Sunsets and A New Day

Posted on November 10, 2016 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

sunset over Waikiki

Good Morning, God!

I have finally asked You, God — what is Your desire For me?

And it seems That for now
I am to be about The activity of

Welcoming You
RECEIVING

WOW!

That’s it for now?
Lovely❤️

And I did my Centering Prayer this morning
And I did Receive
I could “see” My Tap Root

Deepening Extending Connecting Reaching out
And REJOICING

So I am /have been Presented with my Body
To Love, Respect, Care for And Listen to

And then to see this, My Body As analogous
To The Body Politic

You, Oh Magnificent
Long for us to hear

Your Song — so far beyond words
The Song You sang

When You created Worlds
And Us

Thanks be to Thee

Tagged with: Blessing, loving myself and others, pondering my purpose
Posted in compassion to care for myself, connecting, LOVE, loving myself, Meaning, Self Care, self care as self compassion and humility, small meaningful moments, The Flow of God's Love

Reproduction and the Election

Posted on November 7, 2016 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

screen-shot-2015-05-12-at-12-37-43-pm
Good Morning, God!

I know that some of my Christian sisters are hearing from Trump supporters: ”GET OUT AND VOTE SO WE CAN TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY.” I guess to them that means NO MORE LEGAL ABORTIONS.

Trump is offering Christian voters a Supreme Court that would outlaw abortions.
That is the Bait.

I guess the Party of Trump is hoping that this single issue will blind us to the fact that Trump himself and his proposed policies are the very opposite of our Christian values.

I think of how Trump has made fun of handicapped reporters,
calling women fat pigs, slobs, and dogs
called Mexicans criminals and rapists ,
and called poor people “losers.”

Spewing hate and mocking people is not what we Christians believe in.

Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 25 that how we treat others
is how we treat him.

Doesn’t Jesus tell us to care for the poor
and welcome the strangers in our midst?

It isn’t just Trump’s hatefulness — it is his policies:
The Wall
The ban on Muslims entering America
tax policies that will benefit the super rich.

I think about how Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love our God with all our heart, mind and strength. And to love our neighbor as ourselves.

To me this means voting for a woman who respects all of us:
Hillary Clinton.

Tagged with: abortion, election 2015, mutual respect, respect, single issue voting
Posted in Compassion, connecting, LOVE, respect

A brave pastor speaks up

Posted on November 6, 2016 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

johnheadshotedit

God Morning, God!

I’ve been praying and fasting — something I don’t remember doing since the weekend before 9/11 — and this feels THAT serious. I haven’t wanted to be explicitly political on this blog. But, I woke up this Saturday knowing that I have to speak up. But, with so much to say the question was WHAT to say. Then I found an article about this message from pastor John Pavlovitz in the Raleigh, North Carolina area.

Pastor John Pavlovitz attempted to spare no feelings when he warned women about Trump, his supporters, and how those individuals truly view a woman’s role in society:

“To them, you aren’t separate but equal, as they might claim from the pulpit. You may be made in the image of God, but not in the same way that they are.

You are inferior

You are lesser than

You are Adam’s rib meat

baby machines

meal preparers

arm candy

pleasure tools designed by God for men to use as they desire.

Some of these men of God will have the guts to actually say this, others will simply prove it to you. They are proving it to you now. Listen to them.”

Pavlovitz says in their twisted patriarchal world, the there are men on the Christian Right who think all men act like Trump, all men talk this way, all men think this way, but adds, “No, we don’t—but they do.”

A line was drawn in the proverbial sand by Pavlovitz who harpooned the hypocrisy of Trump’s supporters. Trump claims to respect women, as do those who are in favor of his candidacy. Yet, that does not rationally follow for if it were true, and if these individuals did have respect for women, they’d dump Trump immediately.

“If these professed men of God truly acknowledged your inherent value, they would be fiercely defending you right now, instead of Donald Trump. They would be openly condemning such disregard for the image of God within you, and sharply severing their ties with him—but many of them they aren’t. They’re making excuses. They’re blaming the victim. They’re doubling down. They’re digging in their manly heels right now.”

The good minister pulled back the curtain to expose the sickening philosophy of these individuals. They care not about women as human beings, but consider them to be mere disposable objects to be used for their own nefarious purposes:

“The real reason they’re doing it is that to them you aren’t worth defending — not your intelligence or your gifts or your worth. As a result, your consent isn’t really a concern either; you may have noticed that. It’s why, in their minds sexual misconduct almost never occurs, and when it does, it’s because you were dressed too provocatively or sending mixed signals, or because their motives were misinterpreted. They don’t believe you have the right to say no or to be offended. If anything, they believe you should be flattered. This is the hubris of men who think God made you as an accessory.”

Me again God. I’d so like believe this is true of only a FEW men. But, then I think of Bill Cosby. I think of sex trafficking I think about young girls molested by family members. And I realize THIS IS REAL. And You do not like it.

So, I’m speaking up.

