Bodily Needs, Kicking the Cat, and a Giant Crawfish

Mmmmm....It's Friday...and I'm a bit pooped! It's amazing how important the rhythm and needs of the human body has become to me. Here's been a typical day:

1. Up before six, usually because I hear mom and dad doing mom's vital stats: weight, temp, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc.

2. Coffee....thank goodness they have a Keurig and drink the really dark stuff, so that's the same as home.

3. Cook breakfast - bacon, toast, eggs, cereal...normal fare.

4. Wash dishes, spiffy up kitchen.

5. Give mom her meds.

6. Supervise mom's shower. Dad does a good job, except for drenching the floor yesterday with the spray nozzle. :-)

7. Take mom on walk out in yard - 15 minutes.

8. Go for a walk myself...1 or 2 or 3 miles...depending on my emotional well-being.

9. Drop by grocery store to pick up items for lunch on the way home. Pray that I don't run into any old friends from high school who probably wouldn't recognize me anyway because I'm so fat!

10. Do PT exercises with mom.

11. Cook lunch, it's their big meal. Yesterday - baked salmon, squash, sliced tomatoes. Not bad.

12. Wash dishes, spiffy up kitchen, do a load of laundry - mom or dad folds.

13. Slip out to find a decent Internet connection. Airport is good but a long drive. Paid for connection to Books-a-Million today. :-) You don't know how good high-speed Internet is until you try to work without it!!

14. Get mom to take another walk - by now, she's tired and not too excited.

15. Fix supper. Usually something easy, leftovers, sandwich, cereal.

16. Wash dishes, spiffy kitchen, set out coffee paraphernalia for the next morning.

17. Give mom her night meds.

18. Get mom to do PT exercises again. She really doesn't want to do the second round. I've caught her calling me "Hitler" under her breath.

19. Work on job-stuff on my computer in my room while mom and dad watch TV. Fight with Internet connection to send files off to my boss. :-(

20. Help mom get settled in bed. Say goodnight.

21. Chase the cat around the living room until I catch him and then put him to "bed" in his cage.

22. Read a bit, text back and forth with family, fall asleep with light on.


Miscellaneous: Watch during PT visits, fill up pill boxes, go on test-drives with dad to make sure he's a safe driver, call my sister in Alabama to give her updates, kick the cat when no one is looking, etc.

One girl is sick at home with strep...thanks to A for taking care of her today. Another girl is none too happy that her dad had to go to work and neither of us were at her promotion ceremony today...thanks M for taking care of her...and cleaning my house, I've heard tell! Thanks S for your cards...they've been a God-send every night before going to bed. And thanks L for your call and prayers. And I got a surprise happy box from Amazon in the mail today!! What would I do without my girlfriends?

Oh - the photo...I had to take this picture and share with my bloggy friends. This is a giant plastic crawfish outside Swamp Daddy's in Alexandria. I'm not sure how they made it, but it's pretty dog-gone impressive.

God is good...all the time...even in Louisiana!! Sunday I think I'm going to to to the service at my old home church. Looking forward to that.

Oh - and the weather has been delightfully cool the last two days! PTL!!

Missing all you in North Carolina, but mom is progressing well and I hope to get home as early as possible next week. I think my kids, hubby, and boss would like that, too! Probably the dog, too!

CONTINUE READING...

Will, Energy & Resources

I read this Monday night:

The scriptural blessing "the Lord be with you," repeated daily and weekly in liturgies throughout the world, contains and imparts more than a gesture of goodwill. It is a summoning, a reminder, an assurance, an act of solidarity. In Chronicles, it is followed by the very practical addendum "so that you may succeed in building the house of the LORD your God" (1 Chron. 22:11 ESV). The Lord comes to be with us, in response to our call, to aid in his assigned purposes. In coming, he provides the energy, the will, the resources. A few verses later, the blessing is repeated, almost as an imperative: "Arise and work! The Bord be with you!" (Underlined emphasis mine, from Christ, My Companion by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre)

I fell asleep praying, "Lord, give me the energy and the will to take care of my mother, to be away from my family, to do the work I need to do for my job even though away. Help me succeed in building Your House. I'll trust You to provide the resources."

