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Posts from the ‘Encouragement’ Category

Apr 10

No Ordinary Day

No pictures. Few words. This day. This Good Friday. This day is no ordinary day. My words cannot suffice, serve or go deep enough for the enormity and sheer relevance of this non-ordinary day – the day when, where and how Jesus saved the world from itself. This day is no ordinary day.

The one hymn by Mahalia Jackson that brings me to my very knees, to the core of being – a place where we need to spend more time – Where You There When They Crucified My Lord. Every single day, when I don’t notice another, when I judge and criticize, when I gossip, when I’m impatient and absent of empathy – I am there at the crucifixion. We need a bit more trembling.

“Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, were you there when they crucified my Lord? (Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble) tremble

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the cross? Were you there when they nailed him to the cross? (Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble) tremble Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?

(Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble) tremble Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

Well, were you there when the stone was rolled away? Were you there when the stone was rolled away? (Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble) tremble Were you there when the stone was rolled away?”

Crucified. Nailed. Laid in the tomb. Stone rolled away.

From crucifixion to rolling the stone three days later. I not only ponder and reverence the suffering of Jesus but of Peter who denied his best friend and Judas who blew it big time for 30 silver coins and could not accept forgiveness and redemption, and of Mary and the women who remained at the foot of the cross in angst, without fear and unmoved. No judgment or consternation, rather a prayer for rapt awareness, deep awakening and grace beyond human understanding to move through to the other side, to the high road, to the open space few are interested in occupying.

Today is the climax of Lent – the ultimate, unimaginable, unfathomable and undeserved, unearned pivot into the most important and relevant third act that changes the world even and especially today – the resurrection, the butterfly, the harvest. Stay in the crucifixion long enough to make it stick, to change your daily life and focus. The ending is the resurrection, the changing forever, the transformation of our very life in this moment and beyond.

In our lifetime, there has been no more relevant, sacred and holy Lent. Breathe it in. Be overwhelmed and overcome by the enormity. And open your arms wide to the mystery of the Cross. We are Easter people only through the suffering and transformation of Good Friday first.

No ordinary day, indeed. Take. It. In. 3 days. Prepare. Accept. Enter.

Apr 9

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Open Windows are Essential

“Happiness radiates like the fragrance from a flower and draws all good things towards you.” – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

“It seems essential, in relationships and all tasks, that we concentrate only on what is most significant and important.” – Soren Kierkegaard

One of my favorite places to visit just a mile from home is the Como Conservatory. I’ve been running by it three to four times a week and look in the windows to see the beautiful flowers.  It’s locked down for social distancing purposes, in the “nonessential” category. Yesterday, when we walked by, they had opened the windows a crack allowing the sweet fragrance of tulips to escape out, a gift of hope and spring.

If we choose to learn and apply the lessons of this rare time on the other side, we will reclassify many items in our life, focusing on the truly essential and letting the nonessential go by the wayside, never to drag us down again.

Nonessential: worry, control, gossip, unforgiveness, regret, resentment, judgment, assumptions, criticism, cynicism, scarcity, noise, busy, hopelessness and overall shallow living.

Essential: joy, kindness, gratitude, generosity, connection, family, friends, unconditional love, forgiveness, letting go, purpose, abundance, faith, hope, light, awe, justice, peace, anticipation, delight, fun, laughter, play, long hugs, eye contact, empathy and deep living.

All of the essentials are available to us right in this very moment, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, minus the long hugs that will come soon. Don’t wait for the other side to get to what’s essential. And open windows and flowers are essential too.

Apr 8

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Love is All Around

“Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have the town, why don’t you take it
You’re gonna make it after all” – Mary Tyler Moore Show Lyrics

As I stopped tonight after three days of 15 hour days of painting six rooms of my house in preparation of new floors, I settled in to full gratitude and awareness of now, of this very moment. We are in the middle of a pandemic, a massive transition and transformation of our future. At the same time, we are prepared and have no clue. We need to get tuned into our power rather than our weakness.

When I look into the eyes of Abby and Sasha, I am promptly reminded of the Mary Tyler Moore Show lyrics that “love is all around – you’re going to make it after all.” We are going to adapt, rise and make it after all. It will require resilience, rigor, rest and new eyes. We really can overcome and thrive.

These times are overwhelming, showstopping and comprehensive to be sure. And amidst the fear, the unknown, the uncertainty, of the lock down, lies a tremendous opportunity to lighten up, solve, create, innovate. To rise up.

Settle in and absorb these moments without comfortable, familiar standard bitching and whining. We are in the midst of transformation, joy and awareness. It requires resolve, transcendence and courage to move into the unknown. Don’t’ miss this. Wake the hell up and start to participate and contribute to the #otherside. Resilience, insight and internal strength.

We are so much deeper and beyond circumstances. Rise and breakthrough complacency and mere acceptance. Prepare and hope for life beyond COVID-19. Love, joy, hope wins, triumphs. Love is all around – for real!

Apr 7

Glorious Light

“When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“One hour of life, crowded to the full with glorious action, and filled with noble risks, is worth whole years of those mean observances of paltry decorum, in which men steal through existence, like sluggish waters through a marsh, without either honor or observation.” – Walter Scott

When is the last time that you used the word glorious? The brilliance of a full moon after a warm Spring day. The song of Good Morning from the sun returning to begin a new day. The smile of a child. The excitement of a dog chasing a ball. All simple, daily glorious gifts. We are abundantly blessed. Count what you do have right now rather than what’s missing.

