Observing Plan G Stuck on Repeat

Wispy Clouds

Editor’s Note: This post was delayed by Plan G (God’s Plan) stuck on repeat.

We had a number of experiences this past week that acted as reminders that we are most definitely not in control of what happens in life.  The experiences ran the gambit of good to not-so-great (we refuse to say bad in our household because we try to be positive), ranging from a few minutes to hours in length, happening under both clear and cloudy skies (literally and figuratively), and appeared burdens to welcome blessings.  That said, we are thankful we lived (and we do mean lived) through it all AND can write about it with the hope of helping others in similar situations.  The best part about this past week was it offered both a great title and good content for this week’s post.

Lilac

“To help us meet and bear reality, the prophets say, mourn privately and lament publicly…Feel the surge of divine grief, the groaning of the Holy Spirit deep within you, and let those groans of loss become the groans of labor so a better world can be born from our failure, beginning with a better you who is still capable of seeing, and feeling, and meeting all the reality we can bear.” –Brian McLaren

Theme of the Week: Plan G!

Our theme of the week started Sunday morning.  I had to work, which meant a change in routine and shuffling of activities.  Our plan was to get up early to watch Heart of the Nation mass on YouTube before I left for work.  Well, that plan fell apart when I woke up feeling sick and had to go back to bed for a little while before getting ready for work.  Though still not feeling great, I made it through my shift, was about to leave, but got stuck with a customer who needed my help.  This was not what I had in mind, but obviously God was making it clear what was on His mind was what mattered that day. 

Okay. Fine. I’ll do whatever is asked or needed, but please let me go home soon…

Thankfully, I did make it home, albeit a half hour later than hoped.  The dogs and I did our normal walk and feeding routine later than normal, which was fine with them and me.  Then the phone rang with a call that took more than a few minutes, which delayed things more.  Then the heavens opened up and it POURED rain and thunder clapped and it got very dark outside, earlier than normal.  The conditions meant I would not be able to run or bike outdoors like normal.  Crap.

Apple Blossoms

Okay, Plan G it is.  Skip the run, which was probably a good thing since I did not feel great.  Bike inside on the exercise bike, which is not a preferred method, but better than nothing. 

So, we went with Plan G, but realized no run outside would mean no good way to clear my head, which in turn meant not being able to write our normal Sunday thoughts to friends (Sunday thoughts usually entail a poem with pictures taken along my run and an inspirational message based on the experience).  Crap.

Okay. Plan G.  We get it. Now we need to embrace it, which may be asking a bit much than our patience can tolerate right about now, but fine.

This is how the rest of the evening went for us.  We never did get to watch Heart of the Nation on YouTube, so my hope was that I could attain a special mass on Tuesday that was to be held at our church.  I did get to run and bike after work on Monday, so we did our Sunday thoughts as a delayed message to friends, which turned out to be a good thing, especially for our friends. 

Tuesday, I was off work and had planned to do some quick errands in the morning, visit my aunt in the afternoon, and attend mass at night.  Nope. Think again.  Yep, you guessed it. Plan G prevailed.

Wild Mustard

We started out just fine, but delays during errand running pushed things back, which put us in a bit of a time crunch.  We had some flexibility built into our plan, so we did not sweat it.  Then the visit with my aunt turned into a much longer event, which was a very good thing, a blessing in disguise for all involved parties.  Not only did I get to visit my aunt, but also my cousin.  We talked about all kinds of things, including how God works and how we do and do not see His plan or ways.  We took my aunt for a doctor appointment, shared a meal together, and enjoyed the time together.  Since this took longer than planned, I never did make it to the special mass on Tuesday.  I prayed God would forgive me and we moved on to Wednesday.

Wednesday started off just fine, but things fell apart with an array of issues at work, at home, and even in my mind.  Wrestling internally did not make things any better, so I took to running and biking and trying to fit in chores and other responsibilities along the way. In the along the way, we encountered a number of people with issues or needs, so we did our best to accommodate and help.

Long story short, this way how our week went.  Every.  Single. Day. 

“Well, kids (that’s what I call Leo and Lena collectively), guess we are in Plan G stuck on repeat,” I said.

