Here is your life…

The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you.

~ Frederick Buechner ~

Life itself…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Listen to your life.

See it for the fathomless mystery that it is.

In the boredom and pain of it no less

than in the excitement and gladness:

touch, taste, smell your way

to the holy and hidden heart of it

because in the last analysis

all moments are key moments,

and life itself is grace.

~ Frederick Buechner ~

And it is.  It is all grace – the good, the bad and especially the difficult.  It’s in the pain that we find the gems, the new growth, the sense of what we came here to learn. Once again, Buechner says it so beautifully.  What a gift his words are, as I read them each night in his daily meditation book, “Listening to Your Life”.  I learned about this wonderful collection last year from my friend, Corinne, and it’s about time that I pass it on to you. Buechner is an extraordinary writer and a minister, so it is definitely Christian in nature, although I think his wisdom is universal and accessible to all.

the power that memory gives us…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am inclined to believe that God’s chief purpose in giving us memory is to enable us to go back in time so that if we didn’t play those roles right the first time around, we can still have another go at it now.  We cannot undo our old mistakes or their consequences any more than we can erase old wounds that we have both suffered and inflicted, but through the power that memory gives us of thinking, feeling, imagining our way back through time we can at long last finally finish with the past in the sense of removing its power to hurt us and other people and to stunt our growth as human beings.

The sad things that happened long ago will always remain part of who we are just as the glad and gracious things will too, but instead of being a burden of guilt, recrimination and regret that make us constantly stumble as we go, even the saddest things can become, once we have made peace with them, a source of wisdom and strength for the journey that still lies ahead.

~ Frederick Buechner ~

Just the right words, at just the right moment, can be the most incredible gift.

 

 

If you fall…

 

 

 

 

if you’re lost you can look–

and you will find me

time after time…

if you fall I will catch you–

I’ll be waiting

time after time…

~ Cyndi Lauper ~

 

 

 

 

Life can be hard, yes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It can be tricky to find balance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It can feel, sometimes, like just too much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And yet, for the most part, we decide to stay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And if we choose to, we begin to see even the simplest things with awe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With wonder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With love, and with light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s all out there,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

just waiting for you

to discover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

what has been right here,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the whole time.

Sunday Stroll…

I do not understand the mystery of grace —
only that it meets us where we are and
does not leave us where it found us.

~ Anne Lamott ~

We talked about grace today, on #soulcall.

Grace, for me, is feeling welcome in this world.

And it is feeling connected to God, to spirit, to myself.

If I am a little (or a lot) off track, I pull out my camera and go for a walk.

Actually, I do that when I am clear that we are all woven into one, too.

This weekend, grace was all around me.

Color everywhere, and form,

with a breeze that felt like spirit itself.

Look around you…

you will find beauty in the most unusual places.

Sometimes, it’s more obvious than others!

The fabric of a full heart….

For the first time in a long time, I don’t have words put together for you.

My heart is so very full, my brain is way over capacity, my body ready to rest.

I spent Friday evening and all day Saturday with a few hundred people, all in some phase of the bravest of human work: the opening of hearts. Led by the generous and wise Tara Brach, Mark Epstein and Jack Kornfield, we explored what it means to live in the world with an open heart and a mindful intention. There were people from all walks of life and all orientations, all wanting to wake up to their true nature, to the original wonder of all of our souls. Some were just beginning to meditate and others of us have had decades of practice, although most everyone seemed to be beginning in some way, or recommitting themselves to living right here, right now, whenever possible.

The wisdom and grace and good intent in the room was palpable. Even those who came with only the idea that it might be an interesting way to pick up some CE credits must have felt that energy. I’ll share more words with you from these beloved teachers as time goes on. For now, though, know that there is so much good out there, if we can just find our way past our stories and get to know ourselves all over again. If we can learn to love ourselves, so that we might love others. If we can slow down enough to see what is right there in front of us each day.

My heart is like this photograph – full of color, of pattern, of texture. It is full of grief, of awe, of love. And of gratitude for each of you who meet me here each day.

Namaste, my friends, namaste.

Where to begin…

 

Begin anywhere.

~ John Cage ~

 

Chances are that you took in a lot of information this weekend, one way or another.  The tenth anniversary of September 11, the beginning of the school year, the signs of fall showing up here and there.  The change of seasons always brings  a lot up, for many of us.  So you may be feeling confused and a wee bit overwhelmed, unsure of where to start, what to pick up first, who to call.

Begin anywhere.  Just start.  Find what calls to you and begin to answer that call.  You know, deep inside, just what to do.  And when to do it.

Just begin.  The rest will come…