God's first temples

A short time ago Gregg got to visit Muir Woods in California and his excitement of being in the majestic natural wets my longing to spend some extended time in the wild. This quote I read recently caught my attention:

A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease. Every hidden cell is throbbing with music and life, every fiber thrilling like harp strings, while incense is ever flowing from the balsam bells and leaves. No wonder the hills and groves were God's first temples, and the more they are cut down and hewn into cathedrals and churches, the farther off and dimmer seems the Lord himself.
-John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (1838-1914)

For a leader

Today I am thinking about my role as a 'leader' and in that role know that I need both wisdom and encouragement. I find that sometimes in words, and along with Scripture, O'Donohue's blessings have been a comfort. Here's some words that help me.

For A Leader

May you have the grace and wisdom
To act kindly, learning
To distinguish between what is
Personal and what is not.

May you be hospitable to criticism.

May you never put yourself at the center of things.

May you act not from arrogance but out of service.

May you work on yourself,
Building up and refining the ways of your mind.

May those who work for you know
You see and respect them.

May you learn to cultivate the art of presence
In order to engage with those who meet you.

When someone fails or disappoints you,
May the graciousness with which you engage
Be their stairway to renewal and refinement.

May you treasure the gifts of the mind
Through reading and creative thinking
So that you continue as a servant of the frontier
Where the new will draw its enrichment from the old,
And you never become a functionary.

May you know the wisdom of deep listening,
The healing of wholesome words,
The encouragement of the appreciative gaze,
The decorum of held dignity,
The springtime edge of the bleak question.

May you have a mind that loves frontiers
So that you can evoke the bright fields
That lie beyond the view of the regular eye.

May you have good friends
To mirror your blind spots.

May leadership be for you
A true adventure of growth.

- John O'Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us
© John O’Donohue. All rights reserved


"So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it." - Colossians 3:12-14, The Message

Taking the moment

I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.
-Gilda Radner -actress and comedian (1946-1989)

Supplements and spring

"Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment." - Ellis Peters

On this first Wednesday of April, I want to mention a couple of suggestions for living well:

1) taking advantage of the good of some supplements, and

2) noticing the good of spring.

Supplements first: Quite recently I had my annual physical. Though I really liked my new family practice doctor, I was rather surprised she didn’t ask any questions about the unusual supplement I take called Azomite (stands for A to Z Of Minerals Including Trace Elements; it is inspiration for the “dirt” part of my “Dee’s Dirt” blog name). For the last dozen years I’ve consistently consumed the strange powder – that’s been tested as a fertilizer and as an animal feed supplement, but not, that I’ve seen anyway, as a human supplement – and I’m convinced it’s given me a boost in energy, emotional stability, and immunity. Maybe it is placebo effect, but I’d rather believe that the ‘dirt’ of Azomite brings a good result: because Azomite contains minerals, and minerals feed enzymatic reactions, and the body uses enzymes for almost every metabolic function, I think it does this body good!

There’s certainly other supplements that do a body good AND have been researched for human consumption. A work colleague recently shared a cool web site that makes it easier to see at a glance which supplements may be worth pursuing. Check out this visual presentation that portrays various dietary supplements in terms of the reliability of scientific evidence for a variety of ailments that they're purported to help resolve. Possibly this info will inform your health choices? Go to

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/

[A quick help in viewing the visual: The ‘bubbles’ nearer the top have strongest scientific evidence for health benefits in adults. Size of the bubble indicates popularity based on number of Google hits. Look for the “show me” tab page right to see helps for specific needs or conditions. Toward the bottom of the page is a link “this Google Doc” that brings you to the citations. So cool!]

And now a word about spring: I LOVE spring – it makes me happier, which contributes to wellness. The new life I witness daily as spring unfolds lifts me. And spring holds moments of soaking in more sun rays (and Vitamin D), listening to bird song, seeing more green (A Swedish study published in 2003 found a statistically significant relationship between access to green spaces and reduced experiences of stress-related illnesses), and enjoying the beauty of blossoms, to name just a few of spring’s gifts.

May this spring month be for you too a reminder of all the good ‘stuff’ for our body, soul, and spirit – bodies that benefit from food and supplements, minds that recognize the benefits in everyday, and spirits that enjoy beauty and God’s lovingkindness.

May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. - I Thessalonians 5:23

"And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest."
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Sensitive Plant

Now spring is come

A poem on spring --

North Country

In the north country now it is spring
and there is a certain celebration.
The thrush has come home.
He is shy and likes the
evening best, also
the hour just before morning;
in that blue and gritty light he
climbs to his branch, or smoothly
sails there. It is okay to know only
one song if it is this one. Hear it
rise and fall; the very elements of your soul
shiver nicely. What would spring
be without it? Mostly frogs.
But don't worry, he

arrives, year after year, humble
and obedient and gorgeous.
You listen and you
know you could live a better life
than you do, be softer, kinder.
And maybe this year you will
be able to do it. Hear how his voice
rises and falls. There is no way to be
sufficiently grateful for the gift we
are given, no way to speak
the Lord's name often enough,
though we do try, and

especially now, as that dappled
breast breathes in the pines
and heaven's windows in the north
country, now spring has come,
are opened wide.

~ Mary Oliver
New and Selected Poems: Volume Two