love the life you live Peace Corps Cambodia ☮: pics
Great to hear about your new digs. Miss you, too. Just so you know about the eating by yourself thing...I was invited to one of my Vietnamese student's homes for dinner and when I arrived, everyone was very hospitable and friendly but when it was time to eat, they brought out dinner and sat me down in front of it and then everyone sat on the sides of the room to watch me eat it! Did I feel uncomfortable. No one ate anything. I never did figure it out but it just was....I find it fascinating to learn about how different cultures operate...sometimes, I realize how fortunate I am to be female in the US; sometimes, I see a greater acceptance of aging or sexualityh or aging....lots to learn, Eileen...you seem to be very observant. I am enjoying reading your blog....Love, Aunt A marygeth
Friday, September 3, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
When The World Is Mudluscious
And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.
Gn 1: 31
Evenings come and mornings follow. It is a rhythm that beats as naturally as our hearts. In my little apartment, my small space in a great God-inspired world, Susie and Deliah have become a part of this rhythm as easily as the sunrise and sunset. They rest their heads securely on my lap or sleep comfortably at my feet. I find peace at the end of long days. And it is good. They hearken to the sparrow’s call outside the curtained window. They awaken my eyes and eyes along with theirs. And it is good. There is a spiritual symbiosis bonding us together that cannot be explained.
On a grand spring morning as it is today, you cannot do anything but marvel at God’s creation. Spring bursts from every speck of air outside. In bloom. In birds. In blossom. Easter, the key moment for Christian belief, rips open its darkened tomb and the world rejoices. We can see how good it all is.
On a grand spring morning, when the world is “mudluscious”, it can only be good. Exactly as God intended it to be. And that alone is cause to rejoice.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.
Gn 1: 31
Evenings come and mornings follow. It is a rhythm that beats as naturally as our hearts. In my little apartment, my small space in a great God-inspired world, Susie and Deliah have become a part of this rhythm as easily as the sunrise and sunset. They rest their heads securely on my lap or sleep comfortably at my feet. I find peace at the end of long days. And it is good. They hearken to the sparrow’s call outside the curtained window. They awaken my eyes and eyes along with theirs. And it is good. There is a spiritual symbiosis bonding us together that cannot be explained.
On a grand spring morning as it is today, you cannot do anything but marvel at God’s creation. Spring bursts from every speck of air outside. In bloom. In birds. In blossom. Easter, the key moment for Christian belief, rips open its darkened tomb and the world rejoices. We can see how good it all is.
On a grand spring morning, when the world is “mudluscious”, it can only be good. Exactly as God intended it to be. And that alone is cause to rejoice.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Take a minute to meditate
In you, O LORD, I take refuge
For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust,
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
Ps 71: 1, 5ab-6ab
It is a bleak and dreary morning. The second day drenched with rain and a month declared the wettest in the most recent past. A perfect setting for Holy Week. Not for the first days of Spring.
Our spirits sometimes reflect the atmosphere. I witness a much quieter city street. Notice a lack of activity outside. I find my interior space and prefer its warmth than to expose it to the elements of life and living. Susie and Deliah instinctually know when to withdraw—disappear under the bed or into a closet. As much as we need sunshine, we need rain for the opportunity to run and seek the shelter of our interior self. Take a minute or two to sit today instead of cleaning out closets or spring cleaning.
Twenty minutes of meditation can add minutes to your life instead of subtracting from it. That’s the simple arithmetic. Dr. Robert Schneider, director of the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention, a research institute based at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, suggests that the stress reduction produced by meditation can cause changes in the brain that cut stress hormones like cortisol and dampen the inflammatory processes associated with atherosclerosis (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0CE6D91238F937A15752C1A96F9C8B63). That’s pretty powerful stuff.
So, I am putting the Pledge and dust cloth down. Today, while it teems “cats and dogs” outside, I am meditating with my cats. Notice the little sign outside our door, “Knock before entering.”
Monday, March 29, 2010
The Lord Is My Light and Salvation
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Ps 27: 1a
Cats give up the ability to see fine detail and rich colors in exchange for the ability to see in the dark (http://www.cathealth.com/CatEyes.htm). Deliah, Susie and I see the world differently. When there is darkness, I need light. But human darkness is far more than just an absence of light. It is also the absence of hope.
There are times when the world is darker. There are days. There are months. There are years. They are shaded by events beyond our control or created by our own mistakes or the mistakes of others. Unlike a cat, we are unable to see through the dark night.
