Sleeping With Bread

2006-08-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

This looks
like a thoughtful
spot to rest.

Deo Gratias!

For the journey!

2006-07-27T08:25:00.000-05:00

God keep thee!

2006-06-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Beholding

a new thing!

Deo Gratias!

2006-06-02T11:11:00.000-05:00

The most powerful and influential position in any society or civilization is as a storyteller. These storytellers are not just the mythical cultural icons who dress up on Thursday afternoons and read stories to your children in local libraries and bookstores. Musicians are storytellers, and politicians are storytellers. Screenplay writers are storytellers, and business leaders are storytellers. Teachers, preachers, nurses, lawyers, pastors, priests, scientists, salespeople, artists, mothers, fathers, poets, philosophers, brothers, baby-sitters, grandparents . . . we are all storytellers.
The future belongs to the storytellers. The future belongs to us. What will the future be like? Well, that depends very much on the stories we tell, the stories we listen to, and the stories we live.
Stories have a remarkable ability to cut through the clutter and confusion and bring clarity to our hearts and minds. Stories remind us of our values, aims, and goals. Stories sneak beyond the boundaries of our predudices to soften our hearts to a new truth. Great periods in history emerge when great stories are told and lived. Stories are history that form the future. Stories are prophecies set in the past.
Stories are important.
Stories are as essential as the air we breathe and the water we drink. Stories captivate our imaginations, enchant our minds, and empower our spirits. Stories introduce us to who we are and who we are capable of being. Stories change our lives.
If you wish to poison a nation, poison the stories that nation listens to. If you wish to win people over to your team or to your point of view, do not go to war or argue with them -- tell them a story.
All great leaders understand the persuasive and inspirational power of stories. When did you last hear a great speech that didn't contain a story?
A story can do anything: win a war, lose a war, heal the sick, encourage the discouraged, comfort the oppressed, inspire a revolution, transform an enemy into a friend, elevate the consciousness of the people, build empires, inspire love, even reshape the spiritual temperament of a whole age.
Sixty-five percent of the Gospels are stories -- parables. The other thirty-five percent is the story of Jesus Christ.
We are the storytellers. What type of stories are we telling? I promise you with absolute certitude - the future depends on the stories we tell. The future belongs to the storytellers. What will your story be?
MATTHEW KELLY

I love stories . . . living stories . . . and while I am hearing as well as living with and into some new ones these days . . . I carry many of yours with me . . .

I feel sooo rich!

Deo Gratias!

2006-05-01T19:25:00.000-05:00

Morning

Stars!

Deo Gratias

2006-03-31T08:19:00.000-06:00

I live in circles . . .
within circles . . .

family . . .
community . . .
church . . .

they are beginning to come together . . .
one full circle . . .

I can see it . . .
with my heart . . .

I live in circles.

Deo Gratias!

2006-03-19T23:39:00.000-06:00

Reach

2006-03-05T15:15:00.000-06:00

A new picture . . .

for Gloria . . .

and Jamie . . .

because they asked . . .

Deo Gratias!

2006-01-23T19:20:00.000-06:00

In the name of Him in whom everything says yes . . .

Yes!

Deo Gratias

2006-01-15T09:58:00.000-06:00

Eight old hunters and gatherers . . .

gather . . .

reason enough to celebrate ! ! !

Deo Gratias

2006-01-06T08:33:00.000-06:00

Judy's post reminded me of the exhibition at The Museum of Russian Art my sister in law told me about last fall. . . one, she knew I would want to visit. The exhibit ends January 14th, so, Carol and I made plans to go yesterday. Judy, Jan, and Heather were planning to meet at the same time. So. . . it was . . . we happened to be together.

ICONS ~ WINDOWS TO HEAVEN
500 Years of Iconography

I prepared myself by reading the following ahead of time:

No one has ever seen God.

God has neither shape, nor dimension, nor color, nor volume. However, in order to reveal himself, to tell his story, God has given us an image, an icon, which does have form and color and measure and volume. This icon is the human being, man and woman together.

So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)

The icon makes visible the Invisible. Thus, the real icon is the human being, of whom Jesus Christ is the prototype. He is the visible image of the invisible God. All of Scripture is imprinted in Him, in His body, in His being, in His very existence.

Scripture, revelation, is not ink on white paper. Rather, it is imprinted and recorded in our flesh. The Word would continue to exist even though one day all Bibles were to be burned or disappear. And this revelation is the Word: "Hear, O Israel!" (Dueteronomy 6:4). But this Word not only made Itself heard, it also made Itself visible, for this Word became incarnate. The Word is not something, the Word is Someone--Someone who let Himself be heard, who let Himself be seen, who gave Himself as food to be eaten. If we stop at just hearing the Word, we remain at the level of the Old Covenant; the reality of the Incarnation does not touch our being.

