The Bright Lights of “Progress”

Posted on November 11, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

The Nile Delta at Night: Photo from NASA

Good Morning, God!

I was delighted by this photo of the Nile River Delta at night. I got it out of a weekly email from NASA called Earth Observatory. It shows how we humans need water and congregate around it. I suppose it also shows just how much electrical energy we are using. Water and energy. Two essentials. The bright and shining photo of the Delta looks like “success” to us. And, I admit, I am addicted to electric light, God.

Even though I remember childhood trips up to the fishing cabin owned by my mother’s family — a cabin with kerosine lamps and an ice box — it still seems to me as if we humans have ALWAYS had electric lights. If that is true for me, how much more true for my children and their children. Would I want to “go back?” Hey! I’m sitting here at a computer! Take away my electricity? Yikes!

Hmmm. At dinner last night we were discussing the cruise ship, Carnival Splendor, that had a fire in its engine room and was without air conditioning and hot food. What we wondered about was the lighting! Being in an inside room without light. Ick! Light is right up there, God, with other essentials. And I guess what is nagging at me is how QUICKLY new inventions morph into essentials. My grandsons have a hard time believing there were no computers when I was young. No TVs? That seemed beyond their comprehension.

And now I look back at the photo and see that thin yellow brown band at the curve — air glow — it makes me think of L.A. smog. Our electric lights are not without cost. But, the costs are postponed for many years. And the people using the lights now are not thinking ahead. Sigh. Help us, God, to live within our Planet’s means.

Posted in Light, Our lights vs Your light, Perspective, time, web of life

36 Righteous Humans — The Humble Ones — Saving the World

Posted on November 10, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Central Union Spire

Good Morning, God!

Sunday, in the 7:00 a.m. service at Central Union, Rev. Nancy Lockwood talked about the Lamed Vav. Lamed Vav means 36, and according to a very old (3,000+ years) Jewish story, these are the 36 Righteous People, because of whom, You are NOT destroying the rest of us. I have loved that story for years.

But, it wasn’t until this morning that I got an enlarged understanding of what it could mean for me. As a follower (very imperfectly) of Jesus, I have assumed that Jesus had done it all. I thought, Jesus, has replaced our need for the 36 righteous humans. Besides, righteous people — or at least the Ones Trying HARD to be righteous — are not terribly appealing people.

But, God, I think I had gotten the TIMING wrong. What if these humble righteous people — You MUST have a better definition of Righteous than we do — have to GROW into a righteous state? Since humility is key, and is obtained through failures, it would take TIME to become fully humble.

Gosh, God! What if it took a life-time of mistakes and failures — a life-time of learning to forgive ourselves and others — to become a fully humble and compassionate person? Aaah, THEN, after years of scraping ourselves up off the floor and pressing on toward YOUR LOVE — THEN we might possibly have grown and worn into being one of the 36.

I would be totally scared at being one of the 36 in the Old Story. But, somehow just the idea of THAT as the goal of living — creeping, stumbling and falling toward Humility and Compassion — that brings tears to my eyes. It is as if the Old Story and the New Story have merged in my mind. Jesus IS the ONE righteous person. But, YOU are calling/inviting/enabling us to grow toward becoming — maybe not one of a select World-Saving number — but far more than I had ever imagined.

Thank YOU, God, for giving me this wee glimpse of what the phrase “A NEW CREATURE in CHRIST” might mean.

Posted in Failure as Teacher, growing toward up, Hope as a gift from God, humility

Calling Oldest Daughters to the Joy of Praying Together

Posted on November 9, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Rewick Board Room before 7:00 a.m.

Good Morning, God!

I had a wonderful time on my trip. God! Family visits are so special! So are Reunions and trips to Sequoia and BIG Birthdays! Still, I’m VERY happy to be home. And one of the things I am most looking forward to is our Wednesday Morning Women’s Prayer Group. It is from 7:00 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. at Central Union Church’s Rewick Board Room and we love to welcome new people.

Our group may be a trifle unusual as we found out that we are ALL Oldest Daughters. We have 10 or more women coming and going and it seems every one has been the oldest daughter — or only. We were surprised — but, my take, God, is that Oldest Daughters are OVERLY RESPONSIBLE. Who but someone overly responsible would get up early to go and pray?

