A Hole in the Center of Our Past

Posted on August 10, 2020 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

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The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America

Good Evening, God

It really is fun to discover that you had a HUGE hole in the history of America. And, I am certain that there are many more holes that would enjoy being filled. But, with the story of the Dutch in America — it is a hole that I had papered over with one small fact — the purchase of Manhattan for $24.

Actually, buying it, instead of conquering it — tells a fair bit about the Dutch. At that time they were buying and selling more than settling or invading. They made an effort to contact and trade with the Mohawks. The Mohawks in turn wanted to trade with the Dutch because their enemies, the Hurons, were allied and trading with the French.

Money seemed to be at the heart of the Dutch culture. But, it wasn’t just Free Trade that they valued. They also valued individual rights, and religious freedom. Two very important values! So for the most part their territory was open to everyone. . . ethnicity, language, or religion. At that time, it was virtually alone in its tolerance.

Another surprise was the extent of their area. South to Delaware and north to Albany. The trade with the Mohawks was a very early precursor to the Erie Canal and the opening of the Great Lakes. This one missing piece helped build connections with what I had previously learned.

And the reason it was missing? The paper records of that time were lost! The records in the Netherlands were actually sold as scrap paper in the 1800s. Just recently have Dutch records of that time been found in the basement of the New York library in Albany. Now the old handwritten Dutch is being translated and transcribed. And the puzzle of who we are as a people becomes a little clearer.

Tagged with: Dutch Manhatten
Posted in connecting, Curiosity, learning

Finding Another Inner App

Posted on August 9, 2020 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Good Evening, God

I love finding beautiful flowers and ripening fruits as we walk in our valley. And I especially love the areas that fall “outside” of anyones responsibility. To me, they are tiny oases of wilderness. And their exuberant messy snarl is appealing. Well, it is appealing outside. I do not like it nearly as well when it grows and proliferates in my office.

In fact, God, I still remember the moment when I saw the face of the new iPhone. To me it was perfect! Lots of options. Clearly presented. With an uncluttered black background. Sigh. This is not the space I inhabit. Although, I have not given up!

Perhaps that is why discovering that I can reframe some of my inner qualities as Apps, is so very appealing. It brings them up to the surface of my mind. It sets them off as having a semi separate existence. And it reminds me that they have settings. I can recalibrate and adjust them. It gives me a neutral way of accessing and influencing my own behavior. . . not judging or shaming . . . just adjusting.

So this morning, when I realized that I have A Starter App I was overjoyed. This will help me break into the flow of my day. I drift through the day enjoying whatever. . . and then it is time for bed. Ah ha! A Starter App would allow me to interrupt my pleasant haze and start my 5 minutes of exercise. Or start filling out a form or call a friend. Once I started, then inertia would work for me. But, as You can see, God, I am thinking small. Five minutes. Or maybe ten. I know I need to build in a Timer, because, once started I can forget to stop. I can get so excited at finally starting exercising that I pull muscles, get sore, etc.

Once again, life is all about balance. I want both Messy Creativity AND Purposeful Organization.

Posted in beauty, connecting, Creating, creativity in loving service, embedded in God's Time, Flowers, Inner Apps, Office Overflow, organized, supportive organizational structures, The Flow of God's Love, time

Growing — a Responsibility

Posted on August 8, 2020 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Good Evening, God

I hadn’t ever thought of “growing” as a responsibility. But, now it seems so obvious. If we are growing plants we have to exercise responsibility — providing water and nutrients. The Plant has to work too — putting down roots, producing leaves and fruit. But we humans — seem not to have caught on — to our responsibilities.

What went wrong? Actually, God, I don’t think most people realize ANYTHING went wrong. But, I just became a member of the Weston A. Price Foundation and received a very concise booklet listing what happened to us when we switched from traditional to modern food choices.

The first thing he noticed while touring the world — as a dentist — was that people eating a traditional diet all had really good teeth. Not just no cavities, but no crowding — too many teeth for narrow jaws. This wasn’t genetic. He compared folks in the same extended family. Eating the modern diet resulted in narrower jaws and decayed teeth.

