Simply Soul Searching

NOTICE AND DISCOVER #7
Monday, August 30th

Now that school has started again, I have been making some adjustments to my walking route and schedule. Jim needs to prepare for his bus route early each morning, so I generally begin walking soon after he heads to the bus garage. I find that I love this earlier walking time. At this hour, the rabbits and birds seem to be more trusting of me, lingering near my path even as I come closer. I appreciate the early morning glow of the sky at sunrise, the quieter surroundings, the cooler temperatures. My pace is slower and more spiritual as I savor the solitude within me, the stillness around me.

Part of the joy of my route comes from greeting my neighbors – those walking or driving by me. I smile and wave to everyone, hoping to convey that I am happy to see them, to share this moment in our separate journeys, to bless them as we begin this new day. But this week, I have noticed that there comes a time when I stop waving. As the school traffic begins to increase, smiling and waving to every car would appear ridiculous, so I avert my eyes from the people and turn my focus to safely dodging the vehicles.

I wonder if this also happens with God. Our ever-present God is coming to us, one God-moment after another, as steadily as oncoming traffic during rush hour. But we cannot comprehend any of these moments until we pause long enough to seek out one. In the early morning quiet, when life is slower and we are mindful, we can more easily see and acknowledge God’s presence all around us. But when our hectic life keeps coming at us – or when our frantic selves keep coming at life – we begin to avert our eyes and turn our attention solely on our success or survival.

Life can come at us with full force, but God is there in it, too. My invitation for this week is to take small moments throughout the day to simply pause what I am doing and turn my attention to greet God; to stop still in the middle of my busyness and say, “I see you God, I am happy to share my journey with you, and I hope to bless you in this moment.” This practice will be similar to taking a quick snapshot of the life before me, then noticing where I find God’s presence in the details. I trust that in doing so, I will recognize God’s active presence and power more often and in new ways.

Does this invitation speak to your heart? How might you begin pausing more often to greet God throughout the day? Can you recall a time when you were not aware of God’s presence until you took a closer look at that snapshot memory of your life? With enough practice, could our attentiveness become a way of life, could our mindfulness extend into every moment of our daily living?

If you were to pause right now to greet God, where would you look first?

My prayers have been for you.

(This is the last post of the Notice and Discover summer series. I will be taking a short break but plan to begin a new series after Labor Day. Thank you, friends!)

Photos by Karen, Hurricane, WV

(NOTICE AND DISCOVER, #6)
Monday, August 23rd

When Jim and I first moved to our new home in West Virginia, our yard was bare and empty. Jim has since created landscape borders and planted bushes; now we only need some colorful flowers or trees to have a beautiful setting. But I am realizing – even as I hate admitting – that I am not a gardener. I love those vibrant greens, cheerful blooms, and shady trees, but I have found that even a few potted plants quickly become “bothersome” and I give them away.

So, I am grateful for the flowering beauty I find on my daily walks, planted by neighbors who are more dedicated to gardening than I am. These neighbors have created colorful flowerbeds for all of us to enjoy. By brightening their one small part of the neighborhood, they also brighten the route for walkers like me. Seeing the variety of bright colors brings such joy to my day!

However, each Friday my route takes me by the trash bins that have been emptied earlier that morning. Often times, stray pieces of trash have been dropped and left behind. I usually take a moment to pick up any loose garbage and toss it back into the bins, doing my small part to keep the trash from being scattered by the wind or squished by passing vehicles. This week, I “notice” that I am also contributing to beauty when I clean up these messes along the way. I may not have a green thumb, but I do have an able body to remedy a problem or ease a burden, to help make the world a bit brighter.

My invitation for this week is a reminder to be attentive to the small ways I might make the world a little better, brighter, and more beautiful. When the world can feel so heavy and I can feel so helpless, God is reminding me to simply do what I can. I sense an invitation to pour as much goodness and brightness as possible into my small part of the world. And I have two small ways of doing so…

How might I brighten my corner by adding beauty? Could I create a poem, send a flower, cook a meal, photograph a scene, walk with joy, offer a smile, reach out with kindness, share a good thought, play peek-a-boo, write a letter, elicit a laugh, lend a book, host a tea party?

