For Today

                Never forget to wear your invisible crown.

Living The Glad Life

November 5, 2013

Living the Glad Life

Sometimes trying to live a glad life takes you places where you are not quite comfortable.  This morning I am riding The Crescent from Birmingham, Alabama to New Orleans, Louisiana. My train car is half full, so almost all of us have window seats.  Fall in the South is a wonder to behold and I’m excited about the next seven hours and the wash of color that awaits me.

This is not my usual mode of travel, but I decided to listen to that adventuresome spirit that I have tried so hard to ignore for half a century, to experience something new and different: a solo trip on a train. I’m headed to a conference on dyslexia, so it’s a useful trip, too.  I can’t change all of my stripes at the same time.

I recently read about a great experiment of awareness that asked me to place my hands in my lap in my usual way. For me that was right hand over left.  To feel that then to take my hands away from each other, experience that and then to place them in my lap again in the opposite position.   Which felt more natural? Which felt more alive? What was more alive, even a little uncomfortable?  For me, I felt a little off when my hands were not in their usual position.  It did make me feel more alive and aware.  I’m hoping the same from this trip.

“You came and sang a song over me.”

“Feels like I’m living now, for the very first time.  Feels like I’m breathing, Feels like I’m moving, for the very first time.”

Third Day “Born Again” from their Revelation album.

Mornings in Birmingham, July

Mornings In Birmingham

Awake, Get Ready (for all)

Toothbrush, Make-up (make up what?)

Layers of clothing

Matching shoes

Cell phone into leather bag

Computer, power cord

Into larger leather bag

And coffee, did I say coffee?

First and foremost

Don’t forget the coffee

And readings,

Don’t forget your readings

Proverbs,

And Psalms,

And “Jesus Calling”

And that book on courage.

I am ready,

Ready to drive to the hospital

And sit

And be.

Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love, to work, to play, and to look up at the stars.
Henry Van Dyke

There is so much to be happy about.  The snow came to our town today.  It covered our roof and our green grass and the red birds flew from feeders to trees in quick bursts of joy.  It was cold, very cold for our Southern state, but my youngest and I gathered firewood and stacked it inside, ready for a real winter weather day.  Then the snow stopped, and the sun came out.  Clear blue skies made the snow blinding white on the lawn.  

Maybe because it was so unusual, it made us feel magical for awhile, like we were living in a storybook, or a play.  We laughed and we giggled and we were happy.
The End

The Gratitude Game

"Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars."

Henry Van Dyke

Living “The Glad Life”

o  Choose Gratitude.
Gratitude can be a life-changer.  Taking our eyes off of the “I don’t have” and placing them, as a discipline, on the “I have” slowly opens our souls to the abundance that envelopes us.
Our dog is ugly.  Well, he is ugly today.  His latest haircut was given at home and it’s growing out with hair hanging in his eyes.  We visited some dear friends this weekend and their dog is so cute and very well groomed.  I was, of course, jealous.  We have, as a family, decided that part of our budget goal was to stop the bimonthly visits to the groomer for Simon.  He seems to be fine with this plan, but after this weekend, I was dreaming of whisking him right off for a cut and curl.  But as I sit here, with him nestled on my lap, I am repenting.  We will trim his bangs and then let him live the free and easy life of a country dog.  The budget is safe and my jealously is turning into gratefulness.  He is a loyal dog and we love him.

We play the gratitude game, taking turns to share our thankfulness.  It started at Thanksgiving one year.  My youngest and I played it today during our nature walk at the nearby horse ranch.

“I’m thankful to the Lord today for Queen’s Anne’s lace,” I said.

She answered with, “Today I am grateful for orange.”

Yes, she is glad for orange, for the color of orange and for the essence of orange.  If she were a color, she would be…orange.  Alive, vibrant, usually self-assured, she is a giver. She injects into our lives fullness, energy and an honesty that calls me to a higher place of being alive in this moment. 

         Oxford Dictionary defines gratitude as:

“The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.  It is of late Middle English, from Old French or from the Medieval Latin gratitudo, from Latin gratus, ‘pleasing, thankful.’

What is The Glad Life?

What is The Glad Life?

It is a way to live, an invitation to savor life, to breathe in and out its beauty and grace.  It is the gathering of the blush pink rose, carried with love and respect to the old crystal bud vase and placed by the computer screen. It is form and function, inspiration standing by and giving hope to necessity.

Good form is important to the well-lived life.  Captain Hook said it best when he shared that his greatest sorrow was that Peter Pan had “good form” and that he was afraid that at the end of his life, he would be found to be without this essential trait.

