The Greening Healing Force

Posted on November 4, 2013 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Palm branch in the sunlight

Good Day, God!

I saw this palm branch Friday morning and stopped and took a photo. The branch is growing old . . . but that the Greening Force is still working in it.

I like that . . . it makes me think of Hildegard of Bingen who talked about the marvelous Greening Force — than animates and heals us.

Dr. Victoria Sweet in her book God’s Hotel talks about Hildegard who declared that the primary task of the Healer is to remove obstacles to that Greening Force. Sigh. Those words are resonating inside of me right now, God.

In fact, they are reverberating.

What obstacles do I have inside me to remove? Brene Brown talks about the Shame that permeates our Society. Yes, God, it is important to remove and release shame. I guess shame could be defined as anything one wouldn’t want known? Ah, the Devil does love secrecy.

But in my case I think the biggest obstacle to The Greening Force isn’t so much shame as my busyness. Yikes! I LOVE doing . . . being busy . . . being stretched and being challenged.

Those aren’t bad things. But, they are fatiguing things. This last year I have borrowed from my Body’s Bank — my Energy Reserves — in order to do what I felt needed to be done. Now it is time to repay my Body and perhaps my tired Soul. Yes, it is Time to Restore, God.

And, in a funny coincidence, my oldest daughter, Suzanne, has decreed that I need fresh squeezed Green Juice. Apparently Green is the color of the Liver — and the liver channel ends up in the eyes. So, as a Good Mother should, I am following my daughter’s advice. I’m getting pretty good at running our juicer, God. And my wonderful husband is joining me in drinking The Greening Juice. Life is Good, God!

Tagged with: borrowing from our Body's Bank, Brene Brown, Greening Force, healing, Hildegard of Bingen, restoring
Posted in Cherishing our Bodies, compassion to care for myself, connecting, daughters, Energy, healing, health

Sunlight into Our Hearts

Posted on October 29, 2013 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Clouds over Mokuleia on the North Shore of Oahu

Good Evening, God!

I’m just back from a weekend Women’s Retreat at Camp Mokuleia on the North Shore of Oahu. A lovely time of laughing and singing — and, for me, praying one on one with women who asked me to do that.

Praying with people is something I get to do every Wednesday morning as our Women’s Prayer Group at church meets and shares prayer requests and praises over cups of coffee. But, praying one on one with another human being . . . is special.

I don’t mean praying for Big Things like Peace, Refuges and Orphans. I mean praying for our hurting selves and our loved ones — in all our myriad dilemmas. That’s HARD. Because it means opening up our Hurting Self

We hide our Hurting Self from our neighbors, our friends, and even from ourselves. We try so hard to bury our Deep Sorrows and our Dark Worries. Ah, God, as Brene Brown would say — we are hiding our SHAME!

After all, God, it is the nature of humans to make mistakes. Hmm. Maybe that should be an ongoing verb. We all continue to make mistakes — and, worse yet, we keep on denying and hiding them.

In a world that hides mistakes — mistakes compound themselves.

Hiding Our Mistakes allows us to THROW STONES at those Poor Souls who make “public mistakes” — like the woman in the Bible who was taken in adultery.

The men brought the woman before Jesus expecting that the woman would be declared guilty and stoned to death. Jesus wrote in the dirt, then looked up and looked around and said “Let him who is without sin throw the first stone.”

I believe, God, that Jesus wants to HEAL us of our shame . . . that Jesus wants to help us open up our deep dark dungeon places to His Love . . . to His Light . . . as we pray . . . two or three . . . together.

Tagged with: Brene Brown, Light, Love, Our Hurting Self, Praying together, Shame, sharing
Posted in connecting, Hearts, Light, Prayer, the JOY of praying together, Trusting God

Hotels, Home and God’s Heart

Posted on October 19, 2013 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

The outside of the Eurostar Book Hotel in Munich

Good Evening, God!

Tomorrow we will be home for a whole week. Home from our trip to Berlin where my amazing husband Kit at age 79 ran the Berlin Marathon. Home from the Oktoberfest in Munich and home from a wonderful family reunion to celebrate my mom’s 98 1/2 years of life.

Our home is beginning to shape up, God. I have brought in the small palm trees from outdoors. And my suitcase is slowly emptying. I’m going slowly. And I am comfortable about that. FAST no longer seems all that important a value.

Gosh, God, I hope that I can keep to a slower pace. I’m tired of rushing. Besides, significant events take TIME.

