Create for me, O God, a steadfast spirit
and renew me with a
willing spirit to proclaim your praise.
Ps 51: 12-13, 17
The weather has been frigid in the Northeastern part of the United States….our morning ritual of throwing open the window and curtains in the kitchen to grasp that first flash of sunrise has been abandoned. Both Susie and Deliah have jumped down off the windowsill as quickly as they had up once they felt the chill. Their seat of choice these days has been next to the radiator.
It makes me think about how much I love my own “creature comforts.” Many, many things in my life have been abandoned because of the sudden “chills” they have caused and my choosing the radiator instead. Friendships—maintaining them, church attendance—oh, Lord, another hour of sleep! or exercise, to name a few. I marvel at the grace that must have been poured upon me in my (almost) daily morning meditation with Susie and Deliah. I have been blessed.
Certainly, God does work in strange ways and creates a dazzling array of mismatched miracles. When my own spiritual life seemed to wane, I was touched by two very prophetic cats.
Across the river from me, in Manhattan, two dogs, Bix and Harry, also similarly changed the lives of the residents at 115 W. 86th Street. A quintessentially gridded apartment building became interconnected and humanized by their building’s “elder statesmen”. Lives once frozen, thawed. The residents this weekend grieved their mutual passing.
Life moves at an alarmingly rapid pace today and it is easy to get sucked in by its centrifugal force. We need something to grab on to, yet we let go of the very things that have grounded us. We are spun too quickly and too loosely and are lost.
A prayer. A quiet still moment before day’s rush. A favorite line of poetry. Two cats. A dog. A canary singing sweetly in the parlor. All of these things. All of these miracles. God has provided us with many moments for our lips to purse praise.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Thy Will Not Mine Be Done: My Cats' Willingness and Mine
Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission than the fat of rams.
1 Sm 15:21
Obedience is not Deliah’s or Susie’s strongest trait. In fact, they both lack submission and obedience. They rule the house rather than our ruling them. I suspect such is the relationship with the species, cat.
Scientists studying the origins of cats have concluded that cats chose humans rather than humans choosing them. A recent article in Scientific American, The Taming of the Cat, emphasizes the irony: “as to utility to humans, let us just say cats do not take instruction well. Such attributes suggest that whereas other domesticates were recruited from the wild by humans who bred them for specific tasks, cats most likely chose to live among humans because of opportunities they found for themselves.” Let’s face it. You don’t often see a cat run and fetch a stick. Or roll over. Or better yet, meow three times on your command.
But for humans, obedience and submission are often a sign of faith rather than a display of weakness. In faith, we find strength. Life presents many, many things for which we have no control—illness, accidents, loss of jobs, homes. The only options we have are to accept where we are, pray and hope. When fear and worry cause us to ask where God is or why this has happened to me, we do need to depend on God. Faith helps us leave God in charge.
I was watching TV earlier today and saw one of the many amazing rescues in Haiti. A woman was being pulled from a collapsed bank which was now being bulldozed. They assumed no one inside was still alive. When she emerged, she burst into song. In French Creole, she sang deeply and reverently, “Lord, let me not fear death.” Five days entombed inside a collapsed building and now resurrection. Now, glory. Yet she still sang to the Lord for His will not hers. I can’t imagine being witness to such a magnificent manifestation of faith.
Obedience and submission are words that oppose modern thought. Yet how routinely I repeat the phrase, “Thy will not mine be done.” Do I possess the faith of the woman buried beneath that building or am I as willful as my cats?
and submission than the fat of rams.
1 Sm 15:21
Obedience is not Deliah’s or Susie’s strongest trait. In fact, they both lack submission and obedience. They rule the house rather than our ruling them. I suspect such is the relationship with the species, cat.
