The Gap

God woke, but the nightmare

did not recede. Word by word

the tower of speech grew.

He looked at it from the air

he reclined on. One word more and

it would be on a level

with him; vocabulary

would have triumphed. He

measured the thin gap

with his mind. No, no, no,

wider than that! But the nearness

persisted. How to live with

the fact, that was the feat

now. How to take his rest

on the edge of a chasm a

word could bridge.

                              He leaned

over and looked in the dictionary

they used. There was the blank still

by his name of the same

order as the territory

between them, the verbal hunger

for the thing in itself. And the darkness

that is a god’s blood swelled

in him, and he let it

to make the sign in the space

on the page; that is in all languages

and none; that is the grammarian’s

torment and the mystery

at the cell’s core, and the equation

that will not come out, and is

the narrowness that we stare

over into the eternal

silence that is the repose of God.

~~R. S. Thomas (1913-2000)

Thomas, R. S. Poems of R. S. Thomas. Fayetteville: The University of Arkansas Press, 1985. 110-111.

Why I Read

Today is National Literacy Day!

Why I Read

“I read because one life isn’t enough, and in the page of a book I can be anybody;
I read because the words that build the story become mine, to build my life;
I read not for happy endings but for new beginnings; I’m just beginning myself, and I wouldn’t mind a map;
I read because I have friends who don’t, and young though they are, they’re beginning to run out of material;
I read because every journey begins at the library, and it’s time for me to start packing;
I read because one of these days I’m going to get out of this town, and I’m going to go everywhere and meet everybody, and I want to be ready.”

Richard Peck, Anonymously Yours

With thanks to Diane for posting this on Facebook. It is from here. 

Choose Happiness!

I have lifted the entire post of  Joshua Becker from the blog Becoming Minimalist because it is such good advice. Let's choose one of these actions TODAY!

Consider this list of 12 Intentional Actions to Choose Happiness Today. Embrace one new action item… practice all of them… or simply use them as inspiration to discover your own.

1. Count your blessings. Happy people choose to focus on the positive aspects of life rather than the negative. They set their minds on specific reasons to be grateful. They express it when possible. And they quickly discover there is always, always, something to be grateful for.

2. Carry a smile. A smile is a wonderful beautifier. But more than that, studies indicate that making an emotion-filled face carries influence over the feelings processed by the brain. Our facial expression can influence our brain in just the same way our brains influence our face. In other words, you can actually program yourself to experience happiness by choosing to smile. Not to mention, all the pretty smiles you’ll receive in return for flashing yours is also guaranteed to increase your happiness level

3. Speak daily affirmation into your life. Affirmations are positive thoughts accompanied with affirmative beliefs and personal statements of truth. They are recited in the first person, present tense (“I am…”). Affirmations used daily can release stress, build confidence, and improve outlook. For maximum effectiveness, affirmations should be chosen carefully, be based in truth, and address current needs. Here is a list of 100 daily affirmations to help you get started.

4.Wake up on your terms. Most of us have alarm clocks programmed because of the expectations of others: a workplace, a school, or a waking child. That’s probably not going to change. But that doesn’t mean we have to lose control over our mornings in the process. Wake up just a little bit early and establish an empowering, meaningful, morning routine. Start each day on your terms. The next 23 hours will thank you for it.

5. Hold back a complaint. The next time you want to lash out in verbal complaint towards a person, a situation, or yourself, don’t. Instead, humbly keep it to yourself. You’ll likely diffuse an unhealthy, unhappy environment. But more than that, you’ll experience joy by choosing peace in a difficult situation.

6. Practice one life-improving discipline. There is happiness and fulfillment to be found in personal growth. To know that you have intentionally devoted time and energy to personal improvement is one of the most satisfying feelings you’ll ever experience. Embrace and practice at least one act of self-discipline each day. This could be exercise, budgeting, or guided-learning… whatever your life needs today to continue growing. Find it. Practice it. Celebrate it.

7. Use your strengths. Each of us have natural talents, strengths, and abilities. And when we use them effectively, we feel alive and comfortable in our skin. They help us find joy in our being and happiness in our design. So embrace your strengths and choose to operate within your giftedness each day. If you need to find this outlet outside your employment, by all means, find this outlet.

8. Accomplish one important task. Because happy people choose happiness, they take control over their lives. They don’t make decisions based on a need to pursue joy. Instead, they operate out of the satisfaction they have already chosen. They realize there are demands on their time, helpful pursuits to accomplish, and important contributions to make to the world around them. Choose one important task that you can accomplish each day. And find joy in your contribution.

9. Eat a healthy meal/snack. We are spiritual, emotional, and mental beings. We are also physical bodies. Our lives cannot be wholly separated into its parts. As a result, one aspect always influences the others. For example, our physical bodies will always have impact over our spiritual and emotional well-being. Therefore, caring for our physical well-being can have significant benefit for our emotional standing. One simple action to choose happiness today is to eat healthy foods. Your physical body will thank you… and so will your emotional well-being.

