Life in two parts

"PEAR-LY  THERE II"

Mixed-Media Collage - 9" x 12"

Quote here by Richard Rohr from 

Falling Upward, A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, p.xiii

"The first half is discovering the script, 

and the second half is actually writing it and owning it."

How convenient or coincidental(?) is it that Richard Rohr's quote should come before my eyes this morning?  The subject of NOW has been part of my personal theme song for the past couple of years in that I'm very alert to the fact that I'm firmly ensconced in the second half of my life (that is if I expect to live until I'm 136!.....you can do the math.)  At any rate, I repeat I'm definitely in the second half.

I'm eager to read the Rohr book that I've quoted from above as he obviously writes from a spiritual point of view about the two halves of life.  Yet, I too, speak of spirituality when awakening myself to things done and left undone, experiences I've always wanted to have in my life, people to meet, friends to make, travel to distant places, physical strengthening, reading, writing, painting; the list goes on.  I think my point is thinly veiled - I'm working at achieving and experiencing my bucket list NOW.  I'm not making excuses about no time to write, no time to read, no time to run a mile, no time to begin yoga, no time to say I love you to all my friends and family.

How about you?  Are you waiting until the pantry is full, or you've been to the cleaners, or gotten to the library, or washed the kitchen sink or bathroom bowl?  No matter your age as you read this post, you could possibly be in the second half of your life right now - don't wait, don't put off improving your mind, honoring your body, tending to your spiritual self - go for it today!!!  

**Collage from One Woman Show - Opening Reception - June 3, 2011 
Gallery at the Weinhard
Weinhard Hotel - Dayton, WA

What do I see?

During a recent Soul Collage Event in my home, the beautiful face* featured here along with the photo of the white Cockatiel begged to be placed on the small collage card which I was creating. For me, the "call and the culling" of myriad paper images is a rather mystical, perhaps whimsical part of the Soul Collage process. Continually surprised at the random selection of images finding their way to a small, personal card, I am truly taken to another place when the images speak out from their pasted surface revealing the card's relevance to my life. 

The decorated face had a lot to say to me on the evening of the event and this a.m. in contemplation, I unraveled the bird's voice to me.  (BTW - the Cockatiel "insisted" on being placed on the card during the last moments of the pasting process - I had no idea why the bird had to come to rest on the card until today!)

To a specific set of questions from the SC Leader, this is what the card answered to me in my own words - first the question to the image, followed by my own response -

-Who are you? I am the one....who is confident with whom and with what I am.  I am the one comfortable in my own skin whether others love my image or not.

-What do you have to give me? What I have to give you is...confidence, creativity, and youthfulness.

-What do you want from me? What I want from you is...trust, respect, and friendship. 

And as mentioned above, in contemplation and reverence this a.m. the "Cockatiel" spoke to me revealing yet another aspect of the card for my reflection.

-Who are you?  I am the one.....who endorses your positive traits and image.

-What do you have to give me? What I have to give to you is - blessing, assurance, and spiritual fulfillment.

-What do you want from me?  What I want from you is.....love, steadfastness, worship and thanksgiving.

The Cockatiel?......perhaps THE essential voice echoing an affirmation of things seen and sometimes unseen but there nevertheless.

*the beautiful face - I first encountered this face via a YouTube video sent to me from an artist friend.  Within days of the first encounter, I came upon a coffeetable book of these faces and bodies.  The book featured the work of Hans Silvester in the book "Natural Fashion/Tribal Decoration from Africa."  So charmed by the images, I then purchased a copy of the book for myself and my artist friend.  When the image reappeared in the random images for use in the Soul Collage Workshop, I picked it up thinking it was only a beautiful picture.  I had no idea how Mr. Silvester's images were speaking to me.

Don't miss the splendor on your journey

Reading from Eve Eschner Hogan's work, "Way of the Winding Path - A Map for the Labyrinth of Life," I came upon these words - and I paraphrase a little - 

"Backpacking on the (island) of Kauai along a magnificent coast, I weaved my path toward the sacred destination eleven miles in the future.  After three days at the destination, I took a boat back along the shore and viewed my journey from a difference perspective.  I had missed all of the splendor of the journey because I spent the entire walk looking toward my destination, thinking about how much further until I was there, and counting the miles."

These words were such powerfully personal words to me today as I am striving to live every moment in the presence and not as it will be when I do this or that.  Entering one's late autumn (ha) one's early winter (?) years, looking back can be an incredible experience and exercise in seeing and realizing what blessed events I might have missed in my own life.  

