Flowers as seen by Ms. Chicken Little

Posted on November 11, 2012 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

A flower stall at the Kapiolani Community College Farmers’ Market

Good Evening, God!

Surely the World is a marvelous place, filled with flowers and farmers and sunlight. And, if I keep my eyes focused on flowers and things that are noble and true and right — I’m fine.

The trouble is, God, that I look around me. I look at yards as well as inches. And that is definitely causing me distress. I’m a veritable Chicken Little — only it isn’t that the Sky is Falling . . . it is that the Oceans are Warming.

Warmer Oceans mean an Increased Potential for Storms . . . BIGGER STORMS. And, of course, warmer temperatures mean melting glaciers — especially Greenland — and rising sea levels. It is a clear case of DUH! We have a Problem, here.

Vanity Fair did a great overview on global warming. Why argue if we humans “caused” it when we are certainly adding to it. Actually, I’ve known for years that we were close to the end of an “interglacial Interlude” — so maybe it is partly Just That Time Again, geologically speaking. I guess, God, that what troubles me is How Do We Respond?

My vote for everyone’s Favorite Response is Roll Over and Change the Subject. Angry Denial isn’t far behind. Goodness knows lots of money has gone into Semi-Science saying that global warming is just a theory. Oil companies, anyone? Another response (or non-response) is that IT’S TOO BIG TO DEAL WITH — so, Eat, Drink and be Merry

Some of my fellow believers are saying that it doesn’t matter because Jesus is coming soon. Rapture, anyone? But, God, that feels like turning my back on a situation that deserves our best efforts.

Sigh. I guess what I WANT is that we ALL (the Entire World) Wake Up, Acknowledge Reality, and Work Together on how to deal with it. Clearly, I believe in miracles!

Tagged with: Global Warming, How to Respond, Visible Changes, Wake-up calls
Posted in Choosing to respond, climate changes, Life isn't supposed to be easy.

The Limits of Leadership

Posted on November 5, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Queen Celeste from the Babar books

Good Day, God!

I’ve been traveling A LOT this year. So, I’m behind in all sorts of things. One thing was setting up Habit Factors so I could check off the tasks I wanted to do. It got delayed as I pondered my Goals. Hmm. Goals?

It has slowly been becoming clearer to me that all Goals must begin with and be based on deepening my connection with You, God. Taking off the protective chain on the Door of My Heart? TRUSTING YOU?

This seems particularly important just before Election Day. We are electing National Leaders and that’s important! But as I look around I find that I am the Only Candidate for the Leader of My Life. Now, God, as the Irish might put it — YOU are the High King and I report to You. Still, as far as being responsible for me — day in and day out — I’m it! That’s sobering.

What is even more sobering is that a Good Leader is limited in her ability to make things better. Often making things better depends on Lots of Variables. Other People, Perfect Storms, Emergencies, Unexpected Events — all conspire against making things better.

But what is especially sobering is that a Bad Leader has an almost limitless ability to make things worse. This is true nationally and individually. We can become addicts — gambling, alcohol, drugs, even abusing food — plunging our lives into chaos. Or people (like me) can just sort of drift along on the currents of life — taking the easy path.

I don’t want to do that any more, God. But, Oh, I need Your Help! Please help me become a better Queen of my Life. Please, God, help us all — individually and nationally.

Tagged with: Queen of my Life, unlimited downside of leadership, upside limits of leadership
Posted in Heal Us Now, healing, responsibility, Trusting God

Flowers and Frankenstorms

Posted on October 29, 2012 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

White hibiscus with pink edges

Good Evening, God!

Such dreadful weather is battering the East Coast — Hurricane Sandy. Truly a FRANKENSTORM. Five negative forces coming together to make the whole far worse than the sum of their individual forces.

I confess, God, that disasters cut closer to the bone when we have friends involved. We have friends on Cape Cod, in the Bronx, in New Jersey and in Connecticut. Please, God, keep everyone in the path, safe!

Having been evacuated due to a tsunami warning on Saturday — and having lived through a killer earthquake — I know that no area is truly “safe.” We live in a world that is beautiful and beautifully balanced so that we can live comfortably upon it. And we are adaptable — living in the icy Arctic, the steamy jungle, and the scorching deserts. Still, I can’t help but remember reading that warmer average ocean temperatures make for more powerful storms.

