Friday Five: What I Like about Summer in Texas

Floating on Guadalupe River in New Braunfels, TX

Mary Beth brings today Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

What are five things that you REALLY REALLY REALLY like about the current season where you live?  

 Summer where I live is my least favorite time in Texas, but it's the longest "season" here, encompassing more than half the year.

The picture to the right of floating on the Guadalupe River is a dreamed-about activity of most south Texans. Unfortunately, our family did not ever do this with our children, because it was foreign to us coming from Washington State. We also were in the mind frame of only vacationing in Washington, where it is much cooler. I'm sorry that we didn't take our children for this activity, except several times to the Schlitterbahn waterpark in New Braunfels.

Okay, I'll try to think of five things I like about summer here:

1. Hanging clothes on the clothesline that dry very quickly.

2. School vacations, though that will not pertain to me as much with our youngest child MJ graduating from college last month. We won't be waiting around for the kid(s) to be free from school.

3. Less formal commitments for teaching and attending church classes.

4. All the fruit and berries available, especially the cherries!

5. My oldest son DC's birthday and husband CB's birthday in July, at the beginning and end of the month.

**The most anticipated part of our summer is to take a trip to Washington State to visit CB's family and our daughters AE and KA. We are going in August!!**

and, for a bonus:

Something you are looking forward to about another season?

I really look forward to the time when cold fronts will push this far south (to the Gulf of Mexico), because they bring cooler temperatures and less humidity. That usually starts happening in October, which is why September is my most hated month in Texas (I grew up where it was coolish when school started in September and that seems "right.") Then we often have "Washington summer" weather occurring in the winter months here, which is why there are so many "Winter Texans."  

Hot, Hotter, Hottest!

It's still only June, but Corpus Christi, TX has broken its record high temperatures for the past three days. Both on Monday and Tuesday, high temperatures were 105 degrees F.! On Monday, that temperature was 6 degrees hotter than the former record high temperature set. Today was another record, though slightly cooler--101 degrees F.. . . . . Even our dogs do not want to be outside in this heat.

(The heat must be throughout the mid-center of the USA, because my husband just told me that it is forecast to be 101 degrees in Chicago tomorrow!)

About a month ago our mesquite trees were radically trimmed. They shaded our driveway, and so the heat seems more intense without their bountiful greenery. You may recall that a bird made its nest in one of them in the spring; look here and you can see how abundantly green mesquite trees usually are. When I was shocked to see the stunted trees, husband CB blithely told me that they would grow back.

And now we are starting to see some leaves sprouting on those bare branches. Shade will eventually return, though probably not for this summer season.

This reminds me of the scripture I used when I was Lay Director for an Emmaus Walk in July 2001:

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.
They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green;
In the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17: 7-8

I chose those verses because of the extreme Texas heat in the summer, when the Walk was scheduled. Those words remind me that we trust in God, despite what we see or experience. Like those bare mesquite branches pictured above, the future holds growth and renewal--all of which was occurring while I could not see it.

As I have written before, the absence of God is actually the presence of God. Reframing my interpretation of reality changes my outlook. Faith in growth/love/God brings me through the arid landscape to glimpses of greenery, which will continue to increase.

Literally, our mesquite trees are helped by our watering them and their familiar habitat of south Texas--and of course, the bright Texas sunshine! I am grateful for this and even more, for our air conditioning in our home!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And at RevGalPrayer Pals: A Place for Prayer today:

"Above all, trust in the slow work of God.  We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.  We would like to skip the intermediate stages.  We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.  And yet, it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability - and that it may take a very long time.  Above all, trust in the slow work of God, our loving vine-dresser."

- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Prayer

O Lord my God,
Teach my heart this day where and how to see you,
Where and how to find you.

You have made me and remade me,
And you have bestowed on me
All the good things I possess,
And still I do not know you.

I have not yet done that
For which I was made.

Teach me to seek you,
For I cannot seek you
Unless you teach me,
Or find you
Unless you show yourself to me.

Let me seek you in my desire,
Let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving you,
Let me love you when I find you. 

St. Anselm

With thanks to Blue Eyed Ennis.

Spiritual Progress?