Scientists studying the origins of cats have concluded that cats chose humans rather than humans choosing them. A recent article in Scientific American, The Taming of the Cat, emphasizes the irony: “as to utility to humans, let us just say cats do not take instruction well. Such attributes suggest that whereas other domesticates were recruited from the wild by humans who bred them for specific tasks, cats most likely chose to live among humans because of opportunities they found for themselves.” Let’s face it. You don’t often see a cat run and fetch a stick. Or roll over. Or better yet, meow three times on your command.
But for humans, obedience and submission are often a sign of faith rather than a display of weakness. In faith, we find strength. Life presents many, many things for which we have no control—illness, accidents, loss of jobs, homes. The only options we have are to accept where we are, pray and hope. When fear and worry cause us to ask where God is or why this has happened to me, we do need to depend on God. Faith helps us leave God in charge.
I was watching TV earlier today and saw one of the many amazing rescues in Haiti. A woman was being pulled from a collapsed bank which was now being bulldozed. They assumed no one inside was still alive. When she emerged, she burst into song. In French Creole, she sang deeply and reverently, “Lord, let me not fear death.” Five days entombed inside a collapsed building and now resurrection. Now, glory. Yet she still sang to the Lord for His will not hers. I can’t imagine being witness to such a magnificent manifestation of faith.
Obedience and submission are words that oppose modern thought. Yet how routinely I repeat the phrase, “Thy will not mine be done.” Do I possess the faith of the woman buried beneath that building or am I as willful as my cats?
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Instinct to Run
No more shall people call you “Forsaken, “
or your land “Desolate, “
but you shall be called “My Delight, “
and your land “Espoused.”
For the LORD delights in you
and makes your land his spouse.
As a young man marries a virgin,
your Builder shall marry you;
and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride
so shall your God rejoice in you.
Is 62:4-5
My morning meditation with Susie and Deliah is my quiet time, my time and space to jumpstart a smooth ride for my day. The last few days, my meditations have been distracted by the many images of tragedy from Haiti.
Today, instead of tragedy, I saw a nation rising. A phoenix. Groups of people assembling together to pray. Amazing. Grace. These people deserve an answer to their prayers.
I read this Scripture passage from Isaiah and know these “forsaken” mustn’t remain this way. From the rubble, from the ashes, they need their land to be called “espoused.”
Haiti, caught off guard, could not escape like a cat might even if it had felt the preceding P-waves of disaster. It was not prepared. It had been so forsaken long ago that it was too ill-prepared. It lacked the infrastructure needed to withstand a quake, the technology to predict one, the foresight to safeguard its people. Poverty and the world’s disregard shook this nation long before an earthquake.
Cats, like Susie and Deliah, use instinct to run before an earthquake. The ancient Greeks used cats as the earliest seismologic instruments.
Haitians have used instinct, too, to run before—political upheavals, economic despair, national crisis. They had nothing left to use to help with natural disasters.
The Creole expression, “Behind the mountains, there are more mountains,” paints a people of strength and faith. They are as determined as they are devout. That they gathered today prayerfully together to worship is testament to their holiness. And may God only bless them.
or your land “Desolate, “
but you shall be called “My Delight, “
and your land “Espoused.”
For the LORD delights in you
and makes your land his spouse.
As a young man marries a virgin,
your Builder shall marry you;
and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride
so shall your God rejoice in you.
Is 62:4-5
My morning meditation with Susie and Deliah is my quiet time, my time and space to jumpstart a smooth ride for my day. The last few days, my meditations have been distracted by the many images of tragedy from Haiti.
Today, instead of tragedy, I saw a nation rising. A phoenix. Groups of people assembling together to pray. Amazing. Grace. These people deserve an answer to their prayers.
I read this Scripture passage from Isaiah and know these “forsaken” mustn’t remain this way. From the rubble, from the ashes, they need their land to be called “espoused.”
Haiti, caught off guard, could not escape like a cat might even if it had felt the preceding P-waves of disaster. It was not prepared. It had been so forsaken long ago that it was too ill-prepared. It lacked the infrastructure needed to withstand a quake, the technology to predict one, the foresight to safeguard its people. Poverty and the world’s disregard shook this nation long before an earthquake.