10. Treat others well. Everyone wants to be treated kindly. But more than that, deep down, we also want to treat others with the same respect that we would like given to us. Treat everyone you meet with kindness, patience, and grace. The Golden Rule is a powerful standard. It benefits the receiver. But also brings growing satisfaction in yourself as you seek to treat others as you would like to be treated.

11. Meditate. Find time alone in solitude. As our world increases in speed and noise, the ability to withdraw becomes even more essential. Studies confirm the importance and life-giving benefits of meditation. So take time to make time. And use meditation to search inward, connect spiritually, and improve your happiness today.

12. Search for benefit in your pain. This life can be difficult. Nobody escapes without pain. At some point—in some way—we all encounter it. When you do, remind yourself again that the trials may be difficult, but they will pass. And search deep to find meaning in the pain. Choose to look for the benefits that can be found in your trial. At the very least, perseverance is being built. And most likely, an ability to comfort others in their pain is also being developed.

Go today. Choose joy and be happy. That will make two of us.

From here.http://www.becomingminimalist.com/choose-happy/

Goals in Life

Friday Five: Let's Eat!

3dogmom brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals, which is now at a new site! What is somewhat interesting about being at Wordpress, some of us have different "names"--I am now "janintx."

My first ever Friday Five is dedicated to Nikki MacDonald, sister RevGal, who was hungering for an opportunity to write about Haggis. With that introduction, today’s FF is all about food!


1) Is there a food from a foreign land whose reputation led to trepidation when you had a chance to give it a try? Did you find the courage to sample it anyway? If so, were you pleasantly surprised or did you endorse the less than favorable reputation that preceded it?

 My eldest daughter AE spent three years in South Korea with the Fulbright Program after college told us about Kim Chee. Her original host family followed the tradition of cooking and fermenting Kim Chee and storing it in jars. Youngest daughter MJ and I went to visit AE and were introduced to different versions of Kim Chee at various restaurants. I tried small tastes and did not like it.
 
2) What food from your own country/culture gets a bad rap?

 From this area of the USA (Texas), there is a popular dish called "chicken fried steak." It is covered with gelatinous gray gravy and looks disgusting to me, who grew up in the north and also did not grow up eating gravy!

I was really shocked when my oldest son first ordered it at a restaurant in college. It must have been eaten frequently at A&M University in College Station. It was served at some Corps of Cadets dinner we attended with him and his Corps friends.

I think it should get a bad rap with the fried fat and other types of fat it contains.

3) Of what food are you fond that others find distasteful?

A silly sandwich that I have liked since childhood is a peanut butter, jelly, and (sharp cheese) sandwich! I still like it. Everyone in my family thinks it is weird.

4) Is there a country’s food, not native to you, that you go out of your way to eat?

This is probably a "Tex-Mex" food, not necessarily from Mexico in its form now--breakfast taquitos. We'd never heard of these until we moved to Corpus Christi, TX. In the 1980's, we couldn't find them to buy north of Corpus Christi, but larger restaurant chains such as What-a-Burger have served breakfast taquitos since the 1990's. 

Take a tortilla and fill it with eggs and anything else to go with them! Our favorite for years was from Elva's Restaurant and was called a "Destroyer"--potato and eggs, with refried beans, cheese, tomatoes, and bacon in a homemade tortilla. Here is a recipe for one that sounds good.

5) What is your guilty pleasure food?

Desserts with butter! I made three different buttery items this past week for a gathering of my book club at my house--blueberry pound cake, my mother's butter almond cake, and bran muffins. The old recipe for my mother's almond cake was the hit, and it has 3/4 lb. butter!

READ!!

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

Have you ever felt in these ways?

 Father Ron Rolheiser re-phrased Karl Rahner's proofs for the existence of God:

 Here's a paraphrase of his argument:

• Have you ever remained silent, though you wanted to defend yourself, though you were treated unfairly?

• Have you ever forgiven, though you received no reward for it and people took it for granted?

• Have you ever obeyed, not because you had to or else there would be some unpleasantness, but simply because of some mysterious, silent, unfathomable reality inside of yourself?

• Have you ever made a sacrifice, without receiving thanks, without recognition, without even feeling satisfaction inside?

• Have you ever been absolutely lonely and, within that, had to make up your mind to do something purely for the sake of conscience, from a place beyond where you can describe, from a place where you are deeply alone, and where you know you are making a decision for which the responsibility will be yours alone, always and eternally?

• Have you ever tried to love when no wave of enthusiasm was carrying you along, where you could no longer confuse your own needs with love?

• Have you ever persevered without bitterness in doing your duty when that duty looked like death, felt like it was killing you, looked stupid to those outside, and left you helpless to not envy those who have chosen a path with more pleasure?

