Hit the pause button! For just a minute in the midst of your hurry-scurry of reading blog posts, responding to emails and juggling your to-do list, stop. Take a deep breath. Breath in – feeling the external air enter your lungs. Breath out – exhaling the internal. Air inward. Air outward. Breathing is so intuitive and intimate. Both conscious and unconscious. Lifegiving and life transformational. Breathing and praying share many of the same characteristics. Breath God in. Breath ego, worry, fear out. God surrounds us like air – invisible, life-giving, all around and within. We are like fish in the sea wondering what water really is. This powerful force sustaining and nurturing us on our journey. Breath Prayers The Bibles teaches us to “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) How do we do this? One type of prayer that has helped Christians across the ages to fulfill this command is breath … [Read more...]
Creativity, Inspiration and Whimsey, Oh My!
Creativity. Ever enter a room radiating this essence? I visited a friend's pottery studio last week. Every cell in my body tingled as I breathed in her imagination on the workbenches. I felt like the first time I walked down Walt Disney World's Main Street - all my senses bursting with glorious inspiration. One room held mounds of grey clay waiting to be shaped. The primary studio presented a great array of partially completed animals – dogs, cats, armadillos, mice, birds, - wearing unique forms of transportation – wheels, skateboards, balls, wagons, boats, planes. Quirky, humorous animals with unusual moving parts – all being molded by my potter friend for a show in Florida this coming winter. What an imaginative combination. My world whirled with wonderful whimsey. Her originality and imagination reminded me of my visit to the Marietta Museum of Art and Whimsey in Sarasota, Florida. A must see for any of us who needs some joy. Visiting their displays comes with a … [Read more...]
NOT YET
"Not yet." Wise words from my Weight Watcher leader a few weeks ago. She used this phrase when confessing to our group, she didn't like cauliflower. "At least not yet. I am staying open-minded. Someday I will find a recipe using cauliflower that I will like, just not yet." Not bad advice for acquiring any new taste in food. Or stepping out of our comfort zones to new adventures. Or giving grace to our souls and the souls of others. Not yet. "Not yet" comes from the old English meaning "till now, thus far" implying opportunities still await us. Her phrase lingers in my heart. Two simple words, releasing the locked gates around a self-limiting belief. An unassuming phrase to let go of a past experience that burdens and weighs us down. A surprisingly strong expression empowering us to keep at it, to be open, not to give up. Not yet moves us forward from helplessness into hopefulness. Using the phrase "not yet" gives a framework to change negative thinking … [Read more...]
Monthly Musings – What I Learned in May
May Monthly Musings Welcome to the marvelous month of May! I do love spring – watching the earth awaken from its wintry rest and colors burst forth. What do you like the most about spring? Each month I look back at what I am discovering, learning, and exploring in life – I call these my monthly musings. Capturing these special moments gives meaning, depth, and delight to life. Let’s wake up to the wonders in the ordinary all around us. I record what I notice on the pages of my Monthly Musings Journal. You can use anything, scraps of papers, a journal, or a calendar. Copies of my Monthly Musings Journal are available on Amazon and are a convenient way to keep track of the little things in life we often miss. Or if you want to click the button at the end of this post to get a FREE copy of my one-sheet Monthly Musings handout. What I Learned in May Monthly Musings Lesson Learned: My lesson this month is the once again reminder - apparently, I have a hard head and have to … [Read more...]
Spiritual Spring Cleaning
Spring cleaning time! Spiritual spring cleaning too! I don't know about you, but I am fired up to unclutter, clean, and generally corral all the messes in my house. This season energizes me for scrubbing, polishing, and peering into corners and cabinets to get rid of dust, crumbs, and junk. But what about Spiritual Spring Cleaning? I began thinking about this as I watched Lucy, the robin I wrote about a few weeks ago. She built her nest. She laid her eggs. She sat and sat and soon hatched eggs. Now Lucy has been dutifully attending, feeding, and caring for three babies with constant open mouths begging for more food, attention and her presence. Not only does she bring them curly, squirmy worms to fill their tummies, each time she tidies up the nest. She looks around, pokes under each baby, and picks us what no longer belongs in her home. First, she inspired me with her persistence; now she inspires me with her practice. Spiritual Spring Cleaning Lucy is teaching me … [Read more...]
Finding Simple Joys
Where do you find joy? I used to think happiness occurred in a constant stream. Once I found it I would have it forever in my possession. One time I "graded" each day - yes A through D ( no F's allowed) on the blessings I experienced – this helped me live more in grateful gladness. Do we have to wait for the big celebrations and mountaintop encounters to smile, to enjoy, to dance with delight? “Sometimes, the simple things are more fun and meaningful than all the banquets in the world.” ― E.A. Bucchianeri Simple Joys This spring I have been collecting moments of wonder. I hold these in my heart, gleefully grateful to God. I surprise my face by smiling unexpectedly. I am thriving in thrills otherwise unnoticed. Detecting delight delivers depth to my being. Here are just a few of the simple joys I recently welcomed and embraced: My one and only daffodil in my yard. Yes, I love their sunny cherry appearance every spring. Why do I have only one? Well, we dug … [Read more...]
Stillness – A Spiritual Practice to Refresh your Soul
Stillness is not one spiritual practice that comes easy for me. I fidget. My mind wanders into strange and curious excursions. My spirit hops around like water on a hot skillet. Then suddenly I realize I am off to Neverland, not being still with God. I thrive in getting things done. Is thrive the right word? Maybe addicted/obsessed/focused is more exact. I love being busy/productive. Always having more to do. Accomplishing something. Anything. To be still is not automatic for many of us. My “sit still” skillset slips and stumbles. Practicing stillness is hard for me. Anyone else relate to this? Through Lent, I did keep up most of the time the practice of 15-20 minutes of Centering Prayer with God each morning. Being still with our savior refreshed my soul in new ways. Quiet before God helped me hear him deeply and connected with myself too. I gained a new perspective to happenings internally and externally. Peace and tranquility bathed my spirit. The more I … [Read more...]
Lucy – A Lesson in Persistence
We call her Lucy. Lucy is a young robin who decided to build a nest on top of one of our backyard outdoor speakers. The good news is the speaker is tucked up high under the eaves, providing protection from the elements. The bad news? The flat space on the top of the speaker is narrow, about a 6-7-inch square. Every day she brought twigs, willowy branches, and yard waste to the speaker. Every day the nest fell apart by day's end. Fragments of her failed fiasco splattered in ruins across our porch. Every day. My hubby and I fretted about Lucy. Was she too young to know what she was doing? Do robins learn to make nests from their parents and somehow Lucy never got that education? Bill worried she would still lay eggs there resulting in their rolling off the speaker dropping 6 feet to their destruction. Lucy was definitely deficient in nest construction skill and experience. Every day Lucy began once again. Every day the nest fell apart by day's end. We researched … [Read more...]