My sister and I are flying to Phoenix next Tuesday to spend Thanksgiving with my parents. Mom just turned 88 and dad will be 91 in January. They still live alone but we do see the decline in activity. We have been doing this for the past 5-6 years. We are enjoying as much time with them as we can.
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” Martin Luther King Jr.
Took this image on Monday morning at campus. Love how nature trimmed the edges of this leaf. Caught my eye immediately. I’m posting this at midnight so by the time you read this it could be raining or snowing here, again.
I had someone thank me on Veterans Day for my time in the military. It rubbed me wrong. Took me a few days to understand some of what I felt. I had been raised to believe the purpose of the military was defend this country, that Vietnam was a security threat, so I joined the military in October of 1968 with all intents to go to Vietnam. Train me how to use this M16 and I’ll use it. Thankfully I did not make it to Vietnam. I have since come to believe how this conflict was not a war to defend our country. I’ve also come to believe that there are no victors in war, all are losers. Seems we send way too many young people into combat for reasons beside defence of our country. Yes, I’ll stick with love.
Yes, I’ve been playing around with Lightroom on some images from the past, adjusting colors and any other slider I can find. I’ve been asking myself, “Well what does this one do?” and then see what happens. When it’s an ooops, I type command Z to get back to where I was and try the next one. I feel a bit like a kid.
“To listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements,…True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, welcome, and accept.” Henri Nouwen
“The ancient art of alchemy shows a way: Pay attention to your deep and complex interior life, become more sensitive about your relationships, consider your past thoughtfully, and use your imagination at its full power. Work from the ground up toward finding the work that will make your life worthwhile.”― Thomas Moore
I’m sitting in a local coffee shop. The sun has just risen. It is cold but we have clear skies and sunshine. Sort of what you’d expect at this time of the year. We are transitioning from fall to winter. Earlier, on my way over here, the northeastern sky was alive with pink clouds, indicating the chance of snow this evening and into tomorrow. I’ve just described the exterior world around me but what about my interior life that Thomas Moore speaks about in his quote? At this moment there is a peace and serenity, primarily due to my investment in a spiritual practice. I sit in quiet each morning to let go of the chatter in my mind. I’ve learned to take in deep breaths. Throughout the day I pause to check in on my state of awareness and presence. It is just one way I pay attention to the deep and complex interior life. May you enjoy this day!
This habit of journaling has become an integral part of my life, a daily practice. I carry both a fountain pen (3) and a journal every day. At the end of the day there may only be a paragraph and some days a couple pages. There are days I just stare at empty pages because the words I’m seeking are hiding somewhere in those blank spaces or because of my busy mind I’m unable hear them. At other times a gem appears, a thought or insight. At some point in time I began journaling by first asking for words, desiring the gifts they are. There also was an awareness that these journals are now more of a letter, a prayer and a conversation with the inner essence of who I am. They are no longer called my journals but our journals. I also journal slowly and write in cursive to give the journals an artistic look, make them readable and at the same time it slows down my mind which creates another form of meditation for me. Anyway, these are some rambling thoughts on journaling.
I recently read from a book by Janet Ruffing that said “theology is nothing more than faith seeking understanding.” Much of my life has been spent looking for understanding of something I cannot define or even comprehend. It’s been many years since I prayed to the old man in the sky, a theology of a God defined by others and one I was expected to accept. Yet, that theology had to be discarded and I needed to enter in a journey of seeking a new understanding. For me that is the essence of the spiritual journey: the seeking. Seeking an understanding is like looking into a foggy wintery scene. The visible details are vague, yet there is more just beyond what we vaguely see.