Tuesday morning He answered that prayer by providing the "resource" of in-home physical therapy for my mom. It just kind of dropped in our laps, no questions asked. Her transportation to and from Cardio Rehab three times a week for at least six weeks seemed to be a piece of the puzzle that just wasn't going to fit. But He clearly answered my prayer of the night before.

Christ be with me!

Blessings from Louisiana -

CONTINUE READING...

Airplanes, Goats, and Such...

Well...I made it in last night to Louisiana around 9pm or so. I missed my first flight...yikes! Set my alarm clock wrong and woke up at 5:30am when we were planning to leave at 4:45am to get me to the gate in time. Long story, but with God's providence, I ended up not having to pay to reschedule for a later flight. For a while we thought it was going to be about $200, but because I had such a terrible flight from Louisiana last weekend home, Northwest changed my itinerary without any charges. Whew! That meant I got to go to church with my family, hear a wonderful sermon on 'transitions', eat lunch with family and friends, and even take a nap before heading to the airport.

I sat beside a librarian on my first flight (grin) and we talked pretty much the whole two hours. She was delightful. The second flight (from Memphis to Alexandria) was the Fifth Circle of Hell...no kidding. Almost the whole flight was taken up with a high school group coming back from a trip to D.C. Alexandria was their home. The kids were wonderful. The chaperones were, however, another story... they... uhmmm... let's just say they behaved inappropriately. That's being very polite. It was a wonderful welcome to my hometown. Yeppers.

I took my sister to the airport this morning so now it's just me and mom and dad. I've given my mom two shots in her stomach, can you believe? She says it doesn't hurt, but I cannot possibly imagine how it couldn't. I don't even really know what it's for, I'm just hoping the Home Health nurse tomorrow will say we can quit doing it soon.

I strapped on mom's Keds and got her outside and she walked for 10 minutes twice today. Praise God for unusually cool weather here for the end of May. She even sat outside with me and dad on the swing for a while talking and sipping a diet coke. She said she feels much better after getting out. Tomorrow we're planning to try going to her standing weekly Tuesday morning hairdresser appointment at 10am. (Yes, she's one of those little old ladies that get their hair done every week!) I think it will make her feel much better, but I'm a little nervous about driving with her. Suppose we get in a wreck? It's probably only three miles away, though.

I made my friend M's yummy black bean soup (added chicken) for my parent's lunch today. They loved it! I did get away and walk for 50 minutes which I figure should be three miles. Actually, I think I'll have a pretty good bit of time to myself. It's 7:20pm here now and supper (in Louisiana it's supper and NOT dinner) is eaten. Medicine has been taken, pj's are on, and I'm pretty sure they have both fallen asleep in front of the Yankees game on TV. Probably much more peaceful here than it is at my house right now! (Thanks, George, for taking such good care of our kiddies!)

And...now to the photos. Yes, those are goats. They live in my parents backyard. No, this isn't a farm. Yep. They're pets.

Left to do tonight: tuck mom in bed, make dad get off the couch and go to bed, and put the cat to bed in his cage. :-)

Thanks to my praying friends and my wise husband with his wonderful, comforting words Saturday at lunch.

This verse keeps coming at me from several different sources. I finally paid attention today:

Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

For lots of different reasons, caring for my sick mom is a difficult thing to do....it's a hard place to be. I love her and my dad...it's just tough on a whole lot of levels. It's probably hard for some to understand, but I can relate to being swept over by a river or set ablaze by fire right now so this verse is a promise I need to hold on to.

Blessings and goodnight-

CONTINUE READING...

The Great White Fisherman!

