Friday Five: Random Thoughts

RevKarla brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals, which will be fun!

Playing Friday Five was my entree into the World of RevGals.  I remember the first time I played, I felt so welcomed by everyone’s comments.   That was in 2007.   And even though most of my blogging is through writing prayers for the RGBP blog, I can’t imagine my life or my ministry without this community.  I am so, so, so grateful.

So, since I am all weepy and happy thinking about this organization,  I offer you this Random Friday Five:

1.  What are you wearing right now?  (a question from my first FF play.)

TX is transitioning from a short spring to summer, so I am back to wearing sandals, along with light, striped pants from Chico's and a shirt with apples on the fabric, with rolled up sleeves, buttoned by a flap.

An advantage to living in hot and humid Texas is the fact that I can wear sandals almost year-round. My favorite and most comfortable kind are Wolky Jewel sandals, which I have in four different colors. This is the pair I have on today:

2.  What are you having for lunch (or dinner)?  (another question from my first FF play.)

Today is an eating-out day. For lunch, I am meeting my first friend (Lisa) in Corpus Christi from 1979 for lunch at a little restaurant that features salads and sandwiches. We grew up mothering our first three kids* together, but in recent years we only see each other once a month or so. I am looking forward to having a salmon salad with her.

Lisa and baby Avery, Dec. 2010

*Lisa had three children, and I had four. The first three are close in ages and grew up together, almost like cousins. We were initially connected through La Leche League when we were pregnant with our first children.

3.  Share an experience of community that was transformative or precious to you.

I am blessed with various small groups that give me experiences of community and continue to help me grow. One very small group that offers glimpses of the Holy One is the weekly Lectio Divina group that meets at First United Methodist Church.

One week ago three of us had a powerful experience of deep connection while in the Lectio Divina process pondering one long sentence of Paul's in Hebrews Hebrews 12: 1-2:

12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,

12:2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

I continue to ponder "the sin that clings so closely" which was a totally new aspect of the scripture that I had never noticed (or had avoided) for years. I will not forget this time God blessed us with  felt presence of wordless, deep connection.



4.  Describe your favorite mug or glass.

My current favorite mug is one given by a friend named Pat for Saint Patrick's Day. It is a roundish, Polish-made mug with blue flowers and green shamrocks encircling it.

5.  Give a shout out to a friend or colleague!

 I immediately thought of Katherine of Meaning and Authenticity blog, who brought me into blogging with RevGalBlogPals in 2006 and whom I met at a 2 Year Spiritual Formation Academy in my covenant group. Love to you, Katherine!

Lent Madness: Basil about "Prayer"

This Lent, I am subscribing to daily emails from Lent Madness, in which 32 saints are place in competition to determine which one gets the “golden halo” at the end of Lent. Each day, two are offered with their biographies and votes are taken. Now we are down to 16 “winners” to vote for each day. (Surprisingly, yesterday John Wesley was defeated by his brother Charles!)

Today the vote is between Basil the Great and Antony of Egypt. I really liked a few quotes of Basil about prayer, which I am posting below:

How to Pray

"Prayer is a request for what is good, offered by the devout of God. But we do not restrict this request simply to what is stated in words. We should not express our prayer merely in syllables, but also through the attitude of our soul and in the virtuous actions we do in our life. This is how you pray continually — not by offering prayer in words, but by joining yourself to God through your whole way of life, so that your life becomes one continuous and uninterrupted prayer."

Praying Daily

"When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking God for being so generous to you. If you drink wine (or coffee), be mindful of God who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank God for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God’s feet and adore Him who ordered things this way. When the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator."

This was also posted for "Thursday Prayer" at RevGalBlogPals.

Anthony Bloom on Prayer

Looking through those composition books I wrote in for years at Lebh Shomea, I see quotes from various books by the same author. I recall that I would go on a pursuit of more books when I liked what a certain author was saying. That was the blessing for me that Lebh Shomea had (and has) such an extensive library. I remember reading books by Anthony Bloom when our oldest son was in his first years at Texas A & M around 1997.

