Good Morning, God!

I have agreed to commit to two Spiritual Disciplines, God. One of Engagement — doing — and One of Abstinence — refraining from doing. Both are HARD. And, that is the Point, isn’t God? Rev. Collins’ sermon yesterday was about Christianity being challenging. If it isn’t “hard,” perhaps it isn’t Christianity?

So, the Idea of “challenging” myself or, as my dear mother-in-law once put it to me, of Growing Up, is creeping into my Consciousness. Aargh! Worse yet, I am certain that I need to seek Kit’s HELP in this.

Proud? Stiff-necked? Rebellious? Well, yes, we COULD use those negative descriptors, God — or, I could be more generous and say that I am a Very Slow Learner. But, I believe You are Right! I will be better served if I stick to the truth about my Old Nature, my True Nature, or my Shadow Side. Drat!

Life is a Journey — a rather long Road Trip. I can barrel ahead, as usual — or use this Time Away to Rethink and Redesign the mostly small details of My Daily Life. One thing is CLEAR — I need to ask for, and ACCEPT Kit’s help.

How fortunate I am, God, that Kit is trustworthy! Thank You!

Good Morning God!

Yes, I know, God, it is really Kit’s Trip — but when the very kind and helpful young woman at the computer store told me about the fabulous “jumble sale” at St. Thomas Church in Hanover — going on Right Now — I couldn’t resist. Kit could have resisted easily.

But, being a Loving Husband, he agreed. Off we went to The Jumble Sale — an opportunity for me to exercise my Gathering Instincts — enjoying the sorting, analyzing and examining of all the detritus of the church community. Looking back, my behavior reminds me of that of a bloodhound on the trail although, I had no set “quarry” but rather a desire to check it all out.

I like to think, God, that this behavior is hard-wired from our Paleolithic Past when women provided all the food that “didn’t move.” Roots, berries, seeds and nuts comprised 70% of the total calories of our diet back then. And in an average year we ate over 800 diverse types of food. We women were BUSY! It was Ursula Le Guin who said that the “first tool” was a string bag that women made to carry it all home!

There was no need of a string bag for yesterday’s shopping expedition. But, for $9
I brought back 2 bracelets, one necklace, a cross for a necklace, and one black cashmere sweater — none of which I needed — but all for a worthy cause! That last fact setting church jumble sales slightly ahead of Ross’s.

Ah, The Joys of USING our innate “skills.” Please, God, help me to “notice” them — and to cherish them.

PS We just retuned from an outstanding service at St. Thomas — how foolish I am, God, to think I can stay connected to YOU without the help of Sunday services — and preferably Wednesday morning Prayer Times, too!

God Morning, God!

What a Wonderfull World You have made! Thank You! Yesterday we drove through the Green Mountains of Vermont on our way to Hanover, New Hampshire. So many trees! Each one wearing the radiant green of fresh Spring Leaves — every leaf delighting in the Sunlight!

This tree was beside a river rushing through Brattleboro, Vermont — right next to the Brattleboro Food Co-op where we stopped to buy and eat lunch. Earlier, we had stopped in Bennington where I bought for Kit a new trombone stand — partially to atone for having deprived him of his “Victory Lap” drive around New England after being second in his age group in the Boston Marathon this April. Usually, God, Kit makes all the travel plans. But, on that ocassion I preempted him and we went to visit Sandy, Dave and the boys.

It was Suzy who explained to me that after his win he needed to take a Victory Lap! It was So Clear, God, after it was pointed out to me! I am so fortunate to have her “explain” her Dad to me! Hmm. She was a Communication Assistant!

Good Heavens, God! We ALL need help from “Communication Assistants” —
People to provide a “here is what you heard him say — but here is what he meant” kind of help. People to explain to men that a dozen roses given — one rose at a time — are “worth” far more than a dozen roses given once. Maybe even people to ask, “Did you really intend for your tone of voice to be so unkind when you said that?”