Here's Matt with his tuna! He's the cute little guy in the middle. They fished all day out of Oregon Inlet in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Their boat took in over 500 pounds of fish, mainly dolphin. His group had two other boats out. Their total take for all three boats was over 1400 pounds, including two sharks! Fun time...but he's pretty beat! So glad you had a great time, George...but I'm glad you're home! Missed you.

CONTINUE READING...

Book Review: The Color of Light

The Color of Light: Poems on Van Gogh's Late Paintings by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, Hardcover: 57 pages, Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; illustrated edition edition (August 15, 2007), ISBN-10: 0802827284

Rating: 5 of 5 STARS
Source: Bought at the Metropolitan Museum of Art January '08

I've had this book for sometime...since a girl-trip to New York with five friends in January of 2008. We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I lingered over Van Gogh's paintings. (Weirdly, my sister was in New York that same weekend (she lives in Alabama) and we met up at the Metropolitan. Her friend took a photo of us standing in front of one of Van Gogh's paintings - I can't remember which. Note to self: ask B.A. to email it to me.) In the museum store just before leaving, I found this slim little volume of poems and bought it on a whim. We dashed off to drinks at The View. I spilled my martini on the cover so even now it still feels sticky and is a bit wrinkly. (Don't judge!) That was a wonderful trip with great friends, memories of which I will cherish forever. It was also the end of a peaceful season in our friendships. We've all been through the wringer a bit since then.

So, after all the personal turmoil that happened just after this trip, I tucked The Color of Light away and never read it. In the past month or so, with my increased interest in poetry, I pulled it out and read a poem here or there. I've just finished it this morning and there's only one word for it: fabulous! And I think this is just the time when I should be reading it...As McEntyre says: "We are called by the Light into the light we can't yet bear without the shades and protections of mud, mortar, wood, canvas, and color. Art is a form of mercy that meets us where we are with what is hospitable and familiar..." I think today I was ready to bear some of this "light" offered by her and Van Gogh that I probably wouldn't have been able to see 15 months ago.

I love Van Gogh. I love his paintings, I love his story. Yes, he's a tragic figure, but I think he was given much insight into the beauty and truth of God's Creation. As a bloggy-friend said recently, I would love to have him at my table of the top ten people I'd like to have dinner with.

This book is a collection of 21 poems inspired by different Van Gogh paintings from his "final difficult, spiritually strenuous years." The author, Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, is simply an amazing artist in her own right. She is also a Christian, and you can see her worldview, her faith, in each poem. They are, as she says in the introduction, "...not scholarly comment, but simply thanks for a costly gift freely given that has afforded me, among so many others, challenges and opportunities to look again and see in a new light."

The introduction to the book is worth the purchase by itself. Point-in-case:

"All of his work is relational, even confrontational. Not only portraits but landscapes, skyscapes, the crowds in the marketplace come to him, and through him, as personal encounter. The question that seems to lie behind them is large and radically theological: Who is this that speaks and shines in all that may be seen? It may be a vision of the One Hopkins described, who "fathers forth, whose beauty is past change." It may be the One the sight of whose face cannot be borne."

McEntyre has two other volumes of poetry based on the works of Dutch master painters: In Quiet Light: Poems on Vermeer's Women and Drawn to the Light: Poems on Rembrandt's Religious Paintings. I see on Amazon she has a book of meditations out titled: Christ My Companion: Meditations on the Prayer of St. Patrick. I've put them all in my shopping cart! :-)

I, of course, highly recommend this volume of poetry. In addition to the poetry, you get 21 beautiful images of Van Gogh's art. Who could resist?

CONTINUE READING...

Unexpected, Unbelievable, Unbounded Grace

The prompt this past week from Poetic Asides was to write a poem about something "unexpected." As I get ready to leave to care for my mother recovering from open heart surgery, I have been praying a lot for grace - grace for me and grace from me. This is my prayer:

Unexpected, Unbelievable, Unbounded Grace

I am praying for compassion –
not for me but from me.
I simply need grace –

unexpected,
unbelievable,
unbounded grace.

