Observing God’s Designs

Heaven’s Designs

With sunrise at 6:09 AM and sunset at 8:45 PM, we still have over fourteen hours of daylight to see many of nature’s wonders in natural light.  This daylight is part of an intricate design nature has provided through the solar system.  The solar system in turn plays a part in the many smaller ecosystems on earth (and other planets as well) through the amounts of daylight and darkness allotted.  The daylight and darkness in turn drives the process of photosynthesis, which all life depends upon.  Photosynthesis simply means putting together by light, but its impact is far from simple and its impact is boundless.  Like the light involved in photosynthesis, we humans have the potential to impact and affect our surroundings and all we come in contact with as we go about our activities.  We thought we’d share some insight on this impact and how it plays into God’s designs in this week’s post.

Prevailing Purpose

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” –Proverbs 19:21

Theme of the Week: Meant to Be

Our theme of the week started with a homily by Deacon Cliff.  I had never heard Deacon Cliff speak before, so I was very interested in how he planned to address the congregation.  He started off with a story from vacation with his wife and grandchildren the week prior.  He explained he is a morning person and enthusiastically greeted his grandchildren every morning.  They were not always thrilled with his zest for the early morning hours and gave him a card, which he showed to the congregation, that said, “Morning people are the worst.”

The congregation erupted in laughter as he continued his story.  About day three of vacation, his granddaughter decided she was going to get up early with him and watch the sunrise.  He was not sure how serious she was, so he simply agreed to the plan.  She followed through with her declaration each day for the remainder of vacation.  As they shared the quiet moments of the morning, they found themselves in awe at the beauty around them.  At one point, she asked him, “Does this mean I’m now a morning person?”

Good Morning!

We often don’t know in life how we will feel about an experience until we actually have the experience.  Too many times, we allow fear, doubt, peer pressure, loneliness, or other influences to dictate our paths.  However, when we let go and try something out of faith and with faith, we may just find what we are seeking or have been missing.  There are also times when we fight or resist changes or events, which only delays the eventual outcome.  The delay may or may not be warranted, but the reality of life is what is meant to happen will indeed happen whether we want it to or not.  This is why faith is so important and why God designed life the way He did.

“Life was meant to be lived.”- Eleanor Roosevelt

Lesson of the Week: Come and See

Our lesson of the week came through my running and biking adventures.  As I ran and biked each day, I noticed the first locusts calling; the birds singing; doves cooing in the early morning hours; the first blooms on  the rose of Sharon, butterfly bush, and sedum; rainbows after the showers moving through the area; and many different types of clouds.  All of these things were like private invitations into nature’s many wonders and God’s designs.

Butterfly Bush

Each sight posed many thoughts and questions that in turn took my mind and heart on adventures of lessons learned, moments shared, and places visited. The discovery of so much to see and so many things to do had led me to this juncture of life.  Years of interactions with nature had helped shape my character, perspective, and attitude, among other things.  All this comes to us every single day we are open to receiving life and all it has to offer.  The more open we are and less we try to control what happens, the more we learn, contribute, and can do.

Years ago, when we first started sharing our adventures, we had a number of people who commented they could not see what we saw in nature.  After many posts and conversations with these people, we now have them sharing pictures and stories with us about what they saw or experienced.  While we cannot take credit for these progress these people have made in recognizing what nature has to offer, we can say that our willingness to share and our rather consistent ways of sharing helped these people become more aware of their surroundings and more accepting of what nature offers to them.  (OK, so we probably did bug the crap out of some of these people, but it was with the good, innocent intentions of the eight-year-olds at heart we are and not meant to control anyone or anything in life).

Wisdom and Wonder

“Wisdom begins in wonder.” –Socrates

Song of the Week: Dawn’s Melody

Our song of the week is not a hymn or set of notes with known words, but rather what we refer to as a nature song.  It is the unfolding of each morning made special by the skies above and the winds that come and go.  This time of year is typically difficult for us (and this year is no exception), so we tend to gravitate to the simple pleasures of life for comfort and reassurance.  This is not a bad practice really for any time of year, but we find it most helpful in the summer months. 

Seeing the sun rise at the far northeast corner of our property can be a breath taking experience, setting the tone for the day. Watching the clouds pass over as the winds or breezes blow is like watching time pass by literally and figuratively.  Just being present as the light filters down and touches the earth below gives one a sense of intimacy with nature and one’s surroundings.  Though there are no words spoken or notes to play or listen to, there is a melodious harmony attracting one’s heart to the present and one’s soul to the gifts of the moment.

