spiritual journey | Reflections on the Teche

Posts Tagged ‘spiritual journey’

Discover

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life, Spiritual Growth, tagged Chere' Coen, Eknath Easwaran, haiku, spiritual journey on March 12, 2015| 11 Comments »

SOL #12

On Thursdays I join Holly Mueller’s round up of Spiritual Journey posts. We are all writing around a theme. This week we explore Jaana’s one little word, Discover.

I have an offering of a beautiful photograph taken by my friend, journalist, Chere’ Coen and a small poem based on these words of wisdom from Eknath Easwaran:

This prayer (Seek ye first the kingdom of God) is not addressed to someone outside us, but to our deepest Self, the Lord of Love, who dwells in the hearts of us all. When we repeat it, we are not asking for anything in particular, like good health or solutions to our problems or richer personal relationships. We are simply asking to get closer to the source of all strength and all joy and all love. Eknath Easwaran

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Spiritual Thursday Dive

Posted in Spiritual Growth, tagged Ash Wednesday, dive, publishing, spiritual journey on February 19, 2015| 7 Comments »

Holly Mueller is the hostess of this beautiful blog journey. Be sure to visit her site to read more inspirational posts.

We have been exploring different words chosen by our blogging community. Greg’s one little word is Dive.

I am a wimp. I don’t take risks easily. Diving off the high diving board when I was a swimmer was the ultimate test of bravery, and I didn’t pass. I think I have gotten braver, but I am still one who tests the waters with her big toe and slips in gradually. Diving is very scary to me.

Blogging is entering into the publishing waters gradually. I feel safe here in this space with only a few people reading my musings. I guess you could say I dove in with Blessen, my first middle grade novel. But it took me three years to write. The diving came about when I decided to go the route of self-publishing. Now I am about to finish the sequel (another 3 years in the making), and I want to dive in to the traditional publishing world. This is so scary.

First I renewed my membership in SCBWI. That was easy enough. Then I registered for the Houston conference in April. While registering, I signed up for a manuscript critique with an editor. Hold on, what did you say? I looked at the requirements for the submission. I froze at the cover letter. That’s when I opened up my safe Reflections on the Teche tab and started writing about the word Dive. Am I ready to dive in? What’s the worst that can happen, really? I need to hold my nose and jump in. I’m not sure what will be waiting in the water. Was it Eleanor Roosevelt who said, “Do one thing that scares you every day?”

That is why I need God. I know that I am always loved, no matter what. There is no failure in God’s eyes. There is only courage and hope wrapped up in love.

I enter the church on Ash Wednesday, and I walk to the alter for ashes. I hear the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The smudge of dust is placed on my forehead. I return to my work with a renewed heart, ready to dive, ready to pursue a dream, ready to be made new.

A Valentine’s Day gift from a student.

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Looking for Reflections

Posted in Spiritual Growth, tagged Holy Eucharist, spiritual journey on February 12, 2015| 5 Comments »

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

Reflection of the rose window at St. Marks Cathedral in Seattle, WA.

There is no doubt that I love reflections hence the name of this blog. I look out on the bayou each day to see the reflection of the trees, standing tall like floating towers on the water. Once a Catholic friend (I am an Episcopalian) told me that she saw the reflection of Christ in the communion cup during a Eucharist we were attending together at the National Cathedral. She was surprised to find Jesus in our cup as she was always told Jesus only blesses the Catholic Eucharist. I know this sounds ludicrous, but that is what she thought before her vision. The actual very confusing rule is explained here.

Ever since my friend’s vision in the chalice, I look when I take the wine. I used to close my eyes. And when the swine flu was going around, and our priest advised us to dip rather than drink, I drank anyway. I look. I always see a reflection. The reflection is not always ethereal, but it is always beautiful.

On Monday, I attended a memorial service for a friend’s husband. The service was in an Episcopal church, and a full communion was served.

I kept my eyes open.

I was delighted by the many lights I saw in the wine reflection, red, green, yellow, sparkling lights. A sign to me that resurrection is real.

When we open our eyes in the presence of the Holy Spirit, we will see miracles.
We will see love.
We will see.
And believe.

I plan to keep my eyes open.

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Fly

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Writing, tagged Canva, fly, OLW, Reach, spiritual journey, thesaurus on January 22, 2015| 4 Comments »

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

Holly invites us to reflect on our spiritual journey. For the next several weeks, we will be writing about different little words. Today is Michelle’s word, FLY. I made a Tagxedo image with my thesaurus. com search. My own little word, Reach, came up a number of times. I hadn’t made the connection before. When I selected Reach, I was thinking more about goals I want to strive for. But isn’t that like learning to fly, trying to pick up the tail winds and soar?

Discovering synonyms is a good way to ruminate on a word. I watch the birds when they fly. The hawk that glides across the highway in search of hidden prey. I am not like the hawk, a hungry hunter.

The hummingbird comes to the feeder, fluttering wildly to sip sweet nectar. I am not as desperate as a hummingbird who is so quick and finicky.

The seagull came up in my search a few times. Am I a seagull, like Jonathan Livingston, tired of materialism and conformity, looking for meaning in perfecting his flight?

With a wing for understanding and a wing for influence, my flight will be balanced. I will rise to awareness. I will strive toward space, a place to be me. A place to know I am loved.

With God as my compass.

Created on Canva.com

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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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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.

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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.

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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.