Grace that will drip from my
fingers, ooze from my pores,
shake loose from my hair.

Grace that will turn hard words,
brittle as old-lady bones slipping
like shards between my teeth,

into words that are true but
kind, words that are holy yet
humble, words that will rest

on others like dew in the morning.
I ask for Daily Bread, yes. But more –
I ask for these hands that will bake it

to be gentle and steady, cupped full
of peace and joy – each morning, but
each hour and minute and second, too.

Your will be done and please forgive
my debts – but only as I find grace to
forgive those indebted to me. Place

in my path no temptations – of self-pity
or anger or pride. Deliver me from the
Evil One. But first save me from myself.

CONTINUE READING...

Book Review: A Poetry Handbook

A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver, Paperback: 144 pages, Publisher: Harvest Books; 1 edition (August 15, 1994), ISBN-10: 0156724006

Rating: 5 of 5 STARS
Source: Picked up at library but half-way through decided I needed to own this one! :-)

Amazon Review says:

"This slender guide by Mary Oliver deserves a place on the shelves of any budding poet. In clear, accessible prose, Oliver (winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for poetry) arms the reader with an understanding of the technical aspects of poetry writing."

I don't know if I'm a "budding poet" exactly, but this is definitely a book I want on my shelves for reference. It was entertaining to read, had beautiful poems as examples, and taught me a lot about poetry. The downside is I understand a little better the things I'm not doing right when I take a stab at writing poems. (!)

The chapters were short and concise on all the basics about writing (or reading) poetry: sound, line (length, meter, breaks), poetic forms (and lack thereof), tone, imagery, and revision. I particularly liked the chapter on "sound" - especially what I learned about how words are categorized into mutes, semivowels, liquids, and aspirates.

Reading this book may help me write better poetry but it will definitely help me enjoy reading poetry.

One other thing....When I stopped by the bookstore to purchase the book, the clerk took me to the poetry section and there were quite a few collections by Mary Oliver. I mean, lots. And she used a lot of poetry examples in this book to illustrate the things she was trying to teach. But, here's the thing: she never once used one of her poems to illustrate a point. Hmm...pretty modest. So I looked up some of her poetry online and man - is she good! Here's one I thought was absolutely beautiful: Little Summer Poem Touching The Subject Of Faith

I highly recommend A Poetry Handbook to anyone interested in reading or writing poetry!

"The reader, as he or she begins to read, quickly enters into the rhythmic patterns of a poem. It takes no more than two or three lines for a rhythm, and a feeling of pleasure in that rhythm, to be transferred from the poem to the reader. Rhythm is one of the most powerful pleasures, and when we feel a pleasurable rhythm we hope it will continue. When it does, the sweet grows sweeter."

"The poem is not a discussion, not a lecture, but an instance - an instance of attention, of noticing something in the world." (Referring to William's The Red Wheelbarrow)

"No one can tell you how best to make the writing happen. For one poet at least, short naps have proved helpful; for him, leaving consciousness for a brief time is invitational to the inner, "poetic" voice. For myself, walking works in a similar way. I walk slowly and not to get anywhere in particular, but because the motion somehow helps the poem to begin."

CONTINUE READING...

Sunrise from Matt

I had this gift in my email from my dear hubby....the sunrise he saw this morning heading out deep sea fishing. Oh, I want to go to the beach!! Thanks, George!

CONTINUE READING...