• Have you ever been good to someone from whom no echo of gratitude or comprehension came back and where you weren't even rewarded with the feeling that you had been good and unselfish?

If you've ever had any of these experiences, then you've experienced God and know that there's a deeper ground beneath the one on which you walk.

Brain Development and Technology

I admire the way experts speak for TED Talks. I always learn something.

This is a 16-minute video presented by Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington who started out as a pediatrician, became a researcher of early childhood behavior and thinking because he became a parent! It seems like parenthood brings forth interest in child development because we want the best for our children.

Through the ages, parents always try to nurture and bring up their children to the best of their abilities. Culture, socioeconomics, and the parents' perspectives have always guided and limited these efforts. As culture changes, we may not even see choices about ways to engage or not. That's the big question with technology, which occupies and enhances modern life--like right now, with me blogging!

Technology seems mostly beneficial, but is it? I am always reminded of Walter Wink saying that the principalities and powers are composed of goodness and wrongs, and need to be redeemed. I think that applies to people and everything else, because nothing is totally good or completely bad and everything could/should be improved. And I am starting to look at the use of technology in my life--How much time is superficially occupied or is it used productively? Both/and. . . . . .

Now here is the video, which I would have appreciated when I was the parent of young children, especially because he talks about the development of the brain, even showing how it grows dramatically until we're in our 20's AND reduces after the 50's and 60's (even though I am learning to play the piano!).

Blog Action Day: Oct. 16, 2013

Let us all support and speak/write about HUMAN RIGHTS on October 16, 2013:

Excellent Soup Recipe!

I had this wonderfully delicious soup at the Finn Bakery in Magnolia Village, in Seattle, last week:

Spicy Chickpea and Butternut Squash Soup

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

½ cup diced celery

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and diced into chunks

2 cups (16 oz.) canned diced tomatoes

2 cups (16 oz.) canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

12 cups vegetable stock

2 cups tomato juice

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 Tbsp. ground ginger

1 Tbsp. ground coriander

1 cup flaked coconut

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk

1 tsp. minced Scotch bonnet chile pepper*

½ bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes.

Add the butternut squash and sauté an additional 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, stock, tomato juice, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, coriander, coconut, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the squash is tender, 35-40 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the coconut milk, chile pepper, cilantro, salt, and pepper.

Makes 12 servings.

*Scotch bonnet chile peppers are loaded with heat and an exotic flavor and aroma. A close cousin is the habanero pepper. You may substitute bottled habanero hot sauce (available at supermarkets and Caribbean specialty shops) if you cannot find fresh Scotch bonnet peppers.

Druker, Marjorie and Silverstein, Clara. New England Soup Factory Cookbook. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2007. 128-129.

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:

Going Home!

Today I am flying back to Texas. I'll go from Seattle to San Antonio. Chuck will meet me at the San Antonio Airport and drive me home to Corpus Christi on Sunday night.

It is always nice to go home.

Big Changes

"Sometimes God's love is experienced not only as peaceful creativeness, but as violent breakthrough, overcoming blockages and bringing to birth new realities."

Vacek, Edward Collins. Love, Human and Divine: The Heart of Christian Ethics. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1994. 59.

Chuck and I had a "violent breakthrough" in our lives in the last few weeks when I decided that I would sell my parents' house in Bellingham, WA. I have owned it since my father died in 2002 and renters have been in it off and on since then.

Once a drug dealer was renting it, which we only learned much later when the next door neighbor (who is a police officer) informed us of strange activities, and we had to evict him. Since it was built in 1951, it has recently developed major problems with its infrastructure, which we have tried to mend.

After the decision to sell, things moved more quickly than anyone could ever imagine, because someone bid on the house less than 24 hours after it was listed. There wasn't even a "for sale" sign in the front yard yet.

It turns out that the buyer had been looking for a new house to move into for 3-4 months. When she saw the house and the backyard, she was in love with it all. I was greatly touched that she could see the remnants of my mother's gardens (including a Japanese garden), which were left when she died in 1992. It seemed like the buyer would love this property, which had been sorely lacking in the last 11 years.

Selling the house means we won't move there from Texas. Chuck and I had had half-baked dreams of living there in the summers and the rest of the year in Corpus Christi, TX. That never materialized because a house should not be empty for so many months, and it didn't seem possible to rent it for just a specified number of months rather than years.

I did not realize the burden the house had been for me until it sold. Suddenly, I felt a big weight lifted from my shoulders--something I had not even been aware of.

It also opened up possibilities for Chuck and me that did not appear to us previously--buying a condo with a water view! A condo could be left more safely for months at a time.



We feel movement and possibilities in the future, while we have felt stuck for years.

Love

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

--Thomas Merton

Not God

"For silence is not God;
nor speaking is not God;
fasting is not God;
aloneness is not God,
nor company is not God;
nor yet or all of such opposites.