And speaking of time — this morning was my bi-monthly Contemplative Outreach prayer time at our church. I realized fairly early this morning that I was going to be late. In the past, knowing I would be late might have kept me from going. But, today, coming in late didn’t seem to matter at all.

Another late comer held the door for me and then closed it behind us silently. We both moved soundlessly to find a seat . As I sat there, slowly sinking into the silence, the thought tiptoed through my mind — I’m in a Womb — and then I slipped back into the stillness.

Part of me wishes I had taken a photo of the participants sitting in a ring of chairs with a half circle of chairs in an outer ring. The light was low. The peace was palpable. Surely, God, it was just a wee bit like sitting in Your Heart.

And, perhaps, that Period of Centering Prayer was both a Womb and Your Heart — a Safe Place — beyond Time and Expectations. A Place to let Your Love call us into loving more and more fully.

Tagged with: centering prayer, Love, peace, Silence, Stillness
Posted in Centering Prayer, connecting, God's Time, LOVE, Peace, Silence

Einstein’s Brain, the Corpus Callosum, and Congress

Posted on October 16, 2013 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Two photos of Albert Einstein (from http://patrix.cc/nordiblog/?p=403)

Good Afternoon, God!

So, the news a few days ago was about how Albert Einstein had a MUCH thicker Corpus Callosum — the part of the brain that connects our left and right hemispheres. That may have been a genetic “gift” or maybe he just used that part a LOT. Brain usage does seem to result in brain growth.

In my opinion, God, most of us humans could use a much sturdier Corpus Callosum. Being able to fully connect the two hemispheres would make for a much more fully functioning brain. But, alas, it is too easy to get stuck in one hemisphere or the other. Then we have hemisphere dominance instead of hemispheres alternating, sharing and cooperating.

I like to think of the corpus as conducting “shuttle diplomacy” between the two hemispheres. I wonder if it helps if there is a strong appreciation of each side’s abilities — in short, if there is mutual respect?

Sometimes, God, it isn’t easy for our two hemisphere’s to get along. And these two photos really make that point! The man on the left looks so serious . . . and boring. But, then the man on the right looks like a nut-case. Hard to believe they are both Albert Einstein.

I’m smiling, God! Imagine having to stream information and viewpoints back and forth between those two men if they were separate individuals! YIKES!

Sometimes, I think that our two political parties are a bit like our two hemispheres. Only, maybe there are not enough people acting as part of the Corpus Callosum in our Body Politic?

Perhaps, God, all of us could work harder at mutual respect, cooperation and full functioning — inside our own divided brains, and outside in our divided world?

Tagged with: Albert Einstein's brain, conections, Connecting, cooperating, Corpus callosum, mutual respect
Posted in Communication, connecting, connections, respect, systematic rebuilding required

Create in me a Clean Heart

Posted on October 10, 2013 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

A tee shirt for sale at a JUICE BAR in Beverly Hills

Good Morning, God!

Dang! I am what I eat . . . what I put in my body, and my mind and my heart. The analogy works pretty well — except that we humans are more like cows in bringing “food” up from multiple stomachs to re-chew and re-chew over and over .

Last night at dinner my sister-in-law, Larie, was sharing about how much the Scots HATE the English.

The Scots DO have reasons, God.

But then EVERYONE has reasons to hate someone, some group, and worse yet, themselves.

I’ve been pondering our need to “digest” our past, God. To Forgive makes it sound easy — but in practice so hard as to be submerged below awareness. It seems to me that digesting our past is a more comprehensive term. Digesting involves extracting something of value out of what has been ingested. Or in worse cases, rejecting and releasing something that is poisonous.

It is horrifying, God, how much poison is fed to us . . . where DO all those HATE emails come from? Well, yes, God, I have been angry and upset myself. I am more than able to spew forth vitriol — gosh I hate admitting that!

DANG! I guess, God, YOU have brought me back to Personal Responsibility. It is so HARD to bless folks who seem bent on destroying. How much easier to judge and hate. But what a quickly Descending helix that begets.

So, God, I am sitting here — taking a deep breath — and asking You to bless all those around the world who are “so RIGHT” that they would not hesitate to harm those they see as WRONG. . . . .

I guess you could begin with that part of me that is capable of that. . . .

What is it that King David asked of You? Please, God, Create in me a Clean Heart!

Tagged with: a clean heart, Blessing, digesting, forgiving, personal responsibility
Posted in asking for help for myself, Blessing, Choosing to respond, courage to see myself, Digesting as processing

St Francis, the Animals and Us

Posted on October 8, 2013 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Devoted Dog in St. James in the City church

Good Morning, God!