Succession of Presents

“The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” –Howard Zinn

Words of the Week: Design’s Sea

Our words of the week from the Daily Word devotional included: trust, guidance, joy, comfort, positive, courage, and forgive.  As we learn to trust our faith, we find guidance in every moment of life.  This can lead to joy and comfort in knowing we are where we are to be, and this in turn leads to a positive mindset.  Our positivity allows us to have courage, and our courage helps us to forgive.  As we learn to forgive, we find a sense of trust in God, which leads us back around the cycle.  All this is by God’s design and in His time for each of us.

Grace

May we come to see life from different perspectives, allowing for the opportunity to learn and grow along the way.  May we also notice the patterns in nature, such as the seasons, and how they personify God’s grace and design.

Grace and Design

One, two, three, four, five,

Oh, Lord, this is the time;

Six, seven, eight, nine, ten

For faith to rise again

As the Breeze Blows

Early in the morning as the breeze blows

In and through and before the trees’ boughs

Through sun and rain in the skies

That come to sustain and provide

All one needs

For what comes to be,

Each thing in its own place and time

By Your grace and design.

Love’s Weave

Small and large and in between

Comes the art of love’s weave

In the deer in the wood and dove on the branch,

Far and near, above and below where one stands,

Ever growing like the roots in the earth

Flowing with the truth of the search

For peace within the moments

Set Free

That seem ever on-going

With the sands and the seas

That withstand and set free

Each soul that makes strides

By Your grace and design.

No two paths are ever the same

Yet each one has Your name

Written in the stones and the dirt

Nurtured

That come and go in the miles searched

Correcting and redirecting the soul

Reflecting and inspecting the folds

In the seeds sown

Made to be grown

And nurtured and fostered for change

Offered each day

Through faith’s and hope’s collide

By Your grace and design.

Thank You!

-Lisa A. Wisniewski

A Note of Thanks

Our thanks this week goes out to our church community for helping us learn to see God’s designs in life every day, no matter the weather or the conditions around us.  It has been a journey to get to this point, recognizing the good with the bad and being able to turn what appears not so great into something more positive.  We appreciate everyone’s support along the way and hope we can do the same for others we meet.

-Lisa, Leo, and Lena

Designs…

Observing Structures

Building of the Dawn

Our area has been experiencing less than average rainfall and above average temperatures for the month of July.  The conditions have left parts of the landscape dry and/or brown with dormant or dying foliage.  The sights got us to thinking about how things survive. These thoughts led us to more thoughts about how things are constructed and what makes up a structure.  (Yep, we got all that from seeing dormant grass—leave it to the eight-year-old mind to wonder and wander to no end).  We did some research and observations and thought we’d share what we learned in this week’s post.

Opportunity

“Treat every opportunity like a great opportunity and you may find a few of them to be just that.” –James Clear

Theme of the Week: Build Me

Our theme of the week started as we mentioned above with the changes in the landscape.  In addition to the observations noted, we realized the weed population soaring exponentially.  Weeds in the driveway, weeds in the landscape beds, weeds in the sidewalk cracks, weeds everywhere really.  Which is part of nature and living in a rural area, but which does not sit well with the anal forty-eight-year old mind vying for attention with the eight-year-old free spirit. 

While pulling the weeds, we noticed the different root systems and make up of each weed.  Purslane looks like a succulent and has a very small root structure covered by a very large canopy-type top.  Thistle has a very large root structure that may or may not match the size of the upper foliage covered with spiky hair.  These root structures are the portals through which nutrients flow to support the foliage.  Pulling out the plants and the roots leads to the plants’ loss of life, but can also allow for seed to spread and later germinate, leading to more life.

Poke Weed

What gets put into the plant by the roots and the sun and taken out by human intervention, chemical reactions, and time determine what the plant becomes, how long it lives, and what it leaves behind (fruit, compost matter, seeds, etc.). Like the plants and weeds, we humans go through the process of absorbing information, thoughts, feelings, food, water, etc. Our bodies process these “nutrients” to help sustain us and make us grow.  Time exposes us to the elements of nature and life to both fuel and stop or slow the process. Who we become, how long we live, and what we leave behind are the byproducts of the inputs.

Our environments have the potential to build us up and break us down.  Our attitudes and perspectives combined with our faith are what keep us going or hold us back.  Our lives are an intricate weave of inputs and outputs building the structure of humanity.

