Most authentic

the ultimate creative act is to express what is most authentic and individual about you.
- eileen m. clegg

Whom have we

The Nativity, by Gerard van Honthorst (1590-1656).

Whom have we, Lord, like you?
The Great One who became small, the Wakeful who slept,
The Pure One who was baptized, the Living One who died,
The King who abased himself to ensure honor for all.
Blessed is your honor!

It is right that man should acknowledge your divinity,
It is right for heavenly beings to worship your humanity.
The heavenly beings were amazed to see how small you became,
And earthly ones to see how exalted.

-- Excerpt from a Nativity Hymn of Ephrem the Syrian (4th-century AD)

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! – Philippians 2:5-8

Merry Christmas!

Becoming

It behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

To adore

My favorite Christmas hymn is “O Come Let us Adore Him.” I’ve had a difficult time articulating just why this invitation to adore “Christ the Lord” is a draw for me, but the following quote brings me closer to some understanding. I certainly recognize my inner poverty, and think I am finally ready to begin to lose myself in the depths and richness of unitive oneness with God.

“To adore. That means to become lost in the unfathomable, to plunge in to the Inexhaustible, to find peace in the Incorruptible… It is to offer oneself to the all consuming and transforming Fire of divine live, to let oneself consciously and voluntarily be annihilated in the measure that one becomes aware of one’s inner poverty.

To adore means to give of one’s deepest to One whose depth has no end …

To adore is to lose oneself unitively in God.”

– Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the Divine Milieu

May your holiday season include depth, treasure, unity.

Only this moment

Begin doing what you want to do *now.*

We are not living in eternity.

We have only this moment,

sparkling like a star in our hand

and melting like a snowflake.

Let us use it before it is too late.

– Marie Beyon Ray

snowflake images from www.snowcrystals.com

Sense of humor

I appreciate many of the comments in the Breakpoint commentary written by Charles Colson. My kids – best offspring any parent could hope for – had to endure me often reading Colson’s commentary at suppertimes. (I felt I really needed to expose them to a different worldview than the one they lived in daily at school!) In the Dec 4, 2008 Breakpoint (see http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=10652),Colson writes about humor in times of crisis:

“Elton Trueblood, in his 1964 book The Humor of Christ, paints a picture of Christ as a deft comedian—a master at wordplay.

Trueblood writes: “Anyone who reads the Synoptic Gospels . . . might be expected to see that Christ laughed, and that He expected others to laugh.” He frequently used humor and wit to make His point, as He did when He mentioned a camel going through the eye of a needle. When He said that the Pharisees strain at a gnat and swallow a camel, He was making a good pun because the Aramaic words for camel and gnat are almost identical.

If anyone had cause for being a bit down, it was Jesus. His was no easy life, facing satanic opposition and human scorn. Yet Jesus could laugh. Why, because He knew that His sufferings could not compare with the joy that awaited Him. And the same should be true for all of us.

Trueblood says, ‘The Christian is [merry], not because he is blind to injustice and suffering, but because he is convinced that these, in the light of the divine sovereignty, are never ultimate.’”

Isn’t it fun to think of Jesus as having a keen sense of humor?

And I find it so wonderful to realize that we too can embrace humor: when we know that our 'ultimate' is good.

Be still

“You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.”

– Indira Gandhi

I tend to rest less during this month of December, with all the readying for and celebrating of the holidays. But as my aging-body energy is ever more limited, I really must more intentionally REST body, soul, and spirit.

Body and soul: Our body and psyche needs sleep! Lack of sleep has all sorts of ill-effects, but a big one is irritability and overwrought emotions, even though ‘tis the season to be jolly.’

Imaging studies show that lack of sleep can lead to greater activation of the brain's emotional centers and disrupt the brain circuits that tame emotional responses. "The emotional centers of the brain were over 60% more reactive under conditions of sleep deprivation than in subjects who had obtained a normal night of sleep" reports NIH-funded scientists Dr. Matthew Walker and his colleagues at the U. of California, Berkeley, and Harvard Medical School. The findings suggest that sleep restores the brain's emotional circuits and prepares people for the next day's challenges and social interactions. (see http://www.nih.gov/news/research_matters/november2007/11052007sleep.htm)

Soul and spirit: Certainly physical rest is an absolute necessity, but sometimes resting is, for me, more an attitude of mind and heart than mere cessation of activity.