“I come out to these solitudes, where the problem of existence is simplified. I get away a mile or two from the town into the stillness and solitude of nature….I see out and around myself.  This is what I go out to seek.  It is as if I always met in those places some grand, serene, immortal, infinitely encouraging—though invisible—companion, and walked with him.” –Henry David Thoreau

Pear Blossoms

Lesson of the Week: It’s Okay, Really

Our lesson of the week is a tag along to our Plan G theme.  As each day unraveled its blessings and trials and tribulations (which are really blessings in disguise meant to strengthen us for our journey in life), we managed to find a sense of acceptance.  This is where God wants us.  We can question it, but we may or may not always find or get an answer.  This is normal and it is okay.  We can fight it, but we may or may not obtain a sense of winning or losing.  This is normal and it is okay.  We can have feelings about it, but may or may not find solutions or resolutions.  This is normal and it is okay.

But what makes this normal and okay?

What makes this normal and okay is that we are humans, created in God’s image.  We are a work in progress on any given day, a seed that sprouts and grows and bears fruit and dies and produces more seed.  We are on a journey, a set of paths that cross those of others of which the experience is part of God’s love and plan for us. 

But why does it sometimes feel like our efforts are never enough?

Buckeye Tree

Our efforts are only never enough in our own minds, not in the eyes of God.  Our efforts are what lead us to God (whether we realize it or not) and what keep us moving along the journey.  Yes, we may make mistakes, but those mistakes are not meant to define us.  We may get lost, but it is in getting lost that we can be found (usually by God in some form).  The effort is part of life, part that we must experience individually but not alone in the grand scheme.

So, what is it that we need to do?

Live life.  It’s that simple.  Live the moments. Let time guide you.  Walk with faith.  Trust God.  That is what living life means.  Don’t turn it into a complexity or become paralyzed in your own mind.  Live life. 

“Progress requires unlearning.  Becoming the vest version of yourself requires you to continuously edit your beliefs, and to upgrade and expand your identity.” –James Clear

Science Lesson of the Week: Blossoms and Seeds

Our science lesson of the week came as we noticed the many different shapes of the blossoms on the trees, shrubs, flowers, and bulbs in our area.  Blossoms have a variety flower petals.  Some three, others four, still others five or more petals.  Some are upside down or trumpet shaped while others are flat or upright. However, all blossoms have a similar general structure made up of concentric rings of sepals, petals, and stamens with one or more pistils at the center. 

Multiflora Rose

Sepals protect the bud and its contents until the flower opens.  Petals are collectively known as a corolla, and their colors serve as guides for insects and other pollinators.  Stamens are the threadlike stalks that support anthers, which produce pollen. 

All flowers bear fruit or seeds (though the fruit and seeds may or may not be fit for consumption or food).  The job of the flower is to bear the fruit or seed so that the life cycle may continue.  In order to grow, the flowers need water and light.  Though they appear to not work on the surface, many chemical reactions take place within the flower structure to support life of future generations.

Like the blossoms on the trees, we also have a variety of appearances and characteristics.  We, too, have a purpose of bearing fruit in different ways and producing seeds to support future generations.  All this is made possible by Plan G.

“If you are able to overcome yourself…your mind, your body, you will be capable of accomplishing and doing great things.” –John Haskins

Sight of the Week: White Blossoms Beams

Our sight of the week was a bush with many white flowers.  The flowers had hair-like, very thin stalks that captured the rain drops in a grand beauty.  The blossoms came out overnight, after a rain shower and very warm morning temperatures.  The white flowers were multiflora roses. They were growing in amongst a path of forsythia along the road.  Seeing how the two different but similar shrubs were growing together offered a good reminder of how we often are asked by God to work and grow with others in our lives.

Magnolia

“Somewhere along the way we must learn that there is nothing greater than to do something for others.” –Martin Luther King Jr.

May we come to see our lives as part of a greater plan, part of a community, part of an ever-evolving story called life.  May we learn along the way to recognize the many blessings offered to us and through us, all thanks to Plan G stuck on repeat.

Plan G Stuck on Repeat

Start the day, no wait,

Stop to pray, now go this way,

Seek and find,

Look to Me to help find

The path and the lesson

Quince

Just in case you have started forgetting

That I alone am in control,

I am a home for your soul,

All you have to understand you see

Is Plan G stuck on repeat.

Look to the heavens and the skies

See the seven days go by

Of the week and stop reflect

Before putting your feet into the next;

See the blossoms on the plants,

See every offer of My hands,

See the deer and the dove,

Precious Moment

Have no fear of My love,

For I am here for you

To calm the fears you go though,

Which, by the way, are part of My love for thee,

Part of Plan G stuck on repeat.

