Observing Hope Today

Hope in the Skies

Editor’s Note: This post was to appear October 12, 2023.

Given the events in the world around us, we thought we’d share a different kind of post this week.  From crisis in the economy to fighting in different areas of the world, we have been inundated by the media with an undercurrent (or maybe more like a tidal wave depending on one’s perspective) of negativity.  This negativity appears to have widened the gap between people, organizations, and relationships of varying kinds.  It also has the potential (but only if we allow it) to undermine our goals in life.  We are here to tell you from experience that the human spirit can overcome more than one can imagine.  The fuel behind this ability is hope. 

Little Reminder

“The real things haven’t changed.  It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage then things go wrong.” -Laura Ingalls Wilder

Theme of the Week: Where to Find Energy

Our theme of the week came as yet more pieces of not so great news came to light for our family.  While none of the pieces were earth shattering, the collective flow of them was a bit much to process.  At one point, I had had enough and just needed to be alone, so I went for a LONG run.  An intentional long run with the goal of clearing my head, opening my heart, and honestly wishing to cry until the tears would no longer come. 

At first, I tried to pray, but my mind kept wandering from thought to thought with no real path or destination.  I imagine my prayer was like one of little Billy’s romps in the Family Circus comic strip meandering all over creation, exploring every little nook and cranny of interest that happened to be in the way. 

Burning Bush

Mentally, I was feeling rather spent.  Yet something inside urged me to keep running, so I did.  Physically at one point, maybe around mile 9 or so, the adult in me wondered if the inner eight year old was ever going to want to stop, but knew better than to ask.  Then this surge of energy rushed through me.  I cannot explain why or how or what made it happen, save to say God was at work and the adrenalin rush was a sign He was doing something. 

Since I could not concentrate well enough to really pray, I decided to just take in the sights of nature around me with the hope I could hear God despite the static noise in my thoughts.  I saw the asters, clover, wild lettuce, goldenrod, and a few annual flowers still in bloom.  Then I looked up to see the blue sky, clouds of all shapes and types, and the sun.  Though I had seen similar sights many times in my life, it was as if I was viewing them for the first time.  A sense of wonder and innocence washed over me (along with a ton of sweat given how long I had been running by this point).

What was going on? What had changed to give me this inner energy? Did I deserve to have such energy? How long would this energy last? Could I share this somehow with others?

Peace!

All these questions came flooding to my mind.  The flood must have washed away some of the other emotions I had been feeling for I felt relieved of these feelings and thankful to realize whatever was or was not happening either at that moment or ever in my life was still a gift.  The box this gift came in was called hope.

“We are energized not by that which we already possess but by that which is promised and about to be given.” -Walter Brueggemann

Lesson of the Week: It’s Right Here, See?

Our lesson of the week came via several readings and articles.  The first was a short article by Richard Rohr about hope.  The following paragraph resonated with us:

Hope is not primarily for the future.  It’s for now! Hope is a way of seeing time and understanding the present.  It’s a way of tasting and receiving the moment.  It gives us the capacity to enter into the future in a new way.  In hat sense, we can call hope true realism, because hope takes seriously all the many possibilities that fill the moment.  Hope sees all the alternatives; it recognizes and creates an alternative consciousness.

Fall Foray

The second was an opinion article about why American students are not showing up for classes in schools across the country.  The article listed some statistics and possible reasons why students are not attending class, as well as suggested solutions to the problem.  The article painted a rather grim picture (at least to me) and this got me to thinking about when I attended school and all the things a student (or anyone really) faces each day. 

My thoughts led me to the following realizations:  No matter our age, we have unknowns.  No matter our efforts, we will have positive and negative aspects that challenge us.  No matter who we are, where we reside, what we do in or with life, how we approach matters at hand, or with whom we obtain our teaching moments, there lies a fertile field waiting to be sowed.  The seeds we sow in that soil come from our choices, and there is a universal seed we can sow that will reap a bountiful harvest.  That seed is called hope.

This in turn made me ask what are we teaching our students with the seeds we sow? Perhaps it is the hidden lessons we illustrate in our lives that influence students more than those of the classroom.  Perhaps we need to look at the examples we set first before we start blaming the system, the students, the pandemic, the whatever you want to blame or use as an excuse.  How many times in life do we not show up for the moment? Whether we realize it or not, the examples we set also set the paths for those around us.  This is not to say there will not be times in life when extenuating circumstances force us to do something we did not intend.  It is to say that placing blame or finding fault is not the answer.  The answer lies in the hope we illustrate to those around us. 

