Where Good Ideas Come From

Posted on January 30, 2011 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson

Good Morning, God!

I have been reading this book on my iPhone but the impressive news is that I borrowed this title from the library AND then figured out how to get it from my laptop to my iPhone.

That was NOT easy, God. Although, my difficulty was as nothing compared to the writing of the book and the creating of laptops and iPhones.

This World seems to be overrun with “Good Ideas”, God. And Johnson does a wonderful job of describing what factors go into making them happen. Actually, RECOGNIZING them seems to be one BIG problem.

Last night I was finishing the chapter on ERROR as a factor and read that the two astronomers who “discovered” the lingering reverberation of the Big Bang thought that their telescope “was broken.” They thought that for a year — until a chance conversation with a scientist in another field helped them realize what it might be. And they won a Nobel Prize.

That story makes me think of my own life, God. The things I “see” but DON’T SEE. It makes me think of the importance of PLACEMENT. Johnson has a whole chapter on Serendipity — a chance meeting or seemingly random bit of information that causes other information to fall into place.

Ah, yes, God. It would be wonderful to have things FALL INTO PLACE. All of which makes my mind turn toward the piles that have magically recreated themselves on my desk. However, today is a DAY OF REST. Help me to rest in YOU. To rest from WORK. To rest in Your Love and Appreciation. Thank You, God!

Posted in Queen of my Life, refraining from work, rest, Rethinking, sabbath rest

Walking Along a Long Beach

Posted on January 29, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

A long beach across from the Mokulua's

Good Morning, God!

Another glorious day in Hawaii. Actually, another Day is a gift that most of us take for granted. Do I hear You say that I take an enormous number of things “for granted?”

I do, it’s true. Perhaps, that is part of the pleasure in going to an unfamiliar place? We “wake up” and pay attention? A camera helps me “pay attention” to the world around me.

Ah, but, God, what a special gift it is to pay attention to the people around us! Aaaah! And to pay attention to myself. Thank You, God! I forget to do that.

I can still hear my father say “Pay attention to me when I talk” by which he meant Look At Me. It was good training. Still, the phrase doesn’t begin to capture all that goes on when we do INVEST and INTERTWINE our attention with another human being.

Monday I shall go and visit my therapist, Mavis. And she will focus her attention on me and that will help me Hear Myself into speaking. What an amazing process it is to BE HEARD INTO SPEAKING. I am realizing, God, that this sort of speaking and hearing is deeply sacred in ways that our current world does not have words for.

Trust is essential for I’m pulling up Parts that I have denied existed — or am ashamed of — or fearful of. I remember my Castle “Vision” — in which Orks and Trolls and Dwarfs would breakout of my Dungeon and invade my castle dining hall. They were all banished or imprisoned parts of myself. All of them wanting and waiting to be cleaned up, invited in and heard. Ah, yes, God I have work to do — or is it “friends” to met?

Posted in healing, Hearing, hearing myself, Trusting God

Small Moments of Wonder

Posted on January 28, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Palm fronds and Light

Good Morning, God!

Another deliciously slow morning at home . . . off my usual delightful “track” . . . wallowing in a sense of Timelessness. And now I am smiling because, of course, there are people to see and things to do.

But, right now, I am relaxed into Your Timelessness — or maybe Non Time? The Greeks called it Kairos and it was quite different from their linear sequential Chronos of time ticking away. I am glad to be here — off the clock.

The other day when I saw these small palms — illuminated by the sun — I stopped and stepped out of Time. They had clearly “extended” themselves into Your Light. And, just for a moment, I joined them.

Could it be, God, that what You desire of us is just as simple as that? To STOP and STEP OUT of our Daily Doings — Step INTO Your Light. You shine Your Light on all people. You CALL US and INVITE US to Love our neighbor as we love ourself. The Kingdom of God is At Hand — TURN AROUND!

Last night we went to a dear friend’s home and saw slides of a man’s pilgrimage around 88 Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Japan. The desire to make a pilgrimage seems part of many religions, God. Kit and I went with friends to the Holy Land. There is a “call” to the Holy Places — the “Thin Places” — the better to connect with You.

Ah, but Your Invitations are EVERYWHERE, if we could only sense and behold them. Please, God, help me to be aware — to be aware and respond.

Posted in beauty, God's Light, God's Time, Help me to see

More Small “January” Steps

Posted on January 26, 2011 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way

Good Morning, God!