Or as it might look to You — we get up early to “bring to Your attention” what we want You to do. I guess oldest daughters grow up thinking they know best, God. We do know that You know best but we often forget. We are probably not a typical Prayer Group. But, we are REAL. There is no pretense. We are free to be who we are and say what we want. Most of us are at the point where we have accepted ourselves as we are — and extend that grace to others.

We enjoy each other. And we laugh a lot. Sometimes right in the middle of a particularly “real” prayer. We are pretty sure You are laughing with us. I look forward to Wednesday mornings because I feel so aerated afterwards — aerated with the Fresh Air of Your Spirit — less heavy and much lighter. It is amazingly therapeutic to “hear” and “be heard.” But, it is FAR MORE THERAPEUTIC to know we are being heard by YOU!

Posted in Being ENJOYED by God, being heard into speaking, being together in a compassionate presence, Prayer, Praying together extemporaneously

Personal Maintenance — the Healing Power of Forgiving

Posted on November 8, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Forgive for Good by Fred Luskin

Good Morning, God!

I’ve been thinking about Personal Maintenance, God. How is it that the world is filled with books on dieting but has so few on forgiving? Hmmm. If we could but see our Inner Being, God, that would inspire us. Or maybe, it would overcome us with despair at the SIZE of the task? It seems clear to me that the single best thing we could do for our overall wellbeing is learn how to forgive.

Actually, I think You GAVE us the best method of forgiving others when You command us to “PRAY for those who persecute you — PRAY for those who despitefully use you.” Praying for another person helps us see that person through YOUR EYES. They can morph from powerful bully to crippled child.

Now, I don’t want to complain, God, but, in my experience Your Church isn’t pushing the idea of praying FOR our enemies. In fact, it doesn’t seem to be mentioned as a suggestion, let alone a COMMAND. Sigh, now THERE is a REVOLUTION waiting to happen!

I read Fred Luskin’s book five or six years ago and it does seem that the Secular World is making an effort to explain that forgiveness is really good for our health. They have lots of scientific studies. But, “studies” are not very good motivators. Let’s face it, God, Forgiveness is much harder than ordinary exercises. What are we to do?

Hmm. One thing to do is to define forgiveness. It doesn’t mean being a doormat and letting people continue to abuse us. And it doesn’t mean “pretending stuff never happened.” It doesn’t even mean that there are no “consequences” for the abuser. What Dr. Luskin says it means is that you “take your hurt less personally, take responsibility for how you feel, and become a hero instead of a victim in the story you tell.” Sounds good to me, God! Please help me by bringing up to the surface those I need to forgive –but, let’s do it slowly.

Posted in Forgiving, healing, Maintenance

Cleaning Windows and Cleaning our Hearts

Posted on November 7, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

catching a window being washed at Pauahi Towers

Good Morning, God!

Yesterday morning found me at the Pauahi Tower Gallery going with a friend as she dropped off a pastel — which it turned out won an Honorable Mention. I was snapping photos when I caught sight of a window being washed. The brush paused just long enough for me to get this photo. It takes a lot of maintenance to keep a building clean and working well.

It seems to me, God, that in our allocation of Time, Energy, Attention, Focus and Money — maintenance comes pretty far down the list. I have only to look around me — or, worse yet, look AT me — to see the process of slow but steady accumulation at work.

Books are a joy to buy, but HARD to part with. Acquiring STUFF is so EASY, but, again, difficult to release. In fact, it is literally hard to let go. When Sandy helped me by holding the books up for me to review it was MUCH EASIER to give them away. When I held a book — my hands WANTED IT.

Why is it, God, that It seems to take TWICE the energy and thought to DESELECT possessions than to SELECT them. Probably it’s related to how fast we put on weight and how slowly we remove it. Our appetites and our senses find real pleasure in what comes IN. But, OUT? Do I hear You say, God, that OUT is an “acquired taste?” Yes! It is Definitely a higher level activity!

Fat in our body or clutter in our homes — both make it harder to clean and repair. This is true of our Inner Self, too. You tell us BLESS and DO NOT CURSE. Blessing those who have “hurt” us helps us to forgive — helps us to get rid of those rocks of resentment — the grit of guilt.

Ah, God! That is the REAL MAINTENANCE that needs to be done! Forgiving ourselves and others — that takes work — HARD WORK. Without Your Help, God, would we even know it needs to be done? Let alone be helped to work on it! Cleaning and Healing. Please, God! Help me focus on Maintenance.

