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The old year 2008 is rapidly coming to a close. Each year, I look at New Years Day as a fresh slate. A time to focus on the future and not hash over any mistakes in the past. I also make resolutions...not in general the standards like lose weight, eat better (although they are target behaviors) but ones like... "I resolve to develop my skills, and USE THEM." "I resolve to find more things to be grateful for" "I resolve to be more patient, compassionate, caring"
You get the idea. Everything from being a part of social service or developing inner growth, the New Year is a perfect time to open doors in our lives that will benefit others and enrich our lives as well. We are all given this opportunity - this gift. How will you use it?
We had a little snow last night, not much to speak of but the real news-maker was the ice storm that hit last Thursday. Through early evening into night, we had freezing rain, not unusual for this area. But late that night the power went out and came back on - late Sunday morning. In this tri-cities area alone, 220,000 were in the same boat. The house got colder and colder until by Sunday morning when you could see your breath. I left faucets open a little to keep pipes from frezing. We bundled up and found places that had power to get our meals and warm up a little. And waited, and waited, and waited. Just like everyone else. You can't imagine how cold the house can get in such a short time. But, I spent a lot of time thinking about people who live like this, and not because of a power failure that will be fixed. How many are hungry, cold...we give to local shelters on a regular basis but I can not fathom people who live in the cold and dak, with no real end in sight. It makes the aspect of giving even more important. I sit now in my home, set at it's usual 64 and as always I am grateful for the little things. They really ARE the big things.
The Thanksgiving holiday has passed and now we are into December. Outdoors, the trees are barren and the garden is long gone The heater is in the bird bath to keep the water open for the birds and squirrels and now when the birds perch in the Rose of Sharon they are easily seen. Inside, I begin my preparatrions for Christmas. It is Advent in Christianity - a wonderful season of waiting. A season when one candle is lit on the Advent wreath each week until all four are lit on the Sunday before Christmas. I reflect on how candles are used in so many ceremonies and in different readitions. The very act of lighting a candle can be a centering one. One small flame, yet in a dark room this small flame illuminates all around it. As we should do. We must be the small flames in life - giving light, life, hope to those around us. There is an old saying I believe of the Christophers; "If everyone lit just one little candle what a bright world this would be". In the same respect, if each of us become light bearers in life we could banish the darkness of despair, need, hate. Advent. A season of waiting. And so, we wait, we prepare, we reflect and we work to become light. And we illuminate the lives around us.
Today is Thanksgiving Day. Probably one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving IS all about giving thanks, sharing a meal, and realizing the many ways your life is blessed. Each year the list seems to get longer. For as time goes by I am more aware of how muchI have in my life. A nice home, just big enough for the 2 of us. Food on the table - clothes in my closet. But, more than that... The gift of family and friends. The splendor of each season. Sunrises and sunsets. Flowers, plants, birds and beasts. The majesty of mountains and the serenity of a still pond. The smell of fresh laundry or baking bread. The beauty of music, the laugh of a child, the purr of my cat. Each day there is an infinite number of things to give thanks for. Even when times are rough we can find things to make our hearts smile when our faces might be lined with pain. Whether it is the warmth of a cup of steaming herbal tea or the snuggly feel of a quilt when we are chilled, these blesssings are medicine for the soul. An attitude of gratitude enriches life beyond measure. Not only on Thanksgiving day, but every day of the year.
It's always good to go on retreat, especially when it is a retreat in the woods. Close to nature - everything contained in one room - life becomes so simple. Away from the telephone, the computer and the sound of the TV in the other room (I myself don't watch TV) it gives you a chance to get back in balance. The woods are now barren, and the days on the dark side. Yet, life goes on all around us as birds come to feeders, chipmunks and squirrels scurry around and build up their winter "stash". As I sat at the desk in front of the window, I watched the last of the leaves letting go of the trees and drifting toward the earth, where a carpet of previously fallen leaves awaited them. Over the winter, they will protect and nourish the soil, and give new life. In coming home, I bring a little bit of "retreat" back with me. I have stored up inner pictures as well as real photos and in this way, I can sit back in my chair and be back in those special places if only for a few minutes. The center is called "Still Point". And, I bring a still point home - to be cherished through the short days of Winter.