From this arises the importance of an icon. An icon helps us become aware that the Word is not just a series of words or sounds. The Word is a relationship. If we talk without communicating with the other, without communication with God, without giving of ourselves, without communicating ourselves, we are just making noises.

Yet, the Word is Somone, the Word is a Face, the Word is an Image: "For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm." (Psalm 33:9)

An icon breaks our boundaries and we become aware that we speak even without using words. We talk by a look, by a smile, by a gesture, an attitude; we talk by our very existence.

God is Word, and God is Silence. The icon also speaks by silence. It grounds us in that silence. It grounds us in contemplation since it communicates all of Revelation to us, in silence by our viewing. In Hebrew and Arabic, the word for eye is "ain," which also means source or font. We drink in all of Scripture, all of Revelation by our looking. All of the Word, the Face of the Other, flows into us, and we flow into the Word. The Word is a Relationship, it is Comm-Union.

I must admit I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping for more words (smile) I struggled with the icons in the exhibit . . . to see the face of Christ. They were beautiful . . . and I want to read more about them. Oh, but then . . . we moved on to look at the rest of the museum . . . and my eyes fell into Nikolai N. Baskakov's Milkmaids, Novella . . . and . . . I saw Him. Look . . . can you see?

God became incarnate so that man might contemplate his face in every face.

So, it was, I contemplated His face in the face of my companions at lunch . . . for me . . . windows to heaven!

Deo Gratias!!!

2005-12-30T20:58:00.000-06:00

IMAGINE

US . . .

a

living

story . . .

redeemed

by

God . . .

And, lo, the star, which they saw in the East, went before them, till it stood over where the young child was . . .

HE CAME FOR US . . .

It wouldn't be until I was an adult that God would redeem the family stories buried beneath my father's struggle with alcoholism when I was a child. It was a woman with a similar background, now living her life redemptively, that would help me to reinterpret the story in which I found myself. She helped me to understand that the heart is where the story forms--and that it needs something larger to give it redemptive meaning. It was she as well as many other women like her that showed me it was possible for stories that were broken or diseased to be made well, or if necessary, replaced by a story that had a plot worth living.

When we married our stories twenty four years ago . . . we knew it would take courage and His amazing grace to live our lives redemptively. (Think Wild at Heart.)

Daniel Taylor in The Healing Power of Stories says: We are our stories. We are a product of all the stories we have heard and lived . . . they shape how we see ourselves, our world and our place in it. We cannot change the way the way our story began . . . but, we can tell our children of the stories redeemed . . . family stories that give them a sense of something larger than themselves . . . perhaps preparing their hearts to receive the really big story . . . the story of His love for us.

We tell stories like this every chance we get . . . this is one of the stories that wrap our family in gift every Christmas:

As far as we know our story begins in Sweden. So, every year we have a Lucia celebration on Christmas Eve. The story of Lucia, the symbol of light amid the darkness for Sweden is told. One of the girls has the privilege of being our Lucia, wearing a long white gown sashed in red, with a lighted wreath on her head. One of the boys is our Star Boy . . . generally associated with the wise men. Another child carries the advent candles. All of the children carry battery operated hand held candles. As the song Sankta Lucia is played (my niece practiced her violin all summer to play for us this year) our Star Boy and Lucia lead all of the children in a procession throughout the house ending in the livingroom with our Tomte (the Christmas elf) passing pepparkakor to their aunts and uncles as the story is passed on to another generation . . . a family story reminding them they are part of a larger family story . . . one that brings light and hope into our darkness . . . one with power to redeem our stories for the family of God.

HE STILL COMES . . .

FOR US!!!

Glory to God in the Highest--Peace, Good Will to All!

God Jul!

Deo Gratias!

2005-12-22T22:18:00.000-06:00

He comes for you . . .

It takes a prophet of sorts, one who has traveled the highway before and remembers everything, to guide us beyond our blind, selective remembering. Choose your friends carefully and listen to those who speak truth to you, who help you remember all things, "so that you may value the things that really matter, up to the very day of Christ" (Philippians 1:10).

Ask the Lord for companions (sometimes Jesus alone!) who will walk the highway of remembering with you, mentors in the Spirit who can help you fill in the valleys and level the mountains and hills, making the winding ways straight and the rough ways smooth.

When the soul is ready, the teacher will be found.

RICHARD ROHR

And, so . . . HE comes for me . . . word made flesh!

MERRY CHRISTMAS . . . dear . . . dear . . . companions!

Deo Gratias!

2005-11-25T17:04:00.000-06:00

Let it be.

Deo Gratias
Illustration by Julie Vivas

2005-11-24T07:45:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving leads us to dangerous places: generosity and joy.

Deo Gratias!!!

2005-11-23T21:06:00.000-06:00

God write your hope into my desiring.

