Las Cruces, New Mexico

On our trip, we followed Marfa and Fort Davis, TX with a stop in Las Cruces, NM to meet Sherry, a long time blogging friend.

Before meeting them at their new home, we walked around old Mesilla, NM, which began around 1848 and was the location for Billie the Kid's trial. It was fun to look in little shops and walk around the plaza. I took some pictures of doorways, reminding me of my friend Nancy doing this when we came to NM to celebrate our 55th birthdays.

It was fun to find a little bookstore packed with books, where I had to purchase a book, of course. I decided that I would purchase a book at every independent bookstore we visited. This time I found one that I probably would never have found anywhere else, entitled The Anthropology of Turquoise: Reflections on Desert, Sea, Stone, and Sky by Ellen Maloy, who is an artist/naturalist. Her essays on nature, beauty and color from her travels around the southwest are lovely.

Mesilla Bookstore

I loved the store's decorations and its unique ceiling.

Further along our walk, I found a small church store, the Basilica of San Albino Gift Shop, where I found a unique nativity scene, which remains in the box they put it in when I purchased it. We took pictures of its entryway with the statue of Mary.

If you go to the link for the gift shop, you will see pictures of some of the items they sell, which range from the usual Roman Catholic gift shop products to works of local artists. Quite lovely.

Chuck took a picture of me there, which shows a nice smile but also the bulges that I have gained in the past months, especially on this most recent trip.








Then we had a nice visit with our new friends, followed by dinner they treated us with at a Mexican restaurant. They also took a really nice picture of Chuck and me.

Chuck and Jan

What a good beginning to our vacation!

Friday Five: Trips

Last week and this week, I am driving long distances in Texas, first to Houston and today to Austin from Corpus Christi: both times to meet relatives from Canada flying here. This makes me think of trips taken in my life: vacation, moving, visiting relatives, visiting friends, seeking a new home, going away to school, and probably many more.

For today’s Friday Five, tell about five different trips you have made in your life due to different reasons, modes of travel, or whatever category you choose! 

1. The most recent trip was getting my cousin Margaret at the airport in Houston. There were also multiple trips in our two days in Houston--to various restaurants, to the museums, and our return to Corpus Christi, where the GPS saved me. I got lost a few times, but the GPS "recalculated" and eventually got me to the desired location.

2. In 1964, my parents and I returned to the USA after living on a Navy base in Japan for the previous three years on a ship. It was a Navy ship that seemed nice to me; it had a theater. As I recall, I slept on the top bunk while my mother slept on the bottom, and I cannot remember if my father was in the same cabin or a different one! I remember the booming of the ship as it slapped down into the water during a storm, which was scary. Every day for the eleven days on board, I wrote a long letter to my best friend Nancy. When we reached San Francisco, I mailed all those letters as soon as I arrived. She told me that her father called her to tell her that he'd gotten the mail at his office, and she biked there to retrieve them all.

3.  In 1974 (only ten years later!), Chuck and I drove from Virginia to Oregon, where he was going to start graduate school at Oregon State University in Corvallis. He drove a U-Haul truck while I drove our blue Datsun 510. At some point, we got separated, and I grew fearful that we had lost each other so I speeded up. I arrived at a pre-determined motel, called my parents, the police, etc. on a pay-phone. (No cell phones!) One operator told me that their had been an accident with a U-Haul truck, so I was very frightened. But Chuck showed up, asking me how I ever could have thought that the U-Haul truck could be faster than our car!

4. When I was growing up, we only visited relatives when my father was transferred to a new military base and we were moving. I remember moving from Quantico, VA to Camp Pendleton, CA in the summer of 1958. I had heart-shaped ash-trays made out of Play-Dough to give to my grandparents we visited in Arkansas on the way. They were safely sitting in the sunlight of the rear window sill of the car.

5. My mother told me how she and I flew on a propeller plane to Seattle when I was a small girl. She said it was very turbulent weather, and the plane was deathly quiet. The only voice heard was hers as she continued to read me stories.

Friday Five: Theme-Less!

RevKarla brings todays RevGalBlogPals' Friday Five:

Happy Friday to you!  I don’t have a theme this week, but just a variety of questions for your writing pleasure…

1) How are you?  What’s taking up your mind-heart space these days?
I am happy that we just got home from five days of being away. The first two days we took care of our three-year-old granddaughter Avery, who was sick with ear infections. Her mom had to go back to work, so we were glad to come and help out. Avery's other grandmother Mimi helped before and after us. DC and AE have the only grandchildren in both our families, so we retired folk are eager to be there with the little girls.

