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For Spiritual Thursday, we are writing about each other’s One Little Word for 2016. Today we are exploring Violet Nesdoly’s word, Mindfulness.
Mindfulness
My mind is full
like the bayou after a long rain
that today blows wild
waves, cold and moving.
My mind wants to rest
like the dog at my side
snoring softly,
warm and content.
My mind seeks to understand
like that student who questions
and questions, driving me
to stop and think.
My mind is aware
of light coming through the window,
a spotlight on my hands,
open and close.
My mind turns to you
like the wind chimes chanting Om mani padme hum
carries me across the rough water
to a place of peace.
Mindfulness, much like my own One Little Word present, means to “be still and know that I am God.” I sing this mantra over and over, making my mind clear to notice the spirit within me, to notice that I am not alone, to notice my love is enough. Stillness leads me to understanding. Presence to mindfulness.
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For Spiritual Thursday, we are writing about each other’s One Little Word. This week is Irene Latham’s word, Delight. Irene is a poet, so I wrote a word poem.
Delight is an enchanting word that dances
in the light of the sun
and looks to the moon for inspiration.
Amusement is her cousin
who laughs easily, giddy really.
Not delight.
She quietly relishes in God’s creation.
Watches the birds at the feeder flit and fight.
She wonders about clouds
and contrails in the sky.
Delight is never in a hurry.
If she were, she might miss something,
Miss something delightful.
See the way the cat turns
over and over in the grass.
Delight is with the cat
feeling the soft sweetness of dew.
Delight opens her mouth for snowflakes in winter
And runs in a field of bluebonnets in spring.
Delight fluffs my words up like feathers,
lifts them slightly up to catch the wind
so they may fly to you.
–Margaret Simon
Moss delight: See the way the moss sways in the wind?
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For Spiritual Thursday, we are writing about our little words. Today is dedicated to Justin’s word for 2016, Faith. This winter I’ve had a few physical trials that have been frustrating to say the least, but not life threatening. I know I will heal. Sometimes faith is hard. Sometimes faith forsakes. Faith challenges.
Bayou reflection, January. by Margaret Simon
Only in winter
with a certain slant of light
a forest reflection
mirrors a standing of trees.
My eye draws a straight line
up from earth
down to water, this perfect line
dissolves as the sun rises higher.
Yet, I am still standing.
I plant my feet into the earth,
walk a muddy path
holding bare arms out
to catch the wind.
I want to feel your breath
on my skin, Lord. Know you are
with me in all things.
Take hold of my hand.
Whisper all will be well.
All will be well.
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For Spiritual Thursday, some of us blogging-writer friends are reflecting on each other’s OLW. This week we are writing about “Selah,” Michelle’s word.
Of course I googled it. What else do we do these days when we don’t know a word? (Funny aside: I told a student today I was exasperated, and she googled it and read aloud, “intense anger.” I might have exaggerated.)
On the internet I found a praise group that I had never heard before. I liked the song and will post the YouTube video. I also learned that the word is used 70-something times in the Psalms. As an alto in the choir, I was pleased to see there was a musical reference to a pause. I imagine the // in the notation on a chant.
On the baby name site, Selah is a girl’s name which means “Stop and listen.”
One thing that makes you take stop, pause, and pay attention is a diagnosis of cancer. Our church community has been rocked by the diagnosis of one of our dearest friends, Amy. Amy and her husband Kelly have four children between the ages of 10 and 16. Their kids are often on the altar as acolytes.
Amy has taken on this unfair disease with courage, faith, and hope. She posted recently on her Caring Bridge site that she has a new perspective. “All of the things I spent so much time worrying about mean nothing anymore. When faced with your own mortality, the only thing that really matters are the people that you love and the experiences you share with them.” She sees so much good, in the people cooking meals for her family, in the daily life of our community (specifically Mardi Gras balls), and in the attitudes of her children.