I need to be still – to quiet the racing thoughts by breathing deeply as I focus on a word or phrase, to remind myself that there are bigger issues than my puny preoccupations, and to recall that my God is the I AM of whatever it is that I need.

“Be still (cease striving, relax, let be) and know that I AM.” -Psalm 46:10

“Take a long, loving look at me, your High God.” -Psalm 46:10b (The Message paraphrase)

May you find deep rest in this holiday season, making time for long looks at whatever brings you to stillness.

Expectant

A friend shared this poem with me; I'd like to pass it along. As we enter into Advent, and as I pray for my first grandchild growing in womb, these words are especially poignant.

New life and light from silence and darkness:
such mystery, such hope.

Advent Longing

In the darkness of the season, in the silence of Mary's womb,
new life waits and grows.
Hope is shaped in hidden places,
on the edges, in the depths
far from the blinding lights and deafening sounds of consumer frenzy.

In the darkness and silence of my own life,
I wait,
listening for the whisper of angel wings,
longing for a genuine experience of mystery,
hoping for a rekindling of joy and the establishment of peace.

I lean into the darkness and silence.
Expectant.

-- Larry J. Peacock

Any of us

There's so much good in the worst of us
and so much bad in the best of us
that it hardly becomes any of us
to talk about the rest of us.

- Edward Wallis Hoch

Thankful, saying, thinking

One of my most helpful wellness practices is to recount what I am thankful for. These days around Thanksgiving brings this practice to the front of many Americans’ minds: often we even say it out loud to each other.

Words are powerful and affect our thoughts!

“The simple fact of saying anything has the real effect of binding that thing in our thoughts. I have found that it is no use to pray to be kept from thinking wrongly unless at the same time I am willing to have all my words censored by the Holy Spirit also…every refusal and thrusting back of the wrong speaking, means deliverance from the wrong thinking….For the interplay and connection between thought and some expression of the thought is so inseparable, that every expression by word of mouth impresses the thought more deeply on the mind, so that one simply cannot stop thinking about the things one speaks about.” – Hannah Hurnard, p 57 Winged Life

Whole life

“There are thoughts which are prayers, there are moments when, whatever the posture of the body, the soul is on its knees.”
– Victor Hugo

A heart at peace gives life to the body. – Proverbs 14:30

Prayer encompasses more than words: it refers to my whole life, my longing for God, my whole drive toward Him.

Step back

"Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on."

- Bob Newhart

Holding onto

Holding onto grievances is a decision to suffer.
-Gerald Jampolsky

Grievances seem to most often involve another, but they can also be with self. I’ve had a tendency to self-flagellate. It has not served me well. This counsel is good for me:

"On the commission of a fault it is of great importance to guard against vexation and disquietude, which springs from a secret root of pride and a love of our own excellence; we are hurt by feeling what we are; and if we discourage ourselves or despond, we are the more enfeebled; and from our reflections on the fault a chagrin arises, which is often worse than the fault itself.
The truly humble soul is not surprised at defects or failings; and the more miserable and wretched it beholds itself, the more doth it abandon itself unto God, and press for a nearer and more intimate acquaintance with him, that it may avail itself of his eternal strength." - Madame Guyon

What we are

“Let us never forget that what we are is more important than what we do.” --James Hudson Taylor

Still, what we do counts for something. I just had a birthday and I’m kinda old; in these advancing years I want to be more artful in my doing and more beautiful in my being.

“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” – Unknown

photo is of a beautiful old person, my dear grandmother, Ursula Hartfiel Hubbard Just (1911-2007)

Small changes

I just checked out Medline Plus for recent health research updates.
I read this (at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_71702.html)

"Coming on the heels of two studies discounting the usefulness of vitamin B, folic acid, vitamin D and calcium supplements for cancer prevention, U.S. researchers report that vitamins C and E supplements won't help prevent cancer, either.”