Ah, my. I fear, God, that most “Communication Assistants” would be fired after the first few “assists!” Still, I like the Idea. . . . Did You just say that You would be happy to help Me that way? . . . Yes, I’m afraid You Did!

Humph. OK! OK! It is Time – Time to get up and get ready for Kit’s plans for the day.

Good Morning, God!

There are so many images flowing through my mind! The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute was FULL of arresting images. We live In an age when images flow around us at an ever increasing pace, God. So it was relaxing to have the images stand still — and slowly move myself around them.

Once again, God, it was a walk through Time as well as Space. There were paintings from the 1300’s. Afterwards, at dinner, Kit and I talked about the changes we’ve lived through. I shared my thrill of seeing a $400 “hand-held” calculator — and actually holding it! Then buying my first Mac II in 1988 and now writing on my iPad 2. There have been a lot of changes, God!

Perhaps that’s why I was so surprised by this 1875 painting by Winslow Homer. Because, God, as I stood there looking at The Two Guides and saw the Heart embroidered on the young guide’s shirt, I thought, This Shirt could have been bought yesterday!

That sense of THINGS NOT CHANGING made me happy, God! We humans have not changed much — maybe not at all? Our technology has changed! But our Basic Design has not changed. We are Social Beings. We NEED one another. We need meaningful activities and relationships.

Ah, God, we need a healthy economy, too! Being here in western Massachusetts — where the textile mills used to be — is a reminder that hard economic changes are happening as a result of technological changes. It is a Ripple Effect that I try NOT to see.

We humans could use some help, God, in dealing with Change in a way that is both Personally and Socially Responsible! Please, help me take this to Heart!

Good Morning,God!

Yesterday was full of sights which were lovely — the sunset especially so. But, this photo of flowers hanging outside a nursery, is my favorite. We were driving around in Williamstown looking for a motel — had made a wrong turn — and were just in front of these flowers long enough to turn arond. But, that was long enough for me to SEE and Photograph them.

When I showed the photo to Kit — for him to admire — he wondered how I had picked the flowers out of all the junk out in front. Junk? I hadn’t seen any junk.
But, now that I go back and look, I can sort of see what he means.

My seeing JUST the flowers is a lovely illustration of seeing what we want to see. I like to think of that as a positive skill! But, now that I think about it, I can see that sometimes it causes me to miss stuff I need to see.

Hmm. Edward De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats comes to mind. De Bono used the mental image of putting on Different Colored Hats to represent different ways of looking at something — such as a problem to be solved. I think, God, that much as I enjoy focusing on Beauty and The Positive — I need to remember that there often is “junk” in the foreground for me to both See and to Cleanup!

Good Morning, God!

Yesterday Kit and I and our dear friends Nick and Pam — who are in the East visiting their son and family — walked across this former railroad bridge. Judging from the Informational Signs, it was renovated in 2009 — after serving for over 100 years as a railroad bridge.

So, in a sense, God, it was a walk Back in Time, as well as a mile walk across a Major American River. The Indians called it “The River That Flows Both Ways,” referring to the tidal flow up from the Atlantic. If I remember right, it takes the tidal flow 4.5 hours to reach the bridge here at Poughkeepsie.

Then in 1609 Henry Hudson sailed up the River — and it was a key part of our transportation system from then on. Hmm. From then until now. Actually, God, I woke up this morning thinking — this renovated bridge was probably a stimulus program to bring tourists to the area, an area that badly needs the economic help.

How Times have changed, God! And they are changing even more rapidly! Sigh. The Economic Path seems to have moved on a Westward Path. Europe to our East Coast to Chicago to California and now to China and India.

Couple this with an email this morning about the closing of many of our Public Libraries. I feel unhappily uncertain whether We Americans have the Will or the Wisdom to take Positive Action. Please, God, bless all our leaders, large and official, and small like the rest of us.