He couldn’t help but notice the people still eating the traditional diets also had good physiques, resistance to disease, and optimistic outlooks.

Why? Their diets provided at least four times the water soluble vitamins and minerals of the American diet of his day (1930-40s). And TEN times the fat-soluble vitamins, from animal foods such as butter, fish-eggs, shellfish, organ meats, eggs and animal fats. Basically they were getting the vitamins A, D and K that act as catalysts to mineral absorption and protein utilization.

Their cultures all promoted even better diets before having children. Nutrient dense organ meats and animal fats were prescribed for nursing mothers and growing children. Sigh.

It seems both simple and obvious. We are what we eat. And growing — physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually — all depend on being lovingly nourished.

Tagged with: Weston A. Price Foundation
Posted in awareness, connecting, Eating for health, God wants to nourishes us, growing toward up, health, Personal Responsibilty, Perspective, perspectives

From Flank Speed to Warp Speed

Posted on August 7, 2020 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

San Souci Beach February 25, 2020

Good Evening, God

This morning my wonderful husband Kit observed that Things were changing at Flank Speed! Kit was in the Navy, while I who was raised on Science Fiction, responded, saying “It’s changing at Warp Speed!”

At such a time of rapid change I was longing for a chance to look at something comforting from the past. The ocean seemed perfect. And — aside from the fact that it is rising and polluted by our plastics — it is perfect.

And it is so appropriate to view — as I am AT SEA. I feel as if I’m standing slightly outside everything that is going on. And marveling at it. My view of reality is that the WAR MODEL only makes things worse. Winning by killing is an illusion. It makes the opposition intensify and go underground. It creates Superbugs out of formerly less deadly bugs.

There is a great story about how Napoleon’s failed attack on Russia was due to Trench Fever, not Winter. Trench fever killed 90% of Napoleon’s army. But, it only killed 4 or 5% of Russian troops. The Russia general, Kutuzov, was a homeopath and had his troops create their own remedy.

In a medical reference class I read the story of Pasteur and his germ theory and his medical opponent Claude Bernard who felt that the important thing was to strengthen the terrain or the body. I immediately sided with Bernard! Yes! The body is designed to heal. Let’s help it!!

The history of science is filled with major paradigm shifts. And people resist new paradigms vigorously. Max Planck said, “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.”

So, I look around me, and I see that I am in a different paradigm. More on this tomorrow, God. It’s bedtime.

Tagged with: General Kutuzov, paradigms
Posted in connecting, developing helpful definitions of love, Eating for health, healing, health, hope, LOVE, Peace, power and peace and gentleness, The daily details of love, The Flow of God's Love, the gift of persistent love

Miracles of transformation

Posted on August 6, 2020 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

A Passion Flower . . . which with pollination may become a passion fruit

Good Evening, God

What a delight to find this bright purple blossom hiding in the midst of another species of shrub. I see these unplanned plants as little micro wildernesses. Somehow managing to survive without help . . . and indeed, against intentional harm. There is a bit of “wilderness” at the top of our valley. Not really wild — but unplanned and unstructured.

And, I do consider the transforming of flower into fruit as somehow symbolic of Your Ongoing Work of Transformation. While I was pondering this during Centering Prayer I was struck by how powerfully transformative it is when we set aside regular time to pray specifically for those persecuting others or the planet. Pray for your enemies You tell us. But, I don’t think our church has offered a class in that. Well, maybe they tried and nobody came?