And a bit of commentary on the finding: "This is preliminary data, but it is pretty consistent with what we're seeing in other research with individual nutrients. When you take the nutrient out of its natural environment, it may not be protective," said Jennifer Crum, a nutritionist at the New York University Cancer Institute, who added that in foods, vitamins and other nutrients likely work together ot provide protection against cancer...
...People are starting to realize the importance of the overall picture," said Crum, who recommended that people begin by making small changes, such as exercising a little bit longer or adding another vegetable a day to your diet. "When people make small changes for their health -- exercising for 20-30 minutes a day, eating better -- we see lower rates of cancer recurrence," she said.

Whole foods and whole body movement: along with the rest of the country, I, too, need more of both!
Here’s to making small changes, today.

Six people

Whenever two people meet,

there are really six people present.

There is each man as he sees himself,

each man as the other person sees him,

and each man as he really is.

-William James, psychologist and philosopher (1842-1910)

Quest

I am inspired by a quote from C.S. Lewis’ sermon The Weight of Glory; the setting is 60 years ago when the entire world was at war.

“Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow of something infinitely more important than itself. If men had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure, the search would never have begun.”

Referring to some of the tough times of present in his Breakpoint 11/14/08 commentary, Charles Colson states, "It’s precisely during times of crisis that we must persevere all the more in our quest for beauty and truth."

I concur.

Disquiet

“If only you would slay the wicked…” (in me – I always add when I mutter Psalm 139 to myself) “Search me oh God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139: 19, 23-24

As I was appreciating quiet this morning (laying under my comfortable comforter and praying) there was also much disquiet in my mind. Last night I both 1) attended a talk on fair trade and was exposed again to economic inequities and need of other peoples, and 2) read my daughter’s blog post on the peoples’ rage in Managua, Nicaragua over electoral fraud.

[Here’s a few words from her post: “in a country where so many don't have anything - don't have food to eat, don't have land to farm, don't have a house for their family - i guess i can see why there's so much rage when they take away one thing they are supposed to have, their vote.” For more go to the 11/10/08 entry at http://rebekahmenning.blogspot.com/]

She also mentioned that she was seeing nothing yet of the violent street protests and election fraud in the international news – at least not in English. I was reminded - again - of how easy it is to not want to hear about all the ways we mistreat each other, and to realize anew that along with the other I am among those that participate in cruelty.

You may ask – what does this have to do with wellness?

Seeing the whole picture, confronting the whole truth, is for me a part of wellness. Facing the cruelties, in others and myself, helps move me out of complacency to action, albeit small. So does looking for any positive, and recognizing any good in the other and myself. Both are important: looking squarely at hard realities, but also hoping that somehow, some way, some good and light might rise from the darkness.

“…even the darkness will not be dark to you oh God; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” Psalm 139:12

Being

"Being - not wanting, having, and doing - is the essence of a spiritual life."
-- Evelyn Underhill, THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

Colas and changes

My kids know that I believe regular consumption of soda pop is an unhealthy practice. So when I come across research that confirms its ill effects on the body, I pass it along (only because I care!), even though I know the hearing of it may be unwanted. I recently read this piece:

“Despite their global popularity, there's nothing remotely healthy about cola beverages: Drinking 16 ounces or more daily (whether diet or regular) doubles your risk of chronic kidney disease, according to a recent NIH study of more than 900 people (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17525693). The researchers already knew that consuming any type of soft drink--the average American adult guzzles 59 gallons' worth per year--is associated with several risk factors for kidney disease (hypertension, diabetes, and kidney stones), but the spike in the cola category was remarkable. Experts suspect that the ingredient phosphoric acid may be the culprit; it's been repeatedly linked to "urinary changes that promote kidney stones," say the study authors. Cola has an additional knock against it: Consumption is associated with significantly lower bone density in women, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures, says a separate study.

Bottom Line: If you're going to indulge in an occasional soda, go for Sprite, 7-Up, ginger ale, and the like--the NIH study found that noncola drinks didn't have the same impact on the kidneys. But you'll be better off if you skip soda altogether, even the sugar-free varieties: Recent research showed an association between drinking diet soda and weight gain.” [From http://women.webmd.com/features/wise-answers-old-wives-tales?page=2]

To dismiss dark colas is easy for me as I don’t care to drink them, but I do consume other beverages that are harmful and that aren’t so easy for me to dismiss. Last week at “The Addicted Brain” class I attended I learned that damage done to the hippocampus (part of the limbic system of the brain with major roles in memory; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocampus) by the consumption of alcohol is irreversible after age 40.