Cats, like Susie and Deliah, use instinct to run before an earthquake. The ancient Greeks used cats as the earliest seismologic instruments.
Haitians have used instinct, too, to run before—political upheavals, economic despair, national crisis. They had nothing left to use to help with natural disasters.
The Creole expression, “Behind the mountains, there are more mountains,” paints a people of strength and faith. They are as determined as they are devout. That they gathered today prayerfully together to worship is testament to their holiness. And may God only bless them.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
The Lord Raises The Poor from the dust......
My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.
1 Samuel: 1, 6-7
I haven’t blogged in a few days. Life’s been very busy and very good. I am blessed.
In just as many few days’ time, life in Haiti, which hadn’t been very good in the first place, went from very busy to very still. I sit in front of a TV screen and watch mostly numbed expressionless faces, traumatized by loss and nature’s wrath, by weariness.
I have no words. I have no insights. I am a very little person in the midst of a very big collapsible world. There is little I can do. I can only take comfort in God. In two cats. I get up. I work. I pray. Just as the people I see on the TV screen had done. No different. We are the same. We are one.
The world wages war sometimes. The world works together at others. In war. In peace. In perilous economies. In prosperity. In all times. In the best of times and in the worst of times, we are better together than alone.
Today, I need to believe that none of us are alone. That God is with all of us. That each poor soul lost somewhere beneath the dusty rubble of the streets of Port-au-Prince did not perish alone.
We need to always remember that God is in me and He is in you and that we are all here for each other.
He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.
1 Samuel: 1, 6-7
I haven’t blogged in a few days. Life’s been very busy and very good. I am blessed.
In just as many few days’ time, life in Haiti, which hadn’t been very good in the first place, went from very busy to very still. I sit in front of a TV screen and watch mostly numbed expressionless faces, traumatized by loss and nature’s wrath, by weariness.
I have no words. I have no insights. I am a very little person in the midst of a very big collapsible world. There is little I can do. I can only take comfort in God. In two cats. I get up. I work. I pray. Just as the people I see on the TV screen had done. No different. We are the same. We are one.
The world wages war sometimes. The world works together at others. In war. In peace. In perilous economies. In prosperity. In all times. In the best of times and in the worst of times, we are better together than alone.
Today, I need to believe that none of us are alone. That God is with all of us. That each poor soul lost somewhere beneath the dusty rubble of the streets of Port-au-Prince did not perish alone.
We need to always remember that God is in me and He is in you and that we are all here for each other.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Curling Like a Piece of Clay: What I Learned from Gumby and My Cats
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
Ps 116:12
Unlike Susie and Deliah, we don't always land on our feet. Some of us have troubles chasing us and a lot of falls. No one could epitomize the shaky road of life other than the cartoon character, Gumby,"a little green slab of clay", who quixotically fought against the "Blockheads", a continual source of mischief in his life. Ironically, Gumby's creator, Art Clokey, also created a clay animation, "Davey and Goliath", perhaps, his archetype. Reading Clokey's obituary today, it is obvious that Gumby was the result of Clokey's gratitude for all that had been done in his life. Gumby was his return.
Clokey, once Arthur Farrington, was a child of divorce by age 8, an orphan by age 9 and placed in a children's home by age 10. At 11, Joseph Clokey adopted him and introduced him to both secular and spiritual music and the arts. And how would Mr. Clokey "make a return to the Lord"? By attending seminary to become an Episcopal priest. He didn't. He created Gumby instead. Gumby created his own spiritual lesson about virtue and loyalty and gratitude.
Gratitude? An important attitude. It improves life and its experience immensely. "Have an attitude of gratitude" is often cited as an axiom for maintaining a life free of envy or resentment. Emotions that are toxic to our life experience and the causes of most depression, anger and conflict in our world. The very emotions that might have consumed Mr. Clokey's life if he hadn't found gratitude and a magical world for Gumby to escape to.
