Flowing Forward

 All of life is movement: the life-giving blood pumping through our bodies, a river running, the planets rotating and revolving in our solar system. Motion and change bring life; inactivity and sameness bring stagnation and decay.

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were walking in one of the parks near us, on a wooded path that borders a fast-moving creek. I was fascinated anew by the rushing water and small waterfalls spilling over rocks. There is such beauty and energy in running water; the sounds, the negative ions charging the air around it, the crystalline sight of it as it sparkles in the sun. I noticed one small area, where a tree had fallen over the winter, blocking the flow of water to create a motionless pool, and I thought about stagnant water. When there is no flow, bacteria and algae growth can create an unhealthy environment.

I guess it's the same way with us, whether we are talking about body, mind or spirit, flow is the key. It's the key to physical health, to ideas, to inspiration and to personal growth. Without flow, movement and change, we become stagnant; vulnerable to becoming ill or depressed.

Personally, although I cherish moments of stillness and reflection, I tend to be very much in motion every day. My morning begins with yoga and a walk (I'm a bit of a compulsive walker) and I stay pretty busy throughout the day.  Movement is a big part of my sense of well-being, so I sometimes wonder how I would survive if I became ill or incapacitated. I guess I would have one of those motorized wheelchairs and try to keep going!

In fact, moving forward is all we really can do.  Unfortunately, no one has invented a time machine yet (to my knowledge), so there are no do-overs.  Every day is a fresh start, as long as we don't sit and ruminate about things we cannot change. So, my advice today: keep moving, one step in front of the other (baby steps if need be), because, as Tom Petty would say: "If you don't run, you rust"!

Light The Way

 Imagine you are walking down a dark path with only a candle for illumination. You can see clearly enough to take the next steps, but the way forward would be very difficult and scary without that light. You don't know what's up ahead; what twists or turns the road may take; what stumbling rocks might be in your path, so you have to walk carefully, depending on that light to guide you.

To me, this is what faith is like; that daily dependence on the guidance of the Spirit to show me the way. I can't see the whole picture, but if I ask for help each morning, I will be given my "daily bread"... just enough for today.

We really only have "now", this moment in time, because none of us know what the future will bring. We can plan our lives out to some extent, because we want to have a vision of what we would like to happen, but life tends to get in the way of our "best laid plans" and we have to re-adjust, changing course to adapt to whatever comes along in our path.

Anxiety and worry are really just thinking too much about the future, the "what ifs" of life. While I believe it's important to be alert and aware, and to be ready to change course if something doesn't feel right, it does no good to obsess about the future. 

I do try to be hopeful that the best possible outcome will be realized and to never give up on someone who I love, but I have to acknowledge that it's important to allow things to unfold in God's timing.

Just as on the dark path, I can only see so far; enough to take my next few steps. As hard as it is, I must learn to trust and wait, having faith that I will be guided day by day.

Spring Renewal for the Soul

On this Monday of Easter week, my thoughts turn to rebirth and renewal, so I am re-posting a blog that I wrote several years ago and like to share anew every spring when I (and maybe you as well), feel the need for a little re-charging. It's a good time to peel off the winter weariness of the soul and give ourselves a re-boot!

 I am writing this on an early Spring morning…gray and chilly still, but with the scent of new life in the air. I throw open the window and listen to the birds at my feeder, excitedly announcing this time of rebirth. My thoughts turn towards spring cleaning, rebirth and renewal and how these can serve as metaphors for our own spiritual growth.

I really don't enjoy cleaning at all, but my mother-n-law, Joan, who passed on several years ago, left behind a legacy of ritualistic spring cleaning. Each year, come March or early April, Joan would empty and wash every cupboard and closet, scrub every wall and window and launder every curtain and rug. Top to bottom, everything received a thorough airing, cleaning and reorganizing.  No matter how chilly it was, she would throw open the windows, disinfecting with sunlight and fresh air every nook and cranny of her beautiful home.

When she reached the age of eighty, still in her own home, still doing her spring cleaning, she said to me "You know, Patti, I just don't enjoy it like I used to", which of course made me chuckle. Although I couldn't relate to ever enjoying cleaning, I did admire her spunk and energy.

So, as we enter into this season of Spring, I think of Joan with love and admiration and try to apply her spring cleaning lessons to spirituality, which resonates a bit more with me than actual physical cleaning (important as well, of course!):

• Emptying:  Releasing old hurts, resentments, anger, sadness, anxiety, fear of the future, regrets of the past.  This morning, I step outside, face the sun, breathe deeply and let it all go. like laundry flapping in the breeze.
  
• Washing:  On my in-breath, I visualize the pure white light of the Spirit coursing through my body from the top of my head, out through my feet, clearing any debris, washing me clean.
• Scrubbing: Washing alone can't always do the job.  There are always stubborn stains, crevices, hidden grime, etc. that need a little scrubbing with a stiff brush. What old habits and patterns are hard to break, but no longer serve me?  What accumulated junk in my home or heart needs to be thrown out and replaced with new, fresh, beautiful things?
• Laundering:  Water is a metaphor for the Spirit. Ask for help and be given the cleansing, renewing refreshment of the Spirit. This water is restorative; showered freely on all who ask.
• Airing: Breath is another metaphor for Spirit. As I breathe in, I feel the gentle wind and Light of Spirit, disinfecting any areas in need of inner healing, airing out anything that has previously been hidden and needs to come out into the open. Like wounds that need sunlight and fresh air, my inner emotional wounds can be healed as well.
• Reorganizing: After cleansing, I need to replace old energy with new; negative thought patterns with positive, inspirational messages. Whatever speaks to my heart, whether it's scripture, quotes from inspiring leaders, poetry or song. Embrace the new, let go of the old.  Be encouraged and strong, create new habits, create positive change in my home, my heart and the world.

This is a process, I know, that is not easy. I cling to old ways of thinking and doing things, as most of us do. But I can start with today, letting go of something old, breathing in the cleansing refreshment of God's Spirit, claiming the Light of renewal and taking one small baby step toward something fresh and new! 

“Create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me” Psalm 51:10

 

 

 

Good Trouble

 This past Saturday, in 1200 cities across America, people came together to peacefully protest the destructive policies of this administration. Thousands of people gathered in Rochester, tens of thousands in other cities, to carry signs and make their voices heard. Similar protests on behalf of our country took place around the world. Can all this possibly make a difference?

My mind turns to the words of Civil Rights activist and Congressman John Lewis, who died in 2020, but is immortalized by the lessons he left: 

"Do not get lost in a sea of despair.  Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble"

"Freedom is not a state, it is an act.  It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create a more fair, more just society."

I am not ashamed to say that I took part in this protest, though some reading this may not agree. I will never be afraid to stand up for what I believe is right. We all have to do what has the ring of truth to us at the core of our being.

Last week, I wrote about admitting our powerlessness, which applies to what we do in our own strength. But when we pray and God moves us to take action, we need to listen. In my opinion, it is about being open and sensitive to the call of the Spirit.

May we always heed this call.