Forest of Trees

How do we succeed at finding, keeping, living, and conveying hope? Perhaps the answer lies in portion of an article by Cynthia Bourgeault:

Hope’s home is at the innermost point in us, and in all things.  It is a quality of aliveness. It does not come at the end, as the feeling that results from a happy outcome.  Rather, it comes at the beginning, as a pulse of truth that sends us forth.  When our innermost being is attuned to this pulse it will send us forth in hope, regardless of the physical circumstances of our lives.  Hope fills us with the strength to stay present, to abide in the flow of the mercy no matter what outer storms assail us.   It is entered always and only through surrender; that is, through the willingness to let go of everything we are presently clinging to. And yet, when we enter it, it enters us and fill sus with its own life—a quiet strength beyond anything we have ever known.

The last article we will mention was another opinion article about how to find hope in a world where hope itself seems hopeless.  The author wrote about several powerful messages delivered at a memorial service in a local community affected by mass shootings several years ago.  One of the speakers was a rabbi whose community was deeply affected by the massacre.  The rabbi explained in simple yet eloquent words how to find hope and how it works:

Light for Life

“Hope cannot arrive at your doorstep by special courier, as if you are deserving of it.  Hope comes when you roll up your sleeves and engage in a project or cause that resonates with you, and find a pathway that helps others.” -Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers

Experience of the Week: Reality

What the rabbi said really resonated with me.  As mentioned above and in other posts, I run and bike. A lot. (Well, more than a lot, more like an insane amount).  All that energy I expend in those miles creates more energy in me, along with more hope.  Call me nuts or crazy or not normal.  But the bottom line is there is a value whose sum cannot be expressed in physical exertion, being out in nature, soaking in the silence around you, and admitting you don’t know what to do, how to proceed, or what the unknown holds. 

This exercise is itself a form of hope.  It is a deep belief that going out there no matter the conditions, one will find a way.  Maybe not that minute or hour or day or even that month.  But at some point, all that energy collides with the grace of God and creates a hope that acts as the seed that gets nourished by the effort, along with the sun and the skies, and grows into this tree whose roots go deeper and deeper and deeper with each passing moment to the core of the soul.  It is there, in that deepest part of oneself, one finds a way.  This way is made possible, plausible, and real by remembering the love of God.

From This Moment…

“Memory is very often the key to understanding.  Memory integrates, reconciles, and puts the individual members into perspective as part of the whole…” -Richard Rohr

May we learn and grow though life’s many varied experiences.  May we not back down from the challenges we face, and may we always remember the power of hope.

Hope

Hope in today and tomorrow not alone;

Hope in the grace, the sorrow, the feeling of home;

Enlightening Moment

Hope in the light and the dark and the fields that abound;

Hope in the truth that collides to bring the love out;

Hope in the silence, hope in the storm;

Hope in the quiet as never before;

Hope in the motion, hope in the stillness;

Hope in the moment of lack and fulfilment;

Hope in the rain and the water that flows;

Hope for today and beyond the tomorrows;

Thank You!

Hope in the life and the dream;

Hope in the life that streams;

Hope in and out and above and beyond;

Hope in the whisper and the shout of the love of God.

-Lisa A. Wisniewski

 A Note of Thanks

Our thanks this week goes out to God for helping us get through some very trying times and for always providing for our needs.

-Lisa, Leo, and Lena

Path to Peace

Observing Autumn’s Music

Sweet October Sky

Editor’s note: This post was to appear October 5, 2023.

October brought with it some really awesome skies, along with colorful changes in the landscape and moments of reflection.  Though many of these moments were at silent times like early dawn or sunset, there was a distinct rhythm in nature that acted as a catalyst for faith and hope (at least in our household).  The rhythm of the silence, combined with the beat of time and harmony of the sun and rain made for some great autumn music.  We thought we’d share some observations about autumn’s music in this week’s post.

Sing a New Song

“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” -Jim Bishop

Theme of the Week: Drum Roll Please!

Our theme of the week actually came later than normal, as we were a little preoccupied with work and life schedule changes.  It came one morning while reading some reflection writings, all of which were about music.  As I drove to work that morning, I thought about those readings and how the words flowed from the page into my mind and how seeing the words started all these thoughts about songs and music. 

The thoughts took my mind all over the place from favorite songs to when I first heard them to how as a young girl music was my escape from life and my hope for life.  I thought about how all the individual notes come together to form melodies and how the individual words come together to form verses and how combing the notes and the words creates the entire song that has the potential to move the heart, soul, and mind to an entirely different place.