Since adopting Susie and Deliah, I do find more gratitude in my life. No matter how bad the day when I come home and find them, I find gratitude for having these adorable pets. They bring great joy into my life. They have even once or twice brought consolation, sometimes licking away salty tears as I lay sorrowfully in bed.
What return does the Lord ask us in exchange for the good done us? As Art Clokey's life demonstrated--laughter. Clokey's response to Eddie Murphy's SNL's parody of his bendable friend, "Gumby has to laugh at himself, too." God wants us to have joy. Delight. To find that one piece of dust to play with. To grab a nap when you can. To make biscuits. To stretch out in the sun. To be able to bend. To imagine a place less complicated than you've fallen into and trust that God will get you there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/arts/television/11clokey.html?ref=todayspaper
http://www.nbcchicago.com/entertainment/television/Gumby-Lives-Dammit-81097367.html
for all the good he has done for me?
Ps 116:12
Unlike Susie and Deliah, we don't always land on our feet. Some of us have troubles chasing us and a lot of falls. No one could epitomize the shaky road of life other than the cartoon character, Gumby,"a little green slab of clay", who quixotically fought against the "Blockheads", a continual source of mischief in his life. Ironically, Gumby's creator, Art Clokey, also created a clay animation, "Davey and Goliath", perhaps, his archetype. Reading Clokey's obituary today, it is obvious that Gumby was the result of Clokey's gratitude for all that had been done in his life. Gumby was his return.
Clokey, once Arthur Farrington, was a child of divorce by age 8, an orphan by age 9 and placed in a children's home by age 10. At 11, Joseph Clokey adopted him and introduced him to both secular and spiritual music and the arts. And how would Mr. Clokey "make a return to the Lord"? By attending seminary to become an Episcopal priest. He didn't. He created Gumby instead. Gumby created his own spiritual lesson about virtue and loyalty and gratitude.
Gratitude? An important attitude. It improves life and its experience immensely. "Have an attitude of gratitude" is often cited as an axiom for maintaining a life free of envy or resentment. Emotions that are toxic to our life experience and the causes of most depression, anger and conflict in our world. The very emotions that might have consumed Mr. Clokey's life if he hadn't found gratitude and a magical world for Gumby to escape to.
Since adopting Susie and Deliah, I do find more gratitude in my life. No matter how bad the day when I come home and find them, I find gratitude for having these adorable pets. They bring great joy into my life. They have even once or twice brought consolation, sometimes licking away salty tears as I lay sorrowfully in bed.
What return does the Lord ask us in exchange for the good done us? As Art Clokey's life demonstrated--laughter. Clokey's response to Eddie Murphy's SNL's parody of his bendable friend, "Gumby has to laugh at himself, too." God wants us to have joy. Delight. To find that one piece of dust to play with. To grab a nap when you can. To make biscuits. To stretch out in the sun. To be able to bend. To imagine a place less complicated than you've fallen into and trust that God will get you there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/arts/television/11clokey.html?ref=todayspaper
http://www.nbcchicago.com/entertainment/television/Gumby-Lives-Dammit-81097367.html
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Purring is Powerful
He shall bring forth justice to the nations,
not crying out,
not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
a bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench...
Is 42:2-3
Utter peace. Having Susie or Deliah lie down upon me and purr would be my definition of utter peace. After searching and self-searching and more searching, it was such a simple thing to find.
Of course, purring is perceived peacefulness--for me, not Susie or Deliah. Veterinarians agree that purring can occur during stressful moments in a cat's life, so it is just as likely that Susie or Deliah might purr during a trip to a vet as when lying on me. But for the average housecat today, purring occurs when there's social contact--petting, stroking or feeding. (There's very little stress in Susie's or Deliah's lives.)
Wherein I think purring is perfect, scientists propose a purpose: it is a signal between the muscle in the larynx and diaphragm that creates a sound frequency during inhaling and exhaling. Sort of a Cat's "Om". They have shown, however, that is isn't just a sound. Its frequency improves the cat's bone structure and promotes the cat's healing.