Sigh. That is not a happy thought. But, it did move me to get up and turn off my office light. Small steps are really all I can take. Now that I stop to think, God, I guess that is what change is all about. At least, changes we make that last are built slowly. Folks who win lotteries typically are broke, or nearly so, within a year or two.

I need to remember this and Think Small. Putting away my stuff even for just 5 minutes makes a difference in my morale. Weight goes on . . . or comes off . . . ounces at a time. Ounces and Minutes matter! But, they slip past me — unnoticed and under-appreciated.

Hmmm. Maybe I should think in Seconds and Grams? Please, God. Help me Notice and Make — Tiny Choices and Tiny Changes!

Tagged with: Changes, Disasters, Earthquakes and Storms, Tsunamis
Posted in a matter of scale, Changing, our small blue dot, resiliency

A Tsunami Watch . . . While Kit Sleeps

Posted on October 27, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Looking out to sea at Camp Mokuleia

Good Evening, God!

Oh my! I took this photo just before dinner tonight — pretty close to the time the earthquake happened off of British Columbia. Shortly after our dinner we got the news that we would have to leave our Women’s Retreat and evacuate from the North Shore.

Instead of going to the Waialua High School evacuation spot Martha Lee and I decided to head for home. I came off the freeway just as the police were closing Kalanianaole Highway. Fortunately, I was able to make a right turn and detour around the closure. So I made it home safely — only to find Kit soundly asleep. Our home phone was out and still is. Had I found Kit awake I would have urged that we go to higher ground.

Now, I’m sitting here — streaming the news on my laptop — and beginning to relax. Still, the experts do say that the first wave is not the biggest. I guess, God, that I really get into these things. I have an Active Imagination. But, I don’t need an imagination — all I need to do is remember the videos I saw of the Japan earthquake. So horrific, God! So horrific.

We live on a moving planet, God. These Tectonic Plates we live on do shift and adjust themselves. Given the huge size of these plate the shifts are proportionately small. The North America Plate stretches from Iceland to the West Coast. Still a few yards movement can have an exponential effect on us humans. Sigh.

I can feel now that my adrenalin levels have dropped. Thank You! I shall creep off to bed . . . to sleep . . . to dream . . . but probably not to be washed away. We are all In Your Hands, God. Thank You!

Tagged with: adrenalin surges, evacuation, tsunami watch
Posted in Perspective, Responding, Risk, thankfulness

A Dose of Perspective

Posted on October 22, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

An infrared photo showing dust clouds swaddling the stars of the Seven Sisters cluster (Pleiades) Photo: NASA

Good Day, God!

Earlier today I seemed to hear You say that that I was too attached to Outcomes. Then on the way upstairs just now I clearly heard that I need Perspective.

Sigh. You are right God. I do need perspective. For example I need to step back and ponder the stars in the Pleiades being formed 100 million years ago. Actually, that is quite recent as our Earth is 4.54 billion years old.

Scientists think that our species is somewhere around 300,000 – 400,000 years old. Yes, that does put this particular trip around the sun into perspective. Then, too, there are 7 billion people on our planet. That puts me into perspective.

I think most of us 7 billion are pretty mellow. The Ones that worry me are the ones who are totally certain that they are RIGHT. People who are Certain can be led into doing Evil Things for — they think — a Greater Good. Sigh.

Well, yes, God, I do sometimes suffer from Certainty. It makes it hard to remember the command “Bless, Bless and Do Not Curse!” Focusing on Outcomes tends to do that to me, God. My focus needs to be stretched OUT and then pulled BACK to focus on myself. I am responsible for respecting my fellow human beings. I am called to pray for their health and well being — not to argue them into my point of view. Sigh.

So much evil has been done by people in Your Name, God. Inquisitions, witch hunts, pogroms and so forth . . . so depressing. Please help me to focus on the people who are feeding the hungry, ministering to the sick, listening to those around them with love.

Hmm. Please, God, help me grow toward being one of them.