On Fire

Later that same day while running, I noticed the changing leaves on the trees, the shifting shadows created by the sun, and the aroma of the leaves and fresh cut grass in the air.  The combination made me think back to the parts of a song, and the experience gave me the title for this week’s post.  That particular run was special because of the experience in nature, all the sights coming together with the colors, light, and landscape.  If ever there was a time to say, “How Great Thou Art” this was it.

“The first step toward change is awareness.  The second step is acceptance.” -Nathaniel Branden

Lesson of the Week: Execution Philosophy

Nature’s Symphony

In contemplating the many parts that make up a song and the music to a song, I realized that there is a level of execution involved.  The timing, rhyming, tempo, beat, and lyrics all have to occur at just the right moment to get the overall end result. 

It just so happened that earlier in the week, one of my managers was sharing information about execution he had heard on a podcast.  The person doing the podcast was a Navy SEAL, and was explaining how specific missions are carried out in this elite organization.  The keys to execution as explained by the podcast were motivation, discipline, and diligence.  These three things must come together, just like the parts of a song or notes to music, in order to carry out, or execute, the mission. 

Songs and music are inspired by experiences.  These experiences are the motivation.  The correct arrangement comes about through discipline, following a process or natural flow.  Learning how to put the right components together takes diligence. 

Bouquet

Autumn’s music is much the same. The changing of the weather and shifting of the sun are the motivation.  The course of the season is the discipline part.  All the processes (like photosynthesis, growth, decay, etc.) are the diligence part.  Put them all together, and you have autumn’s music in nature’s church flowing through every living thing in the congregation.  Wow!

In an effort to remember the lesson on execution, I made up a little song that had the acronym MDD as the title.  Repeating the chorus of MDD helped drill the lesson into my head and allowed me to formulate plans on how to use MDD to execute everything from house chores to dog training to work tasks. 

Isn’t it amazing how all the things we encounter in our lives come together to form some really great lessons if only we open our hearts and minds to them?

Afternoon Delight

“A really great talent finds its happiness in execution.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Sight of the Week: Sky Notes

One of our highlights of the week came in the skies above.  One particular sky filled with wispy, curling clouds (also known as horse tails) was an amazing sight to see.  It was as if the clouds were making their own notes on the blue back drop of the heavens. 

The sight reminded me of when I first learned to read music.  I was in third grade and Mrs. Cox was my music teacher.  She explained how the notes are arranged on a staff, which contains five lines and four spaces.  Each line and space represents a musical note letter.  The five lines from bottom to top are E, G, B, D, and F.  She said to remember the notes in order, we could memorize the sentence Every Good Boy Does Fine.  The spaces from bottom to top are F, A, C, and E.  To remember these notes, she said think of the word face.

Nature Notes

At the left side of each staff is a symbol called a clef note.  The two main clef note symbols are the treble clef, which looks similar to a backwards capital letter S written in cursive, and the bass clef, which looks like a backwards letter C with a big top serif.

Next to the clef note is the time signature, which looks similar to a fraction.  The top number represents how many beats per bar and the bottom number is how many beats each quarter note receives. 

Later in life, I learned more about reading music, but that first lesson with Mrs. Cox all those years ago went a long way, helping me understand the theory and notations that make up songs.  Though I tested well in reading music, I struggled to learn to play the guitar.  Though I can play the instrument at a basic level now, I need to do more MDD as mentioned above, to achieve a better level of execution.  One way I’ve learned to combat the frustration of learning to play is to go look at the sky.  The blue hues, different kinds of clouds, and sun give me hope that someday, somehow, I will achieve my goal.

Green Fields

“Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.” -Frederic Chopin

May the changing seasons help us upon the journey.  May we come to see the beauty in each season, as well as others around us and in ourselves, and be thankful for autumn’s music.

Autumn’s Music

Autumn’s music,

Listen to it

In the shadows and the skies

Sky Verses

Above the colors that flow like the tide

As the trees change

And the breeze waves

The clouds and the limbs to and fro

To help resound the notes.

Autumn’s music,

Within the cues in

The days and the nights

As fades the light

Of the sun to fewer hours

Of shining powers

Shining Power

Yet no less wonderful

To the notions of the soul

Walking in the leaves

Lost in the peace.

Autumn’s music

Caught in the dew’s kiss,

The geese calling,

The leaves falling,

The shift of the sun,

The gifts from above

Set in the grace

Thank You!

Of each moment’s space

To ponder and reflect upon

As one wonders and responds

To the call of life

In the rise and fall of time.

-Lisa A. Wisniewski

A Note of Thanks

Our thanks this week goes out to the musical influences in our lives.  Special thanks to Patty Loveless, Roseann Cash, Emmylou Harris, Martina McBride, Rodney Crowell, Steve Wariner, Marty Stuart, and Vince Gill for sharing the music that helped me survive some of the most difficult, as well as some of the greatest, times of life.