All I know is that I love the sound, I love the sensation and I love the serenity. And, yes, those scientists are right--it does promote healing. Mine.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-cats-purr
not crying out,
not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
a bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench...
Is 42:2-3
Utter peace. Having Susie or Deliah lie down upon me and purr would be my definition of utter peace. After searching and self-searching and more searching, it was such a simple thing to find.
Of course, purring is perceived peacefulness--for me, not Susie or Deliah. Veterinarians agree that purring can occur during stressful moments in a cat's life, so it is just as likely that Susie or Deliah might purr during a trip to a vet as when lying on me. But for the average housecat today, purring occurs when there's social contact--petting, stroking or feeding. (There's very little stress in Susie's or Deliah's lives.)
Wherein I think purring is perfect, scientists propose a purpose: it is a signal between the muscle in the larynx and diaphragm that creates a sound frequency during inhaling and exhaling. Sort of a Cat's "Om". They have shown, however, that is isn't just a sound. Its frequency improves the cat's bone structure and promotes the cat's healing.
All I know is that I love the sound, I love the sensation and I love the serenity. And, yes, those scientists are right--it does promote healing. Mine.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-cats-purr
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Delight: In Cats, In People and In Twilight Dining
The Lord takes delight in his people.
Ps 149: 4a
It's Saturday morning! Alleluia! And God does take delight in some of his people because I know there are still many who are still laboring today. For me, there is a downshift in the movement of life. Today, I will be operating on one or two less cylinders (if in this computer age, they still exist).
Susie and Deliah note this change in motion--either with me or against me. Much of what goes on this morning or for the rest of the day will be largely determined by Susie and Deliah rather than I. And yet I take delight.
I take delight in watching them play. As I write this morning, they are engaged in a game of "cat and mouse" on either side of the table. Oops! there goes the tablecloth. Yet I take delight.
I delight in their antics. In spilled vases. In gentle purring. In annoying habits. In cat hair. And even hairballs. I have learned something about delight because of them. It is a feeling synonymous with love. Accepting another without judgment. Loving them. Wanting to be kind. Or patient. But delight mixes in the ingredient, joy, and that makes all the difference.
I delight in Susie and Deliah. In their unpredictable curiosity and natural instincts that make them as loving and as inquisitive as they are about the small life we share. It gives me a larger view of my relationship with God and with others.
I have begun to see things differently. To notice things. To take note of things. To find delightful things to share. You will not find me engaging in some hot-headed political debate in the corner of a cocktail party. No, expect me to share some non-world shattering byte of information that I've catalogued under delightful things. Between olives, I have found that we all desperately need delight. People are leaving the debates in the corners. We're skipping past the front page. We have a need to cross-reference our delight--
"Twilight" has become more than a vampire series. It is now the newly revised term used in Florida for "early bird" dining. "Twilight Dining" apparently has attracted a younger, economically minded clientle.
A restaurant owner in Florida jumped and landed on his feet when he re-invented the before 7 pm time slot as "early dining." Some humans as well as cats may have nine lives.
I obligingly continue to read The New York Times to keep up on the news but now seek out articles to delight in. Like Susie and Deliah, I need a tail to keep me balanced. Human interest stories in the midst of thousands of news bytes about doom and gloom have become "my tail." They reflect the human spirit's need to delight and God's delight in them.
Yes, God does delight in his people. Much the same way that I delight in Susie and Deliah. With great laughter. With compassion and with great love.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/09/business/economy/09earlybird.html?pagewanted=1&ref=todayspaper
Ps 149: 4a
It's Saturday morning! Alleluia! And God does take delight in some of his people because I know there are still many who are still laboring today. For me, there is a downshift in the movement of life. Today, I will be operating on one or two less cylinders (if in this computer age, they still exist).
Susie and Deliah note this change in motion--either with me or against me. Much of what goes on this morning or for the rest of the day will be largely determined by Susie and Deliah rather than I. And yet I take delight.
