Lost in the Longs Parking Lot

Posted on August 24, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

A young Kolea lost in the Longs’ parking lot

Good Evening, God!

After sleeping in and doing nothing much this morning, I ventured out this afternoon. I went to pick up a medication for my mom at Longs. Coming back to my car, I noticed what looked to be a very young Kolea.

My first thought was that he or she was probably born this summer in Alaska. The Kolea (Golden Plovers) fly off from Hawaii in April to Alaska — where they pick a partner and raise a family. Then they all fly home in August.

I just Googled Kolea and learned that the juveniles are not supposed to return until October. But this bird looked like it had somehow flown in early. For one thing it didn’t seem to know enough to be afraid — I got much closer to it than it is normally possible.. And it just looked puzzled, as if it hadn’t expected to land in a parking lot.

I couldn’t help thinking — where are your parents? Where are your friends? I know, God, that You have done a marvelous job designing these birds to fly from Hawaii to Alaska and back. But, this little bird seemed to need more help!

Ah, maybe I am over identifying? I have not been my “normal” self-sufficient self these last three weeks. And my wonderful husband, Kit, has done a splendid job of caring for me. Family and friends have called to check on me — and to offer advice. I have even taken some of the advice.

I guess, God, that I want every creature to feel cared about. Cared for — valued — heard — and helped out of the parking lots of life!

Tagged with: Golden Plovers, Kolea, lost, need for help, self-sufficiency
Posted in accepting my need for help, Caring, Families, friends

Opening Our Windows and Our Minds

Posted on August 21, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

a rainbow in our valley this morning

Good Evening, God!

The day began with a rainbow. Then I worked around the house. And tomorrow if I have not “relapsed” with another sore throat, I shall consider myself recoveredI

The photo of the rainbow was taken from the window in our lanai — a closed window. This morning I went all around our home opening windows. And that was because of an article in Discover magazine (July/August 2012). It was about the ecology and microbiology of the Indoors. This new field is booming now that the DNA of microbes can be sequenced relatively cheaply.

The field got its start thanks to a chemist named Dr. Paula Olsiewski. She was in charge of the Sloan Foundation’s initiative on biosecurity after the 2001 anthrax attacks. When she inquired about the science of indoor biology, she found there really wasn’t such a field. So she asked J. Craig Venter to help with funding to establish one.

The timing was perfect. Before, scientists could only study microbes that could be grown in a petri dish, and that is only 1%. Now, given cheap sequencing, the other 99% has become “visible.”

But back to why I opened my windows. It seems, God, that Florence Nightingale was right when, over 150 years ago, she insisted that patients needed outside air. Inside air is filled primarily with microbes from humans. And in hospitals that can mean deadly microbes. In a series of studies in Peru, Dr. Rod Escombe showed that simply opening windows cut the rate of TB infection by two-thirds. The diversity of the outside air is that beneficial.

Soon after opening my windows I thought: Minds need to be opened, too! We need to experience a diversity of ideas and viewpoints. Closed environments can breed nasty ideologies.

Tagged with: diversity, Dr. Paula Olsiewski, Dr. Rod Escombe, fresh air, natural ventilation, the ecology of the built environment
Posted in Changing, health, Rethinking, Transitions

Microbiomes, Mexican Pyramids and MORE

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

The Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacán Photo by Gorgo from Wikimedia Foundation

Good Day, God!

I’m so aware of how much I don’t know. In my Centering Prayer this morning, God, I was overwhelmed by how much MORE You are than we can ever realize.

Then, while reading the October 2012 issue of Discover magazine, I learned that we have an intestinal “microbiome” that functions like an organ. It seems that the contents of our intestinal track are now considered one of our microbiomes — one we can’t live without. It was several months ago that I came across the idea of fecal transplants. Now it seems that our understanding has deepened and gastroenterologists like Colleen Kelly consider the microbial contents of our bowels “like an organ.” And, like several organs, it can be “transplanted” with amazing results. Good bacteria from the transplant can overwhelm the assorted troubles caused by bad ones like Clostridium difficile. Promising news!

