tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22041364933155029762024-03-21T10:31:02.948-07:00Living in SpiritUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-84386065668631699192024-03-21T10:30:00.000-07:002024-03-21T10:30:30.178-07:00The Springtime Work of Transformation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjh05V-r_giC_nvM750o89kmS5WVS1wgFSKX4H2v-0N3MQ98fcU9yNLq5T_iPG1GPu1akSIXVHP812QeoWHxq6JdfoXAJPIQZs6UhjpMLrFeUwCrsPQnnTJGvYmXxYvrhgucw25slrly1sRlFKPoJESbNl_5S8iXBlG2NMY6jp5RIkhHZc2CraWKL2K8/s2992/Spring%20Robin.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2992" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjh05V-r_giC_nvM750o89kmS5WVS1wgFSKX4H2v-0N3MQ98fcU9yNLq5T_iPG1GPu1akSIXVHP812QeoWHxq6JdfoXAJPIQZs6UhjpMLrFeUwCrsPQnnTJGvYmXxYvrhgucw25slrly1sRlFKPoJESbNl_5S8iXBlG2NMY6jp5RIkhHZc2CraWKL2K8/s320/Spring%20Robin.jpg" width="320" /></a>I asked friends what signs of spring they were noticing. They mentioned birdsong and blossoms. They didn’t mention the bare branches of trees against the bleak grey sky, or the frost we had that morning. This week at my house was wind and rain and mud, the streets and grass in my neighborhood littered with branches swept out of the trees by the rough winds. Then when the sun finally appeared, the first yellow blooms of daffodils and forsythia answered. Spring is always a time of transition. It is unpredictable and quixotic. It can be parkas in the morning and shirtsleeves in the afternoon. <br /><br />One grey spring morning the rain pouring down the windows mirrored the grief in my own heart and the tears rolling down my own cheeks, as the turn of season reminded me of past losses. I try to let grief do it’s cleansing work when it comes, to let the tears wash through whatever is ready to be remembered or released. Later, on a walk, I had a sense of feeling cleansed, lighter, for having allowed that grief to move through me. I was ready to receive the sunshine, the birdsong, the green shoots of new life. The old truism popped into my head “April showers bring May flowers.” <br /><br />As spring unfolds around you I encourage you to notice and honor it all- the rain and the mud, rough winds and gentle breezes, and of course the buds and leaves appearing on trees and bushes, and the beautiful progression of flowers so precious and ephemeral. Allow yourself to weep with the showers when that is what your spirit needs, and allow the fresh pops of color in the landscape, the antics of birds and squirrels to nourish your spirit in those moments when the clouds part and there is room for delight. Welcome spring as it moves through your heart doing the hard work of transformation. <br /><br /> <p><style>@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-font-kerning:0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;}div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjh05V-r_giC_nvM750o89kmS5WVS1wgFSKX4H2v-0N3MQ98fcU9yNLq5T_iPG1GPu1akSIXVHP812QeoWHxq6JdfoXAJPIQZs6UhjpMLrFeUwCrsPQnnTJGvYmXxYvrhgucw25slrly1sRlFKPoJESbNl_5S8iXBlG2NMY6jp5RIkhHZc2CraWKL2K8/s2992/Spring%20Robin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-24383311530736933932023-11-28T10:30:00.000-08:002023-11-28T10:30:18.437-08:00Between Inhale and Exhale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYldnvTaZlZ4WsyXEO6sniUY7izZveq81Vdkxf5hbaVR8a0xsNdR0wULXpC4bEAb2x8ZNdB3q4f2Vnr599Qfe5jbewrvsNRssY6FmYZl2TvREA9JJPyc5fU-dkniH9437JwC0Z9d9wVs7XYnLAyMRgpg5AlR_Y02xJVtUwSbXgoorcgnu4-EN2pwGf5rA/s800/seed%20fluff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="800" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYldnvTaZlZ4WsyXEO6sniUY7izZveq81Vdkxf5hbaVR8a0xsNdR0wULXpC4bEAb2x8ZNdB3q4f2Vnr599Qfe5jbewrvsNRssY6FmYZl2TvREA9JJPyc5fU-dkniH9437JwC0Z9d9wVs7XYnLAyMRgpg5AlR_Y02xJVtUwSbXgoorcgnu4-EN2pwGf5rA/s320/seed%20fluff.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Bring your attention to your breath. Notice your inhale, notice your exhale. Without trying to change anything just notice how you are breathing right now. What happens at the top of your inhale? I notice that there is a slight pause, a millisecond of stillness before I exhale. At the bottom of the exhale, I notice the same stillness. (If breathing is not comfortable for you right now for whatever reason, you can just play with the ideas without the physical practice.) <br /><br />If you want, play around with what happens at the top of your inhale- try to inhale again, and then inhale again. When I try that I notice there comes a point when I can no longer inhale, and moreover, I am REALLY longing to exhale. The same is true if I exhale, and then exhale again, and then exhale again. Soon there is nothing more to exhale, and I am really longing to inhale. What did you notice? I notice that after doing all that I feel a bit off balance, so I recommend taking a few conscious breaths - just a natural inhale followed by a natural exhale, until things feel balanced and easy. <br /><br />Not long ago I was getting ready to go out of town with my family, so I worked extra hard to get everything wrapped up before I went away. Then during our trip, I tried to do and see all the things I had been missing while I was working. Eventually this was like trying to breathe in and then breathe in again- there was just no more capacity to take anything in. I was full. Another time this year I experienced grief and illness in the same month. I had to lay things down one after the other until I felt empty, and then noticed an urge to “breathe in” metaphorically speaking. I began to wonder what it would be like for my life to mimic the comforting rhythm of a smooth inhale and a smooth exhale. <br /><br />A recent shopping trip also brought this metaphor to mind. We had done very little shopping over past year, so we had some catching up to do. It felt good to accomplish so many shopping goals, but when we got home, we had no time to begin putting our new things away and had no place to put them. I remembered the natural pattern of breath and thought “it is surely time to exhale- time to clear out some old things and give them away.” But right at that moment we were worn out from shopping. I remembered that little pause between the inhale and the exhale. It feels soothing and natural to me to pause between inhaling and exhaling. <br /><br />I invite you to carry this image with you as you go about your daily life; notice which activities feel like breathing in, and which feel like breathing out. Notice if there are opportunities for a pause in between. Many aspects of our culture rush us from one thing to the next- like that video app that starts the next video automatically without a chance to pause and process what we have just experienced, like the coupon you get after your purchase redeemable on another purchase next week. We have all been though a lot, have experienced much change and loss, have had to learn new things, and respond to the demands of our time. Do you feel like you are inhaling or exhaling right now in your life? Are you feeling a longing to transition from one to the other? Or is it time for a brief pause? In this busy season I encourage you to play with finding a balance of inhale, exhale, and the spaces in between. <p><style>@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-469750017 -1040178053 9 0 511 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-font-kerning:0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;}div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-68674650273617311822023-11-21T07:24:00.000-08:002023-11-21T07:24:35.188-08:00Change of Season, Change of Rhythm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WRpdMvqyj3_8RuMKTAxTlC313UFnyZ5aZzD3ky7MnkESrE7Bh2sjPn8dMTBFjyZ0vR1GRtL0Lpv0Gaj8c249KARWfOTddvlGPi8e9dPXKXxiXZQmnSwn9qRI3qjWeai79e6Nyb5fuYJ87hkBlICSJ2qNdAk9Hs4mH-VJAAGMz-_FF-CVdoPH-eQheng/s1997/DSC_0077%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1997" data-original-width="1997" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WRpdMvqyj3_8RuMKTAxTlC313UFnyZ5aZzD3ky7MnkESrE7Bh2sjPn8dMTBFjyZ0vR1GRtL0Lpv0Gaj8c249KARWfOTddvlGPi8e9dPXKXxiXZQmnSwn9qRI3qjWeai79e6Nyb5fuYJ87hkBlICSJ2qNdAk9Hs4mH-VJAAGMz-_FF-CVdoPH-eQheng/s320/DSC_0077%20(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Just when I’ve settled into a nice daily rhythm… the seasons change. My dogs, who insisted on getting up with the sun at 5:30, are now content to sleep ‘till seven. This is just as well, since 7 o’clock in the morning, which was a beautiful time for a walk this summer, is often cold and dark and grim. Lately even the sunny days which are beautiful and crisp end so quickly! Now that the sun is setting before dinner, it’s hard to imagine any evening activities besides curling up under a blanket. I feel a bit guilty for just wanting to hibernate until I remember that all of nature in the Northeast is engaged in this seasonal change. It’s a rare bird I hear chirping on that first dog walk of a winter’s morning. The Squirrels and birds who rose early during the summer now visit my feeders in the afternoon. It’s only modern humans who try to keep the same schedule all year round. <br /><br />It was kind of a relief that first bitter-cold Saturday afternoon when I finally pulled out my warmest winter blanket and curled up with a cup of tea and a pile of books. In our part of the world where a clear sunny day is precious, I feel compelled to spend each nice hour gardening, walking, socializing, traveling or at least sitting on the porch enjoying the activity of neighborhood critters and the play of light and wind in the trees. Phew. Where I live the weather this fall has been uncommonly warm and dry, the show of leaves stunning and this season’s local apples amazing. I’m sad to see it go and yet as the dark and cold settle in I’m suddenly getting excited about sitting quietly and knitting. <br /><br />Winter has its own special gifts, revealed to us anew each year. It’s natural that one would want to spend sunny beautiful days enjoying a landscape bursting with life. Summer is a vital time of planting, cultivating and harvesting. But farm stands near me are closed for the winter; pretty much everything has been gathered in. My hose and gardening supplies are in the basement, and I’ve prepared the garden for its dormant period. I too am ready for shorter days when I can be still, without the pressure of growing and blooming and harvesting. <br /><br />Notice what the change of season holds for you this year. Lay down what your body, mind and spirit needed in Summer and Autumn, and notice what is calling to you right now. I invite you to arrive in this fresh new season ready for whatever it brings. <p><style>@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-469750017 -1040178053 9 0 511 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}p.MsoPlainText, li.MsoPlainText, div.MsoPlainText
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text Char";
margin:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}span.PlainTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Plain Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-locked:yes;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text";
mso-bidi-font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;}.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-font-kerning:0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;}div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-49706292782026066872023-06-28T08:32:00.001-07:002023-06-28T08:32:53.191-07:00A Middle Way<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYx9wTkqIO8cgmMVl5pdvLeIapMqigMRuwZcsrmZU4J4-qLJ0FhnSoBcxXaMfgBinhhW8oxQXazqDmqnOZjWsAo4FZWDVzHok0CPC0JFauzpv4Bge73p1an-2aUsIc-srmfbHG729rOoOh7BC1qHNITYTDvhAxrSbc4GAzGcteHWKdXj7IZEqGnhOuIcM/s3024/yardwork%20schmardwork.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2016" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYx9wTkqIO8cgmMVl5pdvLeIapMqigMRuwZcsrmZU4J4-qLJ0FhnSoBcxXaMfgBinhhW8oxQXazqDmqnOZjWsAo4FZWDVzHok0CPC0JFauzpv4Bge73p1an-2aUsIc-srmfbHG729rOoOh7BC1qHNITYTDvhAxrSbc4GAzGcteHWKdXj7IZEqGnhOuIcM/s320/yardwork%20schmardwork.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://tricycle.org/magazine/who-was-buddha-2/">Before Gautama Buddha</a> was the Buddha, he was Prince Siddhartha -- born into wealth, power and privilege. He grew up with every luxury a person could want and was sheltered from all suffering. When he finally witnessed sickness, old age and death, he left the palace and went on a search for truth, a search for an end to suffering. <br /><br />Siddhartha studied with teachers who practiced asceticism, practitioners who believed that hardship would help them find religious truth. They fasted and deprived their bodies of comfort. Siddhartha studied with them for several years, but not finding what he sought moved on. He came to a village and a young woman, seeing him weak with starvation, offered him a bowl of milk with honey, and he accepted the nourishment. In doing so he both broke his vows, but began his return to health. <br /><br />Siddhartha had experienced both great luxury and pleasure, and extreme deprivation. He discerned that neither of those two paths lead to enlightenment, lead to an end of suffering, and so he chose a “middle way” that eventually lead him to peace and enlightenment. <br /><br />Recently I was reminded of Buddha’s Middle Way, and found it to be a useful guide in these difficult times. For example -- when I get depressed, I know that if I can get myself up and moving and get some chores done, I usually feel a little better. But sometimes if I keep working too long, I become frazzled and exhausted. I just keep working and working as if I could ever possibly finish it ALL and finally be done. Eventually I catch myself, I remember that instead of seeking an end to work, what I really need is balance. I try to find the right balance; when I have worked “enough” to get my body moving and feel productive but let go of the work before I am depleted. In meditation it is no different; I try to keep my focus on the object of the meditation, but if I become too determined, if I push too hard, I wind up tense and discouraged. If I relax too much I nod off and forget I was even meditating. <br /><br />The Buddhist Suttras tell this <a href="https://bychancebuddhism.