15

In 15 more posts I will have 2,000 posts up on this blog! That is definitely hard to fathom. Does that indicate a time to close this and open a new one? However, I am still "yearning for God."

Also, in 15 days CB and I are leaving for a long driving trip, which means we will be out of our house for over a month. Luckily, a friend is going to stay here, with her grandchildren, and take care of our three dogs and one cat. We are driving north, hoping to avoid forest fires, so that we can visit various national parks, like Canyon de Chelly, Moab, Glacier, and Yellowstone! These will be quick visits, so I hope we will appreciate each breathtaking view and not grow "accustomed" to the splendor and thus miss it.

Vacations as I grew up were always to visit relatives and we practiced that also while our children were growing up, since we lived in TX and our parents lived in WA State. CB's parents still live there, as do daughters AE and KA, so that will be the furthest destination on this trip.

I can point to another 15--as in 15 minutes of meditation. I try to sit in silence for 20 minutes twice a day, but often it is 15 minutes. . . . or even less. It is always good to remember that the important thing is to sit twice a day--even for one minute each time!

If you have any connection to 15 today, let me know in a comment!

Buying Books

Needless to say, I buy too many books. However, today my choice of buying from Amazon.com was confirmed.

I spent about ten minutes in Barnes and Noble this afternoon, waiting for husband CB to call me to pick him up. I cruised the mystery aisle and then decided to look in the fiction, poetry, and biography sections for books by May Sarton, especially after the two affirming comments by Jaliya that included quotes from her writings. There was not even one book of Sarton's anywhere.

Sometime last year our huge Barnes and Noble store was changed in its layout. About one/third of the store is dedicated to children's games and learning aids, probably because there is a large community of home-schoolers in our area. Another large section has cards, journals, and notecards as well as the large "on sale" area. It is disappointing that I can rarely find books I want in the remaining book shelves. Right at the front is large kiosk with a friendly person hawking the Nook, which does sound pretty cool with its new format of color and web-access. (There is also a Starbucks in the middle of the store.)

About 25 years ago I was excited that a Book Stop opened in Corpus Christi. This was a voluminous bookstore that offered discounts to its customers, much like Barnes and Noble still does. It was started by someone from Austin, TX, but it went out of business in the next decade sometime. Then Barnes and Noble moved into its space and eventually built a much larger store.

The only independent bookstore left in Corpus Christi is Rainbow Books, a children's bookstore run by an older ex-school librarian. It is wonderful to go in there and ask for her suggestions and recommendations. She knows about each and every thing she stocks. I have found some surprisingly wonderful little books for my granddaughter Avery there.

Otherwise, I am mostly an Amazon.com book customer. Plus, I am trying to use my public library more often, which is where I am sure I will find books by May Sarton. (They don't stock many theology books though.)

May Sarton

May Sarton
1912-1995

Recently I read two books by May Sarton: The Magnificent Spinster and The Education of Harriet Hatfield. Although I knew the author's name, I had never read any of her books before. I first read The Magnificent Spinster, which is about a woman's life from childhood to her death as written by a former student. This was a woman who remained single all her life, but who had a zest for living that inspired and nurtured many around her. It is what I assume a "novel of manners" is like. It is a good story, without excitement and intrigue.

I coincidentally found The Education of Harriet Hatfield at Half-Price Books. It struck me because it was about a 60 year old woman (which is my age) who opens a bookstore for women after her partner of 30 years died. It is the story of her "growing up." There is more drama in this story than the first one.

Both books give positive attention to lesbian partnerships, which got me interested in finding out more about May Sarton, especially since she was born in 1912. She lived with a partner for 13 years and evidently wrote about their relationship in Honey in the Hive, which I have not yet read.

The Unitarian Universalist Association has an interesting article about her:

"Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing, 1965, is often referred to as Sarton's "coming out" novel and one she admits she could not have written while her parents were alive. With its reissue in 1974, to which Carolyn Heilbrun contributed an important introduction, Sarton's work gained academic recognition, especially by feminist critics. Subsequently her work began to be studied in literature classes and college women's studies programs. Although she appreciated the recognition, Sarton believed that the label "lesbian writer" might limit and distort perception of her work. She wanted to be read as a writer who dealt with themes of universal interest. She had, in fact, already written novels about family and married life. "

What an interesting woman. I am sure libraries have many of her books, as she started writing in the 1930's.