My wonderful husband, Kit, and our wonderful oldest daughter Suzanne and I are now in San Deigo . . . but Sunday we were in St. James episcopal church off of Wilshire for the Blessings of the Animals.

Actually, as it took us only a minute to understand, it really was the Blessings of the DOGS.

No Cats! I thought that was because a cat might not feel comfortable with all those dogs. But, Suz said it was because Cats don’t think they need a blessing.

I suppose a lot of humans aren’t in church for the very same reason. Or, perhaps it is the other way around, God. Maybe most churches don’t make it CLEAR that YOU want to BLESS ALL of US — Humans as well as Animals.

Sigh, I am enough of a Cat to understand that Dog-like-devotion is HARD for us humans. I really identify with an old pain-relief commercial where the middle aged daughter snaps at her mother: “PLEASE, Mother, I want to do it MYSELF!”

That’s ME, God! I, too, want to do it myself. But, I have to confess, God, that the problems we Americans / Humans face are way too much for me. Maybe, too much for our species?

I’m certain that they are too much for us if we don’t seek Your Help!

Oh, God! Would that we humans could gather together in humility and seek both Your Blessings and Your Help. Hmm. I guess we would have to stop arguing about Who’s-to-Blame . . . and BOW in Unified Humility before You!

Ah, shades of St. Francis! Oh that we could REJOICE in YOU — and in Brother Sun and Sister Moon — and REJOICE in all our brother and sister Creatures — human and otherwise.

Tagged with: asking for help, cats, dogs, Francis of Assisi, humility, The Blessing of the Animals
Posted in Belonging to each other, Blessing, connecting, Expand my Heart, Humility or Needing Help!

Walking through Munich

Posted on October 5, 2013 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Marienplatz clock tower in Munich

Good Day, God!

My wonderful husband Kit, and I are back in America and in fairly good shape for having traveled across nine time zones yesterday. We are here in L.A. looking forward to seeing daughter Suzy and then our Extended Family as we gather to remember my Mommy next Saturday.

So, here I sit — looking forward and looking back. My mind is FULL of images and inchoate thoughts. But for sure, the walk that Kit and I took just two days ago from our Munich hotel to Marienplatz and then to the Deutches Museum and back is one of my favorite inner videos. We arrived in time (just after 11 a.m.) for me to video the marvelous clock tower with its two tiers of moving mechanical figures . . . dancers twirling and musicians playing. Wonderful to see and hear!

And just this morning I learned that the column to Mary was erected in Marienplatz in 1638 to celebrate the retreat of the Swedes during the Thirty Year’s War — a war that didn’t end until 1648. Swedes in Bavaria? There is so much history in Europe, God.

I suppose, God, that Peoples (Cities, Nations, Communities) need to forgive just like we individuals do. In fact, the health of communities is very like the health of individuals.

Forgiveness is so important, God. But so too are Mutual Respect, Personal Responsibility, and Compassion that Strengthens.

Hmm. Compassion that strengthens. I like that! Adding that phrase makes it clearer than we aren’t talking about PITY. Pity weakens! And it seems to me the Pity shuts You, God, out of the picture.

When we know that we are LOVED by YOU, then we have a rock on which to stand. We have a HOPE that cannot be extinguished. Well, yes, God, I confess I do not always LIVE in the power of this HOPE. I drift away from the Connection You Extend to us. Please help me — and all the People of this Planet — to turn to YOU!

Tagged with: compassion, forgiveness, health, hope, personal responsibility
Posted in connecting, Forgiving, healing, health, hope, Hope as a gift from God

Entering Munich — Berlin Trauma Behind Us

Posted on September 30, 2013 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Ddis View from the bus — entering Munich 9/30/13

Good Morning, God!

Ah, photo images through a bus window are somehow analogous to the fleeting glimpses we get of ourselves as we move through life.

And a mixup regarding where I would meet my marvelous husband Kit, after he finished the Berlin Marathon, has given me a most helpful snapshot of myself.

I dimly sensed as I waited for Kit at letter K in the family meeting area that I should be offering up the sacrifice of praise (Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. Hebrews 13:15).

Well, I did mumble “Praise You God” a number of times while I waited — a LONG time — for Kit to emerge from the mass of finishers to join me. Kit, not always the best of listeners, had not absorbed that plan and went back to our hotel on his own.

