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May 4

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Well Done

“The servant who had received five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’” – The Gospel of Matthew 25:20-21

My Dad passed away last week and the funeral is today. I’ve got so many thoughts running through my heart and head. I’ve wanted to somehow form the words into sentences that are worthy of him and what he meant to me and so many others.

Much, maybe most, of what has been written in Cast Light over the years is rooted in my parents and how they raised us, who they are and how they live/lived. The hours of conversation, laughter and tears at the wake last night from friends, family and his co-workers through the years are testament to who he was – a quiet, humble, faithful, tough, funny, generous, brilliant and loving man with integrity through and through. Not perfect, as none of us are, but always taking his talents and creating more than he started with.

These words are only but a start of the many seeds that have been planted in my heart by him. I am sure many more will come in the days ahead as we all try to figure out how to move forward without our coach, cheerleader and best friend.

The prayer of St. Francis of Assisi is so appropriate for Dad. He adored Molly and Lily and their cousins Chloe and Grace – his grand-dogs. They would gather around him because they knew how much he loved them as we all did through his actions and his words.

“Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.”
– St. Francis of Assisi

So as you enter into your beautiful and peaceful homecoming in heaven Dad, I see Jesus smiling and embracing you saying “Well done, good and faithful servant, well done. Enter into the joy of your Master.”

momdadme

 

Apr 26

Harbor

“Indeed, this life is a test. It is a test of many things – of our convictions and priorities, our faith and our faithfulness, our patience and our resilience, and in the end, our ultimate desires.” – Sheri L. Dew

The harbor offers a respite from the waves, uncertainty and storms. Calm, safe and secure. But we are not meant to remain in the harbor beyond a brief moment. We are called into the ocean of possibility, unpredictability, growth, of becoming what gently and firmly pulls and pushes us. If we anchor in familiarity and easy too long, we delay where the current is meant to take us. If we resist, we are not avoiding scarcity but abundance. We surrender more for the ease of less.

“The ocean is a mighty harmonist.” – William Wordsworth

“The ocean is a mighty harmonist.” – William Wordsworth

We are more buoyant and resilient than we think or feel. Well beyond the limitations we put upon ourselves, we have what we need to move out of the harbor into deep waters. It is in the mystery and unknown, we discovery our core, our soul.

To achieve our potential, we must pursue depth, height and width. Anything less is not worthy of our pursuit, of our calling. Without hesitation, consternation or doubt, pull up anchor and move confidently out of the harbor and enter with confidence the life that is yours to claim in the vast ocean beyond the horizon.

Apr 21

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We Really Don’t Know

“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

I’ve been doing a lot of spring cleaning. Organizing closets, clearing clutter, creating space. This past weekend, I put my lawnmower on the curb to give it away. It works but it’s old so I got a new one that’s easier to push. Less than a day, gone. Then some chairs on the curb the next day, again gone. My plans were to take it all to the dump, to discard them. I’m glad I didn’t follow my plans.

Today was a long day due to a chest cold and a sleepless night. After a day filled with meetings, I came home to cut the grass with my new lawnmower before the rain came. Next up, collapse on the couch to rest. Then, a knock on the door. My first thought, “great” a solicitor selling something I don’t need. Glad I didn’t go with my second thought not to answer the door.

A smiling woman was standing there holding a bag of coffee and a note attached in case I wasn’t home. She handed the coffee over and said she was the neighbor and thanked me for the lawn mower. Something I was happy to get rid of turned out to be something someone was happy to get.

People cross our paths every day. We never really know what we miss when we let them pass by without slowing down long enough to look them in the eye, greet them with a warm smile or take the time to say a simple thanks.

It’s a big world filled with little interactions that can turn a long day into one of grace. And when we interrupt the nonsense of busyness, multi-tasking and self-absorption, we discover, yet again, how blessed we are and our blessings multiple by sharing them.

So the good news is that we don’t really know. And thank goodness that our assumptions and quick judgments are wrong. And when we are fortunate enough to be reminded and awakened, we realize that we really don’t need to know. Kindness, generosity and grace never, ever fail.

Apr 9

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Goldy’s Lessons

“But for each of us, isn't life about determining your own finish line?” – Diana Nyad

“But for each of us, isn’t life about determining your own finish line?” – Diana Nyad

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius

I signed up for Goldy’s 10 mile run three weeks ago to get myself moving on training again. It’s one of my favorite spring runs, weaving through the University of Minnesota campus and along the Mississippi river. While we’ve had an early spring, winter temperatures returned today with 20 degrees at start time.

For my first long event of the season, I felt pretty good. At mile 9, I stopped for one last cup of water at the water stop before pouring it on strong for the last mile. As I turned to start out again, the water that had spilled on the ground during the morning had frozen and I wiped out, hard. If being judged in a competition for falling, this would be a 10 out of 10 for execution, style, sliding distance and landing. A solid wipe out.

After I dragged myself up, I started out walking slowly and limping a bit. After a few blocks I started into a jog, limp, skip pattern for a few more blocks until I started getting into the groove again.