"Rabbit Hole"

Recently, we watched the December 2010 movie "Rabbit Hole." Several friends kept recommending it to me. I really liked it, but my husband did not, though he did stay through to watch the entire movie.

"Rabbit Hole" is a sad and intense movie about two parents whose 4-year-old son died eight months before. Each copes in different ways and seems to lose the way without one another. Their groping towards and away from each other is painful and very realistic. It is a beautiful movie, very well done.

I am still thinking about it. The dvd is available for rental. I recommend it.

Pray for the World

Most loving God, your concern for the poor is unrelenting
- draw our concern into yours;
your compassion for the poor is limitless
- draw our compassion into yours;
as you long for justice, may we also strive for it.
Forgive our doubt, forgive our neglect.
Open our eyes to structures of oppression
and free us from apathy and indifference.
Give us courage to accept our responsibility,
wisdom to chart a sound course amid complexity,
perseverance to finish our work,
and the gift of your Spirit to do what alone we cannot do.
So may we serve to the honor and glory of your Name
and the well being of your beloved people throughout the world.
Amen. By the Rt. Rev. Jeffery Rowthorn.

Good Habits

It was only about five years ago that I had an "aha" moment about habits. Somehow I had always associated the word "habits" with BAD, as in bad habits. Until someone told me that there are good habits, too, I never acknowledged those beneficial actions I regularly did as "habits." Suddenly my eyes (and brain) were opened to a much wider field of actions as movements we engage in. All are choices, not necessarily reactions that move us along, which is really what a bad habit is.

I remember hearing that a habit is formed in three weeks of practicing it. I am not sure of the time table, but know that awareness paired with intentionality is necessary. . . .and patience!


Kat Elton in her book A Resilient Life: Learning to Thrive, not just survive, with rheumatoid arthritis has some good advice about creating good habits:

"Having intentions that you hold close is like planting seeds. Creating your seeds involves letting go of your ego and beginning to reach deeper inside. Paying attention to them every day will allow them to grow. Shouting loudly at them won't make them sprout any faster. You nurture your seeds of intention every day through belief, positive action, and detachment, or letting go of the outcome. As the Buddha said, 'The secret of health for both the mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, not to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present wisely and earnestly.'"

Elton, Kat. A Resilient Life: Learning to Thrive, not just survive, with rheumatoid arthritis. www.KatElton.com, 2010. (324)

Friday Five: Faith and Culture

Today's Friday Five is brought to RevGalBlogPals by Terri:

This week the church I serve is a host site for the University of Michigan, Dearborn, Worldviews Seminar. It's a week long summer education course open to anyone, with continuing ed hours to be earned. It's a survey of the world religions with a morning lecture at the university, led by Lucinda Mosher. Then the group drives over to the church for lunch, a short lecture, and then they board a bus for a tour of local religious buildings. They tour Buddhist temples, an Antiochean Orthodox church, a synagogue, a mosque, and many other area houses of worship.This year is the tenth anniversary of the seminar. In addition to the Worldviews Seminar the congregation I serve is planning to participate in Episcopal Faith Shared and Faith Shared. I am working to have members of local Jewish and Muslim congregations present and participating in our Sunday morning service.

It is oddly synchronistic that Terri posted this FF when the discussion at this morning's Friday Renovare group was about someone's trepidation about a new Methodist minister belonging to the Confessing Church movement. She fears that this is promoting Christian exclusivism. The essential statement of the Confessing Movement with the United Methodist Church is stated as:

We confess:
In accordance with Holy Scripture and with the Holy Spirit’s help, that Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God. Confession of Jesus as the Son is Essential, not a matter of personal opinion.

A statement like that worries me, because the words chosen are limiting and exclusive to a certain segment of people. However, I am not fully informed of this movement and right now am wondering if I even want to know about. I vaguely know it is connected to Dietrich Bonhoffer's Confessing Church movement against the Nazis in Germany.

Since technological advances from telephone lines to internet capabilities have connected us to the wider world, as illustrated by blogging and Facebook, people are more aware of different cultures and religions. That is illuminating but also the instigator of fear, which unfortunately often causes us to retreat into safety or group/tribal exclusive mentality (fundamentalism?).

The opportunity instead is to realize how all people are interrelated and ALL are created and nurtured by One God, who is revealed in many ways. I applaud Terri's church for hosting the Worldviews Seminar and wish I lived closer so I could attend. Being with people different than ourselves opens us to acceptance if we do not stop/retreat the encounters.

