Mr. Intrepid FINISHES Boston Marathon

Posted on April 18, 2016 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Kit about to join a line of buses.jpg

Here is Kit ready to board the bus to go out 26.2 miles to the start of the Boston Marathon in Hopkinton. Happy . . . smiling and off to a GREAT first half at 2:28.

Then his gas gave out and we (me plus four faithful friends who brought lunch and helped me watch) saw him at mile 21 walking up Heartbreak Hill(s). So BEAT! I made my way through the barricade and gave him a big hug, a bottle of water and got him to chew on a shot block. We waved him on . . .

. . .only to find out when I met him after the race — that maybe a mile or so after we saw him he fell. . . he says a barricade fell as he leaned on it. He was in a medical tent for 15 minutes while they checked his vitals and then when he promised to walk they let him go back on the course. Being Kit all he could tell me was HOW NICE EVERYONE WAS!!!! I asked if he told them he was 81? He had. Because biased as I am I don’t think he LOOKS 81.

So, I did manage to see him a second time JUST before he turned the corner on to Boylston St. and the finish line. It isn’t a good shot because I spent most of my time YELLING KIT KIT KIT. . . and waving my hat! He is FOCUSED. As he told me, “THERE WAS NO WAY I WASN’T GOING TO FINISH! And he did in 6:08.

Kit about to turn on to Boylston.jpg

Tagged with: Boston Marathon
Posted in connecting

Earth, we have a Problem here

Posted on April 11, 2016 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Aquafers

Good Evening, God

I keep thinking “Water water EVERYWHERE but not a drop to drink.” And I give a rueful snort. Here we are on Planet Earth — the oceans are rising and we are depleting our ancient aquifers way too fast. This maps shows our Earth’s 37 largest aquifers and the orange and red ones are depleted. . . having little or no replenishment.

Not too surprisingly folks are ANGRY in these areas. Yemen for example has tap water available one day in four. A great way to have revolutions and terrorists.

This information was stumbled upon a few weeks ago in the Princeton Alumni Magazine March 16, 2016 issue. I really didn’t want to know this. I’ve heard about drought. I know about ground water and aquifers. What I did NOT know was that the California central valley aquifers were formed during the Pleistocene Epoch. We are not forming them now. And a few good wet years isn’t going to fix things.

At first I was overwhelmed by hopelessness. As in Duh! Why wouldn’t I be. But, God, you have made me a Biological Optimist. Like it or not, I tug at problems. Hm. What can we do? Why haven’t we started? Oh? Australia HAS started. And they are trying to encourage California. Meanwhile, Turkey as damed the Euphrates River and cut the water to farmers in Syria and Iraq. Hm. Is that related to problems there?

Like most folks I want to blame someone . . . blame leaders . . . blame media (for not helping me “GET” this). Blame all the “people in charge” . . . I want to blame SOMEONE.

Sigh. What about me? What am I doing? And what are World Leaders Doing? Hmm. World Leaders? Thank You, God, for Pope Francis’ book The Name of God is Mercy and for June saying that Your Middle Name is HOPE. I need that. . .

Tagged with: ancient aquifers, drought, leadership, water problems, water shortages
Posted in accepting my need for help, Books, connecting

How about HOPE?

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

Flower of the Autograph Tree

Good Evening God,

I think this is only the second time I’ve the flower of the autograph tree. The trees are everywhere and I often see the round hard fruit . . . but the actual flower? Hardly ever! The first time I saw one . . . I looked for others for days afterwards . . . checking each tree. But, as time went on I gave up looking. I stopped HOPING to see one. And without hope, I stopped looking.

So, how did I see THIS one? I parked right in front of it! I was in sight through my windshield. It was A Gift!

All of this makes me think about Hope. Vaclav Havel said “Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” I like that. It reminds me of how when our daughter Patty was in the hospital at Stanford — so long ago, but it seems like yesterday — I told the doctor, “The battle is not between Life and Death, we all die. The real battle is between Meaning and Meaninglessness.”

Meaning is the way into our Hearts and Minds, isn’t it God. You designed us that way. And I think it was Viktor Frankel who observed that then we don’t have Meaning we turn to Power or Pleasure.

As I look around me . . . well, yes, at myself, too . . . I can see that most of us here in the West are motivated by pleasure . . . or power. Thankfully a fair number of us ARE motivated by Meaning. The trouble is we humans do get discouraged. We don’t understand that it isn’t about outcomes. It is about keeping on and on and on with those things that Do Make Sense!

Tagged with: hope, Keeping on, Meaning, persisting
Posted in Faith, Faithfulness, hope, Meaning, Persistence

The blessings of being Tattered

Posted on March 31, 2016 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

Good Day, God!

I hadn’t ever thought of being a bit “tattered” as being a blessing. But, yesterday sitting outside in the backyard of my Spiritual Director’s Makiki Heights home I glanced over at her clothesline and saw varied colored cloth squares. Oh, cocktail napkins, I said.

June, who probably has NEVER owned cocktail napkins, laughed and said, “Those are Tibetan Prayer Flags. Well, yes, God, I have heard of those — the wind blows and the words on them are “prayed” . . . not a bad idea. Hmm. I was wrong. Apparently, the idea is that “they will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all pervading space. Therefore, prayer flags are thought to bring benefit to all.”

