What does it mean to live well? With “well” being my word of the year, I have been thinking about this question: what does it mean to live well? So of course, I was intrigued to find a book by a great author, Eugene Peterson, On Living Well, Brief Reflections on Wisdom for Walking in the Way of Jesus. Doesn’t just that subtitle say it all? Each chapter contains gems of wisdom on different aspects of life on themes such as beginnings, simplicity, prayers, mercies and glories. Here are a few quotes that teach us how to live well: “We ought to cultivate the skills that equips us to live in cheerful anticipation of what God will do tomorrow. Will we live anxiously complaining and querulous, because we don’t have all we want or because we don’t know what is coming next? Or will we live in confident joy, sure that God’s next move will be a good one? The expectant command is for us to rejoice.” “God invites us to leap, to live, and to love: to leap from the visible uncertainties … [Read more...]

I mentioned last week I would write about my experiences at my retreat with creativity and Soul Collage. I have attended a weekend with Soul Collage, but this was the first time I combined an 8-day silent retreat with a creative activity like this. I wondered what would happen. I really enjoy Soul Collage. First, you must know a quirk about me – I failed scissors in kindergarten. God did NOT sprinkle many fine motor talents into my DNA into my soul when I was created so being artsy isn’t not a strength BUT Soul Collage is something I and really anyone can do. Creating a collage is of course putting together a picture using photos from various sources to create a new photo as a form of self-expression.  Soul Collage goes much deeper. This trademarked process was created by founder Seena Frost who was a trained marriage counselor and held a Masters degree in psychology and theology. It is way of seeing an aspect of who you are in a new way. The only rule is we can’t publish on … [Read more...]

Emily P Freeman taught me these words: makers and managers. She writes: “There are two types of schedule, which I'll call the manager's schedule and the maker's schedule. The manager's schedule is for bosses. It's embodied in the traditional appointment book, with each day cut into one hour intervals. You can block off several hours for a single task if you need to, but by default you change what you're doing every hour.” She shares on her podcast, you can listen to it here, “That brings us down to one reason why all this matters so much. Because whether you’re someone who keeps a maker’s schedule or a manager’s schedule, the truth is we all have a need to create space to make…” I am naturally a manager. I love my calendar. My to-do list. My get it done checklist. Accomplish this and that. Focus goals sheets. I excel at finishing!  My left brain is so tired at times that my right brain wanders off into the garden to play with the birds by itself. I do need to create. To … [Read more...]

I thought I was clever. I decided that I will write this week about space - something I haven’t really explored on this blog much before. I put space into the search bar located on the left side here and a whole bunch of posts came up.  Surprise to me! I had written about space before. Oops! Space has been taking space in the spaces of my heart and mind for many spaces of time. I reread this quote from 2011 from Henri Nouwen: In the spiritual life, the word ‘discipline’ means ‘the effort to create some space in which God can act’. Discipline means to prevent everything in your life from being filled up. Discipline means that somewhere you’re not occupied, and certainly not preoccupied… to create that space in which something can happen that you hadn’t planned or counted on. Creating space for God to act.  I like that. Then there is physical spaces that create environments conducive to our spiritual growth – places of quiet, inviting reflection, where nature … [Read more...]

I have been pondering inkwells.  Why inkwells?  Inkwells are another image depicting my word of the year - well – and capturing my imagination and memory. A former pastor of ours always used fountain pens. He loved the feel of the pen as he wrote letters. Did you use them in school as a child? Yep, I am that old. I remember school desk with hole for ink carved in the upper left top corner. Now we didn’t use that well; we walked to the back of the classroom to fill our pens and it was messy if I recall and I was thrilled to move to ball point pens I think in third grace… but I digress. What is it about inkwells? Do they hold any lessons for us connected to my word of the year? A Little History of Inkwells Skip this section if you want. I had fun going down the rabbit hole of inkwell history. Sorry to digress again…LOL. An inkwell is a small pot or container used for holding ink in a place convenient for a writer to dip their quill or pen into.  Can’t you just … [Read more...]

I love to occasionally share my Four Somethings – things I have read, seen, experienced that made me pause and savor life. You know one practice I frequently promote is reflection – pausing, rereading, pondering where you are, where you have come from and where is God inviting you into next.  I share bits of wisdom in four categories. Gathering Four Somethings makes me aware of all the blessings often hidden under busyness, worries, and distractions. These “somethings” become markers in our spiritual journey. With so much pivoting and uncertainty in our lives right now, being grounded in a simple practice like this guides my way.  Here are some recent “somethings.” When I gather and compile these each time, I don’t start with a theme but amazingly one usually emerges.  I love that God is always teaching, leading, showing us the Way!  This month my four somethings seem to be about seeing with new eyes. Something Wise “To cultivate wisdom is to remember that we are not … [Read more...]

I reached my step goal one day last week and as I glanced at my Fitbit shooting up fireworks my little device exclaimed, “Well done!” I smiled. Even my Fitbit knows my word of the year!  “Well.” Since this word began to draw my attention and gnaw at my soul, I have been focused more on the use of “well” as in water well.  Good image but time to explore a new perspective. Here are a few rambling thoughts about well done. What is Well Done? Some insights from others about “well done.” “Better a little which is well done, than a great deal imperfectly.”  Plato “Well done is better than well said.” Benjamin Franklin. Well done reminds me of the Bible story found in Matthew 25 called the parable of the talents: “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so not I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’” Matthew 25:23  NLT Deep down I really do … [Read more...]

I believe strongly in the practice of reflection, pausing, rereading, pondering where you are, where you have come from and where is God inviting you into next. Time to hear your own deep yearnings and to realize God’s presence in every moment of your life. Four Somethings is the spiritual practice of remembering, reviewing, and savoring life’s lessons and sacred moments in our lives. So occasionally I share bits of wisdom in four categories. Gathering Four Somethings makes me aware of all the blessings often hidden under busyness, worries, and distractions. These “somethings” become markers in our spiritual journey. With so much pivoting and uncertainty in our lives right now, being grounded in a simple practice like this guides my way.  Here are my spring “somethings.”  Read ahead and you will see it could also be called the Muddy Edition.  I didn’t intentionally start to have this muddy theme but it slowly emerged and I realized mud has been teaching me … [Read more...]