I fear the thought of God choosing only a segment of people to love. Such a god could change his/her mind and decide I am not in THE beloved group after all. I believe that God loves all creation--all the world (and universe).

I echo these wise words:
"The whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion, patience, tolerance, humility, forgiveness."
--H.H. the Dalai Lama
(Charter for Compassion)

Thanks to Purple for posting about this issue today and pointing out that hospitality points the way with a quote by Parker Palmer, which you can read here.

Siblings

Being an only child, I have only learned about siblings and their relationships through observation. Best of all, I continue to watch my four children (and two partners) grow in their connections with each other. It warms my heart to see the ways they connect with one another, even with AE and KA living in Seattle, WA and the rest of us living in TX.

For Father's Day, MJ created this Father's Day card for her oldest brother DC, which he shared with me. It is so cute, I am putting it here, as I love how my son is a loving brother, husband, and dad, plus MJ's creativity and thoughtfulness. (This is not to negate my affection and regard for my other children.)

Here you can see that the top picture has DC holding MJ when he was almost 11 years old.

Of course, the bottom picture shows DC as a Daddy, holding Avery and rotund Sampson, our first grand-dog.

What to Eat?

After posting three times yesterday, today I am wondering if anyone wants to know how my health is. . . .I am not sure if many of you ever look at my RA blog, which is mainly where I am questioning RA and sometimes complaining about it. (Sign up for that blog to be emailed to you, if you want regular updates.)

So I am going to copy the post I put there this morning here:
I am still wondering about diet and RA, while being flummoxed by various sites, books, and advertisements. Who to believe? Today I went to Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior's site, where she addresses "Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet: 3 Key Questions."

"She writes in this post:

As I wrote recently, there is no Rheumatoid Arthritis cure. That includes diet. But that is only the beginning of the discussion of RA and diet. We still want to know 3 things**:

1. Can I eat something to make my Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms worse?
2. Can I eat anything to make my Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms better?
3. Despite both of those answers, are there foods or supplements which can fight the effects of the disease?"

Those are definitely the questions I want answered! RA Warrior wrote about this two years ago, and she probably has much more info on her website than I know about yet. A post with lots of info: "Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet: Part 2: Ten Easy Tips."

Going along with these questions is tomorrow's appointment with a naturopath. (Consulting him does not mean I will stop seeing my rheumatologist.) Surprisingly, both my husband and I are having individual appointments. Although Chuck is a PhD. chemist, he has been influenced by an elderly friend whose RA was improved with diet, as described in this fluffy and not-too-scientific book How to Eat Away Arthritis by Lauri M. Aesoph, ND. (I liked The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book by Jessica K. Black, ND much better.)

A healthier diet will improve both Chuck's and my health. He has painful knees due to osteoarthritis and we are both overweight. So there is a lot to learn; at least we are looking and asking!

Martin Laird's NEW book!

Tonight I received this book from the big brown UPS truck. I am very excited to get Martin Laird's second book A Sunlit Absence: Silence, Awareness, and Contemplation. I already have a labeled category for Martin Laird on this blog, because his first book Into the Silent Land was so profound and beautiful. I remember that other bloggers liked this book, too--Robin has 14 posts about Into the Silent Land!

The Guest House (is YOU!)

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

~ Rumi ~

(The Essential Rumi, versions by Coleman Barks)

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My Mother

Jan's mother
(1919-1992)

Yesterday I re-found this picture of my mother that my Canadian cousin Margaret gave me last year. I think it was taken around the time of her high school graduation, but I am not sure.

Letter Writing MEME

I do not write letters like I used to, but all my life I loved writing letters to friends and family. I remember growing up on military bases and seeing my father type a letter to his mother every week. Without easy access to long-distance telephone calls and no concept of internet communication, the only way to communicate for the first 25-35 years of my life was through mailed letters. Through the years, my writing has degenerated to notes I write, except lately when my hands hurt too much from RA.

I was thrilled to find someone who likes letter-writing through RevGalBlogPals: Susan at Fruitful Words. In 2009, she even did a series of posts about letter-writing. In one of these, she had a letter-writing MEME. (Remember when we were all doing meme's back then?) So I decided to do that here!

Answer in the comment section, please, or take these questions and answer them on your blog. Be sure to link back here so I can read your answers.

Tag 4 people and then write one of them a real letter! Let’s inundate the postal service with some “love” mail. Be sure to tell who you sent your letter to and why.

• What was the last letter you wrote? To whom? The occasion? Was it a letter or more of a note?

