GOOD ADVICE

"Stand at the brink of despair, and when you see that you cannot bear it anymore, draw back a little, and have a cup of tea." 

                                                     ~~~~ Elder Sophrony of Essex

BELTANE

Tonight (April 30th) is Beltane eve, drawing us through the night to the dawn of the season of Beltane, the season of the sun. For the next three moons the Celtic calendar was focused on the warmth and light of the sun, of the strength of light over darkness with the summer solstice in the middle. It was the season of celebrations and feasting, but also of war and reclaiming what may have been taken from you, and of battling the enemy.

For the Celtic Christians this celebration and season lost none of its potency. It was a celebration of the Sun of Righteousness (a prophetic term for the Messiah), who comes, according to the prophet Malachi, with healing. It is a celebration of the strength of the Light of the world over spiritual darkness, and of reclaiming through ‘the Sun of Righteousness’ all and any parts of your life which have been taken from you by spiritual darkness, or ‘the enemy’.

Happy Beltane!

May the Great Light overcome all your inner darkness,
May the warmth and healing of the Sun of Righteousness be with you and within you,
And may you know the overcoming of 'the enemy' and a reclaiming of any part of your life or inner self which has been lost.

ACCORDING TO KIND

         

A fish cannot drown in water.

A bird does not fall in air.

In the fire of creation.

Gold doesn't vanish,

The fire brightens.

Each creature God made

Must live in its own true nature.