When I crochet prayer shawls, I practice selah. I often chant the person’s name in my mind as I stitch. The selah is a gift to me as well as a gift for the person I make the shawl for. I finished Amy’s shawl last week and gave it to her on Sunday. Kelly is pictured with her holding the prayer blanket that my friend and co-stitcher, Brenda, made.
Amy and Kelly with prayer shawl and lap blanket.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14
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Holly invites us to write about each other’s one little word. This week we are writing about my word, Present. Click on the icon above to go to other blogs to see what they are saying about Presence.
On Sunday, one of the readings was from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. He writes about spiritual gifts. Thinking of the word presents as a synonym for gifts, I decided to re-write the verse into a more modern version.
A rewriting of Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 12:1-11
Now concerning spiritual gifts, there are many.
The Spirit is generous when you agree to it.
Manifested for peace and goodness,
our hearts must play along.
You may have the gift of speaking
with confidence and knowledge.
Like our friend, Martin, with his dream,
you should speak up.
You may be the one we can all count on,
you show up and bring food. You give us hugs
and tell us how pretty we look today.
You may be the one who comforts, you know
about essential oils and whole foods. Your touch
on our chakras can produce heat and healing.
You may understand fully the phases of the moon.
You know the best time to plant trees. You feed the birds.
You have an herb garden.
And free range chickens. One is named Harvey.
You may be a collector of words,
Uplifting our days on Facebook
with a quote of the day.
Always clever, ever kind.
Whatever your gift of the Spirit is,
use it. Flaunt it. Show it off.
You never know who’s watching,
learning, growing, needing
the very thing you have to give.
Don’t question the Spirit. It knows
what it knows and chooses whom it chooses.
Embrace His Presence. Let it shine.
Let it shine.
Let it shine!
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Paper Whites, Margaret Simon
For the next few weeks, blogger-friends and I will be posting about the spiritual aspects of our chosen words for 2016. This week we are writing about Carol Varsalona’s word, Believe.
I took this picture of paper whites blooming in my front yard this week. When I see flowers blooming, I believe deeper in the true magic of life. I didn’t plant these flowers, and yet, every year they pop up and show their little white star-like faces. They shine. Wake me up. Make me Believe.
I encouraged my students to create an acrostic with their words. An acrostic is when you use the letters of the word as the beginning letter for each line of the poem. Sounds easy enough, so I decided to write one with the word Believe. In my notebook I wrote about 3 half-possibilities. Each one kept sounding sappy.
But Believe is not a sappy word.
Believe is a strong word,
a word that holds on for dear life,
never letting you completely fall, Believe buoys you up,
especially when troubles want to push you down.
Believe is a word you can count on,
holding its own weight.
Trusting in you to show up
when the sun is rising,
be ready for this new day.
Believe is a certain word,
proud yet humble,
a handkerchief that your grandmother stitched
calmly drying your tears,
then showing you the stars. Believe believes in you.
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photo by Margaret Gibson Simon enhanced on Picmonkey
As the old year came to a close and the new one began, I was thinking about my One Little Word, a single word to guide me through the year. I thought I had it: Inspire. This word appeared as my friend, Julianne, selected a word bracelet at a gathering at NCTE. I grabbed the word Peace, but I liked hers better. So I began thinking about how Inspire could be my OLW. I couldn’t help thinking I wasn’t entitled to this word. I kept wearing Peace on my arm.
The last few weeks, however, revealed Presence to me. I read Richard Rohr’s quote: “We cannot attain the presence of God because we’ re already in the presence of God. What’s absent is awareness.”
I received a camera for Christmas. It calls me to be present, notice, see.
Fire by Margaret Gibson Simon
I slowed down and looked around. What is there but this very moment?
Living this word makes me a better friend, a better partner, a better teacher. When I am fully present, I listen and truly hear. I judge less. I don’t worry.
I sketched about Presence in my journal.
Than I made a drawing from my sketch. I shared this process with my students.
I took a picture at 5:00 PM on Monday. I’m not sure if I will keep this up. It’s an idea, but not a necessary goal for being present. I love how choosing this word, I am not obligating myself to anything but being… present.