The last note I wrote was to my two daughters who live in Seattle. (This won't be a surprise for them now!)

• Do you prefer writing with a pen/pencil or with a mechanical device like a Blackberry or computer?

For long letters, I prefer to use Word on the computer. When my hands are not hurting, I like to use a pen on stationery/notecards.

• Do you prefer receiving handwritten letters/notes over email? Or makes no difference, it’s all communication.

It is so rare to receive a handwritten letter that it seems almost silly to say I prefer those. Still, an actual personal note via email is nice.

• Do you save your hand-written letters? Why or why not? Describe a special letter that you’ll never toss.

I save hand-written letters from my children and from special friends. I am glad that I saved a few written by my mother: someone's handwriting brings forth their presence, even after their death.

• What kind of paper do you typically use? Envelope? Stamp? Embellishments?

I like notecards and love to find special cards to send people. I find really good ones on my visits to WA state every summer; there are much better cards sold there than I can find in south TX.

I like to buy pretty stamps, which I often learn about at Letter Writers Alliance.

• What is the most unusual letter you’ve ever sent? Received?

Probably on puzzle pieces.

• What was the last handwritten letter you received? From whom? The occasion? How did it make you feel?

I got a long handwritten letter from a 94-year-old woman who used to attend the Wisdom Class (weekly book study) at our church, but has moved to Houston. I know it is an effort for her to write, and I loved hearing about her life and thoughts. Plus, a handwritten note or letter makes me feel like someone cares enough about me to take the time to write!

• Tag 4 people and then write one of them a real letter! Let’s inundate the postal service with some “love”mail. Be sure to tell who you sent your letter to and why.
• (I think I will be sending out left-over postcards from my trip to Spain, because my hands were hurting too much back in May to write all the ones I'd bought there!)
  

Thank you, Susan, for this!!

Happy Father's Day!

CB and MJ (3 months old)
Feb. 1990

My dad is no longer living, so today I celebrate my dear husband of almost 40 years who continues to be a wonderful father to our four children (and their partners). I am also glad that our oldest child is celebrating his first Father's Day with Avery.

Happy Father's Day!

Prayer for Desert Times

(From here)

The journeys of our lives are never fully charted.
There come, sometimes, to each of us, deserts to cross,
Barren stretches
Where the green edge on the horizon may be our destination,
Or an oasis on our way,
Or a mirage that beckons and will leave us lost.
When fear grips the heart, or despair bows the head,
May be we bend as heart and head lead us down
To touch the ground beneath our feet,
And scoop some sand into our hands,
And receive what the sand would teach us:
It holds the warmth of the sun
When the sun has left our sight,
As it holds the cool of the night when the stars have faded.
And hidden among its grains are tiny seeds, at rest and waiting.
Dormant, yet undefeated. Desert flowers.
They endure.
Moistened by our tears,
And by the rain that comes to end even the longest drought,
They send down roots, and they bloom.

Oh, may we believe in those seeds,
And the seeds within us.
May we remember in our dry seasons
That we, too, are desert flowers.

Amen.

- Margaret
Keip

From March 2, 2008.

Friday Five: Stairway of Surprise

I am currently reading a book entitled Stairway of Surprise: Six Steps to a Creative Life by Michael Lipson. His premise is a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "I shall mount to paradise by the stairway of surprise." Lipson's book is about practicing or developing six inner functions--thinking, doing, feeling, loving, opening, and thanking.

So these categories of attention are a jumping off point for today's Friday Five:

Pick five of the six actions and write about how you are practicing them today or recently. For a bonus, write about the sixth one you originally didn't choose!

What or how are you

1. thinking?
I am thinking a lot about my former spiritual director, who recently moved back to Florida. She emailed me that I stay too much in my head. When I asked some others about this, they agreed--all because I read so much! (I would rather read than watch tv.)

This spiritual director says that the straight gate and narrow way is the distance between one's head to one's heart. All I can counter with is that I continue to have a strong yearning for God and sit in quiet prayer/meditation at least twice a day.

2. doing?
Since receiving the diagnosis of RA, I joined the YWCA and go to one or two water exercise classes every day, except Sunday. It has gotten too hot to walk outside, even though it is not officially summer. (It's in the mid to upper 90s F. every day, with lows at almost 80 degrees F.)

3. feeling?
I alternate between feeling pretty good, thanks to the prednisone, and feeling exhausted due to the RA. I know the water exercise is helping me.

