Life is full of those weird moments when you wonder what the heck is going on – like when a friend calls on the phone at just the moment you were thinking about them, or you find $20 in the washing machine as you are whining about no money for that cafe mocha from Starbucks, or the perfect song plays while your ipod is on shuffle, or there is a snow day at school on the only day that you…
Every parent has experienced at least one of those moments when their child says something that makes you think what the heck is wrong with that kid. Did I do something to damage this kid’s psyche so badly that she feels that these things are normal? The bizarreness of such things is multiplied logarithmically when the kid is a math nerd masquerading as a drama queen. Or is it a drama queen masquerading as a math nerd? Honestly, this really…
Sometimes the stars in the heavens align and there are strange intersections of thoughts and images. So was the case this morning. Here is the background. My younger child has been in Cozumel, Mexico for nearly a week on a mission trip with our church’s youth group. Most such trips are geared towards humanitarian aid. This one, however, is focused on environmental issues. They have cleaned up beaches, helped build for the local SPCA and, the highlight of the trip,…
I went to Austin Friday afternoon for a meeting that started this morning. Austin has some wonderful restaurants and bookstores so a little extra time in our capital city is aways enjoyable. Austin is also known for having the largest urban bat colony. At dusk, millions of bats emerge from under the bridge in the middle of the city creating a black cloud on the skyline. I have seen the bats fly several times before so I decided that this…
Not long ago I was knitting with a relatively new friend (we have known each other since January) and I made some comment about my house being covered in dog and cat hair. She stiffened her back and said, “I didn’t know that you have a cat. All you ever talk about is the dogs.” The truth is that I have three cats (only two dogs) and the dogs do get more air time. This speaks well for the cats….
After the surgery on my arm last week, I was sent home with a list of instructions, some of which pertained to the day of the surgery and others were more long term. Some of their suggestions were: Rest as much as possible in the first 24 hours Don’t make any important decisions in the first 24 hours after having anaesthesia Don’t get the wound wet for 10 days Don’t lift anything over ten pounds for ten days (until the…
This poem is also from Jeff Rockwell’s bookMaking Friends With The Dust. One thing at a timeOur progress will never make it possiblefor us to fly with our arms openflapping in the air.What it can do, however,is inspire us to dooneholymindfulthingat a time.Nothing more needs to be said here.
When adult life seems confusing and overwhelming, sometimes it is helpful to step back in time and remember what our world looked like when we were six or so. Life was simple. We trusted most people. We believed we were loved unconditionally. Everyone around us was concerned with our happiness and well being. And, crayons and creativity were a part of every day. Our simplistic perception of life was reflected in all those crayon renderings of the world around us…
Today the Labyrinth Ministry of our church, of which I am a part, had its regular monthly meeting. Up until recently, we have neglected walking the labyrinth as a part of these meetings in favor of having more time for “business”. The majority of the group agreed that not walking together was a mistake in that our work together was not firmly grounded in the labyrinth itself. For nearly ten years, the labyrinth has been an integral part of my…