Hear the cricket and the bird

In the thickets and above the earth,

Feel the wind and smell the rose,

As you begin to grow,

Take one step at a time,

Never forget that you are Mine,

Thank You!

In My arms you can come

When you don’t understand My love

And in the end, all will be made well,

Yes, My friend, I am here to help,

For you mean so much to Me

And are part of Plan G stuck on repeat

-Lisa A. Wisniewski

A Note of Thanks

Our thanks this week goes out to my late dog, Bo, who passed away rather young.  His life and his lesson to me was about my limitations and how Plan G prevails every time.  Thanks for teaching me well in your short time on earth, buddy!

-Lisa, Leo, and Lena

Plan G Stuck on Repeat

Observing Spring’s Explosion

Spring Explosion of Buds

Editor’s Note: This post was delayed due to some extenuating life circumstances.

Spring has indeed sprung in our area this past week.  With new sprouts literally every day and sometimes every hour of the day, nature has been very busy.  The amount of growth and foliage coming into view has painted the landscape in various shades of green, along with splotches of white, yellow, pink, blue, and purple flower blooms.  In addition, the lengthened days with increased light (though the sun has been hiding behind the clouds more often than not) has nature’s population of birds, insects, and mammals out and about from dawn until dusk.  All this activity has been educational and inspirational.  We thought we’d share a few highlights of spring’s explosion in this week’s post.

Quince in Bloom

“Resurrection and renewal are, in fact, the universal and observable pattern of everything.  We might just as well use non-religious terms life springtime, regeneration, healing, forgiveness, life cycles, darkness, and light.” –Richard Rohr

Theme of the Week: Resurrected Indeed!

Our theme of the week started with readings from the Acts of the Apostles, recounting the days after Jesus was resurrected.  Though the season of Lent is over, the season of Easter has just begun.  Easter season in the Catholic church lasts fifty days.  During this time, daily mass readings are from the New Testament, focusing on how Jesus appeared after dying on the cross and what the disciples and faithful communities did.

Like the Apostles and Disciples years ago, we are awakened by the light of the season.  Though the light they focused on was the light of Jesus, the light society seems to be more concerned with these days is that of the sun.  The sun is the driving force of and to life, for without it, growth is not possible.  The sun’s light helps plants make chemical energy, leading to foliage, flowers, and ultimately, seeds or fruit to keep the cycle going.

Light of Life

If we are really honest with ourselves, we learn to realize that we also need the light of Jesus (or some sort of spiritual being) to help us grow in faith, hope, and love.  These components in turn help build character, which helps us to sustain ourselves and the relationships we have with others and our surroundings.  It all begins with some form of light, which is itself a pattern that drives change.

“What artistry and orderly connections we find all about us, how astonishing the complex world is.” –Beatrice Bruteau

Lesson of the Week: Let the Light Speak

Our lesson of the week came as I was running one day.  The clouds above parted at one point, allowing the sun’s rays to filter down in a visible spectrum to the ground.  The sight seemed surreal, yet very calming to my soul.  It was as if Jesus was speaking directly to the earth and specifically to any creature or object willing to stop and listen. 

Admittedly, I was feeling a bit drained that day and in need of some positive reinforcement.  The sight and the experience running did just that and more for me.  As I ran, I felt the endorphins kick in, taking away a headache I had.  Without the headache, I was able to think clearer.  Clearer thoughts made for less inner anxiety (though the anxiety was more subconscious than conscious and not in any way debilitating or threatening), which just made for a better perspective on life.  It also helped me see the value in truly living in the present, in reality, in all the messiness of life.  As the Apostles and St. Paul learned back in the early days of the church, it was in getting into the trenches and really connecting with all the ugliness around them that made them feel most alive.

Inspiration

“When we have exhausted our store of endurance, when out strength has failed ere the day is half done, when we reach the end of our hoarded resources, Our Father’s full giving has only begun.” –Howard Thurman

Science Lesson of the Week: What is and is Not Seen

Our science lesson of the week is more of a psychologic science than a nature observance (though one could argue that as humans and creatures of the earth, we by default fall into the nature category, which means our psychological side also falls into the same general classification). This lesson is courtesy of one of our reflection readings this week.