Lighting Candles

“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles with it.” –Margaret Fuller

Lesson of the Week: What Can Be

Our lesson of the week came through a number of readings and interactions with others.  Like the nutrients in the soil, the things we read and encounter act as food for our minds, hearts, and souls.  Positive readings and interactions inspire positive thoughts and reactions.  Negative readings and interactions have more potential for negative thoughts and reactions, but can at times, with some help from other inputs, be turned into positive thoughts and reactions. The outcomes are also often influenced by the way the material is presented.

Positive Reinforcement

For example, a verse or quote accompanied by a picture of a sunrise or sunset may appear more inspiring than the words by themselves in simple black text on a page. Similarly, facts and figures can be presented in both a “glass half full” or “glass half empty” manner, depending on wording or focus.  Data presented in a “what was accomplished” format often is easier to acknowledge and accept than data presented in a “what was not accomplished” format.

The things we read and experience with others are building blocks in the structures of our minds.  Laying a good foundation of facts, inspirational material, and positive insights is key to a solid thought process structure.  Conversely, a foundation build from fallacies and negative insights can crumble under the weight of world or life events.  The positive side to any crumbling structure comes in the potential for rebuilding with different inputs.

Building Faith

In our household, we have extensive experience rebuilding crumbling structures literally and figuratively. From house renovations to landscape projects, and broken hearts to improbable statistics to overcome, we’ve done it all.  While we would prefer to forget such experiences, there are times when we feel grateful to have had these things happen to us, for we know we are stronger and better able to survive any additional similar events.

We have had a number of events recently that were less than stellar invade our lives.  From world to personal issues, we’ve been inundated with situations to overcome.  We’ve also been fortunate to have some people in our lives recognize that something was not quite right and offer to help.  There have been days when we did not know what to do, but after talking through some details with these people, we were able to at a minimum form a plan of action or find some hope to keep us going.  We also found out that these same people have their own set of issues going on that require some help.  The end result has been the building of a support structure for all involved parties.  And we must admit, this is one great structure to be a part of, for it entails intellectual, spiritual, physical, emotional, and common sense components with genuine care, concern, and love thrown in to hold it all together.

Structure of Reality

“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I out to be until you are what you ought to be.  This is the interrelated structure of reality.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.

Song of the Week: Building What Are We?

Our song of the week is an old hymn with bluegrass roots that I first heard Patty Loveless sing. Though there are many versions of this song, the one I like best is the one Patty did on her Mountain Soul II effort. 

Working on a Building

If I was a sinner, I tell you what I’d do
I’d quit my sinnin’ and I’d work on a building too
I’m workin’ on a building, I’m workin’ on a building
I’m workin’ on a building for my Lord, for my Lord
It’s a Holy Ghost building, it’s a Holy Ghost building
It’s a Holy Ghost building for my Lord, for my Lord

If I was a drunkard, I tell you what I’d do
I’d quit my drInkin’ and I’d work on a building too
I’m workin’ on a building, I’m workin’ on a building
I’m workin’ on a building for my Lord, for my Lord
It’s a Holy Ghost building, it’s a Holy Ghost building
It’s a Holy Ghost building for my Lord, for my Lord

If I was a preacher, I tell you what I’d do
I’d keep on preachin’ and I’d work on a building too
I’m workin’ on a building, I’m workin’ on a building
I’m workin’ on a building for my Lord, for my Lord
It’s a Holy Ghost building, it’s a Holy Ghost building
It’s a Holy Ghost building for my Lord, for my Lord

Building Peace

“Peace is a daily, a weekly, monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.”-John F. Kennedy

Science Lesson of the Week: Structures in the Skies’ Seas

Our science lesson of the week came with the full buck moon, also known as the full thunder moon, of July.  This particular full moon was one of the biggest of the year, made possible when the moon reaches its perigee, or point in its elliptical orbit where it is closest to the earth at the same time it reaches its fullest phase.  This event is also known as a super moon.  Also this week, Saturn was in conjunction with the moon.   A conjunction occurs when two or more celestial bodies come together.  In addition to Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus appeared in the predawn skies this week.

Full Buck Moon on the Rise

The sight of the moon with the planets is not rare, so we often may not realize the importance of the combination of their presence.  The planets along with the moon and stars acted as guides and compasses for centuries. Though we now often rely on satellites or GPS devices, the fact remains the moon, plants, and stars are free guides in and through life. As such, they are part of the structures of both the skies and our lives.

