Like a Weaned Child

 "Surely, I have calmed and quieted my soul.
like a weaned child with his mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me"

Psalm 131: 2

I know there is a God, because when I am in pain and come to Him/Her, I am given the gift of peace and a calmed heart.  

We had to say good-bye to our beloved little dog Shamus yesterday.  He was a sweet little friend to us for 13 years, but his body became ill and tired and it was time to let him go. My heart is broken and I woke up this morning not knowing how I was going to live with the gaping loss. I kept seeing his precious trusting eyes as I said the final goodbye, feeling the agony of loss.

But the words of Psalm 131:2, came to mind and I realized that I was being offered comfort, as I repeated them over and over until I felt a supernatural calm come over me. The comfort of the Spirit doesn't take away the pain of loss, but it soothes, like healing balm.

The pain and grief is very real. Anyone who's lost a dear pet knows how deeply they become entangled in our hearts and how difficult it is when they leave us. We want to know if dogs really do go to heaven; if there's a place for them on the other side. Of course, I don't know for sure, but I want to believe that when an animal has been deeply loved by humans and has brought joy and companionship to us, they live on in some way. And so I will cling to this hope.

If there is any sadness or anxiety in your heart today, I offer the Psalm that came to me this morning...."surely I have calmed and quieted my soul..." May you meditate on it and find peace.

When Peace Requires Change

 

         True peace sometimes requires disruptive change.  Although we often think of peace in terms of maintaining the status quo:  "keeping the peace", or not "ruffling feathers", I don't believe that we should ever remain complacent in the face of injustice. If Martin Luther King Jr. had "kept the peace" and remained complacent towards the unjust laws that prevailed at the time, or if Rosa Parks had been obedient and given up her seat on the bus just because of the color of her skin in order to avoid conflict, necessary changes may not have come about.

        Today, as we honor Martin Luther King Jr., I would like to take a few moments to reflect on the values he embraced and lived out through powerful acts of nonviolent, peaceful protest. He knew that there cannot be true peace as long as all men and women are not treated equally, with dignity and respect. In a speech delivered in Montgomery, Alabama on March 25, 1965, he said: "We must come to see that at the end we seek a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience."  He recognized that he was not living in peaceful times, but that the ideals of peace, love and respect for all must be held in one’s heart and be the catalyst for change.   

 “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” –
MLK,  August 19,1967

Let There Be Light

 "Let there be light"...the first words of God in the book of Genesis, at the very beginning.  His first gift, really, was light and the separation of darkness from that light. The light of the Spirit and then the light of the sun, made life possible and still sustains us.

These thoughts come to me as I wake on this very dark morning, at 5:30 am, before the winter sun, hiding behind gray clouds, makes its appearance. It is January, in Rochester, after all and the sun rarely makes an appearance. The holiday lights have mostly been put away in storage. Yesterday, I spent part of the afternoon taking our live Christmas tree down (I could no longer deny the fact that its needles were dropping fast and furiously). So no more holiday brightness, very little sun and a winter of darkness...where do we find our light?

The fortunate escape to a sunnier place for the winter, but the rest of us stay here, hibernating in the darkness, catching those rare moments of sunshine and seeking the inner Light to sustain us. As I write this, a light therapy box sits on my kitchen table and shines brightly...re-gifted from my daughter, who no longer lives in gloomy Seattle. It does help some and I would recommend it to anyone who suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (a.k.a winter depression).

Tom and I also make it a point to get out to a park and walk every afternoon, to catch whatever glimpses of sun appear and to stay connected to the beauty of nature, which is ever present when your eyes are open. There is always something fascinating to watch, whether it's geese coming in for a landing or the shimmer of late afternoon sun on water.

Every morning, especially in winter, I believe it's important to turn on the inner light, seeking God in prayer and meditation. Throughout the day, as well, I can stay connected by breathing deeply, envisioning the white light of the Spirit surrounding and protecting me.  As I pray for others, I can imagine the Light healing and protecting them as well.

There are lessons to be learned in the dark hibernation of winter, for sure, but it's still important to seek the light, physically and spiritually, in as many ways as possible...let there be light!

Do A New Thing

 As we enter into this second day of 2023, we may be thinking about the past year, reflecting on the highs and the lows, hoping that the New Year will be better, more prosperous and happier. We may have made some New Year's resolutions, vowing to be thinner, healthier, kinder or smarter.

 

 

 In contemplating the significance of a New Year, I am reminded of the advice I give to the four year olds at the Montessori school where I work, as they are lining up to move from one room to another: face forward-don't look back at your friend, or down to the ground, but look ahead and pay attention, so you can see where you're going and not fall. Simple advice, for sure, but important for a four year old or an adult.

Stay focused, don't look backwards and move ahead. If we are constantly looking behind us, reminding ourselves of past mistakes or repeating the same ones over and over, or are stuck in stale patterns or habits of mind, we "take our eye off the ball" so to speak and are not fully living in the here and now.

Of course, reflecting backward, in a contemplative moment (when there is no danger of falling!) can be a valuable exercise. It can be part of the process of moving forward: Writing in a journal, for example, can help us to see positive and negative patterns in our life, to identify highs and lows, areas in need of change and growth, or simply, what makes us happy and what feels right.

Once we have done our reflecting, however, it is important not to ruminate. Regrets and self-condemnation are like poison to the spirit. When we have identified lessons learned and asked forgiveness, made amends and resolved not to repeat past mistakes, it is time to let it all go and move forward.

Sure, moving forward can be scary if the way is unfamiliar. But God calls us to be alert, to trust the guidance of Spirit, to enter through the open door and to continually do a new thing. If we are not reinventing ourselves, we can become immobile and fearful of anything new. 

So today, on this second day of the New Year, I invite you to join me in prayerfully looking ahead, focusing on the here and now and not the past.  Let's do a new thing, one baby step at a time!