Editor’s Note: This post was to appear September 15th, but was delayed due to Internet connection issues.
Our week weather-wise was a mix of rain and sun. The rainy Sunday was a bit disappointing as we had high hopes of getting outdoor projects done and instead had to focus on some other tasks given the weather was not cooperating. The sun that followed during the week coaxed a number of final blooms to flower in the landscape and fields. Observing the blooms and how certain plants and trees are adjusting to the decreased hours of daylight in our area brought some questions to mind about processes and cycles that seem to go on without end. We thought we’d share our wonderings and learnings in this week’s post.
“Research widely, select carefully. Broad funnel, tight filter.” –James Clear
Theme of the Week: Mercy Me
Our theme of the week started with a homily we heard on the Heart of the Nation mass via YouTube. In the homily the priest talked about God’s infinite mercy, how wide and broad God’s forgiveness and understanding are when it comes to dealing with humans. The homily reminded me of a math lesson many years ago about infinity, which is often symbolized by (for lack of a better description), a figure eight laying on its side. The concept with the symbol is that if you follow the path around the figure in the same direction, you come back to the starting point and can repeat this process over and over and over without end.
Contemplating this further, I wondered how many processes there are that act the same way. Sure, there are computer algorithms that work in a similar way, but eventually the computer breaks or has malfunction, ending the process. Every mechanical machine at some point succumbs to its life span, thus ending any process or work it does. Humans, animals, plants, and trees also have a limitation factor of life span. This fact led me to broaden the categorization of infinite things.
On a broader spectrum, time goes on and on cycling through seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, etc. While there are limitations to time allotted to certain events, time itself keeps on going.
In addition to time, some of nature’s processes go on without end, though the pattern to them may not be predictable. Processes like the water cycle where water falls to the ground in the liquid state of rain or dew; the water is filtered along rivers, stream, creeks, and creeks to lakes, seas, and oceans; and ultimately evaporates into the atmosphere as a gas where the water molecules in the gaseous state meet wind currents that heat or cool the molecules, changing them back to a liquid state to start the process all over. The phases of the moon act in a similar way, changing from new moon to waxing crescent, waxing crescent to first quarter, first quarter to waxing gibbous, waxing gibbous to full, full to waning gibbous, waning gibbous to last quarter, last quarter to waning crescent, and waning crescent to new moon. The process repeats itself every 29.5 days.
If one considers these processes and how many times they occur (most often without much recognition from today’s society), it can be mind boggling.
“The chief prevention against getting old is to remain astonished.” –Kevin Kelly
Lesson of the Week: What Ties These?
Our lesson of the week came in trying to determine a common link between the processes found to be infinite. What is it about time, the water cycle, and the moon phases that allows them to keep on going? Well, they all have ties to the sun and the earth’s orbit around the sun. Time is measured as the earth spins around the sun. The water cycle is dependent upon the amount of sun, which plays a part in the temperature, which in turn changes water to and from liquid to gaseous states. The moon phases also are determined by the moon’s orbit around the earth, and this orbit is tied to the earth’s orbit around the sun.
We admit the above explanation may not be entirely scientific, but for the sake of illustration and using layman’s terms, makes a plausible explanation.
If we dig a little further and ask what is the common thread between the sun and the earth’s orbit around it, we can offer up two answers to keep things politically correct. The first answer we came to as a spiritual household was God. God is infinite, in all things, Creator of all things, guide of all things. God offers us life lessons through His blessings, grace, forgiveness, and peace. We spend a lifetime living these lessons without even realizing them at times.
The second answer we found so as not to offend those who may not consider themselves spiritual is nature. Nature is also infinite, in all things, creator of all things, guide of all things. Nature offers us so many examples to live by and so many ideas to ponder that we could spend a lifetime asking and researching and still not cover every topic.
“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” –Friedrich Nietzsche
Song of the Week: Encountering Thee
Our song of the week is a favorite hymn that speaks of many walks of life, covering a variety of instances that together create an infinite network. This network connects us whether we recognize it or not. It is the common thread that binds us to faith and/or nature.
Gather Us In
Here in this place, new light is streaming,
now is the darkness, vanished away,
see, in this space, our fears and our dreamings,
brought here to you in the light of this day.
Gather us in, the lost and forsaken;
gather us in, the blind and the lame;
call to us now, and we shall awaken,
we shall arise at the sound of our name.
We are the young, our lives are a mystery;
we are the old, who yearn for your face,
we have been sung throughout all of history,
called to be light to the whole human race.
Gather us in, the rich and the haughty;
gather us in, the proud and the strong;
give us a heart so meek and so lowly,
give us the courage to enter the song.
Here we will take the wine and the water,
here we will take the bread of new birth,
here you shall call your sons and your daughters,
call us anew to be salt for the earth.
Give us to drink the wine of compassion,
give us to eat, the bread that is you;
nourish us well, and teach us to fashion
lives that are holy and hearts that are true.
Not in the dark of buildings confining,
not in some heaven light years away,
but here in this space, the new light is shining,
now is the kingdom, now is the day.
Gather us in, and hold us forever;
gather us in, and make us your own;
gather us in, all peoples together,
fire of love in our flesh and our bone.
“For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” –Psalm 100:5
Words of the Week:
Our words of the week from the Daily Word devotional included remembrance, blessings, protection, prosperity, forgiveness, and soar. Our remembrances are blessings in a sense for they lead us in infinite direction, seeking the protection and prosperity necessary for the soul to live and find forgiveness for ourselves and others. This forgiveness allows the spirit to eventually soar with time.
May we walk our journey ever seeking with gratitude and thanks for the infinite things that keep life flowing. May we come to find knowledge and wisdom along the way through the sun and rain encountered.
Sun and Rain
Sun and rain
Come in waves
With the stars in the skies
And arc of the vine
Climbing the tree
Above the clover high beneath
Kissed by the dew
That enlivens and renews
The earth below
To heal the hurt that flows
With the calming of the breeze
And song of the dove’s peace.
Sun and rain
Run and play
In the skies
With time’s
Endless sea
That befriends the seed
That grows from the earth,
Slow to spurt
Forth its sprout in spring
But then uncorks to bring
Fruit to feed the heart and soul
Hewed in the young and old.
-Lisa A. Wisniewski
A Note of Thanks
This week, we remember my late Uncle Jim, whose infinite wisdom continues to guide us from heaven above. Ever the nature lover and kid at heart, Uncle Jim taught us to ask questions, seek answers, and always be open to what life offers us.
-Lisa, Leo, and Lena
Natural Deltas 