The reading was about the resurrection of Jesus and how what the people saw allowed them to then recognize the truth of the matters before them.  Often in life, what we see are for lack of a better term, warnings or guides that then lead us to recognize the danger or direction of which we need to be aware.  Just because we see the flame of the fire or the light of the sun does not mean we initially recognize the danger of the fire’s intensity or the life giving nature of the sun.  Thus, seeing is not the same as recognizing.  We should note this is not a bad thing, but a necessary truth in life.

Unseen Blessing

As we go through more life experiences, we do learn to recognize through additional senses of the inner conscience, hearing (though it is not the same as listening), touching (though it is not the same as feeling), and tasting (though it is not the same as consuming).  This realization of how what our senses offer on the surface is not the same as what is truly experienced beneath the surface led us to ask why? Why is it we have these senses yet they alone cannot get to the heart of what we are truly experiencing?

While we don’t have a scientific answer, we do offer a this to consider as a possible answer.  As humans, we can only process so much information at a time without being overwhelmed. We also learn best in steps as our minds and bodies can only do so much at one time. The iterations and repetitions we go through in life are to strengthen us spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and intellectually.  Our senses lead us through the steps to get to the end awareness of recognition. 

Now here comes the hard part.  Recognition is not acceptance.  This is where things like our ego, money, power, and prestige get in the way.  We can recognize much, which is valuable, but can we also accept what we recognize?

Peaceful Easy Feeling

Our experience tells us that we can learn to accept what we recognize.  Like the steps to recognition, we need help accepting what we experience.  This is where faith, hope, love, patience, kindness, understanding, character, and discipline come into play.  Like the explosion of spring around us, all these entities come together with a force and a power to create the ultimate life experience—truly being aware and grateful for what one has.

“Your path through life is unique.  It is important to extract lessons from the experiences of others, but you can’t wait for a perfect example to take action.  You are the example” –James Clear

Sight of the Week: Rainbow Beams

Our sight of the week was a rainbow after a series of showers. The sun came out for the first time that day around 5:00 PM.  I was running and turned to the east to see the rainbow made possible by the sun starting to set in the west.  The bright colors in the drab gray cloud back drop  above the lime green of the trees’ budding and leafing out was a great reminder of how life is a process, full of many wonders and mysteries that unfold with the steps of time to create us and our surroundings.

Rainbow Delight

“We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. He packs our life with surprises all the time.  Leave the whole thing to Him; it is gloriously uncertain how He will come in, but He will come.” –Oswald Chambers

May we come to see and to recognize our gifts in life.  May the lives we live lead us on a path to peace, and may we always be open to our experiences, embracing them with the fervor of spring’s explosion.

Spring’s Explosion

Hyacinth white and forsythia gold,

Henbit mixed with the grass in the lawn’s fold,

Quince pink and maple green,

As the sun sinks, see the rainbow’s beam,

Bleeding Heart

Vibrant with color,

Heighted by the stellar

Presence of God’s love ever flowing

Poured forth as time comes with its knowing

Of the power it brings like an ocean

In spring’s explosion.

Bud on the branch and leaf in the bush,

Rising from the land at the sun’s push,

Breeze on air, aroma all around

Sweet and shared from the sky to the ground,

Worm in the dirt and deer in the field,

Hyacinth at Dawn

Bird that skirts in the clear skies reveal,

Bleeding heart in pink and white,

Ninebark green with life,

Coming with colors set in motion

By spring’s explosion.

Stellar skies above the landscape

As time rides with the rains

That come and go and come again

Soft and slow and with thunder’s edge

All part of the gifts and the blessings

That God gives without stressing

Thanks!

So that we may come to know

The seeds from which we are grown,

Set forth to bear fruit

After the storms of the truth

Set free in the wings of motion

In spring’s explosion.

-Lisa A. Wisniewski

A Note of Thanks

Our thanks this week is to our faith community and circle of friends for helping us through a series of extenuating life circumstance.  Step by step, we are moving on to where God needs us to be in life.

-Lisa, Leo, and Lena

Guiding Light

Observing Easter 2023

Observing Holy Week 2023

Holy Skies

It was a very busy Holy Week in both nature and our household this year.  We intentionally delayed this post until after Holy Week in order to include details to create a better post.  We did things quite different this year for Holy Week, which turned out to be a learning experience.  Not all went as planned, but Divine Intervention made it all good in the end.  Nature added its own special touch to make for a great effort all around, offering us hope for brighter days to come after what had been a rather dark time for us.  We thought we’d share some highlights and insights of Holy Week in an effort to help broaden the perspective of our followers.