Some psalms are such simple metaphors, such simple guides to spiritual living but not easy to live. When we are in the dark—alone and afraid—it is difficult to remember that anyone is there for us.
I am reminded of the horrible images after the earthquake in Haiti and one particular rescue. A woman entombed in the rubble for several days, assumed dead, was found alive. At first, only her head and face emerged and she began to sing in Creole a hymn of thanksgiving and praise. It brought tears to my eyes. I was so moved by her faith. She was symbolic of Haiti’s resurrection.
Whatever darkness, whatever pain, whatever disappointment, there is always prayer. And from it, light.
Ps 27: 1a
Cats give up the ability to see fine detail and rich colors in exchange for the ability to see in the dark (http://www.cathealth.com/CatEyes.htm). Deliah, Susie and I see the world differently. When there is darkness, I need light. But human darkness is far more than just an absence of light. It is also the absence of hope.
There are times when the world is darker. There are days. There are months. There are years. They are shaded by events beyond our control or created by our own mistakes or the mistakes of others. Unlike a cat, we are unable to see through the dark night.
Some psalms are such simple metaphors, such simple guides to spiritual living but not easy to live. When we are in the dark—alone and afraid—it is difficult to remember that anyone is there for us.
I am reminded of the horrible images after the earthquake in Haiti and one particular rescue. A woman entombed in the rubble for several days, assumed dead, was found alive. At first, only her head and face emerged and she began to sing in Creole a hymn of thanksgiving and praise. It brought tears to my eyes. I was so moved by her faith. She was symbolic of Haiti’s resurrection.
Whatever darkness, whatever pain, whatever disappointment, there is always prayer. And from it, light.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
My God, My God, Why Have You Abandoned Me?
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Ps 22: 2a
These are powerful words. So powerful, they are remembered. Maybe not chapter or verse, but they are remembered. It is the utterance of human identification. A collective fear. A sometime in a lifetime moment.
I doubt that Deliah or Susie have processed their abandonment so long ago. They only sought food and warmth and shelter. Without the burden of thinking, they escaped the fears of their own making. Worrying about how they would eat next month or even next week.
How many times I have uttered that phrase. In different ways but with the same intention. How many times I have felt so alone that even God has walked out of the room. But I am not alone. We all suffer disappointments. Setbacks. Illnesses. Rents go unpaid. People get sick. Things don’t go the way that we want. Our loved ones hurt us. Hurt us again. We suffer sleepless nights worrying about the things that need to be put in God’s hands. Why have you abandoned us?
When I am suffering my angst, I need open my eyes. I need to notice God in the disappointments and in the despair. High school seniors running a dress boutique restore the dreams for needy girls to go to a prom or to a Sweet 16. Operation Fairy Dust is God walking into the room. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/nyregion/28about.html?ref=nyregion) A donor’s conference at the United Nations discusses the ways in which monies from around the world will help rebuild Haiti. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/opinion/28sun1.html?hp) We can criticize the world for abandoning many places but can applaud it loudly when it resounds of God’s love. We are God’s response to the question.
When I am suffering my angst, I need to know I’m human. It’s all right to be fearful. It’s all right to feel alone. Christ sat in the Garden of Gethsemane and felt the same way. Christ got down on his knees and prayed. That’s all I need to do, too. A very human man was afraid and called out in his fear. When I do the same, I am heard, too.
Ps 22: 2a
These are powerful words. So powerful, they are remembered. Maybe not chapter or verse, but they are remembered. It is the utterance of human identification. A collective fear. A sometime in a lifetime moment.
I doubt that Deliah or Susie have processed their abandonment so long ago. They only sought food and warmth and shelter. Without the burden of thinking, they escaped the fears of their own making. Worrying about how they would eat next month or even next week.
How many times I have uttered that phrase. In different ways but with the same intention. How many times I have felt so alone that even God has walked out of the room. But I am not alone. We all suffer disappointments. Setbacks. Illnesses. Rents go unpaid. People get sick. Things don’t go the way that we want. Our loved ones hurt us. Hurt us again. We suffer sleepless nights worrying about the things that need to be put in God’s hands. Why have you abandoned us?
When I am suffering my angst, I need open my eyes. I need to notice God in the disappointments and in the despair. High school seniors running a dress boutique restore the dreams for needy girls to go to a prom or to a Sweet 16. Operation Fairy Dust is God walking into the room. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/nyregion/28about.html?ref=nyregion) A donor’s conference at the United Nations discusses the ways in which monies from around the world will help rebuild Haiti. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/opinion/28sun1.html?hp) We can criticize the world for abandoning many places but can applaud it loudly when it resounds of God’s love. We are God’s response to the question.