“Most of the time in the 21^st century, we dominate our surroudings: we tweak the thermostat, and the temperature falls one degree.  We push a button, and Taylor Swift sings for us.  It’s the opposite in the wilderness, which teaches us constantly that we are not lords of the universe but rather building blocks of it.” –Nicholas Kristof

Creation of the Week: Trustworthy Spaces to Be

Safe Space

We also stumbled upon an article about building spaces of trust in our lives and the lives of others.  The article gave the following steps in building such structures:

• Give and receive welcome
• Be present as fully as possible
• Extend invitation, not demand
• Speak your through tin ways that respect other people’s truth
• No fixing, saving, advising, or correcting each other
• When the going gets rough, turn to wonder
• Practice asking open, honest questions
• Attend to your own inner teacher
• Trust and learn from the silence
• Commit to and maintain confidentiality
• Know that is possible for the seeds planted to keep on growing

Building Us

“Whatever good things we build end up building us.” –Jim Rohn

Words of the Week: Structural Beams

Our words of the week from the Daily Word devotional include: generous, healing, ideas, faith, serenity, and divine order.  As we come to learn how to be generous to others, we find healing inside ourselves and promote healing in others.  This process involves sharing ideas, which may take some faith to find the courage to do so.  This sharing of faith has to potential to lead to serenity, knowing we did our best to offer what we could as part of the divine order of life.

Ever Changing

“Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest but in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another.” -John Muir

May we learn to see the impact of things built and taken down.  May our learning come to be viewed as part of life no matter the difficulty of the lesson, and may we come to view all of nature in life’s structures.

Structures

As the sun rises and sets

Teasels–Wondrous Structures

In time from one day to the next

And the moon and stars

Do their part

Adding to nature’s art,

So does the sea lap the shores

Allowing what comes to be once more

In the wonders that abound

In structures found.

Nature’s Echo That Abounds

The flower and the bee

Have powers unique

As do the birds of the air

And the words we share

With the winds that sing

And so begins the ring

Of the echo that abounds

In nature’s house

Thanks!

Where the thunders resound

In structures unbound.

-Lisa A. Wisniewski

A Note of Thanks

Our thanks this week goes out to the people mentioned above who have become a great support structure for us.  We greatly appreciate their willingness to share what the know and learn with us as we go through life’s challenges and changes.  Thanks Michelle T., Buffy J., Matt T., and Theresa C. for being there for us and for letting us be there for you. 

-Lisa, Leo, and Lena

Structure Personified

Observing Faith

Faith in the Dawn

July is one of those months that we sometimes feel like skipping in our household due to a number of events and memories associated with them.  However, over the years, we have learned to accept and even at times live with the memories.  This did not come easy, but it did come through faith.  One of my better memories in July is a day when I first started reading the Bible before going to work.  I remember it distinctly because of the sunrise and a subsequent poem I wrote inspired by the events of the morning.  I firmly believe that day was a turning point, one that slowly allowed me to move beyond the past and start living in the present.  A similar event happened this past week that led me to contemplate faith and how it forms.  We thought we’d share some things we have learned about faith in the past week and in our lives in this week’s post.

Lighting the Way

“Teaching is successful only as it causes people to think for themselves.  What the teacher thinks matters little; what he makes the child thinks matters much.” –Alice Moore Hubbard

Theme of the Week: Faith’s Deeds

Our theme of the week stemmed from a running experience early Sunday morning before church. On my run that morning, I was trying to clear my head from a rather chaotic week and at one point lamented not being able to appreciate the beauty of the morning due to all the thoughts in my mind.  I made the “mistake” of saying this out loud and immediately heard God’s respond, “Where is thy faith? Just be patient, My child.”

I am sure if I could have seen God, He would have had a glint in His eye and a smile on His face as wide as the heavens, because what came next was most certainly His doing in His time under His terms.  It did not come right away or in some grandiose strike of lightening, but rather through a series of interactions throughout the day that in hindsight were exactly what I needed at just the right time (much to the impatient inner eight-year-old’s protest).

Where is Thy Faith

The first thing that happened was Father Chris’ homily.  He explained how he had been on vacation with his family in New Jersey the week prior and told of some of his adventures.  As a younger priest, he is still learning about his faith and how his work as a priest affects others and himself.  He told about a young couple whom he met in a crowded shop.  They asked him about the Steelers t-shirt he was wearing and struck up a conversation with him.  At one point, they asked what he did for a living.  He immediately was taken back, unsure at first how to answer, but felt the need and the call to be honest and explain he was a Catholic priest.  The couple was so excited and explained they were Catholic and their daughter was named after one of the saints.  Then they asked if he would bless them.