Hope

“Life must be lived forward, but it can only be understood backward.” –Soren Kierkegaard

Theme of the Week: Holy Seeds

Our theme of the week was both courtesy of nature and Lenten practices.  We noticed a number of seeds sprouting into shoots and even blooms, along with a variety of flowering trees starting to flush out after their slumber during the colder weather.  It seemed as if each day we found another new shoot or bloom, which was most encouraging. 

The first thing to catch our attention was the henbit starting to bloom.  The tiny purple and pink flowers atop the leathery green leaves stood out in the sunshine along one of my runs.  I was so excited that I did a backtrack and took pictures.  The next of nature’s offerings to catch our eyes were the magnolia trees, which bloomed despite overnight and early morning temperatures in the upper twenty degree range. 

We also found dogwood, crabapple, and flowering pear trees pushing blooms.  The hosta and peonies also shot up about two inches above the ground thanks to a very warm 85 degree day midweek.  The sugar maple trees also sprouted green buds overnight.  One could almost see them growing as the temperatures rose that day.  Add to this a number of birds singing and spring peepers peeping, and it seemed as if nature was throwing a party.

Magnolia

Also of note were a number of short readings we did as part of Lenten practices that really offered much to contemplate and even a few aha moments.  At one point I even asked how it could be that I did not know some of the information given all the education and life experiences I had.  Admittedly frustrated at one point about not knowing something, I went for a run and had a great talk with God about it.  He set me straight on the matter, reminding me that like the seeds in nature, I am still growing and knowledge is not a race, but a journey.

“To hope too quickly is to hope for the wrong thing.” –Richard Rohr

Lesson of the Week: Come to Me

Our lesson of the week spawned from the above talk with God.  In trying to deal with a number of difficult circumstances both this week in all during Lent, something kept telling me to turn to God first.  This is never a bad option, and for many years of my adult life, I had done this.  However, lately I had been trying not to vent my frustrations to God out of respect and stubbornness and had unintentionally taken on extra burdens in the process. Of course this revelation came during a run on a colder day when the sun was not visible, making the lesson a bit hard to swallow. 

During one particularly difficult day, I intentionally went for a walk determined to find something in nature to both cool down my temper and distract my mind from the issues that had me stewing.  I did not have to go very far to find the answer to my prayer.  The experience was a reminder that nature and God never fail to take care of us if only we spend some time with them.

Henbit

“One of the most critical skills in life—and yet never taught in school—is choosing where to direct your attention.” –James Clear

Sight of the Week: Full Moon’s Pink Sea

Our sight of the week was the full moon, also known as the Pink moon, named after the phlox that bloom in spring (although the phlox have not yet bloomed this year).  The moon put on a grand show each night and into the morning hours, setting as the sun was rising.  I had a few runs where I could not decide to watch the sun or the moon, for both were majestic and reassuring of hope for brighter days. 

In addition to the full moon, we experiences sunrise before 7:00 AM for the first time this season.  Woohoo!!! This is a major milestone and concrete indication that brighter days (referring to the amount of available daylight) are indeed here and will be here for many months. 

“God will use whatever he wants to display his glory.  Heavens and stars. History and nations.  People and problems.” –Max Lucado

Full Pink Moon

Experience of the Week: Easter Vigil Treat

We got a bonus this week when attending Easter Vigil mass for the first time ever.  I had planned to go this year to help support three individuals entering the church via the rite of initiation.  This particular mass utilizes many symbols and practices steeped in church tradition.  Some of the symbols include lighting of candles, colors of garments worn, music sung, fire, water, and burning incense. 

A few days prior to the mass, a friend contacted me.  I sensed she felt stressed and was trying to think of a way to help her.  God and the Holy Spirit urged me to invite her to mass, so I did.   She immediately said yes as she was also Catholic, but had not attended mass for a while.  Though mass was long at two and a half ours, we endured it together and agreed it was what we both needed.  For me, I needed to step out of my comfort zone.  For her, she needed to reconnect with God in a way other than daily prayer.  For both of us, we needed to be reminded we are God’s children, and as such must do our best to help each other in and through life’s many trials and tribulations. 

