Thanksgiving traditions

As I am working on preparations for our Thanksgiving meal memories flood my head of family and friends. Growing up we had the “traditional” food - at least, what my family felt was traditional. Over the years we gathered in different homes with different groups of people, but we always had the same sweet potato casserole. After Scott and I were married I tried to replicate the memory from my childhood with little success. I had moved 3000 miles away from the Pacific Northwest and the variety of sweet potatoes I was accustomed to. It seems like a tiny thing, but I so wanted to continue the tradition I knew. In the early years of our marriage I tried different combinations, and varieties, until I worked out ingredients for our sweet potato casserole. I do not recall what the potatoes of my youth tasted like anymore, but the memory opened an opportunity to try new things, until finally a new recipe emerged. Finding a new thing took time and risk, but where the recipe has evolved fits where we are, and who we are today.

May your holiday be a time of connection.

Peace and blessings,
Amy

Last Sunday we reached the pinnacle of our stewardship program with a brunch after worship. The “It’s Coming” signs have come down but the spirit of unity and fellowship continue. This coming Saturday we have another occasion for which to gather, it will be “Apple Pie Day” hosted by the women’s fellowship. So many groups and gatherings: today I will gather with family to mark my daughter’s birthday, last week I was privileged to join others in study of the Bible at a parishoners home, and yesterday I gathered with other parents as we waited to pick up our kids from school. We gather as a community on Sunday morning for worship but there are so many other communities of which we are a part. I am left wondering about the expanse of groups/communities that we are integrated into. How many communities are you a part of? How can we help others feel welcome in this community of faith? May we know and share the welcome that says you can come as you are. We are welcome when we feel strong and when we feel weak.

Rocky Roads

This morning as I headed up to church I first noticed the brisk morning air and the thick frost on the grass. Not long after that I was struck by the dramatic lack of leaves on the trees about a mile north of my home. The drive continued to be marked by moments with trees full of colorful leaves while others were barren. The thought of leaves and changes of seasons suddenly shifted as traffic slowed to a snail’s pace. With lights flashing ahead the vehicles inched along closer to the reason for our slow speed. All at once it became clear what the reason was, as my car began to feel like I was driving down the road to Camp Wightman; I saw and felt the rocks scattered all over the highway. The road was bumpy with rocks. The rocks on the surface that were forcing us to slow down contrasted with the rocks interwoven into the composite pavement that only a few minutes ago provided a smooth surface to drive on. One might suggest that the rocks, our rough places, can be made smooth when we work together to fill the gaps and support one another through their bumpy places. May God continue to help us fill the gaps even when the rough places still exist.

You are special today!

Earlier this week I was out and about and came across something I had not seen since I was a child. It was a red plate with the words "you are special today" written on it. Maybe you have seen plates like this, maybe you have one, or maybe you have another ritual which accomplishes the same thing. As a child the red "special" plate came out not at set times, but whenever someone in the family determined that was the day a family member should receive it. The person with the task of setting the table would replace the standard plate with the "special" red plate. It seems like such a simple thing and simple message, but the message spoke to me once again that day. I wondered how I could share with others and let them know that they deserve to feel "special" and valued. Today I wish each of us could find the message "you are special today" and really know it. May you know that you are special not just today, but always.

Sacred pace and rest

As I look out the window and see the water droplets falling amid the red and yellow leaves I am reminded of a song I learned when I was small. It was Miriam Therese Winter’s song “Joy is like the Rain” which speaks to the presence of God - even in Jesus who took time in the boat to rest. As Jesus was resting during the storm, the Rev. Kirk Jones (author of “Rest in the Storm” and other books) suggests that we all need to follow that example and take time to recharge, rest, pray, and play. May we find that “sacred pace” and “sacred space” today.

Do you have a favorite place?

One of my favorite places is beside tall waterfalls. Multnomah Falls, where the water tumbles down 620 feet, is fed (at least in part) from Mount Hood (which stands at over eleven thousand feet), is one of my favorite places. One is able to hike to a bridge about halfway up. The pathway is steep, but the beauty one finds along the way is transforming, and once one steps unto the bridge one encounters a view unique to that moment, for the flow of water is dependent on so many variables. In winter one may even encounter the falls frozen, yet people still come to witness the continuing transformation.

What are your favorite places?

May we know God present in the beauty, and also in the rough patches. We can find God on the steep path and the smooth. May we walk with one another, supporting one another as we journey together.

Peace and blessings,
Amy

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/columbia/millennium2/welcome.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hood

“ ‘Lo, the butter is in the milk, yea, the butter is in the milk.’ ”

“ ‘Thou hast to churn the milk, O, Disciple, if thou desirest the taste of butter.’ ”
From an Old Hindu Poem quoted by
Howard Thurman in Deep is the Hunger page 27

God is in us,
faith is in us,
we need to move,
work,
and play
knowing that God is in us.

Have you ever churned butter?
How do we keep working on our faith?
Have you ever thought about faith like cream and butter?

