Builder of Bridges, who carries us across the span of each day,
Enliven us anew with our silent breathing. Use this moment to connect us with the power of your loving Presence. Give us wisdom to wait on the threshold of choices we make today. With what we cannot see, hold us in the pattern of your truth. Bring us alongside others who share our hopes. And when the day is over, realize in us that faith alone brings us across each divide. Amen.
Unifying Creator, who knits soma and spirit into one strand,
Wrapped in the warmth of your Presence, we begin to take notice of the way you weave the threads of our days into colorful patterns. Even the frayed and foolish hours are not wasted but eventually lend resilience and increase our capacity to forgive. Widen our hope and lengthen our imagination. Weave the work of this day into a blanket of blessing for others. Amen.
For today’s FF, tell us about five calendar themes that you like to see hanging on your walls or going with you to appointments, or that you WISH existed to adorn and accompany your life.
1) Practicing silence is essential for me. So the “calendar” that keeps me straight is my big tibetan singing bowl. (for those interested you can also download a mindfulness bell at http://www.mindfulnessdc.org/bell/)
2) My favorite kitchen calendars feature bucolic farm settings with community activity. Every day, I need to remember to connect with the earth, to help something grow, or help with a harvest, and each day, I try to connect with community in meaningful ways.
3) My Celtic Daily Prayer book keeps my inner calendar aware of the power of love and mercy, the communion of saints and makes blessing a daily practice. I am beginning this year with Mark Nepo’s “Book of Awakening” along with CDP.
4) The only way I keep track of my schedule is on my calendar app on my smart phone, not very creative but it does keep me organized.
5) Ruby, our sweet aussie is my walking calendar, she takes me for long walks to inspire me and keep my body healthy. I need to remember to keep her spirit with me as I attend to meetings and appointments, she is the perfect blend of both playful and attentive work.
Wisdom of Creation, who sends droplets of grace into every moment,
Sometimes when we quiet ourselves, leftover remnants from the cold glances of our humanity come to mind and we are disappointed. Bring us to look further at the things we so readily dismiss. Help us to make peace with our own deficiencies leaving us empty enough to receive the fullness of your Presence. Then, with the grace you shine into our lives, give us clarity to see rich treasure in others. Amen.
Talking about our problems is our greatest addiction.
Break the habit. Talk about your joys.
~Rita Schiano
1) I love color. I am a visual person and find ways to enhance the everyday with color. My business cards which are very plain get a color makeover before I hand them out. I do alot of collage using colorful layers of paper. I wear turquoise when I miss my mom. I think babies look adorable wearing light brown. Our living room has rich earthy tones, which keep us grounded in family. My office walls are painted airy blue which feels spacious and wide to me, just like God’s love. And I don’t want to forget my colorful rhinestone collection, perfect joy to add a little sparkle.
2) I love to hike. The steeper the climb the better. I grew up hiking the White Mountains of New Hampshire, my parents called me a little goat because I would scramble to the top ahead of the rest. One time, I hiked the Grand Canyon, top to bottom and back up again in one day, with my Dad. I am so thankful for that memory. And in fact, this weekend, our son is taking us hiking when we visit him for parent’s weekend.
3) I love Ben Harper. He is absolutely my favorite musician. He can play a slide guitar like no one else on earth. His lyrics are full of truth. He includes amazing musicians in his work. Did I say I love Ben Harper? One of our son’s introduced me to his music back in the late 90’s and he took me to my first Ben Harper concert; an additional reason for why Ben Harper continues to nourish my soul.
4) Fall is my favorite season, my husband and I were both born in October, we also got married in October. We love to go apple picking, enjoy small town country charm and watching the trees change color. This October, our eldest son is getting married, and I was never told how much joy that would bring me. We are enjoying adding another chair or two at our table, his bride, her family, her friends, are all becoming part of our life. This year, we are adding wedding white pumpkins to our Fall traditions.
5) Choosing a favorite book or even genre would be hard. I have memorized passages of classic literature which continue to make meaning for me. I continue to be struck with the brilliance found in The Life of Pi. I enjoy a good southern novel. Gerald May’s writing has helped me grow spiritually. I once designed a class called “Locating God in Literature,” with my dear friend, the late Mary Marshall. Mary was a fine teacher and faithful witness. Her work in my life continues to inspire me to look beyond the written page to expose new truth.
Join the RevGalBlogPals in using these five words (in any tense) in a sentence:
1. pulpit, puppy, wrench, word, mouse.
The puppy chased the mouse under the pulpit, where the words from last week’s heart wrenching sermon had landed.
2. weep, love, prayer, bassoon, chair
They celebrated her love and life but when the service ended its final note from a gleeful bassoon, she sat and wept in the same chair that her grandmother used for prayer.
3. heart, shutter, wish, turtle, walk
I heard the click of my camera shutter capture the turtle as it walked toward the orphaned baby hippo, a lasting image that still melts my heart.
4. howl, worry, window, story, trust
My sister’s house looks like one in a story book, her trusting children contained inside brightly colored walls and windows that shut out the worry of the world and keep the howling violence of the world at bay.
5. garden, hat, shepherd, laugh, sigh.
A deep contented sigh came from underneath the wide brimmed hat that covered the shepherd’s face as he slept in the garden.