When I am suffering my angst, I need to know I’m human. It’s all right to be fearful. It’s all right to feel alone. Christ sat in the Garden of Gethsemane and felt the same way. Christ got down on his knees and prayed. That’s all I need to do, too. A very human man was afraid and called out in his fear. When I do the same, I am heard, too.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Slow is as equally important as Fast.....
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.
Jeremiah 31:10
I can’t remember the last time I sat and reflected on anything. Life has been just too busy. When my life becomes as fanatic as it’s been, it always leads me to the question, Is this what God wants?
Jeremiah’s passage reminds me of how often the Lord as my Shepherd metaphor is used and how apropos it is. I must appear as a lamb who has become separated from the rest of the flock. running aimlessly searching for the safety and warmth and protection of “my family.” When I think of my life in those terms, I already know the answer.
That’s the wonderful thing about Susie and Deliah as my role models. They do not do anything fanatically; I don’t believe the word is in a cat’s vocabulary. Oh, I have seen them run pass skidding across the wood floor and tumblesaulting onto the bed and spring boarding upon the dresser. That is not fanatic. Nor is it rushing. That is cat gymnastics. Afterwards, there is always a well-deserved nap.
Fanatic, in modern terms, probably has become nuanced by a frenzy of movement rather than motivation. Oh, I am sure there are but a few religious fanatics around, but fanatically fueled people abound. Unlike Deliah and Susie, society applauds those who accumulate wealth and measure success by appearance. An enormous amount of our time is spent devoted to those things while we neglect the more important aspects of what comprises a quality life: rest, relaxation, recreation and reflection.
It is already Holy Week and either my busy schedule or its effect on me has kept me from spiritually engaging in this very important remembrance of Christ’s life. Susie and Deliah, sleeping at my side, remind me that slow is as equally important as fast. I can choose not to rush. I can choose to rest between what has to be done. And not everything has to be done in one day. I can choose what is important and what is not.
I can always find gratitude in my day. If I only slow up long enough to be able to glance the blessings in between.
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.
Jeremiah 31:10
I can’t remember the last time I sat and reflected on anything. Life has been just too busy. When my life becomes as fanatic as it’s been, it always leads me to the question, Is this what God wants?
Jeremiah’s passage reminds me of how often the Lord as my Shepherd metaphor is used and how apropos it is. I must appear as a lamb who has become separated from the rest of the flock. running aimlessly searching for the safety and warmth and protection of “my family.” When I think of my life in those terms, I already know the answer.
That’s the wonderful thing about Susie and Deliah as my role models. They do not do anything fanatically; I don’t believe the word is in a cat’s vocabulary. Oh, I have seen them run pass skidding across the wood floor and tumblesaulting onto the bed and spring boarding upon the dresser. That is not fanatic. Nor is it rushing. That is cat gymnastics. Afterwards, there is always a well-deserved nap.
Fanatic, in modern terms, probably has become nuanced by a frenzy of movement rather than motivation. Oh, I am sure there are but a few religious fanatics around, but fanatically fueled people abound. Unlike Deliah and Susie, society applauds those who accumulate wealth and measure success by appearance. An enormous amount of our time is spent devoted to those things while we neglect the more important aspects of what comprises a quality life: rest, relaxation, recreation and reflection.
It is already Holy Week and either my busy schedule or its effect on me has kept me from spiritually engaging in this very important remembrance of Christ’s life. Susie and Deliah, sleeping at my side, remind me that slow is as equally important as fast. I can choose not to rush. I can choose to rest between what has to be done. And not everything has to be done in one day. I can choose what is important and what is not.
I can always find gratitude in my day. If I only slow up long enough to be able to glance the blessings in between.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Blessed the tree who stretches its roots to the stream
Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
it fears not the heat when it comes;
its leaves stay green;
in the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.
Jer 17:7-8
Marvel the wonders of new technology. Susie and Deliah’s circulating water fountain has proved a huge hit. No more changing water everyday. No more worrying about their not getting their fill. Like a mini-water treatment plant in our kitchen, Susie and Deliah can access clean, filtered and fresh water whenever they like.
I rarely consider modern innovation or technology miraculous. Or, for that matter, a gift from God. It is here. It is accessible. And I can pretty much learn how to use most of it. Providing Susie and Deliah fresh water is the least of it.