Making butter is a straightforward process and it involves work.
1. Start with a clean container with a tight lid. (one which you will be able to reach a knife into to remove the butter).
2. pour in heavy cream or whipping cream anywhere up to the midpoint of the container.
3. cap container tightly.
4. shake.
5. keep shaking.
6. share the work.
7. when you can feel there is a solid chunk of butter separated, pour contents into a bowl through cheesecloth to strain the butter.
8. place butter in a bowl or plate and salt if desired.
9. enjoy. Share.

What about the other stages of cream

(like when it is whipped to seemingly perfect peaks and then falls)

May we know that what we hunger for is present in us.
The more we work the more we may know that which is at work in us.

Snowflakes: unique and strong

Snow is an amazing thing. Each snowflake unique, yet there is great power when connected with others. Florence Luscomb (a suffragette, MIT graduate, and more) tells of this encompassing power known in an avalanche. Imagine the impact we could have on the world if we recognized the value in each person and found a common vision. Today as I watch the snowflakes mesh together to create a stillness outside I am also noticing the quiet peace in the house. As our plans are shifted to enable us to stay home, safe and warm, we are able to find some quiet moments to witness the beauty in creation and the ever changing beauty in the world.

What could we accomplish if we stuck together like the snowflakes, glorious as individual parts, and amazing when united?

Networks

Often I hear people say “I don’t know how you do it,” referring to the amount of “stuff” that appears to be on my schedule. The real answer to how I can do what I do is because of others. I am stronger and more capable because of relationships. It is relationship with God as well as relationships with others. Who I am is a unique creation, but my joy, my confidence, my peace comes in and through connectedness.

I am grateful and blessed by friends holding my family in prayer.
I am grateful and blessed by support of an amazing family.
I am grateful and blessed by friends who are willing to offer support as needed.

Thank you to all who listen.
Thank you to all who pray.
Thank you to all who respond with great compassion, kindness, and love.

I have great hope for creation and humanities ability to live recognizing our interconnectedness, because of the interconnectedness I know and witness. Instead of seeing what we don’t have, maybe we could begin looking at what we have.

Who is it that is part of your network? You deserve to be valued and heard.

If you are part of my network THANK YOU! YOU ARE APPRECIATED!

Procrastination and Rest

Today as I find myself procrastinating. I am wondering if it okay to procrastinate and if so, do we know it? It seems there are times when procrastination in itself allows for rest. Yesterday I was reminded that so often one hears people say they do not have enough time, but I wonder if it is really about time. Might it be instead be personal choice with how one spends their time? What is important to do at this moment in time? Is it important to become a gifted juggler and be able to balance everything without rest? Or might there be moments when it is okay to put something off or even not get it done? When we have to make choices of between two options, which do we chose? Do we make choices out of guilt or out of seeking wholeness?

For me procrastination seems to come at several times:
1. When I need rest.
2. When I am focused on time, schedules, and deadlines instead of being present where I am.
3. When the activity I am procrastinating about is less important to me than something else in life.

Today my procrastination is leading me to:
Clear my head.
Rest my eyes from all the reading I have on my plate.
Take care of other “stuff” that needs to get done.
Take time to breathe and notice life around (the sun streaming in the windows, the snow slowly melting, the trees awaiting the spring, and more…)

I am left with more questions:
What do we procrastinate from?
What does procrastination lead to?
What things do we not procrastinate about? And are these things that fill us in a way nothing else does?

The disciples were left in a form of procrastination not knowing where Jesus was leading. They needed only to be present, because they could not see the future. They and we can only take one step at a time. But Christ was with them as they journeyed, and Christ will and does walk with us today.

Gumby and Pokey

Today I was introduced to two characters who reside in the ANTS library. Theses characters are Gumby and Pokey; Gumby a green flexible/bendable character and Pokey his best friend (an orange horse also flexible/bendable). Just as Gumby and Pokey need each other, we need one another. In life and in relationships there are times we need to stand tall like Gumby knowing that we are of value, and other times when we must bend and be flexible.

When are we willing to bend? Do we bend for ourselves or out of our call to love our neighbor?

When do we stand tall? Do we stand tall knowing we are loved by the one who made us and that we matter to others?

It was a joyous surprise to encounter Gumby and Pokey today. I wonder what other surprises and encounters are waiting to be experienced. Who will you meet today?

We are God's Children!

I thought today I would post a simple concept, but one that is good to remember. Howard Thurman heard this message repeated again and again, from his grandmother who retold the only message her preacher ever preached. This quote can be found in Howard Thurman’s With Head and Heart, page 21.

“You are God’s children!”

Later he goes on to tell us that his professors “[touched at a place in ourselves beyond all our faults and all our virtues. They placed over our heads a crown that for the rest of our lives we would be trying to grow tall enough to wear. This was a gift far greater than the imparting of information and facts.” This is also found in Howard Thurman’s With Head and Heart, page 41.

As God’s children we are glorious, and we can find confidence in that place, as well as challenge. We are all children of God. And loved by the one who made us.

Rainbows

There is something so profound in the presence of rainbows. Rainbows have a way of catching me off guard, and causing me to stop for a moment to witness the great presence of God in the world. This momentary pause in my hurried day, provides an energy and peace unique to that experience. The great joy that the sun will come again, just as the son came to fulfill the prophesies of old.

We cannot keep rainbows for ourselves, the joy and presence is freely offered to all.