Nana

I liked this on pinterest because "Nana" is the name I chose to be called by my granddaughter Avery. It's interesting that in my experience mothers seem to prefer to choose their "grandmother names," but dads do not care so much.

In my immediate family, my mother chose to be called "Grannie" because she had fond memories of that particular grandmother. I wanted to be "Nana" because of the connection to my mother's mother, who was always "Nana" to me. Although the reason she was called "Nana" was more mundane, as my much older cousin George (her first grandchild)  mispronounced "Grandma" and so she became  "Nana."

Avery's other grandmother chose to be called "Mimi," so the grandmothers have gotten their choices. Not sure what the grandpas will turn out to be called, but Avery will figure it out.

Avery and Nana in Friday Harbor, WA

Book(s) Keeper

Unfortunately, this describes me.

Need for Imagination

My friend Daryl forwarded this meditation to me today, for which I am grateful:

"I become more and more certain, as the years go by, that wherever friendship is destroyed, or homes are broken, or precious ties are severed, there is a failure of imagination. Someone is too intent on justifying himself, or herself, never venturing out to imagine the way things seem to the other person. Imagination is shut off and sympathy dies. If we know what it is that makes other people speak or act as they do, if we know it vividly by carefully imagining all that may lie behind it, we might not quarrel. We might understand. Often we could heal the wounds."

(A. Powell Davies, 1902 – 1957)

From All Souls Unitarian Church, New York City. Go here to subscribe and to see the site.

And here is a quote I found on A. Powell Davies' website:

The world is now too dangerous for
anything but the truth, too small
for anything but brotherhood.  

True religion, like our founding
principles, requires that the rights of the
disbeliever be equally acknowledged with
those of the believer. 

Picture from Trip

Jan and Chuck at Boulevard Park in Bellingham, WA, Aug. 4, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finally downloaded pictures from our three-week trip to Washington State. I just finished labeling all the pictures. Whew! Someday I will download the best ones to Facebook for friends and family. But for now, here is one of the few pictures taken of Chuck and me. It was taken at our favorite park in Bellingham to watch the sun set.

Don't EXCUSE-erize!

My friend Joan nudged me back to a Weight Watchers meeting this morning; I am grateful she accompanied me and got me there! (Unfortunately, she left her car parked in front of my house, and got a parking ticket for it pointing in the wrong directions. UH-OH)

Today's meeting subject was entitled "ON YOUR FEET"--about getting up and sitting less. The observation that we often assume that one period of exercise a day means the rest of the time can be spent sitting at a computer, at a desk, in front of a tv set, reading a book. . . . .hit me squarely, as I think that way.

A young man who had lost 83 pounds in the past year shared how he tells himself not to excuse-erize about exercise!

I was struck by the statistics that Weight Watchers compiled in their little handout:

• "Women who sit for six or more hourse a day have a 37% higher risk for early death (men have a 20% higher risk) than those who sit less, regardless of how often they exercise, according to a study from the American Cancer Society.
  

• "Here's what happens when you hit the seat: Electrical activity in the legs slows; calorie burn drops to one per minute; and enzymes that help dissolve fat drop by 90%.

• "After two hours: Good cholesterol (HDL) drops 20%; insulin resistance drops 24%, and risk of diabetes rises."

For a long time, I mistakenly assumed that I was in better health than my husband, just because I am a woman. Now I see that it is MUCH worse for me to be sitting around than it is for him! What a wake up call!

And from here is more to spur me on to move more than my YWCA swim classes, which I do at least four times a week:

"Exercise is the only real fountain of youth that exists," says Jay Olshansky, a professor of medicine and aging researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "It's like the oil and lube job for your car. You don't have to do it, but your car will definitely run better." Study after study has documented the benefits of exercise to improve your mood, mental acuity, balance, muscle mass, and bones. "And the benefits kick in immediately after your first workout," Olshansky adds. Don't worry if you're not a gym rat. Those who see the biggest payoffs are the ones who go from doing nothing to simply walking around the neighborhood or local mall for about 30 minutes a day.

I'd rather read!

By Andrea Josephs

But I look more like this:

From Finland, found here.

And I found both of these charming pictures on Pinterest! You can find my Pinterest page here.

Open wide!

"Open wide the window of our spirits, O Lord, and fill us full of light;
Open wide the door of our hearts,
That we may receive and entertain thee with all our powers of adoration and love. Amen"

~ Christina Rossetti

Grand (or LONG) Finale to Vacation

The first part of our return from Seattle went smoothly yesterday. Getting to Dallas went well but the shorter trip to Corpus Christi was finally changed from air travel to a road trip through thunderstorms.