Deo Gratias!

2005-11-22T19:01:00.000-06:00

I knit as I pray . . .

reflections
of

Creating Love

planted deep within me.

Deo Gratias!

2005-11-21T21:24:00.000-06:00

Luke 13: 10-17

"The truth of faith has little value when it is not also the life of the heart." Brennan Manning

Deo Gratias

2005-11-20T08:34:00.000-06:00

"If we
search
for
one word
to describe
the
mission
and
ministry
of
Jesus Christ,
reconciliation would not be a bad choice." Brennan Manning)

"This is the power of the Gospel in all its glory, to change everyone, bringing the possibility of reconciliation and peace for all." (See Jan's Blog, The Power of Repentance)

So, it is . . . in power and wisdom you shape me and my world . . .

Deo Gratias

2005-11-19T23:48:00.000-06:00

"God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who He is, and we know who we are: Father and children." ROMANS 8:16

So, I cry Abba . . .

Deo Gratias

2005-11-18T13:55:00.000-06:00

. . . everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation . . .

Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Deo Gratias

2005-11-17T19:52:00.000-06:00

For Talia Grace . . . praying gifts of grace and peace!

Deo Gratias!

2005-11-15T19:14:00.000-06:00

In power

and wisdom . . .

you shape me . . .

and my world . . .

Deo Gratias

2005-11-14T20:43:00.000-06:00

No one can mistake

that voice--

Deo Gratias!

2005-11-13T21:36:00.000-06:00

He plays

Amazing Grace

for me!

Deo Gratias!

2005-11-12T20:53:00.000-06:00

In His hands

I am transformed.

Deo Gratias!

2005-11-11T21:50:00.000-06:00

God's hope . . .

in me . . .

Deo Gratias!

2005-11-10T09:40:00.000-06:00

I am constantly being created by God.

Luke 4: 17-19
He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to
the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

For all that you are now doing in me . . . I say yes! Deo Gratias!

2005-11-09T22:01:00.000-06:00

We know we are the beloved and all is changed. Judith Hougen

Oh, Lord my God,
You called me from the sleep of nothingness
Merely because in Your tremendous love
You want to make good and beautiful beings.
You have called me by my name in my mothers womb.
You have given me breath and light and movement
and walked with me every moment of my existence.
I am amazed, Lord God of the universe,
that You attend to me and, more, cherish me.
Create in me the faithfulness that moves You,
and I will trust You and yearn for You all my days. Amen and Amen

Deo Gratias.

2005-11-08T20:35:00.000-06:00

I am His ...

But, now; GOD'S Message,
the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,
the One who got you started, Israel:
"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.
I've called your name. You're mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place,
it won't be a dead end--
Because I am GOD, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That's how much you mean to me!
That's how much I love you!
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.

"So don't be afraid: I'm with you.
I'll round up all your scattered children,
pull them in from east and west.
I'll send orders north and south:
'Send them back.
Return my sons from distant lands,
my daughters from faraway places.
I want them back, every last one who bears my name,
every man, woman, and child
Whom I created for my glory,
yes, personally formed and made each one.' "

Isaiah 43: 1-7

For His glory!

Deo Gratias!

2005-11-07T08:18:00.000-06:00

Prayer of consideration: The Lilies of the Field

The lily does not choose in which field it will stand. So do I find myself on a "field".

The lily has no control over what grows around it. When it shoots up, it might have to fight for its life with thorns or clumps of crabgrass. Or it might be outshone by great sunflowers. So I have very little control over what surrounds me.

The lily of the field has no control over the weather--rain or drought, it must simply stand and endure.

The lily came up a certain kind of lily, of a certain color and shape, and its shapeliness and health depended on the spring and the summer, and whether grazing cattle let it grow.

. . . for all that has shaped and misshaped me, for all that has given me health and inflicted ill health on me--I am precious in the eyes of God. He loves me as I am, though would be glad were I to slough off my selfish sins. But they are trash compared to God's creating love in me.

How much of my life growth is my making; how much is God's?

A prayer of consideration . . . for me . . .

Deo Gratias

2005-11-06T18:54:00.000-06:00

The House Mom and Dad Built

I spent the day with my mom . . . driving around to all of the houses we had lived in . . . beginning with the one she and dad built the first year they were married.

We took pictures . . . she talked . . . I listened.

I've heard most of these stories before . . . still . . . everytime she tells them I hear something new . . . something I haven't heard before. Today was no different . . . encouraging me . . . God is not yet finished with us.

We ended our day over a cup of tea in a local tea room. Mom . . . I asked . . . have you ever thought about how much of our life world is our making; and how much is God's?

What a conversation . . . to be continued . . . ! Deo Gratias!

2005-11-05T13:11:00.000-06:00

Psalm 139:16 In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them yet existed.