I am also happy to come home to a FF! There is more for me to write about, which I will do in later posts. Please come back!

2) It’s St. Patrick’s Day on Monday~~will you celebrate or give a nod to it?
I forgot it was Saint Patrick's Day on Monday. I usually observe it by wearing green, which is conveniently my favorite color. I know I am influenced from my former days as an elementary school teacher, plus having children of my own, where you would be pinched if you didn't wear green.

3) My colleague is a voracious morning reader of blogs, online news, articles, etc.  What, besides RevGalBlogPals, do you look at frequently, if not daily?
On my Iphone and Ipad, I look every day at Zite, which collects articles according to my chosen topics' preferences. I only click on the ones I feel like reading. Topics can be deleted or added to.

4) I got nothin’ here.  This is a free for all.  Just tell us something!
Blogging--I don't know why I have suddenly decided to blog daily again. I have a new commitment to this blog and those that subscribe to it.  It probably started with my recent trip to Lebh Shomea.

5) Use these words in a sentence or two:    map, magazine, sing, baby sloth, knit, penguin, love, weep, mountain, and messenger bag.
(So glad you said "a sentence or two"!)
The penguin carried a messenger bag that contained a map and a magazine to take on his trip up the mountain. He soon came upon a weeping baby sloth, whom he loved, so he sang to the baby sloth.

An Excellence to be Ignored or Lost?

When I was at Lebh Shomea House of Prayer last week, I consulted their card catalog frequently. At the same time, there was a young man sequestered in a small anteroom, who was using a laptop computer to list (catalog?) the books in the entire library, which spans the entire first floor of the former Sarita Kenedy mansion.

I looked up the sub-category "Death" and found many resources in books and periodicals. It was impressive to find specific articles in both books and magazines pertaining to this subject, especially theologically. In old issues of Parabola,  which are bound by years 1976-2006, I found decades-old articles about death by both David Steindl-Rast and Cynthia Bourgeault, favorite authors of mine.

I realize "actual" card catalogs in libraries are disappearing for the ease of computer access. However, through using the card catalog at Lebh Shomea, I realized the scholarship and thoroughness of Father Kelly, who maintained the library for the past 40 years. The third floor of the mansion has shelves of bound periodicals, all of which have had their individual articles cataloged. This is amazing!

Of course, what will happen to bound periodicals (AND libraries in general)? For years one of the core members of Lebh Shomea, Sister Maria Meister, bound books and periodicals with a special machine. As indicated by the years of bound Parabola magazines, she bound items at least from 1976-2006. Since she succumbed to Alzheimers, no more items have been bound and the machine stands ignored in a storeroom.

Will all this be ignored and discarded?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Perhaps this goes along with a book (surprisingly, still in print) that I was directed to while there:

Japanese Death Poems: Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death. Ed. Yoil Hoffmann. Rutland, Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle, Co. 1986.

It was an old tradition for Japanese Zen monks and haiku poets to write poems on their deathbeds. 

“In Japan, as elsewhere in the world, it has become customary to write a will in preparation for one’s death. But Japanese culture is probably the only one in the world in which, in addition to leaving a will, a tradition of writing a ‘farewell poem to life’ (jisei) took root and became widespread.” (27)

They are unique and interesting. Here are a few I particularly liked and copied down at Lebh Shomea:

Dairin Soto (died Jan. 27, 1568, age 89)

My whole life long I’ve sharpened my sword

And now, face to face with death

I unsheath it, and lo--

The blade is broken--Alas! (94)

Kozan Ichikyo (died Feb. 12, 1360, age 77)

Empty-handed I entered the world

Barefoot I leave it.

My coming, my going--

Two simple happenings

That got entangled. (108)

Friday Five: Favorites

Just getting back from four days of silence, I am suddenly thrust back into the world. Wrestling with choices and seeing elderly decline in others, I am flummoxed about a Friday Five–so think of a favorite off the top of your head for:

1. food--salmon! Being from the Pacific Northwest, I love salmon. My husband Chuck grills the best salmon in the world--much better than in restaurants in WA, OR, and here in TX! He wraps it in aluminum foil, first spreading melted butter, lemon juice and dill weed on it. Yummy!