He is hid between them, and
may not be found by any work of your soul,
but only by love of your heart." (6)

Englert, Robert W. "Scattering in the Works of the Author of the Cloud of Unknowing." Contemplative Review, Spring 1983, 1-8.

( I found this quote while reading the bound journals at Lebh Shomea in December 2006.)

You Keep Us

You keep us loving.
You, the God whose name is love,
want us to be like you--
to love the loveless and the unlovely and the unlovable;
and most difficult of all, to love ourselves.
So thank you. . . for the loving time.

And in all this, you keep us,
through hard questions with no easy answers;
through failing where we hoped to succeed
and making an impact when we felt we were uselss;
through the patience and the dreams and the love of others;
and through Jesus Christ and his Spirit,
you keep us.
So thank you . . . for the keeping time,
and for now, and for ever. Amen.

~~Iona Community, Scotland

Soul Weavings: A Gathering of Women's Prayers. Ed. Lyn Klug.  Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1996.18.

Seattle!

The last leg of our trip will be spent in Seattle. We'll stay with Terry and Dennis, who live on Magnolia Hill. Chuck is going back to Texas on Thursday, and I am flying there on Sunday. There are high school friends to visit, daughters to see, and familiar places to enjoy.

When Chuck and I were first married we lived in Seattle. He painted houses and I had a long-term substitute teaching job, as requested by my supervising teacher from my student teaching.

Let Us Pray

"Overwhelm us with your beauty, 

Lord and make us to shine like the stars."

Common Prayer: A Liturgy For Ordinary Radicals

Keep Our Questions Alive!

It seems to me Lord
that we search much too desperately for answers,
when a good question holds as much grace as an answer.
Jesus,
you are the Great Questioner.
Keep our questions alive,
that we may always be seekers rather than settlers.
Guard us well from the sin of settling in
with our answers hugged to our breasts.
Make of us a wondering, far-sighted, questioning, restless people
And give us the feet of pilgrims on this journey unfinished.

~~Macrina Wiederkehr

Friday Five: Habits

The weekly church reading group I facilitate has just finished reading and discussing The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. It is a fascinating book with research about business and people's habits or routines. The author bases much of his book on recent brain research.

Although this is a secular book, our discussions led to greater awareness of God and of mindfulness in our lives. After all, spiritual disciplines are to help us form habits that will foster greater recognition of and living in the ways of  God.

The author writes, "Some habits yield easily to analysis and influence. Others are more complex and obstinate, and require prolonged study. And for others, change is a process that never fully concludes." (276)

So for this Friday Five, let us look at our habits, both personal and/or in our organizations:

1. Good habit(s)? 
Sending birthday cards to friends and family. I used to write long letters to many people, but now I still enjoy sending notes.

2. Habit(s) you wish to change, add, or delete? Do you struggle with this?
I would like to get back to daily centering prayer. I once was in the routine for three straight months, daily. But I've let it slide. One way to help me is to use the timing app on my Iphone, Equanimity.It has a timer that can be set anywhere between 1 minute and 12 hours!!

3. Tell a success story about one of your habits.
When I started reading The Power of Habit book back in May, I began to walk at a shopping mall each morning. I've kept that up, even before church on Sundays. The air conditioned space allows me to walk in comfort, even though the stores don't provide the natural scenery I prefer, though I don't want to be outside in the heat and humidity (and sunshine) of Corpus Christi, TX. My walking has increased in pace and distance, plus I pray much of the time I am walking.

4. Have you noticed different habits or routines that are in churches or where you work?
When I was a teacher before I had children, I found that individualized instruction was allowed when I taught in Oregon, but when I moved to TX, the teachers for each grade would meet daily to plan curricula so it would be the same. 

I also notice the atmosphere of openness and opportunity for questions at my current church, which was not as evident at my former one.

5. What would you like to become a practice at your present workplace?
Other forms of prayer times that meet on a regular basis, instead of only Christ Centered Prayer sessions, which are attended by the same few people.

Bellingham, WA!

We will fly from Portland to Bellingham today, while generous friends Terry and Dennis will drive back to Seattle in their car. Even though I didn't move to Bellingham until high school, I consider that both Chuck and I grew up there.

Chuck's parents are living in a senior living complex in Bellingham, and we are staying in a little room there for our three day/night visit.

The Right Time

"As we know, revelation itself is progressive, not because God chooses to withhold His truth, but because personal development is necessary if truth is to be received as true." (12)

Beha, Marie. "Formation for Contemplative, Part 2." Contemplative Review, Winter 1980, 8-18.

(I found this in the library at Lebh Shomea in the bound journals way up on the third floor of the mansion back in December 2006).

Same Journey, Different Paths

"Because we are made in God's image, therefore we share in his mystery. If we all have different fingerprints, it is not so surprising that we should also have our own unique way of knowing and understanding God. We are all making the same journey, but the route is different for each and we have to discover it in freedom."