How might I brighten my corner by easing burdens? Could I pick up trash, dry a tear, listen to a story, speak up, help out, send a card, carry a load, clean up a trail, donate food, offer assistance, care for a child, write to a prisoner?

Do these invitations call to you? Are you one who loves to add beauty, or are you one who tends to ease burdens? In what ways are you being invited to make your corner of the world a little brighter, a little better? With God’s help, our small but beautiful contributions will brighten our world, one smile at a time.

My prayers for you continue.

Photos by Karen, Hurricane, WV

(NOTICE AND DISCOVER #5)
Monday, August 9th

If you are tempted to ignore this post, you are not alone! This was one “invitation to notice” that I accepted very grudgingly. 😉

This past Monday, Jim and I finished reading the book we had been using for our morning devotions, so I chose a new one from his shelf – A Year with C. S. Lewis – Daily Readings from His Classic Works. Turning to the readings for August, we found that the first week was filled with thoughts about grief; Lewis had written these after the loss of his beloved wife. Neither of us were eager to read these, so Jim turned instead to our daily email meditations from Richard Rohr. The topic? “The Devastation of Grief.”

“Oh dear goodness, God wants me to pay attention to grief and death,” I thought to myself. The timing is terrible. Next week, Jim is having additional heart tests for a few concerns, and later this month I have my annual check with my oncologist. But is there ever a good time to consider death? I reluctantly accepted the invitation…

~~~~~

The days are growing shorter as we head toward the autumn season. My life is also heading into an autumn season, as I now have more years behind me than I have ahead of me. These passing years – along with Jim’s heart surgery and my previous cancer – have increased my awareness of the brevity of life. Sometimes I think about the things I will miss one day, even the little daily delights of life. And yet, I feel assured that in the eternal realm, I will find more incredible joys than any earthly gift can bring.

My only heartache about death comes when I imagine leaving my loved ones, at least for a time. Were I to lose a loved one, or they were to lose me, the deep grief of our temporary separation is the only pain I fear. Our relationships are the real treasures of this world.

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I recently started listening to Mitch Albom’s podcast, “The Tuesday People” on my morning walks. Mitch shares the insights he learned from his college professor, Morrie Schwartz, as Morrie was dying. So I wasn’t surprised that his conversations were about death this past Monday – and I knew that God would provide some revelations for me in the listening.

The first episode was called, “Don’t Procrastinate Your Life Away.” From Morrie’s life, Mitch has learned to let the regrets of the past go, but also to not let new regrets pile up. In his introduction, he describes “those moments that give us pause as to how long we should put off the things that we really want to do…” and invites us to ask “What’s really keeping me from doing what I’ve wanted to do for a while now?”

The second episode was called, “A Tuesday People Retrospective,” and Mitch shared some highlights of Morrie’s best lessons. Morrie had gently advised Mitch to not wait to forgive someone, because there may come a time when it will be too late. Another lesson was in his description of his “perfect day” – he only talked of ordinary times spent with loved ones. His words that most resonated and comforted me were, “Death ends a life but not a relationship.”¹

For these very reasons, I was blessed by my cancer. When we must face the possibility of death more fully, we don’t hesitate to do what is important, especially to make our relationships right. During that year of illness and treatments, a few relationships were forgiven and restored, new friendships were fostered, old friends were reconnected, precious words of love were shared, keepsake photos were taken, kindnesses were given and received. This was the best gift of all – to not have any lingering hurts, unspoken words, or deep regrets with my beloved family and friends.

~~~~~

My invitation for today is to never postpone loving and caring for one another.

Is there someone I have hurt who could use my sincere apology? Are there friends I appreciate but have not taken the time to let them know? Who might enjoy receiving a letter, call, or message from me today?

We may still need to be socially distant and careful, but can I find creative ways to connect with dear ones? Should I try to plan our family vacation (the third attempt) for next year?

At the end of this day, what will I have done to help someone else? How will I encourage, uplift, love, inspire, affirm, and speak my heart with the ones who are so important in my life?

How will I go to bed with no regrets tonight?

~~~~~

I hope my invitation also resonates with all of you. Please don’t put off spending time, reaching out, cherishing, and genuinely appreciating the people in your life.

My prayers for you continue.

¹Podcast and quotes found at https://www.mitchalbom.com/tuesday-people/

Photo by Karen, Hurricane, WV