I’m no expert — not certified to teach about it — but I have been working at it and I feel called to share. 1) It took a while for me to stop asking You to FIX the person I was praying for. 2) Then I moved on to asking You to HEAL the person. That was really a more loving version of Fix. 3) It took even longer for me to ask You to BLESS the person. To shower that person with Your LOVE. 4) Then I began to see how many qualities I shared with that person. 5) I shifted — yes, slowly — into praying for US . . . bless us . . . and help us . 6) Then I became aware of my need to repent. . . make that my need to be about the work of repenting. 7) And where I am now is slowly becoming aware of what St. Paul was referring to in Ephesians 6:12. ^“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

So, why am I writing this? I guess, God, that I want to encourage us ALL to take You at Your Word. “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” Matthew 5:44

Posted in a prayer for healing, Blessing, Centering Prayer, connecting, LOVE, Prayer, Praying for our enemies, The Flow of God's Love, the gift of persistent love

A Joyful Event

Posted on August 5, 2020 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

iu 2 Queen Elizabeth II knighting Captain Tom Moore for his significant fundraising for NHS

Good Evening, God

I had read about how Captain Tom Moore had pledged to walk 100 laps of his backyard before his 100th birthday — in order to fundraise for the British National Health Service charities. I thought, how touching! It made me feel good about our species. And it made me feel that, WOW, it is never too late for us to make a contribution!

But, today I saw a photo of the two of them — and I burst into a smile! The Queen, at 94, looks so HAPPY to be knighting Captain Tom. And Sir Tom has such a lovely expression. Two human beings who are committed to serving. Two human beings who have not stopped doing what they can to give to others.

One hundred laps of 82 ft each — may not seem like much. But, doing it on a walker while his broken hip was healing? Doing it in the several days before his 100th birthday? How can we not be inspired! How can we not want to do our part?

Once again, neither size nor age seem to matter.

Tagged with: Queen Elizabeth knights Captain Tom Moore
Posted in a matter of scale, acknowledging another's existence, Affirmations, appreciation, Awe, Being a Blessing, Belonging to each other, Blessing, Choosing Meaning, Choosing to respond, connecting, Giving, growing toward up, Growth Opportunities

Sharing the Playground

Posted on August 4, 2020 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Good Evening, God

Just yesterday — on our morning walk up the hill — I saw a man doing exercises on the playground apparatus. At first I just sort of peeked at him. Then I congratulated him on his thinking to USE the playground equipment. He brightened and showed me that he does three basic exercises: modified pushups, modified pull-ups and sit-ups. We introduced ourselves and I decided — we are doing it!

So here we are this morning — doing it The photo is of Kit doing the pushups. We both did all three exercises. Not that many, but we got started! Fortunately, there were just two youngsters sharing the equipment with us. And, yes, we did get some curious looks from them. But, they seemed happy to share.

I’m sitting here smiling, God. I am just so pleased to have stumbled on a man who was able to think outside of the box and use playground equipment for adult exercises. Kit did say — we could do this at home! And he is right, that we could. And I am right, that we haven’t.

My goal is to have this become A Small Habit. Life is a marvelous mosaic of small pieces. The trick is to find and add valuable pieces into our daily lives.

Posted in a new view of Commons, Abundant Life, an invitation to abundant life, connecting, Creating, creativity in loving service, Enjoyment, exercising, JOY, Planning, Play, simple joys of daily life, small meaningful moments, the joy of sharing

Noticing . . . and appreciating

Posted on August 3, 2020 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Good Evening, God

My wonderful husband Kit and I were out for our morning walk when my eye was caught by this shower tree blossom. I was delighted! And then it hit me! It was delighted to be noticed!

It made me think of the quote from William Butler Yeats:
The World is filled with Magical Things
patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.

Perhaps, God, all creation is waiting for us to “notice?” Waiting for our senses to grow sharper and our hearts larger? And not just beautiful things, God — all things! If trees and plants, enjoy being noticed, then how much more all of us Creatures enjoy being noticed.

Noticers? Is that a category? Maybe even a spiritual gift? I discovered a few years ago that one of my gifts was being An Encourager. My mother was clearly an Appreciator, while my father was an Enjoyer. Hmm. I am not sure if Enjoyer is officially listed as a spiritual gift? I think it is . . . but like all gifts is best used under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

But back to noticing. I will often do it by commenting on a new blouse or new hairdo. It basically mean: I SEE YOU! Oh yes, that wonderful quote from Paul Watslavick: The Primary Purpose of Human Communication is to Confirm our Existence as Human Beings.