Trying God's Patience on Facebook posts wonderfully inspiring and often funny items. Today she shared a quote by Saint Teresa of Avila that tells about our spiritual journeys:

Look!

Remember that MJ got a new camera for her graduation gift from college? She takes superb pictures with it. We all take many pictures of 19 month old Avery, but we think this is one of the cutest ones that MJ took:

Back Home!

I went to Austin to visit granddaughter Avery and her parents DC and AA this past Wednesday. I had a lot of fun with dad DC and Avery while AA worked at her job in downtown Austin. Then on Friday husband CB came and on Saturday youngest daughter MJ arrived. It was a lovely visit.

MJ took many nice pictures, and the one she took of CB and me is the best one we'd had taken together in years!

Avery loves to read!

Avery at the Store

Poem: Green Figs

Green Figs 
 
I want to live like that little fig tree
that sprouted up at the beach last spring
and spread its leaves over the sandy rock.

All summer its stubborn green fruit
(tiny flowers covered with a soft skin)
ripened and grew in the bright salt spray.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good
and Evil was a fig tree, or so it is said,
but this wild figure was a wanton stray.

I need to live like that crooked tree—
solitary, bittersweet, and utterly free—
that knelt down in the hardest winds

but could not be blasted away.
It kept its eye on the far horizon
and brought honey out of the rock.

~~Edward Hirsch (The Living Fire)

Wishy-Washy Decision Making

For the past week I have been indecisive about going to Austin to visit grandbaby Avery and her parents. Husband CB and I had planned to see them this coming weekend, but I kept wondering if I should go up a few days earlier.

Then when I decided to do that, I dithered about taking a Greyhound bus up there. It would take 5 hours, while it usually takes 3 1/2 hours by car.

I was ready to go on an adventure of taking the bus, because it has been 30 years since I've ridden a bus in America. When I was in college and we lived in Oregon, I would often take buses, just as my mother would to visit us in Corvallis, OR when CB was going to graduate school at Oregon State University.

Realizing that I'd have to transfer buses in San Antonio, CB convinced me to drive our car so I would not attempt to carry my suitcase to the other bus. Now we'll both be driving vehicles to Austin and back, which seems a little ridiculous.

I will arrive in Austin at about the same time the bus will, but I'll have the added bonus of having lunch with daughter MJ in San Antonio. I haven't seen her since she returned from Peru last Friday!

So this will be fun.

Seen the moon lately?

Has the moon been up there
All these nights
And I never noticed?

A whole week with my nose
To the ground, to the grind.

And the beloved faithfully
Returning each evening
As the moon.

Where have I been?
Who has abandoned whom?

~ Gregory Orr ~

(How Beautiful the Beloved)

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Friday Five: Dreams

I have just started studying Jung and dreams with a group of friends. I am hearing about lucid dreaming and imagining, which have opened me up to wondering about dreams in general. So how about wondering with me?

If you want some more info about dreams, go and see Bonnie's Friday Five!

1. Everyone dreams: Do you remember your dreams? How often?
I hardly ever remember my dreams, not even thinking when I wake up that I had any! I've heard that intentionality about remembering will help you to recall those dreams. I haven't done that yet.

2. Did you or do you have a recurring dream? Share it, if you'd like.
As a child, I had recurring a dream about huge cylinders rolling in a factory-like-place and then they all letting lose and rolled and rolled towards me. In later life, I attributed that to the fear of war, as my dad was an active Marine, but I don't know if that fits.

As an adult, I periodically have dreamed about being late.

"Let yourself become living poetry."

3.Have you ever had recurring themes or images in dreams? Examples?
I guess I did that above. I am reading about dreams in connection iwth Jung and am wishing I had those symbols in dreams!


I feel like my dreams usually have family members and friends in them, or that's what I vaguely recall.


4. Do you day dream? About what?
Mostly about my family. Sometimes I visualize past events, feeling like I am actually there.

5. What are your dreams/hopes/goals for the future? 
I wish I could live out Rumi's thought:

"Let yourself become living poetry."

Remembering

Until he died in 2002, my dad called me every year on Flag Day to remind me that it was his mother's birthday. I always knew that. When he used to call, I would find it irritating.

Now, in retrospect, I miss him calling to remind me. His irritating habits seem much sweeter to me now as I remember him.