“The key lies in reading Jesus’s life as a sacrament: a sacred mystery whose real purpose is not to arouse empathy but to create empowerment.  In other words, Jesus is not particularly interested in increasing either your guilt or your devotion, but rather in deepening your personal capacity to make the passage into unitive life.” –Cynthia Bourgeault

Crabapple

Accomplishment of the Week: Finding Me

We must admit this Lent did not unfold in the easiest way for us.  We missed several opportunities and failed to follow through with some of our Lenten challenge daily asks (not intentionally, but rather due to life circumstances beyond our control).  However, we did manage to find a sense of who we really are, kind of like returning to a sense of normal.  This was huge for us given the challenges we’ve had the past few months.  One thing we definitely did as soon as we realized this sense of self was thank God for helping guide us through the darkness. 

Lent this year was also a reminder that it’s not what you accomplish in life, but rather what you learn along the way that matters most and helps make you who God needs you to be.

“The world will ask you who you are, and if you don’t know, the world will tell you.” –Carl Jung

May each season of life bring us closer to God, offering understanding and wisdom to help along the journey.  May we find friends and support along the way to help us, and may we remember God is with us.

Hyacinth

God With Us

In the dawn of the sun and cool of the morn,

In the skies above and pools beneath the storms,

In the full moon and stars above,

In the way to and from

Beyond and past,

Taking on and giving back,

May we not give up

On God with us.

In the clouds that come and go,

In the turn abouts along the road,

Weeping Cherry

In the I’m not sure and I just don’t understand

That follow us through life’s shores and sands,

In the darkness and the light

That sharpen the sands of time

With wit and wisdom

Through the gifts given

With a nod and love

By God with us.

In the spring rain and light

In the song’s ring and peeper’s cries,

In the wonder and the awe

Though the thunder that falls,

Thank You!

In the life we live seen and unseen,

In sins forgiven and times of need,

In the flower and the leaf

The empower and set us free

May we give all we’ve got and then some

Through God with us.

-Lisa A. Wisniewski

A Note o Thanks

Our thanks this week goes out to two friends who helped remind us of the power of faith.  Thanks Loretta and Theresa for making this Lent a memorable and enlightening experience.

-Lisa, Leo, and Lena

Alleluia!

Observing the Wind’s Wake

After the Winds

Spring has brought with it longer days, warmer temperatures, and high winds this year.  With sunrise at 7:06 AM and sunset at 7:44 PM, we have over twelve hours of daylight now.  Warmer temperatures have been mostly at midday, however, we have had some rather warm overnight temperatures before cooler air from weather fronts moved in at daybreak.  The winds have been very strong, sometimes gusting to 50 mph.  All the winds have left a number of downed trees and scattered debris in many areas, along with power outages.  While cleaning up some branches and cutting uprooted trees for wood, we noticed the silence and calm after all the noise of the wind blowing.  This got us to thinking about what comes after the winds in our lives.  We thought we’d share a few observations about the winds and their wakes in this week’s post.

Maple Tree Coming to Life

“Until and unless there is a person, situation, event, idea, conflict, or relationship that we cannot “manage,” we will never find the True Manager.  So, God and Life makes sure that several things will come our way that we cannot manage on our own.” –Richard Rohr

Theme of the Week: After the Peak

Our theme of the week came as we listened to the winds die down Sunday night.  They had raged and blown hard all day, leaving an impression on objects in their paths.  Seeing the damage and hearing the calm got us to thinking about the word wake, which can be a verb or a noun.  As a verb, wake may mean to arouse or stir.  As a noun, it may mean a festival of life or the path left by a moving body of water or air. 

What we saw before us was definitely a path left by the wind.  What we heard in the silence afterward offered an opportunity for us to be roused by what we saw, heard, and felt.  Reflecting on this opportunity led us to contemplate wisdom, and how best to use our time.  Like the winds, we too may leave a path behind us from our actions.  Also like the wind, we can leave an impression upon others, offering shared information or feelings. 

Similar the wind, we have times of peaks and valleys.  When things are going in a positive direction and we reach a high point, we then must come back down to a more “normal” level or set of conditions.  If we reach a stagnant point of no activity, we must find something to stimulate us and get us moving again. 