Ah, God, it takes TIME to emerge from the WHO’s-to- BLAME reflex of the Stressed Person (me) — and into the more useful WHAT WILL I DO response. And, then — only with Your Help, God — to slowly move into the Acceptance of Personal Responsibility.

And, once I had done that — once I had accepted that I had not been clear, even to myself, about WHERE the family meeting area was, then I felt better. After all, I can DO something with me — like make sure in the future I get and read all needed information — and repeat and reiterate to Kit.

Thank YOU, God, that I was re-reading Power in Praise by Merlin Carothers the night before the marathon. Truly, praising You FOR problems really does help clear away the chaos of stress and slowly opens us up to Your Holy Spirit. For me, God, it takes TIME!

YES! You are right, God. When I practice Praising You more regularly, clarity will flow faster.

This is a HARD concept. But, I know that PRAISE is TRUST made AUDIBLE! And it has nothing to do with feelings. If we FEEL like praising You — then it isn’t a sacrifice!

Audi testing A1 e-tron on Munich streets (reviews.cnet.com)

Tagged with: Merlin Carothers, personal responsibility, Power in Praise, sacrifice of praise, trust
Posted in accepting my need for help, authority over my life, choosing HARD, courage to see myself, Holy Spirit

On meeting Nefertiti

Posted on September 28, 2013 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Queen Nefertiti at the Neues Museum in Berlin

Good Day, God!

I have friends who are outstanding travelers. They do their homework and make sure they see all the important sights. I admire them.

But, alas, I am not one of them. I, too, enjoy traveling. I really do. But, perhaps, not for typical reasons. I value travel as much for a chance to sleep and rest and recover as to see everything. And, small interchanges with local people are more memorable and treasured than seeing the most impressive artifacts — even the Ishtar Gates.

So I was surprised when I just HAD to see Nefertiti. I was also surprised and delighted at how willing my wonderful husband, Kit, was to make sure I got to see her.

The Gibson Girl circa 1890s

We even took taxis to and from Museum Island.

When we finally found her on the second floor, I felt like I was meeting a real living person. “Oh”, I thought, “You’re older than I had imagined!” She was clearly older, more mature, and more weighed down by her responsibilities. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, indeed!

On learning that Nefertiti was uncovered in 1912, I realized that her fame might partially rest on her resemblance to the popular Gibson Girl of that era. Long slender neck, wide set eyes, lovely mouth, and a crown in place of all that upswept hair.

Fitting an era’s stylized image of beauty does give one a hand up on fame. But fame and beauty fade without a certain sense of presence. And Queen Nefertiti has presence. I’m thankful to have met her.

And, God, I’m also thankful for realizing that once I am home again, I must see about resting more fully — and resting more fully in You.

Tagged with: beauty, Berlin, presence, Queen Nefertiti, rest, travel
Posted in compassion to care for myself, connecting, rest

Athena and Questions of Wisdom

Posted on September 25, 2013 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

A Roman copy of Athena, goddess of wisdom and war

Good Morning, God!

When I read the text under this sculpture of Athena in a Berlin museum, I thought: Goddess of Wisdom and WAR? But, it would seem that she was the goddess of Just Wars. That mollified me a bit.

Still, if everyone was wise — would we have wars? Oh Bother! Wisdom does not equate with goodness and mercy and love, does it. Although, one is tempted to think it ought to.

Here we are, God, in 2013. And what might wisdom indicate? I’m smiling. I guess I mean, what is MY version of wisdom?

Let’s see. It would begin with The People of Our Planet working together to assess what is going to be happening next. The scientists have done that, God. And occasionally magazines like National Geographic will actually talk about what a Warmer World will look like.

It’s Very Sobering, God! It is easy to see how almost all of us avoid looking, and when we do peek, we comfort ourselves with the grand cycle of Ice Ages continuing on and on and on.

But, of course, it isn’t just rising seas — it is also Stronger Storms. Bangladesh has had a frightful foretaste of that. And our response? Well, the Dutch, of course, have protected their harbors — as have the Finns and Russians. New York is “thinking about” responses.

I see such a marvelous opportunity for jobs, God! All kinds of jobs and research and opportunities for ordinary people to help in our extraordinary times. I guess, God, I feel about Global Warming the way I do about Your Second Coming — I want to be found WORKING! I want to be found doing my best to respond with Hope and Courage and Purpose.

Tagged with: hope, ice ages, opportunities to respond, rising seas, stronger storms
Posted in awareness, Choosing to respond, climate changes, courage, our small blue dot