2. drink--I like HOT tea when it's cold, so here in south TX, that's only in the winter. Visiting colder climates, it is wonderful to drink hot tea. Last year I discovered Harney and Sons Tea Blenders and really like their special Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea when it is cold.

3. animal--Dogs! Although cats seem to like me more than I like them. Visiting a friend today, her cat kept kneading my arm and purring--leaving scratch marks under my sweater!

4. color--Green! We have three rooms in our house painted green, one wallpapered with green leaves, and green carpet in four rooms!

5. time of day--Cool, quiet mornings, especially when no one else is awake.

Bonus: Any favorite you haven’t mentioned above that you want to bring up!

Writing and receiving letters, cards, and/or postcards--snail mail!! And I just received a nice note from former blogger Catherine.

Off to Lebh Shomea

 Will the doves still be at Lebh Shomea?

I am driving to Sandia, Texas today to spend the next five days at Lebh Shomea, House of Prayer, retreat center. I have been going there since the mid-1990's and am sad to learn that Fr. Kelly Nemeck is no longer one of the directors there. I will miss his presence. He has been ill and has retired to a residence in San Antonio.

I hope that I will be able to write in the silence and absence from distractions like the internet.

Friday Five: Love!

RevKarla brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

Happy Valentine’s Day!  I know that some (a lot) of you are digging out from snow and ice and lack of electricity.  We feel for you, and love you!     Some of you have a love-hate relationship with Valentine’s Day.  ‘Nuff said.     I happen to enjoy Valentine’s Day in spite of having exactly one date ever on VD (before I was married).   I love celebrating Love!   So, all that is to say is that our Friday Five is to tell us about five random things that you love.

I could fill up each of the five loves with all my children, grandchildren, husband, and friends I love. Instead, I will try to branch out to other aspects of my life.

1. Cards and Mail: I love to buy and send cards. (I also love to receive them, which is sadly a rare event for me.) Whenever I visit somewhere new, I have to look at card shops, as there aren't many "different" cards offered in Corpus Christi for sale. This month, I am participating in A Month of Letters Challenge for the month of February.

Recipe Here

I love to send Valentines, maybe because of being a former elementary school teacher back in the days when it was possible to celebrate Valentines Day. Also because my grandmother always sent me beautiful, glittery Valentines as I grew up.

2. Baking: I love to bake, especially cookies. This week I made Valentine pumpkin bread which was surprisingly easy. I found the recipe on Pinterest. The pin showed chocolate cake with hearts (from a Sara Lee's pound cake), but I tried pumpkin bread for the Wisdom Class on Tuesday. It was a hit with everyone in the class and was so easy! I bet you could cut out different designs, like maybe a star or a tree.

3. Words With Friends: I love playing this game on my Ipad and Iphone. It is like Scrabble with a partner. I don't often win, because I play too quickly. My oldest son DC continually beats my by hundreds of points!

4. Soups: I love making big pots of soup, a rediscovered passion with our month of cold, cold weather (for TX!). I have made five different soups from my newest soup cookbook, The New England Soup Factory Cookbook, and each one has been judged by all as excellent. In fact, I have made their recipe for Vegetarian Muligatawny four different times already--twice for Chuck and me; for my family at Christmas; and for my family in Austin at AA's request (which greatly pleased me). I've been making such big pots of soup that I can share some with friends, too, while we have it for multiple days. I am grateful that Chuck likes soup.

5. Books: I love to read, look at, discuss books!  I even have a Pinterest board About Books with over 1,000 pins! I really love children's books, so it is a joy to find books for granddaughters Avery and Emma! It is exciting to find new ones, like Good Night, Construction Site which is so appropriate for these girls because their daddy supervises construction at apartment complexes almost every day. It is arriving for them tomorrow!

Friday Five: Spring??

3DogMom brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

Here in Nashville the annual Antiques and Garden Show is getting underway.  The temperatures are more cold and windy than is typical, and the garden displays with colorful spring blooms are going to be tonic for many of the souls that visit the show this weekend. Punxsutawney Phil may have predicted another six weeks of winter when he saw his shadow, but spring is on the minds of many!

With that in mind,

1) What do you anticipate with the coming of spring?
This has been an unusual winter in south TX, with cold fronts actually bringing us COLD weather! We keep dipping into the 30's and 40's for high temperatures, which has not been the norm for years. Knowing that this will not last much longer, we know spring (and shortly after, SUMMER) will arrive soon.