Book Review: Tumble Home

Tumble Home: A Novella and Short Stories by Amy Hempel, Publisher: Scribner, 1997, ISBN-10: 0684838877

Rating: 3 of 5 STARS
Source: Random at Goodwill :-)

I really like short story collections. Probably the best one I've ever read is by Margaret Atwood called Moral Disorder. So, I couldn't resist this little collection for just 50 cents at Goodwill. But, overall, it was disappointing. There were some "Good Words" I'll capture, but mostly the stories just were a little too obscure for me. Here's a description from Amazon:

"In keeping with its minimalist content, Amy Hempel's latest collection of seven stories and a novella weighs in at a slim 155 pages; what the book lacks in heft, however, it more than makes up for in mood. Hempel, the author of two other short-story collections, is a master of witty understatement. In "The Children's Party," the narrator gives some advice to a father whose children feel that getting a new dog after the old one was killed would be disloyal: "'Tell them this: The need for the new love is faithfulness to the old,'" to which the father replies, "'That's what I used to tell myself when I cheated on my ex-wife.'" In Hempel's stories, nothing much happens, yet everything changes."

This book did one really positive thing for me, though. Hempel takes little ordinary things, like a child's birthday party, and finds a way to write a short story about them. It got me thinking about the things (events, people, thoughts) that I write poems about sometimes and how they could be short stories instead. Hempel's stories are almost like long prose poems. She's given me a different way of thinking about potential writing material. Hmmm...

Here's some Good Words:

"...you can shake the seeds out like salt on a baked potato, tamp not a spicule of soil on top of them, and up they will come..."

"...and has a laugh like you'd find in a cartoon balloon."

"The roads of prehistory - dents now like the tracks a vacuum cleaner leaves in thick carpet."

"Where is the consolation in this? It is in humiliation, which brings the softness of heart that allows you to listen to God."

CONTINUE READING...

Art Class Today

Before I leave for Louisiana on Sunday, I wanted to use my last two art classes so I scheduled a class for me and Mary. Mary's friend Erin joined us. We great fun. Above is Mary's creation. She finished the background here at home. Below is my inspiration from Talking Teapot and then my interpretation. I finally liked this one. I think Joy, my art teacher, was starting to get a little annoyed with me for always painting over everything I try. I think I'll keep this one. Probably.

I call it Mama Mushroom and Baby. :-)

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Through His Eyes - Chapter 10

Here's a link to Megan's discussion from Through His Eyes: God's Perspective on Women in the Bible by Jerram Barrs on Chapter 10 - Hannah: A Woman of Prayer.

Megan also has links to previous discussions on chapters 1 - 9.

(Art: Hannah giving her son Samuel to the priest Eli by Jan Victors.)

CONTINUE READING...

Laundry...

Laundry is the bane of my existence. I've been at this for almost a quarter of a century and I just can't manage to ever have the laundry done! I live with piles here and there, folded and unfolded, hung and unhung, dirty and clean. Ugh...

I came across these old laundry advertisements plus Samantha doing her laundry in Bewitched and couldn't resist incorporating them all into a new blog header. I loved Sam when I was a girl. My friends and I used to play together and run around twitching our noses, pretending we were her. But never her evil cousin Serena! God forbid.

The dates of the ads from left to right are 1954, 1959, ~1967, 1945, 1955, and 1945. I especially liked the one from 1959, the second from the left. Doesn't her life look just perfect?

Anyway, I need to go put a load of laundry on...!

CONTINUE READING...

Virtual Camino: Orisson to Roncesvalles

Distance: 16.8km (10.4 miles)
Elevation: 500m
Adjusted distance for elevation: 18.95km (12 miles)
Day: 1

Saturday: 4 miles (Reservoir Park)
Sunday: 3.5 miles (Reservoir Park)
Monday: Rest!
Tuesday: 1 mile (Neighborhood)
Wednesday: 2 miles (Neighborhood)

Whoo-hoo! Finished Stage 1 out of..er...33. Gulp!

My guide books says this about the first stage:

"This first stage is one of the more strenuous and is a veritable baptism of fire into El Camino and Spain...This stage represents one of the steepest ascents of the whole pilgrimage. However, the climb is rewarded with the great panorama of the Pyrenees."