-Lisa, Leo, and Lena

Amazing Grace

Observing Presence

Here and Now

Editor’s Note: This post was to appear September 28, 2023.

The shift from summer to autumn in our area is historically marked by signs in nature.  These signs include less daylight, shifting of the sun’s position at sunrise and sunset, leaves changing colors on the deciduous trees, evergreen trees dropping their needles (also known as molting), fewer flowers in bloom, and fruits and nuts dropping from the trees to be harvested or eaten by wildlife.  The signs act also as reminders of God’s presence in our lives, and we thought we’d share some things we’ve learned through the years about presence, or “being there” in this week’s post.

Autumn Lily

“What is coming will make sense of what is happening now.  Let God finish His work.  Let the composer complete his symphony.  The forecast is simple.  Good days.  Bad days.  But God is in all days. He is the Lord of the famine and the feast, and He uses both to accomplish His will.” -From You’ll Get Through This by Max Lucado

Theme of the Week: Be With Me

Our theme of the week came as we learned of people we know and care about dealing with a variety of hardships.  A coworker had to have emergency surgery and has a six to eight month recovery ahead.  A friend had to have a lung biopsy done due to abnormalities found in an x-ray.  Another friend’s mother was diagnosed with pneumonia in addition to other health issues, adding to an already over flowing care-giving plate for the friend.  A family friend passed away unexpectedly.  The list goes on, but we’ll stop here because we think we’ve made the point it was a week of tough news.

Dogwood Tree

Learning the above made me want to spring into action, to be with these people and/or their loved ones.  What could I do to help given my work schedule, own personal commitments, and in several of the cases, being miles away? As I ran and biked each day, I tried to think of ways to make it feel like I was there for these people.  (This is not to say I did what they needed or succeeded at accomplishing the goal). 

As the miles flew by, I saw the sun, sky, flowers, and changing leaves of the trees.  Perhaps a picture with my phone and a text message could help? It was as if God was there with me, giving me what I needed to offer what I could to these people.  Even on the cloudy days, something in nature helped me get an idea or sparked a chord within me to share whatever possible with these individuals or their families.

Burning Bush

The responses from the pictures and texts I sent were remarkable. So many thank you for taking the time, your prayers mean more than you know, how thoughtful of you to stop and think of us, and other responses came back.  The responses were not necessary to me, but in offering up what was available, a light of hope started to shine in the recipients’ lives, and they in turn wanted to express their gratitude.  No, I could not be with them physically, but I could let them know I was there with them in spirit, and remind them of God’s presence. 

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself (for God did not need to create).  It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”- C.S. Lewis

Lesson of the Week: Here, Now, See!

Spider Web After the Rain

Our lesson of the week came via several short articles and reflection readings about people struggling with feelings of loneliness.  One article titled Why Americans Feel So Lonely told the true story of a man and his friend many years ago.  The friend was dealing with a sick family member and simply wanted the author to show up at the hospital.  The author did not, the friend’s family member passed away, and at the viewing, which the author did attend, the friend simply asked, “Where were you?”

The article went on to describe how relationships unfold and come undone.  We simply get busy with our own lives and responsibilities.  It isn’t that we don’t want to show up or be present, but we get stuck juggling all these things and “lose touch” so to speak.  Admittedly, I felt grateful the people I wanted to help understood that if I could be with them, I would be, unlike the author and his friend.  But do we have to be so harsh on each other that we don’t understand life getting in the way of our good intentions?

Berries Amid the Thorns

The answer is no, we need not be, however, it is easy to feel hurt in times of need, and that hurt can grow in our mind to immense proportions, causing us to not think clearly or act rationally.  However, if we do allow God in our lives, we can feel His presence in such times, filling in the void left by others who cannot be with us.  This is not always easy to do, for again, times of hardship bring out the best in our imaginations and we come up with some really off the wall and less than real reasons for why people are or are not present in our lives.  Perhaps the biggest question we need to ask in such situations is not why others are not there for us, but rather are we allowing others to be present with us?

I say this because there have been many times in my life when dealing with crisis or loss or difficulties that I felt it was better to “be alone” with nature to sort out my thoughts.  My rationale was to think before speaking or acting so that I did not hurt anyone with what I said or did.  Through the years, I found myself not alone in nature, but rather in the arms of God’s grace or abundant love that showed up in the form of the sunrise or sunset, sky colors, rainbows, flowers, trees, or animals encountered along the way.  Even at times the silence surrounding me felt like God’s whisper of, “I’m right here. Now.  See! (And for crying out loud, quit being stubborn and ask Me for help!)”