Soon after arrival at DFW Saturday afternoon, clouds began forming. By the time we boarded our flight to Corpus Christi (which was1 1/2 hours later than scheduled), it was raining. We were the 15th plane in line for take-off when all flights were grounded, so we stayed in that queue for almost three hours:

There are federal laws prohibiting passengers from being stuck on planes on the tarmac for three hours or more. Evidently, the airline is fined a large sum of money for each passenger! And so we were taken back to the gate, where we stood in a long, slow line for hours to change our flight reservations.

As we stood there, we learned that all the flights to Corpus Christi were full until Monday morning! The alternative was to book spaces on a later flight to McAllen (in the Rio Grande Valley) and then rent a car there to drive to Corpus Christi.

Instead, Chuck and I, along with a friend from All Saints Episcopal Church (our home parish), decided to rent a car in Dallas and drive home, which is usually a 7-hour trip. Finally, at 9 pm, we drove out of the DFW Airport in the rain, driving south.

The trip took nine hours, with parts of the time seeming interminable with the heavy rainfall and strong winds. The worst part was the driving rain and rapid lightening flashes in the last two hours of the trip. Poor Chuck did most of the driving, though I drove for two hours so he could sleep. So glad he'd had a little rest before the torrential rains of south Texas, where he was even reduced to driving at 30 mph on the freeway.

It was a welcome relief to reach our house in Corpus Christi at 5:40 am this morning. After greeting our barking dogs, we went to bed and slept for about five hours. (No church today.)

The good news for today was that our checked luggage was at the airport when we returned the rental car. 

It is nice to be home.

My Seattle Grand Dog

Today is Morgan's 4th birthday and we are in Seattle with her today. It is our last day in WA; we fly back to TX early on Saturday morning.

Trip Tidbits

We are still in beautiful Washington State, but I can only post pictures taken from my Ipod, because I do not have the connecting cord for my camera to a computer. Pictures will have to be downloaded next week when we return to TX.

So with no pictures, here are a few highlights:

• First four days were spent in Seattle with friends. That's when I heard the nice story about my dad that I posted below this post.
• As family members started arriving, we all ended up in Bellingham at Chuck's parents' house for a family picnic on Saturday, August 4. How nice to have everyone together, especially Chuck's three siblings and their families.
• On Sunday, August 5, we drove to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, including our four cars on a ferry there. We spent this past week at a big home on a cliff that faced east so we could sometimes see Mount Baker and also various other San Juan islands.
• All our children were with us until Wednesday, when most of them had to take the ferry back to the mainland to get back to their lives. I still feel a lot of happiness when I think of the "together times" that our kids had together, with laughter and talking. Of course, Avery was the star of all!
• Chuck's mom and dad spent a day with us and so did our good friends from Seattle, Terry and Dennis. Their visits added to the enjoyment of being on the island.
• Avery and her parents stayed with us until we left Friday Harbor today. We were glad to babysit Avery for two nights while they went out; it was fun to be with that sweet and feisty little girl!
• Chuck and I will be in Bellingham at his parents' home until Wednesday. We'll see more of his family, plus I am getting re-acquainted with a cousin whom I haven't seen for years. We've gotten to know each other again through our blogs! And we always see long-time friend Nance, who has been my friend since 1969.
• On Wednesday we go back to Seattle for KA's birthday. We'll take her and AE to dinner at a lovely vegetarian restaurant called Carmlita's. We'll be staying with Terry and Dennis, who have opened their home to us for all our visits to WA since our move to TX in 1978.
• There is an expected heat wave in Seattle starting on Wednesday, which will unfortunately prepare us for our return to hot and humid Corpus Christi, TX on Saturday.

A Gift from my Dad

Although my father died in 1992, I received a gift from him via my friend Jennifer. I stayed with her last week in Seattle. She told me how she remembered my dad attending her mother's funeral. He came up to her afterwards and told her that he was there for me; that I could not be there and he'd come in my place.

In all these years, Jennifer had never told me that little story before, plus my father never said anything more to me than he had gone to her mother's funeral.

Since I have no siblings with whom to share memories of my parents, I value my friends' memories. Jennifer was one of my high school friends and so knew my parents. And she gave me a sweet gift of remembrance, for which I am deeply grateful.

The Pilgrim's Creed

My friend Nancy shared The Pilgrim's Creed with me, in preparation for my trip. These phrases show me the way to live on vacation and in everyday life.