Monday, it was a trip to my therapist. Yesterday, it was a physical assessment at 24 Hour Fitness. These don’t sound that small, but they all started with a small step. And that’s the point of Robert Maurer’s book, One Small Step Can Change Your Life, The Kaizen Way.

Going to the gym started with just walking in — my first time in over a year — to get my finger scanned for their new check-in process. I was getting cash from an ATM when I noticed the gym was just a few small steps away. Inside, a smart receptionist offered me a FREE physical assessment. Hey, small and free, perfect! Of course, at my physical assessment I met muscles I didn’t know I had — and now I have to figure out a step small enough to get me back!

Maurer “explains” that a Part of us doesn’t like change. It is easily overwhelmed and “fearful” so we need to start with VERY SMALL STEPS that don’t alarm that Part.. Taking small steps gives that Part, the Time and Security it needs to get used to a New Path.

I am mindful, God, of how much MORE I have to learn about managing my Self and my Life. I must say it is HARD. I take comfort in Saint Paul’s words about how those things he wanted to do, he didn’t. And those things he didn’t want to do, he did. Me TOO, God! But, I too, press on! And You do remind me that a clean desk and an organized office are not mentioned in Your Book. Aah! Now THAT ‘S a comfort.

Posted in a series of molts and upgrades, Humility or Needing Help!, self care as maintenance, slow incremental change

A Walk into Fuller Healing

Posted on January 25, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Two tall trees at Young and Keeaumoku

Good Morning, God!

I saw these two tall trees as I was walking to see my therapist, yesterday. I was walking because I couldn’t find her new address while driving so I parked at a meter and explored on foot. My therapist had moved TWICE since I saw her. Yes, God, it had been a while.

WHY did I wait so long to go back? I’m not sure. As I was telling a friend — there is nothing so helpful as being HEARD into speaking — speaking from my Heart as well as my Head. Ah, perhaps, my Head was “protecting” me from the sorrows of my Heart?

Anyway, I did speak from my Heart about Patty — about the guilt and grief I had — well STILL have. It was not quite as hard as I imagined, God, but that was because I practiced with You, the day before.

Actually, the part of our conversation that is still reverberating in my heart, is when she asked me How Hard Was It? As I let my heart take me back, I could feel myself tearing up. I couldn’t speak for a minute or two. Then I heard myself say “It was very close to unbearable.”

It felt so good to say that — to have the words and the truth out. Yes, it was just this side of unbearable! But, it was as if I couldn’t let myself feel that grief and guilt fully as I was going through it.

Ah, but now, finally, My Heart has been heard and acknowledged. And I feel LIGHTER. Thank You, God, for the nudge to go for help.

Posted in healing, Hearing, hearing myself, Hearts, Humility or Needing Help!, inner paths of the heart

A Good Image, one of Hope

Posted on January 24, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

lighting a candle in Saint Serkis church in Tehran

Good Morning, God!

I have lit candles in churches and I love doing it. Lighting a candle is such a visible sign of HOPE and maybe a SIGNAL to catch Your Attention? Holy Places . . . Holy Actions . . . we need them, God.

Ah, but, we don’t really NEED a church building. YOU are everywhere and at all times. Still, while that seems true, I long for SET ASIDE PLACES and RITUALS, too. Now that I stop and think about it, I can see that it is my task to create them inside my daily life. A GOOD thought!

The photo itself cheered me because this young girl is worshipping in Tehran, Iran. Freedom of religion is SO IMPORTANT. And, I am afraid, it is also fragile. Tolerance and True Belief do not make good bedfellows. Sigh. Giving people the Right to be Wrong — that is how tolerance looks to some.

Saving people’s eternal souls via torture was part of what led to the Spanish Inquisition. Only, Spain was not alone. Other religions have given people the “choice” of OUR RIGHT WAY or DEATH. How did I slip into such unpleasant thoughts, God? Perhaps, it is because we live in a Time of Great Change when people LONG FOR CERTAINTY?

But, enough of that! I wanted to thank you for having stumbled on The Big Picture, a site created by the Boston Globe. I knew there were terrible floods in Queensland. But, now I have STUCK in my memory a photo of a kangaroo on top of a bit of flotsam in a huge expanse of water. Images MATTER.

Hmm. Please, help me look for GOOD images, God!

Posted in freedom, images, intentional and invited sacred space

The Awesomeness of the Ordinary

Posted on January 23, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

white oleander in a bit of sunlight

Good Morning, God!

I like the night, God, so still and silent. Aaah, but what a glorious thing Your Light is. I have passed these small white oleanders a hundred times. But, yesterday a good friend requested a photo of a flower with light streaming through it.