Anthony Bloom or Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh (1914-2003)  was a monk and Metropolitan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was founder and for many years bishop - then archbishop, then metropolitan - of the Diocese of Sourozh, the Patriarchate of Moscow's diocese for Great Britain and Ireland (the name 'Sourozh' is that of the historical episcopal see in Sudak in the Crimea). As a bishop he became well known as a pastor, preacher, spiritual director and writer on prayer and the Christian life. (from Wikipedia)

Today I will copy a few of the quotes I kept from that long-ago reading of Living Prayer by Anthony Bloom:

"We should never try to squeeze out of the heart any sort of feeling when we come to God; a prayer is a statement, the rest depends on God." (60)

quoting Theophane the Recluse:

". . . ask yourself: 'Am I doing God's will better than I did before?' If you are, prayer has brought its fruits; if you are not, it has not, whatever amount of understanding or feeling you may have derived from the time spent in the presence of God." (62, 63)

"Whatever we have felt belongs to the past and is linked with what we were yesterday, not what we are today. We do not pray in order to provoke any particular experience in which we may delight, but in order to meet God with whatever may happen as a consequence, or to bring him what we have to bring and leave it to him to use it the way he chooses." (104)

"Our prayer always reaches God but it is not always answered by a sense of joy or peace." (108)

". . . .a silence in which, as Julian of Norwich puts it, 'Prayer oneth the soul to God.'" (111)

Prayer: Years of Quotes from Lebh Shomea

Through the past 18 years of going to Lebh Shomea, I collected 13 composition books full of quotes from various books I read there--plus, a few books from other places. Until my last visit to Lebh Shomea, there had never been a copy machine and so I printed quotes I liked from many different books from their extensive library.

I have been re-reading these books as research and for my personal enrichment in the past few weeks. I copied many down on my computer, which seem more readily accessible than these handwritten compendiums.

Much of my emphasis over the years was on prayer, and so I will copy some of those quotes below. I plan to pre-post various quotes (there are so many!) while we go to visit our granddaughters in Austin.

From Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom:

"The day when God is absent, when He is silent--that is the beginning of prayer. Not when we have a lot to say, but when we say to God 'I can't live without You, why are You so cruel, so silent?' This knowledge that we must find or die--that makes us break through to the place where we are in the Presence." (17)

"The moment you try to focus on an imaginary god, or a god you can imagine, you are in great danger of placing an idol between yourself and the real God." (45)

From Catherine de Hueck Doherty in Traits of Healthy Spirituality by Melannie Svoboda:

"Prayer is love. It is love expressed in speech, and love expressed in silence. To put it another way, prayer is the meeting of two loves: the love of God and our love." (88)

"By inviting God to speak to us, we risk being changed; that is, we risk having our attitudes altered, our perspectives broadened, our plans modified." (89)

From Man's Quest for God by Abraham Joshua Heschel:

"Of all the sacred acts, first comes prayer. Religion is not 'what man does with his solitariness.' Religion is what man does with the presence of God. And the spirit of God is present whenever we are willing to accept it. True, God is hiding His face in our time, but He is hiding because we are evading Him." (xiv)

"Prayer is an emanation of what is most precious in us toward Him, the outpouring of the heart before Him." (10)

"God loves what is left over at the bottom of the heart and cannot be expressed in words." (40)

20 Different Ways to Be in Silence

This was totally written by Samuel Gentoku McCree and lifted from Tiny Buddha. I was so impressed with it, I had to post it here. I need these reminders today as I easily slip into "Panic or cinnamon"! (Excitedly getting ready for all my children to start arriving tomorrow.)

“Silence is a source of great strength.” ~Lao Tzu

For over two years I spent one out of every four weeks in silence. At the time I was living at a Zen Monastery and every month we would have a week-long silent retreat.

During this retreat we sat meditation in silence, ate in silence, worked in silence, and only communicated through hand gestures and written notes.

At first living like this was hard, but over time I learned to grow to appreciate silence. By the time I left I learned that silence was my friend and teacher.
What did silence teach me?

1. Satisfaction

I used to think I needed to watch TV every night. But at monastery I went without and discovered I didn’t need it.