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-parable-of-lute.html">story</a> that is a wonderful way to remember the middle path: A musician approached the Buddha, struggling with their meditation practice and seeking guidance. Buddha reminded the musician that when you tune the strings of the instrument too tightly, they break, and when you tune them too loosely, they don’t resonate enough to make a note. Music happens when the strings are not too tight and not too loose. This coming month I encourage you to practice like a musician playing their instrument; if you feel brittle and tense, loosen your control effort. If nothing is happening, add a bit of focus and energy. If you’ve ever played a string instrument or been to a live concert, you know that musicians have to tune their instruments frequently- it’s not something you can do once and be done forever. In spiritual practice, take time to tune -- looking for that middle way, where effort and ease are in balance, in every moment.<p><style>@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-font-kerning:0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;}div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-60298516968987330892023-04-25T08:23:00.003-07:002023-04-25T08:25:47.326-07:00Help for the Tulips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFLqyQpMCBJG7fMT3_f9MtSvW5-QLJ5FbA9fFqTv-4UG0-pumcisRy8PZxFQe1Yvv169y_uXJCjGW9-TWAHMIoospI1cnudHT2ajJgg0Lry74izGi8kTQtMtpu0pu0OJeeLDdqAH5xbkdjOjW-YUDHkI7Efz4pHCuIU8cFV1wYEjjzgZo8QBzkvcZ/s2992/DSC_0006.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMFLqyQpMCBJG7fMT3_f9MtSvW5-QLJ5FbA9fFqTv-4UG0-pumcisRy8PZxFQe1Yvv169y_uXJCjGW9-TWAHMIoospI1cnudHT2ajJgg0Lry74izGi8kTQtMtpu0pu0OJeeLDdqAH5xbkdjOjW-YUDHkI7Efz4pHCuIU8cFV1wYEjjzgZo8QBzkvcZ/s320/DSC_0006.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><p>Around my neighborhood tulips are poking up through the layer of leaves that accumulate over the fall and winter. Many spring plants are designed to do this, and start their journey with a pointy bit that breaks through whatever obstacles it finds on its way to the sunshine. Sometimes, however, you see tulip greens that have pushed up through a dry brown leaf, but can’t seem to break free. I often see tulips with a kind of leaf collar that grows higher and higher into the air as the tulip greens grow. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjUObrbmu0T4wrihGezPArgy-fX1zIyUCUzggdjbEuVdepEq_DsVMfvfeFYIyKQs8vu_vV-WBlaoSK5s6t6h33Jk7LWAFHdc0oZJ_3m-I8Kb_AMb3Eby1k8aDra55OG8avzVtHJ4FmfJ-NXZqi0LWqqe5DzyjhpTSWKGBBV0qwkuBmc9YEjmQQvtj/s4032/tulip%20stuck.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjUObrbmu0T4wrihGezPArgy-fX1zIyUCUzggdjbEuVdepEq_DsVMfvfeFYIyKQs8vu_vV-WBlaoSK5s6t6h33Jk7LWAFHdc0oZJ_3m-I8Kb_AMb3Eby1k8aDra55OG8avzVtHJ4FmfJ-NXZqi0LWqqe5DzyjhpTSWKGBBV0qwkuBmc9YEjmQQvtj/s320/tulip%20stuck.JPG" width="240" /></a><br /><br />As I walk around the neighborhood and I see tulips trapped in their collars, It gives me great satisfaction to pull off the constricting leaf and watch the young tulip growth pop out into their full and proper form. I felt like a great tulip helper until one day I tugged the leaf too quickly or with too much force and the tip of the young tulip plant came right off! I felt terrible. Much better to be constricted by a leaf than to be ripped asunder! Some kinds of help are worse than no help at all. After that day I became more careful in my approach, gentle with the young green tulips, but persisted in my mission to liberate tulips everywhere. I began to notice that if you liberate the tulips when they are still young, they spring into a normal shape and almost immediately one can’t tell the difference. Other tulips, who have been constricted for a while may have tell tale shapes in their leaves, like the band around my finger where my wedding ring has been these many years, but go on to have beautiful flowers. Unfortunately, some tulips who have grown for too long under too many leaves seem to do worse for my help. The part of the tulip growth that has been under a leaf burden and has never seen sunlight will be pale and weak. Sometimes when I remove the leaves the tulip flops over and never comes right. It seems as if the plant had wisely formed itself using the obstacle as a support, growing itself to match its unique situation. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC70dB7uwMEDuwiF-wGZhkIHkXIzv6i3qbGIJjzUKD_OLueOzyOjRf8DMzgHEAmlLbRn9rQIXcH9pJxGnPzL3yiyccWV3aJ-OagAkmAUIsO5Xldt6KT7irLJ-v2L0iHPXUy7GphoPU4WGQitew_cBv4uSPd3PnvtUUC9FGy3z8rNOMeqy4ojvrg0H/s4032/tulip%20rough%20winter.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC70dB7uwMEDuwiF-wGZhkIHkXIzv6i3qbGIJjzUKD_OLueOzyOjRf8DMzgHEAmlLbRn9rQIXcH9pJxGnPzL3yiyccWV3aJ-OagAkmAUIsO5Xldt6KT7irLJ-v2L0iHPXUy7GphoPU4WGQitew_cBv4uSPd3PnvtUUC9FGy3z8rNOMeqy4ojvrg0H/s320/tulip%20rough%20winter.JPG" width="240" /></a>This reminds me of the well-meaning help I offer my human friends. When a simple thing we do is helpful it is a delight for both the one helping and the one being helped. Sometimes the help we offer can make life a bit easier but can’t address the deeper scars incurred early in life, or from trauma. But sometimes our well-meaning help doesn’t take into account the unique realities our struggling friends are facing. It may seem to us that they are one quick tug away from being relived of their obstacles, but we forget that living beings have their own inner wisdom that helps them grow creatively around obstacles, unique supports that help them survive what they have met on their unique journey. <br /></p><br /><p>All around us are people who could use our help, and our compassionate actions are a beautiful spiritual practice. I encourage you, as you reach out to those your heart is moved to help, to remember the inner wisdom and resilience of the ones you are trying to support. “I could come by for a visit- would that be helpful or are you needing rest and quiet? “What has helped in the past when you have faced something like this? What have you learned comforting or helpful to you? What have you tried already?” Be sure to notice, alongside your empathy for their struggles, how they are showing resilience and wisdom, and the resources they have available. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL6egEM3S6gOhzrviuzjmx4-Sx36jEwFhoHJyGjW9407WJf6QF1F7TQWLkzMH6sShF20-4YOvtinJ-MpozBkISNXRbiUO6zubsUiOCxivvlxZBKYHLfGWHTGiSAWYao-RXb63YNchkOyyAVI75LDvncispqxxHa0BasNW_3_euBtPMaX5PWRLl8Mi/s3024/tulip.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2016" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL6egEM3S6gOhzrviuzjmx4-Sx36jEwFhoHJyGjW9407WJf6QF1F7TQWLkzMH6sShF20-4YOvtinJ-MpozBkISNXRbiUO6zubsUiOCxivvlxZBKYHLfGWHTGiSAWYao-RXb63YNchkOyyAVI75LDvncispqxxHa0BasNW_3_euBtPMaX5PWRLl8Mi/s320/tulip.JPG" width="213" /></a>I encourage you to give that same respect and compassion to yourself. What a miracle any of us have made it this far, I offer gratitude for whoever you have become in order to survive, whatever life-giving forms you have grown into that show your resilience. This season as you see the tulips and other spring flowers in your neighborhood, let them fill your heart with compassion for all who struggle, and gratitude for the always creative spirit of life that helps us grow through obstacles and bloom in the way only we can bloom.</p><p> <br /></p><p><style>@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-font-kerning:0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;}div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-84959466027868200752023-03-15T06:56:00.003-07:002023-03-15T06:57:07.376-07:00The Beauty of In-Between Times<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lYg8SoNYNm8Hmgjv4k3XWCItDBGAd8cgjW0VernbJe0NlR1ZaZ_tOWQrPVeVFl4zhlVcwCSDgrTnWOZo1uRTkieFqME6fT-cPaZV-QfzCD7wQq4QPliPrNR0knHZET-1nFrH1kvXSqN5V2eTqu-hnmNYN1L2b3IBeZrNgmVi_Ix3nBgDL76jhPHc/s2994/more%20sunrise%20with%20flying%20birds.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1684" data-original-width="2994" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lYg8SoNYNm8Hmgjv4k3XWCItDBGAd8cgjW0VernbJe0NlR1ZaZ_tOWQrPVeVFl4zhlVcwCSDgrTnWOZo1uRTkieFqME6fT-cPaZV-QfzCD7wQq4QPliPrNR0knHZET-1nFrH1kvXSqN5V2eTqu-hnmNYN1L2b3IBeZrNgmVi_Ix3nBgDL76jhPHc/s320/more%20sunrise%20with%20flying%20birds.JPG" width="320" /></a>You can’t see the sunrise from my house, it rises behind the hills and a tall building, so when I travel someplace with a clear view of the sunrise it is a special treat. When I can get myself out of bed in time, I love to see the whole sunrise, from the first crack of light over the horizon until the sun finally pops up like a big egg yolk. It seems to take about 45 minutes or longer for the whole process to unfold, a progression of beautiful colors that evolve and change . Twilight is the official name for this period that is neither fully dark nor fully light, though the official definitions make no allowance for the beautiful pink clouds that linger on special days even after the sun is up. <br /><br />I was visiting the lake earlier this winter and heard that there was a beautiful view of the sunrise just down the block from where we were staying. I woke early and bundled up in all my winter gear, grabbed my camera and trudged out into the snow. Indeed, it was beautiful to see the pink, orange and yellow over the frozen lake, to watch the birds gathering at the edge of the ice, and to hear the dawn chorus begin and grow. I was in luck; it was one of those fortuitous mornings with just the right mix of clouds and open sky. The show was impressive, and changed in beautiful ways, each moment beautiful and unique. I took a preposterous number of photos, but when I reviewed them later, I confirmed that each one was stunning and each one was subtly or dramatically different. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-oMt7C5BRKa_E0tuP7x-3xG5Pvz0QtaOAr_TCplDjoSwDUbPG1nZClaI0YkGJg6po5W3VdITZklo3TZC3-wRDtVPjohZM17ZZSDxud4bUrwawWFSQ2jxU5JiGfgfCAS7Vk4lCWAnRA4JWERrVvRMByB0FtNpGMXaZYXWkLSA4dFVjvcHHAO_y7l4/s1876/bird%20watering%20hole%20sunrise.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="1876" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-oMt7C5BRKa_E0tuP7x-3xG5Pvz0QtaOAr_TCplDjoSwDUbPG1nZClaI0YkGJg6po5W3VdITZklo3TZC3-wRDtVPjohZM17ZZSDxud4bUrwawWFSQ2jxU5JiGfgfCAS7Vk4lCWAnRA4JWERrVvRMByB0FtNpGMXaZYXWkLSA4dFVjvcHHAO_y7l4/s320/bird%20watering%20hole%20sunrise.JPG" width="320" /></a>It was, however, also bitter cold, and windy. I had been standing there admiring the beauty for at least half an hour by the time my friend made it out. I could see by my clock and by the fluorescent glow on the bottoms of the clouds closest to the horizon that the sun had probably risen, but had not yet made it over the hills and into view. I remembered from previous sunrises that the long-awaited moment when the sun does appear in its full power is impossible to watch—if you view it for even one second you then have a sun-shaped blob in your vision for a while. I decided to head back inside. My friend urged me to stay – “you’ll miss the best part!” she warned. Despite her warning I headed back toward warmth of the house, casting the occasional backward glance toward the sun. I remembered that sometimes as the sun finally rises, there are beautiful pink colors in the north and west as well. I took some lovely photos of those subtle cotton candy clouds on my way home too. <br /><br />Later, as I sat at my computer and looked at the embarrassing riches of photos documenting that long hour I spent in the cold watching morning begin, I thought to myself “I don’t think I did miss the best part.” <br /><br />Twilight is a rich metaphor for a time of transition, since it is an in-between time -- not-day and not-night but a journey between. Our lives are full of transition times, and right now I imagine many of us are going through some big transitions together. Watching the sunrise (or sunset when I have a nice view of the west) reminds me how beautiful transitions can be, a beauty that is no longer visible once the sun has fully risen, or night has fully come. Whenever the transitions you are experiencing seem endless, and you long to finally arrive in the new future, whatever that may be, I encourage you to remember the beauty of twilight, and as you are able, to notice whatever beauty you can find, to be curious about the unique sights and sounds and feelings of the transitional times. Consider adopting a spiritual practice of inviting your attention into the present moment, noticing the subtle changes as the transition unfolds. Bring your curiosity and a beginner’s mind, keeping an eye out for “best parts” that may reveal themselves along the way.<p><style>@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;}div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlU9pQCRHEIKRndFtfV-rQ4iuxfMvk4JR18wBiViDEHtSW-pU4f4EAvSrAvAp_GS3AX9nkygbE-tnEf2d2RBZZYn9ERB542j14tagfDvd9oTrb4IzNXv7jOT0bN5uwsfApqI5YxL4-N3w-WmBvaOFdABmPyb0xfpKiJTceYaA6UjI-H6fsDtR9D5y/s2177/bird%20sunrise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1225" data-original-width="2177" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlU9pQCRHEIKRndFtfV-rQ4iuxfMvk4JR18wBiViDEHtSW-pU4f4EAvSrAvAp_GS3AX9nkygbE-tnEf2d2RBZZYn9ERB542j14tagfDvd9oTrb4IzNXv7jOT0bN5uwsfApqI5YxL4-N3w-WmBvaOFdABmPyb0xfpKiJTceYaA6UjI-H6fsDtR9D5y/s320/bird%20sunrise.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-84810882643665934362023-01-31T12:54:00.000-08:002023-01-31T12:54:58.476-08:00Permission to Hibernate<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLs098fOVwN4ozErBNxOqYJkBG4xKWcsMDj6OlRFKcNmZOdlTVve40uQF4Tt3N5IY6XaWTNUh4CaVgVex3D2a7q2yrFb0SFwdUMSDq2Wb2Bcy5NDgfGNk5tldNMc_Qi6tYimK5TLYk6e5N3sXOkI_cYYbieftEpPKMqzW_IQPuBp8yolAqhIzgZxs/s1280/winter%20logs%20snow.