Faith’s Surface

He looked around and saw how crowded the shop was and how eager the couple’s faces were and right there gave them a blessing.  He explained how sometimes we are put in what feel like awkward situations not to test our faith but to strengthen our faith.  We don’t always feel comfortable when it comes to faith, and that is normal and okay.  What matters most is that we are honest with our faith and allow it to surface.

On another occasion while walking on the beach in a t-shirt with his rosary, Father saw two “surfer dudes” looking at him from a distance.  As they came closer, Father overheard the one man say to the other, “Now that dude just don’t care.”

The congregation erupted in laughter, and after a big smile and short pause, Father continued to explain that sometimes faith and how we “profess” it is not popular, and this, too, is okay.  We just need to be respectful to and of our faith and it will take care of those awkward situations for us.

Profound Effect

Later that day, I felt a strong need to explain to a good friend how important their support has been to me. Since this friendship is a newer one, we are still learning about each other and how best to express ourselves.  I sent my friend a text explaining my gratitude along with some history as to why her support has been most helpful.  Her response was priceless, simply put, full of wisdom, and overflowing with faith.  The line that hit me hardest was, “You can do it.”

Perhaps that is the beauty of faith.  It takes very little to have a profound effect.

“Faith is about doing.  You are how you act, not just how you believe.” –Mitch Albom

Lesson of the Week: Awake to the Need

Sensory Perception

Our lesson of the week came while I was running and biking Monday night.  I had a number of lines in my head that would make some good verses in a poem, but they seemed all jumbled up (probably because our life has been that way and as the saying goes life imitates art and vice versa).  How could I get them to make sense?

In the course of the miles, I let my senses take over, seeing the sights, listening to the sounds, and feeling the changes in the breeze.  There seemed to be a cadence to all this and I recognized this cadence as the melody to a favorite hymn.  Contemplating the lines in my head once more, along with all the awareness of my senses, it all came together.  What a glorious moment that was! (As a somewhat creative and artistic yet anal person, such moments are like a straight shot of adrenaline to get the inner soul fully engaged in all life aspects, which is the ultimate goal of the inner adult).

Real Silence

Returning home, I quickly wrote down the lines and put together some pictures to help augment the effort.  The end result was shared with some close friends and the response was great.  While it is sometimes awkward to share such things, the fact that one tries is truly rewarded in the long run, usually with a wink and a nod from God.

“Real silence moves us from knowing things to perceiving a Presence that imbues all things.” –Richard Rohr

Song of the Week: Hymn of Glory

Our song of the week is the hymn mentioned above and one that I am fortunate to be able to play on my guitar without too much trouble.  I’ve always loved the words, and after learning to play the musical notes, really appreciate the song.  The notes take one’s hand all over the neck of the guitar to play, which can be challenging and rewarding. 

Faith’s Reward

Perhaps that is another paradox and beauty of faith—it both challenges and rewards us in all aspects of life.

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

Refrain:
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

Buck in Velvet

I have seen him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
They have builded him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read the righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on. [Refrain]

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of all before his judgment seat;
O be swift, my soul, to answer him; be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on. [Refrain]

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me;
As he died to make us holy, let us die that all be free!
While God is marching on. [Refrain]

Sights of the Week: First and Faith’s Seeds

Trumpet Vine

Our sights of the week are a number of firsts of the season.  We saw our first buck in velvet, first bloom on the teasels, first flowers on the trumpet vine, first Queen Anne’s lace bloom, first apples forming in the area trees, first bull thistle starting to flower, and first yucca bloom.  The sight of each made us wonder whether plants have faith.  Surely something coaxes them out of their seeds to grow and blossom into colorful arrays. 

Maybe some would argue that the chemical reactions going on in the seeds and stems are what drives the flowers to bloom.  But what causes chemical reactions? Do not the molecules have moments when they really want to stay put, but are forced by a power beyond their understanding to move?

Perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts of faith—it forces us to explore and question in order to find our way in life.