Silence taught me to be happy with less. Pick something that’s weighing you down and let it go. Your life will thank you.

2. Expression

When you can only talk by writing a note, you only say what’s important. Before the monastery I talked a lot but said little.

Silence taught me that a few simple words well spoken have more power than hours of chatter. Think of one simple thing you can say that would help someone feel better and say it.

3. Appreciation

Being able to speak makes life easy, but when I couldn’t talk I learned how much I relied on others.

Silence taught me to appreciate the value of relating to others. The next time you see your friends or family, try to really listen. Deep listening expresses deep appreciation.

4. Attention

Several times at my first retreat I thought my phone was vibrating. But then I would remember I didn’t have my phone. It showed me how my phone divided my attention.

Silence taught me how important it is to let go of distractions. The next time you are with someone you care about, try turning off your phone and putting it away. It will make paying attention easier.

5. Thoughts

I once sat a retreat next door to a construction project. What amazed me was how easily my thoughts drowned out the noise. I realized if my thoughts were this loud, I’d better make them as wise as possible.

Silence taught me the importance of shaping my thinking. Take time each day to notice your thoughts and let go of thoughts that don’t serve you.

6. Nature

Because I sat retreat in every season, I know that the sound of wind in fall is different than it is in winter.

Silence taught me to notice nature. Take a short walk outside in silence and you’ll discover the wisdom and peace that nature has to offer.

7. Body

During retreat I noticed that whenever I got lost in thought, I lost track of my body. And when I focused on my body, my thoughts would calm down.

Silence taught me to be in my body. Close your eyes and ask, “What sensations do I feel in my hand?” Learning to feel your body can calm your troubled mind.

8. Overstimulation

Whenever I went into town after retreat, the world seemed so loud and fast. I came to realize how much our senses have to process most of the time.

Silence taught me the importance of reducing the stimulation. Enjoy some quiet time everyday. The less you see and hear, the more settled your mind can become.

9. Sound

People would come to the monastery and remark how quiet it was. But living at the monastery I knew all the noises, from frogs, to owls, to the sound of sandals on the sidewalk.

Silence taught me that the world is a rich texture of sounds. Sit in front of your house and close your eyes. You’ll be amazed at what you hear if you listen long enough.

10. Humanity

During retreat I was surrounded by imperfect people who were doing their best. Some were happy, some were sad, but all were wonderfully human.

Silence taught me that people display great beauty. Find a good spot to people watch with an open heart. What you see may inspire you.

11. Space

For a long time anytime something difficult came up, I would just distract myself. But retreat taught me that if I avoided something it would never go away.

Silence taught me that space helps me face hard times. The next time you face something difficult, pause and honor whatever’s arising.

12. Love

I used to think love was this big thing. But in retreat I found that I felt love for so many things.

Silence taught me that love can be simple. Think of someone you haven’t said I love you to recently and tell them.

13. Courage

I used to think courage was about facing danger, but during retreat I realized that real courage is about facing yourself.

Silence taught me the courage it takes to be still. When we stop moving everything we’re running from catches up. The next time you are afraid, stop and wait for it to pass. There is immense courage inside your heart.

14. Perseverance

Every retreat reminded me that speaking is easy, but staying quiet is hard.

Silence isn’t flashy, but it has an immense power to endure. The next time someone doubts you, instead of disagreeing, silently vow not to give up. Action is speaks volumes.

15. Faith

I often ask for reassurance or feedback. But living is silence meant I had to trust my instincts.

Silence taught me to have faith in myself. The next time you begin to feel anxious, sit in silence and see if you can find the space of deep faith that lives in your heart.

16. Honesty

I used to lie so I wouldn’t have to explain myself. But when I couldn’t talk I began to notice this impulse and how much it degraded my integrity.

Silence taught me the importance of telling the truth. Notice times where you tell little lies and try telling the truth instead. It isn’t always easy but it’s the first step to trusting ourselves and others. 

17. Gratitude

During retreat I didn’t have a lot of comforts. It helped me see how much I took for granted and how much I had to be grateful for.

At the end of every day sit in silence and ask yourself what am I grateful for. You’ll be amazed at the blessings you discover.