Pyramid of the Sun

Next I stumbled on a blog about the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan in which I learned that it and the Pyramid of the Moon were not built by Aztecs but early in the 100s by a people unknown — maybe the Otomi. And that the city itself may have been multiethnic.

Both are examples of what I don’t know — and examples of subjects not often examined in my educational past.

There is so much going on, God! Going on inside each one of us. And going on in the vast and busy stretches of our Past. So much more than we know! Yes, God, MORE is a very good word.

And we are only one species on a small planet in one of billions of galaxies. We are small and fleeting — ah, but, we are loved! Thank You, God!

Tagged with: C. difficile, fecal transplants, microbiomes, Pyramid of the Sun
Posted in complexity, learning, web of life

Bromeliads, Microbes, and Nourishment

Posted on August 19, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

A Bromeliad Bloom

Good Day, God!

After entering Week Three of Not-Being-Well, I now have a whole new respect for Viruses and for our immune systems. My latest relapse was just a slight sore throat and one or two Sweating periods. But, it resulted in my canceling my long anticipated Day Out and going to bed.

Sigh. This is Humility Writ Large, God!

Oh? . . . No? . . . This is Humility in a Very Small Dose. Dang! You are right. It is a very small dose. Not like a Major Illness. Just a Nudge reminding me of my Mortality . . . need for self care . . . and an awareness of my Impermanent but Lovely Body.

Why has this taken me so LONG to learn, God? Oh! I say that as if I HAVE finally learned how to care for myself. I haven’t. I am learning. That too is humbling. Oh such slowness!

Speaking of slowness I just read in the latest Discover magazine about microbes living in muddy sediment from 86 million years in our “past.” They have been living in that mud for that long. But, to do that they have to utilize the scarce oxygen at a rate two-millionth that of the cells in our human bodies. The scientist who discovered them, Hans Roy says that “they are hanging on in a state of sustained starvation.” Talk about living on the Slow Track!

Gosh, God. That phrase — a state of sustained starvation — conjures up all sorts of thoughts. You have set us in a Time and Place of Great Nourishment. All around me is food for my Mind, my Heart, my Body and my Spirit. I am free to feed myself — to nourish and be nourished by beautiful bromeliads, by family and friends, by tsunamis of information — and by You.

Let me go now and sit quietly before You in Centering Prayer.

Tagged with: a state of sustained starvation, microbes, nourishment, self-care
Posted in accepting my authority to set limits, acknowledging my need for prayer, Centering Prayer, healing, humility

Balancing — Falling Down and Getting Back Up

Posted on August 17, 2012 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Ear Chart at our Hawaii Kai Costco

Good Morning, God!

All I could think of as I looked at this chart was: We are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are! You have done a marvelous job, God, and I am thankful!

I noticed on this chart that the ear is not just an organ of hearing but also of balance. Ah, Balance! If ever we need a good solid sense of balance it is during Life’s Little Transition Periods — like Kit getting hearing aids yesterday.

Our Entire Being has been designed by You to improve with exercise and with proper care. Improve at any age! That’s the Good News. The Bad News is it involves Effort and Hard Work. OK, OK! Not HARD as in the Chinese workers we saw carrying iron rebars on their shoulders up the side of a mountain. That’s Hard Work.

Perhaps it is more a matter of diligence and discipline, God. Practicing to the point of fatigue — keeping on . . . keeping on. But, it isn’t just keeping on. It is also rotating what we do. Balancing, weights, aerobics, stretching, relaxing. And that’s just for the body.

Our Mind needs exercise too. We CAN grow new brain cells — with focused application. Kit and I are both “playing” Lumosity and there are times when my Brain actually Hurts. Playing until I hurt is the Point! Getting better is a by-product.

Then there are our Hearts and Souls to exercise too. Praying, Loving, Forgiving, Encouraging — and saying NO. That means Accepting and even Setting Limits. It means Balancing Doing with Being. Balancing Work with Rest. Balancing Time Together with Time Alone.