As I walked away from the finish line, a young guy came up to me to tell me that he saw me fall and that I was an inspiration for getting up and finishing. I smiled wide and thanked him for the encouragement.

A few lessons from this morning…

Take the time to say a kind word of encouragement to someone every chance you get. He didn’t have to say anything but he did. It made my day and reminded me of the power of words and actions.

I’m not the fastest runner and won’t be winning any races anytime soon, or ever. I am happy to still participate, finish and push myself to stay in the game. On my 51st year in this world, I would still rather participate than spectate.  Do things that challenge and even scare you a bit. You can do more than you think so start, and finish.

Life is so much more than successes and victories. It’s about how we get up and that we get up when we fall. Never give up and keep getting up, every single time.

Last lesson, water freezes and pavement is hard.

Participate, persist, persevere and show kindness. Thanks Goldy, good class today.

Apr 6

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Cycles, seasons, life

“Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a joy for all seasons, a possession for all eternity.” – Oscar Wilde

Seeds hibernate to survive winter. Dormant, in waiting, quietly preparing for the ground to warm to break through to take in the light. Time passes, the sun lingers longer and the soothing rains turn the frozen ground soft. Soon the sleeping seeds awaken, unfold and diligently work their way through the crusted ground, revealing the miracle of life reborn yet again.

“Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.” – Sarah Ban Breathnach

“Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.” – Sarah Ban Breathnach

The seeds achieve their potential, rejoicing in brilliant color and delicate texture. Strong enough to survive winter and fragile enough to show their depth of beauty. Seasons change on cue, the cycle continues, the struggle of transformation fades and the joy of fruition takes its rightful place.

Cycles, seasons and life ensue.

Apr 2

Drop by Drop

“The rain begins with a single drop.” – Manal al-Sharif

We don’t finish where we start. And we won’t finish if we don’t start. A single drop joins another and another to create a stream and flow. We discard precious time over-thinking how to get where we want to go. Start. And drop by drop, step by step, momentum and time join to create reality of mere thoughts.

flow

“Surrender to the flow.” – Mike Gordon

Brick upon brick soon reveals a building. One drop and suddenly the skies open to rain. The “secret” is there are no short cuts, the only way through and to is starting, believing and enjoying the road to the finish. If it’s in your heart, it’s meant to be. Start.

Mar 29

Ripple

“I have begun to think of life as a series of ripples widening out from an original center.” – Seamus Heaney

“I have begun to think of life as a series of ripples widening out from an original center.” – Seamus Heaney

“To be attuned to the mysteries at work in our lives is to behold the spirit or the sacred in our otherwise secular experiences. And that perception of the sacred transforms life, raises it to a new level. It makes us alive rather than dead and causes the world to resurrect.” – Thomas Moore, A Religion of One’s Own

Each day becomes sacred when we find the holy in ordinary moments. Slices of time that show us a glimpse of something higher, deeper and renders speech silent so the vastness of it all can be taken in, but for a moment.

See the ripple in the clouds, search for patterns, embrace the embrace longer, smile wide and hold it until people wonder what’s right with you. We become whole an experience and encounter at a time. There are no detours and delays that are not meant to be. Each step, each motion forward make us stronger, more aware, more equipped for what’s next, for what’s expected of us.

Behold and grasp the sheer beauty and awe. Behold.

Mar 28

Easter Monday

“Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life.” – Janine di Giovanni

We are called to carry to the joy of Easter Sunday into Monday, Tuesday and each day to come thereafter. More than a day, it is a way to live, to be transformed. A chance to begin again, to accept grace that is given freely and generously.

Do not succumb to despair. Allow yourself to change and be changed.

Kids and dogs breathe in and breathe out joy naturally, without hesitation. Wide-eyed and unassuming, they accept and release abundance to all who are open and willing to take it in. Loving without condition, they give depth and dimension to an often obtuse world.

Happy Easter Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday…

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. “ – Saint Augustine

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. “ – Saint Augustine

Mar 24

The Gravity of Light

“Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.” Helen Keller

Darkness hovers, to overwhelm and crush. But light remains, breaks through and triumphs. Three days – from 30 silver coins, despair and denial to hope and deep, everlasting love. Easter returns again and again, never to be defeated.

Be drawn and pulled into the Light. Love always wins. The gravity of it all.

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining - they just shine.” – Dwight L. Moody

“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to their shining – they just shine.” – Dwight L. Moody

Mar 21

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The Details

“Mindfulness, the awareness of the sacredness of the details of life, makes haste and trumpery impossible. It makes every act a sacred act.” – Joan Chittister

“The more often we see the things around us - even the beautiful and wonderful things - the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds - even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin

“The more often we see the things around us – even the beautiful and wonderful things – the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds – even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin

Emerge yourself in the details of this day.
Not looking back or forward.
Being present in each moment, letting wonder enter to do its work.
Free from worry and consternation.

Oh, the days, years, we fritter away missing what’s present in front of us.
Blessings unseen.
Gifts buried.
Words said and unsaid.

Be grateful for today.
Seize it with your presence and participation.
The details. Sacred indeed.

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