Information does help shape my choices: I have some changes to make.

Differences

Let us enrich ourselves with our mutual differences.
-Paul Valery, poet and philosopher (1871-1945)

I’m hopeful that on this election day, we can remind ourselves that the democratic process thrives on dialogue and exchange of ideas. I, for one, am grateful to be in a country, community, and family where our differing beliefs and ideologies are respected.

(A comment just for my kids, to make ‘em smile: “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free…”)

Unless

“Do not speak unless you can improve on the silence.”

– Quaker wisdom

About thinking

"Life consists in what a man is thinking of all day."

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought."
–Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha

As a man or woman thinks within him or herself, so he or she is. -Proverbs 23:7

Diminished

When we do not love,
love the wrong things,
or even love the right things in the wrong ways,
the soul becomes diminished.

- Charles Colson

Give life

A little colorful tree, as newest addition to our yard, now adorns the front of our house. We watered it lavishly after planting. Thinking of water and trees and life, Psalm 1 came to mind.

How blessed is the (wo)man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:1-3

I especially like and am soothed as I ponder the paraphrase of these verses offered as prayer by Nan Merrill, who writes:

“Blessed are those who walk hand in hand with goodness, who stand beside virtue,
who sit in the seat of truth;
For their delight is in the Spirit of Love, and in Love’s heart they dwell day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water, that yield fruit in due season, and their leaves flourish;
and in all that they do, they give life.”

Color matters

I am delighted God gifted us with the perception of colors.

Autumn ushers in glorious color and I revel in the oranges and yellows and reds of these showy leaf days. Another color thing: just last weekend I got to help paint walls in colors of "smoky topaz" and "jute brown" at one of my kids’ home. Those colors seemed to warm up the room making it feel more homey.

My fascination with color caused me to investigate - just a bit. I went the easy route of Wikipedia after a brief web search brought up lame links. So, here's a few fun 'facts' from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_psychology:

“Color consultants claim hues in the red area of color are typically viewed as "warm" while those in the blue and green range are typically viewed as "cool". Reds are also viewed as active and exciting, while the blues and greens are viewed as soothing and passive. Physiological tests have revealed similar responses. It's claimed that red hues
increase bodily tension and stimulate the autonomic nervous system, while "cool" hues release tension. Black is considered one of a kind, as it can be either evil and malevolent, yet it also stands for elitism and style. White is associated with purity whereas gray is viewed as dull or boring.

Color consultants also point to an increasing number of studies linking colors to specific responses. One study found that weight lifters have more powerful performances in blue rooms, and another study found that babies cry more frequently in yellow rooms. Another (by Dr. Alexander Schauss, Ph.D., of the American Institute for Biosocial Research, cited on Color Matters: pink) used Baker-Miller Pink ("drunk tank pink") or ("Pepto-Bismol pink") to calm prisoners.”

Blue pumps up, yellow upsets, and pink calms - color matters!

Words about joy

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

- Proverbs 17:22

"Joy is not the absence of pain, but the presence of God."
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy, In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. - Psalm 16:11

Slime mold

I read today that slime mold can solve puzzles.

At the 18th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony at Harvard University, awards that honor achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think" were handed out in ten categories. One of the categories was cognitive science: that's where the slime mold work was singled out.

[Here's the brief abstract: "The plasmodium of the slime mould Physarum polycephalum is a large amoeba-like cell consisting of a dendritic network of tube-like structures (pseudopodia). It changes its shape as it crawls over a plain agar gel and, if food is placed at two different points, it will put out pseudopodia that connect the two food sources. Here we show that this simple organism has the ability to find the minimum-length solution between two points in a labyrinth." Article "Intelligence: Maze-Solving by an Amoeboid Organism" in Nature, Volume 407, Issue 6803, pp. 470 (2000)]

Picture of slime mold at right is from Olympic National Park, USA (Possibly Physarum). Pic posted at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slime_mould

What I find myself distracted from - is reading and hearing about the presidential candidates' views on various issues.

Slime mold seems to rise to the top for me. I'm not proud of that.