God chose that I should come to be in a particular place and time, of particular parents, and all the rest. Today I pause to reflect on God's choices for me . . . raising my mind (heart) to God my maker . . . for he continues making me.

An Artist's Impression Anneke Kaai
The multi-coloured, round shape represents all of a person's thinking and doing. The brightness that surrounds this shape expresses the idea that "your hand rests on me." The artist is overcome by the realization that it is impossible to hide from God, to flee from him. Even if a person should mount up with the wings of the morning, or soar into the dark place of death, the light, symbol for God, is present everywhere--behind and in front, a guiding "right" hand.

Deo Gratias

2005-11-04T22:23:00.000-06:00

Lord, teach us to pray . . .

Luke 11: 1-13

. . . if you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

Deo Gratias

2005-11-03T20:36:00.000-06:00

coming

Deo Gratias

2005-11-02T21:34:00.000-06:00

come
bring your
little faith

look to heaven

Deo Gratias

2005-11-01T20:54:00.000-06:00

Morning prayer . . .

I believe;

help my unbelief!

Deo Gratias

2005-10-31T19:17:00.000-06:00

The Lord's

portion

is his people.

Amazing grace.

Deo Gratias!

2005-10-30T22:04:00.000-06:00

He comes for me . . .

DEO GRATIAS

2005-10-29T22:56:00.000-05:00

My Shepherd . . .

lead me . . .

Deo Gratias!

2005-10-28T21:25:00.000-05:00

I ask for living water . . .

Deo Gratias!

2005-10-28T08:40:00.000-05:00

The essence of prayer is to hear the voice of another, of Christ, but likewise to hear the voice of each person I meet in whom Christ also addresses me. His voice comes to me in every human voice, and his face is infinitely varied. It is present in the face of the wayfarer on the road to Emmaus; it is present in the gardener speaking to Mary Magdalen, it is present in my next door neighbour. God became incarnate so that man might contemplate his face in every face. Perfect prayer seeks this presence of Christ and recognizes it in every human face. The unique image of Christ is the ikon, but every human face is an ikon of Christ, discovered by a prayerful person. (Catherine de Hueck Doherty)

I have been blessed listening to your voices and I am full of gratitude.

DEO GRATIAS!

2005-10-25T08:53:00.000-05:00

GATHERING THE RED, MACKENZIE THORPE

Walking with . . .

DEO GRATIAS!

2005-10-18T22:48:00.000-05:00

A Blessing (for My Mother)

May the light of your soul mind you,
May all of your worry and anxiousness about becoming old be transfigured,
May you be given a wisdom with the eye of your soul, to see this beautiful time of harvesting.
May you have the commitment to harvest your life, to heal what has hurt you, to allow it to come closer to you and become one with you.
May you have great dignity, may you have a sense of how free you are,
and above all may you be given the wonderful gift of meeting the eternal light
and beauty that is within you.
May you be blessed, and may you find a wonderful love in yourself for yourself.

Deo Gratias! Again and again . . . for you and now!

2005-10-16T19:48:00.000-05:00

Perhaps the "with-God" life is not so complicated . . .

For life with You . . . Deo Gratias!

FROM THE HEART/MACKENZIE THORPE

2005-10-08T09:51:00.000-05:00

Jumpin' Jack
Flash . . .

I'm the granny
in the group . . .

Ouuuch!

Ain't nothing like the real thing, Baby
Ain't nothing like the real thing

My Midnight Confession . . . You Heard It Through the Grapevine (internet) . . . more top 100 songs of 1968 . . . Those Were the Days my friend . . .

Hey Jude/The Beatles
You're All I Need to Get By/Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
Mrs. Robinson/Simon and Garfunkel
Those Were the Days/Mary Hopkins
MacArthur Park/Richard Harris
Sweet Inspiration/Sweet Inspirations
Cry Like a Baby/The Box Tops
Born to Be Wild/Steppenwolf
Stoned Soul Picnic/The Fifth Dimension
Green Tamborine/The Lemon Pipers
Revolution/The Beatles
Harper Valley PTA/Jeannie C Riley
Sky Pilot/Eric Burdon and The Animals
Piece of My Heart/Big Brother and The Holding Company
Little Green Apples/ O C Smith
Midnight Confessions/The Grass Roots
Mony Mony/Tommy James and The Shondells
Bend Me, Shape Me/The American Breed
(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay/Otis Redding
Spooky/The Classics IV
Yummy Yummy Yummy/The Ohio Express
Young Girl/Gary Puckett and The Union Gap
Theme of Valley of the Dolls/Dionne Warwick
Chain of Fools/Aretha Franklin
Daydream Believer/The Monkees
Elenore/Turtles
I Heard it Through the Grapevine/Gladys Knight and The Pips
Scarborough Fair/Canticle, Simon and Garfunkel
Dream a Little Dream of Me/Mama Cass
The Look of Love/Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66
Do You Know the Way to San Jose/Dionne Warwick
Delilah/Tom Jones
Girl Watcher/The O'Kaysions
Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing/Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
Indian Lake/The Cowsills
Both Sides Now/Judy Collins

2005-10-01T09:20:00.000-05:00

More words that say come . . . here . . .