4. loving?
I experience love in my family, in the Wisdom Class and Lectio Divina group each week, and growing openness and acceptance at my church, All Saints Episcopal Church.

5. opening?
It feels like way is being opened, somehow with the diagnosis of RA and continued meditati0n. I'm in the entryway going towards some light. . . .


6. thanking?
Gratitude keeps growing in my life. I always seem to thank God for my warm shower at the beginning of each day--or after the times at the pool. I thank God for friends and family.

Smiles!

Avery and her mommy

I think both AA and Avery look beautiful in this picture taken by son DC!

Have you meditated today?

What Maisie says today

You may (or may not) recall that Maisie is our 1 1/2 Year old Lab mix dog who was left in our backyard the day after Christmas 2009. She loves to bark!

Hell

I believe that we make our own Heaven or Hell for ourselves here on earth. To have faith long ago, I had to give up the idea of the reward of Heaven or punishment of Hell, because I kept second-guessing myself, asking: "Do I believe only for the promised end?"

I was helped greatly by Father Kelly Nemeck, founder of Lebh Shomea, House of Prayer, retreat center in Sarita, TX, who spoke once about Hell in 2000. He said he did not believe in Hell, but even if it does exist in physical space, it is empty! Father Kelly is a contemplative, a spiritual director, an author of many books, and someone I admire greatly.

In classes at Oblate School of Theology, I learned that some scholars believe that Jesus referred to Gehenna for the place we interpret as "Hell." Gehenna was the garbage dump for ancient Jerusalem; the refuse was constantly burning. Poor people lived around the areas, trying to find means to live.

I have friends who fear the prospect of Hell. And so I was struck by Ken Wilber's words in his book about his wife's cancer and eventual death, Grace and Grit: Spirituality and Healing in the Life and Death of Treya Killam Wilber:

(this is a conversation between Treya and Ken)

Treya: "And you're saying that not just the eastern mystics but also the Western mystics actually define sin and Hell as being due to the separate self?"

Ken: "The separate self and its loveless grasping, desiring, avoiding--yes, definitely. It's true that the equation of Hell or samsara with the separate self is strongly emphasized in the East, particularly in Hinduism and Buddhism. But you find an essentially similar theme in the writings of the Catholic, Gnostic, Quaker, Kabbalistic, and Islamic mystics. My favorite is from the remarkable William Law, an 18th-century Christian mystic from England; I'll read it to you:

'See here the whole truth in short. All sin, death, damnation, and hell is nothing else but this kingdom of self, or the various operations of self-love, self-esteem, and self-seeking which separate the soul from God and end in eternal death and hell.'
~~William Law

"Or remember the great Islamic mystic Jalaluddin Rumi's famous saying:

'If you have not seen the devil, look at your own self.'
~~Rumi

"Or the Sufi Abi 'l-Khayr:

'There is no Hell but selfhood, no Paradise but selflessness.'
~~Abi 'l-Khayr

"This is also behind the Christians mystics' assertion that, as the Theologia Germanica put it, nothing burns in Hell but self-will." (85-86)

The Question

Too often I get stumped with the question, "WHY is this happening??" WHY do I have RA?

(WHY not?)

INSTEAD, for peace of mind, I must change the question to

WHO IS WITH ME?

Or even WHAT is with me?

God/Love is with me, always and forever.

When I am stuck on the WHY question, I forget that and only look at me in a grandiose and/or pitiful way. That certainly narrows my viewpoint and constricts my heart.

God/Love is with me (and you), always and forever.

An Amazing Woman

If you like to read biographies, I have one to suggest to you: James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon by Julie Phillips. I spent this weekend reading about this amazing woman I had never heard of until I looked at someone's list of recommended books to read and found science fiction selections by James Tiptree, Jr., whom I had never heard of until then!

Alice Bradley Sheldon
1915-1987

"Unsure what to do with her new degrees and her new/old careers, Sheldon began to write science fiction. She adopted the pseudonym of James Tiptree Jr. in 1967. The name 'Tiptree' came from a branded jar of marmalade, and the 'Jr.' was her husband's idea. In an interview, she said: 'A male name seemed like good camouflage. I had the feeling that a man would slip by less observed. I've had too many experiences in my life of being the first woman in some damned occupation.'

"The pseudonym was successfully maintained until the late 1970s. This is partly due to the fact that though it was widely known that 'Tiptree' was a pseudonym, it was generally understood that its use was intended to protect the professional reputation of an intelligence community official. Readers, editors and correspondents were permitted to assume gender, and generally, but not invariably, they assumed 'male.' There was speculation, based partially on the themes in her stories, that Tiptree might be female.