New lands

"One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." - Andre Gide

During discussions in this election season, I am both enjoying lively interactions and recognizing uneasiness in myself. I have a deep respect for not only varying opinions, but also for any willingness to truly listen to differing viewpoints. I have an even greater respect for another and for myself when there is a willingness to consider a change in thinking.
But I am also acutely aware of my rather bipolar feelings around change: I have a fair amount of discomfort with a new way of thinking or being, as well as excitement that change may indicate or lead to newness, and that God is gracing me with willingness to step into some change.

Change: both unsettling and life-giving. It feels akin to discovering new lands after consenting to lose sight of the shore for a long time.

Argument chillers

Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18

Happier couples know how to avoid damaging out-of-control arguments. Successful attempts to chill an argument include: changing the topic to something completely unrelated; using humor; stroking your partner with a caring remark ("I understand that this is hard for you"); making it clear you're on common ground ("This is our problem"); backing down (in marriage, as in the martial art Aikido, you have to yield to win); and, in general, offering signs of appreciation for your partner and his or her feelings along the way ("I really appreciate and want to thank you for.…"). If an argument gets too heated, take a 20-minute break, and agree to approach the topic again when you are both calm.

Taking time to calm may be especially important to the guy. In an interview posted online (“The Mathematics of Love: A John Gottman Talk” at http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/gottman05/gottman05_index.html) Gottman reports finding significant gender differences when there is disagreement on an issue. A man is angrier presenting the issue than a woman would be. A woman, when receiving an issue, is much more sad than a man would be receiving that same issue.
Why? He says, “Women are finely tuned to attaching and connecting and to sadness and loss and grief, while men are attuned to defend, stay vigilant, attack, to anger… men have a lower flash point for increasing heart-rate arousal, and it takes them longer to recover. And not only that, but when men are trying to recover, and calm down, they can't do it very well because they keep naturally rehearsing thoughts of righteous indignation and feeling like an innocent victim. They maintain their own vigilance and arousal with these thoughts, mostly of getting even, whereas women really can distract themselves and calm down physiologically from being angered or being upset about something.”

Wishes for calm all around!

A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. Proverbs 12:16

Heated discussion, anyone?

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

After experiencing some heated discussion in the past month (both witnessing and being a part of), I thought again of John Gottman’s research on the importance of relational positivity (it’s best to have at least a 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative encounters!). His focus is on couples, but the principles apply to many relationships, and may be especially pertinent now during discussions this election season.

Here's a few suggestions (offered on Gottman’s web site: http://www.gottman.com/marriage/self_help/):

· Focus on the bright side. In a happy marriage, while discussing problems, couples make at least five times as many positive statements to and about each other and their relationship as negative ones. For example, "We laugh a lot," not "We never have any fun." A good marriage must have a rich climate of positivity.

· Accept influence. A marriage succeeds to the extent that the husband can accept influence from his wife. If a woman says, "Do you have to work Thursday night? My mother is coming that weekend, and I need your help getting ready," and her husband replies, "My plans are set, and I'm not changing them," it might indicate a shaky marriage. A husband's ability to be influenced by his wife (rather than vice-versa) is crucial because research shows women are already well practiced at accepting influence from men, and a true partnership only occurs when a husband can do so as well.

· Edit yourself. Couples who avoid saying every critical thought when discussing touchy topics are consistently the happiest.

· Soften your "start up." Bring up problems gently and without blame. Avoid making a critical or contemptuous remark in a confrontational tone, especially at the start.

· Seek help early. The average couple lives with unhappiness far too long, waiting six years before seeking help for marital problems (and keep in mind, half of all marriages that end do so in the first seven years).

· Have high standards. The most successful couples are those who, even as newlyweds, refused to accept hurtful behavior from one another. The lower the level of tolerance for bad behavior in the beginning of a relationship, the happier the couple is down the road.

Avoiding a quarrel is honorable. After all, any stubborn fool can start a fight. Proverbs 20:3

At the edge

“We must be willing to constantly sit at the edge of mystery and unlearn what has helped guide us in the past but is no longer as useful now.”

- Robert Wicks, pastoral psychotherapist; words from his book Crossing the Desert (which I’ve not read; his words are passed along by Lyn G. Brakeman in an article in Presence article “Pray As You Are”)

Builders

Song of the Builders

On a summer morning
I sat down on a hillside
To think about God --
A worthy pastime,
Near me, I saw a single cricket:
It was moving the grains of the hillside
this way and that way,
How great was its energy,
how humble its effort.
Let us hope
It will always be like this,
each of us going on in our inexplicable ways
building the universe.