As I went for a closer look, I noticed some flags are becoming “tattered” as edges fray and strands are pulled loose and flutter back and forth.

Ah, God, it was as if You said to me that the tattered flags spread blessings even more effectively than the pristine whole flags. More surface area or activity? I loved the thought. Then, standing there looking at the tattered prayer flag I thought of myself. I’m definitely more tattered than I used to be. And a soft thought blew through me . . . yes, my being “tattered” does help my prayers. Thanks, God!

Tagged with: blessings, Prayer, prayer flags, Tattered, Tibetan Prayer Flags
Posted in Being a Blessing, Blessing, connecting, gratitude, Prayer

What would St. Francis do?

Posted on March 24, 2016 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

St Francis

Good Morning, God

We are always asking ourselves . . . well we try, God . . . What would Jesus do? The answer, of course, varies on who is asking the question. Then it came to me. We CAN ask what would St. Francis do — because we know historically what he DID do!

In 1219 — during the Fifth Crusade — St. Francis crossed enemy lines to gain an audience with Malik al-Kamil, the Sultan of Egypt. The two discussed war, peace and faith.

I have bought the book — The Saint and the Sultan, by Paul Moses — and have started reading. But haven’t gotten very far yet. Did St. Francis end the Fifth Crusade? Well God, the pope at that time was promising “instant” access to heaven to all “Christian” fighters. Gosh, that sounds familiar. So, probably not a “successful” outcome.

But, that isn’t the point is it, God.

We are called to do the right thing . . . to pray FOR those who persecute us . . . to Bless, Bless and not to curse. We are called to do them! We are not told to analyze them to see if it might succeed or make a difference and if so, then do them.

Jesus has said, Blessed are the Peacemakers.

Peace begins in our hearts. It begins with respect for one another. It moves on to hearing all the diverse voices and peoples of our time. Hearing their hearts and their hurts and their hopes.

Hm. How now to do this, God? How to reach out in hope?

Tagged with: compassion, hearing, hope, humility, Love, peace, Peacemakers, St. Francis, What would St. Francis do
Posted in connecting, hope, Hope as a gift from God, Peace, power and peace and gentleness, respect, the essential nature of hope

A Magical Moment

Posted on March 19, 2016 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

solar eclipse diamond ring Good Evening God,

My wonderful husband Kit and I were privileged to see the March 9, 2016 solar eclipse live! It was our third solar eclipse . . . but the magic had not faded . . . if anything it was more miraculous. How is it, God, that the moon is sized and positioned such that it completely covers our sun? That is Your doing. And to see it happen is to be enfolded in the Great Mystery. Thank You!

We are, of course, vastly privileged in so many other ways, God. As we toured sites in Indonesia Kit would say, “It just isn’t fair that we have so much!” And I agreed . . . but wanted to change the subject . . . as I don’t know what to do about it. I do know that vast gaps between the top and bottom make for instability. The French revolution of 1789 is clear in my mind. Sigh. I put it in Your Hands, God.

But back to the solar eclipse! This photo was taken by the ship’s photographer — not me. It is a BRIEF moment before Totality when the sun looks like a Diamond Ring. It is breathtaking. Then the moon moves and we entered into the Calm of Totality. It was two minutes and 45 seconds of a sort of darkness falling over us. No, not darkness . . . more of a diminution of the Light. It had a gentle peaceful quality about it. As if the Mighty Sun was staying its hand for a moment.

Aaah. I am grateful . . . thankful . . . and humbled.

How fortunate we are to live in a time when scientists can predict eclipses . . . and how fortunate that we can go with dear friends to observe an Opening into Your Magical Universe. . . an awesome glimpse into Your Handiwork.

Tagged with: a solar eclipse, diamond ring, March 9th 2016
Posted in a matter of scale, connecting, God as an Ongoing Gift, gratitude, thankfulness

The stillness of a predawn breakfast and love

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

predawn breakfast

Good Morning, God!

I took my wonderful husband Kit out for an early breakfast to celebrate his half birthday. Of course, I took him to my favorite spot on the island — the Plumeria Beach House at The Kahala. This view is of Koko Crater on the left and Koko Head on the right. We live in Hawaii Kai so both of these craters are seen every day and I particularly love Koko Crater.

But, what was special was gazing at them before dawn. The light quality is muted and soft. The day begins so gently. . . softly and quietly. We could hear the waves lapping at the shore. And when the sun did rise over the ocean, most of us stopped eating and went to take photos.

I am learning, God, that You are very present in the silence and the stillness.

This evening was Ash Wednesday and Kit and I went to our church’s service. We were all sprinkled with water shaken off a couple of ti leaves. Then we all walked to the front to have ashes put on our foreheads — then walked up again to receive communion. My body felt good about being involved in worship. And it came to me that my Body is more closely connected to my Heart than my Head is. Those simple acts meant something to my Body and my Heart knew it.