I take delight in watching them play. As I write this morning, they are engaged in a game of "cat and mouse" on either side of the table. Oops! there goes the tablecloth. Yet I take delight.
I delight in their antics. In spilled vases. In gentle purring. In annoying habits. In cat hair. And even hairballs. I have learned something about delight because of them. It is a feeling synonymous with love. Accepting another without judgment. Loving them. Wanting to be kind. Or patient. But delight mixes in the ingredient, joy, and that makes all the difference.
I delight in Susie and Deliah. In their unpredictable curiosity and natural instincts that make them as loving and as inquisitive as they are about the small life we share. It gives me a larger view of my relationship with God and with others.
I have begun to see things differently. To notice things. To take note of things. To find delightful things to share. You will not find me engaging in some hot-headed political debate in the corner of a cocktail party. No, expect me to share some non-world shattering byte of information that I've catalogued under delightful things. Between olives, I have found that we all desperately need delight. People are leaving the debates in the corners. We're skipping past the front page. We have a need to cross-reference our delight--
"Twilight" has become more than a vampire series. It is now the newly revised term used in Florida for "early bird" dining. "Twilight Dining" apparently has attracted a younger, economically minded clientle.
A restaurant owner in Florida jumped and landed on his feet when he re-invented the before 7 pm time slot as "early dining." Some humans as well as cats may have nine lives.
I obligingly continue to read The New York Times to keep up on the news but now seek out articles to delight in. Like Susie and Deliah, I need a tail to keep me balanced. Human interest stories in the midst of thousands of news bytes about doom and gloom have become "my tail." They reflect the human spirit's need to delight and God's delight in them.
Yes, God does delight in his people. Much the same way that I delight in Susie and Deliah. With great laughter. With compassion and with great love.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/09/business/economy/09earlybird.html?pagewanted=1&ref=todayspaper
Friday, January 8, 2010
"The Power of Pause"--The Orb of the Sun, Resplendent at Its Rising
The clear vault of the sky shines forth like heaven itself, a vision of glory.
The orb of the sun, resplendent at its rising:
what a wonderful work of the Most High!
Sir 43: 1-2
Cats are often seen at twilight or dawn--those transitional times between light and darkness. They prepare for a day of napping while I prepare for a day of work. That's why Susie and Deliah are such good company for me when I get up. They are serene and still, preparing for sleep. They force me to pause and prepare for life. Pausing, I have found, is a cunning cat behavior required before "the pounce". I certainly am not prepared to hunt or "to pounce", but pausing before taking action has proved a worthwhile idea to model. So, most mornings, we pause.
During winter, it is far too dark most mornings and this morning, in particular, it's snowed, so one more extra task has been added to my morning routine. I am not looking forward to leaving my warm cocoon of an apartment to enter the cold harsh winter air. Winter wonderland? It is not. At least, not from my perspective right now.
And that's how Susie and Deliah help me so immensely; that's how sitting with them and pausing helps me, too. Pausing. Praying. Changing perspectives. Today-I am looking out my window and creating a list of word associations that spiral into the descent of Dante's hell: snow, cold, traffic, accidents, shoveling. And then, climbing out.
If I choose to. If I sit with Susie and Del for a few minutes, read a Scripture passage and take a moment, just a moment, to pray. My word list begins to turn itself around: snow, white, crystal, peace--yes, wonderland. I can read words from Sirach, what a wonderful work of the most High, and agree. Two minutes before, I hadn't felt that way. Now, I can begin to marvel at the wonder-white world I've just awakened to.
According to the Buddhist religion, the body of the cat is the temporary resting place of the soul of very spiritual people. I look at Susie. I look at Deliah. Almost every time I do, I wonder. Who, who, I think, might have they been? I don't know. But I do know that because of them, I have recognized the power of pause. And I am thankful.
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/sirach/sirach43.htm
The orb of the sun, resplendent at its rising:
what a wonderful work of the Most High!