Tagged with: being sure of being RIGHT, Certainty, letting go of outcomes, Respecting others
Posted in choices, Perspective, responsibility, Trusting God

Annunciations, Renunciations and My Warrior Spirit

Posted on October 20, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

The Annunciation by Fra Angelico from the Art Now and Then blogspot

Good Day, God!

I’m back after doing an hour of Centering (wordless) Prayer this morning. I prayed in a group, which is so much more fruitful than when I pray alone. (Did I just hear a reminder about the importance of being in the Body of Christ?)

I spent my first 30 minutes wrestling with You, God! I wanted You to do what I want. I really care about the various elections coming up and did not want to release the outcomes into Your Hands!

Oh my! How hard it is to TRUST You! It made me think of Mary who gets First Prize in trusting You, God. Still, in looking closely at Mary’s face in Fra Angelico’s painting, I wonder if I am seeing a bit of pain. The Bible makes it sound like her response was an immediate Yes! But, maybe she had a moment’s hesitation?

I admit, God, I’d find it encouraging if she had paused — thinking of Joseph’s reaction. Hmm. In a sense she had to renounce her “good name” as part of accepting the Annunciation. Aaah, God, it comes to me that Renunciations are a Big Part of our relationship with You.

After mostly putting the elections into Your Hands, I had to deal with my Warrior Spirit. Warriors don’t believe in unconditionally Trusting You — considering non-fighters as Not Real People. My Warrior Part had to be offered up (YET AGAIN!) to You.

Sigh. I am such a Hard Case, God! People who trust You — even unto Death — are the Most Real People. They are Lights from Heaven.

Tagged with: Accepting God's Will, Opening my Hands, Renunciations, Trusting
Posted in Centering Prayer, Choosing to respond, Prayer, the JOY of praying together, Trusting God

Hope, Fear and a Fundamental Choice

Posted on October 18, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Saint Anne by Leonardo Da Vinci

Dear God,

If I had to give You a human face, God — this would be it. It’s a Grandmother’s face. Da Vinci painted Mary’s mother, Anne, in the act of looking down at her daughter and grandson, Jesus. I’m a grandmother, too, God, so perhaps I’m biased.

You really do LOVE us, God. You love us JUST AS WE ARE . . . which is messy. Your LOVE pervades all of Creation. But we, being judgmental and fearful humans, don’t grasp this. So, Your Angels often begin speaking by saying: FEAR NOT!

FEAR NOT resonates with me. Every day I am given chances to choose: (1) do I curl up in fear . . . or (2) step into HOPE. Other choices: (1) Do I see myself as Under Attack by Enemies (sloth, germs, illnesses, addictions, terrorists, etc)? (2) Or do I see that — even under attack — I CAN CHOOSE TO WORK FOR POSITIVE CHANGES in MYSELF and in my Circles of Influence.

Hmm. Maybe the divide is even simpler than that, God. Do I have faith that You want to help me grow in all aspects of my life? Do I accept personal responsibility and then focus on my body’s fitness, my mental fitness . . . my emotional health?

Aaah, God! I would so much like to look at my family, friends and the world as Saint Anne is looking down at her daughter — as You are looking down at us.

Sigh. I guess this is an ongoing fundamental transformation, isn’t it, God? And it seems to begin with loving and accepting all the diverse (UNLOVED) parts of myself. My assertive Warrior Part wants to look outside me for Enemies. It wants to wage wars. Please, God, help my Warrior Energy turn INSIDE to help me stretch and grow.

Tagged with: Domination of Fear, Love, Personal Responsibility for myself, St. Anne, The Help of Hope
Posted in Expand my Heart, hope, Humility or Needing Help!, LOVE, Trusting God

The Gift of Being Heard

Posted on October 17, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

A Hidden Wholeness by Parker J. Palmer

Good Day, God!

OK. Let me start by admitting — I love to fix things . . . and solve problems. I used to think of it as Being Helpful. Of course, I did notice, every now and then, that my “help” wasn’t welcomed. Most memorably my oldest daughter said to me, “Mom! Don’t give me advice. It just takes me twice as long to get there.”