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLs098fOVwN4ozErBNxOqYJkBG4xKWcsMDj6OlRFKcNmZOdlTVve40uQF4Tt3N5IY6XaWTNUh4CaVgVex3D2a7q2yrFb0SFwdUMSDq2Wb2Bcy5NDgfGNk5tldNMc_Qi6tYimK5TLYk6e5N3sXOkI_cYYbieftEpPKMqzW_IQPuBp8yolAqhIzgZxs/s320/winter%20logs%20snow.jpg" width="320" /></a>As the nights grew longer, I just didn’t have the energy I was used to having. When the sun finally set at 4:30 pm, I was ready for bed. I thought maybe something was wrong with me and explained to a friend that I just wanted let go of all externalities, to make myself very small, pull a blanket over my head and read a book by flashlight. That image brought the “aha” of insight -- this is what the hibernating animals looked like in the children’s book I had been reading. Some instinctual knowing had responded to the dwindling daylight and growing cold with a primal wisdom about seasonal change, and how we mammals survive the winter. </p><p>Modern humans often assume that because we have electric lights and indoor heating seasonal change doesn’t affect us. But year after year I have a subtle feeling of anxiety as fall turns to winter, a sense that “I’ll never get it all done” and a desire to lay it all down and hibernate. As I observe this pattern year after year -- the winter drive towards interiority -- I have begun to reframe this cycle not as a failure to keep the pace of the fall, but as a rhythm uniquely suited for winter that has it’s own value. What if there is wisdom in those pre-industrial instincts? It makes sense in the dark and the cold season to make our world a bit smaller, a bit warmer, to be less physically active as we conserve energy in a season with less light, to consume what we have harvested already, rather than start growing new things. <br /><br />I write this from a region that expects cold, snow and ice in winter. Perhaps you are reading this somewhere else. The spiritual practice is to notice the natural seasons wherever you are right now- really notice the light, the air, the temperature, the moisture. Notice the critters who live near you and their behavior, notice the plants and their seasonal changes. Then notice yourself- are you experiencing changes in body mind or spirit? Are your habits and routines different than they were in the summer? <br /><br />Right now, my inner bear has decided to hibernate. It looked around at the cold and dark and knew just what the season demanded. When I Imagine the activities of fall, of rushing around gathering and building and harvesting, I feel exhausted and discouraged. When I Imagine holing up on my comfy couch under a wool throw and catching up on my reading, it feels just right. We industrials have the idea that we should be able to keep a steady pace of work all year round, but sometimes that denies the wisdom of living in sync with the rhythms of the body, with the natural world, and with the spirit. <br /><br />This year, in addition to the always-challenging seasonal transition, we also experienced another resurgence of the pandemic. At the same time I was overwhelmed with the sad news on all sides, of loved ones dying or sick, of friends’ losses and worries. This season of the spirit asks for a pulling in and hunkering down, a winter of the spirit as well as of nature. Some inner wisdom suggests that if I am spread too thin I can lose myself, lose energy, lose what is important. That image of a warm-blooded animal in a small, insulated space felt possible, felt like I could keep myself, my heart and spirit and body warm. Some of those traditional activities of winter feel just right- reading, storytelling, baking, taking a walk through the snow on a sunny day, then warming myself with a blanket and a hot beverage. What does your body yearn for this season? What does your spirit yearn for? <br /><br />In spring I imagine we will feel a different kind of shift, as the light grows long and the colors of spring delight the eyes. It helps me to know that this desire to hunker down is not for always, just for this season. As a Spiritual Practice for this month, I invite you to notice the seasonal shifts outside and in, and ask “what am I craving right now, and what would it feel like to try that?” Stay alert for signs of change, attuned to the shifting and emerging rhythms of the seasons and of the spirit. Observing the cycles of nature reminds us that our spirits also have seasons, each with it’s own challenges and gifts, and that no matter how dark and cold the winter, no season lasts forever.</p><br /><p><style>@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;}div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-78604368692189059172022-11-22T13:24:00.000-08:002022-11-22T13:24:18.296-08:00Hospitality as Spiritual Practice<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXCN_hCSxxu3QJpL3_pVaCBG9hvKsXCKHqacQM8M2EPGxJovWHMgK3hCZzlgAZ63_nxnHdMv_dzL8TzXEPSlb93nRik4zDg6yrtoye9qVOaT_bSI551mF-ZieQ7mzRKzkgGTyert9zvsvBiiZZBem6C22o6Bm4b3PiFr3UEXp7ds7tekPAdmKDVF6/s2848/Bicentennial%20Weekend%20135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="2136" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXCN_hCSxxu3QJpL3_pVaCBG9hvKsXCKHqacQM8M2EPGxJovWHMgK3hCZzlgAZ63_nxnHdMv_dzL8TzXEPSlb93nRik4zDg6yrtoye9qVOaT_bSI551mF-ZieQ7mzRKzkgGTyert9zvsvBiiZZBem6C22o6Bm4b3PiFr3UEXp7ds7tekPAdmKDVF6/s320/Bicentennial%20Weekend%20135.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>When I started my internship as a parish minister many years ago, I was nervous about the many things I would be doing for the first time, but I was most terrified of the social time after services. Oh the agony of standing on the patio trying not to look uncomfortable, hoping someone would talk with me. I decided, nonetheless, that this was my job now. People expected their minister to make them feel welcome, to play the host. I realized that it was important that I take the risk that visitors might leave saying “boy that Darcey was an odd duck” rather than wondering why no one had approached them, why they felt more lonely after coming to worship than before. And so that first day on the patio I screwed up my courage, deputized myself with the nametag reading “Darcey Laine, Intern Minister” and challenged myself to engage as many strangers as I could. I tried to imagine who might welcome that extra effort. Certainly newcomers deserved a warm welcome. Obviously those who had shared some pain or joy during “caring and sharing” might want a chance to talk further. The children and youth of the congregation needed to feel that the ministers of the congregation are their ministers too. And the list went on. Before long there were so many people I wanted to connect with, that I had hardly gotten started each week before the patio cleared out and I was left to turn out the lights and lock the doors. I understood that hospitality is one of the primary gifts of a community, one member to another. And by stepping boldly into the web of relationships as a host, I felt I truly belonged. <br /><br />Hospitality is seen as an important spiritual practice in just about every religion I know. In his book “The World’s Religions” Huston Smith describes a noble quality of chun tzu. He writes <br /><p></p><blockquote>“Fully adequate, poised, the chun tzu has toward life as a whole the approach of an ideal hostess who is so at home in her surroundings that she is completely realized, and, being so, can turn full attention to putting others at ease…the chun tzu carries these qualities of the ideal host with him through life generally. Armed with a self-respect that generates respect for others, he approaches them wondering not, “What can I get from them” but “What can I do to accommodate them?” </blockquote>How could a practice of hospitality change us? In order to risk extending ourselves, we must first know that we are at home in this world. I believe this logic is reversible as well; if we can act as a host wherever we go, perhaps it will remind us that this world is in fact our home. Our sense of self grows from the small, isolated individual to a larger Self connected in community. <br /><br />Last weekend I attended a big family celebration full of people I don’t know, or see only occasionally. Truth be told these things still make me nervous, but practicing hospitality makes it easier. Instead of wondering “what do these people think of me” I wonder “what would help them feel welcome?” This allowed me to put my own ego aside for a moment. By offering an attitude of hospitality to people who’d traveled from far way, folks who knew even fewer people at the gathering than me, I was able to step out of my critical judging mind and into my heart. In those moments when I was centered in compassion I did feel truly at home. <br /><br />As you move in the world this month, whether you are at a social gathering or at the grocery store, I encourage you to consider one of the oldest and most important spiritual practices- remembering this world is your home, and so making one another feel welcome in this world.<p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-83979656056620932952022-10-20T12:00:00.000-07:002022-10-20T12:00:44.322-07:00What Moves You?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3zY3Aux7g_1ejW01Rv18jeORXMRmGvyBJm1tLNZY57dmoFWVM0_Vrm4IFPc_DMpp4bT3tjNrUDhkQy6iS7uxz1AH-OK8LkHn7qvc2r7llTvEWoxqmW4Q6YozGIHtJUamKnajn8VUCKeRVlf4YYVPkQdeJbjxBpYj2rK-VmYfODJ11IvLzmilYZ0K/s1280/New%20Orleans%20056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3zY3Aux7g_1ejW01Rv18jeORXMRmGvyBJm1tLNZY57dmoFWVM0_Vrm4IFPc_DMpp4bT3tjNrUDhkQy6iS7uxz1AH-OK8LkHn7qvc2r7llTvEWoxqmW4Q6YozGIHtJUamKnajn8VUCKeRVlf4YYVPkQdeJbjxBpYj2rK-VmYfODJ11IvLzmilYZ0K/s320/New%20Orleans%20056.jpg" width="320" /></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Spring 2006 in New Orleans. Months after Katrina, little rebuilding had begun.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>I often wonder -- why does one news story move me to tears or to action, and another, which intellectually I know is important, does not move me the same way? Why might the story of a family fleeing a hurricane wrench my heart when the news is full of other families equally deserving of my sympathy and help? I used to judge myself for all those things I did not feel fully, but now I wonder, maybe it’s okay that I am moved by just a few things, just those things I perhaps am called to see, to feel, to change. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Sometimes people argue about which things we should all be doing to make the world a better place. Perhaps you are seeing some of these discussions on social media right now, or at your own dinner table. Our world is deeply in need of healing, where do we begin? Perhaps the answer is different for each of us. The Christian scriptures use the metaphor of the body: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, … If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as God chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be?” (1 Corinthians 12) <br /><br />When that story on the news, or one your friend tells you on the phone moves you to tears, moves you to say “what can we do about that?” -- what if that is a kind of calling? Just as soundwaves awaken the ear to hear, and perhaps the feet to tap, but have little impact on the eyes, just as digesting a meal involves a complex array of organs, but not the ears, I believe that we are all differently called. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc6jaXyPdS9JRWaewHZSa2T6QNj-9-ZihdGrccJvanEwuZ4iWyiaG85yqWY0Mf-LhLZJOOm1Gp--GzpS4HwKLBeJOvEbAcwQtIafPNjAfB0nT9wDnNZhnbqudseadiezvin3DJZj7UAPCn8oHiMNyO4YpzSgQe5c9vcF6ZIJmrYnY4WmYivSJGNPq/s2848/after%20fire%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="2136" data-original-width="2848" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc6jaXyPdS9JRWaewHZSa2T6QNj-9-ZihdGrccJvanEwuZ4iWyiaG85yqWY0Mf-LhLZJOOm1Gp--GzpS4HwKLBeJOvEbAcwQtIafPNjAfB0nT9wDnNZhnbqudseadiezvin3DJZj7UAPCn8oHiMNyO4YpzSgQe5c9vcF6ZIJmrYnY4WmYivSJGNPq/s320/after%20fire%202.jpg" width="320" /></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>2007 Yellowstone regrows after devastating fire<br /><br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;">I happen to be a person who is moved by trees. The site of a clear-cut forest wrings my heart. Lots of folks don’t really notice trees, and have other worries that wring their hearts. Someone once asked me “how can we worry about the environment when there are these other more urgent issues?” I pondered that for a while until finally I discerned that it was good for one person in the community to remember about trees, to notice the trees, and speak of their importance and needs whenever decisions are being made in our community. There are so many of us, and so many things that need our attention. What if our community, our world is like a body that needs all of us to function, and needs us not to do exactly the same thing, but to do that thing which we are most suited or situated to do? You know that neighbor that can feed 200 hungry people at the drop of the hat? That friend that seems to understand how laws moves through the legislature? That parent at the grocery store who seems to have infinite patience for the challenges of his 2 year old? The body of community needs them, and it needs you too, whatever your unique gifts and resources might be. So I encourage you to notice what stories grab your heart, what news makes you feel restless, what need in your community stir your heart, that each may discern how the spirit is calling to each.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yj4PtLVA0bjloBTRmg5Sba7wCnHg3SjdXm_AyoosdWB2TGgSklDiSNYqCWBvWaIkBO1pM3jQC38qIX0mPaVG4F-YM-zL-rMIw4Fs-om7dbyPVKZahIEBjInoGJd8Cmg9dHvKnPElU-f49fWZv9rg2vyRQwC4ZPZTLIuW_O1Z9FJsqs3EVV3YOR32/s1166/Nick%20tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="875" data-original-width="1166" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yj4PtLVA0bjloBTRmg5Sba7wCnHg3SjdXm_AyoosdWB2TGgSklDiSNYqCWBvWaIkBO1pM3jQC38qIX0mPaVG4F-YM-zL-rMIw4Fs-om7dbyPVKZahIEBjInoGJd8Cmg9dHvKnPElU-f49fWZv9rg2vyRQwC4ZPZTLIuW_O1Z9FJsqs3EVV3YOR32/s320/Nick%20tree.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My son Nick, moved with delight as he touches a towering old growth tree in Yosemite.<br /><br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-82170407476397327032022-09-28T10:49:00.001-07:002022-09-28T10:49:05.606-07:00When will it feel like enough?<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAplk-aqhxdATxCQZiIKdC4bKgtA3R9DJygRq3ZyIg333OaNJbn2nBVW5WYjaWJs8XemXBqW8j19xFE4f6O2aLQY-HRV9qy814W23ZaGuHJ--3PZGqaXx5DH6Zu9Lj7AwfPfC0CBzDzcJCCTEYA2sXAz-mA02ueXfikw56gBm_Ji7okzJoGBAr8Soz/s1920/Fall%20004.