40 Days of Lent: A Spirtual Journey -- Day Fifteen

Day Fifteen: Write down ten things you are thankful for. And then write down ten things more.


Have you ever actually sat down a tried to write the ten things you are thankful for?  I read that to mean, "ten things you are MOST thankful for.  That makes it seem easy.  Easy, because, really, we all have so much to be thankful for.  Hard, because you want to make the things you are thankful for important.  But as I do this, I realize the things that seem unimportant are those that are truly most important.  The little things add up.  The big things pale in comparison...yet they too, are still important.

My list:
1. Me.  I am thankful for this self that God has given me.  Although there are times I think I am not all that much, I realize that I am happy being me.  Who else would I be? 
2. My health.  Goes without saying.  With all my aches and pains, mood swings and ruminations, I am truly blessed.  I can walk, talk and even sing.  I can think, sometimes in clear, coherent thoughts.  I am blessed.
3. My little furry friends.  They are never with me long enough, but I always have little ones, cats, dogs, birds, who make my life better.  Currently it is Ching Ching, Tater Totte and Nina.  And the memories of all the other critters who have come into my life and gone on over the "rainbow bridge", well, they still bring a smile to my soul.
4. My memories.  Growing up in Detroit.  A large extended family.  A tightly knit nuclear family (not without its problems ;-)  School.  College. Moving to California.  The people I have met.  The ones still here and the ones who have gone on.  Trips abroad and around the states.  Loves cherished, loves lost, loves found again.
5. My persistent optimism.  No matter what, no matter how down I get, I somehow always know it will get better.  And it does.  Even in my darkest hours, I have always maintained a level of optimism.  "This too shall pass"...and it does.
6. The true security.  I know I will be okay.  God is there for me.  Friends are there for me.  I am fortunate to be somewhat financially secure and own a nice home, car, etc.  But I do know that could all change at the drop of a hat.  My true security comes from knowing no storm can wipe away the true security of being myself in my life and my world.  And always remember, knock on wood.
7. My work.  I am fortunate to be able to volunteer to do things I want to do.  Sometimes that feels like a full time job.  I also enjoy doing the "free lance" work I do on occasion, as I feel the urge.
8. Writing.  I have a talent. I use it.  I use it the way I want to.  I know I could turn it into work, but that is not why I do it.  I just love to write.  And that is that and I am grateful for the means and the creativity to do it.
9. You.  You.  And you.
10.  The weather and its seasons.  Just because change is good and each season has its own charm.

http://forcoloredgurls.com/wp-content/
uploads/2010/04/Gratitude.jpg

And ten more...

This is hard.  I feel like I named them all above, yet I know there is so much more to be thankful for.

1.  The TV remote...I can control the volume, the channel and the time I want to watch TV.  Most importantly, I can turn it off whenever I want.
2.  NPR.  I feel so informed when I listen to just about anything on this radio station.
3.  Taste.  What would life be like if you couldn't taste the sweet and the sour, the bitter and salty?
4.  The other senses.  To see, to hear, to feel, to smell.  Along with taste, what miracles they are that make life worth living.
5.  TIme.  There is always tomorrow...and when the time comes that there is no tomorrow, I know I will have arrived in that place of peace and comfort called eternity.
6.  Dirt.  Yep, without dirt, we couldn't grow things.  Without dirt, we couldn't feel good about washing our clothes or cleaning our living spaces. 
7.  MY SENSE OF HUMOR.  Yep, it can be dry, it can be sarcastic.  It can be silly and nonsensical and depend on a very contrived pun.  But it is always fun to laugh.  Funny I didn't think of this until now, but I think my sense of humor, being able to see the absurdity or hilarity in most situations has been my saving grace.
8. Grace.  No matter what, I know I am forgiven.  Whether by God or Spirit or just the passage of time and forgetfulness, all is forgiven and I can always go home.
9.  Imagination.  Imagine that.  I am so glad I can.
10.  Beginnings, endings and the space in between.  The river flows, the ocean swells, the water rises and falls again as rain to refresh the river as once again it flows....

And, yes, I am thankful you read this.