Posted in clean and tidy, Forgiving, Grit of Guilt, Maintenance, Rocks of Resentment

Monterey Pines, Sequoias and Me

Posted on November 6, 2010 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

Monterey pines just south of Santa Barbara

Good Morning, God!

I have loved the shape of the Monterey pine ever since I tried to paint them in high school art classes. There is something about their sideways outreach and inky darkness that pleases me. Native to California, they live on or near the coast, mostly between San Francisco and Santa Barbara.

In their own way, they are as iconic as the sequoia. And much to my surprise, God, they are like the sequoia in another way. They both have closed cones that seem to require fire to release their seeds. The article I linked to up above goes on to trace their distribution through geologic time. Imagine! Their cones were found in the La Brea Tar Pits.

Aah, God, we are such fleeting creatures. As I stood next to — touched even — an unnamed sequoia I thought about what it would be like to live for 2,000 years. We have, if lucky, 100 years. And I am setting aside for now the awesome concept of Life Eternal — or is that a Life Outside of Time? I know, God, that I have MANY TIMES complained to You — that my species isn’t further along. We struggle. We have HARD choices. And, if I am typical, I mostly IGNORE the choices I am given.

And, yet, I have the nerve to complain! Such Chutzpah! It comes to me, that perhaps, our species like these trees REQUIRE FIRE to release our “seeds.” Thank YOU, God, for this incredible GIFT OF LIFE! Help me to SEE my Choices and step forth with COURAGE into the FIRES of LIFE. THIS life, right NOW!

Posted in becoming the change I wish to see, being repotted

Flying over the Channel Islands takes me back in time — WAY back

Posted on November 5, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Santa Cruz, one of the northern Channel Islands off Santa Barbara

Good Morning, God!

This photo was taken as we flew home from L.A. I was delighted to “capture” one of the Channel Islands. But, which one was it? I checked a map of the northern Channel Islands and I’m pretty sure the photo is of the biggest one, Santa Cruz. Friends have told me they want to visit the Channel Islands National Park so I thought I’d find out more about them.

These islands were once one mega-island and they were the home of The Arlington Springs Man who lived 13,000 years ago. That’s the earliest finding of people in the New World — and they were found on an island off of California! The article mentioned that the remains of a complete pygmy mammoth (four to six feet tall) was also found on these islands — living in the same period (Pleistocene) as the early humans. Pygmy mammoths! I am sitting here, smiling, God! Our world is filled with marvels and surprises.

The people that lived on Santa Cruz for over 8,000 years are the Chumash and the name means “makers of shell bead money.” That is what their relatives on the mainland (between San Luis Obispo and Malibu) called them. Now, God, I know YOU know all of this — but it is new to me. Then the article said the Spanish came and settled and raised cattle and sheep. I worried about what happened to the Chumash.

Chumash with a recreation of a Tomol (canoe) their ancestors used

But, there are still Chumash people! And it seems that they were reconnecting with their past about the same time (1976) as the Hawaiians were. This photo is from 2001 when they made the crossing over to Santa Cruz in a replica of an old canoe.

It doesn’t sound as if any of them live on the islands any longer. I wonder if they would like to live there? After 8,000 years I would think they would want to keep that string going. There are fresh water springs so they could live there. Ah, but I suppose that making shell bead money doesn’t pay like it used to.

Thank You, God, for stretching my mind — and my sense of Time.

Posted in delight, earning a living, time, Transitions

Balancing amidst the Overwhelming Jumble of Options

Posted on November 4, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Philippe Petit, our most famous tightrope walker

Good Morning, God!

I love this photo — as I loved the movie — for the JOY that Philippe took in his balancing feats. As I pondered my long — 40 day — trip, God, I thought of just how many good things we have to BALANCE in our lives. Really, part of the joy of tightrope walking must be that incredible focus on JUST ONE THING. TOTAL FOCUS! Talk about Mindfulness!

And Mindfulness IS important — essential? — to a life well lived. Yet, just like Philippe’s time between Towers — Mindfulness requires preplanning and logistics. Philippe and his team needed to carefully plan the break in and the setup of the wire. Hmmm. Planning and logistics are key parts of living a balanced life, aren’t they, God. They are skills that I WANT to develop.