"'Tiptree' never made any public appearances, but she did correspond regularly with fans and other science fiction authors through the mail. When asked for biographical details, Tiptree/Sheldon was forthcoming in everything but gender. Many of the details given above (the Air Force career, the Ph.D.) were mentioned in letters 'Tiptree' wrote, and also appeared in official author biographies."

For ten years (1967-1977), Tiptree was a prolific science fiction author and writer of letters. That was the time that we graduated from high school and went to college and graduate school. I do not remember anything about her dramatic unveiling as a woman, even though at the time I was reading such magazines as "Saturday Review" and "The New Yorker." However, I was not interested in science fiction.

Have you ever heard of James Tiptree, Jr.? Or read any books by him/her?

I found a review of one of Tiptree's books, which also has a link to the book The Women Men Don't See. This review makes me want to read it.

Spoon Theory

This cutesy image goes along with a blog called But You Don't Look Sick.Com, which perfectly describes how I appear to most people these days, even myself when I'm under the influence of prednisone. More pointedly, the girl with the spoon is emphasizing The Spoon Theory by Christine Miserandino. I wrote about this on my RA blog, which I hope you will look at sometime.

I think the Spoon Theory applies to anyone who is under stress, ill, or depressed. The story narrator explains to a friend how fatigued she becomes, because she is given daily a certain number of spoons. If she uses the spoons for too many activities, she runs out of spoons and thus has no more energy.

It is a simple story, but illustrates how energy is easily used up when it is not replenished. (That reminds me of the 12 Step acronym HALT--Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired--If you are experiencing any of these, you should pay attention and take care of yourself!)

Go and read The Spoon Theory.

Friday Five: Memories of Discoveries

By Austin Kleon of Austin, TX

Dorcas brought today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

Share with us today about five memorable moments of insight, discovery, awareness--from childhood or later, something you experienced or something you shared with someone else.

1. Reading: I remember being in first grade, standing in front of the room, feeling terrified that I did not know how to spell "jump." But I tried to write it on the board, and did!! I also remember my first reading word in a big Sally, Dick and Jane book: "LOOK." So exciting to be able to read!

2. Blogging: In May 2006, I was surprised to find a friend I had lost touch with had a blog--Katherine at Meaning and Authenticity. Until then, I had not known of or entered into the blogging world of the internet. This was a discovery and ensuing experience that brought new friends far and wide into my world. It has opened me to new ideas, self-reflection and knowledge, plus laughter, sadness, and connection. AND Katherine brought me into RevGalBlogPals!

3. Babies: Having a first grandbaby, Avery, is showing me how much and how quickly a baby learns about life--in a more leisurely fashion than with my own four children. Every baby/child is a miracle!

Avery, 6 months old

4. God's Love: An experience that stays with me was the overwhelming Love that washed over me during an Easter service in 1999 when I was continuing to struggle with depression and suicidal ideation. The story is here. That assurance is in me and always will be.

5. Risks: I especially recall my second child, AE, being in kindergarten. For the Christmas program, her teacher taught her to play a song on the autoharp or zither. AE was frightened, and if her teacher had not insisted, I would have let her quit. Instead, she played in front of all those families and did so well! I am so glad I did not instill more fear in her. We both learned to accept challenges more readily than the fear of failure.

CHRONIC + New Blog!

After worrying about this post appearing too self-pitying, I decided to start another blog dedicated to what I learn and experience about rheumatoid arthritis: RA: Ready for Action which may only be read by me!

"Chronic refers to something that continues or persists over an extended period of time. A chronic condition is usually long-lasting and does not easily or quickly go away." (MedLine Plus)

Over the years, I slowly accepted the fact that I would always need to be treated for clinical depression. Until today, I never applied the word "chronic" to this illness. It seems to have gone away due to my daily medication. Better coping strategies and especially daily meditation also help.

I have not come to a full realization that my new diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease. Just as it took me several years to accept that I had an aspect of myself depressed, but NOT my entire being, so eventually I will come to know that I must live with rheumatoid arthritis, whether it is mostly under control or not. Like right now, the pain is predominantly eliminated with prednisone, but deeply interior fatigue suddenly plagues me at inopportune moments.

I found this blog called Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy who has a 60-second Guide to RA, which I have posted on RA: Ready for Action, because I will only copy the part about fatigue here.