Hughes, Gerard W. God of Surprises. NY: Paulist Press, 1985. 33.

Be Open!

I need to remember this on our vacation, especially with my perceptions of how people are acting towards me.

Portland, Oregon!

Today we will arrive in Portland, Oregon. Our good friends from Seattle, Terry and Dennis, will meet us at the airport. They will travel with us for the next four nights and days in Oregon.

Our Vacation So Far

Since I am at a desktop Apple computer, I can easily blog. So I will quickly write about our vacation so far:

Las Vegas:

• Chuck and I flew to Las Vegas from San Antonio on Wednesday. We left Corpus Christi at 7 am to get to the airport in time, though we were early enough to buy sandwiches at Whole Foods to eat on the plane.
• Two nights in Las Vegas. We are "foodies" and so loved the restaurants we went to there. The first night we paid more for taxis than for our meal at a faraway spot I found on TripAdvisor called Off the Strip. Fantastic and reasonably priced meals had us wishing we could eat there frequently. 
• The main reason we came to Las Vegas was to see the Cirque de Soleil show of the Beatles Love.  We enjoyed it so much that we would even go to Las Vegas again to see it, and we didn't like the smoke-filled casinos. The show was beyond our expectations--we are Baby Boomers, after all!
• Since Chuck and I don't smoke, gamble or drink (much), Las Vegas is not really "our" town. To get to the elevators to our room, we always had to walk through all the slot machines and smoke. 
• One good thing is I got up early both mornings and walked for an hour along the Strip. It was fun to see all the buildings with few people around.
• I was disappointed by the lack of recycling depositories on the streets, because bottles of water were sold on every street overpass. People were drinking all the time in the heat, and all those plastic bottles were thrown in the trash or on the sidewalks. (On my early morning walks, I observed people cleaning all the streets and sidewalks.)

Salt Lake City:

• We flew here on Friday, with MJ picking us up at the airport. There was the quickest delivery of luggage at the terminal, which impressed us with Salt Lake City.
• MJ was kind about ferrying us around today to the Farmers' Market, the Salt Lake City Library, and to the card stores I love to frequent. 
• We bought fresh nectarines and raspberries that are so flavorful that we are sad to think of the more tasteless fruit we've become accustomed to in the stores in south TX. The raspberries remind me of the ones we picked in my parents' backyard in Bellingham, WA.
• Next to the Salt Lake City Library is The Leonardo Museum, so went and saw their current exhibit from Australia about the 101 most important inventions of the world.  One of the major inventions was the creations of Legos! I noticed that the refrigerator was invented in 1922, which was the year my dad was born; when he was a teenager in Arkansas, he delivered cubes of ice for ice boxes.
• We had a light meal tonight so that we could have dessert! Chuck had molten chocolate cake; MJ and I had salted caramel gelato between toffee chunk cookies with chocolate dunking sauce. That was a dessert worth the calories!!

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.

Friday Five: Keep Calm and. . . . .

Revkjarla brings yesterday's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

1.  First, how are you doing? What's going on with you?

This is the fourth day on our vacation. We are in Salt Lake City visiting our youngest daughter MJ and are staying at the wonderful University Guest House, which has easy and speedy internet connections, plus a MAC to write on in the lobby. That is such a nice contrast to the hotel we stayed at in Las Vegas for two days, which said they had wifi, but it never worked for us anywhere in the hotel.

2.  Is there anything you need to Keep Calm and Cowgirl Up for?

I want to keep calm about some recent family disruptions, but can easily get riled up again.

3.  If you were going to make a "Keep Calm and __________" logo for a t-shirt, what would it be?

"Keep Calm and Pray" or "Keep Calm and Breathe"

4.  What are you looking forward to in the next week or so?

Chuck and I will be in Salt Lake City until Monday morning. This is such a clean city that it is a joy to be here after all the smoking, drinking and gambling we saw in most places in Las Vegas. Plus, it's nice to be with MJ and eat out at the great restaurants she is taking us to.

Next week we are spending four days in Oregon with dear friends Terry and Dennis. They are God parents to daughter AE and have been friends for decades. It will be fun to travel with them and see parts of Oregon we once frequented when Chuck went to grad school at Oregon State University way back in the 1970's.

5.  Use the following words in a sentence:     cape, river, dancing, paws, glory

As their capes flapped in the breeze, the dogs waved their paws while dancing in the glory of the sun rising over the river.

Platitudes

Platitudes can seem trite and meaningless. . . or so obvious that an idiot would get it, thus being  "beneath me." I remember going to Al-Anon in the 1990's and feeling that their sayings were "platitudes," until I tried to live them and saw that they helped me. But it was not a speedy process and took my desperate need to change my thinking and behavior to get me to try new ways of reasoning and find out they did help me to grow in a different direction.I had to learn that the only person I can change is myself and not other people, places, and things.