In ten days, it will be my father's birthday. He would have been 89 years old on June 24. Sadly, I don't know how old my grandmother would be today, except that it would be a greater age than one would expect for living.

It is odd how birth dates stay in our memory banks. I always remember my parents' and this one grandparent's birthdays.

After me, who will remember them?

Perhaps they will be thought of at times, but not on these dates. Photos will help jog memories and stories will, too. Maybe I can grow into a better story-teller for my children and future grandchildren.

MJ at Machu Piccu!

MJ at Machu Piccu--June 12, 2012

Dawn at Maccu Pichu, Peru

Dawn at Maccu Pichu, Peru

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daughter MJ has spent the past three days hiking to Maccu Pichu. The fourth morning is Tuesday morning when they will awaken at 4 am to hike into Maccu Pichu and possibly see the sunrise. Weather conditions are not always ideal in the winter there, so it is unclear whether MJ will see such a view as the one pictured above. However, the scene appears, I am sure it will be beautiful and mystical.

MJ returns to TX on Friday, less than a month since she graduated from college. I can hardly wait to hear about her Peruvian adventures and see her pictures, taken with her new camera that was a family graduation gift to her.

Baby book and "reader"

My granddaughter loves babies, so we sent her a book about kissing the baby. Here she is looking at it. We hope to visit her and her parents soon.

Death, Despair, and Love

My cousin Karen died last month, evidently from ALS. She had been in a nursing home in WA State for the past year, with this diagnosis only coming lately. Closer to me is a dear friend, who has steadily grown weaker due to ALS in the past decade. She shares God, laughter, and friendship with me. 

ALS kills, sometimes quickly and other times, more slowly. Someone spoke these words before dying from ALS:

The coin that pays for ecstasy is always stamped despair. One cannot love empathically until one wanders there.

Jane Krainin
Dictated right before she died of ALS

To receive such quotations every day, subscribe to Word for the Day at Gratefulness.org. 

Read!

Friday Five: More Randomness!

 Revkjarla brings today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:


Our FF today is in honor of spontaneous thinking!
So... See what blows in!

1.  What religion/faith besides yours captures your curiousity and why?
It is hard to isolate, because mysticism in all religions interests me. A fun book that nudged me back into active reading and seeking is the mystery entitled The Breath of God: A Novel of Suspense
by Jeffrey Small. It's a good one to read this summer!

2.  What is the first or most memorable pop song you ever learned as a kid? 
The first song I vividly remember is "The Purple People Eater," because the young Marine who drove the bus liked to sing it while he was driving us elementary kids to a base school at Quantico, VA Marine Base in 1958! I was in second grade and loved that. Here, you can read all the lyrics and read about the song's popularity back then: In 1958 "Purple People Eater" was the #1 song in the USA for six weeks!

3.  If God were a color.....(finish this sentence creatively)
If God were a color, he/she would be all colors but seen as a brilliant and shimmering white encompassing all.

4.  If you were going to make a sandwich right now for lunch, and you magically had all the items you need for it, what would that sandwich be?
Homemade bread with fresh tomatoes and lettuce, avocado spread, and sharp cheddar cheese.

5.  How are you doing?  Really, how are you?
I am on a seesaw, trying to remember "all is well," while buffeted by competing voices about the church library--evidently, being in the conundrum that all libraries (and even book stores) are in right now, complicated by the esthetics of the room and what it should/could be. God keeps reminding me to stay in present moment, always as a beginner.

Bonus:  What are you enjoying/loving right now? 
I am enjoying feeling better, even with a dear friend telling me that I am moving like I used to in conversations--so my shoulder is comfortable again. Having rotator cuff surgery at the beginning of January took more of a toll than I realized until now. Also, meds are keeping RA symptoms at bay.

Blessing like Rain

 

by Kristin Noelle

Church Library Drama

That's a good example of what I've been experiencing at church over discussions of use of the church library and painting it WHAT color!

Our church is on a sprucing up campaign for the arrival of our new priest on July 1st. The library seemed so dark that we thought getting it painted would help, which was spurred on by my dear husband CB saying he would do the painting!! I have belatedly learned of various people feeling ownership of the library, which was illustrated by a friend telling me how a pastor she previously worked for explained that changing  (just) a closet around  in a church was difficult because so many people felt it was their business. So the library is bigger and is used for multi-purposes, thus creating more interested parties than with a closet.