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAplk-aqhxdATxCQZiIKdC4bKgtA3R9DJygRq3ZyIg333OaNJbn2nBVW5WYjaWJs8XemXBqW8j19xFE4f6O2aLQY-HRV9qy814W23ZaGuHJ--3PZGqaXx5DH6Zu9Lj7AwfPfC0CBzDzcJCCTEYA2sXAz-mA02ueXfikw56gBm_Ji7okzJoGBAr8Soz/s320/Fall%20004.jpg" width="180" /></a><i> “The world is too much with us; late and soon,<br /> Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;” </i><br /><br />These words of the great poet William Wordsworth have rung in my mind lately. Fall can be such a busy time as farmers and gardeners bring in the harvest, as our children and teachers go back to school, as the pace of our jobs and volunteer work picks up, as we begin to prepare for winter holidays. <br /><br />I pull out the winter clothing bin to make sure the boots still fit, and everyone in the family has both gloves. The coupons and advertisements fill up the mailbox, coaxing me to do a little more fall shopping. At these prices, isn’t it time to stock up for the coming season? The coupons share a pile on the table with the fliers which come home from school daily listing all the genuinely wonderful opportunities for children and families. <br /><br /> I want to learn to say “Enough!” and mean it. But my son could use 1 more pair of jeans in his size, and it’s true my wool coat is getting a little worn, and weren’t there some holes in my wool socks long about last March? And let’s not even start talking about how full our calendars are- I’ve still got a Wednesday free after Thanksgiving, we can talk about it then. <br /><br />Now let’s take a moment to remember there are plenty of folks right here in our community who don’t have enough to eat, who are desperately looking for affordable housing. Certainly if you are struggling to meet your basic needs your spirit has other challenges. But for all of us lucky enough to have a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food on our table, “what is enough?” is a meaningful question. A study out of Princeton University shows that being rich does not make one happier than being middle class folks who can take care of their basic needs. <br /><br />Buddhism tells us that it is Tanha, or desire, that leads to suffering. Instead of focusing on what we have, instead of being present with the people who are with us, we think about what we don’t have, what we could have. It is hard to notice a beautiful fall day when we are trying to cram in one more errand. <br /><br />I started to become dissatisfied with the way my mind fills up with lists of things to do, and things to buy. My mind was caught in a loop that would go on all day if I let it. I decided that when I caught myself in those never-ending lists, I would say a short prayer. Here are 2 that I like: <br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>From the Hindu tradition, we can say “Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti” which is the chant for peace in one’s self and in the world. </li><li>From the Christian Tradition, we can say “God give me peace” or “Dona Nobis Pacem” </li></ul><p>But you can use any small prayer of your own that brings you back to yourself, and allows you to turn off the list of things you need. <br /><br /> Now when my mind is worrying and fighting about all that I need to do, all that I need to acquire, I say one of these brief prayers, and it interrupts this cycle of wanting. It reminds me of that peaceful place inside my self where I can finally say “enough”</p><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-32812269947653873732022-08-18T11:55:00.000-07:002022-08-18T11:55:33.517-07:00The Path of the Heart<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:RelyOnVML/>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="false"
DefSemiHidden="false" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="376">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Mention"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Smart Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hashtag"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Unresolved Mention"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Smart Link"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]--><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHWpSAEj9eB_9tCpyY6-wKTfc0YrOvKgTOnbUxkjfwtrGw8VL2ETmHHE8EAFRD5_Hs8q6KcR7Ovp8KVNrKpDsiOZa9Zo0OjgkXDxPKSjcCOEqp46ZYhIvrCTrSfp8VBi104OvRGj9wOhWDwhbp-64HJ7N7jAbU5GEdcO44KpJyZc1paFu46GpnoO1/s1280/waldo!.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHWpSAEj9eB_9tCpyY6-wKTfc0YrOvKgTOnbUxkjfwtrGw8VL2ETmHHE8EAFRD5_Hs8q6KcR7Ovp8KVNrKpDsiOZa9Zo0OjgkXDxPKSjcCOEqp46ZYhIvrCTrSfp8VBi104OvRGj9wOhWDwhbp-64HJ7N7jAbU5GEdcO44KpJyZc1paFu46GpnoO1/s320/waldo!.JPG" width="320" /></a>When I was in seminary, I had a lot of questions about the nature of the divine, and the meaning of life. Fortunately, my advisor was <a href="https://www.sksm.edu/2017/07/14/remembering-bob-kimball/">Rev. Bob Kimball</a>, the professor of theology. I would ask my questions with some angst, and often he would change the subject to my sweet little dog Waldo whom I loved so much. My husband and I had adopted him when we first moved in together. My husband had never had a dog before, and though I grew up in a family with dogs, this was the first dog who I was fully responsible for. We were constantly amazed at how wonderful he was, and how much we loved him. When Professor Kimball would bring up Waldo, I thought he was just trying to cheer me up, to give me something positive to think about. As I grew spiritually, I began to understand that he was trying to show me a path to the divine. I had been using my reason, my mind to try to figure out the Divine, and he was suggesting I use my heart. He was suggesting that in my search for the divine I should go towards whatever felt like the sensation of Love I had for little Waldo. <br /><br />Have you ever loved someone like that? I sure hope you have had a chance to love someone with your whole heart, which to me felt tender and sweet. Sometimes our love for the people in our lives is complicated. Sure, I love my husband, but often amid the complexity of living together, taking care of a household together, there are lots of feelings and textures that make up that love. The love we had for our Waldo had a simplicity and a clarity to it that was easy to follow. I’ve heard grandparents often feel that way towards their grandchildren. I know my love for my son, though also complex, is strong and unconditional. <br /><br />Recently I have once again found myself with a lot of questions about God, about the meaning of life, and our role as humans within it. The questioning only leads to more questions. I remembered my old teacher’s advice -- to set aside the questioning, and focus instead on love- the simple love we had for Waldo. I am learning to use that feeling, that particular quality an almost physical sensation of unconditional love, as a homing beacon, to notice where else that feeling is available, where it is evident. This inquiry of the heart helps us find our way back to love, and love leads us to the divine. <br /><br />This path of the heart is not something my professor invented; it is present in many religious traditions. In the Christian scriptures Jesus, when asked what the most important commandment is, invites us to “love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) . In the Uddhava Gita from the Hindu tradition, Uddhava asks his teacher Krishna: “Which is the best path in man’s journey to God?" Krishna answers, “Uddhava, my child, there are many ways to attain the Supreme. Each of them leads to the knowledge of God beyond scriptures or creeds. By love, or by inward control of the mind, by faith, or by wisdom, by serving mankind—all these have been taught as the way to reach God, but the best way of all is devotional love.” <br /><br />It is not uncommon in such tumultuous times as we are living in to question beliefs that have served you your whole life, to find even basic meaning making structures no longer serve. If you find yourself in a quagmire of questions and doubts, know that the path of love is always available. It is simple and profound, challenging but open to every seeker. </p><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-53967279025138629122022-06-01T05:47:00.000-07:002022-06-01T05:47:24.757-07:00How Can We Know What is Right?<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCO33Hpr0NeD2Ig36Iox9NZ8xTQeRyQTXFrc3CPT6CEV-6gibcMy-DX0yMPjOxYv_TlpGOHzZrwXY0K_SnU1B-02uD0eeBUjyqnD99O_Yf_XslS0ZroIW_ubiTBvpILMqgETa2S2UsrYl9zIy8rtA5G-WXHze5DuHtaa-J-6yE28flQ0ak48028gtY/s1280/wl%20buddha.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCO33Hpr0NeD2Ig36Iox9NZ8xTQeRyQTXFrc3CPT6CEV-6gibcMy-DX0yMPjOxYv_TlpGOHzZrwXY0K_SnU1B-02uD0eeBUjyqnD99O_Yf_XslS0ZroIW_ubiTBvpILMqgETa2S2UsrYl9zIy8rtA5G-WXHze5DuHtaa-J-6yE28flQ0ak48028gtY/s320/wl%20buddha.JPG" width="320" /></a>When I took my first meditation class, the teacher gave us a list of ethical precepts. She said, “this list is from my religious tradition. You may be from a different tradition with different ethical precepts. The important thing is not that you follow this list, but that you have your own ethical code, and that you follow it. If you do the deep work of meditation and are not acting in alignment with your own integrity, it will bring pain and difficulty on your spiritual path.” <br /><br />How can we know what is right? One way to go is to follow the law. The 10 commandments are a good start, but they don’t provide guidance for every situation. The Torah contains 613 laws. The US Congress adds an average of over 6,900 pages of new public laws each year. Certainly, knowing and following the law is a good idea. This is the agreement we have made with other citizens of the US. Following the law keeps us safe from legal punishment and keeps the society heading in a shared direction determined by our elected decision makers. But we all know that some unethical things are not illegal. Owning and enslaving people was legal in this country for centuries. Sexual harassment was not illegal until the 1970s. Simply following the law does not mean we are making the most ethical choice we can make. <br /><br />How can we know what is right? We might ask “what is normal in my community today?” Years ago, I rolled my grocery cart out of the store without noticing the case of soda on the bottom of the cart that I had not paid for. When I got to my car, I realized my mistake. I brought my soda back into the store to pay for it. I thought I would just go right to the cashier and pay her, but of course now there was a line. I waited until it was my turn and received eye rolls from the cashier and from other customers. Why was I wasting everyone’s time to pay the $2.50 for the soda? I told this story to a group of folks and they agreed “no one does that” or “most people wouldn’t do that.” This is the problem with using the community standard as a test for ethics- “what most people do” is not “what is the most ethical thing to do.” Often there are more ethical options if we look. <br /><br />Once during an “Introduction to Buddhism” course, classmates brought to our discussion a proposed law that was being debated in the state where we lived. It seemed to us students a very complex issue. The Monk said, “it’s quite simple- it’s a matter of compassion.” We were all shocked. But budgets! But complex politics! “Simple compassion” responded the monk, and as he said it, the dust cleared, and we all saw what the most compassionate solution would be. </p><p>This is hard for our human brains to handle. Scientists have shown that it is very difficult for us to believe one thing if we are doing a different thing. It’s called “Cognitive dissonance” and eventually it must be resolved because it is so uncomfortable. The way it usually resolves is that we decide that what we are doing must be ethical, because we are good people, and we wouldn’t do something unethical. But the spiritual path is full of paradox. We are imperfect beings on this journey, and sometimes with the best of intentions we will harm others, we will do things that are ethically grey, we will make mistakes. We will compromise because don’t want to disrupt the peace of community. We have all faced choices where no outcome is perfect. The spiritual path asks us to hold all those things in our attention-- to take an honest look at what we do, to notice when it misses the mark, to change when we can to bring our action into closer alignment with our integrity, to ask forgiveness from others, and to stay present with our shortcomings even when they are uncomfortable. <br /><br />I’ve often relied on Walter Burghardt‘s definition of spiritual contemplation “the long loving look at the real.” As we seek an ethical path in life, we can start by simply taking a good long look at what is real. What are we really doing? How does it really impact others? We look lovingly and compassionately at ourselves, knowing we are imperfect and have only a partial view. We look lovingly at those our actions impact. Being a person of ethical integrity is not something that happens all at once and is perfect forever. Being a person of integrity is something we live anew each day. It is a powerful spiritual practice. And it makes all our other spiritual practices possible. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMhjhHsKSx4TkiOHsbq9UYnopj5dl_tqpy9_5XDxkiwfCwQe0PlJ7lchep7VWouwORt_oe2avFqrQSNRHXqJ5n8ACXI2tiCMemZ80_CHIIENwee7bad_-znEflmC9l4-VYrjEVfkKymbLP5sCv5C4XwHXYeYjCW-osaoVp6kCZrWMEW9L3CqQEgfF/s3023/garden%20path.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1704" data-original-width="3023" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMhjhHsKSx4TkiOHsbq9UYnopj5dl_tqpy9_5XDxkiwfCwQe0PlJ7lchep7VWouwORt_oe2avFqrQSNRHXqJ5n8ACXI2tiCMemZ80_CHIIENwee7bad_-znEflmC9l4-VYrjEVfkKymbLP5sCv5C4XwHXYeYjCW-osaoVp6kCZrWMEW9L3CqQEgfF/s320/garden%20path.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-56949097197242920032022-04-12T12:20:00.001-07:002022-04-30T05:37:35.725-07:00What Endures?<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebY66r-4zJP_VhwED-34tBW6LXzplaaKL2XiEoocGptUPmbFKqS154G36fL2Jo8dtl9EFjx7eoQXTZZQwADC2CcG7dxUFFkEj_s4lUCH_OnqhnYYxmIn87l9fz96KUpmG4QyaDKb0_OOv8zkpjXcnoLlzSzun1QdApKyyRsAtBNBRGDxWqznmbULP/s4032/IMG_3192.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebY66r-4zJP_VhwED-34tBW6LXzplaaKL2XiEoocGptUPmbFKqS154G36fL2Jo8dtl9EFjx7eoQXTZZQwADC2CcG7dxUFFkEj_s4lUCH_OnqhnYYxmIn87l9fz96KUpmG4QyaDKb0_OOv8zkpjXcnoLlzSzun1QdApKyyRsAtBNBRGDxWqznmbULP/s320/IMG_3192.