Silver Maple

“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.” -Genesis 28:15 NIV

Science Lesson of the Week: Priorities

Our science lesson this week is more of the psychological science than one of biology or seen in nature.  A short article we came across talked about priorities, which often give us angst in making decisions, and how many of these decisions revolve around showing up.  We thought we’d share a portion of the article by James Clear:

Many people have a hard time making decisions because they don’t know what is important. 

Commitment Personified

When you have a clear mission and you are completely sure what is important to you, most decisions come easy.  Once you’re fully committed, you don’t need rules for how to spend your time.  It’s obvious which decision to make.  It’s clear what to prioritize.  Many people don’t need productivity or time management advice.  They need conviction.

The article made me ponder why we don’t always know what is important in life.  After much thought on the matter (and many miles running contemplating possible answers), I came to the conclusion that we don’t know because we don’t always value nor are we always grateful for what we already have in life.  This lack of gratitude or thankfulness in turn allows the demons of evil or sin to take over our lives.  This in turn takes us down a rabbit hole of loneliness and creates an insatiable appetite for material things, when all we really need is to accept the gift of life granted to us.  For with that gift comes the presence of God, and His presence is more than enough to fill our needs. 

Autumn Harmony

“The remaking of the soul and the refreshing of the eye is the return to simplicity.” -Richard Rohr

May we come to value God’s presence in our lives. May we learn to see and feel that we are not alone, but rather part of a greater gift of life, and may we fully experience the present of presence.

Presence

Dance with the devil, dance in the light

With hands that tremble, hands that fight

The urge within

Doe in the Light

That surges and spins

Around and around, back and forth

In the sound of silence’s storm;

Rain on the roof, rain on the trees,

Sending pain through every vein in thee,

Water from the sky, water from the wind

Offer from on high, offer from within,

Autumn Blaze

Coffers open wide, let presence in.

Do what we must, do what me may

Each sunrise and each dusk are part of the grace

That comes on the journey,

That comes in the turning

Of the mind and the heart

That in time are brought to impart

The gift of life shared, the gift of life granted

Blue Skies Above the Pines

To lift where there needs to be understanding

So that the loneliness felt is only imagined

And in going through the abyss one is captured

In the arms of God’s angels from heaven,

In the heart of the Father’s presence.

Keep the faith through the dark,

Keep each day close at heart;

Allow what can and cannot be done

Thank You!

To help one withstand the hurt that comes

Along with the relief, the relief in the light

That sets the heart to beat, beat on with time

So that in the end one can say

I felt the presence I needed each day,

(Though at times I did not understand

Or feel that I deserved the help of God’s hand).

-Lisa A. Wisniewski

A Note of Thanks

This week, we thank our friends mentioned above for their understanding that though we may not be able to be present with them in their struggles, we are indeed praying for God’s presence to offer them the peace and comfort they need. 

-Lisa, Leo, and Lena

Heaven’s Gift

Observing Seeds

Light of Life

Editor’s note: This post was to appear September 21, 2023

Our adventures this week led us to discover a variety of late summer or early fall flowers, leaves turning from green to yellow or shades of orange and red, and the sun’s shifting positions in the skies to signal the passing of summer and the start of autumn.  The sights were like tiny reminders or seeds planted along our paths as we went about our activities.  Closer examination of some of the flowers revealed seeds ready to drop, signaling the coming end of the plant’s life that will enable another plant to grow come spring.  We thought we’d offer up some observations and thoughts on seeds in this week’s post.

Sedum

“Never underestimate the importance of the beginning. Of anything. The beginning has the seeds of everything else to come.” -Carolyn Coman

Theme of the Week: Seeds Around Thee

Our theme of the week started on my Sunday run.  I noticed a number of flowers along the road.  The flowers had grown from seeds either planted by nature in the wild or by neighbors in their yards.  Observing each flower type, it was obvious growth had taken place with leaves flourishing on stems and flowers blooming amid the leaves.  The sun and rain had helped nurture the seeds to become plants.  Now the time was fast approaching for the plants to die off and pass on their seeds so that other plants could grow and bloom next season.

Milk Weed

Seeing the flowers offered my heart, mind, and soul seeds of hope, inspiration, and compassion.  Nature was offering to me all it could to help me upon my journey.  I, in turn, could use this offering to help others by sharing what I had seen or experienced through writings or pictures.  What started out as a dry seed last year turned into a plant bearing flowers which in turn bore fruit or seeds, which in turn helped me find a sense of comfort or peace, which led me to share with others, which led to the others feeling loved or cared about.  And this all started because of a seed.  Wow.