I am hoping for some of our usual winter, but spring-like, weather to return. This is when it is reminiscent of Pacific Northwest summers. High and low temperatures of the 70's and 50-60's are so pleasant.  I am hoping some of those days will get here before the heat and humidity return.


2) Is there anything you will miss about winter?
I will miss drinking HOT tea. I never learned to like coffee and so have long been a hot tea aficionado.I especially like Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea, which may also be bought through Amazon, as my daughter-in-law KA did for Christmas.

Cousin Margaret in Calgary

Somehow hot tea is not as inviting when it is extremely hot outside. And I don't really like iced tea.

3) Is there an occasion on the horizon to which you’re looking forward?
At the end of March my cousin Margaret from Calgary, her daughter Kathy and two grandchildren will be coming to visit. It is exciting to think that the children will meet my granddaughters, Emma and Avery, as they are about the same age!

4) Do you have a favorite spring memory?
Memories of Easter egg hunts with my children.
Births of AE in March 1982 and BJ in April 1985.

5) Do you have a favorite spring flower/bloom, and if so, what makes it special to you?
I love daffodils. When we lived in RI and NJ, it was wonderful to see crocus and daffodils coming up while it was still cold. Daffodils do not grow in TX, so I have enjoyed the springs when I have seen them elsewhere, especially in WA State.

My Seattle daughter AE sent me a picture of a daffodil in 2009, so I posted it with a poem here.

Friday Five: Too Late!!

Many apologies for this very late Friday Five. Going out of town all day and not paying attention to the calendar, I mistakenly thought I was bringing next week’s FF. So here goes:

Have you ever been late? List five ways you have been late, remembering it is “Never Too Late To Love!”

1. Late with today's Friday Five AND yesterday's Thursday Prayer
I seem to be forgetting dates lately, as I am overwhelmed with the possibility of writing (or not) the three scholarly papers for the Master's Degree in Theology from Oblate School of Theology.

I have lots of excuses but no papers, not even the topics chosen. How will I ever get this done by the end of this semester? Panic.

So with embarrassment and apologies, I commit to pay more attention. (This is especially ironic considering the weekly book study group I lead, The Wisdom Class, is reading and discussing Awareness by Anthony de Mello.)

2. Late with piano practicing.
As I posted on Facebook yesterday, I sometimes forget such daily (so-called) disciplines as practicing the piano and centering prayer. If I just get started each time, I recognize how much I love doing these activities. . . .

That is a perfect image to go along with today's mishap. It's a Bitstrip cartoon, which I discovered through several other RevGals on Facebook.

3. Forgotten appointment
Forgetting an appointment for a massage, my massage therapist called me up to remind me. I've seen her since 1995, and I appreciate our connection. This year she began to text me to remind me ahead of time!

4. Late with papers
This is the biggest laxity on my part that is plaguing me. Having grown up in a family where denial of alcoholism was major, I easily fall back into denial. That's the only way I can describe my lack of participation last semester--I blocked it out of my consciousness. During this time I celebrated the birth of our second granddaughter and visited her a lot. However, excuses don't help.

Another preoccupation was the gift of an Ipad for my birthday, and that is so much fun to play on.

My daughter AE gave me a funny book about the over-use of technology for Christmas (when all four children and their spouses were home!)--Good Night, Ipad! It is authored by "Ann Droyd."

5. Just late
As I have been writing this FF, I keep thinking of Saint Augustine:

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.

from The Confessions of Saint Augustine

Friday Five: Randomness Galore

RevKarla brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

Wow, this second Friday really snuck up on me!   But it is here, in all of its glory, right?  So…here we go, another random Friday Five!

Jan holding Emma

1.  What’s up?  How are you?
Last week I spent in Austin happily holding new grandbaby Emma, and this week I have felt exhausted. What has developed is that my RA probably was reacting to the Humira shot being three weeks apart instead of two.  (Go here to see the story of that experiment that began on Sept. 30.) I successfully managed to go several periods of three-week intervals until this week. Fatigue and pain in my hands and feet were returning, so I am back to the two-week schedule.

I am glad my rheumatologist encouraged me to try this experiment. I am also grateful that these miraculous drugs (methotextrate and Humira) are available to relieve my RA symptoms.