40 days of Lent: A Spirtual Journey -- Day Fourteen

Day Fourteen: Give up the Internet. Just for the day. Or even the afternoon. Look past the screen. Look up, look around, look out the window, look for signs of spring.

It is always amazing to me how the Universe or Great Power or God or whatever one calls that which supports and nourishes our intentions, thoughts and desires moves to do just that when we make up our mind.

http://jennyjuststuff.blogspot.com/
2011/12/mindfulness.html

This particular Lenten exercise just happened to coincide with a day I was going to an area where connectivity is sketchy.  That made this exercise much more "easy" to do.  And rather than getting frustrated with not being able to check my email, Facebook and the like, I was able to focus on the time with my friends in Newport Beach.

It was a good time.  It was a restful time,  And when I returned to "connectivity" I found I did not miss all that much.  What I did (re-)discover was that it so easy to get addicted to the instant gratification of electronic communications.  Even though it can be somewhat artificial and maybe even superficial, it is a feeling of being in touch without really being in touch.

I relaxed after about an hour of not hearing the familiar ringtone that signals an email has arrived.  Instant messages just waited and did not waste away in cyberspace.   Over a year ago I did an exercise in going without any mass media communication.  No TV, radio, newspaper, etc.  This was similar.  The main thing I was reminded of is that we can control most of the things that take up our time and attention.  We can be deliberate. We can choose.

I love my Facebook.  Emails can be informative and a great way to keep in touch when a phone call is too much.  And texting is the new way to go really.  Yet we need to be mindful that their is a human behind most of these communications and that we do need to "reach out and touch" like they said in the old AT&T commercials years ago.

Nothing will ever replace the face-to-face meeting, the warm handshake or hug, the kiss on the cheek.  A smile is worth a million emails...maybe trillion.  And again, the main lesson I believe here during these Lenten practices is to be mindful an aware.  Otherwise we are just pulled along and miss much of what life is all about.

40 Days of Lent: A Spiritual Journey Day Thirteen

For Day 12, we were to meditate and practice on this: "Give in. Lent is not just a time to give up. Real repentance may mean giving in, to someone else, admitting they were right. Or that you were also right, but in this case, they just needed it more."

I have to admit I hate being wrong.  I also hate to face the fact that I am often wrong.  And even when I'm right, sometimes even then, I'm wrong.  So this one, my friends, is for me.  And it something I have been right about and wrong about all my life.

One question that I ask myself these days is,  "Would you rather be right or would your rather be happy."  I tell myself that being right is not always that important.  Sometimes the relationship is more important.  Sometimes the situation will not improve by proving you are right.  The truth will out.  All will become apparent. In the meantime, being wrong may be the right thing to do at times.

So I repent.  I give in.  I surrender to the higher good of all concerned.  At the risk of sounding like I am nominating myself for sainthood, I can hold my tongue when the situation calls for it.  I truly believe every has their own truth.  Who am I to think I have they only truth?  Okay, I am getting off this high horse.  Truth is, I am not fond of confrontation.  And I figure the truth will, indeed, come out in the end.  

And I could be wrong.  But I might be right.

http://jenniferbuyshouses.com/
wp-content/uploads/2012/01/WrongRight.jpg

40 Days of Lent: A Spiritual Journey Day Twelve

Day 12: Say the words of Isaiah 43:1-7 as a prayer. Try putting your name in where it says “Jacob” and “Israel.” Do that once, then again, then

three times and more if you need to."

http://www.christianglobe.com/
PPS/images/medium/00013567_h.jpg

Today's suggested activity somewhat mystified me.  I read the verses (see below) and am not sure I understand them.  Obviously I am not a Bible scholar.  As near as I can interpret would be prayed for here is the reunion with God as promised is his covenant with Jacob and with Israel.  But what does this mean for me?

I had to ponder a bit further.  I have come to believe that no matter what happens in our lives, the true essence of who we are will never be damaged or die.  That is the eternal in us.  The deeper question here then becomes the belief in an afterlife.  And of course all that is based on faith.  Without faith, I wonder, what would we have?  And there is the true reason to pray. 