“Inside every seed is the potential for an incredible harvest.” -Farrah Gray

Lesson of the Week: What Art Thee?

Our lesson of the week is courtesy of a flower patch encountered along my running and biking route.  I spotted what seemed like a cascade of flowers flowing over the hillside.  Closer inspection revealed hundreds of buds waiting to open.  The flowers had yellow centers and white petals, but the number of white petals was too many to be a daisy or a fleabane.  Additional research at home in our trusty resource books made me go back for further inspection as there were two wild flowers that matched the identification traits, but I wanted to be certain before I shared what I had found.

Burning Bush

Returning from the closer inspection and re-reading the information found, I was able to identify with confidence the cascades of white flowers were white heath asters.  The experience in trying to identify the flowers made me contemplate how each trait or characteristic of a flower (or any living thing really) is packed into a tiny seed.  The traits or characteristics are slowly brought into view and given freedom of expression through care via the light of the sun, water from the rain, and nutrients from the soil. 

We humans are similar, starting as a seed of sorts in the womb, emerging in a tiny body, nurtured through food, water, and relationships of family and friends.  Our traits and characteristics emerge as we grow, learn, and develop skills or talents.  Unlike the seeds of plants though, when we pass away, we do not drop physical seeds to bring forth new life.  We can, however, impart seeds of knowledge, understanding, and character upon those left behind.  The seeds we may plant along the way in our lives are from our actions, reactions, generosity, compassion, and kindness. 

Stinking Fleabane

What we leave behind as our legacy helps provide for future generations, helping to keep the cycle of life going.  Whether we like the analogy or not, we are all seeds of sorts throughout our lives.  We are also students and teachers no matter our age or profession.  These roles we have are important to others around us throughout our days.  As such, we are part of a great garden spanning the tests of time.

“Everything we do seeds the future. No action is an empty one.” -Joan D. Chittister

Science Lesson of the Week: More Than One Identity

Our science lesson of the week is courtesy of the research we did on the white heath aster.  Aster is from the Greek word for star.  Originally the plants were known in England as starworts. There are over 600 species of asters.  Some species are popular garden flowers, but others like the white heath asters mentioned above are considered troublesome weeds in certain areas.  Asters have tough stems, and clumps of these stems can break mowing blades.  Given this trait, the white heath aster is also known as steel weed.

White Heath Aster

This science lesson got me to thinking about how we get our names or nicknames in life.  Some of us are named after other family members, some after famous people, still others have unique given names for reasons that range from parents wanting something different, to being able to distinguish between others with the same name, to looking like someone or having a certain trait.  Regardless of how we got or get our names or nicknames, they act as seeds of our identity as individuals or within groups.  Who we are today is not who we will be tomorrow because something inside us or about us will change either with or without our consent or knowledge.  Such changes are just a part of living life.

“It is good to leave each day behind, like flowing water, free of sadness. Yesterday is gone and its tale told. Today new seeds are growing.” -Rumi

Red Clover

May we come to know and accept our place in each part of our journey.  May the miles nurture, the light guide, and the rains cleanse us, and may we come to find what is best for the seed.

Best for the Seed

Sun on the rise,

I run and write

Far and Awauy

To find peace

In the light that bleeds

Far and away

With the stars and the rain

That comes and goes

Fron what God above knows

Is best for the seed

And best for the need.

Maple Leaves Turning

Through miles and words,

The wild of the earth,

The pain that roars,

The rain that pours,

Somehow lead

The soul around to peace,

To what is best for the seed,

Waiting for the Light to Return

What is yet to be.

Leaves of change and fruit on the vine

Keep what remains alive in this life,

Ever searching, ever going back and forth

Ever turning, ever looking past the storms

For the light to return,

In the life as we learn

To grow and be

As the sowed seeds

Of the hands Divine

In the sands of time

Creating what is best for the seed,

Thank You!

Making the rest history.

-Lisa A. Wisniewski

A Note of Thanks

Our thanks this week is to nature for the many seeds it provides.  From flowers to fruit, trees to vines, and everything in between the vast garden of life, we are grateful for it all, even when challenged with circumstances or the unknown.

Lisa, Leo, and Lena

Hope Seeds

Observing That Day

What a Sight!