But, I carried on . . . being helpful. Sigh. This book, A Hidden Wholeness, has opened my eyes and my heart. The author, who is a practicing Quaker, talks about how ALL of us have “An Inner Teacher.” And how our attempts to help/fix/advise another person keep that person from being able to hear the voice of his Inner Teacher.

Yes, God, years ago You clearly said, “Stop nagging Patty about cleaning her room — she can’t hear ME when you nag.” I remember it now. But, I never really thought about it as a Personal Policy. But, I am now.

In fact, it is probably part of what You were talking about when You urged me to have a Softer Outside — An Outside that is an Attentive and Respectful Listener. For it seems that we all need to be heard . . . heard without comment or judgment, positive or negative . . . heard so that we can hear our own inner voice.

I am both chastened and encouraged by this new paradigm. The book goes on to talk about Circles of Trust and the ground rules for them. I believe that good friends can provide a similar oasis of trust. And I have friends that do this. Friends that hear me with respect and patience. Friends — who by listening closely — help me to hear my inner self.

Please, God, I can listen . . . but I need Your help to resist adding a few words of my own!

Tagged with: A Hidden Wholeness, especting and protecting another person's inner teacher, patient attention
Posted in Books, Hearing, listening, respect, Rethinking

Vog, Tectonic Plates and Time

Posted on October 11, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Vog from the Big Island’s volcano hanging over Koko Crater

Good Day, God!

Yesterday morning, while stopped at a red light, I grabbed this photo of the vog hanging over Koko Crater. It was so thick it reminded me of the Last Days of Pompei. And that violent eruption put our little vog into perspective, God.

I’ve had a lot of perspective recently. Maybe too much? I just finished reading Simon Winchester’s book A Crack in the Edge of the World — about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the gigantic tectonic plates that we live on top of. I found an interesting map of these plates. I must say, God, that the idea of The North American plate starting in Iceland and going all the way to the coast of California boggles the mind.

Reading about how these plates have been interacting — pushing each other around and creating huge mountain ranges — for millions (or billions) of years does put my life in context. Mostly, this Tectonic Action happens in Geologic Time. But, when plates get stuck — not moving — and then get unstuck with an Earthquake — it enters into our Human Time — and we never forget the experience.

Let’s see, God, our human historical timeline goes back 4,000 or 5,000 years. Then cave paintings take us back maybe another 35,000 years. And I don’t even want to think about all the Old Bones. We are quite recent, aren’t we God? That’s more Perspective.

And what do I make of it all, God? Nothing really profound or surprising. Just that I should Carpe Diem! Seize the Day! And make good use of this amazing Life I am living — Right Here, Right Now!

Thank You!

Tagged with: A Crack in the Edge of the World, earthquakes, Geologic Time, Human Time, tectonic plates
Posted in a matter of scale, Abundant Life, Books, time, Transitions

Growing Toward Up — A Set of Goals

Posted on October 9, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Ulu or breadfruit growing in our Hahaione Valley

Good Day, God!

I’m feeling pretty darned good, God. It has taken me a month to recover from the month I was down with a sore throat virus. Actually, what I’m feeling is focused and coherent. All my Parts seem to be getting along and pulling in the same direction. Thank You, God!

I especially want to thank You for the Life in the Spirit weekend that finished Saturday. It featured two great speakers — Sandy Millar and Emmy Wilson. And they got us involved in triads (groups of three) for practice as well as principles.

In each triad, two were to pray for the third (in rotation), to see what You brought to our minds. While the other two were praying for me, I was praying for me, too. And I got such a clear and useful message!:

1) Soften your exterior. 2) Strengthen your core. 3) Awaken to possibilities. I really like that set, and it is a Set. The “Soften” hit home, God. I do need to soften my words and slow my pace at home. When I get focused, I turn harsh. It’s not what I want be, and besides, it’s counterproductive.

“Strengthening my core” I take to be physical — but I also think it refers to strengthening my Will as well.

And I take “Awaken to Possibilities” to mean I should Be of Good Cheer and Full of Hope! Because it does take Hope, God, to see, hear and sense all the amazing opportunities and clues waiting for discovery. Ah, but when I’m not full of the Spirit, then I can’t get my head up to look around me.

So, God, my Heart is full of Praise. My Head is Up. And I am of Good Cheer. Thank You!