I think people reject religion because they hear platitudes. "God is Love" is what I believe, but it sounds so ordinary that it could appear only as words, with no deeper meaning. I am blessed to sometimes experience that and know the reality, which is why I liked this quote by Aldous Huxley:

I keep learning the truth of that statement, especially though the practice of Lectio Divina each week. Sitting in silence, pondering only a few verses (1-4) of scripture, brings forth greater understanding--often in unexpected ways.

Reflection through thinking, writing, other forms of meditation and art facilitate deepening in knowledge. Finding and taking the time can be difficult, but is well worth the effort to see beyond the superficial meaning of almost anything.

Salt Lake City!

Today we'll fly to Salt Lake City where we will be able to visit youngest daughter MJ, who is going to grad school at the University of Utah. We'll stay Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights there.We are really looking forward to being with MJ!

The US Extrovert Ideal According to "Quiet"

From Quiet by Susan Cain:

"(Dale) Carnegie's (1888-1955) metamorphosis from farmboy to salesman to public-speaking icon is also the store of the rise of the Extrovert Ideal. Carnegie's journey reflected a cultural evolution that reached a tipping point around whom we admire, how we act at job interviews and what we look for in an employee, how we court our mates and raise our children. America had shifted from what the influential cultural historian Warren Susman called a Culture of Character to a Culture of Personality--and opened up a Pandora's Box of personal anxieties from which we would never quite recover.

"In the Culture of Character, the ideal was serious, disciplined, and honorable. What counted was not so much the impression one made in public as how one behaved in private. The word personality didn't exist in English until the eighteenth century, and the idea of 'having a good personality' was not widespread until the twentieth.

"But when they embraced the Culture of Personality, Americans started to focus on how others perceived them. They became captivated by people who were bold and entertaining. 'The social role demanded of all in the new Culture of Personality was that of a performer,' Susman famously wrote. 'Every American was to become a performing self.'" (21)

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

"One of the most powerful lenses through which to view the transformation from Character to Personality is the self-help tradition in which Dale Carnegie played such a prominent role. Self-help books have always loomed large in the American psyche. . . ." (22)

"But by 1920, popular self-help guides had changed their focus from inner virtue to outer charm--'to know what to say and how to say it,' as one manual put it. 'To create a personality is power,' advised another. 'Try in every way to have a ready command of the manners which make people think "he's a mighty likeable fellow,"' said a third. 'That is the beginning of a reputation for personality.' Success magazine and The Saturday Evening Post introduced departments instructing readers on the are of conversation. The same author, Orison Swett Marden, who wrote Character: The Grandest Thing in the World in 1899, produced another popular title in 1921. It was called Masterful Personality." (22-23)

Cain, Susan.Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. NY: Crown Publishers, 2012.

Las Vegas~!

Cirque de Soleil at The Mirage

Today is the first day of our vacation. We will drive to San Antonio to catch a plane to go to Las Vegas. Las Vegas is not a prime locale for us as we don't gamble and don't drink very often, but we are Beatles fans and want to see the Cirque de Soleil show at The Mirage. We'll go to that tomorrow night.

Only 1 1/2 days in Las Vegas, but two nights there. It will be interesting to be there, especially after reading the last chapter in The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg where he chronicles the gambling addiction of one woman until she lost everything.

This chapter talks about "near misses": "To pathological gamblers, near misses looked like wins. Their brains reacted almost the same way. But to a nonpathological gambler, a near miss was a loss. People without a gambling problem were better at recognizing that a near miss means you still lose, " as written by cognitive neuroscientist Reza Habib. (264)

My dad played slot machines at the officers' club when we lived in Japan in the 1960's, but the slots have obviously changed since then:

"In the late 1990's, one of the largest slot machine manufacturers hired a former video game executive to help them design new slots. That executive's insight was to program machines to deliver more near wins. Now, almost every slot contains numerous twists--such as free spons and sounds that erupt when icons almost align--as well as small payouts that make players feel like they are winning when, in truth, they are putting in more money than they are getting back. 'No other form of gambling manipulates the human mind as beautifully as these machines,' an addictive-disorder researcher at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine told a New York Times reporter in 2004." (265)

With two days wandering around Las Vegas, I'll observe all the bells and whistles with the slot machines and anything else that seems out of the ordinary. (Everything?)

Going on a Vacation!

We are getting ready to go on a trip. Today we talked to the college students who are going to stay in our house and take care of our three dogs and one cat.

I have a long list of "to do" before we leave early on Wednesday morning. One of the major ones is the post blogs, scheduling them for each day of my absence. Maybe that's what I need to do on a regular basis, since I have not been consistent about blogging lately.

I plan to post about our destinations on our trip; quotes and thoughts from Quiet by Susan Cain: inspirational quotes and prayers. I need three weeks worth of pre-posted material--I already have four done!