This past Tuesday, the four of us (Sacred Companions) wasted the day in His presence. Maggie shared some of the following, just as someone had shared with her the Sunday before . . .

Wherever I go, I have been anticipated. The Risen Christ is there ahead of me. What is He doing? What is He saying? What is going on? I am always coming in on something that is already going on.

He's going on ahead of you . . . that's the message.

Prevenient grace is grace which comes first. It precedes all human decision and endeavor. Grace always means that it is God who takes the initiative and implies the priority of God's action on behalf of needy sinners. That is the whole point of grace: it does not start with us, it starts with God; it is not earned or merited by us, it is freely and lovingly given to us who have no resources or deservings of our own.

This has been a week of entering new rooms . . . crossing thresholds . . . aware . . .

I have been anticipated . . .

come . . . here . . .

Deo Gratias!

2005-09-27T07:29:00.000-05:00

I worshiped with my mom on Sunday.

I guess it doesn't matter that you don't know the story . . .

Just that you know I have prayed for this since I was a little girl.

Deo Gratias!

2005-09-24T15:27:00.000-05:00

You would have recognized me in my "blog attire".

Sorry to have missed you all . . . so here goes . . . arghhhh!

Starting with the easy one (smile).

Five things I love about my husband:

1. His words have arms and legs and oh those eyes
2. He still chases me
3. His brave hearted tireless devotion to our great big beautiful messy family
4. His vulnerable trust in God
5. He still chases me

Five things I love to do:

1. Preparing tables and places for people to gather
2. Listening to the stories of friends and strangers
3. Celebrating a life . . . really well
4. Wasting a day with girlfriends in His presence
5. Long date nights

Five things I hope to do before I die:

1. Live out a quilt of memories for each of my grand-children
2. Share the communion table with each of our children ~ complete reconciliation
3. Get a glimpse of the plans He had for me before I stepped into my own (reclaiming the landscape of my life . . . living in circles . . . see Jan's blog)
4. Have time to live outside of my small story . . . entering into some really grand scheme of His (smile)
5. Live my story fully (which probably negates #4 . . . or does it)

Five things I cannot do:

1. Read between the lines (this took years of practice)
2. Hold tensions that aren't mine
3. Be myself without silence
4. Live without joy
5a. Create a life alone (like Lalimama . . . I get by with more than a little help from my friends)
5b. Live without dark chocolate (smile)

Celebrity and other crushes:

1. Michael Buble . . . don't talk . . . just sing
2. Chris Botti . . . just play
3. This is harder than I thought . . . my life has a pretty interesting cast of characters
4. Bono . . . just talk . . . or sing (Jeff thanks for the reminder . . . guess I'm still tired)
5. I'm a sucker for any really good listener with a sense of humor . . . or is it . . . I love listening to a LIFE story shared with a good sense of humor . . . it's one of those anyway

2005-09-24T12:28:00.000-05:00

Seeking

God

2005-09-23T09:45:00.000-05:00

Katrina

2005-09-23T09:43:00.000-05:00

Katrina

2005-09-23T09:42:00.000-05:00

Katrina

2005-09-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

Oh

Katrina

2005-09-21T14:38:00.000-05:00

UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN

Set at the edge of an evocative Chianti hamlet, our villa overlooked a multitude of vineyards, orchards, olive groves and woods.

Once the home of parish clergy, it remains attached on one side to a striking 1000 year old Romanesque church. A bell tower added in the 16th century still chimes on the half hour as we were told it's done for the past 500 years.

Sunlight filtered through slatted shutters onto walls the color of sun-ripened peaches --- we'd breathe the perfume of the olive groves, and absorbed through our pores the culture of centuries.

Is this gioia? It must be!

Deo Gratias!

2005-09-20T06:52:00.000-05:00

I've
seen
grapes
dripping
from
the
vine.

Who
really
expects
that?

Show me
what that looks
like here.

Deo Gratias!

2005-09-02T15:20:00.000-05:00

Riposa

It is afternoon

in Italy.

A time for
rest and
rejuvenation.

14 afternoons in Italy . . .

I feel like I'm stepping into someone else's life.

Ciao!

Dio Grazie!

2005-08-31T08:50:00.000-05:00

Twinkle

Twinkle

Little

Stars!

Ohhhhh . . .
Deo Gratias!

