Can you imagine walking uphill and into the wind? Think about the determination, the pain and fatigue, unable to see the final destination. The persistence of plodding one step at a time, one after another, bogged down with thick mud or snowdrifts. Straining with each labored breath. Icy cold driving rain pummeling your face. I dreamed that scene last week. I rarely remember my dreams so when an image not only lingers in such detail but echoes in my soul with such a thundering boom, I notice. Doesn't take a genius to pay attention when God is trying to show me something. I tried to find just the right photo to capture this uphill and into the wind image. I wanted to paste it into my journal. Show it here to you. The illusive perfect illustration hasn't surface yet but still lives vividly in my mind. I am being vulnerable today, sharing this experience, baring my soul. In my morning prayer time lately, Jesus has been sitting across from me, listening, watching, … [Read more...]
Are you a Spiritual Marathoner?
Are you a spiritual marathoner? I am a not a runner. Yes, I do walk for exercise but run? No way! If I did try running, I am sure I wouldn't go far before gasping for air or collapsing. My legs and my heart aches with the thought of running a marathon. Yet, in many ways we are all running a collective marathon right now. It has almost been a year we have endured this pandemic – a life event we didn't choose, can't control, and we are not sure when it will be over. We are tired. We desperately want to get back to how we used to do things. We are emotionally and spiritually exhausted. I said this to others serving in the church and friends of faith and all agreed. There is a bone weary, soul numbing fatigue. "Hitting the wall" is a phrase marathoners use when every step feels like you are wading through concrete and you begin to doubt if you will ever see the finish line. In reality this feeling of defeat and discouragement usually arrives at about mile 20 of … [Read more...]
Stretching My Journal Muscles with a New Approach
Journals– most of you know I am an avid journal writer and know the free download I have shared here about journaling is the most popular one I have written. I love collecting journals and have quite a stack ready to grab once I fill one up. Writing in my journal is prayer and a practice of reflection, growth and record of life. The disciplines of contemplative prayer and expressing my emotions within a book's pages have been essential during the rough uncertainty of the past 12 months. Journaling serves as lifeline for me. Journaling helps me hear my own voice often drowned out by the world. Journaling helps me connect with God. One of my favorite writers, Emily P Freeman, has just released a new journal in a unique format. Her probing guiding questions will stretch my journaling muscle in a new way. Her new book is called The Next Right Thing Guided Journal – A Decision-making Companion. And what a great companion this book will be. This book is set up as a place to … [Read more...]
A Blessing for the New Year – John O’Donohue
On the day whenthe weight deadenson your shouldersand you stumble,may the clay danceto balance you. And when your eyesfreeze behindthe grey windowand the ghost of lossgets into you,may a flock of colours,indigo, red, greenand azure blue,come to awaken in youa meadow of delight. When the canvas fraysin the currach of thoughtand a stain of oceanblackens beneath you,may there come across the watersa path of yellow moonlightto bring you safely home. May the nourishment of the earth be yours,may the clarity of light be yours,may the fluency of the ocean be yours,may the protection of the ancestors be yours. And so may a slowwind work these wordsof love around you,an invisible cloakto mind your life. Here is a video to this poem spoken by the poet himself. If you are getting this by email you will have to go the blog to see the video and hear his wonderful Irish brogue. May 2021 overflow with blessings for you! … [Read more...]
Walking with Companions from the Great Cloud of Witnesses
Who are your walking companions? Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12 :1 God has gifted us a rich history of past and present "witnesses" to our faith that accompanies us if we only seek their wisdom and listen to their stories. I love the image of one or two fellow pilgrims emerging from the cheering crowd along my path and coming along side of me for a spell. A road to Emmaus moment. Sharing our story with and in the presence of Christ – learning and growing deeper. When I was in formation to be a spiritual director, we were asked to walk with a spiritual person for two years –soaking in the story of their lives, immersing in their writings and gleaning lessons for our own journey. Dorothy Day still walks with me today as a friend, a companion and a … [Read more...]
A Spiritual Side Dish for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love the family getting together. The delicious smells showering my kitchen. The turkey browning in the oven. The laughter and chatter even while washing the dishes and scrubbing the pans. I smile with the memories of past holidays with loved ones now in heaven and still in our hearts. And of course, the side dishes. We will have my sister in law's sweet potato dish. Katie's homemade pumpkin pie. My mom's crockpot dressing. Good ol' green bean casserole and our family joke about needing the recipe to make it just right (We don't really but we always cut it out of the magazine ads each year and send it to each other) And cranberry jello the grandkids request and we all enjoy. Gratitude for all God's gifts overwhelmed my heart this week as I got out the recipes and made these plans for Thursday. Thank you for family. Thank you for the ones not in our near bubble we can't be with this year. We miss them. Thank you for … [Read more...]
Monthly Musings – What I Learned in October
October brings multiple colorful gifts. I love God's Palette this time of year and mused about that observation last week. The October trees also share their lessons about letting go – a spiritual practice I wrote a series on in 2017. The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let the dead things go.” Anonymous 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, scrapes 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 … [Read more...]
God’s Palette – Colors of the Season
God's palette of brilliant colors ignited the trees in northwest Ohio this month. Autumn exhibits meaningful messages if we pay attention to her music. "Of the four seasons, autumn is by far the most paradoxical. Wedged between an equinox and a solstice, it moors us to cosmic rhythms of deep time and at the same time envelops us in the palpable immediacy of its warm afternoon breeze, its evening chill, its unmistakable scentscape. It is a season considered temperate, but one often tempestuous in its sudden storms and ecstatic echoes of summer heat. We call it “fall” with the wistfulness of loss as we watch leaves and ripe fruit drop to the ground, but it is also the season of abundance, of labor coming to fruition in harvest. " Maria Popova I gaze at trees gathered together like patchwork quilts across auburn fields of corn, showcasing their pigmented performance. They blend together in a murmuration of color. God's palette contains some colors that on their own are not … [Read more...]