- Mary Oliver, Why I Wake Early

True swing

"The rhythm of the game is like the rhythm of life...

Seek that place what your soul joins…
Play the game you was meant to play, the one that was given to you when you came into the world…
The trick is to find your swing, your authentic swing. It’s something we were born with, something that is ours alone, something that has to be remembered… Just swing the club…

Settle in deeper…
Listen to the sounds of the night…
Every one of us has one true authentic swing…that’s a good thing… Can you see it?”
~
– Bagger Vance, in the movie "The Legend of Bagger Vance"

Enough?

"Lord! who hath praise enough?"
-George Herbert

Naming food

Naming is important. Even for food.

A few observations cited Brian Wansink’s Mindless Eating book:

Old chocolate cake was rated as better-tasting when it was called Belgian Black Forest Double Chocolate Cake.

Kids ate more veggies when broccoli was referred to as "Dinosaur Trees," a V-8-type veggie drink was named "Rainforest Smoothie," and peas were labeled “Power Peas.”

We can fool ourselves for good!

So kids, maybe my “meat medley” name wasn’t such a bad idea?

Slimmer space

I am interested in trying out ideas that might give some health advantages; that is, if they’re not too difficult. Here’s a couple of easy ideas that supposedly will help us eat more healthily.

* Turn up the lights. Dimmer lighting makes you more apt to eat more, according to researchers at the U of California-Irvine. “People ten to underestimate the amount of food that they eat in the dark,” says Brian Wansink, a food psychology professor at Cornell University, PhD, and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.

* Use smaller plates. Studies show “almost everyone put 25 percent more food on a bigger plate.” Why? Wansink comments, "We eat with our eyes, not with our stomach."

* Hang artwork of fruit or vegetable still life. Posters of healthy food in a dining room resulted in diners eating more fruit and vegetables and less meat, according to research from the Behavioral Sciences Division of the US Army.

From http://living.health.com/2008/09/02/welcome-to-healths-skinny-house/

Still water

"We can make our minds so like still water

that beings gather about us that they may see,
it may be, their own image

and so live for a moment with a clearer,
perhaps even with a fiercer
life because of our quiet."
- William Butler Yeats

Each of us

“Each of us is an adventure

of God’s Spirit.”

– Tilden Edwards,
Living in the Presence: Spiritual Exercises to Open Our Lives to the Awareness of God

Lavender sleep

One of the prized pieces in grandma’s display case is a cobalt blue bottle of oil of lavender. I’m a big advocate of lavender essential oil, as

antimicrobial (I routinely use lavender essential oil on wounds),
anti-inflammatory (it is great for burns),
mild analgesic (also good for mild headaches),
overall regulator, and
sleep aid.

Research indicates that lavender essential oil increases cerebral blood circulation which can increase alertness and wake up the metabolism.
As it is regulatory, if needed, it can have a seemingly opposite effect than alertness: studies show that lavender increases alpha brain wave activity (associated with a restful mental state), and the vapor is as effective for night sedation as many prescription drugs. The components of linalol and terpinol have central nervous system depressant effects that contribute to better sleep. [Research cited in Nature’s Cures by Michael Castleman (1996)]

If I had to choose just one essential oil, it would be lavender oil.

May your sleep be sweet this night
and every night.

From the past

Over the summer we reacquired a display case that Gregg built for my grandmother. I decided to fill it with old irons, old apothecary trinkets, old formulary books, an old prized cobalt blue bottle of oil of lavender, and all sorts of once-tried remedies gathered from the basements of my pharmacist father’s small-town Iowa drug stores. Lots of stuff from the past.

Filling that case has brought gentle pleasure, reminding me of historical ways of addressing difficulties (clothing wrinkles, digestive runs or stops, coughs, catarrh, and on and on), and familial ties. I am fascinated by our ways of remedying and relating, by our fixes for maladies and meandering path of family, by our failing to learn and our ability to learn from the past.

