epiphany of god

“The epiphany of God in time can come to us at any moment, anywhere, whether we are praying or not. It can come at work, on the road, in any situation, because it is a deep and secret movement of the divine spirit within our own, the felt sense of God’s own self-discovery in us.” from Thomas Merton – A Book of Hours

Some days are just like that. God everywhere. Yesterday was one of those days beginning with a brilliant pink sky outside my window and the words of Thomas Merton greeting me in the morning.

Invited to visit a friend at a new yoga class, I opted to hop on my scooter (the first time in many many months) and ride the mile and a half to class. The teacher was welcoming and the space housed in an old school building was both charming and holy at the same time. She led us through gentle yet challenging moves as we focused on our intention of the day.

Back home for a quick bite to eat – the rest of my meal from the night before was the perfect light lunch for this day. Then on my scooter again for the trip downtown to Mars Hill. (My little Vespa makes me very happy and I giggled most of the ride!) While I was fully present to the air touching my skin and the traffic around me, I nearly missed my turn because I was so enjoying the beauty of Puget Sound and the glistening Olympic mountains. Awe!

My time spent with students was the perfect mixture of challenging, rewarding, comfortable and fun. I was glad to see their individual faces after so many weeks away for the mid-winter holiday.

The ride home was chilly and exhilarating. Pooped and ready to chill for a while, my teenage daughter invited me ( ☺ ) to help her begin painting her new bedroom. This move of hers will be a bonus for both of us since it will give us all more privacy and I will have my very own space to do writing and art! (I’ll keep you posted on that transition. I am very excited!) And so, we worked side by side watching steel gray walls transform into a lovely shade of very girly pink. It is wonderful to see her using light colors instead of transforming her space into a dungeon or bordello as often is the style for this age.

Somewhere in there I managed to pull together a dinner of chili and salad for the family and, finally, exhausted and fulfilled, I crawled back into bed, read the Merton words once again and thanked the Universe that “the epiphany of God in time can come to us at any moment”. Yesterday was a day filled with those moments! Gratitude all around.

Wishing you your own special moments with God no matter where you are or what you are doing!!

lucy's photo from hood canal 12.08

blazing a trail

Earlier this afternoon while pondering why it was that I so desperately felt like I needed a nap even after almost 10 hours of welcome sleep last night, it dawned on me that I have been going non-stop since the beginning of the New Year. It has been wild and wonderful and I have to admit just a bit exhausting.

I started the New Year with a trip to Denver for my husband’s aunt and uncle’s 50th wedding anniversary. It was a blessed event and a glorious celebration of the lives of two very special people plus their four amazing children & spouses and numerous grandchildren. It was a special treat for my family of four as we traveled, laughed, lived and even danced together for a few days.

My next stop was Lubbock, Texas and a trip outside town to Brazos de Dios ranch where I helped facilitate a Soltura workshop for five amazing men ranging in age from 25 to 58. There is something incredibly special for me to work with men and watch as their hardened armor drops away and tender hearts shine through. It was a blessed way to spend several days.

I arrived home late the night of January 11 (after a delayed flight) and began a Full week which included:

• beginning of term meetings at Mars Hill,
• planning sessions for a new Supervision Group for Compassionate Listeners that I have the privilege of co-facilitating with the amazing Christine Paintner,
• my first taste of the Memoir Writing Class I am taking at the University of Washington Extension,
• my first ever drumming class with Simone LaDrumma. (I bought myself a djembe for Christmas and talked sweet hubby into coming along for the lessons ☺),
• Thursday morning’s first session of our Supervision Group. Six amazing women make up our group and they each brought a spirit of yearning and delight to our initial meeting. I was excited to lead the expressive arts time which is a real stretch for someone who as little as two years ago did not consider herself an artist ☺!
• Friday brought another packed suitcase and the short flight to Walla Walla to connect with my sister for an art retreat weekend in Pendleton, Oregon that she purchased at an auction in 2008.
• Saturday, four of us trekked to Pendleton and spent the day in the presence of master printmaker Frank Janzen at Crow’s Shadow. Wow! This part of the experience was definitely more about process than product, but I have to admit that I am moderately pleased with my first efforts. And, it was a blast to do!!
• Sunday we awoke and headed to the studio of Roberta Lavadour and spent the day making our own handmade books. So much fun and I love my new journal!!
• Sunday afternoon I returned to Seattle and went from airport to my daughter’s basketball game after which I vegged in front of the tv watching “You’ve Got Mail.” ☺

So, all of that leads me back to this afternoon and my serious pondering of a nap! As you might guess, this also accounts for my cutback in posts and comments via the blogosphere, but hey, I am having some kind of fun!!!

