Palm trees - my heart skips when I first see their distinctive majestic shapes, waving gracefully and welcoming me into their locale. You see I live in Ohio and palm trees don’t grow here. I recently wrote about how trees embody my spirituality and palm trees are one example of the lessons I learn from pondering these elegant creations of God. I think this affection is rooted in my childhood. We vacationed a lot in Florida where my dad’s sisters lived and palm trees represent fun and family to my heart. I am now learning palm trees also serve as symbol of faith for me. My hubby and I just returned from Florida and witnessed some of the destructive aftermath from the recent hurricanes. We saw broken billboards, tarps on roofs and even a few trees atop of cars. Side streets were still lined with limbs and palm branches, but we rarely saw any uprooted palm trees. My sister-in-law told me this is due to their unique root system. I am learning to pay attention when my spirit is … [Read more...]

I love trees. The symbolism of trees is one of my favorite spiritual images. I wrote about this a few years ago on Healthy Spirituality on this post about how the symbol of a tree helped heal my brokenness. I have also listened for the Lessons from the Olive Trees on our trip to the Holy Lands. Listen to the trees as they sway in the wind. Their leaves are telling secrets. Vera Nazarian But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought.  Jeremiah 17:7-9   The Wonder of Trees Did you know trees talk to one another? Check out this Tedtalk about how this happens. The researches says, “Forests aren't simply collections of trees, they're complex systems with hubs and networks that overlap and connect trees and allow them to communicate, and they provide avenues for … [Read more...]

What are the lessons in wonder? Who inspires you to wonder? In September on Healthy Spirituality, we explored the practice of wonder. Many creations of God inspire me and I am sure move you too. I wanted to feature a person who wondered, whose creativity encouraged others to wonder. When writing about the Hobbits last week, naturally I thought JRR Tolkien. Who was Tolkien? I had to look up to discover what JRR stood for: John Ronald Reuel. You can impress your friends by knowing that! Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892 and came to England after his father died at the age of four. As an adult he was a professor of English at Oxford where he became friends with another creative, C.S. Lewis. A devout Catholic, Tolkien’s friendship with Lewis, an agnostic, eventually brought Lewis into the faith. Besides faith, these two liked to debate the worthiness of fairy tales and imaginative storytelling. Tolkien believed in their value, stating, "The imagined beings have … [Read more...]

  What can National Hobbit Day Teach Us? National Hobbit Day? Yes, you read that right. Tomorrow, September 22 is National Hobbit Day and the celebration of two of JRR Tolkien’s most beloved characters – Bilbo Baggins and Frodo Baggins. “The Hobbit, was born on September 22, Third Age 2890. Frodo Baggins, the central character in the LOTR trilogy, on the other hand, is 78 years younger than Bilbo, having been born in the Third Age year of 2968.” The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series is well known and loved by many.  Here is a fun fact to remember: The Fellowship of the Rings, first in the Lord of the Rings series opens with Bilbo Baggins announcing his eleventy-first birthday. Instead of saying "one hundred and one" they say "eleventy first" and that with every other three plus digit number. So in honor of Bilbo, Frodo and Tolkien – let’s look at some lessons and quotes to ponder on National Hobbit Day. Lessons from the Hobbit As I reread this book and … [Read more...]

Wonder is September’s Tending the Holy Thursday theme. Each month on my Thursday posts, I pick one theme (or person of faith) to explore in depth over several weeks. Last week we explored what wonder is and today let’s find windows into wonder. The wonders from God are all around us – we don’t pay attention and miss them daily. Where do we find these openings, these sacred skylights, into the world of wonder? Each month I also include a free download to accompany the month’s topic. This month I have for you a one page “10 Ways to Wake Up your Wonder.”  This printable is available at no cost by clicking the button at the end of this post. Enjoy! Wonder Like a Child When my granddaughter, Kyla was only one, I wrote this in my journal. “I was fascinated watching Kyla today.  She looked intently at the ordinary river rocks, spied just the one she wanted and gingerly picked it up like it was the most precious stone on earth. She held it tenderly in her hands, murmur baby talk … [Read more...]

Behold the power of nature! Nature takes center stage in this month’s reflections and gathering of thoughts. Normally I share a variety of ideas each month, but today instead I am overwhelmed by nature so will focus only on one topic. Each month I pause and look back at what I am discovering, learning, and exploring in life – I call these my monthly musings. Living this reflective practice helps me slow down and savor this precious gift of life we’ve been given and all the gifts to be discovered given by such a loving, gracious God. Capturing these special moments gives meaning, depth, and delight to life. Usually at this point on this post, I mention my Monthly Musing Journal available on Amazon or the free downloadable one sheet to record your musings. But today I am more reflective and feel like skipping them this month. My Monthly Musing lesson learned and my one and only topic this month: Behold the Power of Nature! Two weeks ago, we were all enthralled by the solar … [Read more...]