Tidepools, Holes and the Ebb and Flow of Life

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

Tidepools at Wawamalu

Good Day, God!

I started my day reading an article about Princeton professor Gerta Keller and the debate about the causes of the extinction of the dinosaurs. Could it have been a Big asteroid? Or massive volcanic activity in the Deccan Traps? Oh MY!

Next came a lovely walk around my neighborhood. Then a walk at the beach in Wawamalu. It was low tide and so the tide pools were more accessible — filled with tiny fish.

Meanwhile, my friend mentioned the Hawaiian idea that we humans have three pikos. I knew that piko was the Hawaiian word for belly button — but I didn’t know that there is another piko in our head and also a piko in our genital area. My friend had learned this in a talk a few days ago and said she felt uneasy about it.

In talking about it, she explained that the middle piko is our connection with our Past, the bottom piko connects to our Future, and the top piko connects to You. Then she stopped and said, “But what about our Present?”

My three “found” object from the beach

Hmm. Good question! Then it was, like, OH! The Past is to Nourish our Present. The Future is to Inspire our Present and God is to Guide our Present. Three Pikos working together. I love it, God!

Then I pulled out the three objects I had picked up on the beach. A beverage pull tab, a shell fragment and an old smooth piece of coral. What do they all share? A HOLE!

For years, God, I have asked You to patch the Holes in People’s’ Souls. But now I am seeing Pikos/Holes in a whole new light. Surely, God, You want to reclaim the old torn holes in our souls! You want to Pour Your Love Through them. In. Through. Out. Ah!

You are The Great I AM. Thank You!

Tagged with: Openings, Piko Connectors, Torn Holes in our Souls
Posted in Choosing Meaning, clear waterways, connections, healing

Unleashing Grandmothers — around the World

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

Bunker Roy: creator of the barefoot colleges

Good Day, God!

Thank You for people like Bunker Roy! As he tells it, he had graduated from prestigious schools in India and had the world open to him — when he decided to go and see what village life was like.

His mother said WHAT? The villagers said WHY? But out of his time in the village came the barefoot colleges— schools where illiterate women are taught to become solar engineers and more. Not only that, but these women (many or most of them grandmothers) go out to train other women to electrify their villages in India.

Grandmothers have gone to countries where there is no common language. But, by body language and sign language the women teach and learn. As Roy said about one of these women: “She left, a Grandmother. She returned, a Tiger!”

Bunker Roy with a puppet made out of recycled World Bank reports

Watching his TED Talk was a moving experience and I especially remember two comments. The first was that they found men to be untrainable for positions in the college. Men only wanted a certificate so they could go find work in the city.

The second comment was: “Our schools teach at the best time for the students — not the best time for the teachers.” And there was a photo of children who worked all day, learning at night.

But here is my real “takeaway,” God: What about America’s grandmothers?

Yikes! No sooner had I written that than I remembered the recent invitation that I turned down to help with my Rotary Club’s literacy program! Oh Dear! Oh Drat! I am tempted to call back and sign up. Yes, God, I had better pray about what THIS grandmother could be doing.

Tagged with: barefoot colleges, Bunker Roy, The power of Grandmothers
Posted in Help me to see, learning, Ongoing Transformation

Carousels and the Delight of Daily Life

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

a carousel in Honfleur, France

Good Day, God!

I have always loved carousels. I can still remember the steam calliope in the hills of Berkeley with its crashing circus music and majestic animals circling round and round. Aah! The gentle rides of days gone by. No roller coasters for me, God!

Now that I think of it, I have been fairly consistent. For escape fiction I read romances — not mysteries. I don’t go to war movies or horror movies. I like my adrenaline levels low.

Actually, God, just this morning I thought that I might resemble a carousel myself. I was seeing the horses and lions and tigers and elephants as Parts of myself. Then I thought, Sheesh! Lots of motion — up and down and around and around — but no progress.

But, now I am sitting here and wondering if “progress” isn’t a fairly recent concept. I wonder if it came in with the railroads? There is something quite linear about most concepts of progress . . . linear and constraining. I like this thought.

Today, God, I jogged in the morning and cleaned up two “hot” spots in my home and office. Having those hot spots “undone” left me feeling “out of balance.” So now that they are cleaned up I feel much more “balanced.” I also feel satisfied. I discovered that I enjoying doing them. Before, after a day like today I might have thought “I’m making progress!” But now I am smiling and feeling pleased that today I really enjoyed the music and the motion of my carousel!