I realized on this trip that part of good logistics is an accurate Time Estimation. Accuracy precludes “wishful thinking.” Logistics also means an awareness of limits — if THIS, then NOT THAT. There are other components that want to present themselves, God. One seems to be the selections of “how much” is needed. The idea that a small quick act at a key point can “save the day” — or maybe the relationship — is so easy to overlook. Yes! Like taking the time from a BUSY day to send off a “thank you” note.

What a deliciously overwhelming jumble of options our lives are, God! And THAT is the reason that prayer — stopping our busyness — stepping out of our world — holding out our hand, and heart to YOU — comes before even planning.

Aaah. My prayer times tend to resemble quick “thank you” notes. If I desire REAL CHANGES in my lovely life, I shall have to INVEST more time in DEEP PRAYER. Please help me, God, set aside TIME, not just to ASK for Your help, but to RECEIVE IT!

Posted in a hand up, accepting my need for help, acknowledging my need for prayer, Balancing and adjustments

Discovering Gifts — in Dogs and People

Posted on November 3, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

A caramel colored border collie

Good Morning, God!

A couple of days ago I saw a magazine that appeared to be put out by Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. I was surprised. I loved the one book of his I read and I knew he had a TV show — but a magazine, too? Yes, called Cesar’s Way. And to think he started as an illegal immigrant.

Then there is the fact that in the last month I have read two books that were written from the perspective of a dog. Jon Katz’s book, Rose, in a Storm, about a Border Collie dealing with a depressed “master” and a horrific blizzard — and doing a first rate job of it.

Then just yesterday I read an article about NorthStarDogs.com — an organization that raises Service Dogs for a variety of people. They talked about one dog that was trained to signal his companion when that person was in danger of a diabetic coma. They also talked about dogs who helped autistic children.

Gosh, God, just the other day I was rueing the fact that we don’t make very good use of the extraordinary gifts that various humans have. Now, I am becoming aware of the special gifts that dogs have. Hmmm. I’m very pleased about the increased use of Service Dogs. I just hope we can be as good in using hidden gifts in people!

Gustavo Dudamel, conductor of the L.A. Philharmonic

And that reminds me. The conductor of the LA Philharmonic is Gustavo Dudamel, a young genius from Venezuela — the product of that country’s commitment to making a music education available to ALL the children of the country no matter how poor or disadvantaged they are. According to an article in the New York Times magazine Dudamel is now working with the LA Philharmonic on Youth Orchestra L.A. — a program aimed at 8-12 year olds and modeled after the Venezuelan prototype.

That’s GREAT news, God! It seems to me to be part of what you WANT us to be doing. To discover someone’s gifts is to truly set that person free. We need to be about YOUR business of Discovering Gifts, in people, and in dogs!

Posted in gifts and giftings, imagining, interspecies contact

A sort of secret garden

Posted on November 2, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

The Entrance to the Little Door restaurant

Good Morning, God!

Thank YOU! Birthdays can be tricky. Parent / Adult Child relationships can be tricky. In fact, sometimes LIFE seems designed to be tricky. But in spite of all the many chances of a misstep — we had a perfect day yesterday! Thank YOU!

Hmmm. As I read that, God, I reflect that I might have been nervous. I probably WAS! But, thank goodness, I wasn’t aware of anything but having a good time ALL DAY LONG!

Suz and I have eaten at the outdoor cafe type restaurant that is right next door to its Big Sister, called the Little Door. And Suz has wanted to eat there in the “big” restaurant for ten years. So, that seemed like the right place to go for her Birthday Dinner. I was dropped off at the entrance while Suz and Kit found a place to park.

There was nothing but the small address sign to the left of the door. Was THIS the restaurant? I asked a young couple taking a photo of the door. Yes, this was the restaurant called “The Little Door.” I entered to find a “Secret Garden” of a restaurant. Vines dangled. There was a tree in a corner. And candles and tiny lights twinkled everywhere.

Our avuncular waiter spoke French with Suzanne and hit just the right notes in his interactions with us. The restaurant filled up after our arrival but our table was just enough removed to make us feel it all belonged to us. And it did. The evening was special — not only good food and great conversation — but our own special “secret garden” of an evening — out of ordinary time and space.

Thank YOU, God! Thank You.

Posted in being together in a compassionate presence, Celebrations, thankfulness, Thanksgiving!, Uncategorized