Teasels in Bloom

“No matter who you are, what you do, or how far you think you have to go, you have been tapped by a force greater than yourself to step into your God-given calling.” –Oprah Winfrey

Words of the Week: Steps to See

Our words of the week from the Daily Word devotional include free, independence, grace, energy, inner peace, and wisdom.  As we come to view life through experiences, we are set free of not knowing.  This leads us to a better sense of independence, allowing us to experiences the grace of God.  As we learn to acknowledge and accept God’s grace, we find the energy required to continue on the journey, leading to a sense of inner peace (although it may seem transitory or short lived at times).  Going through this process takes us through the steps to gaining true wisdom.  All this happens in the wings and winds of faith that surround and guide us throughout our lives.

Bull Thistle

May we learn to accept the steps of our journey. May we take the time along the way to help others, and may we come to see who we are meant to be through our faith.

Faith

Faith

All the way

In all things
Through God’s praises sing

Yucca

Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Faith

Around and through our days

Interwoven and divine

Through the hands of time

Helping the seed come to be.

Faith

Along and around time’s space

Queen Anne’s Lace

Intertwined with mystery

To light the path with imagery

Holding on to the dawn.

-Lisa A. Wisniewski

A Note of Thanks

Our thanks this week goes out to all the people who have had faith in us and given their faith through prayers to us. We appreciate all the support and encouragement as we come to find our way to whom we are meant to become. We also thank our own little Lena, who celebrated her one year adoption anniversary with us. She is the ultimate faith model in our household. Love you Lena Beana!

Thanks Everyone

-Lisa, Leo, and Lena

Observing Summer’s Release

Summer’s Release

Summer offered up some of its greatest characteristics for us this week in our area. From dazzling skies and fireflies in the fields to traditional blooms and signature smells, we had our senses in high gear and our hearts full of thanks for all the wonderful experiences.  The week was capped off with some great reminders from nature that brought back memories of life’s finest moments.  We thought we’d share some of the things we learned and experienced in this week’s post.

Pure Being

“Pure being is that out of which all else comes and to which all things return.”-Richard Rohr

Theme of the Week: Release and Repeat

Our theme of the week stemmed from the observation of all the things summer was offering us.  Every day was an exploration of sorts full of questions about what we saw and childlike wonder about what it all meant.  This was a most welcome experience for the inner eight year old and the adult in me, for I had been feeling a little lost in life, mostly due to circumstances beyond my control.  While trying to find something familiar and re-establish some sort of routine after all the chaos our household has been through so far this year, I stumbled upon a number of really good readings and some of nature’s best reminders of what matters most in life.  The process repeated itself several times, and that was really all I needed to find a better sense of self that I had been seeking.

Catkins on Chestnut Tree

While running and biking Sunday morning, a pungent, familiar smell permeated the air.  It was distinct, very close, and definitely easy to identify.  The smell was coming from the chestnut trees along my route.  Immediately, I was taken back to my childhood days of helping Gram pick up the hulls and nuts from the two chestnut trees in her side yard.  I remember she used to curse the smell and the prickly hulls, especially on days when she wanted to cut the grass.  On those days, we had to rake or pick up all the hulls (along with the pears, buckeyes, walnuts, and apples) that fell before even starting to mow.  That was Gram’s rule—no mowing until cleaning up because cutting up all the nuts and fruits falling from the trees only made a mess and invited bees. 

Since this chore took some time, especially at the end of summer when all the nuts and fruits were falling like rain from the trees, my sister and I often had to work ahead of Gram, cleaning up one area so she could start cutting grass with the old Snapper rear engine riding mower.  Gram loved that mower and always made a fashion statement wearing her old white work shoes, panty hose, striped shorts, and pink tank top.  She chewed bubble gum as she cut in neat lines, blowing bubbles while bouncing along. 

Memories

Eventually, the trees became diseased and had to be cut down.  I distinctly remember doing this chore with my late Uncle Jim.  He wore his work boots, jeans, and blue t-shirt while operating his little green Poulan chainsaw, meticulously cutting away.  Gram watched us work from the porch, as she was older at that time and less mobile than in her grass cutting days.  I remember her saying she was glad the trees were gone and that we would no longer have the chore of picking up the chestnuts before cutting the grass.  We also would not have to endure the smell, which could be pretty offensive on hot, hazy, humid summer days.

The chestnut tree smell is produced by the catkins, or long hairy fingers, that hang amid the glossy toothed leaves.  Male trees produce the smell, but female trees do not.  In order to produce chestnuts and pollinate, both male and female trees are needed.  The catkins age before falling from the trees in late July or early August.  After falling, the smell is no longer present. The catkins and the smell are necessary to get the nuts to grow on the trees.  This happens in cycles every year, allowing for growth , decay, and repair in nature.    