• I am not in control.
• I am not in a hurry.
• I walk in faith and hope.
• I greet every one in peace.
• I bring back only what God gives me.

I don't know the source (even though I googled it), but am glad that Nancy brought this to my attention.

Grandpa and Avery

Sent from my Kindle Fire

How Spiritual Disciplines Work

Eknath Eaaswaran wrote:
I once asked my grandmother, “Why shouldn’t we go after pleasant things, Granny? It’s only human. And what’s wrong with wanting to stay away from unpleasant things?” She didn’t argue with me. She just told me to eat an amla fruit.

It was easier said than done. The fruit was so sour that I wanted to spit it out, but she stopped me. “Don’t give up. Keep chewing.” Out of love for her, I did, and the sourness left. The fruit began to taste sweeter and sweeter. “Granny, this is delicious,” I said.

“But you didn’t like it at the outset. You wanted to spit it out.” That is how it is with spiritual disciplines.

by Eknath Easwaran (1910-1999)

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.

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1/10,000th of a Second!

1/10,000 of a second 

When I visited Jan at Happening Here I found this great video of a wombat that is a flash animation of the world and how "we have to get along" with all our neighbors. I went to the website this was from Global Mind Shift and found the link to the above little animated video about time. Since I've been teaching Sunday School lessons about God, cosmos, and evolution again, this quickie trip through time really hit me. So go up and click on the clock and you can see it, too!

And if you go and explore the website, you'll find many more little videos under the category of Memes.

Right Here, Right Now

My view from the shower!

This is the view I see each morning when I shower at our vacation house at Friday Harbor, WA. What a way to spend a week!

Listen

How does part of the world leave the world?

How can wetness leave water?

Don't try to put out a fire by throwing on more fire.

Don't wash a wound with blood.

No matter how fast you run,

your shadow more than keeps up.

Sometimes it's in front.

Only full, overhead sun diminishes your shadow.

But that shadow has been serving you.

What hurts you blesses you.

Darkness is your candle.

Your boundaries are your quest...

You must have shadow and light source both.

Listen, 

and lay your head under the tree of awe...

-- Rumi

The Sound of Silence

 

 

Non-Duality Cartoons

Friday Harbor

Today our family will be arriving at a house in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. We will go from Bellingham, where Chuck and I are from and where his parents still live, to get on a ferry from Anacortes that will take us to Friday Harbor (red dot).

Our four children and their partners, plus one dog (Morgan) and one toddler (Avery), will join us at a house we are renting for one week. It will be nice to be all together!

But whole family togetherness will only last for three days as most of them are leaving on Wednesday because of work and/or limited time. DC and AA will stay on with Avery, as well as a few other friends joining us sometime.

It will be beautiful, even if it rains!

What is the point?

Getting ready to go on this trip to WA, I discovered this hard prayer by Dom Helder Camara on a piece of paper in a book:

Come Lord!
Do not smile and say
you are already with us.
Millions do not know you
and to us who do,
what is the difference?
What is the point
of your presence
if our lives do not alter?
Change our lives, shatter
our complacency.
Make your word
flesh of our flesh,
blood of our blood
and our life's purpose.
Take away the quietness
of a clear conscience.
Press us uncomfortably.
For only thus
that other peace is made,
your peace.

~ Dom Helder Camara

Every Breath

With thanks to Ellie at Meditation Matters.

Oh, to remember this! Especially on vacation--and when busy, busy, busy.

Each breath is a gift of Life.

Visit to King Tut Exhibit in Seattle

Grand Dog

In Seattle I will be seeing and playing with my grand-dog Morgan, AE and KA's beautiful cocker spaniel.  She likes to bark and jump, which adults can accept. I hope she won't scare little Avery. Avery likes dogs though. After she adjusts to all the changes, she will be used to Morgan. So many changes for toddler Avery!

Sit!

"Meditation is not something that you practice for an hour or ten minutes and the rest of the day do your mischief. Meditation is the whole of life and that is the beauty of meditation, it is not something set aside, it covers and enters into all our activities and to all our thoughts and feelings. So it is not something that you practice or give attention to once a day or three times a day or ten times a day and the rest of the day live a life that is shoddy, neurotic, mischievous, violent." 

 -- Krishnamurti 

 

 Thanks to a dear friend, I am (again) renewing my commitment to sitting in silence, meditation or contemplation. There are many names for the same thing! 

Why do I avoid such a beneficial practice? But I do. I forget that sitting even one minute in silence is a surrender to God. 

 

Certainly, I can do that! For my life.