Tagged with: contempt for women, election 2016, hubris, misogyny, speaking truth to power, speaking up, the dark underbelly of humanity, voting
Posted in connecting, God's Light, Light, LOVE, respect, Self-Respect, The Flow of God's Love

Venus de Milo and Me

Posted on October 29, 2016 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

25583

Good Morning, God!

New ideas have been engulfing me these last few days . . . or maybe I am just OPEN to receiving them? So, in sort of random order — because we women don’t live on a 2D LINE — 1) my need to adequately rest and renew myself.

Up until a day or two ago this need for rest was squished down into sleep. But now I have an Expanded image.I see this more comprehensively . . . as Spinning Thread for my day . . . with the need to spin extra thread for Repair Work and Renewal Play.

And my image of doing this is Venus De Milo. Venus, the Goddess of Love. And here she is — arms out to welcome her lover. But, that old image has been updated in my mind, thanks in large part to Elizabeth Barber’s book, Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years. Now I see this Venus as holding a hand weaving set — spinning thread. Thread for the weaving of fabrics. Thread for the weaving of her life/our lives. And now she is not just the Goddess of Loving others . . . but the Goddess of Loving and Caring for myself.

WOW! Now THAT is a REFRAME!

Seeing this I am now — even more — cherishing my Centering Prayer times . . . my long jogs up my hill alone with myself. . . my times with my wonderful husband, Kit and beloved family and friends. And my SLEEP and NAP times. All the times in which I am about my basic and essential business of Spinning Thread for the Fabric of my Life. I LOVE these images, God. I love having an ongoing primary activity that I can now visualize and therefore better respect and care for.

I’m smiling. Thank You! And as for the other thoughts? . . . Tomorrow.

800px-woman_spinning_bm_vased13

Tagged with: Venus de Milo, Venus Expanded
Posted in A weekly day of rest, connecting, developing helpful definitions of love, LOVE, renewing, rest, Self Care, self care as maintenance, self care as self compassion and humility, The daily details of love

Healing Grief

Posted on October 20, 2016 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Grief

Good Evening, God!

Give sorrow words . . . Shakespeare said that centuries ago. But, God, we don’t. As for me, I didn’t know how. So I pushed it down . . . focused on all the Good Stuff . . . practiced Gratitude. And all of that is GOOD . . . but it isn’t enough.

So sorrow waits. Waits to be acknowledged. Respected. Heard. And then given expression. Shakespeare said words. But there are many ways of expressing grief. One friend after losing her son in a storm in the seas off of Alaska went to a dance class called Sweating Your Grief.

Sweating our grief. Yes! Sweating can be a way of expressing grief. And so, too, is running. Perhaps, in a culture that has taught us not to be Cry Babies . . . that is the only way some of us have. In my friend’s case she ACKNOWLEDGED her grief. She RESPECTED it. She knew she had to work with it!

Expressing grief isn’t what I thought it was. It isn’t about whining or complaining — those words come more from the Mind. A true and healing expression of grief comes when the Heart speaks . . . and when the Body weeps the salt of tears and sweat.

Tagged with: Speaking out or our hearts, sweating our grief, tears
Posted in connecting, gratitude, Grief, healing, Hearts, respect, Self-Respect, Sorrows of the Deep

The Dark Side of “Forgiving”

Posted on October 15, 2016 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Good Day, God!

Forgiving is an incredibly powerful tool for good. That’s why it is so upsetting to me to hear it misused, misunderstood and misapplied.

Forgiving is NOT forgetting
Forgiving is NOT condoning
Forgiving is NOT ignoring
Forgiving is NOT excusing

Those definitions have been used for years to un-empower the people who were being harmed. THAT is not what Jesus meant or wanted. Jesus who LOVES us commands us to CARE for the LEAST of THESE. And that would mean for us to care for . . ourselves . . . each other . . . we are all included in the “Least.”

And in my mind, CARING means we CONFRONT predators — we bring their predatory behavior to their attention — and we pray for them to be healed . . . or to WANT to be healed — and to know that You love them.

If we had a very sick and very contagious individual running around infecting others . . . we would not recommend forgiving him or her. We would recommend an isolation ward.

Sigh. I feel better now, God. That just really WANTED to be SAID!

Oh, and just a word of what Forgiveness is truly about: Forgiving others spares us from the consequences of living out of an unforgiving heart.

Tagged with: forgiving is not condoning, forgiving is not excusing, forgiving is not forgetting, forgiving is not ignoring, predators, predatory behavior, protecting
Posted in a prayer for healing, Caring, Compassion, connecting, Forgiving, LOVE, Prayer

We are all earthenware cups

Posted on October 3, 2016 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Earthenware cup

Good Day, God!

I made this clay cup years ago . . . I intended it to be a Tree/Cup . . . but clay shrinks during firing and so the trunk is a bit small for my hand. Still, it is my creation and I love it. I did notice that the next day a young man was making his own clay tree cup. His was a lovely detailed cup with leaves etc. More artistic than mine, still, I was pleased.

But, I didn’t mean to go on about “beloved creations,” although now that I think about it I truly believe / hope that You feel that way toward us!