Gift of Time

All our efforts over the years had taught us well the work ethic required to get through many of life’s issues.  In essence, this was the “fruit of our labor” but in this case the fruit came through the growth of nuts.  Time eventually released us from this duty, allowing us more freedom to attend to other matters on the property and in life.  It was all part of nature’s way of guiding us in and along the journey.  Like the chestnut trees, we went through periods of growth and decay in different forms.  Also like the trees, we had times when things seemed to stink and we just had to endure the process.

“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves.  The process never ends until we die.  And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

Lesson of the Week: Set it Free

Dewy Spider Web

Our lesson of the week came in two ways.  The first was while running and praying early one morning.  In my prayers, I was searching for some help to get past what I felt were stumbling blocks in my life.  As I prayed and ran, a spider web covered in dew caught my eye.  The sun hitting the dew made the inner eight-year-old add her thoughts to the prayers of the adult.  The end result was a poem I wrote in my head that kind of recorded the conversation of my prayer to God and His response along the way.  The poem asked who I was and why I was blessed with anything in life.  God’s response was that I was His child and that allowed me to release any cares, concerns, worries, etc. to Him any time I wished.  All I had to do was let them go.

Now, we all know how hard it is to let things go, even the stuff we wish we never had.  For whatever reason, we find excuses not to release our troubles and instead carry them like crosses thinking that carrying the cross will somehow grant us freedom from it.  The reality of life is that we have to let go.  Let go of trying to control situations, people, outcomes, whatever.  Let go of doubt, fear, worry, rejection, and misguided thoughts.  Let it go and move on. 

Remind Me

Summer always reminds me of this and the reason is actually tied to a really negative experience as a teenager that ultimately led to a diagnosis of depression.  Not what any teenager (or any person for that matter) wants, desires, cares to hear, or needs to bear.  This is what makes summer, and July especially, difficult for me.  The memory is there no matter how hard I try to block it.  However, I have learned over the years to let it go, let it run its course, let it be.  In doing so, I set myself free from it and its hold on me.  Sometimes it is easy, other times it is hard, but every time it is a learning experience that requires some learned good habits to move past it. 

A good friend sent me a quote the other day that reminded me to set some things free.  It came at just the right time and with just the right amount of honest to goodness “please pay attention to this” attached.  We all need such moments in our lives, moments that allow us to allow ourselves to accept our current state of affairs so that we can move on.  The first step to moving on from anything in life is to accept the present, for the present time is really a gift just waiting for us to open it.

Let it Go

“Hey you, you’re holding onto too many bags.  You can’t do it all.  You can’t be it all.  You can’t carry it all.  Do what you can.  Be who you are.  Only carry what’s important. And put the rest of the bags down.” –Amy Weatherly

Song of the Week: Summer Memories

Our song of the week is one of my all-time favorite Patty Loveless songs.  Though it was released in the spring, it was the summer after its release that I wore the tape version I had out listening to it.  The year was 1996, the year after my late Uncle Jim mentioned above passed away.  That year was one of many hard lessons and much growth for me as a young adult. The learning and growing did not come easy by a long shot, but the summer season (and a whole lot of Patty Loveless music) allowed me to slowly release my grief and move on. 

Orange Day Lily

The song is about a relationship going a different direction than planned, but how that change in plans allowed for inner strength to be found, which is what happened to me in time. The song is from the album The Trouble With the Truth, another great lesson I have learned in my many summers on this earth with the help of my late dogs Nikki and Sadie.  Both Nikki and Sadie played parts to many great summer memories that helped shape my perspective and outlook in life.

You Can Feel Bad

The car is running and your bags are packed
I guess that says it all
Your head is hanging and you look real sad
Maybe you should’ve called
You say you think you need a brand-new start
You’re really sorry that you broke my heart
Well, I’m not really falling apart, but baby

You can feel bad if it makes you feel better
Picture me crying reading all your love letters
Walking around in your old sweaters, baby
You can feel bad if it makes you feel better

Maybe I’ll go out tonight, yeah, I’ll paint the town
And maybe I’ll run into you, while I’m running ’round
There’s a good chance I’ll be alone
An even better one that you won’t
And when it’s time for me to go home, baby

You can feel bad if it makes you feel better
Picture me crying reading all your love letters
Walking around in your old sweaters, baby
You can feel bad if it makes you feel better
If it makes you feel something