2005-08-28T19:35:00.000-05:00

This picture sits on my vanity . . . today I paused to reflect . . . it was nine years ago . . . we were celebrating our first official night as empty nesters. Brave hearted by then and ohhhhh so grateful.

We could have been a 1980's Open Door poster family . . . our story was . . . uhhh . . . complicated. From the beginning . . . we knew . . . to live our lives redemptively would require courage and God's amazing grace.

Now (then) . . . here we were . . . crossing a threshold . . . one we had dreamt of for fourteen years. There were dreams of ministry together . . . travel . . . and room for God to show up as He liked.

Little did we know then that He was likely to show up with four son-in-laws, two daughter-in-laws, and twenty-seven grandchildren. Today we look more like the old man and woman in a shoe than empty nesters. The dreams of our ministry together becoming a living story over years . . . one redeemed by God . . . the way it began . . . one day at a time.

The plot thickens!

For a story worth living . . . Deo Gratias!

2005-08-25T07:31:00.000-05:00

They are the ones given to me who teach me what it is to love . . . with whom I struggle . . . with whom I am asked to step into the shifting currents of each day.

Something new is emerging . . . I belong here . . . yet not as before . . . freer.

Something old is being made new.

Deo Gratias!

2005-08-24T20:13:00.000-05:00

Autumn's . . .

Sacred companions . . .
gathered . . . ripened . . .
each with a beauty of her own . . .
harvest time feels more convincing . . .

"The flowers have turned to seeds and fruit,
For our enjoyment,
Our sustenance,
And our future life.
This is the time of fulfillment and completion.
It has a beauty of its own:
Perfect symbol of your providence.
We rejoice in the fruits you give us
in your loving generosity."
(Philip Jeff, from Sacred Threshold)

For all of OUR seasons . . . and yesterday's soul feast . . .

Deo Gratias!

2005-08-23T09:29:00.000-05:00

God

you.

2005-08-16T19:22:00.000-05:00

hill.

up

me
with
home
quiet
Taking

Rod McKuen

2005-08-14T16:26:00.000-05:00

PAR-TAY DIEM

I am preparing . . . a feast . . . a festival of lights . . . a night filled with music . . . a birthday party . . . celebrating a life . . . my brother-in-law's.

It's impossible to celebrate his life without celebrating my sister-in-law. Over the past few weeks I've spent time reflecting on their journey . . . memories of LIFE . . . thus far. Many are shared memories.

Because of them my life is larger . . . I hear music . . . view art . . . and travel places . . . that might yet be hidden from me were it not for their lives in mine. All creating opportunities for me to grow . . . transcending me . . . outside of my small story.

Saturday evening . . . using my brush . . . I hope to make my gratitude visible for all the paint their lives have splashed on mine.

Praying . . . every moment whispers to each heart . . . that bidden or bidden not . . . God is present.

L'CHAIM! Deo Gratias!

2005-08-12T08:26:00.000-05:00

P
E
R
S
P
E
C
T
I
V
E

For touching . . . stirring . . . moving . . . my assumptive world . . . each day!

Deo Gratias!

2005-08-10T07:48:00.000-05:00

A fellowship of the heart . . . we meet every Tuesday over lunch.

We hear each other's stories. We discover each other's glories. We learn to walk with God together. We pray for each other's healing. We cover each other's back. We are intimate allies. Fighting for our hearts. (Remember Waking the Dead?)

Fighting for our hearts . . . it's been a decade and a half now . . . we know one another. The four of us are a very diverse little band of sisters. Our years together haven't lessened that. The soil in which we grow is mutual . . . it's intentional.

So how did we come together? What a gift we've been given . . . we are one in heart!

For your love!

Deo Gratias!

2005-08-07T09:27:00.000-05:00

Father

each pair of eyes

an opportunity

to receive you present

prepare the table within

me

Deo Gratias

2005-08-06T07:36:00.000-05:00

S I G N A L S

When the light is green you go.
When the light is red you stop.
But what do you do
when the light turns blue
with orange and lavender spots?

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

Oh Lord shine your light! Deo Gratias!

2005-08-05T09:49:00.000-05:00

B E
L O V
E D

"I knew there was only one place to go. I sank down into the center of my soul, grew still, and listened to the Rabbi's heartbeat."

B. MANNING

2005-08-02T21:04:00.000-05:00

THE CORACLE . . . it speaks of a journey . . . a symbol of faithful vulnerability.

I have contrasting images . . .

"My own plans are made. While I can, I sail east in The Dawn Treader. When she fails me, I paddle east in my coracle. When she sinks, I shall swim east with my four paws. And when I can swim no longer, if I have not reached Aslan's country, or shot over the edge of the world in some vast cataract, I shall sink with my nose to the sunrise." from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis

and . . .

