InSpiritry

“I love that simple story that ends on a grace note,

and you go, ‘Wow, I’m just happy to be alive right now.’”

Cameron Crowe

We all love a story; here’s a chance to hear one! 

As much as the economy needs a boost, the Friday after Thanksgiving can be more than a shopping frenzy (who thought up the frightening title Black Friday for a day people are buying gifts anyway!?). Friday, November 27, 2009, is the second annual National Day of Listening, a day to spend time in conversation with someone you care about! Sponsor National Public Radio and the event’s founder suggest we use the day to each become autobiographers, interviewing people in our lives to document their stories. (more…)

Jazz is the sound of God laughing.” Colleen Shadox

With a week of drenching rain finally over and an autumn chill in the sunny air, I decided to open all the windows this morning to celebrate the changing seasons. At my laptop, as I write this post, a gentle wind is dancing through the turning leaves and rustling the limbs. It is just enough to set singing our several sets of windchimes. Each one is tuned to a different pitch, and we have hung them in various spots around our yard. The result is that, on days like today, the air carries a veritable symphony of music: round-toned moans, cheerful harmonies, bright staccatos. Listening with my eyes closed for a minute, I feel moved to tears then to laughter then to peace.

A believer in prayer and worship as a constant condition, I realize that if the sound of my windchimes stirs my spirit, I am hearing sacred music! That idea sets me thinking about the many kinds of sacred sounds in the world we experience as holy, and every culture has its own beautiful traditions. (more…)

He was a Mahatma (Great Soul) and India’s Bapu (Father of the Nation).

October 2 is the birthday of Mohandras Gandhi, political leader, spiritual advisor, social activist and wise elder. Educated and of means, but having experienced the sting of racism while in South Africa, the domination of India by Britain and the brutal violence between Hindus and Muslims, Gandhi turned his life to what he called non-cooperation - just saying “no” to injustice. A student of Jesus’s teaching as well as other world religions, he practiced kindness and forgiveness in a sacred endeavor towards the Greater Good. Because of his leadership, people around the world were inspired. In tribute to Gandhi, the date of his birth was designated several years ago as the annual International Day of Non-violence. (more…)

“There aren’t enough days in the weekend.“       Rod Schmidt

It’s Monday. Again. Time to rise and shine, grab a cup of coffee and a bagel and leave the weekend behind. For some of us, this past weekend was full of time with family and friends.  For some, it was a chance to hit the lake for fishing. Others enjoyed three days of yard work or home repair or a service project. Lots of us spent Sunday in church and maybe even at a church picnic. Many of us went to concerts or had a night out for dinner or had friends over. Of course, some of us were at jobs that don’t stop on Saturday or Sunday. Sadly, a few of us felt compelled to keep working and worrying and waiting for things to change (you know who you are!) (more…)

“There is sanctuary in being alone with nature.”    

Jonathan Lockwood Huie

When life swirls around us into a tornadic wind of uncertainty or trudges along dragging its heavy boots or orders us about with its responsibilities and expectations, it is important to have places that serve as sanctuary. This morning is a reminder that the place I live and write is both sanctuary and studio. Like Jonathan Lockwood Huie, I need time to be “alone with nature.” I am blessed that it is right outside my door.

I thought today I would invite you for a visit! (more…)

When we take the time to count our blessings, we have so much to be grateful for. Every day is worth celebrating! 

If today was your new holiday, what would you be celebrating?

When We Celebrate Our Lives, We Can Be a Blessing!

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Spring!

It’s Easter weekend, the time when Christian congregations around the world commemorate Christ’s resurrection, the remembrance of the empty tomb where passionate women friends of Jesus discovered the fulfilment of prophecy. For modern Christians, Easter is the celebration of spiritual renewal and the hope of eternal life for those who believe.

For other Americans, it is a happy weekend of family gatherings,  Sunday lunches, children in brightly colored outfits and Easter egg hunts.

It’s also spring, the time when Nature’s message of renewal is just as passionate as Easter itself. Here in East Texas, green has miraculously returned to bare branches and sleeping sod. Flowers of every hue shout their songs of celebration and new life. Animals large and small seem reinvigorated for this season of procreation and birth.

While our human lives are often more driven by work deadlines, school assignments and family responsilibities, we would do well to affirm our natural selves this time of year, to find ways to use this month to experience resurrection, both spiritually and personally–embracing the idea of a new lease on life, a chance to start again, fresh beginnings, bright hope.

Think about your own life this Easter:

• With the long, cold months of winter over, what darkness do you need to leave behind?
• As the world blossoms with color, how can you experience celebration and creativity with those you love?
• While birds build nests and mother animals give birth, what can you do to insure our childrens’ future?
• As caterpillars are being transformed into butterflies, what relationships of yours need to be renewed?
• Now that plants and trees are growing again, what part of your life needs new attention and growth or even change?

Let’s celebrate Easter with all the joy it represents. Let’s welcome Spring and experience a time for renewal. Let’s use our lives for more than self-absorbed day-to-day living. Let’s be Passionate about the Future, working together towards the Greater Good!

 When We Experience Renewal,

We Can Be a Blessing!

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I do solemnly swear

that I will faithfully execute the office

of President of the United States of America…

It happened! It really happened! Barak Obama has been sworn in as the first African American President of the United States!

The moment we have long awaited finally arrived today at noon, and what a moment it was! After a beautiful Washington DC dawn welcomed thousands of flag-waving Americans gathered on the mall and while cheering parade watchers waited with their faces full of smiles and tears, it happened. As we all watched, a young man’s leadership moved us into a new era– not only beyond racial divisions, but also beyond global aggression, beyond financial thievery, beyond partisan politics and beyond business as usual. As Barak Obama took the oath of office, promising to uphold this country, we also took an oath to bravely follow him into our future.

Like the orator he is, he spoke words we have needed to hear. As a word lover and progressive, I delighted in the power of his speech. But, even with all he said, it was not his words, but our words that struck me most. (more…)

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future…a fervent wish…that every path may lead to peace.”      ~ Agnes M. Pahro

With each day’s dose of dismal economic realities, allegations of corruption and the usual policial controversies, America is having a hard and harder time feeling the Christmas spirit. Even with Barak Obama’s promise of Hope, the American mood seems to be more like Hopelessness. It is not just a national sensibility; we are seeing it at a personal level:

Someone on our Christmas card list has lost their job.

Someone in our neighborhood is about to lose their home or already has.

Someone in line with us at the drug store has lost their retirement savings.

Or maybe all this is happening to us!  (more…)