18. Simplicity

I used to love drama and conflict. But at retreat I found I was happier when I kept it simple.

Silence taught me that simplicity and joy are close companions. Pick one space in your home you could simplify. Keep it simple for one month and enjoy the ease it offers your life.

19. Connection

I used to think I had to talk in order to feel connected. I realized during retreat that I can feel connected just by being near people I care about.

Silence taught me that words can get in the way. Do something in silence with someone you love. It will be awkward at first but eventually you will see what it means just to be in someone presence.

20. Truth

I studied philosophy in college and I thought I could read about truth. But retreat taught me that truth is found in silence.

Silence has taught me a deeper truth than words ever could. Sit in silence once a week and feel the truth in your heart. It’s there whether you can express it in words or not.

The Best Prayer

"The best prayer is to rest in the goodness of God, 

knowing that that goodness can reach down 

to our lowest depths of need."

~Julian of Norwich

From Inward/Outward. Subscribe here.     

Listening

“In every experience of true listening, especially to God but also to another person, there is a mysterious moment in which the one who listens steps out from a fortress of self-concern and dwells silently in the truth of the one who speaks. This is a moment of great risk and great courage, for it ushers us into a different way of being in the world. Over time, we may even cease to be people who listen and become people who are listening, people whose very being is shaped by the posture of listening. This is the posture of the servant, whose attentiveness is not a sign of cringing compliance but a mark of human life lived ever more fully in the Spirit of love (see I Sam. 3:10).”

                                                                      ~John S. Mogabgab

                                                                         Editor, Weavings magazine

I Samuel 3:10

          Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Prayer

“Prayer is the voice of longing; 

it reaches outwards and inwards 

to unearth our ancient belonging.”

~John O'Donohue

Prayer

"Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart." 

~~Mahatma Gandhi

Prayer is a Life-Decision

"Prayer is a life-decision made and persevered in, not an occasional petitioning of God. In order to be a prayer, as to be a writer, I must be willing to 'put in time,' and that involves decisions that are sometimes hard., but which are good decisions for my prayer life. An example of one such decision involves time itself; simply the decision to set aside time for prayer every day. Such a decision is in the end the most important decision one can make regarding an ongoing conscious relationship with God.

"But like all decisions that become a way of life, the decision to set aside time for God each day must be renewed again and again. Otherwise, after a while prayer time becomes simply a time for 'getting' in one's prayers--another compartment in our life that we try to squeeze God into. Most of the time, in order to really secure a prayer time, you need to go apart to pray. There must be both an outer and an inner movement that is like entering another dimension of time and space. Ultimately, it involves a restructuring of your life in some way in order to enter a contemplative, prayerful space."

Bodo, Murray. Poetry as Prayer: Denise Levertov. Boston: Pauline Books and Media, 2001. 93.

Prayer

Saint Teresa has the words for how I feel about prayer:

Prayer is an act of love, words are not needed. Even if sickness distracts thoughts, all that is needed is the will to love.

St. Teresa of Avila
The Way of Perfection

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

 

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.

Every Moment A Prayer

“It’s really quite simple. When we look at a tree, God is there. When we look at a flower, God is there. When we look at the sky, God is there. When we look at the earth, God is there. We can see God in the faces of people on the street, in the faces of our children, our friends, our partners, our colleagues, and our bosses. When we see God shining through the faces of all those around us—those like us and those unlike us—every moment becomes a prayer and the world becomes a different place to live in.”

n     Anne Wilson Schaef

Feast Day of Julian of Norwich

"The place which God takes in our soul he will never vacate, for in us is his home of homes, and it is the greatest delight for him to dwell there. . . . The soul who contemplates this is made like the one who is contemplated."

~Julian of Norwich

(Quote found in Immortal Diamond by Richard Rohr on page 95)

Friday Five: What's Sneaking Up?

Revjarla brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

Who knew it was the Second Friday of the month?   

Thank goodness something reminded me, but my apologies for the late post.  I have been busy getting ready for Blizzard Nemo (really, 24 inches in Boston?  Why on earth don't I have a snow blower???) and pondering life transitions--oh, but enough about me.  