Editor’s Note: This post was to appear September 14, 2023

September for our household is a month of transitions and remembrances.  Transitions due to changes in day light and temperature, activities and focus areas, and nature’s signs and the seasons cause us to reassess priorities.  As we do this, we tend to find reminders in the skies, sun, moon, stars, and other aspects of nature, along with the calendar dates.  What we see or encounter each day is both a testament to who we have become by opening our minds, learning different facts, and using our faith as a guide.  There is a particular day in September that stands out more than pretty much any day on the calendar in our household, and we thought we’d share some things we’ve learned through that day in this week’s post.

What There Is

“Now is not the time to think of what you do not have.  Think of what you can do with what there is.” -Ernest Hemingway

Theme of the Week: What a Day Indeed

Our theme of the week started with observing some marvelous clouds in the skies above.  The variety of patterns in the wispy cirrus clouds was breathtaking.  There were horse tails, shapes similar to amoebas and paramecium, twisted columns, and swirling spirals from dawn until dusk.  The sky was late summer blue, the air was warm, and the quiet surrounding us was heavenly (at least to us given how much noise we have at times in our lives).

The weather and conditions took me back to another day that had started out much the same, but ended up turning my world upside down.  It was September 15, 1995.  My sister and I commuted to the same college at that time.  It was a Friday though, and my sister worked on Fridays while I went to class and worked at the college a few hours afterward before picking up Mom on my way home from her job. 

Horsetails Galore

Driving to campus that day, the skies above were clear with patchy clouds.  The air was very warm for September.  I had the windows down in Mom’s big 1985 Buick Le Saber as the tires hummed along on the pavement and the country music from the radio played favorite songs.  It was going to be a good day in my mind.

Class time was fine, as was working in the office with my mentor, Mr. Aikens.  The office phone rang as I was helping Aikens grade papers.  He answered, listened, and said, “Yes, I’ll let her know.”

“Lisa, you don’t have to pick your mom up on the way home today,” Aikens said.

Crossing Paths

“Oh. That’s odd.  Maybe she’s getting a ride from my sister.  I’m almost done grading.  Is there anything you need before I leave?” I asked.

“No.  Have a good weekend.  See you Monday,” Aikens replied.

Heading out to the car, I noticed the clouds spread across the skies and the smell of leaves and fresh cut grass in the air.  Pulling out of the campus driveway, I decided to take the back way home as there was traffic ahead on the main road.  Several miles from home, a large buck crossed the road in front of me.  Fortunately, I was paying attention, so I slowed up and avoided an accident.  Something made me turn off the radio and just listen to the breeze and hum of the tires on the road.  An odd feeling came over me, one I could not explain.  I really felt the need to get home, but did not know why.

Dream Chasing

Turning onto our road, I noticed cars in Uncle Jim’s driveway, which was odd, as he worked, and it was only shortly before 2:00 in the afternoon. Passing my grandmother’s house, I noticed the garage door open and her car parked inside.  This was also odd, for she also worked and should not be home at this time.  Something was not right.

Turning into the driveway at home, I saw my dad’s truck parked outside and my sister’s car in garage.  Something was very wrong.  No one should have been home at this time.  I threw the car in park, grabbed my back pack, ran through the garage, and bounded up the cellar steps.  The house was eerily quite.  Princess, our dog, was not waiting for me at the stair landing in the kitchen like normal. What the heck is going on?

I ran through the kitchen, turned into the dining room, and still had not heard anyone or anything.  Turning into the living room I saw my mom in her rocking chair by the bay window.  My sister was sitting on the bay windowsill.  Dad was standing with his head hung down.  Princes sat by Mom’s side.  Something was very wrong. 

Amazing

Mom slowly got up from her chair and stepped toward me.  She stretched her arms out to touch my shoulders and in a tearful voice said, “Lisa, sit down.”

I did not want to sit down.  I wanted to know what the heck was going on.

Mom sighed and said, “Uncle Jim passed away this morning.”

I stood in disbelief with a million questions running through my head and my back pack still slung over my shoulder.  I had just seen him.  He was the epitome of good health. Ran, biked, loved being outdoors.  Always a jokester and allowing his inner child to live in his life.  More like a father than an uncle to my sister and me.  Honest, fair, outgoing, no bad habit man of integrity.  Gone. 

“Sometimes, only one person is missing and the whole world seems depopulated.” -Alphonse de Lamartine

More Than Words Can Say

Lesson of the Week:  You Can Pray Silently

The days, weeks, months, and years that followed that day were filled with many things.  Anger, joy, restlessness, peace, sorrow, gratitude, loneliness, community, stillness, activity, other losses, other blessings came along with the time and the miles between.  There were a number of days I had difficulty focusing enough to pray, but I learned the art of listening to and for God in nature, in the wind, in the skies, in the clouds, in the sun, in the moon, in the stars, in the flowers, in the leaves, in the trees, and even in the dirt.  No matter where I turned, God was there and even if I was not the best of company to Him, He still insisted on being with me. 