During Centering Prayer time, I sometimes will be flooded with an incident from the Past and at this point in Time I can see so clearly what I ought to have done/said . . . or not done or said. It is at those moments that I find it a vast comfort to view myself as a Clay Cup.

When I was attacked by a young (15 years old) burglar in our home — and survived — I was incredibly grateful. THRILLED, actually, to find myself ALIVE. But, it was almost easy to pray for him because he, too, was just a clay cup. As it turned out he was angry at his father and Anger and Evil do plot together to do violence.

Of course, the detective on the case reminded me that I should pray for the burglar to be caught! Being a Clay Cup does not mean we are not responsible for what we allow in it or to stay in it.

I think of Saint Paul telling us to be angry but not to let the sun go down on our anger lest we give the devil a foothold. Ah, God, if only we could picture ourselves putting our clay cup in with the dishes every night! How much more joy we could receive!

Tagged with: burglars, clay cups
Posted in Anger, Centering Prayer, connecting, Creating, Forgiving, LOVE, opportunities to forgive myself, Prayer

An Inner Sea

Posted on September 27, 2016 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

pyrenees

Good Evening, God!

This photos of a mist covered lake in the Pyrenees was sent by dear friends as they hike in those mountains. I love this lake. It makes me think of my deep Inner Sea . . . a sea filled with all my unshed tears after our daughter Patty died — 35 years ago.

For several years I felt as if that sea was frozen. On my surface the ground was warm. The soil could support joyful flowers. But it could not support trees. Trees need deep roots into unfrozen ground.

I can see YOU in this image — Your Holy Spirit — hovering over the waters. And Look, God! The water is flowing; the lake is no longer frozen! We heal! And we can look back and see You there . . . hovering over me and sometimes holding me . . .Thank You.

And Thanks Be to the friends You sent me . . . to literally walk along side me. To break bread with me . . . and to help the flowers bloom.

Tagged with: a mountain lake in the Pyrenees
Posted in adjusting, connecting, daughters, Flowers, friends, Grief, healing, pain, Sorrows of the Deep

The Sacrament of Listening

Posted on September 14, 2016 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

dining out

Good Afternoon, God!

We used to laugh God, about how my Mother had a Listening Gene. Her friends called her “Shoulders” . . . and I got the Listening Gene too. That’s how I thought of it — as genetic — not as a skill. And I never feel more ME than when I am listening — truly listening to someone. This came back to me recently while listening to FLOURISH by Martin Seligman. The army had asked him to work on a program to help soldiers build “Well-Being”. One aspect was to teach 4 patterns of Listening to another person. 1) hm 2) that’s nice 3) Wow, Great and 4) Hey, tell me more.

Hearing so as to help a person Speak. Now, THAT, God, is Listening.

That kind of listening is a sacred act, God. Indeed, just this morning it came to me that Listening with our whole heart is a Sacrament. That is what my spiritual director does for me. That is what goes on in our Wednesday Morning Women’s Prayer Group. We don’t need priests or ministers or certified people. Anyone can do it. Although, training can certainly help us.

And for our family, God, dining out is a special opportunity to listen to each other. A lovely restaurant . . . can be as filled with Your Spirit as a church.

Now, God, as I am writing . . . it comes to me that I CRAVE more time listening to myself. Of course, DOING IT would mean understanding that I NEED it — that hearing myself is like feeding myself.

WOW! Now THAT is a REFRAME!

Posted in connecting

Fear, Anger and Perspective

Posted on August 17, 2016 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

IMG_2739 (1)

Good Day, God!

I keep puzzling about how You have put us in TIME. I’m pretty sure You dwell in Non-Time — whatever that means! But, one thing our about being creatures living within Time . . . we have to deal with CHANGE. Lots of change. It is all part of Time Passing.

This Sunday we took a visiting friend to the Bishop Museum and she wanted to see the Planet Shark exhibit. So my wonderful husband Kit and I trooped along. We did learn how remote our chances are of being injured by a shark — so we OUGHT to be less afraid. (I’m not.)

But this poster is what hit me. Sharks have survived 5 Extinctions. FIVE! Gosh, if we are in the Sixth Extinction now, that means sharks have survived ALL the previous extinctions. That was impressive.

But MORE impressive was the thin white line at the top which represented how long we humans have been here on Planet Earth. Hmm.

This awareness was compounded by a long article in this month’s Discover magazine discover-magazine-1

about how asteroids hitting the earth seem to be in a 32 million year cycle as we pass through a dense disc of dark matter in our galaxy. Not good. I didn’t want to know when the last big hit was!

So, as a dear friend said the other day, “The World really must be coming to an end because my ‘do-it-yourself’ husband hired a plumber!” It was a joke, of course. But, with all the information flooding though our minds it is easy to feel the world as we know it is ending. It is hard to feel safe nowadays.

And I understand that when we humans do not feel safe — we look for someone to blame. Blaming another group . . . being angry . . . seems to make us feel like there is something we can do to protect ourselves.

I am telling You this, God, because I need Your Help. I need to know that success and survival are not Your goals for me. Your goals are both simpler and harder –that I would let You in to love me and expand me and flow through me.