Guidance

“A person who can see a little bit will resist guidance; a person who cannot see at all will stretch forth their hands and be led to unknown places where they don’t know how to go.” –Saint John of the Cross

Lesson of the Week: So Much Variety

Our lesson of the week came via the wind as well. We heard fierce howling winds, strong gale winds, temperate winds that whooshed through the tree tops, and calmer winds that whispered as they passed. The variety of forces and sounds and combinations thereof led to the realization that every aspect of life has variety to and in it, so much so that it would take a long time to identify, let alone understand it all.  And really, isn’t it a good thing we don’t always know or understand God’s and nature’s ways? If we always knew what was to come next, we would not be learning or growing, which would make us stagnant, and stagnant conditions lead to elements like boredom and rebellion, which ultimately lead to nowhere.

Perhaps this perspective is what is missing in the world today.  With so many choices in technology and other life areas, we are not truly challenged to learn and grow on our own.  The lack of challenge leads to stagnant states of physical, mental, and spiritual life components.  In essence, not thinking or doing for ourselves is what robs us of the experience of truly living life to its fullest.  It is the variety in and of life’s challenges where we have to work through things to see the other side of the storm so to speak.  In essence, we have to be buffeted by the winds of life in order to develop our own internal winds to sustain and develop us.  Without these elements of challenge and work, we do not develop the skills or talents that help make us who we are. 

New Ways

“We become more open to new ways of doing things as we allow God to love us and teach us how to give and receive love.  We also begin to accept people and situations as they are.” –Catherine Chapman

Sight of the Week: Moon Amidst the Trees

Our sight of the week was courtesy of the moon, which was visible in the clear blue skies after the winds moved through.  The moon looked like a perfect crescent cut at an angle with the upper portion visible.  This kind of moon is referred to as a waxing crescent moon and comes after the new moon each month.  The term waxing in this context means to grow.  This is opposite of a waning crescent moon, where the amount of the moon’s visible face is lessening.

Like the winds in life, the moon also has its times of intensity and calm.  Though the moon is more predictable than the wind with its phases that occur in patterns every 27 or 28 days, it too has moments that challenge us to see the world and life differently.  Similar to sunrises and sunsets, the moon also has rising and setting times.  Rising and setting moons may have gold, orange, pink, or red appearances. 

Moon Amidst the Trees

Like the winds, the moon’s level of intensity or lack of intensity can cast shadows in our lives.  What is lit by the light one night is different on other nights.  What is hidden by the dark sky of the new moon becomes visible once the waxing, quarter, half, and waning moons shine.  The moon changes the appearance of the skies and the earth below, but on a more temporary basis than the winds.  Like many aspects of life, what is seen one day may not be seen the next, and every element of in between-ness is a transition opportunity for growth, development, and wisdom.

“Fill your bowl to the brim and it will overflow.  Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.  Chase after money and security ad your hear will never unclench.  Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner.  Do your work, then step back.  The only path to serenity.” –Unknown

May we come to see and hear the winds of life as opportunities or portals to better understanding, perseverance, and perspective.  May what we learn in the process lead us to peace and may we learn to become thankful for the wind’s wake.

Wind’s Wake

Dandelion Light

Listen to the whistling of the winds moving through,

Forgiving and forgetting on their way to

Give what comes today and brings tomorrow

Coming with God’s grace and time borrowed

For the soul to seek and the heart to heal

In times of need and help revealed

In the wake of the passion for life itself

To give and to take and to provide wealth

In variety and vision often unknown

To the piety of the heart within the seed sown.

Listen to the whispering of the winds that blow

On a mission to the vision of given hope

Where what lies within and comes to be

On a Mission

Has ties to the life of the Good Lord’s deeds

Rooted in the love of time

Suited with the dove and the olive vine

Offered as peace amidst the storm

To walk humbly with the Lord

From place to place and shore to shore

Day to day with faith restored.

Listen to the wisdom of the winds that blow

Giving and living in the wake of hope

Taking on meaning with each passing day

Making and keeping the promise made

In the mystery of sacrifice

Offered to help thee find

Rhythm in Life’s Song

The color in the rainbow and rhythm in time’s song

Making stellar the life that grows within us all

Poured forth through the glory in each day

In the secure force of the winds’ wake.

-Lisa A. Wisniewski

A Note of Thanks

Our thanks this week goes out to family and friends who have supported us through what has been a time of winds and wakes in our life.

-Lisa , Leo, and Lena