How about you?  (NO SNOW in south Texas!)

1) What is sneaking up on you, and what have you been thinking about?

Both Valentine's Day and Lent are sneaking up on me. Since I am committed to writing every day with the Month of Letters Challenge, I've been planning on sending lots of Valentine cards, as usual. BUT I had overlooked it being Ash Wednesday so soon! 

2)  What will you have for lunch today?

Maybe today is the day for a chicken breast sub at Subway with my husband Chuck. We like to split a foot-long, with him joking that we should measure it. . . .but we don't.

3)  If you were to get snowed in for two days, and you need to hunker down, what essentials and treats would you store up?

Soup making items and good mysteries!

I discovered a new mystery writer who writes fun, fluffy mysteries that take place in Australia in the 1920's--with a rich, smart and outrageous flapper named Phryne Fisher by Kerry Greenwood. While I was feeling unwell in the past week, I read lots of these from the library. Plus, I learned how easy it was to buy cheap ebooks on my Kindle, which reminded me of how cheap paperbacks seemed back in the last century.

(And the first Phryne Fisher book Cocaine Blues costs $0 for the Kindle right now!)

4) Tell me a story about one awesome thing you have experienced in the last couple of weeks. 

I am appreciating God's inspiration in getting me back to the discipline of daily meditation/centering prayer.

5)  What is your favorite office supply to splurge on? (now THAT is random, right?)

Not necessarily an office supply, but what I love to buy are cards and notecards! Always have and always will, as it does not seem like the end of written mail will occur during my lifetime.

Contemplative Practices

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Friday Five: Beginning Again

O begin!
 Fix some part of every day for private exercises.
Whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. 
It is for your life; there is no other way; 
else you will be a trifler all your days. . . . 
Do justice to your own soul; give it time and means to grow. 
Do not starve yourself any longer." 
~~John Wesley 

Rev. Pat Raube brings today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

The New Year has dawned! At this point, we are four days in. As for me and my house, there is a concerted effort afoot to keep a record of everything I eat, as well as the seasonal re-commitment to morning prayer. At the same time, I'm trying to cultivate a more self-accepting stance, an attitude of gentleness and forgiveness with myself when I don't keep those promises. Herewith, a Friday Five all about Resolutions and Absolutions.

Resolutions, which are really re-commitments:

1. Start by sharing your success stories with us: In the past, what resolution has been your most successful? What change have you made that has been the most beneficial, to your mood, health, finances, or other way of being in the world?


Probably the major changer was the commitment to pray "Bless _____________, change me" when I was irritated or bothered by someone else. Getting into the habit of praying or merely saying that eventually brought forth peace within me and changes that I could perceive much later. It sounds inconsequential, but it is a powerful practice that I am committing to begin again.


In the past year, with my shoulder surgery performed exactly one year ago today, physical therapy, water aerobics and the re-commitment to Weight Watchers brought forth better health and well-being for me. And I am beginning anew after my indulgent holidays.

2. What is one thing you hope to do differently this year with regard to health, either physical or spiritual? If you are satisfied with your current status in both areas, perhaps you would be willing to share something you've already done (or regularly do) to care for yourself.


I want to start walking a set route more routinely/regularly. Our current cold spell in south TX makes it a good time to begin, because it is not as hot and humid like it normally is.  I want to return to water aerobics classes at the YWCA, which fell by the wayside with the holidays and colder weather. I am considering going back to Tai Chi again, as new classes start next week.

3. What is one thing you hope your family (of origin, of choice, however you define your primary place of mutual emotional sustenance) will do differently this year? A new tradition for birthdays? More vacation time? Game night? Feel free to really dream about ways to deepen your connections with those you love.

Learn to play Mexican Train dominoes-- I bought the game for my family to play over the short time the kids were here, but we never got around to it. Chuck and I cannot figure out how to play, so the plan is to invite friends (who originally told me about the addictive quality of the game) over for dinner and have them teach us how to play. Perhaps that will be a regular activity in the future, who knows?