That is what noticing does — confirms our existence. There are folks who seem to think negative noticing is better than NO noticing. That seems so sad, God. It seems as if they are not getting the emotional nourishment they need.

HMM. Golly, God, I have been making the assumption that noticing — seeing — is basically positive. But, now that I am thinking about it . . . it may very well depend on the orientation of the one who is noticing

Ah yes. Our gifts are to be used with Your guidance.

Tagged with: noticing
Posted in appreciation, Choosing to respond, connecting, respect, Responding, seeing, stopping to see, The gift to SEE others

All Sorts of Silos

Posted on August 2, 2020 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Summertime Silos Good Evening, God

On our walk this morning — yes! we are back to walking! — I thought about how we live in silos. Folks who listen to NPR hardly ever listen to FoxNews. Or if you are a member of one religious denomination you are not apt to visit another denomination. Actually, the silos are smaller than that! In our church, my wonderful husband Kit and I were almost the only people who would occasionally change from the 11:00 service to go to the 9:00 service. I even liked going to the 7:00 a.m. service when Kit was off on a race. Golly, God, most folks even sit in the same pew.

How easy it is to fall into a silo. And some silos take on a quasi religious nature. The world outside the silo feels “unclean” — threatening to our “sense of self” . . . our “identity.” Someone once shared that he had been listening to a video and agreeing with all the points — only to feel almost ill when he found out who the speaker had voted for! Heresy!

I am someone who feels comfortable in a variety of silos. Kit and I do have a primary care physician. But, my mother’s father was a Christian Scientist. Somehow I absorbed from him the belief that You, God, want to help us heal. And furthermore that our bodies are designed to heal. Our job is to nourish them with loving and forgiving thoughts, with moderate sunlight, exercise and not too much food. And we are to keep from harming our bodies!

Also, God, my grandfather was perhaps overly proud of coming from a long line of “Free Thinkers!” Maybe that makes it easier for me to step into a variety of silos. But, I have trouble too. As Carl Jung observed “People cannot stand too much reality”.

Tagged with: protective limits, self protection, silos, unclean
Posted in connecting, reality, the cold snow of reality, Wanting a protected time

Bringing Back Beavers

Posted on August 1, 2020 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Good Evening, God

You created an amazing world . . . a balanced world . . . filled with creatures large and small, all playing their parts. But, then we came along. And things haven’t been the same since.

But there are encouraging signs. When the wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone, the elk stopped overgrazing the waterways and the erosion rate dropped. The water got cleaner and vegetation was revitalized. The whole system got back in balance.

And now beavers are being reintroduced to make better use of the water we have. “When you look at the increase in low summer flows, it’s like beaver magically created water,” says Nick Bouwes of Anabranch Solutions — a firm that restores riparian areas.

This is from “Nature’s Ecosystem Engineers,” a story in the August/September 2020 National Wildlife magazine. A rancher in Idaho remembered how healthy Birch Creek used to be when he was a child. Then he remembered that there were beavers there too. (There used to be 400 million beavers and now there are 100,000.) He called Bouwes for help. They constructed 19 Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) along the creek in 2015. That created a habitat suitable for beavers. Nine beavers were relocated with the help of the U.S. Forest Service and Idaho Fish and Game. By 2019 there were 149 dams along a two mile stretch and the creek flows 42 more days into summer.

Beavers store water in the spring when there is maybe too much and release it slowly when it is needed. But, it isn’t just better control of water. It is purifying the water, allowing waterborne pollutants to settle and not continue to flow downstream. And they bring back all sorts of fish and creatures to the area.

Maryland is starting to use beavers to help the Chesapeake Bay. This is the sort of news that makes me happy. Happy and Thankful! I’m hoping for more of us to turn toward Nature’s Ways.

Tagged with: Beavers, caring for our land, Ecosystem engineers, riparian water rights
Posted in Caring, clear waterways, connecting, water and love