Sir 43: 1-2
Cats are often seen at twilight or dawn--those transitional times between light and darkness. They prepare for a day of napping while I prepare for a day of work. That's why Susie and Deliah are such good company for me when I get up. They are serene and still, preparing for sleep. They force me to pause and prepare for life. Pausing, I have found, is a cunning cat behavior required before "the pounce". I certainly am not prepared to hunt or "to pounce", but pausing before taking action has proved a worthwhile idea to model. So, most mornings, we pause.
During winter, it is far too dark most mornings and this morning, in particular, it's snowed, so one more extra task has been added to my morning routine. I am not looking forward to leaving my warm cocoon of an apartment to enter the cold harsh winter air. Winter wonderland? It is not. At least, not from my perspective right now.
And that's how Susie and Deliah help me so immensely; that's how sitting with them and pausing helps me, too. Pausing. Praying. Changing perspectives. Today-I am looking out my window and creating a list of word associations that spiral into the descent of Dante's hell: snow, cold, traffic, accidents, shoveling. And then, climbing out.
If I choose to. If I sit with Susie and Del for a few minutes, read a Scripture passage and take a moment, just a moment, to pray. My word list begins to turn itself around: snow, white, crystal, peace--yes, wonderland. I can read words from Sirach, what a wonderful work of the most High, and agree. Two minutes before, I hadn't felt that way. Now, I can begin to marvel at the wonder-white world I've just awakened to.
According to the Buddhist religion, the body of the cat is the temporary resting place of the soul of very spiritual people. I look at Susie. I look at Deliah. Almost every time I do, I wonder. Who, who, I think, might have they been? I don't know. But I do know that because of them, I have recognized the power of pause. And I am thankful.
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/sirach/sirach43.htm
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Hobson's Choice--Having Your Stomach Rubbed
May God's name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the people of the earth be blessed;
all the earth shall proclaim his happiness.
72:1-2, 14 and 15bc, 17
It used to be so easy to have found some thought or inspiration in the words from Scripture that I read everyday. Or to have sat quietly with Deliah and Susie in silent prayer as if in a monastery at dawn. Susie, Deliah and me (and I thought God, too).
Since I (not we've) decided to blog our morning experience, I've discovered too many parentheses interrupting my thoughts and my energy flow. It's a totally different experience to expose thoughts to a vast hollow vacuum of electronic HTML codes which transfer thought to a series of symbols and text so different from your original thoughts.
Deliah and Susie often roll over on their backs, signaling that they want their stomachs to be rubbed. Oh, how they delight in the sensation, but they do so very hesitatingly exposing themselves and making themselves so vulnerable. Hobson's choice.
I have found blogging to be a similar experience--rolling over on my back and exposing myself--sharing my once intimate experience--my prayer life--my own interpretation of "Lectio Divinia"-with the World Wide Web--I do so hesitantly. It is certainly something I need to re-consider as I proceed.
Deliah and Susie somehow had entered into my prayer space and over the past two years, almost every morning, have become my motivation for rising and disciplining myself to pray. I collected each and every journaled response and, of course, wanted to share it with others. Now, I reflect on this morning's psalm and see that this reflection might be about the earth I missed when I didn't stop to notice it, when I didn't stop to find gratitude for all my many blessings. Maybe, there is no other purpose in it other than to let me discover this observation.
So instead of a short, abrupt, pedantic musing, I offer the reader, if there be one, a stomach to be rubbed--very hesitantly--and two small cats as a reminder that all creation is blessed and that includes me and you.
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/psalms/psalm72.htm
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the people of the earth be blessed;
all the earth shall proclaim his happiness.
72:1-2, 14 and 15bc, 17
It used to be so easy to have found some thought or inspiration in the words from Scripture that I read everyday. Or to have sat quietly with Deliah and Susie in silent prayer as if in a monastery at dawn. Susie, Deliah and me (and I thought God, too).