Kamal Krishnan of New Delhi doesn’t think it so ordinary. She’d marvel at my two cats’ ultra modern “watering hole”. Ms. Krishnan and the rest of the New Delhi community scavenges for fresh water daily. “Warning of “an unparalleled water crisis,” the [New Delhi Human Development Report] study released in August found that 25 percent of New Delhi households had no access to piped water, and that 27 percent got water for less than three hours a day.” Corporate greed, overdevelopment, human consumption, and population growth have all contributed to the Yamuna River’s demise and New Delhi’s thirst. Once the life spring of New Delhi, it is now its life threat—carrying disease, pollution, contaminated wildlife and not enough potable water to sustain its population.
It is easy to take certain comforts for granted—water, shelter, food. I expect government and society to secure these minimum benefits, but now that I reflect on it, how easily I forget that I need to stay on my watch, too.
New Delhi is the richest city in India today but can only deliver water to a handful of its residents for 3 to 4 hours a day. This situation didn’t occur overnight. In a nation that prides itself on being one of the largest democratic nations in the world, there had been little attention paid to the Yamuna as New Delhi’s economy soared and its factories and industries dumped sewage and other pollutants into its very life source.
Climate change, global warming and environment are not just buzz words. Witness India. We look to her in envy when we see her become one the fastest growing global economies. Yet we fail to recognize some disastrous failures that will eventually cause great damage to her future. The world seems to want what it wants when it wants it—NOW. It has forgotten about tomorrow. Or what it will leave behind.
I know that Susie and Deliah enjoy that water fountain. I never thought about it recycling the water it uses. I only thought about my indulging my cats. Therein lies our sin—not thinking.
India stands on the threshold of “an era of water scarcity.” It never meant to go there. People were merely thoughtless—not thinking the earth miraculous. Most inhabitants here share the same flaw.
Maybe, that’s why some of us have cats. To remind us that even the smallest parts of God’s creation have wondrous effects—sometimes even miraculous ones.
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
it fears not the heat when it comes;
its leaves stay green;
in the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.
Jer 17:7-8
Marvel the wonders of new technology. Susie and Deliah’s circulating water fountain has proved a huge hit. No more changing water everyday. No more worrying about their not getting their fill. Like a mini-water treatment plant in our kitchen, Susie and Deliah can access clean, filtered and fresh water whenever they like.
I rarely consider modern innovation or technology miraculous. Or, for that matter, a gift from God. It is here. It is accessible. And I can pretty much learn how to use most of it. Providing Susie and Deliah fresh water is the least of it.
Kamal Krishnan of New Delhi doesn’t think it so ordinary. She’d marvel at my two cats’ ultra modern “watering hole”. Ms. Krishnan and the rest of the New Delhi community scavenges for fresh water daily. “Warning of “an unparalleled water crisis,” the [New Delhi Human Development Report] study released in August found that 25 percent of New Delhi households had no access to piped water, and that 27 percent got water for less than three hours a day.” Corporate greed, overdevelopment, human consumption, and population growth have all contributed to the Yamuna River’s demise and New Delhi’s thirst. Once the life spring of New Delhi, it is now its life threat—carrying disease, pollution, contaminated wildlife and not enough potable water to sustain its population.
It is easy to take certain comforts for granted—water, shelter, food. I expect government and society to secure these minimum benefits, but now that I reflect on it, how easily I forget that I need to stay on my watch, too.
New Delhi is the richest city in India today but can only deliver water to a handful of its residents for 3 to 4 hours a day. This situation didn’t occur overnight. In a nation that prides itself on being one of the largest democratic nations in the world, there had been little attention paid to the Yamuna as New Delhi’s economy soared and its factories and industries dumped sewage and other pollutants into its very life source.
Climate change, global warming and environment are not just buzz words. Witness India. We look to her in envy when we see her become one the fastest growing global economies. Yet we fail to recognize some disastrous failures that will eventually cause great damage to her future. The world seems to want what it wants when it wants it—NOW. It has forgotten about tomorrow. Or what it will leave behind.
I know that Susie and Deliah enjoy that water fountain. I never thought about it recycling the water it uses. I only thought about my indulging my cats. Therein lies our sin—not thinking.
India stands on the threshold of “an era of water scarcity.” It never meant to go there. People were merely thoughtless—not thinking the earth miraculous. Most inhabitants here share the same flaw.
Maybe, that’s why some of us have cats. To remind us that even the smallest parts of God’s creation have wondrous effects—sometimes even miraculous ones.
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