At first, I only saw flowers facing the light. Of course, that was because I had my back to the light. But then I turned the corner and noticed just a wee bit of light coming through this small ordinary oleander blossom. It was transformed! Luminous! Lovely!

There are a lot of small unnoticed flowers in my life, God. Flowers, and people, and situations. If I have my face turned toward Your Light, then I can SEE Your Light flowing through the flowers, the people and even the situations. Hmmm. That feels like Your Word to ME this morning, God.

Because, now that I am opening toward my “feelings” — diverse sorrows and fears— they awakened me last night. They surged and ebbed and flowed through me until I finally got up to pray. Then, comforted, I went back to bed and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

As I prayed I felt You reminding me of the questions You had asked me the night before Patty’s cancer diagnosis was confirmed. The first one was: Margie, do you TRUST yourself to me? I said, YES, LORD. Then the second question: Then can you not trust Patty to me? I said Yes. And YOU WERE WITH US THROUGH IT ALL.

So, God, You ARE the LIGHT flowing through the small flowers and THE WORST of SITUATIONS. THANK YOU, God, for reminding me!

Posted in Light shining through, thankfulness, The Flow of God's Love, Trusting God

Points of View and Cleaning Connections

Posted on January 22, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

A View from the Mariposa Room

Good Morning, God!

Another New Day! And one in which I go to the Farmers’ Market, too. Thank You for today! I will thank You also for last night — even though, my night was FILLED with dreams.

Perhaps that was because I DID call my therapist, Mavis, and I will see her this Monday. Maybe You wanted to make sure I had stuff to share? It is GOOD to SHARE. It might even be essential to our health and wellbeing!

This view from the Mariposa Room at Nieman Marcus is probably analogous to my usual point of view — looking at the good and the lovely. That is actually a very good point of view. St. Paul, himself, tells us that whatsoever things are good and pure and true and lovely — think on those.

But, that does not preclude times of retrospection and “house cleaning.” In fact, I am pretty sure Times of Confession are needed prior to Times of Repentance. Or is it the other way around? No matter, they are two sides of the same coin. But, WHY should I take “time out”, as it were, to ask for help in processing?

This is a good question, God, and hard to explain — unless one has done it. I know YOU know my Heart. But, I am not ABLE to SEE ALL of myself. Some things seem too painful — so they are repressed by the Protective Part of me. AND THAT TAKE ENERGY!

So, it isn’t so much “cleaning house” as it is cleaning out the water line into my house. The STUFF that has gotten stuck between Me and Thee needs dredging out — so more of You can flow (or trickle) into me. Thank You, God!

Posted in A Spiritual Spring Cleaning, confession, connecting, connections, courage to see myself

Green and Blue — God’s Favorite Colors?

Posted on January 21, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

GREEN Koko Crater

Good Morning, God!

The sun won’t be up for another hour or so — but I am sitting here appreciating the beauty of the green colors on Koko Crater. Normally, this old volcano mount is streaked with the brown of weathered lava.

But, the rains have meant that the growing vegetation has carpeted it with variegated greens. LOVELY. Actually, God, it was breath-takingly lovely. I pulled my car over to the side of the road and took a photo.

There are these moments when I SEE. See and FEEL. And that reminds me of Daniel Siegel’s book Mindsight. The case study I was listening to yesterday was of a woman whose miserable childhood had closed off her willingness (unconsciously, of course) to FEEL. I marveled at how simple relaxation and body scans helped her integrate her body with her mind — opening her heart to feel again.

Dr. Siegel makes the point that we ALL know, that feelings come in a spectrum. Limiting the down limits the up. But, he actually tells how folks can slowly reconnect — even to disassociated traumas — and regain fuller access to a broader spectrum of feelings.

Awareness. It seems to be about TRUSTING enough to open ourselves up to buried feelings. I’m sitting here, God, and wondering how many walled off feelings I might have. My conscious mind says, NONE. But, aah, yes, there is still a subterranean labyrinth of pain and sorrow about losing Patty.

So, perhaps, it is Time Again to go and Share with my therapist, Mavis. My “Warrior Spirit” says DON’T BOTHER! Get on with your wonderful life. But, I am learning, God, that my Past, when Reclaimed, will help me become Green and Growing, too. Please, God, help me MAKE TIME for further healing.

Posted in an invitation to abundant life, asking for and accepting forgiveness, healing, hearing myself, loving myself, Needed Repair Time, processing on deeper levels