How can I resist my nature

That lives for oneness with God?

~~~~ Mechtild of Magdeburg 

STORYTELLING

"Storytelling is healing. As we reveal ourselves in story, we become aware of the continuing core of our lives under the fragmented surface of our experience. We become aware of the multifaceted, multichaptered 'I' who is the storyteller. We can trace out the paradoxical and even contradictory versions of ourselves that we create for different occasions, different audiences... Most important, as we become aware of ourselves as storytellers, we realized that what we understand and imagine about ourselves is a story. And when we know all this, we can use our stories to heal and make ourselves whole." —Susan Wittig Albert, Writing From Life

DE-CLUTTERING + ORGANIZING = PURGING

Thought I’d get your attention!

You know it isn’t just us (you, me, maybe a couple others), but as a society, including within secular circles, among folks who have little spiritual insight nor “feeling”. In the world, those who have given it thought tend to believe it has to do with the over- muchness of our material life, which is non-sustainable, as well as unjust to most who live on this earth. In other words, it’s not right that so few have so much, and we can’t keep doing this anyway, our resources are running out.

For those who may have spiritual inclinations, Christian or otherwise, the sense is that our “stuff’ has not just cluttered our physical living and working spaces, but have cluttered our hearts and souls as well. An increasing chaos which increases stress, just by having it around, this is not good for our body-mind-spirit, individually nor collectively.

For Christians, I think it’s “same old same old”, in that there has always been a tension between ascetism (think hermits and some orders of religious brothers and sisters, think of Saint Francis of Assisi who on his conversion went to the Vatican and appeared to the Pope of that time naked) and the prosperity gospel thing (God loves us so wants us to have have have…). Not too many of us have it figured out.

For my husband and me, it’s been interesting. I cannot imagine all the stuff that continues to come out of his closet--- “old records”--- of every description, that he is now heaving. HOW and WHY he kept it all, other than his accountant mindset, and HOW and WHY we had to move it all….. is absolutely beyond me.

As for me, it took way too long to get through all of my mother’s things which were in the storage unit. The first year after she died I could not do it at all. After which I could do it in nanoseconds, gradually working up to minutes and finally to as much as a half hour. Jack was very helpful and very patient with me. (Just for the record, now that it’s gone I had a burst of anger at my brother, who left all her care and all her things for me to deal with, without any assistance from him. But we digress. And that anger went rather quickly. I think. Because I realize, deep down, he just CAN’T). And now that it IS done and it IS gone, such a sense of freedom!

All our stuff is now where we live! Cars are empty of stuff. And each closet, each drawer, each cabinet is getting pared down. To the essentials. And even more, clothing may be essential, but if it hasn’t been used, or no longer fits--- no matter how we may wish to think it may again--- going to be used by someone else. If it exists it needs to be useful. If not to me or to us, then to someone else.

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS

Remember that a couple weeks ago or thereabouts I had a Visitation from the Lord? And John had a dream?

Look at all that's happened since then. How does it fit together? Does it?

Sunday night thankfully Jack slept well, after the blow we took that morning about the job not working out. But I did not. 

I was awake almost the entire night having what I can only describe as an Intensive Life Review. Not like when dying it is said we have our entire lives flash before us...... It took hours and was very detailed. And in truth I had that "flash" long time ago, just before I married Mark........ So perhaps that was a kind of death. That's how it worked out for sure.

No, this Life Review was quite different from that, and from anything I have ever experienced before.

Because so many different things have happened to me, I've lived in different places, had multiple marriages, I have tended to see all of these as Separate Lives. They have not been of one piece for me. Looking at it that way, I appear to have had at least Nine Lives! So far!

Even though not seen as Separate Lives, for sure there were different Sections, Segments, Pieces, or perhaps Chapters, depending on whether the preferred metaphor is a Quilt, a Film, a Musical Composition, or a Book. Whatever else, it was My Life in full technicolor and brilliantly lit, could not fail to not see everything, just as it was. And much of it was.... NOT GOOD.

So many traumas and so many difficulties!  So many times I could have died. So many times perhaps I SHOULD have died, or wanted to. Just to escape from this particular scene in my life. Of course there were good parts too, but honestly, I can say with all due respect, the only reason I am still alive now is purely and simply the Grace and Mercy of God!

NOTES ON THE VISITATION

NOTE: Jack has had maybe a half dozen dreams in which St Paul appeared. He finds that strange, because he has never had a big interest or devotion to him. As a Catholic , when he was confirmed he took the name Joseph, and considers St Joseph to be his “patron saint”, especially in the guise of St Joseph the Worker. Jack respects work, and also that St Joseph took care of his family, protected his family. Only lately has he been seeing this in a bigger and more symbolic way, that St Joseph also has the designation of being the Protector of the Church, starting with Mary, the Blessed Mother, being the First Church. And of course, as he is Irish, he is fond of St Patrick. Already talking about Corned Beef and Cabbage on St Patty’s Day!

ANOTHER NOTE: I have from time to time seen Our Lord, sometimes only for mere nano-seconds, a few times longer or more significantly. The most significant time I ever saw Him was while living at the Haven of Grace in Woonsocket, during an especially difficult time in my recovery (from many things), a turning point when things could have gone any which way. I went to sit outside on the second floor porch, and just like that, there He was! Very bright and glowing, mainly I remember His eyes, those exquisite eyes, looking at me, into me, through me. He gave me a vision of my whole life and how everything I did and every choice I made effected not just myself, but everyone and everything around me. I saw how at that moment my choices were to affect the lives of so many, and events all around the world, through space and time, and into Eternity. And yet I had CHOICE. And I was set FREE then and there, like never before. Things have never been the same for me since this Visitation.

My sense is that somehow this is another significant Visitation.

As I was drifting off, still in some kind of prayer, I heard Him say “LOOK AND SEE--- I AM MAKING A NEW THING--- FOR YOU—AND FOR JOHN--- BUT FIRST YOU (meaning me) MUST COMPLETE UNFINISHED PROJECTS”.  He was kind enough to very definitely show me three of these; a class with written work to complete for a certificate, a devotional with a goal of renewed dedication in its conclusion, and of course the baby quilt. SO, with the time off I have right now to recuperate from surgery, I will do these, as much as possible. And it was clear that I am NOT to start anything else till these are done.

He also showed me some other categories of things for me--- and for both of us--- to sort out and work through. Our Lord is so organized!

And these categories were INTERRUPTED, PROCRASTINATED, AND IN-PROCESS. For example, for INTERRUPTED He showed me in the pool at the Y, swimming laps, getting into the “zone” and really working it, getting into the splashes and drops and movement of the water and the lights I the water, becoming first the Rainbow Fish, then the Green Frog, and then the Pink Dolphin--- in other words, He enjoys this with me! And when healed up I am to go back. PROCRASTINATED goes along with the UNFINISHED PROJECTS, but of course there is more…. And IN-PROCESS includes how we’ve completed the process of application to be Nursery Helpers at CTR and will be scheduled, again, once recuperation is complete.