A Stir of Air

 Stepping onto my deck this morning, I feel a stir of air; the movement and change of the seasons. Gone are those soft summer mornings that caressed our faces before the blast of the day's heat. Now there is a chill to the air and the leaves have a slight orange tint at the tips, the beginning of nature's cycle of displaying beauty, letting go of decay, resting and then renewing each spring.

The change is welcome, as nature's cycles always are; a reminder that even though nothing stays the same, there is a pattern and a purpose to all of life. We too, are creatures of the earth and Jesus taught us to learn from observing nature. If we don't accept the cycles and changes in our lives and learn to let go of our expectations for things to stay the same, we will stop growing. Just like the trees, we can learn to let go of what has decayed in our lives, take time for rest and introspection, then move on to a new beginning.  We can begin to practice this each day; a continual process of examining, letting go, allowing for renewal and beginning anew.

We can allow every morning to be a new gift...just as our physical bodies have shed old cells and generated new ones overnight as we sleep, our spirits can accept the gift of a new day as a fresh start. We can forgive what needs to be forgiven; make amends; let go of guilt, shame and regret; shed unhealthy habits, start something new.   

A Prayer for Autumn Days
By Joyce Rupp

God of the seasons,
there is a time for everything;
there is a time for dying and a time for rising.
We need courage to enter into
the transformation process.

God of autumn,
the trees are saying goodbye to their green,
letting go of what has been.
We, too, have our moments of surrender,
with all their insecurity and risk.
Help us to let go when we need to do so.

God of fallen leaves
lying in colored patterns on the ground,
our lives have their own patterns.
As we see the patterns of our own growth,
may we learn from them

 

 God of misty days and harvest moon nights,
there is always the dimension of mystery
and wonder in our lives.
We always need to recognize your power-filled presence.
May we gain strength from this.

God of harvest wagons and fields of ripened grain,
many gifts of growth lie within the season of our surrender.
We must wait for harvest in faith and hope.
Grant us patience when we do not see the blessings.

God of geese going south
for another season, your wisdom enables us
to know what needs to be left behind
and what needs to be carried into the future.
We yearn for insight and vision.

God of flowers
touched with frost and windows wearing white designs,
may your love keep our hearts
from growing cold in the empty seasons.

God of life,
you believe in us, you enrich us,
you entrust us with the freedom to choose life.
For all this, we are grateful.

 

 

What is Real and What is an Illusion?

 A memory surfaced this morning that brought the lyrics from a Moody Blues song to mind: "we decide which is right and which is an illusion..." The memory was from a time, five years ago, when my life changed dramatically and my perception of reality was never the same again. It was a single moment in time that made me look at the world differently, with new eyes; when I began to feel into myself at the core and become more authentic in my day-to-day life.

It was a late September afternoon, one of those still warm, glorious, early fall days, a little more than a month after my father had died. I had driven from my very demanding job as an HR director at a private school, picked up my husband and dropped him off at the golf club. As I was driving along a beautiful country road. my mind filled with busy thoughts, I had the strong impression that my father was sitting in the passenger seat of my car. I "heard" him say: "Patti, you're always so busy, rushing here and there...you don't even notice how beautiful everything is.  Open your eyes!"

 In that moment, I looked at the scenery around me and it was as if everything was lit up and so incredibly lovely that it brought tears to my eyes. I felt my dad's presence so strongly and it was as if he was trying to give me a final gift- a way of looking at the world with new eyes and seeing beyond the illusion of materialism to the spiritual essence of everything.

Shortly after this experience, my busy job ended. A new Head of School had come in and decided to automate HR, so I left and suddenly had time to meditate, take yoga classes and go on long hikes, all of which felt authentic to that person at my core. I also began to write this blog, a project that my daughter had encouraged me in and helped me set up the previous year, but I had been too busy to even think about.

Since that time, I've written hundreds of blogs, found a job teaching young children that feels more "me" and never lost that new "vision" that was my father's final gift to me.

I'm sharing this story today simply because it came to mind and it seemed like the right time to present itself. I hope that we can all move into our day and this new week with new eyes, bringing out what is authentic to each one of us and sharing it with the world.

We Will Not Forget

 Today is the 22nd anniversary of the World Trade Center bombings on a now notorious day: 9-11-01. Those of us who are over the age of 40 most certainly remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when the facade of American invincibility was shattered and we were attacked on our own ground. Hatred of the American way of life caused violent extremists to plot and carry out a horrific attack that we will never forget.

My daughter was attending college in Staten Island at the time and her dorm room view across the New York Harbor made it possible for her to view the attack in terrifying real world detail. The cell phone towers were blocked and it was impossible to make or receive a call to that area for days, so it was especially terrifying for us as well, not knowing if she was safe.

It was a terrible time for our whole country, but also a unifying period, when we came together as Americans to mourn and rebuild hope for our future.

We were able to put political and cultural differences aside and truly be the United States of America for a time. We united against the threat of terrorism and healing came out of that tragedy by the power of prayer and goodwill.

It is strange to look back on that period and almost be nostalgic for that post-tragedy time of coming together to rebuild our faith in the goodness of humanity.Today, it seems, we have turned against ourselves and our greatest threat is domestic terrorism. Mass shootings occur with disturbing regularity and are often what we call "hate crimes", when one or more individuals hate those who are different from themselves so much that they go on violent killing sprees to try to make some kind of twisted statement and go down in infamy. It's frightening to think about the ways that hatred can fester and then spread, erupting into violence. Those of us who continually pray for peace may sometimes feel that it's a losing battle. But I believe that we can tip the balance for good with enough prayer and peaceful actions.

Our country seems so divided politically and culturally that it can be hard to know where to start. As with every situation, I believe that it is more important now than ever before to try to find the positive in each person, to seek the common ground and appeal to people's better natures. What are the things that are important to us all? Family values, music, sports, spirituality (without the divisiveness of forcing one's religion on someone else), leisure activities like camping, hiking and entertainment. I find that there are always ways to relate to people without bringing up the divisive topics of religion and politics. It's not up to us to judge anyone's personal decisions. 

Our job, as children of a loving Creator, is "to show mercy, to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God" (Micah 6:8). In this way, we can be a model for those among us who may be angry and feel they've been treated unjustly. Instead of reacting angrily to the person expressing road rage, we can remain calm, not knowing what that person may be going through. Often, we can talk an angry person down by just listening and showing that we care. Do what Jesus would do, in every situation and we may just find that we can make a difference.