Be Still My Soul

I am trying to be still, stay quiet, hide within the Almighty.  A pearl encased within a shiny shell, happy for the peace and security, knowing that when the time is perfect, the pearl will be free, but until, the pearl will be safe.  Still, quiet, hidden, safe, free.

Or a garden enclosed, with a swing.  Lots of lushness, greens of every hue, flowers exploding and all is new everyday. But I am, still, quiet, hidden, safe, free.

It Is Well With My Soul

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy of your saving help again and sustain me with your bountiful spirit.

                                                     Psalm 51:11-13

These words pierce my heart this morning.  “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” What a beautiful, courageous cry!  That He can clean me up, can wash me until I am white as snow, this is Hope!  David was calling out to the only help he had.  He understood that only God can offer us true healing.  The truth of this reflects into my heart this morning like a prism sending out shards of rainbows.

Peace and hope climb into my heart like a mist, on little cat feet. "Could it be true?"my heart whispers.  It is Truth and my true self answers, as tears prick my eyes, that the answer is God.  Always and only God.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,


When sorrows like sea billows roll;


Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,


It is well, it is well, with my soul.

(Horatio Spafford)

My heart and my mind find their rest in you, my Abba Father.  Today, in this moment, for this moment, I choose to trust in You, the author and finisher of my faith.

Amen, so be it.

References: “Fog” by Carl Sandburg

Birmingham and Chris Clark

I love Birmingham.  My "California" daughter, Hannah, and I roamed our way through old haunts and new yesterday and this city never fails to delight us.  We started with a "Slow Food" lunch at the Birmingham Museum of Art.  The food there is scrumptious and the southern hospitality of our waiter made the noon time respite a delight.

We wandered down to an amazing exhibit:
CELEBRATE LIFE: THE ART OF CHRIS CLARK

BOHORFOUSH GALLERY //THROUGH MARCH 4, 2012 // FREE

Our family had meet Chris Clark a number of years ago at an outdoor art festival.  We are folk art collectors by hobby. I've always loved Chris' work and this exhibit stuns with the talent and beauty of a truly visionary artist. 

From the museum's website:

In 1990, Clark’s vision began to fail due to diabetes.  Believing he would eventually lose his eyesight entirely, he resolved to pursue a longtime desire to paint while he still could.  He began painting on scraps of wood and flea market furniture, but soon after his grandmother taught him to piece and stitch quilts, the artist combined the two mediums, to lively and colorful effect. Celebrate Life: The Art of Chris Clark allows us to honor Clark’s artistic legacy even as we, as a community, reflect on his passing.

http://www.artsbma.org/

What is our "longtime desire?" To paint, to write, to love?  In honor of the great Chris Clark, let us begin today.

Practicing Mindfulness: Watching Family Movies

Their cherubic faces shine through the TV screen.  Seaside, Florida, our family vacation, 1996.  Matching dresses for the five daughters and love flowing onscreen from the young son who was elder brother and superman to his younger sisters.  He took them one by one into the ocean, holding them up so they could experience the “big” waves with him.  Helping them go where they couldn't go without him.

What is family?  What is love?  This season of family coming home, if just for a meal together before they go back to their work and their world.  Each moment is a blessing.  Each moment is a priceless gift. Watching their baby faces on a screen, then hugging their grown up selves as they return to their own homes, I am mindful of the absolute preciousness of time and the sheer joy of making memories.

Practicing Mindfulness: Day Two

The LORD has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron.   
                                                   Psalm 115:12 NASB

I “happened” upon this verse this afternoon.  I think this mindfulness journey is like buying a new red car.  I might start seeing it everywhere. 

Practicing this new habit is already opening my eyes:

Lesson One:

I discovered that I speed.  Very sad fact, but true.  Right after I finished my blog entry yesterday, I headed to join a friend for lunch.  Hurrying to not be late, I saw that I was almost 10 miles an hour over the limit.  That surprised me.  I slowed down and even set the cruise control for a cool 45 mph, the posted limit.  That gave me time to think and I felt a peace replace the hurry.  Driving the speed limit frees me on many levels:

1.   I feel safer.

2.   I have no fear of a ticket.

3.   I have space to enjoy the drive.

Lesson Two:

As my friend and I settled into our delicious lunch, I took a moment to savor the beauty of the salad, with its combination of green lettuces, scarlet strawberries and creamy goat cheese. Toasted pecans and tangy dressing made it a delight to the tongue. The gift of this moment of mindfulness was a true gratitude for the abundance of food that the Lord has provided.

Lesson Three:

Friends are priceless.  The gift of someone who knows your heart and loves you anyway, who brainstorms with you on what you want to be when you grow up, who shares coffee with you just so you both can stay together and talk a little bit longer…this was the gift I received yesterday.