Yeah, take another look at these tears I’m crying
They’re not falling on your shoulders, they’re falling on mine
Yeah, I’ve seen this coming for a long, long time
Now, I’ll be just fine

You can feel bad if it makes you feel better
And picture me crying reading all your love letters
Walking around in your old sweaters, baby
You can feel bad if it makes you feel better

(Written by Matricia Berg and Tim Krekel)

Butterfly Weed

Sight of the Week: Best of Summer’s Weeds

Our sight of the week came while riding my bike tonight.  An orange cluster of flowers caught my eye and both the inner eight-year-old and the adult in me scrambled to turn my bike around to get a better look.  The orange cluster was butterfly weed, which used to be a very common sight in our area when I was growing up.  I remember it being in the fields, along the roads, and in many landscaped areas.  However, pesticide use, neighborhood developments, and misunderstanding of the plant’s value led to its decline and near extinction.

After years of efforts by organizations and individuals, the plant’s population is starting to grow.  It is a native plant, a natural attractant for butterflies, humming birds, and moths, and one of nature’s and summer’s most beautiful offerings. 

Coreopsis

Like the butterfly weed, we humans go through periods of growth and prosperity, only to lead to decay or decline and less than stellar conditions.  Also like the butterfly weed, we too can overcome conditions and circumstances to build ourselves back up and help others along the way.

“When you create a difference in someone’s life, you not only impact their life, you impact everyone influenced by them throughout their entire lifetime.  No act is ever too small.  One by one, this is how to make an ocean rise.” –Danielle Doby

Words of the Week: Summer’s Plea

Our words of the week from the Daily Word devotional include kindness, comfort, worthy, world peace, words, carefree, and journey.  Every day in our lives has the potential to be a journey.  This journey contains carefree moments where our words may or may not fit very well.  Whether we realize it or not, our words have an effect on world peace, and we are all worthy of having comfort and kindness embodied in world peace in our lives.  Summer offers us times of kindness and comfort to help us feel more worthy and even a sense of maybe not world peace, but inner peace.  This sense of peace impacts the words we use, and we need to make sure we don’t become too lazy or carefree with our words upon our journey.

Chicory

“You get what you repeat.” –James Clear

May we come to find the many paths in life as part of the whole journey of life.  May our successes and failures, along with what we may have to learn and unlearn allow us to be our true selves, and may the reflection in the mirror become more accepted with summer’s release.

Summer’s Release

Sun on the rise in the east,

Crescent moon in the sky hung with ease,

Gentle breeze a blowing on through

The pine trees’ boughs

Crescent Moon

As the dove calls in the early dawn

Where comes the blessing of God

Upon the soul running to see

The folds of summer’s release.

Dew on the spider’s web

In the new extents

Of the day to come

Where the butterfly weed sways and the crickets hum

With the thistle and the clover

Wild Raspberries

In silence’s whistle washing over

The moments as they come

Showing each and every one

The strong hold coming to be

In the story told by summer’s release.

Berry on the vine,

Day lily very orange striped,

Clouds wispy and white,

Ground crispy waiting for rain’s life,

Delphinium and coreopsis all aglow

Bee on Thistle

In the pendulum of nature’s metropolis that grows

Up, up, up to the heavens gates

With one, one, one stated pace

To the guitar strummer’s melody

Sung by summer’s release.

-Lisa A. Wisniewski

A Note of Thanks

We remember and thank this week my late Uncle Jim, whose birthday is July 2^nd.  Every memory of him is a blessing, and every lesson he ever taught me has led me to better places than I ever dreamed. We also remember our late canine friends, Nikki and Sadie.  Nikki came into my life in May of 2002, and accepted her angel wings on July 2, 2009.  She was my rock and my personal guide to experience nature on a totally different level.  Letting her go on Uncle Jim’s birthday was not easy, but doing so gave me the confidence necessary to carry on with both of them watching over me.  Sadie shares her birthday with Uncle Jim.  Though she came into my life at a most difficult time, I knew it was part of God’s plan when I read her date of birth on her papers.  She accepted her angel wings on June 15, 2021.  Though neither of us was prepared to let go, our love for each other allowed us to do so in the breeze of summer’s release.

Thank You From Us

We also thank God for giving special meaning to July 2^nd every year in our household.  For us, it is like a national holiday, full of all kinds of emotions, remembrances, and things to consider, contemplate, and be thankful for no matter the outcome.

-Lisa, Leo, and Lena