Ah, God, the Old Church knew about the importance of involving the Body in worship. But now there is so much Head Stuff. As Fr. Richard Rohr said, “Orthodoxy teaches us the theoretical importance of love; orthopraxy helps us learn how to love.” And love expresses itself most fully in actions — simple behaviors like listening. Listening to what is not said . . . not able to be said. Ah, that is love!

Tagged with: Ash Wednesday, dawn, Heart, Koko Crater, listening, Love, Silence, sunrise
Posted in beauty, connecting, LOVE, Silence, Stillness

A Surprising Gift

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

yellow royal pointceana

Good Morning, God!

I first remember learning that SIZE doesn’t matter in Madeleine L’Engle’s book, A Wind in the Door. This photo is of a rather small bloom on a dwarf poinciana tree. But, just look at its beauty! If we look carefully enough . . . if we see as we are seen by You . . . perhaps everything has beauty.

Every one of us matters . . . every one of us is beloved by You. That does not mean we are yet in full alignment — whatever that might mean. I take it to mean that You love us As we are and Where we are.

So, God, 2016 has been declared by Pope Francis to be the Year of Mercy. I have declared it to be The Year I Learn to Take Better Care of Myself. I kind of squirm when I write that, God. In my Culture — I am to take care of OTHERS. I am definitely NOT to be self-centered, selfish or self-indulgent.

Only, I have recently realized that I am in need of care. . . in need of help . . . in need of changing my priorities so that my family and I are central (I couldn’t quite write, FIRST.) The last time we talked, God, I wondered “what will I do Today?”

Now I am reporting back. What I did that day was I ACTED to put myself first. And I found that when I did that I actually put my wonderful husband, Kit, first! I had “forgotten” that I had made him part of me and therefore able to be “shelved” while I honored my “commitments” to Others. Now that I have been able to resist duty to others — even just a little bit — I am able to lavish attention on the two of us.

This is a BIG surprise. A Very Happy Surprise. It feels revolutionary!

Posted in Abundant Life, accepting my ability to REDESIGN, accepting my need for help, Commitments, connecting, Duty, loving myself, priorities, The Self

Looking Ahead

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

far vistas

Good Morning, God!

On our ten stop trip this last Fall, Google Maps was one of our great delights. We would put in the address and off we would go. No more Navigation Wars — with me saying the maps says Left and Kit saying he was sure we turn Right! With Google Maps we got clear and timely directions on when to turn and whether to turn left or right. How much simpler travel is now.

Actually, it is coming to me, God, that Artificial Intelligence is arriving Just In Time! I am thankful! And grateful. And mostly, hopeful.

And I am realizing that I could make a lot more use of AI. Our marvelous daughter, Sandy, frequently tells her phone to “remind me” to do x or y . . . at a set time. How helpful! Both my wonderful husband and I are already “attached” to our iPhones. Why not make fuller use of them?

Why, indeed? Well, there is the Setup Investment of time and energy. It would all take a bit of planning . . . a bit of thinking ahead. That sounds simple enough. But, it would also mean stopping and looking at what I do . . . maybe thinking about how much I’m doing . . . maybe asking myself about what my priorities are? Hm. The truth is, God, that while Part of me is committed to Taking Better Care of Myself — another Part is quite intent on Doing What It Wants to Do.

Hm. What shall I do, TODAY, God?

Tagged with: analyzing, cooperation, Helping myself
Posted in a hand up, asking for help for myself, authority over my life, Balancing and adjustments, being a Slow Learner, being repotted, connecting

New Every Morning

Posted on January 22, 2016 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Morning walk

Good Morning, God!

It’s winter here in Honolulu. I wore a jacket this morning. But the main change in Winter is the Darkness. Starting a walk in the dark is special. The planets are showing. The birds are waking up. And the Sun is rising. Sunrise!

We are New Every Morning, God. New Creatures with a brand new day. The Gift of Time and the Gift of Life. The gifts of a wonderful husband to share coffee with before we get up to begin our day. The gift of dear friends to go walking with. I am thankful!

Thankful, but, I realized recently that I have been guilty of “minimizing” my hurts, my griefs, and my sorrows. My Mind — which fears pain and grief — rushes in to tell me not to feel bad. There there, it could have been worse . . . think of the drowning refugees, etc.

I was praying with a friend today and I saw that she was doing the very same thing. We don’t want to whine and feel sorry for ourselves. (Yes, I am culturally sensitized to be judgmental about folks whining.) But, that has meant that I have avoided feeling my feelings. Stuffing them.

Ooo. Not good. Feelings will WAIT AROUND until the ARE FELT. So, recently, I have been doing more feeling. It does hurt. Feeling tough stuff HURTS.

But, God, my Heart is feeling more open — feeling as if there is more room inside it. It is as if the Grief in my Gut can only escape through my Heart . . . when it is Heard . . .Felt . . . and Released.

Imagine, God! I am beginning to feel Compassion for myself . . . all of my dear old Past Selves . . . embracing them . . . comforting them . . . feeling with them. It is GOOD.

Thank You!

Posted in being together in a compassionate presence, compassion to care for myself, connecting, Feeling our feelings, Hearing, hearing myself, LOVE, loving myself, self care as self compassion and humility