I just returned from a week end in Chicago with fourteen dear friends from high school. There are so many sweet memories running through my mind that I don't know which one to savor first and longest. Starting with my roommate is no doubt a good beginning. Ellen is her name and we hadn't been particularly close in high school but we were in the same group. We called ourselves "the Superlatives." We were certain then, that we were, and deserved to be, the envy of all the other girls in the school. Needless to say we made a few enemies along the way. B[...]
Tag
fellow-travelers
4 Some of my dearest friends are facing tough situations right now. Being present to listen, or to hold them in prayer, or simply to serve as a witness while they make the journey that is quite specifically theirs to make is why God has "arranged" our meeting in the first place. I can still recall how I used to think an idea such as this one was simply too far-fetched to even consider as a possibility. And now it guides my thinking every day. Being open and willing the allow new ideas to inform us is part of the necessary journey we are on, I think. Nearly[...]
Perhaps you are wondering what I mean by rightmindedness? I think of it as the alignment of our mind with the will of God. Something that I started doing some years ago was asking myself if what I was thinking was what God would want me to think and if it wasn't, seeking God's help in changing the thought. This simple exercise has been quite helpful and it has improved my relations with others. It really doesn't take more than a second or two to ask the question, and the answer comes ever so quietly but instantaneously. My job is to listen. Making the dec[...]
As I mentioned in my last blog, Joe and I were headed back to MN for the summer months. We arrived safely yesterday but the trip feels longer and harder every year. That may be the advancing age and the fact that we travel in a Ford Escape, a great little car but it's not equipped with all the creature comforts. We may choose another option for getting it, and us, both south and then north next year. But sitting down on our dock this morning, watching the ducks paddle by and the sunnies moving through the weeds beneath the dock made for a pleasant beginnin[...]
Wouldn't it be interesting if the entire country found something in the new law to make them happy? I have thought a lot about this reform lately. Considering all the discussion on cable news, it's been hard to avoid thinking about it. I can't say that I understand the myriad details, nor can I speak for it's long term impact; but I do think waiting a while to see how it helps those less fortunate among us is wise. Some say we aren't our brothers' keepers. I say we are. Lending a helping hand where ever we can is doing God's work, after all. I don't m[...]
Happy St. Patrick's Day. What an appropriate day for me to talk about hope and how it can be cultivated. I spent many St. Patty's Days in the bars drinking green beer or martinis with their green olives. That was a time in my life that I was very short on hope and didn't even realize that's what was missing. I was miserable, for sure, especially when sober, but couldn't put a name on the misery. However, I was convinced that if only others would change, I'd be just fine. That's what sent me off to my first 12 step meeting, in fact. Alas, that wasn't t[...]
At a gathering last night we were discussing how emotionally wounded most of us had been at some point on our journey. This led to the realization that most "sufferers" have experienced their woundedness within a very intimate relationship. For some the wound is unhealed. For others, seeing it from a new perspective offered hope. Many of the wise among us (Caroline Myss comes to mind) say all relationships are quite intentional in fact, which implies that the wounds might well be intentional too. This may seem like a far-fetched idea. It certainly was t[...]
IF IT ISN’T LOVE, IT’S ALWAYS FEAR. I was first introduced to this idea as I timidly began my spiritual quest in the 1970’s. This concept, along with so many others woven into the many and varied books I was reading, broadened my perspective on how to experience life and the many relationships I seemed to be “inviting along for the ride.” Becoming a student of myriad spiritual ideas offered me a deeper layer of understanding about every life that was touching mine, an understanding that complimented my early journey in the rooms of AA and Al-Anon.[...]
Every person we travel these roads with have made their trek to us because they need us and what we know as much as we need them for what they can teach us. This idea has been stressed in earlier essays but it’s one worth further emphasis because of the importance of the journey we share. Knowing that every person is specific to our education means we don’t have to be fearful about the experiences that present themselves. We have been guided to each experience and we will be led through it too. I have heard it said in many gatherings, that God never bri[...]
I don't know about you but I feel a bit discombobulated during the holiday week. I wake up wondering what day it is. I plug in the indoor lights because I love them but it feels somewhat anticlimactic to do so. I feel like it's appropriate to give myself some time "to vacation" from the work that calls to me and yet I am more comfortable in my structured existence. I seem to go through the motions of living rather than getting down to the nitty-gritty. Lunches with friends, dinner parties too, give this time a special quality, of course, but I feel like I[...]