Photo by Margaret Gibson Simon, 5 PM on Jan. 4, 2106.
Holly Mueller hosts a round-up on Thursdays called Spiritual Journey Thursdays. We will be writing about our own and other bloggers’ words. If you want to join, go to Holly’s blog here.
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We cannot attain the presence of God because we’ re already in the presence of God. What’s absent is awareness. Little do we realize that God ‘s love is maintaining us in existence with every breath we take. As we take another, it means that God is choosing us now and now and now. —Richard Rohr
An elderly couple came to the door and handed my father a pamphlet.
“Are you seeking the kingdom?”
My father replies, “You don’t have to seek it. I know where it is. Right here. Right now.”
“We are talking about the kingdom of GOD?” pressing the pamphlet forward into his hands.
“Yes, you don’t have to seek the kingdom. It’s here. You just need to pay attention.”
At those words, the evangelists turned and left.
Moments before this visit, Dad was reading W.H. Auden’s poem, For the Time Being. “And because of His visitation, we may no longer desire God as if he were lacking. Our redemption is no longer a question of pursuit, but of surrender to Him who is always and everywhere present.”
What makes the paper whites bloom
on this cold morning? Opening
up like lace droplets
on the dormant garden?
Who tells the white pelicans
to go to convention on the lake?
A gathering of pruning, splashing,
fishing. Awkward grace
in a cloud of white.
A poem will come if you let it.
Sit with His presence for a while.
Moment by moment, we are here
to praise.
We received some rough news this week. A diagnosis. A good friend. A young mother.
How do we handle this cancer nightsoil in the midst of Christmas carols and wrapping and baking. Where is the joy? I am struggling to find it.
I found it on Facebook, of all places, where her neighbor set up a Caring Bridges site. There’s a picture of over 50 people gathered in prayer. I texted, “I am overwhelmed by what you are doing.”
“It’s hard to accept the love that comes with such a crappy thing.”
So I will find joy in the love. Love of my family, my friends far and near, and of God’s word made flesh.
Watch the light of the full moon tonight, this Christmas Eve, hold your loved ones tight. Because this moment is all we have. Merry Christmas!
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In Sunday’s paper, there was an article titled “Dance with the Spirit.” I read about liturgical dance in a local Catholic church. I haven’t seen this dance myself, but I was struck by the words of their leader.
A lot of people think entertainment is foolish, but God wouldn’t give you the gift if he didn’t want you to share it. –Brenda Moore
I carried this thought with me to church and through choir practice. I love my church choir. On most Sundays there are only four of us. We are known as “the heavenly choir” maybe because we sing from the loft or maybe because we sing heavenly. The historical slave-made brick walls carry our voices into the sanctuary, transformed.
Last Sunday, my director, Leon, asked me to do a solo for this week. We practiced with the keyboard transposed to a lower key. I am an alto. I can sing mezzo soprano, but those high notes can be a struggle on my best days.
About 15 minutes before I was to sing, Leon could not get the keyboard to transpose. What this meant was I had to sing a high F. I tried to stay calm. Breathe. The practice went well. I kept thinking about the article and how God gave me the ability to sing, so I should share it. If I caved, I would disappoint myself, but more than that, I would not be honoring this gift.
The song spoke of God’s gift to Mary of Jesus. “That God should stoop from heaven, to be my son, said she.”
I gave it all I had. The sound of my voice echoed in the air of the sanctuary. I wrote a poem response:
My kingdom go
as your kingdom comes.
I become your voice
Lifted out of my own self-consciousness.
My song is your song,
unafraid.
As Mary accepted your call to be Mother,
I accept this call to sing
for you.
Margaret Simon lives on the Bayou Teche in New Iberia, Louisiana. She is a retired elementary gifted teacher who writes poetry and children's books. Welcome to a space of peace, poetry, and personal reflection. Walk in kindness.
Reflections on the Teche 