"Quiet" by Susan Cain

Last year my daughters in Seattle AE and KA gave me the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a Word That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. It has taken me awhile to read it, but now I am glad I spent the last week reading it. It is well-researched and well-written about a subject that describes me, an introvert.

Since I have not been blogging much lately, I am dedicating future posts to quotes and thoughts about this book.

Susan Cain also gave an excellent TED talk:

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: Keeping Cool in the Texas Heat

Deb brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

Ahhhhh... Just a few short months ago, we were shoveling snow. Today, we're sweating buckets!

Highs in the 90s. Humidity in the "uncomfortable" range. And air quality in the "red" zone. It's summer here in the Washington, DC Metro area, and I'm not really a fan.

Recognizing that RevGalBlogPals are from around the world, your weather may be different. But play along and tell us how YOU beat the heat when it's in season with this week's Friday Five.

Tell us your favorite:
The HOT season has arrived in Corpus Christi, TX. Tomorrow and for the next week, high temperatures will be around 100 degrees F, with the heat index predicted to reach 110 degrees tomorrow.

1. Cool treat
Since I have been trying to be healthier lately, a cool treat is a cold and juicy plum!

When my kids were growing up, I would make juice popsickles and frozen pineapple rings. Frozen pineapple rings are two  (canned) pineapple rings on top of each other, with a popsickle stick stuck in the middle; lay them on a cookie sheet in the freezer and let freeze.

2. Cool drink
Ice water. I now carry around a big plastic cup with ice and water. With enough ice in the cup, I can leave it in the car and come back to cool water.

Plus, my addiction is still drinking an ice-cold can of TAB.

3. Cooling-off place
Air conditioned home! Plus, I can always go into our local supermarket (HEB) and need to bring along a sweater to wear because it is so cold in there!

4. Cool clothes
Sandals, crop pants (called "pedal pushers" in my youth), and a short-sleeved top. That's how I am dressed almost everyday here in TX.

5. Best alternative to air-conditioning
There isn't one in TX.


In other places, close off the house and keep it dark. Go to a library, a movie, or a store to get cool, but in those places, there would be air conditioning.

BONUS:
Share a photo of your favorite hot weather "chill out" spot.

Chapel of Adoration, Corpus Christi, TX

One Good Thing About Texas Heat

I'm Jan and I'm an Introvert

Friday Five: Silly Sentences

Revkjarla brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

Because I am feeling silly, or perhaps, just out there, our FF is dedicated to creating silly sentences.  We all need a little meaningless creativity and humor, right?

Use these five words (in any tense) in a sentence:

1. pulpit, puppy, wrench, word, mouse.
2. weep, love, prayer, bassoon, chair
3. heart, shutter, wish, turtle, walk
4. howl, worry, window, story, trust
5. garden, hat, shepherd, laugh, sigh.


1. Constructing a pulpit, the minister became frustrated when he tripped over a wrench while yelling certain words at his Lab puppy chasing a little gray mouse.


2. The flute club always began with a prayer, but the bassoon player was under her chair weeping for her departed lover.


3. As Dad walked around the house, he was wishing the shutters were painted as his son told him that he wanted a baby turtle with all of his heart.

4.  I awoke at 5 this morning, worrying about the dogs howling outside my window, making up a story about my husband putting them outside because he didn't trust our old cocker spaniel to remain continent. (TRUE!!)

5. I sigh in admiration while a friend describes with laughter and joy how she like to garden with a hat on in the heat of south TX and how she plans to put a statue of a shepherd in her backyard.

Hurry Up!! Readathon Challenge!

I just learned that a Mini-Readathon Challenge is going on at this very moment! It started at 12:01 AM TODAY!! Thanks to Bonnie at Bonnie's Books for this info.

And this is the announcement about this Once Upon a Read-A-Thon which is from Stephanie:


 
Hello Read-a-Thon-ers! Today I am delighted to be hosting a Mini Challege for the 2013 Once Upon a Read-a-Thon. The Hosts are awesome go say hello to them, Candace, Lori, Angela & Loretta, and join the Thon!

It runs from 12:01 am on July 8th to 11:59 on July 10th.

What is a Readathon?

A Readathon is where you set a goal for yourself to read more books that is beyond your average number of books you read. There is no minimum, it’s all up to you, and you can read any book that suits your fancy! Push yourself to get some of those books read that have been sitting on your shelves for awhile!

Mini Challenge

For my mini challenge I would like to know...

1. Which book you are most excited to read in the coming year? It can be already released or coming soon.

2. Which book would you re-read if you had the time and weren't so busy reading ALL of the other good thing?

3. and lastly, If you could meet any fictional character who would it be and why?

To Enter: On you Blog, Facebook or Twitter answer the questions and link me up on the link-up below. 