Tagged with: Progress as a recent concept? Balance or Progress
Posted in attunement, Balancing and adjustments, delight

Diamond Head and Me — A Different View Point

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

Diamond Head from the ewa end of Waikiki — not my usual view point

Good Day, God!

Here I am at home with nothing pressing to do. Amazing! Today was a full day but tomorrow is almost empty. I am smiling . . . loving the idea of being home all day.

Somewhat to my surprise, I am looking forward to the joys of organizing myself. I am taking a lesson from the book Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change.

In the past I have labeled myself Disorganized. And to be honest, God, as I look around my office right now, that might be a fairly accurate label. But labels can be destructive. In the book Redirect, the author points out that negative judgments about ourselves can slide into vicious cycles. Thinking we can’t do something, we ease up on trying to do it. Worse yet, if we accept it as a Core Part of ourselves, we don’t even consider change!

I take great comfort in the fact that You are all about change, God! Furthermore, You never give up on us! And you tell us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Ah, but we have to say YES. Yes to You. And Yes to Changing. So, YES, God, YES!

I am choosing — with Your Help — to reject the idea that I am not an organized person. I also have to reject all the negative stereotypes I have about Uber Organized People. Could I really fear becoming too organized? Yikes!

Hmm. So, I am beginning to see, God, that I have Inner Piles of Negative Assumptions that must be processed — before or as I process the piles of paper. Thank You, God, for small first steps and new view points.

Tagged with: Diamond Head, Inner Assumptions, new view points, Redirect by Timothy Wilson
Posted in accepting my need for help, Books, Changing, changing who I want to become, Perspective, Rethinking

Tugging My Life Back Toward Balance

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

Hau Tree blossom

Good Day, God!

How wonderful is the Gift of Life — and how Hard it is to live a Balanced Life! Sigh, that is not so much a complaint as a “re-dawning” realization.

The last 12 days or so have been tilted toward OTHERS –wonderful “others” to be sure, God! Still, the part of me that is responsible for my Care and Feeding (or not feeding as the case may be) is unhappy with me.

So, once again I am digging throughDesk Piles and setting up my calendar. Determined to INVEST more time in daily maintenance and self care. Investing is a good word because — just as with money — I find it more fun to spend than to invest.

beginning buds on a shower tree

Hmm. Perhaps it isn’t so much a tug-of-war between Ms. Grasshopper and Ms. Ant as it is about identifying and then blending and balancing their virtues. I think I need a negotiated Peace Treaty that clearly spells out Time and Energy for BOTH of them.

And, maybe I also need to “redefine” Ant behaviors so that they are more attractive. Hmm. Ant activities are filed under boring, dull and tedious. Sigh. Alas, they are also necessary to a well-run life.

Now I am thinking of Edward De Bono and his six colored thinking hats. De Bono used them to represent various patterns of thinking. But, I could adapt them to my purposes. I could find a green eye shade to put on when I do my banking and accounting — a running cap of Kit’s for exercising — and a headband for giving.

Yes, God! Even Ms. Ant can have fun! Old and clearly dysfunctional filing categories can be re-envisioned and re-created. With Your Help I can create New wineskins for New Wine.

This is me reading this blog . . . try listening . . .

Tagged with: De Bono's thinking hats, Ms. Ant vs Ms. Grasshopper, my Doing hats, re-categorizing
Posted in Balancing and adjustments, balancing free with supported, Books, growing toward up

Walking Slowly through a World of Beauty

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

pomegranate in a court yard at the Honolulu Museum of Art

Good Day, God!

I’ve been playing Tour Guide for the last three days and Oahu is such a lovely island. Yesterday, my college roommate and I had lunch at the Honolulu Museum of Art cafe.

We then took a leisurely walk through the exhibits — around the Pacific and on through Japan, China, Indonesia and into India. It wasn’t just a geographical walk but a walk from early neolithic times up to today. I have so many photos, God, that I was overwhelmed at the prospect of selecting just one or two.

The Created World — that created by us humans — calls forth “responses.” I

early neolithic pot from China

lingered by a big neolithic pot — pondering its uses and its time and place. How had it survived? How long had it been buried?

a blowup of a print by Kawase Hasui outside the museum

We were fortunate to see the Kawase Hausui exhibit before it closes this week. Japanese woodblock prints have always been favorites of mine. Such elegant simplicity of line and color. I can see why author James Michener collected so many of them. They were mass produced in the late 1800’s with one print costing the same as a bowl of rice. How extraordinary to have Art so affordable.

Our Art, our beloved Creations — provide Joy for the One Who Sees as well as Joy for the One Who Creates. My Heart is full of those Joys, God. How good it is to walk slowly and see.

