Spiritual Growth | Reflections on the Teche

Archive for the ‘Spiritual Growth’ Category

Advent Coming

Posted in Spiritual Growth, tagged advent, Hallelujah, spiritual reflection on December 4, 2014| 7 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

Advent is here. I never feel ready. I haven’t bought my purple candles. I don’t have a Christmas tree yet. I do have some greenery, only because I ordered it in October, and it was delivered this week. I am always caught by surprise.

Advent means coming, the time to prepare for the coming of Jesus. This happens every year. Why do we come back year after year? I reflect as I unwrap the baby Jesus for the traditional creche. I wonder while I wrap the tree in twinkle lights. Why do we keep doing this?

December has only just begun and already I feel behind. I take a moment to watch the sun set and find comfort in the knowledge that Christmas will come even if I don’t put out the creche or decorate the tree. Christmas will come even if I don’t sing a single carol.

I decide to be intentional.

I will decorate slowly.
I will buy a few gifts every day.
I will celebrate the coming of Christ
while realizing he is already here.

Advent is a magical time,
a time to be reflective and intentional.
A time to open my arms
and welcome God’s presence
whether wrapped in paper, a blanket, or a smile.
A time to embrace hope and look for a star.

This beautiful rendition of Hallelujah was posted on Facebook. Listening to it helped me to stop, slow down, and write this post. Christmas is coming. Christmas will come. And with that coming, a new life begins again. Let us remember to rejoice.

“A Hallelujah Christmas” by Cloverton from Ross Wooten on Vimeo.

Read Full Post »

We Must Live in Gratitude

Posted in Gratitude, Spiritual Growth, tagged thanksgiving on November 27, 2014| 2 Comments »

Lagniappe, a little something extra, in this photo, a rainbow spray reflected from the rising sun.

I do not often resort to absolutes like the word Must, but today I can think of no other way to say what I want to say about gratitude. When Thanksgiving rolls around in the midst of fall, temperatures cool, leaves change and remind us that life ends. We are faced with mortality every time a leaf crunches under our feet. I could focus on this. I could turn my attention to the anger and hatred burning in the buildings of Ferguson. Or I could remember to be grateful.

I choose gratitude. Recently, a close friend has met with tragedy. Two weeks ago, Glenae’s little car hit a sugarcane tractor. She is “lucky to be alive.” Yet beyond the realization that she could be gone is the reality that recovery is hard. I get texts from her mother every day. Every day her text ends with gratitude. I believe in the power of prayer and in the power of community surrounding this family. But to me the most powerful thing, the thing that will pull Glenae through her recovery is her mother’s will to live in gratitude.

We never know when things will change. My husband says, “Anything can happen to anybody at any time.” This is true, so we must live each day in gratitude. I am grateful for the health of my family and myself. I am grateful that I wake up every day to the reflection on the bayou, God’s beauty in nature. I am grateful that I have so many people in my life who give me hope, strength, and love. Living in gratitude will give me strength when things change as they most certainly will. I will face the new day in the knowledge that God’s love is abundant. Happy Thanksgiving!

Read Full Post »

Celebrate Small Moments

Posted in Celebration Saturday, Gratitude, Spiritual Growth, tagged Prayer Shawl Ministry, Spanish Festival on November 15, 2014| 8 Comments »

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

There has been a tragedy this week, a severe car accident that has sent my good friend Ellen’s daughter and her friend into ICU. They are both stable but have a long road ahead. Please pray for Glenae and Chris, for the wisdom of their doctors, and for their renewal to health.

Amidst tragedy, it is sometimes hard to celebrate. But Ruth asks us to dig deep each Saturday and try to find those little moments (or big ones) to celebrate.

This morning I am sipping coffee in my big red bathrobe. Three things I love: a quiet Saturday morning, my big red bathrobe (the polar blast made it down south), and coffee.

My stack of children’s poetry books for judging.

Cybils judging: I am a round one judge for the Cybils award in children’s poetry. Cybils is the Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Award. What a privilege to be a judge. I love all things poetry. I have been receiving books at my doorstep every day. What fun!

Spanish Festival: Last night I volunteered at the gala for this year’s Spanish Festival. New Iberia was founded by Spain, unlike most of the towns around Acadiana that were settled by Acadians. We began celebrating this origin only a few years ago. Last night, I watched some amazing flamenco dancers. My husband is off to run in the “Running of the Bulls,” a fundraising race. He is dressed in all white with red scarf and tie. We fashioned a handle-bar mustache with a black face crayon. Last year he came home with a medal and a trophy.