This is what the Lord says, ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’ – Jeremiah 6:16

Heart of the present

"Be still and know that I AM..." -Psalm 46:10

At the beginning of time and at the end

you are God and I bless you.
At my birth and in my dying,
in the opening of the day and at its close,
in my waking and my sleeping
you are God and I bless you.You are the first and the last,
the giver of every gift,
the presence without whom there would be no present,
the life without whom there is no life.
Lead me to the heart of life’s treasure
that I may be a bearer of the gift.
Lead me to the heart of the present
that I may be a sharer of your eternal presence.
-J. Philip Newell

Bring your treasure

At http://www.jphilipnewell.com, J. Philip Newell refers to a passage from his book Christ of the Celts: the Healing of Creation. It was during a conversation with a native leader, as Casa del Sol retreat centre in the high desert of New Mexico was being conceived, that he asked,

“'What is it I am to bring to the table of humanity? What am I to bring to our relationship in this place?' He answered very simply, and very challengingly:

'Philip, bring your treasure, bring Christ.'”

Wander

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost."
-J.R.R. Tolkien

Life flow

J. Philip Newell is a poet, a scholar, a teacher, and is internationally acclaimed for his work in the field of Celtic spirituality. In his intro to the CD Sounds of the Eternal: Meditative Chants and Prayers he writes, “One of the great yearnings in the hearts of many of us today is to reconnect our spirituality with the undomesticated energies of the earth.”

Yes.
We just returned from some time in the wilderness, in the waters of life flow, in the new day’s freshness!

With you is the source of life O God,
you are the beginning of all that is.
From your life the fire of the rising sun steams forth.
You are the life flow of creations rivers,
the sap of blood in our veins,
earth's fecundity,
the fruiting of trees,
creatures birthing,
the conception of new thought,
desires origin.
All these are of you O God
and I am of you.
You are the new day’s freshness.

- J. Philip Newell, Sounds of the Eternal

Different is good

There is in me a tendency to want to do it all, and do it well. So when I come up against something I don’t do well, or something I can’t do, or my limitations in general, I tend to get frustrated. (I know – it’s dumb – no one can do everything! We all have weaknesses and limits, right?).

Learning about personality type has helped reduce that frustration, moving me toward acceptance of limitations in self, awareness of natural tendencies, and appreciating differences in others.

I recently read an article on spirituality and extroversion in the Sept 2008 issue of Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction. Nancy C. Reeves (who has also written a book called Spirituality for Extroverts: And Tips for Those Who Love Them) questioned both extroverts and introverts about spiritual practices. Contemplative prayer (such as: Christian centering prayer or meditation, or Eastern meditation) is often explained as the use of a word, mantra, phrase, or breathing to focus attention. If the mind wanders, it is gently brought back to the word(s) or breath focus. Most typically, it seems to be practiced among introverts.

Though many of the descriptions for contemplative practices seem to be more introverted, there are ways extroverts are contemplative. The extroverts Reeves researched described a practice of contemplative prayer that, though equally valid and beautiful, differed.
“The focus is on a wordless longing for connection with God. Thoughts and feelings that originate in the person are disregarded. When a ‘divine touch’ occurs, however, the person responds…the response is an outpouring of love, gratitude, awe, or a relinquishing of worry or pain. If at any time the person realizes he or she is thinking about the experience rather than being with it, the focus is returned to the longing for connection.”

I have a friend who has described “sitting in the presence of God until I feel His hug.” Though I can and do wish for that, it rarely happens; that wordless connection thing just is not my ‘default’ way.

It is good for me to experiment with various spiritual practices, and I will continue to do so. But it’s also good for me to cherish just the way God made me and understand that being and doing things the way I’m wired is good. Different is good!

Maybe someday I’ll even accept that not-being-able-to-do-it-all is good!

Now there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit… and there are a variety of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. – I Corinthians 12:4, 6

In the most ordinary matters

That your glory rises in the morning sun
and sparkles off the flowing waters,
that the glory of the everlasting world shines in this world
growing from the ground
and issuing forth in every creature.
that glory can be handled, seen, and known in the matter
of earth and human relationships
and the most ordinary matters of daily life,
assure me again this day, O God.
assure me again this day.
- J. Philip Newell...Sounds of the Eternal

[Thanks to friend Carl for the reminder, through his GQ emails, to re-listen to the “Sounds of the Eternal” CD]