To see the word cloud enlarged either click on the image or click here

Thanks to Abbey of the Arts for requesting and compiling words of intention for 2011.

Jan. Friends: Books!

Ever since I learned to read in first grade, books have been my friends. I was thrilled to read the red, blue, etc. fairy tale books because I was better reader than most. . . . So writing about books as friends is a way to bring out the books I've read since Christmas and what I'm currently reading.
The first book I read after Christmas was a fun mystery that I read in a couple days: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. The heroine is 11-year-old Flavia in 1950 England; she is a genius young chemist who adores poisons. Literary allusions abound, and it is an enjoyable read. This is the first in an upcoming series, which will have new volumes released this spring.
The thick book I have almost finished reading is The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. It is not morbid at all and is a historical writing about cancer, with stories interspersed. The author is an oncologist and an excellent writer. It is amazing to see how human knowledge and consciousness grew over the centuries. Since my husband and two daughters were/are trained as chemists, I liked learning that the first chemists concentrated on making dyes, rather than relying on the limited vegetable dyes most people used. I am not a scientist and I have avidly read 400+ pages (though not as quickly as the first book mentioned here).
MJ loaned me a book she read at school, which is by a San Antonio writer--The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. It is full of evocative vignettes of her life growing up in Latina poverty in Chicago and as a wanna-be writer, misunderstood by her father (until she was successful). Although this is the 25th anniversary edition of the book, I had never heard of it (or the author) before, which seems ridiculous living so close to San Antonio.

Amazon.com keeps recommending mysteries by Charles Todd (a mother/son writing team), which feature Inspector Ian Rutledge. I plan to find these at my local library.

My friend Judy (one of my telephone friends) told me yesterday that she loves the author Carol Shields and is re-reading her novel Unless. So "Todd" and "Shields" are authors to look for at the library. . . possible new friends!

And an old friend coming up is The Case for God by Karen Armstong. I will be re-reading it with the Wisdom Class, the book study I facilitate on Tuesday mornings. This will start up again on January 18, after I return from my retreat at Lebh Shomea.

New Year's Word/Resolution

I keep thinking about something a friend told me about New Year's Resolutions--that not many are kept and so she was trying this year to have a WORD and remember it all year. Hers was "NOW."

I like that idea. It reminds me of how people would trek to the desert in the 3rd-5th centuries and ask the Dessert Ammas and Abbas "for a word." This was a word to help them on their spiritual journey, a word to ponder and wrestle with.

I have not chosen a word yet. I was bothered by the phrase "daily diligence," which I saw at Tim's blog yesterday. Does that mean I'm supposed to choose that??

I have not made any resolutions either, except for returning to Weight Watchers yesterday.

Maybe something will arise while I am at Lebh Shomea next week. I am leaving CB and MJ here while I go there on Friday for six days.

Jan. Friends: Telephone

Remember playing with tin cans as phones when we were kids? I doubt that anyone does that anymore.

I have three telephone friends, which is paradoxical as I don't like to make phone calls. These three friends and I have scheduled times to call each week; though we sometimes miss times, we always come back to calling.

That happened today with my friend Judy, who used to live here in Corpus Christi and now lives in Fort Worth. When she moved there, we committed to calling each other once a week. One week I would call, and the next week she called. This was new for both of us, since neither of us were phone callers. But it worked and kept us together as spiritual friends.

A few years ago my best friend from junior high Nancy and I started calling each other on Sunday evenings. She is a school teacher in California and so this time works out best for her. I'll have to write about her someday because we became friends in 7th grade while our parents were stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan.

I am not as consistent with my other telephone friend, Nance. I was much more regular about calling her on my early morning drives to San Antonio starting in 2000 when I was going to Oblate School of Theology for classes. In the past few years, I have not been as regular as I once was.

I have lost touch with other friends here in Corpus Christi, since I do not call them. I guess I need more accountability, which comes from making weekly appointments (for me). It hasn't worked when friends and I have semi-agreed to call once a month--we fizzle out.

Jan. Friends: Best

Since the topic for January at nablopomo.com (National Blog Posting Month) is "Friends," I decided to sign up and participate. This means that for every day in January I am to blog about friends, which may be a little tricky if I spend a week on retreat where I will have no access to computers. I'll just have to plan ahead!

Growing up as an only child and also a military brat who moved every few years, friends have always been very important to me. Tossed into the above mix, I was/am an introvert. That is probably why I had a best friend throughout elementary school and junior high.

The last time I had a best friend was when my children were young. Lisa and I met at a La Leche League meeting when we were pregnant with our first children way back in 1979. We grew into motherhood together and both became La Leche League Leaders. She and I will always be friends, but probably never in daily connection as we were for the first 15 years (1/2 his lifetime) of DC's life. Lisa teaches special ed at a nearby elementary school, so we try to meet once a month for dinner.

She is the closest person in Corpus Christi to my children and me and is more like an "aunt" to them. Of course, she came over to see them all and to meet Avery on December 23. (I also dearly love her three children.)

Lisa and Avery

Year of the Rabbit

Chinese New Year
2011 - The year of the rabbit

THE RABBIT
2011, 1999, 1987, 1975, 1963, 1951

The rabbit’s association with the moon in Chinese mythology has created a sign that is partial to beauty. They are sensitive creatures who place great importance on peace and tranquillity. The rabbit is also the sign that indicates longevity and fortune. They are quietly determined, talented and wildly ambitious. Rabbits are very tactful and can negotiate contracts with alarming clarity. They are pleasant people, kind and considerate to the sensitivities of others, Rabbits know how to take things in their stride without getting overly stressed out. They are well liked for their cool demeanour. And yet, when the going gets tough, the rabbit will make a hasty exit, passing the buck to others. Rabbits are also hypersensitive and overly sentimental. They tend to get moody and have a quiet cunningness under their pleasant veneer. Rabbits may think they are being cautious but in reality, they like to complicate matters, often indulging in the worst case scenario.

The Chinese zodiac signs are determined by the lunar year in which you were born. The Chinese believe the animal ruling one's birth year has a profound influence on personality, and destiny.
The saying is: "This animal hides in your heart."

Years Corresponding to Chinese Zodiac Signs:

Rat	1900	1912	1924	1936	1948	1960	1972	1984	1996	2008	2020
Ox	1901	1913	1925	1937	1949	1961	1973	1985	1997	2009	2021
Tiger	1902	1914	1926	1938	1950	1962	1974	1986	1998	2010	2022
Rabbit	1903	1915	1927	1939	1951	1963	1975	1987	1999	2011	2023
Dragon	1904	1916	1928	1940	1952	1964	1976	1988	2000	2012	2024
Snake	1905	1917	1929	1941	1953	1965	1977	1989	2001	2013	2025
Horse	1906	1918	1930	1942	1954	1966	1978	1990	2002	2014	2026
Sheep	1907	1919	1931	1943	1955	1967	1979	1991	2003	2015	2027
Monkey	1908	1920	1932	1944	1956	1968	1980	1992	2004	2016	2028
Rooster	1909	1921	1933	1945	1957	1969	1981	1993	2005	2017	2029
Dog	1910	1922	1934	1946	1958	1970	1982	1994	2006	2018	2030
Boar	1911	1923	1935	1947	1959	1971	1983	1995	2007	2019	2031

Info found here.