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Posts from the ‘Seasons’ Category

Aug 14

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Under Construction

“The very contradictions in my life are in some ways signs of God's mercy to me.” – Thomas Merton

“The very contradictions in my life are in some ways signs of God’s mercy to me.” – Thomas Merton

“Every human being is under construction from conception to death.” – Billy Graham

The joke (a bit of truth) in Minnesota is that there are two seasons – winter and road construction. All four seasons are beautiful. We’re just keeping it a secret. Although there are days when we contend with, nay survive, 30 below wind chill. It builds character and it’s all a part of the journey.

When we accept rather than lament the detours, potholes, bumps and delays on our journey, we can stop asking“why” and move deep into living well (not perfect) through the valleys and mountains, remaining steadfast as our purpose unfolds.

God either changes our situation or he changes us to get through to the other side – not around it but rather right through the flipping thick middle of it. The reason will be revealed later as we look in the rear view mirror. In the meantime, we must trust it and ride it out.

We are all under construction, a work in progress.  Succeeding, failing, tripping, up, down, winning, losing, tired, invigorated, falling behind, inspired, inspiring, laughing, crying and ultimately getting back up again and again, moving ever so clunky to our  destination.

We need only to overcome our assumptions and move beyond the whys, whens, hows, the past, regret, worry or what if. When we accept that our path often times won’t be what we planned, but it’s meant to be, we can get back to living, learning, getting through, helping others and getting back on the road.

Under construction and on my way.

Jul 29

8 Comments

Rise and Set

“The sun is new each day.” – Heraclitus

May you rise and set as easy and sure as the sun. Grateful for the day that has passed, moving softly into rest to prepare for the next. Renewed and ready to receive the gifts of a new day. Deep and steady in each moment, each day, confident that it is enough, more than enough.

“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” – David Viscott

“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” – David Viscott

Jul 1

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Blooming Process

“Have patience with all things, But, first of all with yourself.” – Saint Francis de Sales

The lilies bloomed late this year, but bloom they did. Sometimes we’re in full bloom on time. Other times, we are folded up tight in retreat, waiting for the blooming process to ensue. Sometimes we lead, sometimes we follow.

Perfection tells us it’s all or nothing, providing an excuse to hesitate or stop completely. Don’t. Keep moving, even in waiting. There’s a lot of “in between” time when we are amidst growth, being transformed into something new, unfamiliar and beautiful. The blooming process unfolds in its own time, for its own purpose.

Light waits patiently for us, steady and unwavering. We may bloom late, but it’s never too late to bloom, again and again. Blooming time is right around the corner, cultivated with patience, time, hope and persistence.

“The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life.” – Jean Giraudoux

“The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life.” – Jean Giraudoux

Mar 17

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Plentiful

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.” – Saint Augustine

“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.” – Saint Augustine

As spring takes its time to arrive, the warmth of the sun assures that it will come and stay for a while.  As winter takes its time to depart, the grass peeking out in patches assures that it will leave for a while. Seasons come and go as time keeps unfolding before us. And the alarm is going off. It’s your wake up call. Capture each moment while you are in it. Each moment, each season brings its own gifts to be opened.

Be impatient. Do not wait to change the world. Find those who need you and need them in return. Plant seeds of hope, water them with enthusiasm. A beautiful pink bouquet is waiting to bloom. There is plenty for all. Cast light. Cast pink.

Mar 9

2 Comments

Beneath

“The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.” – Bernard Williams

Beneath the weight of the snow lies green grass ready to awaken, flowers ready to burst from the earth. The warmth of the sun brings a slow, steady melt. Renewed and refreshed from the dormancy of Winter, Spring patiently waits to unfold in its time.

Through the seasons of our life, we cycle from hibernation to fruition, never the same, growing and unfolding into ourselves. We can remain buried beneath the layers and weight or we can let the heaviness melt away, letting go, forgetting, forgiving, moving on.

Spring releases Winter. We need not carry it any further. It has served its purpose. Melt, soften, become more gentle. Breakthrough the layers, burst, bud, bloom. Be bright, bold and beautiful. Beneath, beneath, Spring has come.

“The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory.” – Gary Zukav

“The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory.” – Gary Zukav

Feb 8

4 Comments

Imagine

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” – Dr. Seuss

Combine imagination with a pair of sunglasses and the six foot wave of snow in my front yard transforms into waves rolling in on the beach in Malibu, Kona, Monterey Bay, Cancun (insert your favorite beach here). Surfs up.

When we are not overcome by the trivial, each day becomes “show and tell.”  A simple shift and we’re laying on a beach, warm sun on our face, relaxing to the music of the ocean waves dancing on the beach. Imagine. Delight. Lighten Up.

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Jan 28

8 Comments

Even Then

“Always the beautiful answer who asks a more beautiful question.” – e. e. cummings

Even in our coldest days when the wind is blowing, the sun remains.
Even in the starkness of winter, the blue skies look down.
Even in the depths of gloom, hope waits patiently, to be found and embraced.

Even then.

“God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.” – Laurence Sterne

“God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.” – Laurence Sterne

Jan 25

6 Comments

Be Still

“Watch out for the joy-stealers: gossip, criticism, complaining, faultfinding, and a negative, judgmental attitude.” – Joyce Meyer

It seems innocent enough. A little complaining, talking about someone else, thinking everyone has it better than us – they’re “lucky.” Feeling justified, we think that letting it out again and again somehow will make it better. And it doesn’t, it makes it worse. What we focus on is what we become, who we are. These seemingly little things chip away at our capacity for joy. These joy-stealers are contagious if we don’t keep our guard up. Complaining is one of my triggers. I’ve been hearing a lot of it lately and instead of letting others chirp and let it go, I complain about their complaining. I fall into these traps when I’m tired, working too many hours and when I don’t get to run outside due to the “polar vortex” winter with 20 below temps.

We need to be still and look for the good in others without question or delay. Naïve? Maybe, but what and who will we miss by jumping to conclusions, judgments and criticism? Are we willing to risk joy and delight in exchange for “being right” in our own mind, whether we are or not. And we not only need to remove the joy-stealers, we need to replace them with gratitude, appreciation and awe for the many blessings to be found when we take off our blinders and filters. The light shines in replacing the dark. Be still and cast light.

“So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.” – T. S. Eliot

“So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.” – T. S. Eliot

Jan 6

2 Comments

Hibernate

“A change in the weather is sufficient to recreate the world and ourselves.” – Marcel Proust

We are having plenty of time to recreate ourselves as we hibernate from the weather, like many in the U.S. In Minnesota today, 23 below zero, with wind chill, 36 below zero.

We had an hour reprieve on Saturday and the girls and I got out for a 3 mile run before the cold front settled in. You really appreciate what you have when you can’t have it. Looking forward to the thaw and outdoor running’s return on Thursday when we take a 50+ degree swing to the 30s. Until then, we hunker down, read a little more, snuggle up and follow Lily’s lead…

“When the going gets tough, the tough take a nap.” – Tom Hodgkinson

“When the going gets tough, the tough take a nap.” – Tom Hodgkinson

Dec 25

8 Comments

And the weary world rejoices

“Rejoice in the things that are present; all else is beyond thee.” – Michel de Montaigne

“Rejoice in the things that are present; all else is beyond thee.” – Michel de Montaigne

As we long for rest, for respite from a weary world that calls us in several directions at once, let the real hope of this season touch your heart and soul. We weary when we kneel at the wrong altars, giving ourselves to things of no lasting value. A new year comes and each new day gives us the chance for new starts, new beginnings.

Find room at your “inn,” let people in and see the world anew, filled with possibilities. Fall on your knees. O night divine.

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