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Recently I went to visit a friend and noticed that her beautiful hand woven rug was gone. It turns out, hidden under the bookcases moths had been gradually eating away at it for years. Professional rug cleaners told her the wool rug was irreparably damaged, and that she should look now to saving the smaller wool rugs she had around the house. This shook her. These beautiful rugs she had loved were being silently eaten away, and now were un-salvageable. She said “have you ever noticed how often moths are mentioned in scripture?” I looked it up myself when I got home. For example, the book of Matthew says: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” One way of looking at the spiritual journey is this simple- is there anything that neither rust nor moths can destroy, that thieves cannot steal? [<a href="http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=516791152">Matthew 6:19</a>] <br /><br />Our society values work very highly, and specifically our culture values material success- a large salary, a prestigious job title. The Buddhist precept of “right livelihood” <a href="https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/right-livelihood">encourages us</a> “to engage in <a href="https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/compassion-action">compassionate activity</a>, and to make [our] living in a way that does not cause harm and that is ethically positive.” At the most elemental level, this involves choosing an ethical type of work- Assassin, for example, that’s an easy one to rule out. But even if we have chosen work in an ethical field, whether paid or unpaid, we must continue to ask -- do we do our work each day in an ethical, honest, compassionate way? <br /><br />Then we apply the moth test. My congregation volunteers as part of the “food for thought” program, where kids with food insecurity can take home a backpack full of food over the weekends. That is surely a compassionate activity. But no matter how many times we help with the backpack program, there will still be hungry kids. Nothing we build will last forever. Even the great architectural wonders of Rome, the great Empires crumble. According to Huston Smith, the Hindu practice of Karma yoga is not, as we often say in the west, about doing kind and generous acts, but in fact is about doing any kind of work with a detachment from the outcomes. Can we build the new building with equanimity knowing that it will one day crumble? Can we fill the backpacks knowing we have not cured hunger? Can we write that report our boss asked for knowing that no one is ever actually going to read it? The Hindu scripture the Bhagavad-Gita (IV:1) says: “he who does the task dictated by duty caring nothing for the fruit of action, he is a yogi” <br /><br />Whenever we experience a setback in our work, it is a huge blow to the ego. We feel like we played the game of life and we lost. At the moment when we lose a job, or don’t get into the college we most wanted, our simply have a low turnout at the event we planned, this is an invitation ask “what is the meaning of my life when my plan is shredded and torn, when I have not achieved in my work what I hoped to achieve? Am I more than my work and my accomplishments?” <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWS3Z-3E2hvaYcg3hNQUOZK_zhXCzdML2OsAbXd1vTB6JuoHD7wrwMGjfB_8uPRcZAYoHyKo6U2Enr7S3EYY4htAs2oDeOPSjoj1oCuEgnXDE9thwsRNuttC8Y0jlru6XyIj45emygCmha16TAs5vg_8jdJHolOINO9sZLW5Drr1UmyrJEy0LzHA_/s2048/Last%20Harvest%20(2).jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWS3Z-3E2hvaYcg3hNQUOZK_zhXCzdML2OsAbXd1vTB6JuoHD7wrwMGjfB_8uPRcZAYoHyKo6U2Enr7S3EYY4htAs2oDeOPSjoj1oCuEgnXDE9thwsRNuttC8Y0jlru6XyIj45emygCmha16TAs5vg_8jdJHolOINO9sZLW5Drr1UmyrJEy0LzHA_/s320/Last%20Harvest%20(2).jpg" width="320" /></a>So the path of karma yoga is not about finally ending hunger, but loosening the grasp of the ego, and finding the Self that is unchanging whether or not our work is ever completed. What feels like a failure to the ego, is an opening for the soul, a separation between what we achieve and the larger nature of ourselves. Even in profound disappointment, in the discomfort of uncertainty and not being in control, it can be such a relief to see that I am not my work, I am not my job or my bank account, I am something much more expansive. And each time we put our hands to a task, we are all on that journey.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><p></p><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-82615289601696577842022-03-29T14:20:00.000-07:002022-03-29T14:20:38.051-07:00Emerging <div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-Za2XoBG08OCwRlAdVGgD-5k-ZHfeWxesjo-gFdzBkbGQURKFXv4B86wcX5mbd-oOmOVccNiLA-iXhJmizZkYLK-QD5PzO0t3oniLFsBAC80a6L1wsPJPwrTAEfIAP-RTbzJJJEtoS-oQvicfryhxsmYNutJs7jLYEaeALstAvDWm4g2_ZVz_y1c/s2848/DSCF7068.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2136" data-original-width="2848" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-Za2XoBG08OCwRlAdVGgD-5k-ZHfeWxesjo-gFdzBkbGQURKFXv4B86wcX5mbd-oOmOVccNiLA-iXhJmizZkYLK-QD5PzO0t3oniLFsBAC80a6L1wsPJPwrTAEfIAP-RTbzJJJEtoS-oQvicfryhxsmYNutJs7jLYEaeALstAvDWm4g2_ZVz_y1c/s320/DSCF7068.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Every spring I watch the first flowers out my window. My early irises and the crocuses who bravely came up first are done with blooming already. The daffodils take longer, because they have longer to grow, and don’t do a well with the unexpected spring snows. So goes the progression of spring flowers, through the tulips and bleeding hearts and other flowers who love the extra sun before the trees leaf out, and count on the lack of competition from the summer flowers who don’t have their built in antifreeze. My Morning Glories won’t even sprout until late June, and it isn’t until the full sun of July that it is their turn to grow inches a day, and cover my trellises with heart shaped green leaves and purple flowers. <br /><br />Every spring as the days grow longer and the spring flowers push up through the soil, I realize “I haven’t seen my friends in forever- do I still have friends?” And as the days warm it becomes a worry, “why don’t I get out more? What have I been doing all winter?” And every spring I remember, eventually, that in this part of the world it’s normal for humans to do a bit of hibernating in the winter, and that spring lures us back out into the sunshine in our own good time, and back to one another. <br /><br />This year, the spring drama is overlayed with the ongoing covid pandemic. We have been more cloistered than usual this winter, especially those of us who work or study from home or are retired. In the same way that I feel out of shape the first creaky time I get back on my bike each spring, I feel like I am currently out of shape for being with other humans. I’ve heard many people talking about an increased social anxiety- our social muscles have atrophied a bit, and we are worried we won’t remember how to do it, when we finally get together. “I’ve gone feral” one friend told me- and I realized I felt the same way. I’ve put most of my energy into my inner life, feelings, hopes, worries, and very little attention to my outer life, although I do try to straighten my backdrop and check my hair before I join a Zoom gathering. <br /><br />As difficult as this time has been, there are things we may miss, or worry about losing from our long year of covid. I know that although I miss my friends and family terribly, I have settled into a comfortable routine with my husband and our dog. In fact, a silver lining of working at home is that my older dog has some medical problems, and because I am working from home, I am always close by to make sure he is cared for. I even have house plants that need water every day- no big deal when working from home, the plants have been a great joy and distraction during this time, and it’s easy to notice when they need water and make sure they have it. A couple retired friends who live alone tell me they have settled into the quiet of their covid household and are surprised to find they will miss it. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJL9qEkqnxZKKM3uova_5E2ERlONXMuS72p1bF77DW7guI9BX83CXyeOzzmX_vYDxCYul76AiAXBLT9lYfUzDu6IorHwEIrIgQsl0c1fU2buyjmMJAIgf5oCugrTzpJnylXInjCpFr9BVUUlgVbGesDKwatrQKx6A4Y8qYBcsr9mzc0-7h0WJLOeBe/s4032/IMG_2756.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJL9qEkqnxZKKM3uova_5E2ERlONXMuS72p1bF77DW7guI9BX83CXyeOzzmX_vYDxCYul76AiAXBLT9lYfUzDu6IorHwEIrIgQsl0c1fU2buyjmMJAIgf5oCugrTzpJnylXInjCpFr9BVUUlgVbGesDKwatrQKx6A4Y8qYBcsr9mzc0-7h0WJLOeBe/s320/IMG_2756.JPG" width="320" /></a><p>Though I sigh with relief and joy every year to see the first crocus blooms, I worry with them through the inevitable snow falls of early spring- a snow at the wrong time can ruin the blooms, and no bee will come out to pollinate flowers in a snowstorm. So even though we humans have been waiting to return to “normal” for over 2 years, it’s healthy to have worries and reservations about the coming transition. It might help to remember that really there is no rush. The spring flowers know this. If you watch the tulips, you will see that though they seem to grow inches in a single sunny day, when the late snow and frost comes they will stop their growth just as quickly, and can hover at that same height until the warm sunny days return. The return to normal won’t happen overnight, it will grow in fits and starts like the spring foliage. And like a spring garden, each year is like no other. This very strange spring be easy with yourself. It’s okay to open slowly to the returning sun. Trust your own inner wisdom, bloom at your own pace.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdgk3fS9jkAv8VL-aUJDAYpbPIecilKyLOmLrESF9dtEQOMpX83OoFrU-m2wTDVRjQrnYw-hfK3NUGRd45ilLthR2JzZfysUAT9EMgciJNny1pL2bGjAf88yaqvp8led_cjhKL9bOQe3ut0NodY8Fmpsu0xW653AS7Q50vwkbbh1rEUYH2LGLR_vM/s4032/IMG_3022.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLdgk3fS9jkAv8VL-aUJDAYpbPIecilKyLOmLrESF9dtEQOMpX83OoFrU-m2wTDVRjQrnYw-hfK3NUGRd45ilLthR2JzZfysUAT9EMgciJNny1pL2bGjAf88yaqvp8led_cjhKL9bOQe3ut0NodY8Fmpsu0xW653AS7Q50vwkbbh1rEUYH2LGLR_vM/s320/IMG_3022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p> <br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-79070766824662974832022-03-09T13:04:00.002-08:002022-03-09T13:12:42.030-08:00Prioritizing Presence <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlGChnkeNSxLc1ms1g3sUBsoQojHokY2dRQsosrBKXOX2aqmzQ5_T5UPiROH7_KKfWBmcNsgfgl5-rqI2FGMx90i-CuSFQgibeH646n18n4jXOX66XS6VXGI-WatLq0tHwKnW0B4EId4Y5KOJFo3E113bHnVZtOGlEvP2XYB-DKjwu4TqsAG-cUU4R=s3264" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1840" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlGChnkeNSxLc1ms1g3sUBsoQojHokY2dRQsosrBKXOX2aqmzQ5_T5UPiROH7_KKfWBmcNsgfgl5-rqI2FGMx90i-CuSFQgibeH646n18n4jXOX66XS6VXGI-WatLq0tHwKnW0B4EId4Y5KOJFo3E113bHnVZtOGlEvP2XYB-DKjwu4TqsAG-cUU4R=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br />For several years I’ve been part of a reflection group with other spiritual directors. At our first gathering we talked about what we wanted out of our time together and someone suggested we “prioritize quality of presence” when we were together. Everyone agreed- our priority was not getting a lot done, or even learning new things, but being fully present with one another so that we would feel supported and heard. Each month as we begin our gathering the quality feels a bit different: some months we are tired and energy is low, some months we are all busy and overwhelmed. Then we remember what we want our time together to feel like- loving, contemplative, caring. No matter how we feel as the gathering begins, by the end of our time we have found that quality together. I would even say that the quality of presence we hold for one another feels sacred. That is why we come back, month after month, year after year. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlXItwsYRKR3AHvOPr1GAMhPj0hnJU0-05n37ZgyyVOfYEvabzeFsXDjkKwPScpBI9gdoOwYV7rFnTmJ-YBPKdmOGirAclk5xZvsbZzmmF3DdugTQu6BwaF3IOOIWx2_CvEm_OhWLyIt1yNP1hOdUAHSTVIXb5KJJCfvYVik0n5KMPCJSpiOCYWsqF=s640" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlXItwsYRKR3AHvOPr1GAMhPj0hnJU0-05n37ZgyyVOfYEvabzeFsXDjkKwPScpBI9gdoOwYV7rFnTmJ-YBPKdmOGirAclk5xZvsbZzmmF3DdugTQu6BwaF3IOOIWx2_CvEm_OhWLyIt1yNP1hOdUAHSTVIXb5KJJCfvYVik0n5KMPCJSpiOCYWsqF=s320" width="240" /></a></div>Imagine you have built a guest room in your house. It has a comfy bed, a sunny window with a lovely view. You make up the bed and even put a chocolate on the pillow, but chances are if you don’t invite our family and friends, it will most likely remain empty. If we want companionship, we have to invite that into our lives. Moreover, we can all probably remember an unpleasant visit to a place that was orderly and clean. Yes, a lovely guest room will definitely encourage guests to return, and increase their comfort while they visit, but that warm feeling of “home” comes not from a good floor-plan, but from those subtle qualities we feel while we are in it- safety, love, connection. If we don’t fill our homes with love and connection and caring, there is no premium bedding that can create those feelings for us. <br /><br />When I was a new minister, I worked hard on creating well thought out well written sermons, and did lots of research, but sometimes my best planned services would fall flat. I would say now that they were hollow, like a beautiful house that no one lives in. The sermons felt flat because I didn’t put myself into them, my heart, my spirit. A teacher once told me “if you want the spirit in your life, you have to invite the spirit into your life.” If I want to feel compassion and support, the best thing I can do is invite the qualities of compassion and support into this moment. <br /><br />Now when I am at a gathering of any kind that doesn’t feel right, I ask myself -- what is my quality of presence? Am I distracted and scattered, or am I cultivating a quality of presence that feels good? Instead of bustling about the proverbial kitchen stressed about making a perfect feast, anxious that each dish be perfect, and assuming that once the feast is on the table I will feel peaceful and content because my work is done, I imagine what it feels to be truly welcomed as a guest, the kind of hospitality that makes you feel safe and welcome and cared for, and cultivate that quality with the same priority as the main course. Because in fact that quality of hospitality is the main course. <br /><br />“If you want the spirit in your life, you have to invite the spirit.” We are used to thinking that happiness or peace or enlightenment will come when we have made conditions right, when our life is orderly and successful. As if the spirit wouldn’t be with us if we were sad, or discouraged, or confused. If feeling supported and inspired is what I need, I let go of everything my scattered attention has caught, and just be present -- be the thing I am hungry for. <br /><br /> If there is some quality you are craving in your life, I encourage you to invite it into your life right now, without waiting to achieve your goals, or creating the perfect space. Prioritize that quality of presence, invite that quality you most need into your life. Not every guest comes when we invite them, but a gracious invitation is always a good place to begin.