The Reflecting Pond

Today I would like to share a reading that showed up in my mailbox this morning, but first I need to say a little about the book from which it comes. Years ago (about 26 to be exact) I was going through a very difficult and challenging time. My brother-in-law (who I really knew on a very superficial level) gave me a reflection book for Christmas. It seemed an odd gift at the time considering the fact he may have already been my "ex" brother-in-law and I was a much younger sibling, but the gesture was one I really appreciated.

I am not sure I had ever owned such a book and it ended up being one that encouraged me through many difficult years. Several times in the past I tried to purchase the book for friends, but was never successful in finding it and was told it was out-of-print. Then about three years ago I started receiving "Today's Gift" on e-mail. Some days I delete the message and other times it meets me right where I am. One day I read an especially moving reflection only to find it came from (no mystery here) the inspirational book from my past. Amazingly, the book has followed me through many moves and continues to show up at the most appropriate times. Hmmmm.

So that's the short story of the book. Now here's today's message. (I especially love Seneca's quote at the end.)

Do we go about our daily work dutifully but joylessly? Have we settled for less in our jobs, homes, or relationships than we want? Have we substituted financial security or physical comfort for the freedom to pursue our heart's desires?

Very few of us give ourselves the opportunities to explore our real interests and potentials. We "lock" ourselves into rigid ways of regarding the world and our options. We often settle for less than our highest aspirations because we have conditioned ourselves into thinking life is joyless endurance or survival at best.

In order to change the empty circumstances in our lives we need to change our limited thinking patterns. Instead of looking at life as a prison, we can view it as a smorgasbord of opportunities that are well within our reach. By exploring and sampling the choices before us we can discover which choices bring us inner satisfaction and increase our sense of purpose.

TODAY I will remind myself of what Roman philosopher Seneca said hundreds of years ago: "The great blessings of mankind are within us, and within our reach..."

from The Reflecting Pond by Liane Cordes

My Dance

“My dance. No one does it like I do. I am delighted and slightly disturbed by so much responsibility riding on me just being me. It seems that when I begin to experience fully and wholly the sweet spots of life, doubt starts to creep in. Can this be real? How long will it last? Recently, I have fought the words “courageous” and “brave” as they have been ascribed to me. Why? It feels like a battle for my soul. If I continue to step into life and live peacefully in the midst of craziness, it is a threat to evil. It is breaking the chains that bind me to daily drudgery and mediocrity.”

Saturday, I was cleaning and sorting my computer files and ran across the above-undated words. When did I write them? What was going on in my life? As time would have it, those words seem equally as appropriate (possibly even more so) today than they did the day I originally penned them. There is definitely a battle going on. This morning I wrote in my morning pages that there are things I desire to say that Lucy would just go ahead and write without care to what others may think. As I write now, I ponder why do I hold back? What am I afraid of? (It took me two tries to get over my fear of hanging prepositions and leave the previous sentence as is.) If I am afraid of proper grammar then how much more hesitant will I be as I continue to bump up against the ingrained voices of my past and present? Fortunately, I can choose. It is, after all, “my dance” and with Lucy by my side who knows what may happen? Stay tuned and journey along with me because as my tagline says:

“I write to discover what I know” –Flannery O’Connor (& me)

Healing? Kneeling? Reeling?

Step right on up, folks. No need to think for yourself. We’ve got it all figured out. Don’t worry about the questions. We’ll just let you know what the answers are. Here’s the cup. Here’s the bread. Don’t think. Don’t chew. Just swallow. Don’t be too scared, but make sure there’s enough healthy fear in there to keep you on the right path. (It's the narrow one, by the way.) Make sure enough doubt hangs in your mind that our sure-fire assurance takes hold of you. Don’t walk away from the truth. What is the truth, you ask? Don’t worry about figuring that out for yourself, because we already have all the answers and will be happy to give them to you. No need to think. Thinking just confuses things. It’s Satan’s way of getting into your mind. Poisoning your thoughts. Just step right on up and pray to Jesus, because this is the truth: He is the ONLY way. Sorry about all those poor folks who can’t get that figured out. Sure glad we’re the chosen ones. That’s what scripture says and I can’t change that. Too bad, so sad. Amen and have a nice day ☺!

Truth or fiction? Imagination or reality? Past or present?

Passion and Glory

“Participation in glory is the greatest thrill one can have on this earth.” When I heard these words spoken recently by Professor Dan Allender something stirred deep within me. Glory and passion seem uniquely intertwined. As I shared the post, “Passionate Loess” I thought I was relaying my witness of one man’s passion. I was pleasantly surprised by how this witness stirred others to consider their own passion.

My passion is seeing other people come alive. It is something that comes in the most unexpected of times and places. I have seen glory in perfect transformation when a woman long bent over from the weight of her world stood tall with a new awareness shining upon her face. I saw glory as an addict realized that his hunger for drugs was representative of a deeper longing and he chose to nourish his soul rather than his habit. I see glory when my readers here struggle through their own process to name their passion. Many passionate comments were made in response to the post, and they were a delight to read. Two readers actually went on to make their own posts regarding passion. I hope you will take the time to visit Tess and Sunrise Sister.

Gabrielle in her comments referred to my Lenten prayer where I wrote “That is my work, my joy, and…my Lenten prayer (my Life prayer)—to be fighting with and on behalf of truth and beauty for myself and others. Seeking the beauty and glory that we may not be able to see in ourselves. Fighting the battle alongside each other. While I know we must do it for ourselves, we do not have to do it alone. We can travel this path together—learning from one another.”

Thank you to those who are willing to join me on this path and share your passions and fears with Lucy. Together we can participate in glory, experiencing “the greatest thrill one can have on this earth.”

Here’s to a glorious and passion-filled weekend.

photo by bill hughlett

One of those Days

Do you every have those days where you are out of sorts for no good reason? Today appears to be one of those days for me. I have felt a little sluggish all week and the Seattle weather has been true to its advertised nature—rainy, gray and too cold for June. I pondered as to whether or not I might have seasonal affective disorder or maybe I am hitting a middle-aged something. I completed my morning pages thinking an answer might pop out in the writing. I considered listening to favorite music, going back to sleep, meditating more with God, but you know what? Today just feels like one of those days that Lucy would pull the football out from underneath Charlie Brown and smile when he falls. It’s certainly not a favorite side of my disposition and in reality I think I would have more restraint than to deliberately cause another harm. My psychoanalytical brain really wants to get to the root of what may be going on, however, Lucy kind of wants to grovel in her grumpiness for awhile and let the gray clouds do their thing.

How about you? Ever have one of those days?