For a few weeks we've been offering colors to choose from, going from yellows to greens and now seemingly ending up with a warmish cream vanilla. It won't be as dramatic as some people wished, but will be more amenable to the present furniture available.

When CB painted the ceiling white last Saturday, he also replaced lightbulbs and cleaned light coverings so that on Sunday we were all surprised at how bright the library suddenly seemed! Once we move these two tall bookcases from in front of some windows, more sunlight will come into the room, too.

Just getting rid of the accumulated video tapes and audio cassette tapes gave us more room. Many parishioners took those off of our hands. It is nice to know that they will be appreciated and not thrown away.

With so much reference work done on the internet these days, we are trying to decide which reference books to retain. Most have not been looked at in years. Time for discernment. . . .

Love

"The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them."

 
--Thomas Merton

Who Am I Kidding?

I've been reading two different books by Regina Sara Ryan: Igniting the Inner Life and Praying Dangerously, both of which are also available in Kindle editions.

I've been struck by the questions asked and points to ponder that cause me to pay more attention right now, and here is something I am thinking about today: WHO AM I KIDDING?

Ryan writes:
"'Who am I kidding?' is the form of self-inquiry that my guru teaches. He instructs me to use it regularly, whether I am stuck in feelings of being unappreciated, or when I'm feeling ecstatic, like I just got nominated for a Pulitzer. Wherever the inquiry leads, I am cautioned to keep asking the question about whatever occurs next, as I watch what happens--within the mind, the body, the emotions. Then, I ask the question again." (169)

"Who am I kidding? is meant to cut through the bullshit of self-justification, blame, self-pity, and demand a look at what's really going on. Such is the process of deepening self-knowledge. This practice builds a genuine inner life. Without a foundation of this degree of self-honesty, there is no chance of having genuine compassion for others."  (171)

Ryan, Regina Sara. Igniting the Inner Life. Prescott, AZ: Hohm Press, 2010.


I need to ask myself "Who am I kidding" more often than just today!

Which 4 Words Are Yours?

This graphic has been making the rounds on Facebook. I was really surprised at the accuracy of its four descriptive words about me; perhaps one chooses the words that one likes internally. But the ones I found are:

• naive
• shy
• peaceful
• patient

This was fun, so why don't you quickly look and see which four words you find. List them in the comments!

Cartoon with U. S. Nuns

My friend Judy shared this with me yesterday. This cartoon speaks on different levels. Think about it!

Friday Five: Summer Edition

Kathrynzg brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late for a very important date. . . .but here I am at last!
Here are my five hopes/plans for the summer:

1. Family Vacation: Our family is going to WA State in August. We are so pleased that our children and one grandchild will be with us, especially to see their grandparents (CB's parents) in Bellingham. We will spend one week in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, although not everyone is able to stay the entire week.

2. House Hunting Trip: In mid-July, youngest daughter MJ and I will fly to Salt Lake City to find her a place to rent while going to grad school at the University of Utah. She has to be ready to start in mid-August.

3. Church Library: There is a church-wide cleaning effort in preparation for our new priest's arrival on July 1st. Other volunteers and I have cleaned out the videotapes and audio cassettes, as well as some other items. More is to be done. AND my dear husband CB is going to paint the library for us!

4. Home: Starting to clean out the church library makes me realize that I need to do the same at my house. The starting point will be getting rid of all my audio cassette tapes. I have a big drawer full of cassettes I ordered after retreats and seminars, among many others. Does anyone want some audio cassette tapes?? I'll even mail them to you!

I even saved Raffi tapes from my (now-grown) children's use--for my grandchildren. BUT no one uses old tape players, especially with ipods, etc. around.


5. Texas Heat: I'll stay inside much of the time, even going to an indoor swimming pool at the YWCA to continue my deep water aerobics classes during the weekdays.

Bonus: Right now youngest daughter MJ is in Peru. She will be going to Machu Piccu next week. I wish I could go there, but I'm not physically able to hike in as she and her friends are doing.