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-26843624371267618832022-02-16T10:31:00.002-08:002022-02-16T10:46:23.344-08:00A Simple Cup of Tea<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGu2qH_PAcgj2AXHdirtQ1MsawEl00nmtO3nY5kib5ZmtpYNKx8UOBuqtZ5MobugHUCK8RgQrsY7UKV9T50lz_u_SrqdoC9mzvZt149NJLUmh5OwmKxFmnYGni06psUiBbJ9GlYw1FCNOJs8xC34RB65gA0oBD3NuU2M-stlZEgJkca5qtugOngh-b=s1898" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1898" data-original-width="1898" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGu2qH_PAcgj2AXHdirtQ1MsawEl00nmtO3nY5kib5ZmtpYNKx8UOBuqtZ5MobugHUCK8RgQrsY7UKV9T50lz_u_SrqdoC9mzvZt149NJLUmh5OwmKxFmnYGni06psUiBbJ9GlYw1FCNOJs8xC34RB65gA0oBD3NuU2M-stlZEgJkca5qtugOngh-b=s320" width="320" /></a></div>During a difficult time in my life, I asked my Spiritual Director for a practice that might help. She recommended “a simple cup of tea.” I was, at the time, scattered and overwhelmed, so I could see why she thought sitting quietly and doing something simple might help. But it wasn’t until I was on retreat sometime later that I began to understand the gifts of the practice. <br /><br />I had made a habit of sitting by the window in the morning- looking out at the birds while I ate my breakfast and drank my tea. I would often bring my journal and write a bit as well. As the mornings passed, and I became more centered and focused, I noticed that while I was watching the birds, I wasn’t truly paying attention to my tea- I would make it, and let it cool, and sometimes even drink it, but I wasn’t really paying attention to and enjoying my tea. One morning while I was gazing at the birds my tea had gotten cold, and I had missed the whole thing! <br /><br />I decided to start over and put all my attention into drinking a cup of tea. What had seemed like a pretty simple combination- drinking tea, noticing the birds, and jotting in my journal, began to seem like too much multi-tasking. To truly “drink a cup of tea” I needed to pay attention- first, I wanted to catch the moment when the tea had gone from boiling hot to “just right.” I realized the best way to do that was to hold it in my hands and realized that having a cup of tea in one’s hands on a cold day is its own joy. I prefer my tea when it’s still too hot to chug -- just cool enough not to burn myself, but still warming. Drinking a cup of tea at just the right temperature requires attention and patience. <br /><br />To really savor the tea also requires attention, or the whole cup will be gone before we’ve ever really tasted a single mouthful. It can be a lovely practice to enjoy the warmth and flavor of each sip, and notice the warming feeling that spreads to the body until the last sip is gone. <br /><br />I’ll be honest, when I’m not on retreat, my attention doesn’t last through the whole process, but I am glad whenever I remember to savor the feeling of the warm mug in my cold hands, whenever I remember to stop whatever else I am doing and really enjoy a sip or two when the tea is just the right temperature. <br /><br />I invite you to try this practice during the remaining<br /> cold days of winter. Find a favorite mug, one that feels good in your hands. Find a comfy place to sit, and something quiet to gaze at, like birds at the feeder, or trees rustling in the breeze (for me a video or a book is too distracting to really enjoy my tea, but see what works for you). See what you notice from the moment you pour the water over your tea bag, (coffee drinks work too- choose your favorite!) until the mug is empty. Enjoy the warmth of the mug as you wait for it to be just right and once it is, savor as you drink each sip. Spiritual practices don’t have to be complicated to be rewarding. Let me suggest a simple cup of tea. <br /><br /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-32458109919626515442022-01-04T11:34:00.004-08:002022-01-04T11:34:55.524-08:00At Our Own Pace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFDfu2K9GbAdb6mNTrHKSaq-g15gchApEC2a1PcbLdAAXjNAs8Q86bAVd37g49Y3n2mXFExLviM0opqmRdTqy1J0inB5TM1SNtES2u0xAsAM9jeuINzFO1T-zxS5cFRnnGEDYIHkwhDxUxVRYSKIhiTK7bHXsxCEdmXard1uJwm9OOG4Hs137YvFFS=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFDfu2K9GbAdb6mNTrHKSaq-g15gchApEC2a1PcbLdAAXjNAs8Q86bAVd37g49Y3n2mXFExLviM0opqmRdTqy1J0inB5TM1SNtES2u0xAsAM9jeuINzFO1T-zxS5cFRnnGEDYIHkwhDxUxVRYSKIhiTK7bHXsxCEdmXard1uJwm9OOG4Hs137YvFFS=s320" width="320" /></a><br /></div><br /> The Labyrinth journey is an ancient spiritual practice which has touched many people in recent years. You find labyrinths in churches, like the famous one in the Chartres Cathedral, but also in backyards and public parks. One moves through the simple, winding path as a form of moving meditation or prayer. The first time I ever walked a labyrinth our leader was a religious educator- responsible for the children’s program at a local church. She mentioned that when children entered the labyrinth they always ran. I had only ever seen people walking a labyrinth slowly and quietly and I assumed this was the proper way to do it. But as someone who tended the spiritual lives of children, she wisely understood that it’s not always effective for kids to emulate adults in their spiritual practices, but to follow the path that is natural to them. That was almost 20 years ago, and the idea has grown in me; that we all walk the labyrinth at our own pace. <br /><br /> Many spiritual traditions extol the benefits of being still and quiet. At this time in my life, I find 20 minutes on a meditation cushion to be a refreshing break from my busy work life. But it certainly wasn’t always so. When I was younger I dreaded sitting in quiet meditation. Then I stumbled across a vigorous yoga style called Ashtanga, where the teacher mentioned the goal of this practice was preparation for meditation. It worked for me- I found there was nothing like 90 minutes of vigorous, mindful activity to prepare myself to sit quietly. <br /><br /> If you are someone who can’t get comfortable with spiritual practices that are quiet and still, don’t despair- it may be that you are just suited to a different kind of practice. As we enter the New Year, I encourage you to explore something new. I feel confident there is a practice out there that suits your unique rhythms. If you don’t like to sit, walk. If you can’t walk, run. What matters is your intention. Whenever you begin your practice, dedicate that time to listening for the spirit, to opening your heart to the divine. Let your practice be child-like; run or dance or play as the spirit moves. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-5528825964226507462021-11-30T13:26:00.000-08:002021-11-30T13:26:51.328-08:00Rest and DigestIf you’ve ever taken a yoga class, you have probably experienced “savasana”- which just means laying on your back for a few minutes. My old yoga teacher used to say that it was “the most important and the most challenging yoga pose for Americans.” And indeed, when I first started practicing yoga, I felt restless, and had trouble relaxing when we practiced that pose. It also felt like a waste of time. Gradually it dawned on me, that taking a few moments to just be still, to relax my muscles, was something that benefited from practice. We spent so much time in yoga strengthening muscles, engaging muscles, why not practice relaxing them? Why not practice that often challenging transition from work to rest? And indeed the longer I practiced, the more possible it became, not only during savasana, but even falling asleep at night. <br /><br />Another yoga teacher called this time to “rest and digest” – both literally and metaphorically. On a biological level, the body can’t really digest food when we are rushing around, when we are stressed. When we slow down, the parasympathetic nervous system can do its work, eating and digesting, reproducing, relaxing, repairing and restoring balance. Our bodies need time in this state to stay healthy. Our hearts and spirits need the same -- time to rest and integrate all that has happened to us. I was surprised to find that our tear ducts are part of this system too, but it makes perfect sense. It wouldn’t be helpful to tear up while battling a saber tooth tiger. But scientific research has shown that our tears help release stress hormones and have other restorative properties. How often have we been rushing around, and when we finally slow down our emotions rise to the service, and we may find tears in our eyes. We literally cannot have that much needed cry when we are geared up for “fight or flight” <br /><br />This has been an overwhelming time for just about everyone. Folks of all walks of life describe their stress, fatigue, exhaustion. We are being asked to deal with situations we’ve never experienced, and we are missing some of the people and places that we’ve often counted on for support and reassurance. During one such difficult week, I finished my work and went to sit with my husband in front of the television. The news was so stressful, not only couldn’t I watch it, I couldn’t even be in the same room with it. I thought I would take my book into a quiet room and read, but I found myself gazing, unfocused, at an empty white wall. My body, mind and spirit had just taken in more than my capacity to hold. I spent maybe an hour just processing and releasing all that I had experienced. Although I looked like I was doing nothing, my tear ducts, my spirit, my heart were all hard at work. It was a prayerful time, but without words- just letting go of all I was holding, inviting spirit to be present with me. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3pXaqfugqPk_iO8UDYsRUt7YS9eJYxNdKNYMABU17t0Z6vjUDvt92VQI8xRcH4caSDRidfaXfmx6zwRBMidTBAZwAbkd-B7TTqGL6eWKJFmnxq2e8MvaE7oQUOxPDFkCIT9GNfKPnJL7EZWBNGRtLNtYlwbkfk3F0sa6S9pZ06enS5uo0zxpPi1al=s2048" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3pXaqfugqPk_iO8UDYsRUt7YS9eJYxNdKNYMABU17t0Z6vjUDvt92VQI8xRcH4caSDRidfaXfmx6zwRBMidTBAZwAbkd-B7TTqGL6eWKJFmnxq2e8MvaE7oQUOxPDFkCIT9GNfKPnJL7EZWBNGRtLNtYlwbkfk3F0sa6S9pZ06enS5uo0zxpPi1al=s320" width="240" /></a>Over the coming weeks, I invite you to take some time every day to rest and digest. There is so much for us to integrate right now. You can do this any way that feels right to you. You might lay flat on your back allowing your arms and legs to rest on the ground, as in the traditional Savasana pose. Or just take a few moments to turn off all your screens and sit quietly in a comfy chair, perhaps gazing out the window, or at something not too interesting in your room. Let your conscious mind rest, with only the intention to let go, as you would relax a fist that has been clenched. Let the flurry of thoughts and feelings settle, like particles in a pond after a storm. Give your body, mind and spirit time to integrate, restore and rebalance, even though it feels like “doing nothing.” It might be our most challenging and most important practice.<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-10248529834701823012021-10-05T15:36:00.003-07:002021-10-05T15:36:14.274-07:00Surprises<p style="text-align: center;"><i> I wrote this back in December of 2019, and since then the world has surprised us with many challenges. I wanted to share it with you now as an invitation to be open for hopeful surprises too.</i><br /></p><p><br /> “I can see where this is going” I said to a wise friend. The story that was unfolding in my life followed a well-established pattern, and the ending seemed inevitable. Like in a television show where the most famous guest star always turns out to be the villain, or the romantic comedy where the stars always end up together, some things in life just seem inevitable. <br /><br /> <i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcO4B_9ILXPJfGo62jwLLPzgpACqUizfgASf_SXcdExrKIGoNhBMwlZVWiH3YtapN_61l7kCdSNhq5Y3p4epvel3XN1WRO-CjVcPvdNjaYRnPPlhB0YR8zXe3HM9sX1Yd2tdurkuqT0g/s5471/DSC_0610+%25282%2529.