I'm not going to lose sleep over those missed events but I do want to remember some of the most precious ones in my life and to simply treasure the events of this day as they unfold for me.  The blue sky - there is a teeny bit showing - the breeze making the spring day feel colder than it is, the squirrels drinking at the bird bath - assuring the birds that it's a squirrel possession rather than a bird hangout, with the birds ignoring the squirrels!  The peace and quiet of our home, often interrupted by the raucous barking of our two beloved dogs, and the good fortune of housekeepers who temporarily will upset the quiet as well later today.  The blessing of friends dropping by for tea and a chat, and my weekly brain-clearing spiritual formation group studying excerpts from Annie Dillard's, "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek."  The sight of my beloved busily transforming thoughts into sermons, blogposts, or letters at his computer or taking a snooze in his favorite chair......

These unheralded moments surrounding me are indeed mundane and too numerous to count but they bring me peace and God's love on a daily basis.  Would that I count these days as the splendor of my life no matter how small are inconsequential they might seem as I list them.

And you, do too many days pass when you don't count the splendor of routine, of your shelter, your transportation, your friends, your family.........please count them today for me and for you. 

Click the "unsubscribe" button

I've been involved with a rich online program of Lenten study this season that has taken me, so far, on a path of contemplative and centering prayer and meditation practices. Some of the self-awareness that has been stirring in me, through participating in this study, is in regard to how and why I spend time, where and when I do and for whom.  I believe in giving back to the community which so richly supports my life in this small town, so I am involved in community projects - occasionally, I feel overwhelmed and am tempted to throw up my hands and quit them all.  On the other hand, I gain much from outreach with fellow citizens and organizations and am blessed to share their dedicated service. 

Also as I support others, I am supported and strengthened spiritually by a wealth of blog and online friends that I might never meet or know in person.  Furthermore, childhood friends whose presence in my life is undeniably important to the person I am today, even family members that are not close by are met and interacted with through the wonderful internet communication opportunities that we have today.  I wouldn't give these opportunities up for anything.

Yet, while living this gift of life and gift of choice..... choices rich and varied - simple and complex, I realize there are those things in my life that draw me away from the importance of spiritual thanksgiving, prayer, meditation.  For example something as irrelevant to my existence as an email inbox is littered every day (and I do visit it every day, regularly) with offers and pleas from political entities, charitable organizations, marketing and merchandising ploys begging me to buy their goods - even a surfeit of spiritual offerings that is, at times, tiresome and overwhelming in their pleas for the "me now, most important, you can't live without this message" advertising.  I've built that inbox by allowing these day by day, step by step distractions to accumulate and populate my computer and thereby distract my mind often from that which is productive, positive, wholesome, and life-giving.

I spent some time this week scrolling to the bottom of senseless information crowding my space and head, searching out those little, teeny, tiny promises of not bothering me again, labeled "Unsubscribe" and clicking those buttons with fervor!  Often, a box appears with the question of why I am unsubscribing - I seldom write a reason but the explanation could be - "you're killing me with junk, I'm exhausted from reading your claims, your gripes, your guarantees.....etc. You're distracting me from time better spent with God, with my family, with my friends, with my writing, with my own creativity."

So, I guess my question to you today might be - what do you want to "unsubscribe" from?  What's draining your energy, your imagination, your time for family, prayer and meditation?  Why not join me today in finding that little "unsubscribe" button and clicking it..............

Pounds and Prayer Life

Image by Pink Sherbet Photography via Flickr

Yesterday's post about life on "automatic" took me farther into the field of prayer's positive affects on my daily living and a another kooky train of thought began to develop as I continued to write in my journal.  The thought? -  that my prayer life, as well as my daily caloric intake, can both either benefit my well being or not.  I would suggest that a regular prayer life feeds my soul, my mind, my heart and all parts of my human being.  It can bring me peace, reflection, change, and lead me in the paths of Christianity that I find healthy and tolerable - meaning following in the path of God's redeeming love in all decision making and human interaction.

The same with caloric intake, except I stop short with this concept in the path of God's redeeming love - but wait, maybe not.  Doesn't the gospel tell me that my body is a temple that should be protected and honored with diligence and moderation?............well, it tells me something like that, so watching my caloric intake could be following in the path of God's redeeming love also, huh?

Really, caloric intake is one aspect of feeding one's body properly.  Another aspect of that caloric intake is dieting.  With all of the amazing food and drink available in today's world why would I hold back and not indulge in whatever I want, whenever and as often as I want?  Dark chocolate, handmade chocolate truffles spring to mind......yum!  But why do I stop short of over-dosing on those beautiful little creations?  For one thing, I perceive that I feel better and my body functions better when it is operating at a reasonable weight for my age and frame.  Vanity tells me that I look better adhering to healthy weight recommendations. 

Here's the point of this chatter - believing my physical and mental health depend on exercise, healthy caloric intake, and the proper amount of sleep, how crazy would I be to just ignore these medical pointers?  Also, believing that blood pressure, diabetes, head and muscle aches, as well as some forms of depression, busted knees and backaches can be relieved through proper dieting and exercise.........o.k. you've got that. 