Royal Collegiate Church of Augustinian Canons of the Abbey of Roncesvalles

Since Orisson, we will have gone through Pic D'Orisson and seen the Statue of the Virgin set against a beautiful backdrop of surrounding mountains and valleys, taken a dive off the main road onto a rough grass track, and crossed over from France into Spain. Our stop will be the town of Roncesvalles, "Valley of Thorns", and is the main entry point onto the Camino for Spainish pilgrims. Roncesvalles is famous in history and legend for the defeat of Charlemagne and the death of Roland in 778, during the battle of Roncevaux Pass.


There's a large hostel in Roncesvalles with 120+ beds that was originally a medieval pilgrim hospital. Looks like there's plenty of site-seeing opportunities too with churches and a cloister. Below is a video of Roncesvalles and here's a link from a previous pilgrim about her walk from Orisson to Roncesvalles. (Kathy from Charlestown)

The next stage is to Larrasoana, 27.7 km, only 270m (886 feet). Adjusted distance is 29km or 18 miles! More soon...

CONTINUE READING...

Don't You Wonder?

The prompt this week from Poetic Asides was to write a poem titled "Don't You _________. " Driving to Louisiana Friday, I "knitted" this poem together:

Don’t You Wonder?

I imagine time as a ball of yarn –
variegated and fibrous,
knitted by two great needles,
God’s will and Man’s,
coming together,
clicking and clacking
upon the spooling thread,
turning the Present Moment
into a Past Event.

Don’t you wonder what
would happen if we could
stop when the pattern goes
askew? When a stitch is
dropped, a row malformed?
What if we could unravel our
mistakes, pulling out the
thread, trying again –
and getting it right the
next go around?

(Yes - I realize theologically the imagery doesn't quite work - Thankfully, God's "needle" is a good sight bigger than Man's!)

CONTINUE READING...

Seven on Saturday

1. Whew - I'm sitting in an ICU waiting room in Louisiana waiting for the next visiting time for my mom. She had a rather unexpected double bypass and valve replacement surgery Thursday night. I drove down starting Friday morning - 913 miles, 15 hours. Really, it wasn't so bad. My mom is progressing just fine and there's no indication that she won't have a full recovery. I covet your prayers. My sister will stay here for the next week and then I'll come back down and stay the following week. My dad doesn't drive and needs a good bit of attention himself, so we'll have to figure out exactly how all of this is going to work out while she recovers. One day at a time... literally!

2. Being in an ICU waiting room is pretty depressing. A boy (19) just came in who had been in a car accident this morning. His friend who was driving lost control of the car (ie, was driving too fast), hit the guard on a bridge, and then rolled down the embankment. It was some time before they were discovered. The driver was killed and the passenger (Jared) is not expected to live. Watching the family grieve has been so, so sad. Jared's mother hasn't made it here yet. Please lift a quick prayer up for him and his family.


3. Mary and her friend Erin were in a Triathlon today. A first for both! I'm told it was hard, but both are holding up well. :-) I'm so very proud of my Mar!! Above is a photo of their legs with their race numbers.


4. While driving yesterday, a sign in Ferriday, Louisiana caught my eye. I don't think I can make you appreciate just how "out in the middle of nowhere" Ferriday is exactly. Anyway, I turned around, pulled off on the side of the road, got out and took the picture below with my cell phone. Apparently, "U.S. Route 84 starting in Brunswick, Georgia to Roscoe, Texas has been designated by five state legilatures (Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas) as the El Camino East/West Corridor. The designation was in recognition of its history as a migration route from the Atlantic coast to the present U.S.-Mexico border, one of the routes that Spanish settlers called El Camino Real." (See Wikipedia) I found this funny with my recent attempt at a "virtual" El Camino de Santiago. :-)

5. I'm reading a great little book by Mary Oliver called A Poetry Handbook. Here's an excerpt about the rhythm of a poem:

"The reader, as he or she begins to read, quickly enters into the rhythmic patterns of a poem. It takes no more than two or three lines for a rhythm, and a feeling of pleasure in that rhythm, to be transferred from the poem to the reader. Rhythm is one of the most powerful pleasures, and when we feel a pleasurable rhythm we hope it will continue. When it does, the sweet grows sweeter."