	When rheumatoid arthritis is active, a person can easily become extremely tired. Actually – it surpasses mere tiredness and rises to the level of fatigue. This constant lack of energy can be one of the most limiting aspects of life with RA. Quite often, a person’s level of daily activity must be reduced and periods of sleep and rest must be increased.

RA is a chronic auto-immune disease. I have it. Will I have chronic symptoms? Especially the fatigue?

Drink WATER!

Drinking water is important; we all know that. I rarely served juice to my children when they were young--instead, they got water. As adults, they are better about drinking water than I am, as I have had an addiction to the old diet soda TAB. With the pain I have been experiencing in my joints since December, I finally cut back on TAB and returned to drinking tap water.

This afternoon I realized I was very thirsty, but didn't want to get up off the couch where I was resting. (I was immersed in water twice today--morning and afternoon water aerobics classes at the YWCA.) The thirst (Psalm 42:2a: "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God") kept increasing until I got up to get water and then came to the computer.

I remembered hearing somewhere that one's body desperately needs water when one is feeling the thirst. So I looked up "need for water" on Google and found this:

"Some experts believe you can estimate the amount of water you need by taking your weight in pounds and dividing that number in half. That give you the number of ounces you may want to drink each day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you might want to drink at least 80 ounces of water or other fluids per day.

"If you exercise, you should drink another eight ounce glass of water for every 20 minutes you are active. If you drink alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water. When you are traveling on an airplane, it may be good to drink eight ounces of water for every hour you are on board the plane. If you live in an arid climate, you should add another two servings per day. As you can see, your daily need for water can can change from day to day."

• This water calculator can help you determine how much water you need to drink each day.

I visited the water calculator site and learned that today I should drink 110 ounces of water today, or 3.3 liters. That would equal 14 cups of water! (But I've already drunk about 10 cups, so that will be easy.)

Even better information about water can be found here:

"Athletes need to stay hydrated for optimal performance. Many athletes drink when they are thirsty and fail to hydrate before they become dehydrated. Thirst is a biological indicator of dehydration; however, dehydration has already occurred when an athlete becomes thirsty. Even a small drop in body fluids (1% of body weight, or 1.5 pounds in a 150 pound person) can impair performance."

Everyone is seeking God

All that is sweet, delightful, and amiable in this world, in the serenity of the air, the fineness of seasons, the joy of light, the melody of sounds, the beauty of colors, the fragrancy of smells, the splendor of precious stones, is nothing else but Heaven breaking through the veil of this world, manifesting itself in such a degree and darting forth in such variety so much of its own nature.
– William Law

The great Hindu scriptures say that God is absolute truth, absolute joy, absolute beauty. Any scientist who is seeking the absolute truth, as Einstein did, is seeking God. Anyone seeking absolute joy, whether in a tavern or in the shopping mall or in Monte Carlo, is seeking God. And anyone who is seeking absolute beauty – on a canvas or a stage or a mountaintop – is seeking God. What lovers of beauty seek in paintings, in sculpture, in dance, in music is just a reflection of the absolute beauty that is God. The real source of all beauty is God, the Beloved.

So, there is nobody who is not seeking God. The scientist in his lab, the gambler at the casino, the artist in her studio: all are seeking God. We are all lovers, restlessly searching for the Beloved, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Face behind the veil.

~~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.

2 minute reminder to live NOW

The two minutes it takes are worth the time to watch this!

Thanks to Cynthia at Reverend Mom.

Tuesday Trivia

For the first time in four years, I do not have two classes on Tuesdays. EFM is over, so there is only the Wisdom Class (book study) on Tuesday mornings. I thought I'd have a lot of extra time without EFM, but I am filling up mornings and some afternoons with water aerobics classes at the YWCA.

Today I went to two water exercise classes; tonight I am tired. It is good that it is almost time to go to bed. The annoying thing is that I still have one ear plugged with water from this morning's time in the deep end.

For whatever reason, I have had several days without my hands hurting. On Sunday I was finally able to write some notes to friends. (I never seem to write letters anymore.) Some of the positive steps I have taken in the past month or two:

1. reducing intake of artificial sweeteners
2. taking salmon oil capsules
3. started methotextrate last Wednesday (1 X a week)
   
4. getting more exercise regularly
5. eating cherries, an anti-inflammatory food
6. meditating 2 or more times a day

Husband CB has been taking salmon oil capsules daily for several years. In this time, his blood pressure and cholesterol readings have gone down significantly. Supposedly, salmon oil benefits one's joints, too.