Picture . . . a little celtic boat so light that it rides high in the water . . . not influenced by the currents. Going where the wind blows. The way to heaven . . . letting go . . . entrusting the fragile craft of our existence to God's care and relying on the wisdom of the captain to bring us safely to our destination. (The Coracle Trust)

The Little Gold Boat, painting by Bridget Macaulay

For your grace . . . Deo Gratias!

2005-08-01T23:44:00.000-05:00

Willing

to

risk

it!

2005-08-01T19:16:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday
dear Gloria!

Happy Birthday
to you!

Deo Gratias
for you!

2005-08-01T09:58:00.000-05:00

LIMINAL PLACE

(reference Jan's blog)

"The place between two world views is a liminal place. It is a place of dying and rebirth, even of metamorphosis, the place where the caterpillar spins its cocoon and disappears from view. Liminality is where all transformation happens." Len Hjalmarson

For twenty-five years, I have ended every day in almost the same way. Before I go to sleep . . . aware of God's loving presence . . . I have asked myself two questions . . .

For what moment today am I most grateful? What moved me closer to God?

For what moment today am I least grateful? What moved me away from God?

I have asked these questions in many ways throughout the years . . . sure delivery to the "limina" (the latin word for threshold) between two worlds . . . and the freedom to choose . . .

Deo Gratias!

2005-07-29T07:14:00.001-05:00

"You really cannot make it happen; gratitude, like faith is given to you. It springs on you. It knocks the wind out of you just when everything seemed impossible.

Gratitude happens most often during suffering, loss, and other really hard stuff. It is the leading edge of joy. It happens when the big reality hits you. You have no more right to be loved than anyone else." (from Radical Hospitality)

Lord, make me an instrument of your mercy and peace . . . for the little boy with the dirty face and spider man shirt (Jan's blog) . . . for my own grandson . . . pouring cereal and milk . . . for each one.

For your mercy . . . Deo gratias!

2005-07-29T07:08:00.000-05:00

Book

Club

is Wednesday . . . I haven't read the book . . .

company's coming this weekend . . . the house is clean . . . but, I haven't grocery shopped . . . or sweetened the guest room . . . the plants need watering . . . car washed and filled with gas . . .

so much undone . . .

I promised to be with my grandkids today . . .

Jeff calls it "holding the tensions" . . . I don't know . . . I just feel crazy . . .

(smiling) my husband loves that song . . . c r a z y . . .

Did I just let go? Deo Gratias!

2005-07-28T07:34:00.000-05:00

"Remember The Wizard of Oz?

It is the story of Dorothy, who is trying to get home. Dorothy does not lack courage. She's lost, but she is not cowardly. The Tin Man thinks he lacks a heart, and the Scarecrow thinks he lacks a brain, and the Cowardly Lion thinks he lacks courage--only the Lion is right; what they all lack, we eventually find out, is courage. They lack the courage to become more than they are. They lack the courage to get through the tough times, and when they stand in the hall of mirrors and smoke and roaring voices they lack the courage to declare themselves--all accept the little girl, who has come this far by courage, and will make it home by courage.

Courage is the power of the heart, and it resides not in the emotion, but in the will and power to choose." from Radical Hospitality

For calling me beyond my worst choices . . . for companions like the Tin Man ( heart forming story). . . Scarecrow (desiring wisdom) . . . Cowardly Lion (praying for courage) . . . and all those like the little girl . . . who's courage inspire me to more than I've become . . . each day! Deo Gratias!

2005-07-27T19:13:00.000-05:00

I'm a sucker for a good love scene!

2005-07-26T19:27:00.000-05:00

It's Monday . . .

I had lunch with my sister.
She knows my story
and I know hers . . .
enough to finish one another's sentences.

I noticed something today . . .
it's hard to listen
when you know so much . . .
every sentence arriving in paragraphs . . .
all that knowing filling up spaces meant for
something brand new.

Wait a minute . . . I said . . . I'm calling a do-over.

Let's begin again . . . over lunch? . . . next Monday?

For my sister . . . and do-overs! Deo Gratias!

2005-07-26T07:01:00.000-05:00

For Gloria and Jaime and anyone else who wonders, From Sleeping with Bread

"This book begins with the image of World War II orphan children sleeping with bread to reassure them that they would eat tomorrow as they did today. Many of them survived the concentration camps only because other prisoners had given their own last piece of bread to these children. Viktor Frankl wrote of how this bread brought not just survival but also hope and interior freedom:

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number . . . but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of his freedoms--to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.

When we sleep with bread we are empowered to choose our own way under any circumstances. We become like the men and women in the concentration camps who could give others the bread of life they held."

For the bread I need each day! Deo Gratias!

2005-07-25T07:59:00.000-05:00

I'm at one of those crossroads again. Not sure which way to turn . . . I've learned to wait. Oh, I could journey awhile down one path or another . . . but, that steals my wonder. So, I wait . . . and wonder . . . where everything is possible.