And in all of this We are In Charge. No Bosses. No external deadlines. No grades. Yikes! Please help me learn to help myself.

Tagged with: Balance, Being In Charge of Ourselves, diligence, effort
Posted in accepting my ability to REDESIGN, accepting my authority to set limits, accepting my need for help, Balancing and adjustments, balancing free with supported

Contemplating Sprites and Sickness

Posted on August 14, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

photo of a Red Sprite from the Space Station

Good Day, God!

I am growing BORED with being sick, God! BORED and IRRITATED! Part of me feels like I am under attack and another part (more full of faith) feels it has all been a gift.

Tomorrow I see our favorite doctor — to find out about this viral plague. But ENOUGH about me!

So, You can understand, God, how when the Terra Daily posted an article about Sprites I thought that is JUST THE THING to take my mind off of myself!

Looking at the photo — there is what looks like a pillar of red slightly above that bright white patch of a storm. That’s a Sprite. Sprites last one thousandth of a second.

The article says that Sprites are discharges of positive electrons that go UP . . . 50 miles up . . . above the storm. Apparently, lightening consists of negative electrons that go down toward the ground. Of course, God, You know all about this — how it works, and so forth.

But, we humans are just starting to understand. In fact, we are just beginning to acknowledge Sprites exist. Pilots have been talking about Sprites for years but their reports were mostly dismissed. We do that, don’t we God — ignore stuff that doesn’t fit into our World View. And, I am afraid we do that to You a lot, God.

Let’s face it. You DO NOT FIT into our mental map. Even those of us who believe You exist don’t really have the right of it. Hmm. Maybe those of us who try to fit You in are further off? Drat! That’s quite possible. Please, God, shake up my Mental Map. Please make more ROOM — in me and in my map –for You!

Tagged with: ignoring what doesn't fit, mental maps, positive electron discharges, Sprites
Posted in being repotted, Expand my Heart, Faith, Praise, Trusting God

Simple Days: Beads and Books

Posted on August 11, 2012 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

the view from my sick bed

Good Day, God!

Under the thumb of my flu-like illness resting has been relatively easy to do. I only overdid on the day I had real tea — too much of it. But, without caffeine I have been more than happy to stay in bed.

I was particularly happy yesterday after I spent a few minutes removing clutter and making my “sick room” LOOK nice. Thank You, God. It was a lovely lesson on the “practical importance” of beauty.

Now I am in my office which is overflowing with beads. Not just the beads I brought back from Prescott and Quartzsite in Arizona but years’ worth of beads. Today I took a necklace Kit that bought me at the Hall Museum gift shop in Prescott and I turned it into a shorter necklace, earrings and a bracelet! I am sitting here smiling, God. Smiling even if my desk is piled with “potential projects.” Maybe tomorrow they can be set aside . . . or maybe assembled?

Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child

I’ve been zipping through Dearie, a biography of Julia Child. The book starts with a history of Pasadena of all things.

Being free to spend time with books is almost worth the pain of being sick. I confess that it took a few days of mindless reading before I could move on and mostly up to Eli Broad’s (to rhyme with road) autobiography The Art of Being Unreasonable. Eli delighted me. I love it when billionaires care about giving to good causes!

Hmm. You are right. All of us can experience the joys of giving!

Speaking of giving, God, I have been well enough to wash the sheets, do dishes and some cleaning up. I’m finally giving a wee bit back to Kit after he has spent so many days doing everything!

Tagged with: moving from sick to well
Posted in healing, health, thankfulness

Tiger Lilies and Water Lilies and other blooms

Posted on August 10, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Barba’s beautiful Tiger Lily

Good Day, God!

Mostly, I feel like this Tiger Lily! Open and maybe a little TOO colorful? Very confident seeming, I hope. Or, at least, that is how I feel most of the time.

That is my preferred way of thinking of myself. But, of course, that is only part of me. I have other parts that are cowardly and slothful and adore easy. Let me correct myself, God. I (the dominant persona) have named them cowardly and lazy.

