No power. I woke up suddenly knowing something happened while we slept. In my foggy first moments I realized the power was out and pitch blackness saturated the room. I could hear the thunder and assumed the storm knocked out our electricity. With the dim glow of my cell phone, I cautiously moved to the front of the house scanning the neighborhood for any signs of light. None. No power anywhere along the street. My phone’s data allowed me to googled the local energy company and found its map for outages. Yep, our entire village’s electrical grid was down with the estimate time of repair of 4 am. Ok, it’s 11 pm the lights will be back on by the time I need to get up and get ready. Wrong. The time kept changing. 8 am. 3 pm. 11 pm. What caused this disruption on my world? The truth is stranger than fiction. In our neighboring town a lightning strike took out a transformer that sent all power to my village. Wires dangled lower over railroad tracks and sure enough … [Read more...]
Share Four Somethings – June 2022
Share Four Somethings is a regular blog post where I feature bits of wisdom in four categories. I love this practice as it collects moments for reflection and growth. 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. I listened to my heart and to God and narrowed down my four categories and to see what they will teach me this year. Something WiseSomething WonderfulSomething WhisperedSomething Whimsical Each one reminds me to pay attention to these qualities in my life as gifts from God. I am learning that whimsical is the hardest one for me to capture and one that need the most coaxing to appear. This was true again this month. Something Wise “Hope is holding a creative tension between what is and what could and should be, each day doing something to narrow the distance between the two.” Parker J Palmer I am slowly … [Read more...]
Pilgrimage Ponderings
Pilgrimage. Journey. Travel. I just returned from a 12-day pilgrimage through Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. I fully believe that travel gifts us in three ways: the joy in the planning and anticipation of a journey, the delights embracing the moments experienced while present in new places and the insights through reflections once home again. On a pilgrimage, the intention is to be open to God and allow the experience to transform us. It is not about the destination(s), as either a vacation or pilgrimage can explore an historic site or sacred spot – it is about the journey within. And please don’t take me wrong: there is nothing bad about taking vacations. Vacation renews us, connects us with others and brings learning and joy into our lives. Transforming an excursion into a pilgrimage offers a deeper level. “If we truly want to know the secret of soulful travel, we need to believe that there is something sacred waiting to be discovered in virtually every … [Read more...]
Do You Know the Church Year Celebration of Ascension-tide?
Ascension-tide? Ever hear of it? The church year calendar is full of wonderful opportunities for us to learn more about God, to open our hearts to new perspectives, and to grow spiritually. Ascension-tide is the ten days tucked between the Ascension of our Lord into heaven until the Day of Pentecost. This year Ascension-tide starts May 26 and goes until Pentecost, June 5th. This feast doesn’t get much attention. No store décor. No special food. No days off. No jingles or hymns to sing. Ascension-tide is the season when we remember that the disciples let go of Jesus so that he can be always present to all people. Jesus was gone and the Holy Spirit hadn’t been sent yet. These ten days became a time of waiting and longing for God. I wonder what the followers of Christ did and felt during the 10 days after they witnessed Jesus’ ascension into heaven and before the arrival of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Did they struggle with doubts? Did they wait impatiently? I … [Read more...]
Collecting Prayers Using My Word of the Year
All is my word of the year and I have watching for and collecting prayers containing this word. Such a simple word - you would think I would have an endless list by now but alas, the list grows slowly. Slowly - that in itself is a good lesson. I tend to rush, skim, get it done. Looks like God is inviting me to savor and enjoy each prayer. To allow its word to seep into my soul. To feel its “all” to permeate my heart and shape me. I find the prayers deepens if I copy its words, not by the printer or computer but unhurriedly with a pen into my journal. These prayers accompany me through my morning devotions and linger with me throughout the day. Holy companions, these prayers. Here are a few of my new friends shedding light on “all.” Covenant Prayer – John WesleyI am no longer my own, but yours.Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will.Put me to doing, put me to suffering.Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you,Praised for you or criticized for … [Read more...]
Practicing Self-Compassion
Do you practice self-compassion? I value self-care. I am learning soul-care. But I never really considered the importance of self-compassion before. Lately my inner critic has been very mouthy. “I should have known better.” “Here I go again. When will I ever learn”? The world, the pandemic, and the politics wear me down. The devil knows me too well – “let’s heap on the discouragement, that will trip Jeanie up!” God knows me even better. Grace from God isn’t just for others, but for our souls too. I read this definition from Positive Psychology: Self-compassion is a practice of goodwill, not good feelings… With self-compassion we mindfully accept that the moment is painful, and embrace ourselves with kindness and care in response, remembering that imperfection is part of the shared human experience. (Neff, 2019)“Self-kindness is about showing kindness and understanding toward ourselves when we fail at something, or when we are hurt (Neff, 2003a). Rather than being … [Read more...]
Questioning my Optimism
Optimism. I grew up in a serious household, with serious parents, and serious expectations. My parents were not pessimists or realists, but they definitely didn’t practice optimism. They were just focused, hard-working, deliberate people. So most of my adult life I have dealt with my internal negative chatter and learned the skills of optimism. Practice. Practice. Practice. I read books and research about optimism. Whenever I listed my values, optimism ranked high. I even gave talks to others about optimism. I smugly wore the new label of “Optimist” on my heart. Yep I was proud of this new attitude that served me well into my second half of life. You know what they say about pride. First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.Proverbs 16:18 The Message New Perspective about Optimism. God continues to teach and form us. I am thankful for that truth, but I was surprised at this spiritual lesson. Readers of this blog … [Read more...]
Word of the Year Reversal
“All” is my word of the year. One way I companion my word each year is to find a sign to put near my home altar using the selected word. I found a great sign last year for its word “Go” at our nearby Hobby Lobby. “Let’s Go” empowered me every morning. So I have been on the hunt for a new sign this year and finally once again in Hobby Lobby found one sign using this year’s word: “All of me loves all of you.” Now I know this expression was to be between two lovers, but I adopted it as my prayer. “Lord, help all of me love all of you.” Or at least that was my original intention for using the sign. God had other plans. A few weeks ago, I ventured to the center about 90 minutes from my home for a silent retreat. Often I bring a few items from my home altar with me to help create a sacred atmosphere in the room for prayer and time with God. I brought my “All of me loves all of you” sign. I entered the silence wondering how I could love God more. What more could … [Read more...]