IN THE SAME WAY, I believe that my physical body is affected by dietary discretion, I believe my spiritual life is dependent upon and coaxed into abundance by a routine plan of prayer, worship, and spiritual exercise.  Conversation with others about spirituality, concentration of effort when listening to sermons that might not be exactly what I want to hear, daily time for communing with God, my Creator, my Higher Power.  Let's consider that my "Christian Vanity" should be at play in this spiritual pilgrimage as well.  Why wouldn't I want my spirituality, my faith, my everyday actions be visible to those with whom I interact?  How much chance do I have of that reassurance if I choose to ignore the advice of centuries of theological reflection, never engage in personal disciplines of prayer or worship?  Isn't my inner appearance as important or even more important than my exterior facade?  Oh, I hope so, I pray so.

I step on the scale each morning and there's the truth registering down there close to my toes on the scale - over-indulgence, o.k., or just right, or maybe I need to "watch it" for a while as I've passed my mark for what I consider my personal well-being.  Wouldn't it be great if there was a similar scale on which we could step each a.m. that would show us where we register on God's scale, on our interpersonal relationship scale, on our quest to follow commandments of love and forgiveness?..........as far as I know that scale is not around yet, but isn't it worth the time to work on our inner vanity as much or indeed even more important to work on our projection as one of the many children of God we will meet in our day to day life?  What do you think - are your pounds or your prayer life living up to your own expectations - not to others' expectations - but to your own?

It's that stewardship thing again

Image via Wikipedia

In the 4th Thursday of Advent, one of the readings is I Samuel 1:24-28, describing Hannah's rejoicing in the birth of her child and of his weaning; whereupon she took him to the temple along with sacrifices and offerings - giving thanks for the blessing of his birth and her vow to dedicate his life and service to the Lord.

Ever thankful for what the Lord had bestowed upon her, she was bound to give back in kind. It's that stewardship thing again. I guess in Advents past I have never noticed the strong stewardship theme. I expect it's been there all along but that window or eye has been open for me this season.

How about you this Advent season or if you don't celebrate Advent, how about just this season of the year in relation to the holiday that you and your family or just you may be honoring? Any new insites? Would love to hear them but also I realize the time is packed with so many chores, and fun, and events that I may not receive any answers or even any readers - matters not - have a wonderful holiday season and know that in God's time you have read this before the holiday even began...........ponder that.

The throat thing

No, I'm not referring to that scratch in the back of your throat that you're praying is NOT the flu, or a sore throat, or a cold coming on (heaven forbid!) but that welling at the Lessons and Carols event as the choir surpassed your expectations, or at the Children's Pageant where the rowdiest of the rowdies were coaxed into costumes and managed to look heavenly, or at the children building "Hansel and Gretel" houses -not to be confused with gingerbread houses- this morning at the YWCA - THAT'S the welling of which I speak now and last week in another post.

In response to that last week's post of poignant events and life's tragedies that we face at this time of supposed happiness in our lives, I received some wonderful comments. One now I share with you from a blogger friend, whom I'm hopeful will rejoice in my sharing it with you -

"......welling in the throat and the water in the eyes, this is just the spirit growing too large to be contained."

I believe that to be so although I had never thought of it in those words. May your welling and water be those of joy this season and may God's Holy Spirit comfort you if those wellings and waters come from a tragedy of your own or from the tragedy of others.

Photo Sunrise Sister - Hansel and Gretel houses are constructed with a graham cracker base rather than gingerbread:)

Converting our imaginations....

Image via Wikipedia

Revisiting one of my favorite study books from last year, Winter Grace by Kathleen Fischer, I found this excerpt on page 15....

"The present situation of many older people, old and young alike, has been described as a disease of the imagination. The older persons have accepted the negative images of old age, made them their own, and begun to live out of these images of incompetence and insignificance. The task of spirituality of aging is to convert the imaginations of both old and young to a new vision of the human. And this can only happen if the old themselves refuse to let society define them, and instead internalize new images of the later years."

Now not all of MindSieve's readers are old by any stretch of the mind but notice above that both old and young need a new vision of the human. I'd wager that sometime in your youth your own imagination was questioned by someone or doubted - e.g., you drew outside the lines of the coloring book pages, or your picture of your dog didn't really look like your dog (even if you thought it did) or your wouldn't want to be a painter or a writer, you can't make money being a painter or a writer, etc........

So for those of us who can chart our own courses now, grab onto that new vision and be and become who you are meant to be. If you've small children, or hard-headed teenagers still under your influence, help shape their vision in any way you can by pointing out to them those who are becoming what they are and want to be - like their grandmothers - like their aunties - like their, heaven forbid, their mothers! Oh the visions we can imagine and see for ourselves once we are freed from behind our own bars!


*Doesn't the Cassatt portrait say right out loud - "Don't mess with me, my dear - just make me look terrific - because I am!"