4. What is one thing you hope your community of faith will consider doing differently this year? New music? Different approaches to preaching? Rearranging the furniture? If you are in a position to try to introduce change, share some of your enthusiasm and/ or anxiety with us!

With our new priest, there will be change--no one is sure what. He has a lot of enthusiasm with his youth (around 40), outgoing personality, and this being the first time he is the "main" guy.  
For myself, I am pondering what is the future of a church library. Ours was repainted--off white--last year. The walls are still bare, so what is to be done? It is almost like a blank canvas. Having the new year arrive is helpful to begin again with the library!

Absolutions:

5. In what area would you most like to learn to be gentle with yourself? For what would you most like to forgive yourself? Share your ideas and strategies for extending yourself the kind of grace we know we are assured of. 

This is connected with #1. I need to let go of guilt I automatically take up when things go badly, which is an illogical action. A friend told me a good story connected with that today:

A few days ago she noticed all the fallen, brown leaves (in south TX, leaves fall in January!)  on her lawn and thought she should rake them up, but she didn't. Then she observed herself automatically telling herself she was "bad" for not doing that, which spiraled down into condemning herself for putting off the leaf raking and other things ALL the time, and so what a "bad" person she is. She was able to step back and realize that all her energy was caught up in the self-condemnation instead of anything productive. She realized that there is nothing good or bad about the leaf accumulation, which is more about detachment. She said every time she observes a leaf, just lying in the house or anywhere else, she notices it without jumping into personal judgments. It is a practice in detaching.

My friend's story gives me an image of how I react to things in my life and how I would like to stop doing that. Remembering how she is trying to live is a lesson for me in the new year.

O begin again!

A Day of Spiders, Visiting and Prayer

When we first moved to Texas in 1978, we met a man at a light store who had a huge lump on his arm from a black widow spider's bite. I have continued to hear about poisonous spiders living here in TX, but I have never had a friend or family member bitten by one. I have been frightened of the thought of spider bites.

A spider that looked a lot like the one on the left was on the driver's window and side-mirror on my drive all the way back from Sandia to Corpus Christi this afternoon. That trip takes about an hour.

I worried most of the time that the spider would not be off the car unless I did something. So I finally stopped in Corpus Christi and pushed it aside, only having it scurry to the bottom of the car.

Being too scared of the spider, imagining such fatal things as one of our dogs being bitten--by a presumably poisonous spider (Nothing like extreme reactions on my part!), I drove over to our local HEB supermarket that has both gas pumps and a car wash. I decided that a car wash should knock the spider off the vehicle, which I am still hoping for.

I only noticed that the spider was black with white spots, so googling that description brought the picture above--of a "bold jumping spider." According to Wikipedia, the jumping spider has distinctive green eyes. I didn't notice that, as I mainly watched its bottom on the window. So perhaps the spider was a jumping spider, which is not poisonous, but whose bite might cause allergic reactions.

So that was a dramatic end to a day of visiting my friend Louise who lives on a ranch in Sandia. Driving there, I drove through various thunderstorms, but it was sunny on my return--just "clouded" with the spider!

We had a good day of visiting, along with two periods of silence for contemplative prayer. Neither of us has been practicing meditation twice a day, so this was a nudge in the right direction. The second prayer time is reinforced in our minds and hearts, because both of us were more deeply in prayer than the first time today.

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.

Benefits of Meditation

How can meditation help me?

• Reduces muscle tension and fatigue.
• Strengthens the immune system.
• Reduces pain.
• Reduces insomnia.
• Alleviates headaches.
• Helps with stress management and irritability.
• Gives inspiration.
• Improves mental focus.
• Improves creativity.
• Helps with weight loss.
• Lowers blood pressure.

Those are just a few of the benefits of meditation.
If you feel meditation would be difficult for you, just start with 5 minutes twice a day.  Set a timer so you won’t be watching the clock.  Just sit in a quiet place and clear your mind.  Add 5 minutes to your time weekly.

Sit for even one minute; this is God's prayer and the time will grow. It is natural to have thoughts, but let them go and return to your word or to your heart space.

 

Found here, thanks to my friend Trudy sending me the link.