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5471" data-original-width="3648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcO4B_9ILXPJfGo62jwLLPzgpACqUizfgASf_SXcdExrKIGoNhBMwlZVWiH3YtapN_61l7kCdSNhq5Y3p4epvel3XN1WRO-CjVcPvdNjaYRnPPlhB0YR8zXe3HM9sX1Yd2tdurkuqT0g/s320/DSC_0610+%25282%2529.JPG" width="213" /></a></i>Usually, this is a good thing. The sun rises and sets like clockwork. Our part of the world is cold in the winter and warm in the summer. If you put a little bit in savings each week it eventually adds up in a predictable and reassuring way. <br /><br /> But in this case I could see things were headed in the wrong direction, and I didn’t know how to help turn them around. I was resigning myself to a long slow slog through dreary territory, but my friend challenged me “How do you know that’s where it’s going? How can you be sure you are right?” I’ve been right about this in the past, and this had all the signs, I told her. I didn’t want to be right, but I couldn’t imagine any other outcome. “Are you making room for the God of surprises?” she asked. <br /><br /> This reminder opened the door and let in fresh air, because surprises do happen. Remember the joy of a surprising snow day when you were a child? Or maybe you’ve had an unexpected tax refund or a loved one whose spontaneous remission bewildered doctors. Who could have predicted even 20 years ago we’d all be carrying the whole internet in our pockets? <br /><br /> Many religious traditions have some sort of “trickster” character who helps us out of our ruts and habits. Of course the tricksters rarely do just what we expect- that wouldn’t be in their nature. We may wish for one thing and get something else altogether. Our expectations are often disappointed, and we rarely think “there’s that trickster again, always shaking things up.” But when we are stuck we need that trickster to open surprising new directions. <br /><br /> Mostly we like it when the divine is consistent and reliable. We need to be able to count on the pillars and building blocks of our life. But sometimes when we are discouraged, when we can’t see a way forward, it is good to remember that life is not really like the movies; it defies the clichéd and expected patterns and leads us places we’d never imagine. <br /><br /> So the next time you feel stuck and can’t imagine a hopeful path forward, remember the spirit of surprise. If you have a prayer practice, you can even bring this into prayer: “Spirit of Life, I see the direction we are going, and I am afraid we are stuck. Please surprise me. Please open a new door I have not yet seen.” And then we open ourselves to receive whatever the surprises the future may bring.</p><p> <i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3HfFKav5gIR_DuvhU8PjOsWOjkYZi6tVc-l0917VLhy8tyzyh8HWPOYSRrnuwVBJmPWKqoSysaytfyJh5J7rcH0Mz5mzNulXatjLCYO-4cXeuMHOGrdll3LCdGVhk9DQamIn1DQ-4hU/s1280/PB080032.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3HfFKav5gIR_DuvhU8PjOsWOjkYZi6tVc-l0917VLhy8tyzyh8HWPOYSRrnuwVBJmPWKqoSysaytfyJh5J7rcH0Mz5mzNulXatjLCYO-4cXeuMHOGrdll3LCdGVhk9DQamIn1DQ-4hU/s320/PB080032.JPG" width="320" /></a></i> <br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-73264064016017815792021-09-01T11:19:00.003-07:002021-09-01T11:19:47.778-07:00When Your Happy Place is Not<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbg71fyELD59XufdwsQTJ_CjMEv4oFEkGMtAf_I7BkbV7EJ2oG_jpHJ9TVHvg5fs4mVngrYwSdruE1UK-e8JO5guRMEeDZP1sq59MUcErRvW-WbpxXDNtMw7zuLHUdG-8v_rmGs7IE1k/s2992/DSC_0241.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2992" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbg71fyELD59XufdwsQTJ_CjMEv4oFEkGMtAf_I7BkbV7EJ2oG_jpHJ9TVHvg5fs4mVngrYwSdruE1UK-e8JO5guRMEeDZP1sq59MUcErRvW-WbpxXDNtMw7zuLHUdG-8v_rmGs7IE1k/s320/DSC_0241.JPG" width="320" /></a> </p><p>We decided, like a record number of families this summer, to escape the drama of the past year, to break out of sheltering at home, and to try to have a bit of adventure, a bit of fun. We chose a spot on Lake Ontario because it was not far from our home, and because it was remote and wouldn’t be crowded. We were happy to have something to look forward to in these difficult and confusing times. <br />We’d never been to visit this part of the world before and were struck by the beauty of the lake. We sat and stared at it for hours. </p><p> </p><p></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUcmm7lxzJ1JQktPVPiEfu_3-WtzvJ9Q9SDJ0ct6AO_2MHWUZyyCZxnprSGbBsBcSmS9GleEJwCpVvjg5FT3wRfjuJJcZ6lHsEp8SKVoGZnifdZOoHvucg1cJJi5Cs0XJ2RHptWWz9ro/s2048/IMG_4831.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUcmm7lxzJ1JQktPVPiEfu_3-WtzvJ9Q9SDJ0ct6AO_2MHWUZyyCZxnprSGbBsBcSmS9GleEJwCpVvjg5FT3wRfjuJJcZ6lHsEp8SKVoGZnifdZOoHvucg1cJJi5Cs0XJ2RHptWWz9ro/s320/IMG_4831.JPG" width="320" /></a><p>But the shoreline near our cabin didn’t look anything like the photos on the rental website; all along its slim length were trees laying on their side at regular intervals. Apparently, this area had lived through 2 major flood seasons, and the forces of wind, water and erosion were too much for these trees. As we walked along the beach we had to duck under or climb over the downed trees- they were unavoidable. As we walked, I noticed myself trying not to be disappointed that our vacation which was supposed to give us a break from worry and sadness instead surrounded us with signs of trauma to the land. I counseled myself that of course there is no place on earth that has not known trauma, has not known loss. This year has been marked by disappointed expectations, rapidly <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3D-iM02VswovyuqX8TIvbNSQnM4vp7zqO9wBq-IuhRL3wRkFI8JUHUndphrYqA1yktDcvX9Nxw131RHlsG0K3xWtK6oaYAVb9vDMAwv5PYhjEmlMFUbXtKv9x52cFcAeXhF8hBW8WEec/s2992/DSC_0238.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2992" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3D-iM02VswovyuqX8TIvbNSQnM4vp7zqO9wBq-IuhRL3wRkFI8JUHUndphrYqA1yktDcvX9Nxw131RHlsG0K3xWtK6oaYAVb9vDMAwv5PYhjEmlMFUbXtKv9x52cFcAeXhF8hBW8WEec/s320/DSC_0238.JPG" width="320" /></a>changing plans, uncertainty, improbably weather and resurgence of the pandemic. I began to feel a sense of compassion, a sense of connectedness to the people and the ecosystem of this lakeside community. I let my own disappointment increase my sense of connection - surely the people who lived here were broken hearted about the damage to their beautiful home. Undoubtedly, they faced financial hardships because of the floods and the pandemic as well. Compassion opened my heart. <br /></p><p>As we walked, I began to see the beauty of these trees, the beauty of the branches washed by waves as they lay in the water, taking on the lovely texture and shape of driftwood even while still part of the tree, of the exposed root ball partly rooted in the sand. And rising into the air, above the reach of waves, the life affirming beauty of branches with fresh green leaves. Even though my vacation was not the getaway from trouble we had imagined, there was life here, there was beauty here, even a sense of adventure as we clambered over the trunks. <br /><br />If you are not having the summer you expected, know that you are not alone. Folks all over the country, all over the world, are having similar experiences as memories of fun summers past come up against the often-challenging realities of this moment. I think especially of friends stuck at home due to illness or financial hardship, of folks watching the summer through the window of a medical facility. If that is happening for you, know that it is okay to be disappointed, okay to be frustrated or sad. Know that you are not alone. I encourage you to let your heart remember all those who are struggling in this very moment. Perhaps you can notice your connectedness to the people and living beings where you are right now through the sometimes-challenging experiences you are sharing. Perhaps you might notice life’s persistence and abundance in the face of such challenges. Maybe you will catch a glimpse of the beauty found not only in the verdant greenery of new life, but in turmoil and loss as well- the beautiful texture of driftwood, of seashells tossed on the shore, the voice of a loved one. May compassion open your heart to the vibrancy, power, beauty and life of this present moment wherever you find yourself.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLet2eQquhLfcpSOvH5pCAfg3bNunxpxNH48sq6XBAtOllR5WB6oSPh-f11HCxyfM0Q8fnxPp3t_LCNLLdKVlXjK9i7F-dJN3AYATK837n8xuZ-ojc0OI0ZrS3N6LYiRGYN_bT5youdR8/s2992/DSC_0599.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2992" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLet2eQquhLfcpSOvH5pCAfg3bNunxpxNH48sq6XBAtOllR5WB6oSPh-f11HCxyfM0Q8fnxPp3t_LCNLLdKVlXjK9i7F-dJN3AYATK837n8xuZ-ojc0OI0ZrS3N6LYiRGYN_bT5youdR8/s320/DSC_0599.JPG" width="320" /></a> <br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-1076089370849214312021-08-13T10:46:00.001-07:002021-08-13T10:47:55.414-07:00What is Available?<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzFYTwN04OegvSi4k3U5Be8zyQVYATBTM56hlxh6YYj3nX5iS55spcq22zssPgCgjmXPv-LCk0Y8fuTsxz1s8jpfswUwCUDmcYgL0EtUOr1yka39uUz0vfTksY918PxxW5o4C41tCIX0/s2048/MillerWestWedding+521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzFYTwN04OegvSi4k3U5Be8zyQVYATBTM56hlxh6YYj3nX5iS55spcq22zssPgCgjmXPv-LCk0Y8fuTsxz1s8jpfswUwCUDmcYgL0EtUOr1yka39uUz0vfTksY918PxxW5o4C41tCIX0/s320/MillerWestWedding+521.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Years ago I was visiting a yoga retreat center with a beautiful common room, and a large fireplace with a small card placed on top of the andirons which said “The Fireplace is not Available for Use.” I chuckled to myself about the clever use of that word “available”- It could have said “fireplace is out of order” or “fireplace is closed.” There could have been some extensive explanation about why the fireplace was forbidden, instead they simply, politely and elegantly let us know the limits of our use of the common room. <br /><br /> Lately, when I am thinking back on some moment in my life, and wondering why I made the choices I did, suspecting that now I would make a different choice, I find myself musing “that choice was not available to me at that time” I don’t need to tumble down a rabbit hole of why it happened, or what I “should have done.” I believe we are, for the most part, doing the best we can, making the best choices we can make in the moment. <br /><br />Since the start of the pandemic, I have heard many people worrying that they are not as productive as they were this time last year. They see other folks posting on social media who are learning a new language, touring international museums online, hiking the state parks, and wonder “what’s wrong with me, that this is all I can accomplish? Like the fireplace in the common room, there are many things right now that are not available to us. Instead of looking at the fireplace and asking, “why can’t I use it?” or determining “I should be able to use it” it can be liberating to simply observe that “it is not available for use” and respond accordingly. Let’s even imagine that you were really excited about using that beautiful fireplace, and acknowledging the reality that it is not available for use might be sad. It might be disappointing. It’s okay to grieve all those small and large losses, that is how body, heart and spirit let go of those things that cannot be. <br /><br />I am a list maker, and most days I have a list of what I would like to accomplish, but these days I look at my list and ask myself “what is available?” If I feel too tired for a hike, too introverted to call a friend, too discouraged to start a big project, it won’t help a bit to beat myself up. Our hearts are already bruised and tender these days. I simply ask “what is available for me to do today?” It not only helps me let go of all those things that just don’t seem possible right now, and helps me forgive myself for paths not taken, but it also encourages me to listen to the spirit. What is available? Something always is- even if that’s a nap. <br /><br /> In this time many things are not available for us to do, for reasons outside our control, or within our body, mind or spirit. By asking “what is available” we find a path forward that is aligned with our own capacities, or own soul. We honor the reality of who and where we are right now, and where spirit may be leading us. And so, I invite you to ask, whenever the world is too much, or the losses too great, “what is available to me right now, in this moment?” <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-31461168317588635702021-05-26T11:10:00.003-07:002021-05-26T11:10:24.277-07:00A Well Worn Path There’s a little strip at the back of my garden where nothing will grow. I’ve planted all different kinds of things, each year crossing my fingers, but that little strip stays bare. After years of trial and error, I was starting out the window and noticed a cat walking along that narrow strip. Soon after, I realized my dog was also walking that path as part of his morning rounds, and later found evidence of a groundhog. The problem wasn’t the soil or the sun, but simply that seedlings don’t do well in the middle of a critter highway. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGPPW_mHrMxTKqc535VU7E_h9krZSw1ku3MPIoEEStonCa8tRmS0WXxllNUYX58mdr2qKc8uMB6VPiG9tjiQ3wDZDLLDRR7FSlKs-Pdm4HnouDMYlYUMnKIPxW6E0dvripCWvxEB4kWM/s2048/garden+path.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1567" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGPPW_mHrMxTKqc535VU7E_h9krZSw1ku3MPIoEEStonCa8tRmS0WXxllNUYX58mdr2qKc8uMB6VPiG9tjiQ3wDZDLLDRR7FSlKs-Pdm4HnouDMYlYUMnKIPxW6E0dvripCWvxEB4kWM/s320/garden+path.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNL_kJaHNHjptQeVF_XKueUzW0Tq1iCxj4GR7N4deQwq-YnukRlI0MTceH_GrHofHcpxAE6YdlFl891s31JFOJwon20YuuJiycEAYfbgVqLI08QWvUWEq7lW1r8nZees6EUPO83kV8qVk/s2048/IMG_2043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>Over the years I’ve seen my little dog walk the perimeter of the garden even in a foot of snow. That’s his path. It’s comfortable to him. It takes quite an obstacle to nudge him off his path. (I finally gave up and put down paving stones.) Watch the animals in your neighborhood and you will notice they have paths they love to follow day after day. Humans are no different. We love our well-trod paths. <br /><br />In the same way that my dog likes his morning perimeter walk, and much as I take the same route to work most days, the heart, mind and spirit also develop some well-worn paths. Many of these paths develop early in life because they help us navigate the complexities of our own unique family and the challenges we have faced. These patterns are so natural and invisible to us that we don’t even notice them until someone plants some Loosestrife in our path. There are lots of words for these patterns; some folks call it “conditioning,” in the Hindu and Buddhist traditionsit is often called “Samskara” or we can just call it a rut.