I think these thoughts on rhythm are true of poetry, but also true of life in general. I think of all the different kinds of rhythms we encounter in the natural world and in the stages of our lives. I think about how I find such pleasure in my routines...up early, reading, writing, praying. What comfort and joy I find in those personal rhythms. I think of the structure of worship, the liturgies, types of rhythms that draw us closer to God.


6. I am inspired greatly by Talking Teapot's art. I have two art lessons left and wasn't sure what to do with them....I think I might try my hand at some sort of imitation/incorporation. (Above: Sushi for Birds print)


7. Cute, huh? Found this at Neatorama.

CONTINUE READING...

Vintage Vitamin Power

I found this old advertisement today on the Internet. It's for vitamins and was in Ladie's Home Journal in 1945. The 'vi' stood for the vitamins and the 'mm' stood for the minerals. (Why two m's I'm not sure.) The picture of the housewife just cracked me up. Here's a link to an old radio commercial for Vimms.

There was a lot going on in the world in 1945:

April 12th: Harry S. Truman becomes US President after Roosevelt dies
August 6th and 9th: Atomic Bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
August 15th: World War II ends

Here's an excerpt from the Old-Time Radio site about advertisement during World War II:

"The biggest task of all men, women, and children of the Home Front was to maintain good health. It was best to eat the foods within the "Basic 7" food group, but with food rationing in effect, it wasn’t all that easy. When sacrifices had to be made for a meal, the people weren’t getting the important vitamins and minerals for good health. Enter the multi vitamins. Radio listeners knew they could get their needed daily vitamin requirement when they heard commercials for multi vitamin products like Benefax, Vimms, Grove’s, Stams, Vitamins Plus, and One A Day."

Random, I know.

CONTINUE READING...

The Blessing of Rain

I never realized how much I loved rain until I moved away from Louisiana fifteen years ago. Rain was simply such a part of my life that I never imagined living in a place that didn't have frequent thunderstorms, incredible displays of lightening, or day-long soaking showers. It rained so often that when I look back on my childhood it seems almost like a person to me, like some eccentric great aunt who would show up at the important events of my life - plays, birthday parties, graduations - murmuring how proud she was of me. And when it wasn't raining, when it seemed she had forgotten to make an appearance, some part of her would still be there in the moisture-laden air, letting me know that at any moment she just might remember and show up.

There were as many different types of rain as there were flavors of ice cream at Baskin-Robbins: sprinkles so light you hardly even knew it was raining at all, gentle showers that lulled you sweetly to sleep at night, or furious downpours like a child's temper tantrum - short but intense. The water itself, the raindrops, came in lots of varieties, too. There were hard, slashing rains, falling diagonally, almost cutting into your flesh. Huge, sloppy drops that soaked into your hair and slid down the back of your neck. And tiny delicate droplets that sat on top of your hair like a lacy wedding veil.

Last night I was reading in Space for God and came across this beautiful passage about the blessing of rain:

"No rain falls that I do not at once hear in the sound of the falling water an invitation to come to the wedding. It is rare that I do not answer. A walk in an evening rain in any setting is to walk in the midst of God's loving attention to his earth, and, like a baptism, is no simple washing, but a communication of life. When you hurry in out of the rain, I hurry out into it, for it is a sign that all is well, that God loves, that good is to follow. If suffering a doubt, I find myself looking to rain as a good omen. And in rain, I always hear singing, wordless chant rising and falling." - Matthew Kelty as quoted by Dan Postema

I didn't always think of rain as a blessing when I was a child...it would so often interrupt my plans for playing outside. And once, when Matt and I were in the process of having our first house built in a suburb of Baton Rouge, it rained everyday for thirty days straight, keeping our contractor from breaking ground. I can remember being so frustrated with the delay. I felt like Noah's wife, waiting for the rain to stop, so we could get on with our lives.