2013 Running of the Bulls, Spanish Festival.

Prayer Shawl Ministry: I am enjoying crocheting again. We started a small group of women at our church. This week we sat together and prayed for Glenae and Chris and others who are suffering. Because of the intention of our ministry, I find this group easy to be with and to talk to about my spiritual life. I did not expect this. And I celebrate this ministry. However small, it means a lot.

Brenda shows Jayne some crochet stitches.

What are you celebrating this week? Join the Saturday tradition of celebrating even the small moments.

Read Full Post »

Making a Difference

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Teaching, tagged Kaylie, Mother Theresa, Scholastic Mockingjay Change the World writing contest, teaching on November 13, 2014| 4 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
–Mary Oliver

Can we really make a difference? Can one person plant a seed?
Will it grow? How will we know?

I got a phone call today from a former student. She felt brave enough to enter a writing contest, the Scholastic Mockingjay Change the World Contest. She called to tell me she placed in the top ten and will receive prizes. I was thrilled! Her essay speaks of world hunger as the biggest problem we face today. Her experience volunteering at Solomon House with me and some of her classmates influenced her greatly.

An excerpt from her essay:

Though super powers are the quickest way to saving the hungry, there are still things you and I can do to help. During the Hunger Games, gracious sponsors donate food to dying tributes. This often saves them. Think of Katniss! She wouldn’t be alive if not for the kind-hearted people that gave her a chance. We should be the sponsors of this world…the ones that say, “I made a difference.” We can be those people. Today.
–Kaylie B. Read the entire essay here.

I do what I do in order to make a difference, to mean something to someone. But the tree does not bear fruit quickly, usually after years of growth. Even so, I should do the best I can with each precious life I hold. This is my responsibility. This is my vocation. Congratulations to Kaylie! I am so proud to be a part of her life as a writer and as a person who makes a difference.

Read Full Post »

What Else Can We Do?

Posted in Gratitude, Slice of Life, Spiritual Growth, tagged death, Prayer Shawl Ministry, spiritual on November 11, 2014| 15 Comments »

Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

A few weeks ago I wrote about making a prayer blanket for a friend whose baby was born prematurely. It was the first prayer blanket I ever made, and frankly, I had high hopes for its prayer power. I wrote a sweet note with the gift thinking that one day finding it tucked into her baby book, the child would read it as an adult.

Enough of my selfish plans. The victory was not mine to decide. I had no part in this.

Vivian died. Her too tiny body fought valiantly for 6 weeks. Two days before her death, I had given her dad my prayer blanket gift. This is not the way it was supposed to go.

I met Vivian today for the first time. She was wrapped tightly in the smallest casket I have ever seen. She looked like a china doll. Her mother hugged me long and hard. She said, “The last time I held her, I wrapped her in the blanket. It’s the only picture I have of me holding her. I didn’t have a chance to post the pictures before…” We hugged and cried some more. And I realized my connection was not just to the baby, my connection was to her mother.

I arrived late at school and Kat met me at the door. She stopped and said, “You are late today.” I responded that I had been by the funeral home. Kat knows loss. She lost her ten year old daughter last year to a battle with a brain tumor. She listened to my selfish lament over the prayer blanket.

“You do not realize how important the material things are. People tell me Kamryn is always with me, and I know this. But I still have to touch.” Kat touched an angel pin on her shoulder and a flower bracelet on her wrist. She explained that my blanket will be that comfort to the mother. We cried together, and I felt blessed. God works mysteriously. Sending Kat in my pathway today led me to a deeper understanding.

I wrote this poem the day after I heard of Vivian’s death. I was still angry, but even then I knew that there was more.

What else can we do
but pray to the moon
high in the morning sky?
I bow my head to her,
cry out
“What were you thinking?”

Bombs went off in Syria.
A bomb exploded.
Vivian’s too tiny body
could not stand the blast.

The variegated pink clouds
float like the blanket
I crocheted, hooking stitch by stitch
repeating her name,
asking for victory.

You forgot to tell me
the victory would be yours.
The morning moon mocks
me with an illusion of a smile.

The sun in the east
continues to rise
always rise,
even though
Vivian’s eyes are closed.
The sun will still rise.
–Margaret Simon

Lucy, the therapy dog, was at the funeral home comforting grievers.

Read Full Post »

My Stronghold

Posted in Gratitude, Spiritual Growth, tagged spiritual reflection, strength on November 6, 2014| 5 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

The light is changing, days are shorter, night comes early. I watch as the season changes, trees lose leaves, air cools, satsumas ripen.