For today’s Friday Five, share five occasions or events in your life that have been turning points…when you have felt like a new thing was being born. You can refer to the birth of children, career, your kitchen garden, or whatever moves you.
1) I grew up in a loving but confusing family. Or perhaps confusion is just a part of everyone’s growing up. Our family did medical missionary work in underdeveloped countries in the 1970’s. I was fourteen years old when I was sent to bush villages in Nicaragua to immunize children 3 years old and under against tuberculosis. My dad had me practice giving an injection on an orange first and then I climbed in the back of a truck with Guillermo who told us the gun he carried was for two footed tigers. I knew one mesquite word, “naksah,” which means hello. My heart was poured out for children carried in the arms of their mothers and fathers, smelling of sunshine and coconut oil. They lived in homes with thatched roofs and dirt floors. No electricity. No running water. Their smiles, their trust and their hospitality are still an ever-present memory. The poorest place on earth was at once the richest. After that, I knew it did not matter where in the world I went, I would find amazing people to love.
2) I am the mother of four sons, a fifth if you include my husband, smile. They have taught me the transforming power of love in ways that I could never have dreamed. They truly have reflected Christ to me every step of the way. It has not always been easy, but in the thick of things, I have always seemed to find hidden blessings. I am currently at the dawn of a new transformation as our eldest is getting married. I did not realize how much joy I would have as our son and his fiance share their love with us.
3) I have Scottish ancestry and deeply feel rooted and connected to the landscape and the people of Scotland. I have had the privilege of going to the island of Iona twice on pilgrimage. The deep interconnectedness of time, creation, and Christ is rich and meaningful. The hospitality of the community on the island and in the Abbey is transformative. I hope for the opportunity to return.
4) My dog Ruby, is an aussie. She is not the dog I had hoped she would be. When I got her, I hoped to train her for obedience. When she was just a puppy, we had a family member who was seriously ill and so her training was kind of sidelined. She became the family comforter instead, and to this day, she will crawl in your lap, all 50 pounds! She has not once tried to run away, in fact, she is sleeping at my feet right now. Love has become more important than obedience, that is the kind of transformative power I can live with.
5) If you are still reading, here’s the goods, I saved the best for last. A practice of silence has been the single most transformative power in my life. I attend to God’s presence in silence regularly each day. Every Wednesday, I take some extra time to put into words an invitation for others to listen for God. I post these simple prayers here on this blog with hopes that others will take a moment to pause, breathe and listen. I believe this practice has made me aware of God acting and moving, inviting transformation in myself and others. I am still a beginner at this practice. If you want to learn more about contemplative living, please visit http://www.shalem.org.
Celtic spirituality offers us some added disciplines to grow in our understanding of God’s faithfulness. For the ancient Celtic monks, pilgrimage was the art of leaving the comfortable and familiar of home to encounter God. Pilgrimage was often used as a way to share the gospel or to walk in the footsteps of a holy person. Many Jews and Christians participate in pilgrimage by traveling to Israel. Pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the pillars of Islam. We do not need to travel to the place where our faith originated to accomplish pilgrimage. When on pilgrimage, the exposure to creation reveals the Divine Presence through plants, animals, landscapes and natural designs. Each person we meet on the road may carry a divine message.
Pilgrimage begins with preparation. Where are we going and why? We prepare our hearts and minds by establishing an intent, a reason for becoming a pilgrim. Do we have a yearning that needs to be addressed? Is it to watch for God’s Spirit in the world? Or is it to learn about faithful saints, or spiritual leaders? Preparing helps us to set aside other aspects of our life so we can give our full attention to the Spirit that beckons us on the journey. The act of physical packing only the essentials of what we will need is part of pilgrimage. During your time of preparation, be sure to plan a couple of stops during your pilgrimage to visit a special place or take time for reflection.
I believe that we can take on a pilgrim’s heart each time we leave home to accomplish our daily activities. If we leave home expecting to encounter God, there is a good chance we will be open to noticing God every day. No matter what the challenges of our circumstances at work or at school, with our health or our relationships, we can be pilgrims learning from those who walked the path before us. The best part of pilgrimage is bringing home the boon. What did we find while we were away from the comfortable and familiar? Sharing what we learn with others deepens our understanding.
During this Lenten season, I encourage you to practice the discipline of pilgrimage, leaving home for the unknown might open the path for an encounter with the Divine.
Made for us while on mission in 2007 doing Katrina Relief from the fabulous cooks and crew at Camp Hope in Vancleave, Ms.
Slice French bread, around 16 slices best broken in pieces and placed in an oblong Pyrex or casserole dish lightly buttered.
5 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 quart milk
1 stick melted butter
1 T vanilla
Mix the above and pour over bread, sprinkle with cinnamon, go heavy on that sprinkle! Bake one hour at 350 degrees.
Topping
1 stick butter
I cup white chocolate chips, or 8-10 oz white baking chocolate, I use both Ghiradelli chips and Bakers white chocolate squares
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 t vanilla
6 t water
Melt butter and white chocolate in microwave for 2 minutes. Remove, stir and add powdered sugar, vanilla and water. Heat another minute, remove and stir until smooth and creamy, then pour over bread pudding as it comes out of the oven. Serve warm.
Janet Salbert 