2.  If you were a Panda Bear that could speak  O.k., even that is too random for me.  You are moving to a new office.  You can only take five books with you (pretend there is no thing such as kindle, nook, etc.).  What would they be BESIDES the Bible, which is already written on your hearts, yes?
Five Books:
Praying with Psalms by Nan Merrill

Into the Silent Land by Martin Laird

Beyond Words by Frederick Buechner

The Awakened Heart by Gerald May

Gratefulness: The Heart of Prayer by David Steindl Rast

3.  If you had a superpower that could give you a five hour retreat, and you could go anywhere in the world to spend those five hours on retreat (because you have superpowers, ya’ know?), where would you go?
 I can't be specific and should be--someplace with an unobstructed view of Oregon beach or tall trees in a simple setting. I guess I'm too realistic and can't imagine anything right now.

4.  What piece of music, song, hymn, etc. are you diggin’ right now?
As I am still taking piano lessons, I was surprised that my piano teacher had me choose two Christmas songs to learn to play. In retrospect, it makes sense to start learning them now! So I am reveling in the learning of "What Child Is This?" and "Angels We Have Heard On High." I keep singing them to myself.

5.  Use the following words in a sentence (or two):  Tangle, dribble, hook, Panda, shark, smile, worry, island

The worried Panda is tangled in the net hung by a hook from the wharf on the island as the smiling shark circled around. In contrast, his oblivious owner dribbles a ball down the walkway.

Waiting for a Sign

In so many ways in our lives, we wait for "a sign" for action or even non-action. Guidance! Where is it?

I have RA, and my two medicines are controlling it so well that I only see my rheumatologist every two months for a check-up. The last time I saw him, I had delayed my Humira injection by three days because of a late return from a vacation.

He suggested that I might want to continue to try a longer time period in between the shots, even up to three weeks (instead of every two). For the last two injections, I have waited 2 1/2 weeks, with no ill effects.

This week I decided to try waiting for 3 weeks, which will be on Friday. I am taking it a day at a time. Four more days to see if there is a sign of swelling or pain in any of my joints.

If not, I will keep trying to go for three weeks in between shots. I like the idea of taking the least amount of medicine needed, especially with such an expensive one. It is much easier to schedule the injections with complete week intervals, rather than half-weeks--3 1/2 days added on makes it too difficult for me to keep track of!

With my doctor's guidance, I reduced the weekly intake of methotextrate in the past year from the maximum to half of that. However, after a few weeks, I discovered that I needed one more pill than that. By jockeying the dosage, I learned what works best for me. (The reduction also stopped my hair from curling which you can see here.)

I am hopeful that my physical signs/symptoms (pain-free or not) will indicate the path to follow. It worked before, so I am confident that this will happen again.

As Julian of Norwich said, "All shall be well; all shall be well; all manner of things shall be well."

Friday Five: JOY

Today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

RevPal Mindy recently shared this quote:

Talking about our problems is our greatest addiction.

Break the habit. Talk about your joys.

~Rita Schiano

What are your joys? Places? Food? Activities? Books? Season? Hobbies? Smells? Colors? To inspire you, Mindy came up with THIRTEEN things that bring her joy or make her happy. So go for it! 

~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Books! 
And reading to my granddaughter Avery is something else that brings me joy.

Avery and Jan, Christmas 2012

Avery and Jan, Christmas 2011

This picture is already two years old, but it also predicts the future because soon Avery will have a baby sister, for whom I will love to read!

2. Family
I have four adult children and a husband of almost 42 years, but there are few pictures of all of us together. With DC living in Austin, AE in Seattle, BJ in Houston, MJ in Salt Lake City, and Chuck's parents in Bellingham, WA, we rarely are all in one place these days.

I found one of three of our kids (but not DC's wife or child) and Chuck and his parents.

Friday Harbor, WA; August 2012: MJ, BJ, DC, Chuck's mom, Chuck, and Chuck's dad

3. Texting/iPhone

Getting an iPhone this year opened me to the texting world. It's a quick connection, especially when pictures are shared. When MJ received the teapot I sent her, she texted this picture to me:

MJ in her kitchen in Salt Lake City

4. Creches, which I collect.

Over the years, I've created a cache of nativity scenes. Many were given to me by members of my family. I have pictures of seven them here.

This is one Avery can play with! AND notice that Mary is holding baby Jesus!

 This picture also points to my love of the Harry Potter books, which I've read at least three times. I think of reading the series over again, but the task is too time-consuming and long-term right now.