Still, God, it was the image of one of Your Creations — the lovely pomegranate — that was the first photo I selected for this blog. Thank You, God, for Our Wonderful World.

Tagged with: Honolulu Museum of Art, Japanese wood block prints, Kawase Hasui
Posted in beauty, Creating

Sunrise, Tide Pools, and Shore Birds

Posted on June 12, 2012 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Tide pools at sunrise at Wawamalu Beach Park

Good Day, God!

There is nothing like rising in the dark (4:20 a.m.), driving to Starbucks to pick up decaf lattes, and then meeting a friend for her Birthday and a Sunrise Walk.

Sunrise is such a sacred time, God. Especially when one Awaits It by the ocean’s edge — away from the traffic and lights and busy-ness of the city.

Well, yes God, any time can be experienced as sacred. That is true. I suppose, come to think of it that ALL time is sacred. It just requires being in it — in the moment.

birds in flight before the sun

Still, Dawn is special. Observing the imperceptible lightening . . . observing what is — become visible to my eyes. That helps me enter into the Now. Like this tide pool welcoming each incoming wave with ripples gently flowing to the edge of the lava — a brief stillness — then another set of expanding ripples — again and again.

I stood there, God, feeling a bit like the Tide Pool. I, too, am mostly enclosed. New Waters, New Thoughts do flow in — rippling across my consciousness. Ah, but the Lava of my Limited Mindset remains in place. Unmoving. Or maybe that isn’t so much my Mindset as my Human Limitations?

I feel like a shore bird, God. It is not my nature sail for distant shores. Or, like Abraham, to leave home and set out on a lifelong journey without knowing where he was going.

You say Life is a Journey into the Unknown. And You might even yet have changes awaiting me.

Well, then. Yes, to You, God! Yes to Your Will being done!

Tagged with: dawn, incoming ripples, sacred time, tide pools, Wawamalu Beach Park
Posted in Celebrations, Changing, Light, living within limits

Setting My Life in Context

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

Coming in the side entrance to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Honolulu

Aloha Most Iridescent God!

I suppose You would be just as happy with “Good Day,” God. But there is something about this photo, which I took this afternoon, that makes me want to adorn my greeting with something extra — some small attempt to acknowledge Your Glory.

I am sitting here with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat wondering “What is Man that You are Mindful of us?” How is it that we humans have been given even this limited awareness of YOU? How indeed!

Glimpses of You are Humbling, God. My sitting here and daring to talk with You — is because of what I have been taught and experienced of Your Nature. Your Nature that welcomes each one of us — as if we were the Only One.

Oh, God! We humans Judge and Rank and Compare. Aah, but You — You go after the one lamb that is lost — searching until she is found — then carry her back in Your Arms. That is how You carried me through our daughter Patty’s illness and death. And that is how You carry me now.

I am sitting here now within Your Compassionate Presence. Needing You. Needing to set my life within You and Your Love. Your Love that only wants to Love and Befriend us. Endlessly continuing Your Loving Pursuit of each one of us. Longing to comfort us and carry us home. And at some point, carry us back to Our Heavenly Home.

Tagged with: Carried Home, Lost Lambs, Loving Shepherds
Posted in connecting, God's Light, humility, LOVE, setting my life in context

Water Lilies and Punahou Reunions

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

Now all the water lilies are yellow in the Lily Pond

Good Day, God!

Today was the fourth day of Kit’s (my wonderful husband’s) Punahou School reunion. It was picnic day, when everyone mills about and chats. It’s my favorite event.

The location was the Punahou Lily Pond area. There were two tables (for food) and folding chairs that got set up as folks came — very organic. So people could sit and visit and then get up for more food and sit down with another group. Very Fluid.

Sitting under a monkey pod tree and sharing.

Traditionally this is the day to honor memories of classmates who have died in the preceding five years. As the lay kahu for the class, Kit says the prayer to start and hands out the list of names of people to be remembered. He also brings a portable sound system so we can all hear one another as we share. I say “we” although I am not a classmate — being a Californian. But, I’ve been to a lot of reunions, God, and so osmosis has done its job. I feel comfortable with everyone.

Feeling comfortable feels really good. And it seemed to me that everyone there felt comfortable. As Kit announced each classmates’ name people got up and shared — some stories were funny and some were sad but all were kind. There was a lovely sense of respect and appreciation for each person who had left us.

Kit had us end by standing and saying the 23rd Psalm together. (It was printed on the back of the list of the deceased.) That tied it all together. Of course, after that, more food was consumed and more words shared. As Kit and I finally left we heard ukuleles being played and songs being sung. It was a wonderful time.