Traveling, Mazes and Changes

Posted on November 23, 2013 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Looking back as we leave LAX

Good Day, God!

I’ve acquired a new outlook on traveling. I now see it as an exercise in how swiftly I can regroup and reorient to new situations.

Then as a next step, I’m hoping to work on “being calm, loving and pleasant” while I’m reorienting

Our first reorientation this trip came because out trip to Los Angeles was on Hawaiian, not United. Right off, we couldn’t find the agricultural inspection station. United’s comparable station is outside near the curb. Hawaiian has streamlined. Its agricultural station is the last step, just before our bags slipped down the conveyor belt to be put on the plane. Thank goodness for the nice Hawaiian Air employee who helped us through the process!

Sigh. Unlearning old ways and then absorbing new ways is hard, God. Mind You, at least we now have Google Maps — and that has REALLY helped. That is, it WILL help just as soon as my wonderful husband and designated driver, Kit, learns to trust them — and me — rather than his memory.

In Los Angeles, after we reached our hotel — expertly driven there by Kit — we looked for the elevator to take us and our bags down from the second floor parking. But we couldn’t an elevator — thank goodness that was because there wasn’t an elevator! Then, after getting our room keys and trying to call the elevator, a fellow guest demonstrated that we had to swipe our room key to call it. He said he had found that out jus ten minutes before.

In situations like this, I find myself marveling how rats ever find their way around mazes. They can’t even read! But, of course, reading would only be helpful if there were signs.

Well, God, Lumosity is a useful “brain game” but nothing beats traveling!

Tagged with: exhaustion, frustration, irritation, mazes, relearning, traveling, unlearning
Posted in adjusting, awareness, connecting, learning, Life isn't supposed to be easy., mental maps

My World, Our World, One Boat

Posted on November 19, 2013 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Palms reflected on pool at Kapiolani Park

Good Morning, God!

I took this photo on Friday . . . a day with winds bringing volcanic “Vog” from the Big Island. So the sky was grey not blue. Rain clouds also contributed. I love my Hawaiian World — grey skies or blue.

Then this morning I read about a horrible storm in Sardinia. I told a friend it rained 17 inches in 3 hours. Thinking that couldn’t be right, I re-checked and found it fell in even less time — one and a half hours. Horrifying!

I fear, God, that our slowly warming world is not happy with us. Well, I am not happy with us either. Over 800 dissenting clerics have been killed by the Taliban in the last decade. I read those news items — and then I called a friend to pray.

What am I praying for, God? Many things. But perhaps most of all is that we humans could work harder at understanding one another. That we could listen with our hearts. That we could beg forgiveness for our sins and the sins of our fathers back to our great great great. . . grandfathers — for evil always has a past.

To put it in monetary terms, I pray that we could voluntarily buy less and give more. But, really, God, it goes far beyond money. Money is just an outward expression of our inner world.

I confess, God, sometimes I buy just to confirm my existence. A modern twist on the I Think, therefore I AM.

This is Our World, God. We have to live on it together. Pulling together . . . pulling in the same direction. In the book, The Boys in the Boat, an old boat maker tells one of the crew, “If there is someone in your boat that you don’t like, LEARN TO LIKE HIM.”

Our World is One Boat, God. And the rain clouds continue to gather. Please help us learn to like one another.

Tagged with: apologizing, forgiving, hearing one another, storms
Posted in Apologies, Forgiving, Hearing, Understanding, web of life

Floating: Slowly and Serenely

Posted on November 13, 2013 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Lily pond at a friend’s house

Good Morning, God!

Such a lovely lazy day. I feel as if I am floating — like a lily pad upon the water. So many ongoing responsibilities of 2013 are now completed. My wonderful Mother is with You. My job renovating a library at a retirement residence is almost done. I have cataloging to tidy up . . . but all the collections of books fit . . . with room to grow.

This time — my third time to retire — it doesn’t feel like a transition so much as a familiar and cherished destination. I am beginning to appreciate rest.

Actually, God, You know that resting is HARD for me. I am truly a child of my time. Fast has been defined as fun. Slow has been lumped with tedious. Oh foolish foolish me!

This morning in chatting with June, my spiritual director, I thought of how I water my house plants with ice cubes. I do that because as the ice melts, the water is released slowly enough for the roots to absorb almost all of it. The same amount simply poured on the plant would quickly pass by the roots, providing almost no nourishment.

My first realization is 1) I am like my plants. As I sit in Centering Prayer I want to see myself slowly absorbing Your Love. The second realization is: 2) The part doing the absorbing is my Spiritual Being. I used to call it my Unconscious. But that label demeans its extent, its complexity and its importance. That seems self-evident now. But, it came as a shock when I heard myself say it this morning.

I am praying, God, that my Conscious Mind will continue to grow in respect and appreciation — for the Whole of me — and for the Whole of Your Creation.

Tagged with: a slower pace, centering prayer, my Spiritual Being, Prayer, rest, retirement, transitions
Posted in Centering Prayer, compassion to care for myself, connecting, LOVE, Prayer, slow incremental change

Dark and Light in Daily Life

Posted on November 9, 2013 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Hibiscus in dark and light

Good Day, God!

Ah, our emotions — our feelings — can darken “reality” or lighten it. I suppose that is why folks are urged not to make important decisions after the death of a loved one.

I cannot say I am in darkness, God. But, I am in a Time of Tiredness. I am thankful for it — as without it, my nature would embark on doing what I love best. And what I love best (or close to best) is sharing. So, DRUM ROLL please: I have turned down two opportunities to TALK to folks. Talking LIVE is an adrenaline high. It is very hard for me to resist that sense of enthusiasm flowing through me.

I can hardly believe I said “Not NOW”. I hope they remember to ask me again, later. But, meanwhile, I can share in this quiet blogging way. Sharing without feeding my adrenaline addiction.

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

So, I am sitting here and feeling relaxed and content. I have finally gotten into the flow of juicing. Today I selected purple cabbage, pineapple, cilantro, basil, collard greens and lemons. I forgot I also had ginger and turmeric. I shall add them to the mix this afternoon. I am feeling as if I might be able to get my body back on the less-is-more track.

And, I have just finished Malcolm Gladwell‘s latest book, David and Goliath. I think Gladwell has done more to add to my collection of Cognitive Maps than any other writer I can think of.

This time my main addition was the idea of the inverted U curve — situations when more makes things better . . . then has no effect . . . and then even more makes things worse. This would apply to punishment, to smaller class size, and probably even to my desire to become more efficient or trimmer. Hmm.

Tagged with: adrenaline, David and Goliath, juicing, Malcolm Gladwell, resting and recovering
Posted in Compassion, compassion to care for myself, connecting, healing, health, relaxation, rest, Rethinking

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.