Here are a few other words to add to your vocabulary – delight, awe, quiet, praise, reflection, patience, generosity, kindness, gratitude and grace which will get us through to the other side. While we’re on this side of uncertainty and fear, we can choose joy over misery while we wait in hope. Whether in misery or joy, we will arrive at the same destination. It’s just a matter of deciding how you want to move through the journey. I’m choosing joy. It’s a much better car to travel in.

Glorious light, cast it.

Apr 6

A Few of My Favorite Things

“My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time. – Steve Jobs

No matter the circumstances, we have a choice to lean in or bury our head, to smile or frown, to embrace or shun, to hold tight or let go. It is your choice. Suffering is optional.

Find and hold those people and things that rock your world and never let them go. They are here to show us the way. Hold tight through the storms.

We are so much bigger than the storms and stronger than the waves. Keep afloat, head up and find joy in today. For that is all we are promised. From Blake flying high to Liam’s morning zoom calls as my favorite remote worker, to Como Conservatory from the outside looking in to Sasha (Samoyed) and Abby (Golden Retriever) running full throttle through the woods on a spring, cloudy day, SEIZE this very moment and hold tight to your favorite things. Blessings in disguise.

Apr 4

Never Again and Always Remember

Never again will I take for granted…

God, who carries us and is in control despite our best efforts to take over;
The value of community and need for connection, even for an introvert like me;
Hugs from family and friends;
The brilliant blue sky and the warmth of the sun;
Conversations over dinner out;
The resilience, fortitude and grit of the human spirit;
Long stretches of open space and time and to do something with it;
Our capacity for creativity and need to pursue it daily;
The power of hope, faith, trust, optimism and laughter;
The journey within to listen to my own voice;
The brevity, fragility and value of life.

I will always remember to…

Hug family and friends a minute longer;
Weave slow, quiet time into each day so busy and noise don’t take over again;
Never look back and be open to new beginnings and endings;
Be deeply grateful for all of the blessings and gifts that are already present;
Lead with kindness and empathy rather than judgment and assumptions;
Check in on others to make sure that they are really alright;
Pursue purpose and calling;
Be a better listener;
Sleep without an alarm more often;
Quit complaining and enjoy what already is;
Keep the clutter clear and stop buying stuff;
Listen to music, read and write poetry, appreciate art;
Let go of the past, be immersed fully in each day and to not get too far into the future;
Keep trying new things and always be willing to be a beginner ready to learn and grow;
Write in a journal every single morning;
Pray in the good times too;
Keep going for long runs and extra walks with the girls;
Laugh more and lighten up;
Make the most of the days that remain;
And to always play hopscotch when given the opportunity.

Apr 3

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Certainty!

There is certainty. Don’t let all of the commercials and media distort your perspective. There is certainty, principles and truth that anchor and center us through all of the storms in our life, including this right now.

Here’s my list of certainty that’s becoming more clear and vivid through the “uncertainty” of this time.

Family, friends, faith, connection, love, generosity, empathy, grace, mercy, holding hands, gazing into eyes, ease, creativity, solitude, silence, joy.

It’s going to be alright and we will break through to the other side, to security, to awareness, to transformation, to new life. There is more certainty than uncertainty, despite what the commercials say. We are anchored in truth, light, God, faith, friendships, family and connection.

No pandemic will defeat the human spirit. Rise up, connect, laugh, love and lighten up during this heavy season. There is no room or necessity for doom and gloom. We are overcomers, strong, resilient and faithful warriors. Cling to truth and let the storms pass. We’ve got this people! Rise up, let go and enter this holy, sacred space. We are being held and loved through this. Rest in it and believe. One real raw Lent. Easter is coming. Resurrection time! Certainty over uncertainty and fear. Every. Single. Time. Three round knock out. Keep swinging.

These are extraordinary times AND we are extraordinary souls. Dig in and reach out.

Apr 2

A Living Prayer

“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up.” – Anne Lamott

“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.” –  Anne Lamott

A cloudy warm end to the day. A daily run to breathe in the gift of fresh open air. Routine. Habit. Ordinary. And then suddenly, out of the dry leaves of Winter, brilliant deep crisp purple and orange pop out to awaken and sharpen the senses. The ordinary transforms to extraordinary, to delight, to the unexpected. The first and not last sign of Spring, of life, of expansion, of hope, of color invites us in with open arms. A living prayer. An embrace.

Seasons, cycles, certainty, uncertainty and clarity merge. In the midst of transition, of waiting, of the precursor to Spring, wandering in the desert with the oasis around the corner, we find life vibrant and more than well. Planting season, filled with complexity, mystery, light and color.

“When hope is not pinned wriggling onto a shiny image or expectation, it sometimes floats forth and opens.” – Anne Lamott

This is holy, sacred, hopeful time. Take a knee. Offer a prayer. Let go of the familiar. Be prepared to be surprised, to fully enter awe. It’s all around. Wake up!

Apr 1

Another Voice

“It doesn’t have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try

to make them elaborate, this isn’t

a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak.”

Praying — Mary Oliver, Thirst

As we wander through this desert journey, pay attention. We long for the familiar oasis of certainty and the way it used to be. We are not going back and we will get through with hope, patience and resilience. Desert to oasis. Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

A few simple words of prayer allowing a “silence in which another voice may speak.” Listen.

Mar 31

Write Your History

“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” – Winston Churchill

We are in the middle of writing our history right in this very moment. What’s your story, the plot, your narrative, your third act? What will you be remembered for?

Joy
Optimism
Faith
Generosity
Creativity
Imperfection
Empathy
Curiosity
Gratitude
Resilience
Hope
Imagination
Laughter
Silly
Innovative
Purposeful
Fun
Playful
Kind

Seems like a good list to aspire to no matter the circumstances. If choosing only one, choose kindness. Be Kind. Cast Light!

“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.” – Henry James

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