5. Learning to play the piano!

Jan

I started taking piano lessons from a friend in August 2011 and keep on keeping on. It is a joy to play what I can, which diminishes when I don't practice.

That's true of anything, like prayer. Remember the old adage: The more you pray, the more you want to. That's how it is with practicing the piano, too.

My Parents' House

In this blog post from a few days ago, I tried to put a picture of my parents' house from my Iphone, but it was lost in transit. Now I am getting pictures from my camera of the house my parents and/or I owned from 1965 to 2013 in Bellingham, WA:

Galship With RevGalsBlogPals

Over at RevGalsBlogPals, the blogging community for women in ministry and those who support women in ministry, we're hosting a July Blog Carnival to celebrate some changes and expansion in the blog site!

From the site: This week's blog carnival topic is: What does Galship mean to you? The phrase was originally coined to refer to RevGal Fellowship--all the ways we build community, share our lives, support each other, and have fun. So blog about Galship--have you had an experience of galship in person or online? Has galshipping changed your life or ministry? what's your favorite part of our galship? Or whatever way you understand the question--there are no wrong answers! What does Galship mean to you?

"Galship" began for me when I started blogging in 2007, following the example of minister friend Katherine, whom I had met at the Two Year Spiritual Formation Academy. She had been in my covenant group all two years, and we had become good friends. Blogging with her at Meaning and Authenticity kept us in closer contact. Through her, I first learned about RevGalsBlogPals. I was pleased that I didn't have to be an ordained minister to become a member--just a blogger for three months! When that time went by, I applied and met wonderful people connected to this amazing group.

Meeting: 

I met Diane and her husband when I went to an Episcopal Relief and Development (2008) in cold Minneapolis, where her husband took a picture of us together.  I didn't get to meet Scout, but got Scout's hair all over my black winter coat!

I also met Serena near Seattle in 2007 and here is that picture. We got to visit relatives in Seattle and Bellingham, WA every summer, but I haven't gotten to see Serena since that one time. Good intentions conflict with the amount of time available, which is even less this summer.

It is wonderful; to meet blogging friends for the first time and feel like we already know each other. Being an introvert, that is helpful for me!

Camaraderie: 

Through visiting blogs and participating in such events as Friday Fives, I have gotten to know many RevGals and have found amazing connections. And I love finding recommendations for books to read, especially theological and mystery categories.

Ministry and Spirituality:

I've gained ideas for growth AND for blogging. Mompriest at Seeking Authentic Voice brought forth the wonderful idea of the ABC's of Gratitude, which enriched my life with posts for each letter of the alphabet. It was fun to find a different graphic for each letter.

I also appreciate the opportunities to have a special day to provide prayers and once a month to bring forth a Friday Five for RevGals.  

Support:

Problems shared and prayers requested always get responses. And I am ready to ask for more support and prayers, which I will more fully blog about tomorrow:

After some years of inactivity for completing my Master's Degree in Theology from the Oblate School of Theology, I have been granted an extension to write the final papers BY May 2014. What stumped me before was choosing topics (as everything seems to interest me). I ask you to pray for inspiration for the topics of three scholarly papers that I may declare them in the next month!

I last wrote about it and thought of it in 2010 and then decided not to ever pursue it, partly because my health declined around then until I was diagnosed with RA and eventually got on the two medicines that are controlling the pain and symptoms.

Friday Five: Five Favorites

Deb offers today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

1. Five flowers you'd like in a bouquet or in your garden:


Lilies, pansies, daffodils, tulips, bluebonnets. (Outside in TX, only pansies and bluebonnets grow at cooler and moister times.)

2. Five books you want to read (or re-read):

These are all books I already have, some of which I've started but not finished. I am eagerly awaiting the next Louise Penny mystery and any Maisie Dobbs mysteries that may come in the future. . .and. . . and. . .


Facing the Dragon: Confronting Personal and Spiritual Grandiosity by Robert L. Moore
(This was a book recommended by Father Ron Rolheiser at the 2013 Summer Institute which I mentioned in last Friday's FF. It is by a Jungian analyst and professor.)


The Round House by Louise Erdrich

All the Harry Potter books by J. K Rowling (for the third or fourth time)

 My Bright Abyss: Meditation of a Modern Believer by Christian Wiman

Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk

3. Five places you want to visit:

So many more than five!