What has mindfulness given me already?  Peace and joy and a growing-in-gratefulness heart.

Come join me on the journey. I would love to hear your story.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness: A state of active, open attention on the present.
From Psychology Today  


The idea of being awake and aware in the very heartbeats of life is calling me. Right now, as I hear the fan blowing and the bird singing, I sense the light from the window to my right drawing me.  It illuminates the room and beckons me to come outside, into the clearness of the day.  Can I become this person, who is alive in the now-ness of life?  I feel the presence of the Lord in this drawing, He who is ever mindful of us:

In Psalm 8:4, King David asks, "What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"

That God thinks of us...always, that He is the "I AM" and not the "I WAS" or the "I WILL BE."   

I shall try, for this moment, for this hour, for this day, to be "awake and aware," to be mindful of the day, of my own heartbeat, of the glory and truth of this "God With Us" season of joy.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14

Psalm 92

Psalm 92: 1-4

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,

to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

to declare your steadfast love in the morning,

and your faithfulness by night,

to the music of the lute and the harp,

to the melody of the lyre.

For you, O LORD, have made my glad by your work;

at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

I awoke, O LORD, 

and You where still with me.

A retreat from my world 

into Your Arms,

Arms that will never leave me 

nor forsake me.

Thank you, Father, 

for the beauty of this world. 

The fall colors 
here in the North Georgia mountains ,
with the fog of early morning clinging to them, 
refresh and renew me and I know it is all a gift from You, 
evidence of Your ever-present love.  
Thank You for eyes to see 
You
this morning. 

May it always be so.  

Forgive me my busyness and hurry.  

Teach me to see 

and hear and experience

You

 in the everydayness of this life.

Thank you, Lord 

for Your loving kindness, 

which is new every morning.

The Joy of Late Summer Tomatoes

We are enjoying a rare and precious treat here in Alabama this beautiful October Sunday.  My husband found a supplier to satisfy our unending addiction to summer tomatoes.  A brilliant marketer-gardener planted a regular and a late crop of the delicious fruit.  We are such regulars, the gardener simply reaches under his produce table when he sees my husband, in his trademark Panama hat and Hawaiian shirt, approach and discreetly hands him his special stash of heirlooms each Saturday morning at the Pepper Place Farmer’s Market.

Heirloom tomatoes, as a rule, are not a pretty fruit.  Their wrinkles and pits may scare off the uninitiated, but to the addicted, they are beautiful.  Kind of like an ugly child to its grandparents.  Love sees no faults.

A little salt, a little pepper and the "Alabama Caviar" is ready.  Our sixteen-year-old even comes out of her room for a while to join in the feast.  World Peace is next on our list.

Too Many "To Do's" - Saturday's Woes

Some days I feel overwhelmed and splintered by all I have agreed to perform.   The jobs on the “to do” list tower together to make a pile of guilt that rival the height of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

The birds are being noisy and demanding my attention.  My husband scattered rye seed on the back lawn yesterday and the doves and cardinals can’t get enough.  There are birds in the trees around me that I haven’t even met yet.

We moved the big iron table with its six chairs to a shady spot in the back yard this morning and I just discovered that it has a strong wifi signal from the house.  Maybe my new writing spot has been created.

Thank you, birds and trees and greenness for helping me to forget myself and my personal skyscraper for a while.

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

I'm preparing today for the gathering together of a new group of home school students at our home. I'm hoping to share some of the joy and art of my favorite people. Mary Oliver's poetry entered my life a few years ago. Her words speak deeply into my soul. I shared this poem earlier, but offer it again today.

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down,
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?


~ Mary Oliver ~

(New and Selected Poems, Volume I)

The Picnic

I remember that picnic in Provence. Two daughters, my husband and I. We'd spent the day exploring, by car, the twisting vista rich roads of the South of France and hunger was fast approaching. Lavender fields competed with sunflowers in beauty and quantity. Our hearts were full, but our stomaches needed some attention. We drove into the cobbled streets, parked the rental car and begin the exploration of the enchanting town of Sault, Provence.

Boulle players, quietly discussing their art, bikers in tight outfits, lounging around for a mid-day rest and refueling of their human machines during this time of the Tour de France. Bikers were everywhere during our stay in France.

An Authentic Life

This is a writing that I was invited to publish on the Childlight USA site:

ChildlightUSA

Instrument of Peace - Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Ecuador

We will soon be taking a trip to South America and our family is so excited. Packing bug spray, cameras and clothes for living at the equator is keeping us busy. Leaving in the jungle for awhile promises to be life changing. I think I'm most excited about experiencing all of this with three of my children and my husband.