And here is the Wisdom Class meditation today from Richard Rohr's newest book, Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life:

“True religion is always a deep intuition that we are already participating in something very good, in spite of our best efforts to deny it or avoid it. In fact, the best of modern theology is revealing a strong ‘turn toward participation,’ as opposed to religion as mere observation, affirmation, moralism, or group belonging. There is nothing to join, only something to recognize, suffer, and enjoy as a participant. You are already in the eternal flow that Christians would call the divine life of the Trinity.”

Richard Rohr

Falling Upward, pp. x-xi

Have a good Tuesday!

Our Real Work

THE REAL WORK

It may be that when we no longer know what to do
we have come to our real work.

and that when we no longer know which way to go
we have come to our real journey.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.

The impeded stream is the one that sings.

~Wendell Berry

from here

Look!

Stop. Look. Listen

From here.

Smiling grandbaby!

Today we met at MJ's new apartment in San Antonio to move her in. Avery came with her parents to bring MJ a couch and chair with an ottoman. And here is a picture Avery's dad took with his I-phone of me holding Avery. I took pictures myself, but haven't even looked at them yet.

Universal Golden Rule

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'u'llah, Gleanings

Buddhism

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

Christianity

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

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, Analects 15.23

Hinduism

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

Mahabharata 5:1517

Islam

Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself.

The Prophet Muhammad, Hadith

Jainism

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

Mahavira, Sutrakritanga 1.11.33

Judaism

What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary. Go and learn it.

Hillel, Talmud, Shabbath 31a

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, p.1299

Taoism

Regard your neighbour's gain as your own gain and your neighbour's loss as your own loss.

Lao Tzu, T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien,

213-218

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

This original English version was prepared by Paul McKenna and found here.

Friday Five: Summer Reruns

Songbird brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

It's that time of year when the only new things on television are music/dance competitions (the 21st century answer to variety shows?). Yes, it's the season of reruns.

In honor of this annual Time Warp, please share five things worth a repeat. These could be books, movies, CDs, recipes, vacations, or even TV shows.

1. Blogging
I've been blogging since 2006, probably with less enthusiasm in the past year. Friends I first made in the blog-0-sphere are not posting as much either. So I am considering bringing back posts I really liked, as they will be "new."

Yesterday friends were talking about similarities between religions, and I remember once posting various renderings of the Golden Rule from other faiths--so that will be reappearing soon.

2. Family Vacations
As our four kids grew up in Texas with both our families living in Washington State, we always went back there each summer to visit. Going in July/August was always refreshing because of the cool, temperate weather in the NW in contrast to the high heat and humidity of Gulf Coast TX. My children grew up playing outside in those Bellingham and Seattle parks, which brought them creeks, hills, rocks and different terrain to roam upon.

This year CB and I are taking a month-long driving trip to visit National Parks, go to Calgary, through Banff and the Rocky Mountains to the west coast of Canada and then to Bellingham, WA for CB's family who still lives there and to Seattle, WA where our daughters AE and KA live.

3. Books
Although I am often reading, the summer time seems to give permission to read more popular and light books, especially mysteries! A friend just recommended Cleopatra to me, so I will read that soon.

I am tempted to re-read the seven Harry Potter books, with the last movie coming out, but I don't really want that huge time commitment. I have already read them all 3-4 different times! With my Spain trip, I read A Discovery of Witches twice! Books are fun to re-read, and some summer I want to commit to re-reading the classics I read as an English major in college.

4. TV Reruns
I don't watch tv too much during the regular year. Perhaps I can watch reruns of shows I hear about, though I do not like the reality or contest-type shows. Sharon recommended "Dangers" to check out through Netflix, so I plan to do that.

5. Health Renewal
Eating and exercising are a priority to become lifestyle changes this summer. The advent of rheumatoid arthritis and various meds spur me on to "choose health" more than I have in recent years. I am dismayed that prednisone hinders weight loss; I am trying to remember that the process is more important than the result. (But I want some results! Walking and swimming everyday are healthy activities. . .)

Tired of being tired

I'm just being whiny.

Safely Home!

Last night our youngest daughter MJ arrived home from Spain! She was living in Granada for the past five months. It is wonderful to have her home, and Maisie greeted her with greater excitement than anyone else!

Cisco, Maisie, and MJ

Cisco, MJ, and Maisie

MJ and boy friend CM,
who drove from San Antonio to meet her with us
at the Corpus Christi Airport.