Grace, Like Rain

  The other morning, I was walking in the rain, trying to release angry, irritable feelings that I had regarding a certain situation in my life. I felt remorse about bitter words I had spoken the day before. Suddenly, the phrase "grace falls like rain" floated around me like tiny sparks of light and I saw very clearly that I was already covered in undeserved mercy and love. In that moment, every bad thought and feeling washed away like rain. It felt like a baptism..

"There is therefore now no condemnation" Paul tells us in Romans 8:1, yet this seems to be a very difficult concept for many of us to grasp. There is a human tendency towards self-condemnation that leads to damaging negative self-talk and guilt that can plague us for years. 

As soon as we feel that remorse and have a change of heart, however, grace and mercy will pour down on us like rain if we believe in the Spirit who gives us life. It's that simple. There is nothing more we have to do- we only need to accept the free gift. There is no legalistic requirement to be good enough, follow certain rules or do a certain number of good works in order to receive God's grace. We are simply forgiven and loved as we are.  

How liberating this is, if we only trust in this assurance.

 As Philip Yancey explains in his book What's so Amazing About Grace:: “By striving to prove how much they deserve God’s love, legalists miss the whole point of the gospel, that it is a gift from God to people who don’t deserve it. The solution to sin is not to impose an ever-stricter code of behavior. It is to know God.” 

It is the experience of knowing God that changes our hearts, not the striving on our own power to be better and do better, then condemning ourselves when we fail.

So this morning, I am thankful for the gift of grace, that is poured out continually, unmeasured and overflowing, renewing and changing my heart day by day.

Breathe in and out, releasing all and accepting the love that is freely given...  

 

*Art by Grace Dillon

Autumn Bounty

 This morning, I step outside and feel the change of season in the damp, cool air. Yesterday was the Autumnal Equinox, so I guess a shift of weather is fitting. The days will be getting shorter and cooler as we move into fall.

I've always loved this time of year, so I thought it would be fun to find some traditional rituals that welcome in the season and encourage us to embrace this special time of bounty:

• Light a candle to bring extra light and warmth into your home. Use it as a focal point for meditation
• Create a gratitude jar: fill a jar with notes of gratitude for all the blessings in your life. When the dark days of winter come, re-read them to lift your spirits
• Have a bonfire to celebrate autumn; write down on a piece of paper anything you want to release and burn it
• Celebrate nature's bounty by visiting a farm market and buying local produce, fall flowers and pumpkins
• Decorate your home with colorful fall touches and scented candles
• Spend time in nature: walk a wooded trail or simply relax in your backyard, taking in the beauty of the changing landscape
• Write in a journal: reflect on summer and the seasonal shifts, express gratitude for blessings or release anything that is holding you back 
• Make some delicious soup with seasonal vegetables; bake some bread or cookies
• Drink some spiced hot tea or coffee as you practice mindfulness meditation in front of your bonfire.
• Say a prayer and give thanks!

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Ode to Summer's End

                                                      

Tomatoes, ripening
on the vine
still life against
a backdrop
of Black-eyed Susan
and summer blue sky

Hummingbird, seeking
nectar from
bright orange flowers...
cricket song
and dog bark,
children's laughter,
floating on the air.

A hug, a smile,
a hand held
in a moment of
perfect peace;
tears of joy
and sadness.

Sunsets in a
crazy vanilla sky,
water lapping
on shores and
sunlight sparkling
on green-blue waves.

A thousand voices
joined in choir,
a symphony,
a kind word
spoken to ease
a troubled heart.

A face lifted to the sun,
and hands lifted
to the sky in praise.

A Fresh Start

 When I was a child, I loved the start of a new school year after the long, endlessly hot and boring days of August. A new teacher, fresh notebooks, pencils, crayons and clothes; books to be read and things to learn... I guess I was kind of a nerd, but I always found the newness of it all to be exciting. 

When my children started school, I relived  it all; waiting for the school bus on those first crisp September mornings; taking pictures of them in their new clothes and backpacks, seeing faces full of  excitement and anxiety, anticipating for myself the break from the intense parenting of summer. 

Now, many years later, September still seems like the month of fresh starts. Perhaps it is more so for me, since I never really left school and still haven't fully retired from teaching. But I think it can signify a fresh beginning for all of us: a new season, the month when summer gradually turns into fall and the laziness of warm, slow days changes to cool mornings and new routines.

Even if not much is changing in our lives, it can be a mindset that we embrace: gain a fresh perspective, learn something new, change our thinking. We can start with today: letting go of old mental baggage: regrets and resentments, forgiving old hurts, embracing a positive, forward thinking attitude. We can take up a new backpack, one freed of the heaviness of the past, carrying only a clean slate.

We can take Paul's advice in Philippians 4: 8-9

^" Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you".

Rest and Rejuvenate

 

Today, as we pause to honor the "worker bees" who have gone before us and those who contribute so much to our daily lives, may we also take a moment to reflect on the value of pausing to rest and appreciate the beauty all around us.

Work is important, we would certainly all agree, and life as we know it would not go on save for the contributions of doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers, food service workers and countless others who are cogs in the societal wheel.

But life should be lived in balance, and rest and rejuvenation are as important as work is to our collective well-being.  

I just returned from a week in the Southwestern desert, visiting my daughter and her family. I had a lovely time, enjoying my granddaughter's charms against the backdrop of beautiful mountains and the Rio Grande River.
Normally relentlessly hot and dry, it actually rained a couple times during my visit, which is a Divine blessing for them.

Coming home, filled with a mix of joy and sadness, I was struck by the difference in the climate and felt a fresh appreciation for the lush growth and cool, moist air of our Finger Lakes region.

The other night, Tom and I walked the pier at sunset and watched in wonder as the rosy pink, glowing waves washed over the walkway. People and dogs strolled by, photographers stopped to capture the moment and everyone seemed to be in awe at such glory. The scene was like a beautiful painting; a work of art fashioned by a loving Creator.

Later, I sat on the deck and looked up at a a sky full of stars as I listened to a chorus of crickets soothing the night with their lullaby. Every living thing around me seemed to be breathing in synchronicity, and the beauty of the moment filled me with a profound peace. 

Such is life -- work and rest, movement and pause, like the waves in the lake...

Breathe deeply and enter into the moment; be present, be mindful, don't miss any of it,
for it is far too precious.