No, I am no Bible scholar.  I am sure someone will help me understand the meaning behind this passage.  In the meantime, the thought that keeps going through me mind is that all we think and speak can be a prayer.  What we give our attention to becomes our reality.  That is why I interpret this to be an admonishment of sorts to remain mindful.  We need to be mindful of what we think, say and do.  And are practice every day brings us closer to our true and eternal selves.  

*******

Isaiah 43:1-7 New International Version

Israel’s Only Savior

1 But now, this is what the LORD says— 

   he who created you, Jacob, 

   he who formed you, Israel: 

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; 

   I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 

2 When you pass through the waters, 

   I will be with you; 

and when you pass through the rivers, 

   they will not sweep over you. 

When you walk through the fire, 

   you will not be burned; 

   the flames will not set you ablaze. 

3 For I am the LORD your God, 

   the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; 

I give Egypt for your ransom, 

   Cush[a] and Seba in your stead. 

4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight, 

   and because I love you, 

I will give people in exchange for you, 

   nations in exchange for your life. 

5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; 

   I will bring your children from the east 

   and gather you from the west. 

6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ 

   and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ 

Bring my sons from afar 

   and my daughters from the ends of the earth— 

7 everyone who is called by my name, 

   whom I created for my glory, 

   whom I formed and made.” 

40 days of Lent: A Spirtual Journey -- Day Ten, Second Sunday & Day Eleven

For the last three days, the challenges for observing Lent were:

Day 10: If today is a day to do errands, add this to your list: "Go to the grocery store, get ten good food items and drop them off at a local food bank or shelter."

Second Sunday of Lent: Give up making excuses for not going to church. It’s Sunday . . . just go!

and for Day 11: Invite someone to church. Tell them what Lent means to you, and why this might be a meaningful time for them to sit next to you in worship.

Strangely enough, (or maybe it is not strange at all), I found the challenges for the past three days to share a common theme: "Looking for meaning".  I have always looked for meaning throughout my life and oft not found it.  Yet I always trusted that no matter what happened, it had some meaning.  It had meaning whether it was revealed to me as it happened...later...or perhaps never at all.  Everything has meaning.  Looking for meaning is what keeps life interesting.

http://www.scenicreflections.com/files/
Meaning_of_life_is______Wallpaper_te935.jpg

Some background: It occurred to me while listening to the sermon in my church yesterday morning.  The preacher was delivering a sermon based on Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16.  Now I usually do not use Bible scripture here in my blog, but somehow this one seems so very appropriate.  The scriptures relate the story of Abraham and Sarah and how they had tried to have a baby all their lives and been unsuccessful.  Then, after making a covenant with God, Sarah, in her nineties, finds herself pregnant.  Never Too Late was the title of the sermon.  Indeed, it is never too late, even when the hope of a promise being fulfilled fades.  As long as we live in future tense, it is never too late for covenants to be fulfilled.

So that is how it became clear to me that these three activities, giving (food to the needy), acting (attending to your spiritual needs) and sharing (taking someone with you to church or wherever you are fed) are all related.  The actions involved in each are part of the search for meaning.  

We give to others so that we may receive.  Whether it be satisfaction, joy, comfort, we always get something beyond what we give.  As we allow the blessings to flow through us to others, they return heaping and pressed down.  We always receive more that we give.  

When we "just go" without excuses, we expose ourselves to opportunities to be inspired and awakened.  Whether it be church, a hike in the woods or a trip to the museum, we go where we can be fed and find meaning in life's expressions in all there mystical and magical forms.  The key is not to over-think it.  Just go.

Taking someone with you to your place of worship or spiritual watering place, opens the communion of souls between you and your companion.  Not only are you inspired then, but others see a side of you that may not have been completely visible before.  It does not matter if your companion returns again to this spot.  That is for them to find the meaning there, or, perhaps, to find a similar meaning in a spot of their own.  Sharing the sacred opens the windows.  Fresh air revives the spirit and should be shared.  You cannot breathe for someone else, but you can inspire, as inspiring air into the lungs, the life-giving meaning of your scared place.

****

As this 40 day journey continues, I am finding it is much different than I imagined.  I thought it would be cool to follow this trail set by the UCC and see what develops. I thought I would simply do the exercises and write about them and be done.  God (or whomever) moves in mysterious ways.  And I am finding I am moved in many ways as I continue on this road to Easter.