US:
Boston, Chicago, Santa Fe, San Diego, Marfa (TX)

Elsewhere:
Greece, Spain again, Galapagos, Australia/New Zealand, Italy


4. Five people you'd invite for tea/coffee/beer and pizza:

My mother, her/my cousin Margaret from Calgary, Canada, my mother's mother (my Nana) and her two sisters (the Aunties) to have tea and yummy cookies. This family is known for its baking, so it would be fun to use my English bone china and have tea and goodies with them and learn so much about family history I don't know. I'd love to see them together, too.


5. Five chores or tasks you'd gladly give to someone else:

Cleaning out closets, sweeping, washing windows, cleaning the refrigerator, cleaning bathtub

BONUS: A five ingredient recipe! (This is harder than it sounds!)

COTTAGE CHEESE PANCAKES

1/2 cup flour or rolled oats
1 cup cottage cheese or tofu
4 eggs
1/3 cup milk, approximately
1/4 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients except milk in blender and process at a medium speed until smooth. Add milk until batter is like medium-thick pancake batter. Bake as for ordinary pancakes.

Serve hot with fresh fruit, jam, hot applesauce or butter and cinnamon-sugar. (My family prefers the melted butter and cinnamon sugar.

(This recipe is from my old, well-used copy of Whole Foods for the Whole Family published by La Leche League International in 1981.)

Friday Five: Prayer

At the beginning of this past week, I attended a conference on contemplative prayer entitled "Turning to the Mystics" at the 2013 Summer Institute at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX. The speakers were James Finley, author and former novice of Thomas Merton; Mirabai Starr, author, translator, and speaker; and Father Ronald Rolheiser, author and president of OST. We were encouraged to regularly sit in quiet to come to realize our union with the Divine, who continually loves us into being.

So for this Friday Five, let us share about our prayer practices, whether silent or not:

1. How do you pray?
Little (flash) prayers throughout the day; prayers for loved ones and others at bedtime; silent prayer sometimes; breath prayers (repetitive short prayers).

2. How has your idea of prayer changed over time?
Like most people, my first idea of prayer was talking to God. There is nothing wrong with that, but in a relationship there needs to be listening, too. Learning about centering prayer through Thomas Keating brought me to try silent prayer which was furthered by reading, learning about Christ Centered Prayer and other forms of meditation.
I am coming to believe that feeling love for a person is a form of prayer, as is anything done in love.

3. Do you ever sit in silent prayer? How does it go?
I have an app on my Ipod and Iphone that is called "Equanimity" which is a timer for meditation which you can set yourself. It also keeps track of times of meditation. One time I had 93 straight days of continuous meditation, but I am rarely that consistent.

After attending that conference this week, I am nudged to meditate again each day. The ideal is twice a day, but my aim is at least once a day. I see that the encouragement of teachers, spiritual directors, prayer groups, and spiritual friends are essential for accountability and encouragement. 

4. Do you have any difficulties and/or pleasures in prayer?
Faithfulness is a problem for me. Monkey mind (many thoughts) plagues me.

Several things that James Finley told us at the conference help with those problems: 
We "abandon ourselves" when we stop the meditation, and we are "punitive" to ourselves when we say it wasn't good enough. And "Why do we treat ourselves like someone we don't want to be with?" Remember that "God loves us into being."

Pleasure: Facilitating and participating in a weekly lectio divina group for the past 15 years continues to reveal God's presence to me.


5. What is the best advice that helped you with prayer?
Sit for one minute faithfully, and God will grow the prayer.

Bonus: Share something about prayer or example of a prayer you like.

At the conference, Mary Earle who is an Episcopal Priest told us to to breath in thinking BREATHE and exhale IN ME.

Tuesday Trivia

I haven't done a silly post about what's going on in my very ordinary life for a long time, so I'll do it tonight:

• The Wisdom Class finally finished discussing The Immortal Diamond by Richard Rohr today. One long-time member said she would like to go on retreat and read the entire book over again, without interruptions. That is a great compliment.

• A few months ago a former member of the Wisdom Class sent me an email about a short conversation she had had with Fr. Richard Rohr. After attending a church in Albuquerque where he preached, she told him her church group in Corpus Christi, TX was reading his newest book. His humble response was, "I am honored." I am still touched by his answer.