Tags: Retreat Nature
I am busy looking for a picture of the inside of the cabin (one room) that I will be staying in from Sunday until Wednesday. For the meantime, this cabin is quite similar....
Sometimes, a getaway is good, a time of solitude and simplicity to help recharge your batteries. I am not one for vacations to fast paced places, I would rather have a quiet, reflecting "hermit retreat" to counterbalance a busy life. Time to listen to the wisdom that is whispered through the tree branches...time to observe the woods right outside the cabin window. Meal are simple, soups, bread, fruit, nothing fancy yet sustaining. I have a book to bring along, and my journal. And I have already started the countdown!
The summer season is long gone, the leaves have turned and are falling....Autumn winds our year down. This can be a season when people feel loss, or... ...it can be a season when we sit back and relax, enjoy our harvests and prepare ourselves inside and out for a long winter's nap. A time of rich, earthy colors, the scent of apples and the sight of mums and colored gourds. A time to make hearty soups and stews, homemade breads and winter casseroles of squash, apples, potatoes. On the tables, cream colored stout candles cast a soft light and a wonderful scent that beckons all to come and share a meal. After the all-out rush to produce all summer, Autumn, in our lives just as in nature allows us to slow down and savor the fruits of our labors. It is a time to take stock mentally, and take satisfaction in the bounty that is ever before us. A time of plenty. In 3 weeks time, it will be Thanksgiving. My favorite all of the holidays. From now until that day, I will bring in my supplies for the feast, make sure to donate to the local food pantries, and make my list of the things I am grateful for. As we look out onto the barren landscape, I will put out the seeds and cracked corn for the birds and the squirrels and enjoy watching them fill the yard with life and movement. Yes, Autumn, even late Autumn, is a time filled with blessings.
May you find peace in your Autumn.
Tags: Thoughts Reflections
The leaves are changing color, the air is cooler and fresh - we are in the middle of Autumn. Perhaps my favorite season if I were pressed to choose just one, the colors and splendor of autumn is a balm to the soul. Refreshing after the heat and humidity of summer and rich with ripened fruit it's beauty is breathtaking. This photo is one of the small lakes nearby...the lily pads are still green as the colored leaves fall on the water like confetti. A beautiful sunny day - and quiet now that all the summer activity has passed. The leaves rustle on the paths and the late asters attract the last of the year's bees and butterflies. And at home, we prepare for winter. But for now, it's time to just enjoy the color and beauty of the season.
A Dandelion Reflection
Love 'em or hate 'em...you have to admire the persistence of a dandelion. Unashamed to pop up in the company of the most cultivated gardens or manicured lawns, the hardy dandelion is often overlooked, often cursed, the target of aggressive attempts to eradicate it. Does this stop it? No........ One past winter, when we had a warm spell at the beginning of January I was coming down the hill from the windmill to the office after a private retreat and my eye was drawn to a spot of gold on the hill. Guess who? Blooming in all its dandelion glory - it didn't care if it was January. It was warm, the sun was shining, it was going to grow! Since it only lasts a day or so anyway, I picked it and brought it with me - making sure it had some water so it might live out its short span. It was a wonderful focal point for reflection. Tying my own thoughts to this small miracle, blooming in January. The dandelion, simply by being what it is, and not trying to be a rose, gives glory to God simply by being a dandelion. No pretense...it doesn't obsess over not being something it is not, but rejoices in the hardiness given to it. And - it's NOT fussy or "high maintenance" You don't need special dandelion food, or special dandelion soil. Any old place is fine. In the middle of your prize garden or springing from the cracks in the sidewalk, its needs are minimal. Whether YOU want it there or not - it doesn't get discouraged. Every part of this amazing flower is edible and useful. Root, leaf, flower. And, if it were not so common, perhaps we might value it more? Lord, give me the soul of a dandelion - to bloom where I am planted without worrying about what others may think. Let me open my petals to Your sun and spread my seeds on Your wind...content to be one among millions yet individually unique. A bright beacon amid the most adverse conditions. A testimony to the fact that all of us are loved equally - irregardless of our earthly "state".
csg2007
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