2005-07-24T11:10:00.000-05:00

These past few weeks I have been gifted with many open ended questions. I love open ended questions . . . often they have had resurrection power . . . gifts that bring light and life . . . and because I unwrap them they have the power to change . . . ME!

I am grateful to the bearers of these gifts . . . because, while the answer may be as plain as nose on my face . . . they have been given . . . for me . . . to unwrap. And that, beloved companions . . . is the best kind of gift.

Deo Gratias!

2005-07-20T20:54:00.000-05:00

Today was "Grandma Day" with Joshua.

When crossing the road with toddlers you need a game plan . . . mine is "stick like glue" . . . in todder language that means . . . "stick with me" . . . trust me it works.

Joshua and I have a special "love language" . . . it involves trading jokes. Not all of them are repeatable . . . however, not for the reason you think (smile).

I was excited because I had a new one. So, I began . . . Joshua, why did . . . Grandma, I'm Spider Man . . . ohhh right . . . Spider Man . . .

Why did the sucker cross the road? . . . then after many guesses . . .

Because it was stuck to the chicken! . . . pause . . . Grandma . . . I'm stuck to you . . .

That's the plan Spider Man . . . may this day stick to you forever! I love you Joshua!

2005-07-20T10:28:00.000-05:00

The first words I learned were beautiful . . . come here . . . I still love hearing them.

It took me awhile to learn the difference between words spoken with all of you . . . your legs . . . your arms . . . your eyes . . . and . . . . those from the mouth alone. Words made flesh.

So . . . for me. . . language has had very little to do with words and much to do with everything else.

I am choosing to blog (smile)! This morning we read the following while visiting Gloria's:

"...when she was done, she said to me, 'You know, my eyes ain't too good at all. I can't see nothing but the general shape of things, so I got to rely on my heart. Why don't you go on and tell me everything about yourself so I can see you with my heart."
--From Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Now, those are words with arms!

They say . . . come here.

Deo Gratias!

2005-07-19T07:18:00.000-05:00

LATE FRAGMENT

And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.
RAYMOND CARVER

Deo Gratias!

2005-07-14T08:45:00.000-05:00

I've figured it out!

Daniel Taylor in The Healing Power of Stories says: We are our stories. We are a product of all the stories we have heard and lived . . . they shape how we see ourselves, our world and our place in it.

The heart is where the story forms . . .

I love stories . . . stories with faces . . . your stories . . .

and that, beloved bloggers, is why I am here.

Deo Gratias!

2005-07-13T09:53:00.000-05:00

"I used to love the future, and I believed it loved me back. Through my twenties and thirties, I thought that in the future my life would be magically better. It was the balance to my unbalanced life: Of course, I would do all of the things I wasn't doing; I just wouldn't do them now. Because I was working towards (and always through) something, the overwhelming grind of the present wasn't so bad. The future was as powerful as any drug, magnetic and reliably narcotic. There would be children and grandchildren to live out (or, okay maybe reject) my dreams." MORE

The illusions have died . . . replaced by something deeper. The dreams I had lost are born again . . . something old (me) is becoming new.

I'm fifty-four . . . past midlife . . . people generally don't live until they are one hundred and eight . . .

my future is . . .

now . . .

Deo Gratias!

2005-07-08T12:04:00.000-05:00

There is "something more" at this table . . . infusing each of your responses. God present . . . calling me to more. Deo Gratias . . . again and again!

2005-07-07T09:40:00.000-05:00

I love preparing tables and places . . . making space to receive another. In this time I pause to prepare myself . . . the table within . . . to receive God present.

I'm struggling with this table . . . I don't yet have the knowledge (computer expertise) to make it pretty or personal or welcoming. The language is new and you can't see my eyes . . . more importantly I can't see yours . . .

Something old (me) is being made new . . . this is a good thing . . . this is always a good thing!

2005-07-05T23:15:00.000-05:00

The man I love crafted a bat-mobile for our entry in the 4th of July canoe decorating contest our family has every year. . . parading the grandchildren I love in their recycled super hero costumes from our pumpkin decorating contest last fall. This same man (dressed as Batman) rowed them up and down the lagoon at Lake of the Isles while designated cheer leaders waved and cheered on shore (I was one of them). They weren't alone . . . there was a Disney canoe . . . Thomas the Train . . . Clifford the Red Dog . . . PacMan . . .

I just kissed this man goodnight . . . asking him to pray. Tonight's the night I step out of the canoe . . . I said . . . I 've been listening long enough . . . hoping to steal words that might impress the academic community that feeds my hungry mind . . .

Arghhh . . . all I can think of is Batman . . .

2005-07-02T09:51:00.000-05:00

I stand on a new threshold . . . Deo Gratias! I think . . .