• Our next Wisdom Class book is one that will be a change of pace: The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. Duhigg is a New York Times investigative reporter, which shows in his well-researched stories in this book.

• One new habit that I am trying to institute is walking at the mall five mornings a week. I didn't manage to have a regular schedule of walking outside while the weather was more pleasant here in south Texas. So now with daily temperatures in the 90s F. I find the air-conditioned areas of the mall more pleasant, even though the scenery is not. Plus, I get less sun exposure! Tomorrow will be the second time I walk and then go to the YWCA  for my deep water exercise class, having to change there before the class.

• Since my piano recital, I have suddenly reached a point of enjoying my time at the piano. And at today's piano lesson, my teacher told me I was having a "growth spurt" with my playing,which pleased me. I am trying to learn to play "Brahm's Lullaby," which I love.

•  Over the past six months, I have been slowly reducing one of the RA meds from 8 pills to 4 once a week, while still giving myself a bi-weekly shot. This was to determine the minimum amount of medication my body needs. Now I seem to have reached the stopping point, with a blip of RA returning in my hands and in fatigue. So I have gone back to 5 pills, which I am returning to this week. I hope that's that.

• This weekend youngest daughter MJ is flying to San Antonio from Salt Lake City where she is going to grad school. She is going to attend a friend's wedding near there. In between all the friends she wants to see, Chuck and I will take MJ to Austin on Saturday to see Avery and her parents. Just a quick trip for all of us.

Hair Changes

Well, about a year ago I had to accept the fact that I had curly hair because of the chemo drug methotextrate taken for rheumatoid arthritis. I wrote about that and put a picture of me with curlier hair here.

I liked the fullness in that earlier picture.

As my RA symptoms lessened towards the end of the last year, my doctor and I decided to find the least amount of medicine I needed to maintain my bodily comfort. As the methotextrate was reduced, my hair gradually lost its curl, as you can see from this picture taken by my friend Margie with her new Iphone at a friend's 70th birthday party last week. I now have straighter and flatter hair again.

I was excited about my good health, even though my rheumatologist cautioned me that I probably would never be able to discontinue the meds entirely. With my 2-month checkup today, I realize that I need to discern what level of methotextrate is best as some pains in my hand joints have returned. The doctor told me that I could decide within the next two months about taking 4 or 5 tablets weekly. I've been on a regimen of 4 pills weekly for the past period, so I will see day by day, week by week.

Happy Easter!

Today Chuck and I will go to two church services, motivated both by him singing with the choir at both services and by the beautiful liturgies we will participate in. At 7 am there is the Great Vigil of Easter with the new fire lighting the Paschal Candle and the traditional 11 o'clock service with exclamations of joy and the return of  Alleluias as the Risen Christ is proclaimed with everyone ringing bells.

In years past, our children have come home for Easter, but not this year. To see a few pictures of those visits, click on 2009 and 2012. The last pictures show Avery a year ago when she seemed more babyish. Avery looks much older here in a new one opening Easter presents from her other grandparents, Mimi and Pop:

Friday Five: Take a Breath!

Deb brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

It's the week before Holy Week. Even if you are the non-preaching type, there's plenty going on in most of our homes religious. I think we all need a collective deep breath. :)

This week's Friday Five is simply a moment to BREATHE. Stop and tell us five ways that you "catch your breath" and then move on in the work God calls you to do.

Are these five things people? places? music? hobbies? chocolate? Or perhaps a memory?

 1. Look at my blooming daffodils, which are a rare sight in Corpus Christi, TX.

When I see them, I feel like the "stones shouting out" (Luke 19: 40); LIFE bursting out! I also feel my daughters love as they sent this little note with the daffodils:

"Thinking of you from rainy Seattle (with love)"

Love bursting out if I only look!

2. As the whale spouts up above: Take a deep breath!

Long ago, I was taught that panic attacks would be avoided or diminished through deep breathing. Taking some deep breaths, which must be done slowly, brings a sense of peace.

I am glad I no longer have panic attacks. However, deep breathing is helpful in everyday life.

3. Practice the piano--or play the little I have learned since September. I am surprised at how I forget everything else when I start "playing." This would especially apply to better musicians than I!


4.  Pet our dogs and sometimes our cat.

The three dogs are always willing, but the cat only likes her head scratched at her discretion.

5. Laughing with friends in person or via social media like Facebook. Also, looking at my label of CARTOONS that I have collected on this blog since it was started in 2006.