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Why Knot?

Posted in Slice of Life, Spiritual Growth, tagged Prayer Shawl Ministry on January 13, 2015| 14 Comments »

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This fall a friend of mine started a prayer shawl ministry. So I picked up some yarn and crochet hooks and started re-learning how to crochet. Now I’m hooked! Pun intended. I have been working on something ever since. There always seems to be someone needing prayer and comfort. But I never expected it to be a colleague from my past.

Ten years ago I was teaching at an Episcopal elementary school. When I left the school, I lost contact with many of my colleagues. That was not intentional, of course, but it happens, especially when I live in a different area than the school. Just after Thanksgiving, I got an odd friend request on FB from the sister of one of my former co-teachers. We taught third grade together for 5 or so years. I remembered her sister, so I accepted the request. That’s when I saw her recent posts about Stacey’s breast cancer and chemo treatments. I immediately messaged Stacey’s sister and emailed Stacey.

We really should not wait for tragedy or illness to get in touch with former friends, but sometimes that’s what it takes. I knew I needed to crochet a shawl for her. I had just purchased some blue yarn and was unsuccessfully attempting a scarf. Switch perspective and it became a shawl–for Stacey.

I love this ministry. I can meditate while I stitch. I can say a mantra, a prayer, or merely count my double-crochets, but I am present in the moment doing something for someone else.

The shawl carries with it this presence. I know Stacey felt it as soon as she put it on. Her tired face perked up, and she began to glow. Stacey still has quite a battle ahead of her, five (out of 8) rounds of chemo left and then surgery. With the shawl on her shoulders, she will know the hope that God offers and the love of a longtime friend.

Stacey wrapped in the prayer shawl and her daughter, Erin.

Why Knot? is the clever name my husband has given our ministry. He says it will start a conversation. I agree. Why knot?

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Attention

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged Episcopalian, focus, OLW, spiritual journey on January 8, 2015| 11 Comments »

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

Holly leads the Spiritual Thursday blog round-up. Many of us have chosen a word to guide us for the year. We will be writing each week about a different blogger’s OLW. Holly’s word is Focus, so today we are writing about focus.

I get a few daily inspirations in my email. One of these is Eknath Easwaran’s Thought of the Day. Recently, he wrote, “As an experiment, try to work cheerfully at some job you dislike: you are training your attention to go where you want it to go. Whatever you do, give it your best concentration.” As somewhat of a New Year’s resolution, I decided to be more friendly to service people like the Walmart or grocery clerks, those people who we take for granted each day. These people have a thankless job to do and usually I am either in a hurry or distracted by worry when I am checking out. Lately, though, I have said, “How’s your day going?” or started a conversation. For some people, this comes naturally, but I am an introvert. I prefer to stay in my own little shell. But as Easwaran’s advice says, I should turn my focus on others. I need to focus on the job at hand and do it with joy and generosity. This little act of attention makes everyone’s day brighter.

I am an Episcopalian. My church is a liturgical church. Our tradition is for vested clergy to lead the service that includes community prayers such as The Nicene Creed and The Lord’s Prayer, lighted candles, and a shared Eucharist or communion. Within the liturgy, I find solace. While saying prayers that I have said all of my life, I can focus in a meditative way, keeping Christ at the center. Focus during this service may seem like distraction. My mind will wander. I often reach for a little notebook in my purse to write. This week, I jotted this question from the sermon, “What is your instrument of hope?” My attention, my intention to focus.

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Light on a New Word for 2015

Posted in Spiritual Growth, tagged One Little Word, spiritual journey on January 1, 2015| 22 Comments »

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

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Collect of the Day, Dec. 28, 2014.

I am struggling to find the just right word for 2015, my One Little Word. I scribbled on a nearby notepad all the words I wanted to consider. Then I went online to Canva and found an image I liked. I typed out all the possibilities. The little word is in there somewhere.

I am attracted to both Bloom and Reach. Both can be interpreted to mean “Be the best you can be.” A friend gave me an amaryllis bulb yesterday, so maybe that is a sign. I’ll watch the bulb grow and bloom while I try to live my OLW. However, Bloom can shine too brightly, focus too much on itself. While Reach can move outward toward others.

I took a walk out in the new light, the sun high in the sky warming the cool day, and I looked up into the live oak. These trees are so much a part of my life. They give me strength and hope. The sun was shining through the evergreen leaves clinging to the branches. In that moment, I knew I had to be one of those branches REACHing for the Light.

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God’s Smile

Posted in Spiritual Growth, tagged Christmas reflection, spiritual journey on December 25, 2014| 2 Comments »

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

The house is quiet.
There is the faint smell of gumbo from last night’s dinner.
An echo of voices from family and friends lingers.
The dogs are pacing. They know this day is different. Someone else is here.
The presence is palpable. The gifts piled high under the tree, all touched by loving hands hoping this is the one special gift. Waiting.