I took rain for granted. I don't anymore since moving away, though. I relish a good hard summer lightening storm. I find myself staring out our front door during a sudden steady rain. There is peace in rain for me. Like Mr. Kelty said, "...it is a sign that all is well, that God loves." It is good for me to remember that....all is well and God loves. Sometimes in the midst of the storms of life, I tend to forget.

Psalm 135:5-7
I know that the LORD is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
The LORD does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Blessings to you today,

CONTINUE READING...

Waking Up to God's Presence

"The psalmist realized life as he lived it and was able to celebrate it in thanksgiving and praise. How much more breathtaking our lives could be if we were deeply aware of the gifts of God that surround us and engage us. If we were awake!

Prayer is one way to recognition. "Persevere in prayer, with mind awake and thankful heart" (Col. 4:2, NEB). In meditation we can wake up to God's presence. In silence we can be aware of our intimacy with God. In solitude we can know our life is connected with Christ, and with other people. In prayer we can open our heart, be receptive, make space for God, and begin to give thanks." - Don Postema in Space for God

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Happy Mother's Day!

I emailed my mom this photo-collage today for Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day, bloggy friends! Blessings!

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Virtual Camino: St. Jean Pied de Port to Orisson

(Stage 1 Map: St. Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles)

(Stage 1 Elevation Map)

Distance: 8km (5 miles)
Elevation: 950m (3,117 feet)
Adjusted distance for elevation: 12.75km (8miles)
Day: 1

This week's "Virtual Camino" took me from St. Jean Pied de Port (France) to Orisson (Spain). The actual walk is 8km (~5 miles) with 950m (3,117 feet) of elevation. Basically, it's all a steep uphill climb. The guidebooks say this first stretch is possibly the most challenging walk of the whole 500 miles. To account for the elevation here, I've used a formula to adjust the mileage.

(Take the elevation and divide it by a common factor of 10 minutes for every 100 meters climbed, then apply that to a slower pace of 20 minutes per kilometer. So, 950/10=95 minutes. Then 95 minutes/20=4.75km which is approximately 3 miles. The adjusted distance from St. Jean Pied de Port to Orisson is 12.75km or 8 miles.)

So this last week I walked:
Monday: 1 mile (Neighborhood)
Tuesday: 1 mile (Neighborhood)
Wednesday: 2 miles (Neighborhood)
Thursday: 3 miles (Neighborhood)
Friday: 1 mile (Neighborhood)

...for a total of 8 miles to get to Orisson. Not too bad for a first week, I suppose. The map is "Stage 1" from my guidebook and the red arrow shows where I've walked to so far. (Orisson) I've also included an elevation chart. Click on the maps to get a better view.

In Orisson is a pilgrim hostel run by Jean-Jacques Etchandy and his family. It has 16 beds in 2 rooms. There is a bar and restaurant with a viewing platform. Here's their web page....some great pictures but everything is in Spainish...of which I know zip! I think I would plug on along to Roncesvalles to stay the night in a hostel there, but if the steep climb was too much, I could try to find a bed in Orisson. Looks nice.

Also, I found some blog entries written by a lady from Charlestown who walked the Camino in May, 2007. Here's her entry about this particular section of the Camino. I think her name is Kathy Dempsey, retired, in her 50's. The Camino was a retirement present to herself.

To finish up this first day's walk, I need to walk another 16.8km (10.4 miles) and climb 500 meters. The adjusted distance would be 18.95km or about 12 miles. So that's my minimum goal for this week. Maybe I'll get in more miles.

(Hostel in Orisson)

(Orientation panel in Orisson)

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