This time of year, we often hear stories of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Occasionally we hear the story of her relative, John the Baptist’s mother, Elizabeth. At the start of Advent this year, I read all the verses about Elizabeth and learned a few new things about her story that gave me new insights to this season. Advent is a time of waiting. Waiting is hard. We are an impatient lot. Some days waiting 5 seconds for a web page to load seems heavy. God doesn’t waste time. What are some Advent lessons in our waiting? Waiting is a Time to Bless – Elizabeth’s Story The Book of Luke tells us Elizabeth was an older woman married to Zechariah, a member of the Jerusalem priesthood. She was past menopause, her husband was elderly, and she had given up hoping for a child. But Elizabeth’s life took an unexpected turn. She became pregnant to the amazement of all. Wow! Her prayer had been answered after she had given up all help. She had to have mixed feelings. Amazement, overwhelm. … [Read more...]
Ever Hear of Lost and Found Day?
Lost? The second Friday in December is National Lost and Found Day. Ever hear of this holiday before? I certainly hadn’t, but the idea invited me to consider how being lost and found weaves throughout my life experiences. Lost and Found Day Lost and Found Day encourages us to return any items that we may have found during the past year to the people who have lost them. The official Lost and Found Day is a day for renewed hope and belief that lost items should never be forgotten or abandoned to lost and found limbo. A time to try to find any personal belongings which we have lost and put an end to the frustration of having to go without something we need. Celebrated first in 2012, this fun day is an unofficial holiday that reminds people to not give up on the things they have lost and to increase their efforts to find them. I read one survey that reported that one in five of us loses or misplaces personal items every week. Car keys are the number one item lost and cell phones … [Read more...]
Poetry and the Practice of Being Present
Poetry and the Practice of Being Present I love Advent because of its invitation to pause, be still, be present. The Christmas rush, unrealistic expectations, and chaotic commitments consume all our attention in December in contrast to the peace and quiet joy of the manger scene. Poetry pauses the pandemonium. I stopped this week and drank in poetry. I discovered two poems that calmed my spirit and refreshed my soul. Both were written by William Stafford, a name I knew but didn’t know much about. Who was William Stafford? William Stafford was an American poet who lived from 1914 to 1993. His first poems were not published until he was 48, then he wrote an astonishing 67 books, including almost 60 books of poetry in the next 33 years. These books included 3,000 poems – a large number on their own but just a fraction of the some 22,000 he wrote. He wrote a poem a day until he died. WOW! He wrote the first poem I share here today just two days before he died. Poetry by William … [Read more...]
Monthly Musings –What I Learned in November
November Monthly Musings Remember experiencing gratitude in November? I hope this becomes a daily practice for all of us. What a powerful spiritual discipline. Did you know the power of gratitude increases the more specific we are expressing our thankfulness? For example, instead of saying “I am grateful for my husband,” add the reasons why: “I am grateful for my hubby because he listens, stands by me, and offers words of comfort and guidance when I need them.” Gratitude is a form of remembering and honoring people and moments in our life. This is a foundation of living a reflective life and one reason why pausing each day, week, month and year to behold time in our life journey is a life-giving spiritual practice. How are you living a reflective life? 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 … [Read more...]
14 Priceless Gifts for the Gift Giving Season
‘Tis the season for gift planning, gift wishing, and gift giving. How about considering what priceless gifts you could offer this year? The greatest gift you can give someone is your time, because when you give your time you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back. Unknown Often the gifts we hold most dear to our hearts can’t be bought with money. A gift that gives twice Is a present without a price. Jean Wise [bctt tweet="A gift that gives twice Is a present without a price. Jean Wise" username="Jeanwise"] On a recent podcast, Marie Forleo stressed the difference between gratitude and appreciation. Gratitude is the quality of being thankful. We are grateful for the things we have in our life – our family, food, home, etc. Appreciation recognizes something great in someone else. Then to express that appreciation to them. Wouldn't that be an awesome priceless gift for someone? “Next to physical survival, the greatest need of a human being is … [Read more...]
Being Grateful – Henri Nouwen
Being grateful. I am being grateful to you all today. Let's give thanks to God today and everyday. Check out this post about the powerful practice of gratitude. Being grateful was a spiritual discipline one of my favorite authors, Henri Nouwen, wrote about. Besides turkey, chew and digest these words today: "To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives—the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections—that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say "thank you" to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for. Let's not be afraid to look at everything that has … [Read more...]
How To Savor the Season
The holiday season is upon us. In the U.S. this week welcomes Thanksgiving. Advent begins December 3 then time spins and speeds to Christmas and New Years. I don’t know about you, but I was bombarded by Black Friday ads right after Halloween amidst Christmas music. Whew! How do we catch our breath during the busy holiday rush? Wait! I want to savor the season, not just survive its spiraling spin. How can we slow down and breath this time of year? Savor the Season Tips When I began to write this post, I tried to create a clever acronym, an easy to remember witty expression or a wordy recipe to follow. I felt tense, making things too complicated. My writing mirrored the crazy muddled holiday emotions I was striving to avoid. I paused. I hit delete. I chose simplicity. Not a bad plan of action for the holidays either - pause, delete, and chose simplicity. Here is what I am going to do during Thanksgiving and Advent to prepare my heart to welcome … [Read more...]
Be a Blessing to Power Up Gratitude
"Life is not about receiving at all times; it is a combination of being thankful for what you have as blessings and sharing those blessings with others who need a little fraction of what you have." Catherine Pulsifer Be a blessing, share our blessings and count our blessings all power up gratitude in our lives. Thankfulness isn’t an “ego-stroking, let me feel better because it is all about me” action – being grateful opens our hearts to realize all we do have and then share these gifts from God with others. Gratitude is November’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 I introduced ideas about gratitude and challenge you to write a thank you note to God. Did you try that? I did. My note to God evolved into prayer and a deep conversation about what I take for granted, forgiveness for times I ignore God’s gifts, and an overwhelming thankfulness for my … [Read more...]