It was in the moments of silent prayer, when I couldn’t find the words that I felt closest to God.  I also learned that we don’t necessarily have to tell God how we feel or what we need or want.  He already knows all these things.  He does like it when we admit or speak with Him about such things, but by His grace, we are not expected to or held accountable for what we don’t express to Him.  It is better if we can converse and have an interactive relationship with Him, for it reinforces what He sees in us and allows us to in time see the same things or at least get on the same page as Him in our life stories.

Sky Stories

Admittedly, I am glad I learned about silent prayer and how God works in strange ways.  Had my uncle not passed so young, I would most likely not have stepped up in the family to learn how to fix the things he fixed, find a way to bring light to dark times like he did, or have the courage to face the truth the way he did.  Had he not passed, I may not have learned to love the outdoors so much, have the determination to run miles on end, or learned how to train the mind to be strong through exercise and routines.  I also would not have had the good fortune to learn that good things can come from bad experiences. 

Though Uncle Jim was not a church going person, I do believe he had a great relationship with God through his many walks in the woods and bike rides on the back roads of our community.  I also believe he and God are silently watching over the dogs and me, helping guide us through other that days that have already come and the that days yet to come.  The beauty in the silence is the grace that comes from acknowledging we are not in control, nor are we strong enough on our own top do it all.  However, if we embrace the silence and God’s help, we have the power to do much. 

Hope

I firmly believe the reason Uncle Jim was able to accomplish so much in his 47 years on earth and stay so calm through a great number of family crisis moments was because of his relationship, albeit a silent one, with God, AND his willingness to acknowledge the times in life when he needed help.

“Keep calm and carry on.” -Original source unknown

Added Lesson of the Week: Stay, Please

What I can say now in hindsight is that day, and every day we are given in this life, are blessings.  We will have a that day at some point.  Our that day may be one of loss, great joy, or even a simple beauty that remains with us for reasons we may or may not be able to explain.  What I can also say now, after years of tears in grief and many hard lessons learned along the way, is we will get through all of our that days we cross paths with in our lives.  The days between may not be pretty, poised, or graceful, but they will contain beauty (if we open our eyes to seeing it even in its’ ugliness), balance (though it may feel more like a seesaw or rollercoaster ride), and be full of grace.

Memories

“Stay the course.  You’ll spend less time in the spite house and more in the grace house.  And as one who has walked in the hallways of both, I can guarantee that you are going to love the space of grace.” -Max Lucado

Thought of the Week: Please Remember Me

In the years that have passed since Uncle Jim’s death, we’ve experienced other events in September, such as 9/11, deaths of other loved ones, weddings, births, and awesome skies.  All these events act as markers to remember through feelings, prayers, actions, stories, or silent moments what matters most, who is really in control, and where to turn.  The answers are not in bad habits, sins, or transgressions, but in honesty, truth, kindness, and love (not only with others, but also with ourselves).  We are part of the great story of creation.  May we make the most out of and be thankful for our chapters.

“No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever.” -J.K. Rowling

Alive and Well

May we come to see life’s many blessings, be they hidden or in full view.  May we also come to know God and ourselves along the way as we learn to be thankful for each that day we encounter.

That Day

Births and deaths,

Deaths and abundance,

Lost in the valley deep,

In awe at the sunset’s reach,

Sad with grief inside,

On a Mountain High

Glad on the mountains high,

Trying to get past what came,

We’ve all had a that day.

A moment where time stands still,

Heart split wide open unable to understand God’s will,

Free as free can be,

Bound to bleed for what seems like eternity,

Take back by the sight of the eyes,

Unknowing that is how you felt inside,

Coming in Waves

Words both unspoken and said

Running in the open heavens

Able or unable to be thankful for what time has made,

We’ve all had a that day.

With a phone call, message, or one word,

The fall, the blessing, or the hurt

Coming in waves

In the sun’s wanting gaze,

Pleading with the heart,

Thank You!

Needing the help of nature’s art

To process and comprehend

The unthought of, the haunting moment,

The colored clad in the leaves of change,

We’ve all had a that day.

-Lisa A. Wisniewski

A Note of Thanks

This week, we remember and thank Uncle Jim, mentioned above, for all he provided to all those he knew, for being a great example to follow in life, and for being an eternal child at heart.  We also thank God for all that has transpired since the that day that changed our lives and us forever.

-Lisa, Leo, and Lena

A Thousand Miles from Nowhere