<p>Part of the spiritual path is becoming conscious of the choices we make habitually, noticing the patterns, and noticing when we are making choices that reinforce those habits. The “aha” of noticing our patterns is not necessarily followed by the ability to choose a new path. Those old patterns are powerful, and we flow naturally into them like a creek in its bed. Whenever we notice one of those old, powerful patterns, it’s best to treat them with compassion. For example, if your family of origin discouraged the outward expression of emotion, and you grew up stoic to fit in and please your family, give yourself credit for finding a path that worked. Now that you are older and wiser, you have the capacity to ask “does that path still serve me? Or would I like to choose a different path?” <br /><br />If you decided a new path would suit you better, again begin with compassion. Those old paths have power. Think about the last time you were stuck in the mud. When we first realize we are stuck, we usually back up, and then try again. We may drive back and forth trying to gain ground and instead create a deeper and more slippery rut for ourselves. It is finally when we turn the wheel to angle up over the ridge of our rut that we are able to break free. <br /></p><p>As part of your spiritual practice, I invite you to look for well-worn paths you tend to follow. Be curious about where they came from, and consider whether each pattern still serves you. If you decide to make a change, I encourage you to be curious, playful, and compassionate as you look for a new way. It may require coming at things from a new angle to reach fresh ground. And if you get stuck, remember to ask for help. Sometimes a new angle and a helping hand is all we need to get out of our rut.</p><p><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzuTiLbNNMntZHeJQC7wsM_b6tM7Kw895dXBfMBgwzhuV6mueauem0G-Ztz8rlo0_iVgnbinla7tXwY_fj7Xw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe> <br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-7485057812533547742021-04-21T13:33:00.006-07:002021-04-21T13:44:26.628-07:00Ordinary Miracles<p>We are surrounded by miracles, but we don’t often notice because they seem so ordinary. Consider, there was nothing living on this earth, and now it is teaming with life. Scientists and theologians have many ideas about why and how, but despite centuries of study, there is much we just don’t know. All we know is that we are alive. We see around us an amazing array of life’s creativity. There are <a href="https://www.currentresults.com/Environment-Facts/Plants-Animals/number-species.php ">millions of species</a> of plants and animals across the face of the earth, and that doesn’t even include the billions of <a href="https://www.wisegeek.com/how-many-species-of-bacteria-are-there.htm">bacteria and virus species</a>. If you’ve ever been to an aquarium or watched a documentary about ocean life you know that stranger things live on this earth than any science fiction writer ever dreamed of. <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxxTqCpLpu_bbhHkVIHC8Jq7QH8URHbLdP7xPc2YYCujMIQbOyfV1U2vW9qY7TU4NQdSxulcFda-ENpTQpSYL5ti0h9CRGp509zl7WE2C6WgTZWS3B-OPlZtvni3dgUDGJDi7dzZXlF4/s1914/DSC_0367+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="1914" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxxTqCpLpu_bbhHkVIHC8Jq7QH8URHbLdP7xPc2YYCujMIQbOyfV1U2vW9qY7TU4NQdSxulcFda-ENpTQpSYL5ti0h9CRGp509zl7WE2C6WgTZWS3B-OPlZtvni3dgUDGJDi7dzZXlF4/w400-h215/DSC_0367+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Even the common plants and animals we see in our neighborhood are a miracle. Birds, for example, can fly. That’s a fact so basic that we’ve stopped marveling at it, but that doesn’t make it any less extraordinary. Children know this. If you’ve ever taken a walk with a toddler, you won’t get very far because they have to stop and be amazed every few minutes. They know that birds are amazing, and dogs are amazing, and sticky things are amazing and dandelions are definitely amazing. But somehow we forget. We see birds fly a few thousand times and it becomes ordinary to us. <br /><br />Jewish ethicist and mystic Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote about the importance of awe and wonder in our spiritual life. He wrote: “Awe enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the Divine, to sense in small things the beginning of infinite significance, to sense the ultimate in the common and the simple, to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal.” <p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUPfymbidqeHzxhJJ0QiWkwdSvvDd5_Z_WHHjgAbRL3BYTz8CmbsIf0Roew5kb4YpOYY285pD3w5OfWEnWryCu9AU1lgV-Yr_8-NsiAIuOKqb_SqBLTCPqGDx0zrTVSIWGqrIUEqGVfA/s953/Violet.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="849" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUPfymbidqeHzxhJJ0QiWkwdSvvDd5_Z_WHHjgAbRL3BYTz8CmbsIf0Roew5kb4YpOYY285pD3w5OfWEnWryCu9AU1lgV-Yr_8-NsiAIuOKqb_SqBLTCPqGDx0zrTVSIWGqrIUEqGVfA/s320/Violet.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Violets in my Back Yard</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This season, I encourage you to consider a practice of cultivating awe and wonder. Consider the world as a toddler does -- each tree, each bird, each bit of ice cream a miracle. As adults we are out of practice, so this may take time. Don’t worry if you can’t see it right away. Searching for something awe-inspiring requires patience, curiosity and a willingness to let things reveal themselves to our gaze. Perhaps you are traveling and will see something wonderful as you visit a new city or rest beside the lake. But life is no less miraculous just because you see it every day. The ordinary view out your front door is a miracle; let it fill you with awe and wonder. <br /><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-32004591535263740642021-04-06T13:35:00.003-07:002021-04-06T13:38:42.609-07:00What we can count on<p> Sometimes when I hear the news I lose hope. Some days it’s just hard to picture a positive outcome for all the struggles in our own lives or in the world around us. Perhaps that’s why these words “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love” (from the Christian Scriptures - 1 Corinthians) keep popping into my mind. Hope can be a quixotic thing, it comes and it goes. But the scripture tells us “hope abides” reminding us that even when we lose hope, it still abides. When we cannot hope for ourselves, remember that others are holding hope for us and for the world. <br /><br /> But, I realized, even when hope is hard to find I still have faith --even when I’m discouraged, or even despairing. I know that things change suddenly in ways we can’t expect. I know there is a larger picture I can’t always see. I know that life finds a way. Life was here long before I was born and will keep living long after I am gone. There is something big and old that endures even the great dramas of our time. It is like bedrock under all that moves and changes. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRs7RCD9rYuK9KOkkUw9fAGrcnqwUP2EbjBYnsVeodnVS-JtxmsD65uLR2Qa4tuwsCAi2kP3-2xjSCMaSOBtkXZz_PTrinZ5J6-T5I13KKzRCaQOuf93W2n7L4HFxqbA2xOvZHvtKO_B0/s2048/Star+398.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRs7RCD9rYuK9KOkkUw9fAGrcnqwUP2EbjBYnsVeodnVS-JtxmsD65uLR2Qa4tuwsCAi2kP3-2xjSCMaSOBtkXZz_PTrinZ5J6-T5I13KKzRCaQOuf93W2n7L4HFxqbA2xOvZHvtKO_B0/s320/Star+398.jpg" width="320" /></a>Maybe that’s what the Psalmists were pointing to when they wrote “God is my rock.” Consider the solid things that are holding you up right now- the chair, the floor, the earth. When we are afraid or discouraged, it can be a soothing practice just to notice the solid things and how they hold us up. Just notice the places where your body is being supported right now. Let yourself sink into those places, and give up your weight to them. It’s not hard to have faith in a force as persistent and enduring as gravity. <br /><br /> Love also abides, and in fact, the passage from Corinthians tells us, “the greatest of these is love”. Today as I consider those words, I imagine a love that pervades all things. Love is in rough places and smooth, in solid and the fluid, the changing and the stable. This is not only the love of romance novels, not only in the sweetness of friendship, not only in the parent holding the child, but as the Christian Scriptures tell us “God is Love” and earlier in Corinthians “love never ends.” To imagine a love that never ends, to imagine a love that is big enough for the divine, we might have to change our picture of what love looks like, or feels like. Just as it can be reassuring to notice the solid things in our life that hold our weight, it is an important practice to notice all the faces of love in our life, and to have faith that it is all around us even when we can’t see it. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfdaBzwVbm9UXSIs0VpD_KaC1GguAVhXAvbzuaeKMIPDEjInxsPfHnIZwrsg3wU0zHHcfb0RUrMv0XrswXMWfwjXSWeFl9yLUzXsiyLVfFSO0B1-92RE6Z6T8CapRQBHxjJ9GaTIvMQc/s640/August+001.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfdaBzwVbm9UXSIs0VpD_KaC1GguAVhXAvbzuaeKMIPDEjInxsPfHnIZwrsg3wU0zHHcfb0RUrMv0XrswXMWfwjXSWeFl9yLUzXsiyLVfFSO0B1-92RE6Z6T8CapRQBHxjJ9GaTIvMQc/s320/August+001.jpg" width="320" /></a>Whenever I am feeling disconnected from love, I take a moment to meditate on the center of my chest, to just breathe in and out and remember all the people I love, all the people I care about, because as that verse in the gospel of John says “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” Whenever you are feeling hopeless about the world, I encourage you to remember- who do you find easy to love? Who needs your love? Sometimes it’s hard to remember that we are loved, but it can be easier to remember those who need our love. Maybe this is why videos of baby animals are so popular- we are hard wired to feel caring and protective when we see a baby. When I call to mind my son, and how much I love and cherish him, a feeling of love surfaces. Start with something easy and sit with that as long as you need, and then let it grow. Whenever we cultivate this feeling of love, it helps us remember the larger love which holds us all. <br /><br /> In these hard times, remember that even now, “faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love”</p><p> <br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2204136493315502976.post-41389750546210939712021-03-25T11:58:00.001-07:002021-03-25T11:58:35.328-07:00Spiritual Practices for the Grocery Store<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYgI1ADcBhiFmQLsrW5F5tAzyivNdBmTVNO5LsUdTgYmoh0S5B1Oo59TT1L_cUMS0dkgXJCztNRppJSBCARAUiQVlw47H5R09scLrLgxmFKerJqqSDCxLE4lejCfBPDFZAc1qEeA7-xI/s2048/Nick+Face+2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYgI1ADcBhiFmQLsrW5F5tAzyivNdBmTVNO5LsUdTgYmoh0S5B1Oo59TT1L_cUMS0dkgXJCztNRppJSBCARAUiQVlw47H5R09scLrLgxmFKerJqqSDCxLE4lejCfBPDFZAc1qEeA7-xI/s320/Nick+Face+2.jpg" /></a></div><p> I had just returned from a retreat, and was feeling very peaceful and centered. Then I went to the grocery store during that crowded time of the week when everyone seems to be at the grocery store. Almost immediately I felt impatient. It seemed like everyone was getting in my way- blocking aisles with badly positioned carts or bodies. It’s not uncommon for me to feel grumpy and impatient at the grocery store, but on this occasion, perhaps because I had just come from a retreat, it occurred to me to wonder “why the impatience?” I didn’t, in point of fact, have any place else I needed to be. I had plenty of time to buy my groceries, get home and cook dinner. If I totaled up each time I had to stop and wait for folks to move, it couldn’t possibly add more than 5 minutes, so where was the harm? <br /><br />I noticed that I was seeing all these people at the store as obstacles to my goal. They were not fellow shoppers, they were objects in my way. I was humbled by the realization. <br /><br />Two habits of mind contributed to this perception. First, the idea that time spent in the grocery story is wasted, is taking away from my “real life” which can only continue once I get home. From this point of view, any additional moment I spent waiting for the cross traffic of lumbering grocery carts was perceived as taking away from “my time.” But I know this is not the case- my life in the grocery store is still my life. I get to choose whether I spend that time mindfully or whether I treat it as “waste time” that I discard. My dad used to say, once he had us kids loaded in the car for any outing, whether to the bank, the grocery store or the gas station “We’re off—on the greatest adventure of our lives!” This inevitably caused us to groan and roll our eyes. But I wonder; how would my time in the grocery story be different if I thought of it as a great adventure, instead of a waste? <br /><br />The second habit I noticed was seeing obstacles instead of people. Each and every person in the grocery store is having their own troubles, their own adventures, their own feelings about being stuck in the produce aisle. No person is an object. I asked myself, “how would my visit to the grocery store change if I challenged myself to think of all these people as souls”? It was harder than I thought. I could do the things I would do if I saw them as souls, like slowing down, and being patient and letting other people go first, but it was hard to really feel that they were souls. Perhaps it’s because when we go out shopping, we ourselves act like objects, not souls. We put our protective coating on, and our souls barely leek out. It helped when I started making up stories about my fellow shoppers: “she looks like she had a hard day at work” or “perhaps the man in line at the prescription counter has just gotten some bad news from his doctor.” It also helped to look at people, to really notice them: “look how patient that woman is being with her 2 young children.” Or “look how hard that cashier is working to get people through her line quickly.” <br /><br />I’ve decided to make this my new spiritual practice everywhere I go, but especially those places where everyone seems like an obstacle or an object: like in traffic, like at the store. What would it take to see the people around me souls? And what difference might it make to my own spirit, and to the spaces we share?</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rqOv_liGinMQYfCDdDlR08kETuFEQlkztGwLcpWYbbP-1S8Eih2iZpei177iHnIPK_uXqusOXlRlNQri9iv6LE919RzOKS1raKFC9Khyphenhyphen9ukJuaLIpflU0K-YLYLRpKwQUOcFjiWHeJk/s2048/voting+line.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rqOv_liGinMQYfCDdDlR08kETuFEQlkztGwLcpWYbbP-1S8Eih2iZpei177iHnIPK_uXqusOXlRlNQri9iv6LE919RzOKS1raKFC9Khyphenhyphen9ukJuaLIpflU0K-YLYLRpKwQUOcFjiWHeJk/s320/voting+line.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Waiting in line to vote- "The Greatest Adventure of our Lives"</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1