The Goodies: Why should you link-up? Because there are goodies to be had! One winner will receive a book of their choice from The Book Depository (up to $15)

Listening Is Loving

When someone deeply listens to you
it is like holding out a dented cup
you've had since childhood
and watching it fill up with
cold, fresh water.
When it balances on top of the brim,
you are understood.
When it overflows and touches your skin,
you are loved.

When someone deeply listens to you
the room where you stay
starts a new life
and the place where you wrote
your first poem
begins to glow in your mind's eye.
It is as if gold has been discovered!

When someone deeply listens to you
your bare feet are on the earth
and a beloved land that seemed distant
is now at home within you.

~~John Fox

Friday Five: Independence Day Edition

In honor of the 237th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, I invite you to participate in today's Independence Day edition of the Friday Five! We'll be looking at all kinds of "independence," so please join in!

1. How does one typically celebrate your native /adopted land's Big National Holiday?
Parades and fireworks in the evening. Many people put out American flags in front of their houses. Barbecues are popular.

2. How do you personally celebrate the holiday described in #1? Any unusual twists on the typical celebration? Is it something you enjoy or endure?
Even though I grew up on U. S. Navy and Marine bases, my family did not observed July the 4th in big ways. There were usually parades, but we didn't always attend. Bases (until this year with sequester financial cuts) usually have good fireworks displays.

The hottest and most typical of south Texas 4th of July's was 34 years ago. That was my first complete summer in TX (after moving here from the Pacific Northwest; I was extremely pregnant; and neighbors had a sparsely attended barbecue in the neighborhood park. I remember driving by in the heat, glad I wasn't there as our first child was a week "late." (He was born two days later.)


The best July 4 was spent at the beach at Port Hueneme Naval Base with my friend Nancy and her family to watch the fireworks there. Being a teenager with my best friend and her family was lots of fun.

3. What does the word "independence" mean to you, whether in a political or personal mood? How has that understanding changed throughout your life?
Independence denotes freedom. Perhaps at first was freedom from parents; much later having children leave home, there is a sort of freedom (or loss). 

I think we always find that we are dependent upon others for services, help, and affection. True independence would seem to be an isolated life, so independence must be looked upon as freedom from certain things.

4. When did you first feel that you, personally, had gained independence? Was there a 'rite of passage' you would like to share?
I am still pondering this.

5. Tell us about your favorite "indie" film, music label, book store...
I love independent bookstores and usually find special ones wherever I travel. In Austin, TX I like Book People; in Salt Lake City The King's English; in Seattle Elliott Bay Book Company. This summer on vacation in August, I'll get to go to the latter two, plus amazingly large Powell's in Portland, OR!

The only independent book store in Corpus Christi, TX is Rainbow Books, a lovely children's book store run by an elderly couple. It is quite near my house and has existed ever since I had small children. Now I buy books there for Avery!

Happy 4th of July!

Illustration by Bess Bruce Cleaveland (1925)

 

 

With thanks to Good Books for Young Souls. Go there to read about the young girls who helped to make the flag that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore, MD, which is the flag that Francis Scott Keyes saw and was inspired by to write "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Master's Degree in Theology??

When I went to the 2013 Summer Institute at Oblate School of Theology a few weeks ago, I felt very nostalgic walking the halls of the Theology Building. When I walked around the second floor, where many of my classes had been held, I found this wreath on an office door.

The wreath was to honor Father Heemrood, who had been a professor of Old Testament for decades. He was a knowledgeable and very kind man. Fr. Heemrood died several months ago.

I was greatly touched that this small seminary would honor one of their professors in this way. It fits with the Hispanic culture of San Antonio, TX.

Taking this picture with my new Iphone prompted me to show it to the Dean of Continuing Education at the dinner that night. She had been a fellow student with me when I first began attending Oblate in 2001.

I always hate to intrude upon people, especially those in charge of major events, at such busy times. But discussing Father Heemrood brought our discussion around to past professors and our families, plus all the additions to the OST campus.

Suddenly Rose asked me if I had ever graduated and whether I had had enough classes to do so. I replied that I had enough classes, but that too much time had passed, so I did not think I was eligible to finish my degree plan--for a Master's in Theology. However, she reassured me that it might be possible and tht she would broach the subject with the Dean.

All that happened this past week, so that I was scheduled to call the Academic Dean on Monday morning. When I did so, he was kind and attentive, asking some questions and commenting on my academic record. Then he offered an extension for me to finish the final papers (a thesis or three scholarly papers) by May 2014!

All this was totally unexpected and almost unbelievable (from my perspective)! Until this happened, I thought I had given up the idea of finishing this degree, being content to appreciate all I had learned in the process of attending those many classes where I drove to San Antonio from Corpus Christi once or twice a week. Out of the blue, this seemed to come about. I find it amazing.

So by the end of the month, I need to have topics to present to the Academic Dean. I've already been assured by RevGal friends that they are praying for me. I am also praying for assistance, even though I already have seen evidence of assistance towards this goal.

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.