I’m not sure where all of this is leading, but I am definitely Ablaze with lots of creativity and fullness!!!

Wishing you a Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day and hoping you find yourself awakened to whatever lights your fire!!!

photos from brazos de dios, january 2009

reaching for solitude...

garbage trucks rumbling. therapy fan humming. utensils clinking. sigor ros strumming. where is the quiet? starting the day at a run. restless nights. Tylenol p.m. offering me sleep and then carrying me into mid-morning. phone ringing. husband puttering. cleaning people coming. I need to go. bath running. meeting waiting. candle burning. solitude calling.

this is not how I want to begin a day…or end a year. but this is what I have. this moment right now. music climaxing. gentle now. God is here. here with me in my little corner. my old blue chair. breathe. you can have this moment. carry it into the day. be still and know that I am God. ahhh. awe. beautiful. blessed.

it only takes a moment to breathe. to be quiet. to be still. my bath beckons. my friend awaits. 2009 here soon.

photo by lucy 12.18.08

Gratitude

Oh, I feel blessed and filled with gratitude this morning. The sun is brilliant today and there is frost on the roofs. My family will begin to gather today for the Thanksgiving feast of tomorrow. We will be joined by more family and friends. Ah, it is a good feeling. Soon I will go begin the pumpkin pies and my house will fill with the aroma of my childhood. I remember coming home from school on this day always to the smell of baking pies. A little taste of heaven.

There is much to do in preparation for the arrivals and I am hoping to get outside for a walk on this glorious day. I am also keenly aware that there are people who do not have enough food, will not share their day with anyone and may not even have a roof over their heads. My heart grieves AND I realize that if I surrender to my grief and become melancholy or paralyzed then I fail to acknowledge the moments for which I am so very grateful. It is a hard balance to follow. My hope is that I will be able to do both – grieve & remember AND celebrate with gratitude. I invite you to join me in both!

If you want to talk about this
come to visit. I live in the house
near the corner, which I have named
Gratitude.

--Mary Oliver
see full poem here

Don't forget to reserve your own copy of Grace Unbound. Check it out here.

Just for Me

In response to my last post, I loved Kate's words about writing "to clarify me and because it feels good." So, as my wonderful weekend rolls to a close, here are some of the moments that i want to hang on to (or clarify) for ME!

Things to remember:

• Wearing my heart covered rain boots always makes me feel better.
• Catching up with an old friend who is also a joy-filled young dad is a great way to start a Friday.
  
• Having lunch with a friend is wonderful food for the soul.
• Quiet time can lead to amazing inspiration for new creative works (more details later).
• Soul collage is good, hard work.
• The veil really is thinner this time of year.
• Cafe Campagne provides a little taste of Paris right here in Seattle.
• Kathleen Norris is a regular person. She sometimes doesn't journal for weeks and has been known to resort to watching "America's Next Top Model" for respite.
• Soltura sisters are the best family outside of family!
• My beautiful boy celebrated 8 months of hard earned sobriety this weekend.
• Having an amazing live-in photographer has its perks!
  
• Blogging buddies come to the rescue when you need them most.
  
• God is good.

One thing I would like to forget about this weekend, but probably won't:

• The wrath of a 16 year old daughter who says our home is hell on earth. We have the worst family ever. She detests living here. We are boring, have no passion and respond like robots. (I guess, there goes my nomination for mother of the year. Sigh.)
  

So, there you have it. Hmmmm. Glad I wrote the gratitudes first or that last one could really take its toll. Nevertheless, I may need to sleep in my happy boots!!!

Thanks for reading and I hope you had a delicious weekend and a great start for the week ahead. Peace.

If you are wondering about the photos, you'll have to forgive my sense of humor. After leaving Kathleen Norris' delightful spiritual & inspirational talk at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), we noticed that we were right across the street from "The Lusty Lady" and that the SAM sign was missing one of its lights. Teehee. I couldn't resist!!!!