Change happens. God is there.

Through centering prayer, I learned that God is not without. God’s abiding spirit is within, in my very core, a bright sparkle of light, saying, “You are enough.”

God is as near as breath.

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.” (Psalm 28:7)

My heart sings for joy.

My hands are strong that hold God’s love in prayer.

On Facebook, I watch videos of people doing amazing things; a four year old plays master piano, a baby is born, a boy receives a heart.

Even when I do something small and inconsequential, God is there.

God’s strength holds every day, every moment, from hope in a hopeless world to love for a hurting heart. I can depend on God when the day turns dark, when the leaves fall, when the earth turns.

Photo by John Gibson. Haiku by Margaret Simon, all rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

Prayer Shawl Ministry

Posted in Gratitude, Spiritual Growth, Teaching, tagged faith, grace, gratitude, prayer ministry on October 30, 2014| 11 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

One of my close choir friends has been bringing her crochet projects to the loft for a while now. We all love to touch the yarn and watch her quick hands craft beautiful shawls. She decided to begin a prayer shawl ministry at our church. I had not crocheted or knitted in years, but I was interested in the idea, so I joined.

Baby Vivian is one month old and weighs 2 pounds. Please pray for her.

Before our first meeting, a friend in my Berry Queen community, Holly, had a pre-mature baby. Vivian weighed 1.7 lbs, but she has proven to be a fighter. She is growing and developing. I keep up with her through Facebook. I decided I would make a prayer blanket for the baby. I bought some pink and white thread, a crochet hook, and an instruction book. As I crocheted, I said her name. My mantra became “Vivian Victory.”

Completed baby prayer blanket

We took a field trip last Friday. My student Emily sat next to me on the long bus ride. She watched me work on the prayer blanket. Today, she presented me with a pillow she had sewn for me. She wrote about it for her Slice of Life story on our kidblog. You can read her post here. She wrote, “And, if Mrs. Simon is making a blanket for a premature baby that is only two pounds, she must love it. So, I made this pillow. I made this pillow for someone I love.”

Faith pillow made by Emily.

Emily’s heart has been broken with her mother’s untimely death six weeks ago. The power of grace from God has placed her heart in my hands. And what a gracious heart it is!

I am truly blessed to be a part of many faithful communities, the concentric circles of love from church, friends, family, students, and this blogging community.

Read Full Post »

Grace Comes

Posted in Gratitude, Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged God's love, grace, nature, spiritual journey on October 24, 2014| 3 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

We know from Alexander that some days are terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days, even in Australia. And I’ve had those days. I’ve had the days where nothing seems to go right. The days where the ice cream falls off the ice cream cone, and the plate crashes to the floor, flying out of your hand like someone else is in control. But I have learned that even on those days, there is Grace. Grace comes when we least expect it. The grace in the eyes of the veterinarian who says your dog is fine. The grace in an email from a friend who says you’re a blessing in her life. The grace from the chattering birds on a wire. The grace in the clear sky. The grace in the sunrise over the sugarcane. The grace in the abundant fruit on the tree. The grace in the reflection of the sun on the bayou. God’s grace, God’s loving embrace holds me every day.

Read Full Post »

This Peace

Posted in Gratitude, Poetry, Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged nature poem, spiritual journey on October 16, 2014| 5 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of His son Jesus Christ our Lord.

This peace
cannot be understood,
creeps in my heart
when the sun rises
throwing a beam upon the oak,
her arms spread wide to welcome the light.

This peace comes from knowing
a creator who makes the heron fly
on wings breaking dawn
with stealth and strength.

This peace is a chant I sing,
your name over and over
while the yarn draws over and under
this golden G hook.

This peace transforms holy spirit
into sprays of fresh water
as close to me
as tears.

This peace as fragile as the hug of a child,
egg in a robin’s nest,
sweet scent of your clean skin.

This peace eases my breath
like child’s pose
letting go
letting out
letting in.

This peace
centered in words
prayerfully spoken,
I am here.

Read Full Post »

Dreams. Hope.

Posted in Gratitude, Spiritual Growth, tagged hope, spiritual journey on October 9, 2014| 8 Comments »

Click here to read more #spiritualjourney posts. Thanks Holly for hosting this roundup!

I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
–W.B. Yeats

We teachers have dreams laid at our feet. We should be careful. We need to remember to step with a light foot, like a feather brushing by, a slight wind to give direction, an uplifting to the wings of our tiny birds.