GRATITUDE

by

Our Best Selves

Pictures remind

Easter finery.

New bonnet,

Spring coat, perhaps

passed down

through

sisters and cousin.

New dress,

polished shoes

or new

patent leather!

Small flower corsage

from Daddy.

Some may still

dress this way

for Easter services,

I may admit to

a little envy.

We looked our best

or so it seemed.

The best outside dress-up

cannot cover up

the violence of

terror or the

insulting language

in the political campaign.

Steady reams of

news

proclaim

more crucifixion

than resurrection.

There are many

moments

of love and caring,

even random

acts of kindness.

What will it take

to dress up

ourselves,

our families and friends,

our neighborhoods

and our world

with sincere conversion

from the inside out.

Real love and kindness

generate

warmth and smiles.

How can we

dress

ourselves

with the

realization

that

we are all

in this world together?

Respect

for

each and every other,

dressed in finery

or clothes unfamiliar.

Garments given away

clothe

those without anything.

Respect

is the best

place

to begin.

We all

can dress ourselves best

caring for

each other.

Amen.

by

Holy Confusion

I

no longer

make

a plan

for

myself

but

respond to the

things and people

 in my life

that are

part of a

plan or a pattern

I cannot see.

These words

may sound

passive

but remind me

to

strive

for an active

awareness

realizing that

I am

in the midst

of a

“holy confusion”.

Discovering

these two words,

I chuckled

and

remembered

my mantra.

Ann Patchett,

wonderful writer,

reflects,

“Sometimes not having any idea

where we’re going

works out better

than we could

possibly have imagined.”

by

Lost and Found

The word goes out,

the piles appear,

Lost and Found.

It is the end of the season

at a skating rink,

a ski lodge,

the swimming pool,

schools.

Some places keep

perpetual collections.

Looking at the

leavings,

it is amazing

how many

towels,

hats,

gloves,

books,

scarves-

things that you would expect

people,

often children,

would miss

have not been

claimed before.

Archeological

history

could be imagined

if the items

were found many years

later.

My favorites

are the individual

items I see

on my neighborhood walks.

Especially in winter

or now as the season is

tempting us

with warmer weather

to come.

A glove,

a hat,

always

just one.

Some stay

where lost.

Does anyone notice?

Some

do

and put onto a step, a branch

where the items may be more visible.

Yesterday,

I walked part way

to the place I was going

after being

given a ride halfway

to my destination.

Three hours later,

putting on my coat,

I felt for my gloves

expecting to also find

my favorite foldable hat.

Only gloves.

Oh well.

As I started walking home,

I came to the corner

where I had gotten out of the car.

Maybe the hat

fell as I was getting out of the car.

Eureka!

There

just at that corner

someone had

placed my hat

on a bush just at eye level

for my discovery.

It was a cold day,

I welcomed the warmth

of my lost and now found hat.

by

Blossoming

Snow bells,

a few crocus,

spikes of greens for

flowers to bloom

maybe soon

or after another

snow.

Longer days

of light.

Reminder

that

many possibilities

develop

in the dark

buried

in the earth

of our own darkness.

There is

life,

beauty,

growing.

Presenting

itself

at the

right time.

by

Illusion

Why do we have

the illusion

that life

should be easy?

Until we can

embrace

the hard times,

the losses,

we will be surprised

when illness,

pain,

loss

and

disappointment

come into our lives.

Sometimes,

all

at the same time.

Centering Prayer

and 

Inner Awakening

offers

a helpful way

to “be” with

difficult

things in life,

even a

painful thought or feeling.

The Welcoming Prayer

can bring

awareness,

giving

the experience

space

to clarify

and not resist.

It may sound

counter-intuitive

but opening

up

to what

is going on,

may

help.

Cynthia Bourgeault, author of Centering Prayer

by

Perspective

Sometimes

I have the opportunity

to do something,

go somewhere,

or meet someone.

At another time

in my life,

I might have

given my eye teeth

for these opportunities.

But then

I realize

that

this time

is not

the right time.

Timing is everything,

so people say.

How much my

Perspective

and desires

have changed

over time.

I am sometimes

surprised

that I don’t

leap at opportunities

that would have

once been

irresistible.

livinglinesreflections.com

by

Interactions

Once upon a time,

When I ran into

friends and acquaintances

who asked

what
I was up to,

I would reel off

a litany of activities.

Lately,

I have begun to reply,

“I am practicing not multitasking.”

Saying these words

out loud

reaffirms

my intentions

and seems

to give

the questioners pause.

I also

pause

before asking

the reflexive

“what have you been up to”

question.

Instead of

exchanging lists,

a conversation

might

take place.

by

Best

Do the best

you can

with what

you have.

Enjoy the ride!

A 90 year old

shares the secret.

If we aren’t

satisfied

doing

our best

with

what

we have,

we won’t enjoy

what

we did

accomplish.

livinglinesreflections.com

by

The Cloud of Unknowing*

I

no longer

make a plan

for myself

but respond

to the people

and things

in my life

which are part

of a plan

or

pattern

I

cannot

see.

*The Cloud of Unknowing is an anonymous work of Christian mysticism in the 14th century.

by

Inside Out, Outside In

We may judge

others’

outsides

from our own

insides.

Do we look

at others

as calm,

in control,

on top of things?

For many people,

it takes

a lot of

effort

to put

themselves

together.

What you see

is the result

of that effort,

not

the challenge

of

getting there.

When I have been

more willing

to reveal

some of my

inner feelings,

the

result can be

closer

relationships.