I am still singing the carols from last night’s Christmas Eve service. St. Nicholas made his annual surprise visit during the children’s sermon. He left candy in all the shoes outside the red door. Greetings from extended families, hugs all around.

As the years go by, Christmas changes. The girls are in their twenties now, so they sleep most of the morning. I am an early riser. I’ve finished coffee number two. The stockings are all filled and waiting. Even though there are changes, there is one thing that remains, love. Christmas is love. Christmas is receiving the love of Christ into our hearts.

Our priest expressed it well last night. As he held a baby in his arms, he talked about how the mother must smile at the baby for her to learn to smile. God smiled on us in the form of Jesus. His smile sends love into our hearts. May you feel the warmth and love of God’s smile today and every day.

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Keeping Watch

Posted in Gratitude, Slice of Life, Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged advent, Chrismons, psalm, quiet, spiritual reflection on December 23, 2014| 10 Comments »

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Chrismons decorate a large fir tree in our church.

On Saturday, I attended an Advent Quiet Day led by my friend Brenda. She asked us to contemplate receiving gifts, being a better receiver. Having quiet time in the midst of the bustle of Christmas preparations was a gift that I was there to receive.

I wrote this in my journal.

Gifts abound. Friends who respect and care for me, a family that not only needs me but wants me. The obligations of mothering are fewer as my children become adults. I am given the gift of watching now, watching them be who they are. This watching fills my heart with pride. Sisters–their strong bond keeps them grounded and loved.

For you yourself created my inmost parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139

That was long ago.
From my mother’s womb,
I have strayed and lost my way.
I have tarried too long in the weeds.
My hands are scarred.
My feet are swollen and sore.
I cannot wait.
My impatience is debilitating.

I must take time to keep watch and wait.
The darkness of the winter night
soothes my wandering, busy mind.

Rest.
Wait.
Watch.
Recognize the need to walk on.
Take the long road.
The journey will guide you.
Keep walking.

–Margaret Simon

My Christmas wish for you is that you will have time to sit in silence, reflect on your journey, and prepare for the coming of Christ and the coming of a new year.

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In Blue Veils

Posted in Spiritual Growth, tagged Illuminate, John Gibson, Mary, sonnet on December 18, 2014| 3 Comments »

Original is in blue watercolor wash, a painting by John Gibson.

In Blue Veils
Celebrate the mystery
We drape her in silk veils of blue
and blur the lines of fame and truth.
We speak of heaven; say we know her.
The mother we paint in azure.
We behold her framed in gold.
She’s the lapis lazuli of the Silk Road.
Her constancy like ocean waves
rocks and cradles the Son she gave.

So we drape her, cover her face.
Imagine a beauty—a place
we cannot touch. If she could see
through this broken glass, our uncertainty,
Would she want to craft us anew?
Cover us, too, in shades of blue?
–Margaret Simon, from Illuminate

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

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Counting Up

Posted in Poetry, Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged Annunciation, Christmas poems, Illuminate, John Gibson on December 11, 2014| 6 Comments »

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

There is a construction paper chain outside the principal’s door, visually counting down to Christmas. I prefer to count up. Advent helps us count up as we light one more candle each week. Every time one more candle is lit, we say a blessing. O Come, O Come Emmanuel. O Come, thou Dayspring. Come and enlighten our hearts. Come and save us.

I discovered a hashtag for an advent word of the day, #adventword. Consider following this hashtag on Twitter for inspiration and meditation each day.

Last year I released a poetry book, Illuminate. This little book is special to me. I wrote poems to accompany my father’s Christmas card drawings. His drawings are done in pen and ink pointillism. Today I share a favorite, The Annunciation. This is one of the last ones I wrote. I was struggling with it, so I visited my parents and interviewed my dad about the drawing. “I conceal lost edges” came from this interview. He talked about his efforts in the drawing to keep it fluid, losing the edge of the wings. This discussion made me contemplate the real/ unreal, the sensed/ the imagined. Advent is a time to conceal lost edges, to imagine something new, light coming from the darkness.

Annunciation by John Gibson

Annunciation
An angel appeared out of the night.
I am not real
I am a dust, a shadow,
a sprinkling of dots on a page,

A lonely seraphim
with open arms
at the royal gate.

I am crowned
by the moon’s light,
draped in the darkness of forewings.

I pray
my message is welcomed.
I conceal lost edges.

The sacrament,
this new birth
unveils me, makes me real
as breath.
–Margaret Simon, from Illuminate

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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.

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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!

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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.