40 days of Lent: A Spirtual Journey -- Day Nine

Now this a challenge for sure.  The mission for day 9: "Challenge those who are pessimistic. Speak to them with an absurd optimism."

http://thethirdthing.edublogs.org/files/2011/
03/optimist-comic-1vyprfv.gif

So which one would you be?  The guy on the left or the guy on the right?  Now if we were talking about a glass of water, I would surely say the glass was half full when it gets to the mid-point.  Or would I?  When I think about it, if I have been drinking from the glass, I would probably say the glass is half empty.  But if I just found it on the counter with liquid to the halfway mark, I would say it was half full.  I guess it presupposed your prospective.

Now the patient in this picture appears to be pretty bad off.  Half dead seems to describe him pretty well.  Of course if he is just waking from a coma, then, to describe him as half alive would indeed be a very happy description.  It is of course all in how you look at it.

I have been accused of being a Pollyanna sometimes.  I do tend to look on the bright side of things.  I try to be encouraging.  It can be annoying to realists and downright offensive to pessimists.  So to be "absurdly optimistic" is not as easy as one might think.  I tried it.  Somehow it did not seem sincere.  Was this a shortcoming on my part?  Did I find it hard to be optimistic at that particular moment?  Did it seem inappropriate?  

Things will work out.  They always do.  We move on.  As I write this, this becomes a part of the past.  Yet I believe that I will continue on, write some more and then some more and all it, I believe, will be read....at least by one person....maybe two!  I also believe that someday someone somewhere will read my writings and say, "Whoa!  He should be on Ellen" (Oprah is hidden on cable somewhere these days).  Hope springs eternal...absurd or not.

You too can be a star!  Just smile and look on the sunny side of life.  It worked for Monty Python...it can work for you!!

40 days of Lent: A Spirtual Journey -- Day Eight

Today's Lenten Challenge: "Give up at least one of your prejudices. Don’t have any?

Think again."

This one was tough.  I tend to think I am pretty open-minded, liberal, and ever striving toward being non-judgemental.  But the more I thought about, the more I realized I do have certain prejudices.  Some I am aware of and call myself on.  Others, until they are brought to my attention, remain in the background, unconscious, and steer me toward making decisions based on pre-conceived notions.  Some things that I do automatically, I do out of judgements made long ago.  Many of those conclusions are no longer valid.  Perhaps that is why an exercise like this is so important...and so challenging.  Giving up prejudice takes some internal reflection and self examination.

I began this work by looking up the definition at my favorite source for definitions, Merriam-Webster.com (see bottom of page):

I would say this is referring to to definition number two.  And I have to say I am definitely guilty of this.  It comes from years of trying to sort out the universe.  There are just so many hours in the day and yet unlimited shapes, sizes, and varieties of people.  Judging based a preconceived notions certainly makes it easier to get through without having to interact with too many people.  That would take time.  You would have to get to know each individual on an individual level.  Easier to just to type them, categorize them and put them in the proper compartment.

Sigh.

It really doesn't work that way, does it?  Just when you think you have everyone figured out, they go and do something that doesn't fit the box you put them it.

http://ourfunnyplanet.com/funny-quotes/

Dang.  You have to re-think things and re-consider your first impression.  Sounds like work.  But then if you don't open your mind and become aware of your prejudices, well, then, I am sure you will miss out on a lot of good people.  But it will be easier.  Unfortunately once you become aware of your prejudices, you can never really ignore them again.

Its called growth.

¹prej·u·dice

 noun \ˈpre-jə-dəs\

Definition of PREJUDICE

1

: injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one's rights; especially :detriment to one's legal rights or claims

2

a (1) : preconceived judgment or opinion (2) : an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledgeb : an instance of such judgment or opinionc : an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics

Related to PREJUDICE

Synonyms: favor, nonobjectivity, one-sidedness, partiality,parti pris, partisanship, ply, bias, tendentiousness

Antonyms: impartiality, neutrality, objectivity, open-mindedness, unbiasedness