They are not. They are perhaps far wiser that I am. They would rather let things unfold than rush in to fix. I must say, God, that it is Hard Work, this integration of my Diverse Selves. Teasing out Selves that my Culture has shaming names for isn’t easy.

They are like the Water Lilies that open in the warm light of the Sun — only to close up when removed from the sun’s light — or when they feel the Darkness of Shame.

a water lily from my brother’s pond

We are all of us any of a thousand different blooms that can flower under the right care and feeding.

I am thinking more about “care and feeding” now as am entering my second week sick with sore throat and coughing. I am feeling now more like a potted hothouse flower — being tenderly cared for by Kit — albeit at a distance. Surely he deserves a Gold Medal — and a Gold Halo too!

Ah, God! That we should be Gardeners to one another — and to our world!

Tagged with: Becoming Gardeners, caring for ourselves, diverse hidden parts
Posted in blooming, healing, people as gifts

The UPSIDE of Being Sick

Posted on August 8, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

The Blow Hole: Photo by Pulelehua Quirk

Good Day, God!

Oh JOY! At the moment I am upright and well enough to want to do a blog. This is my seventh day of being sick. As my Spiritual Director observed — it’s humbling!

And, perhaps that is the point of our illnesses, God? That we should realize our vulnerability? That we should feel our utter dependence on You? It has certainly resulted in some anguished prayers!

And then there is the gratitude that comes from even small steps forward. I can swallow now with only minimal pain and I don’t recall ever having even thought about being grateful for that.

How I wish You would push through me as You do through the Halona Blowhole. There is a lot of “clutter” inside me, God. More than I realize. And somehow being sick helps me let go of some of what I normally hold on to. Hmm. Yes, even a very minor illness does bring an enhanced perspective!

I have managed to cancel everything that I planned on doing this week. For a person like me — compulsively dutiful about doing what I’ve said I would do — this feels both unsettling and liberating! Does this mean I might be shedding my focus on “being useful?” Useful is such a deliciously “virtuous” god to put before You. Truly, if the devil can’t use our “vices,” he is more than willing to use our “virtues” to trip us up.

Gosh, I hadn’t thought of my desire to be useful or helpful as more important to me than being with You. Yikes!

Once again, God, it seems as if You are pulling me back toward simply Being. And more to the point — Being in Your Presence.

Tagged with: help, humility, illness, Spiritual Direction, surrender
Posted in connecting, gratitude, healing, humility

Soaking in Hot Springs

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

moon over a hot springs pool

Good Evening, God!

Aaah! Such a lovely day — driving down from the ponderosa pines of Prescott to the hot springs above Interstate 10 west of Indio. Beautiful land. Empty land. No, not empty — just very few people.

Tonight we are poised just east of the metropolitan area of Southern California. The sky this afternoon was a beautiful blue. Kit and I floated about in a mineral rich natural hot springs pool at the Miracle Springs Spa in Desert Hot Springs.

It would be lovely to stay here for several days — soaking and spa-ing. But, we hadn’t planed even one day. We were going to drive on to LA to pick up daughter, Suzanne, and then drive on to Santa Barbara. But, then we found out that the host and star of the birthday bash, Kit’s older brother RC, had fallen while doing balance exercises — and broken three ribs! Yikes!

So, less stress for everyone if we stopped on the way and arrive tomorrow. Kit had that great idea. I tend to continue on — on the path — no matter what.

vortex map by Roger Sunpath

While looking for information on the source of the hot springs I found an interesting article describing this area as a positive energy vortex. Smile. I love pondering things just past the edge of acceptable science. I still remember the copper dowsing rod that plunged down in my hands at the top of Glastonbury Tor as I “crossed a ley line.” Ley Lines and Energy Vortexes and Things-that-go-Bump-in-the-Night, Oh My!

Still, God, I am constantly amazed by what science does discover. And I know that “what we don’t know” far exceeds “what we do know.” So, I am relaxing, soaking, and inviting You in to help me become more positive.