Four Somethings – Autumn Edition

Each season welcomes a time to reflect on what we are learning, becoming, and where God is inviting us into as we are being shaped in this wonderful gift of life. I love pausing occasionally, taking a deep breath, and doing the spiritual practice of remembering, reviewing, and savoring life’s lessons and sacred moments in our lives. I gather these tidbits of wisdom into what I call my Four Somethings:

• Something Wise
• Something Wonderful
• Something Whispered
• Something Whimsical

Something Wise

Henri Nouwen explains clearly why writing helps me/us express our deepest desire/emotions. This is why I find writing in my journal so helpful. He says it so well:

“Writing is a process in which we discover what lives in us. The writing itself reveals to us what is alive in us. The deepest satisfaction of writing is precisely that it opens up new spaces within us of which we were not aware before we started to write. To write is to embark on a journey whose final destination we do not know. Thus, writing requires a real act of trust. We have to say to ourselves: “I do not yet know what I carry in my heart, but I trust that it will emerge as I write.” Writing is like giving away the few loaves and fishes one has, trusting that they will multiply in the giving. Once we dare to “give away” on paper the few thoughts that come to us, we start discovering how much is hidden underneath these thoughts and gradually come in touch with our own riches.”

Something Wonderful

My hubby and I accomplished a bucket list item this summer – we can say we have been to all the major baseball parks, including Montreal which no longer exists and many minor league parks too. We completed the west coast teams in August with the last team being the San Diego Padres at Petco Stadium. We never intentionally years ago started off to accomplish this feat but just enjoyed seeing games in different places and over the years visited different parks and one day wondered where all we had been and where else we needed to go.  Last year we got serious and completed the east coast on a special baseball tour with this year doing the west coast. What a fun adventure!  By the way the tour company we traveled with in case you are interested is the Jay Buckley Baseball Tours – we highly recommend them!

Now we are being asked: What is on your bucket list next? I have an answer for that but that will on an upcoming blog post.  You will have to watch for that.  HA!

Something Whispered

Forgive often.

I read this phrase in a book I read on retreat last month titled The Fourth Quarter of Your Life. A book full of various ideas and wisdom on how to best live the last part of your life. This piece of advice resonated with me and I couldn’t get it out of my heart.

Forgive often.

Forgiving is difficult. I think it is hard for all of us. Forgiving others. Forgiving ourselves. And to be honest forgiving God at times.

But the trigger word and the word that really helped me this time was its companion word: often. Saying those two words together: “forgive often” made it easier, no, not easier- I struggle to find the right word, maybe quicker to forgive. It was like the offense didn’t cling as tightly to my soul when I lived by the mantra to forgive often. When I woke up each morning forgiving often or each moment knowing I would forgive often and without delay, I felt lighter.  I will be honest telling you this didn’t go smoothly every time but I tried and when I was able to put this phrase into practice – wow – what a release – a freedom. A new perspective to forgiveness I never knew before by adding a simple word. OFTEN.  And a phrase I hope to whisper in my soul the rest of my life.

Something Whimsical

I noticed lately I have been more sour, negative, not so optimistic. Time to turn off the social media and the news reports once again. I see this gloominess reflected in my journal, my poems, and my every day attitude.  I am on edge more.  Probably echoing today’s cultural and political environment right now. But darkness swallowed me up for quite a while before I even noticed it.  Now I am crawling out of this hole and daily choosing joy, light, and God’s way of living. More whimsey, less worry. Faith, not fear.  I needed to read this poem once again and be reminded to dance!

I sometimes forget
that I was created for Joy.
My mind is too busy.
My heart is too heavy
for me to remember
that I have been
Called to dance
the sacred dance of life.
I was created to smile.
To Love.
To be lifted up
and lift up others.
O’ Sacred One
untangle my feet
from all that ensnares.
Free my soul
that we might
Dance
And that our dancing
might be contagious.
Hafiz 

What are you learning lately?