Since I (not we've) decided to blog our morning experience, I've discovered too many parentheses interrupting my thoughts and my energy flow. It's a totally different experience to expose thoughts to a vast hollow vacuum of electronic HTML codes which transfer thought to a series of symbols and text so different from your original thoughts.
Deliah and Susie often roll over on their backs, signaling that they want their stomachs to be rubbed. Oh, how they delight in the sensation, but they do so very hesitatingly exposing themselves and making themselves so vulnerable. Hobson's choice.
I have found blogging to be a similar experience--rolling over on my back and exposing myself--sharing my once intimate experience--my prayer life--my own interpretation of "Lectio Divinia"-with the World Wide Web--I do so hesitantly. It is certainly something I need to re-consider as I proceed.
Deliah and Susie somehow had entered into my prayer space and over the past two years, almost every morning, have become my motivation for rising and disciplining myself to pray. I collected each and every journaled response and, of course, wanted to share it with others. Now, I reflect on this morning's psalm and see that this reflection might be about the earth I missed when I didn't stop to notice it, when I didn't stop to find gratitude for all my many blessings. Maybe, there is no other purpose in it other than to let me discover this observation.
So instead of a short, abrupt, pedantic musing, I offer the reader, if there be one, a stomach to be rubbed--very hesitantly--and two small cats as a reminder that all creation is blessed and that includes me and you.
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/psalms/psalm72.htm
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Greeting Sunrise: A Farewell to Wind Farms
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace,
till the moon be no more.
Ps 72:1-2
My morning meditation with Susie and Deliah has become ritual for me. So it wasn't surprising that an article about Cape Cod's native Wampanoag tribe's "spiritual ritual of greeting sunrise" caught my attention. A wind farm threatened their sunrise. The rush of day often threatens ours. The National Park Service recognized the importance of preserving the Wampanoags' or "people of the first light's" ritual. My morning space where Susie, Deliah and I have learned to greet our day preserves the importance of mine. Each of us needs our sunrise.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/science/earth/05wind.html
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace,
till the moon be no more.
Ps 72:1-2
My morning meditation with Susie and Deliah has become ritual for me. So it wasn't surprising that an article about Cape Cod's native Wampanoag tribe's "spiritual ritual of greeting sunrise" caught my attention. A wind farm threatened their sunrise. The rush of day often threatens ours. The National Park Service recognized the importance of preserving the Wampanoags' or "people of the first light's" ritual. My morning space where Susie, Deliah and I have learned to greet our day preserves the importance of mine. Each of us needs our sunrise.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/science/earth/05wind.html
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Whoever is without love does not know God,
for God is love.
God sent his only-begotten Son into the world
so that we might have life through him...
Not that we have loved God, but that he loved us.
1 Jn 4:8-10
Winter is upon us. When it is time to rise,it is dark and cold. There is no sun beckoning to join the day. And I am back to work after a two week holiday. Susie and Deliah, however, haven't gotten back into this schedule. As I fumbled around the kitchen and made coffee this morning, as I filled I their dishes and replenished their water, I did so sans either of them. With or without their company though, I'd make sure that they'd be okay before I left. Susie and Deliah can always rest comfortably in their beds knowing that their needs will be met whether they get up with me or not. It is quite unusual that I sit by myself during my morning meditations but like Susie and Deliah, I can always rest comfortably knowing my needs will be met, too, as I go forth into this day. Awake or at rest, God is always with me.
for God is love.
God sent his only-begotten Son into the world
so that we might have life through him...
Not that we have loved God, but that he loved us.
1 Jn 4:8-10
Winter is upon us. When it is time to rise,it is dark and cold. There is no sun beckoning to join the day. And I am back to work after a two week holiday. Susie and Deliah, however, haven't gotten back into this schedule. As I fumbled around the kitchen and made coffee this morning, as I filled I their dishes and replenished their water, I did so sans either of them. With or without their company though, I'd make sure that they'd be okay before I left. Susie and Deliah can always rest comfortably in their beds knowing that their needs will be met whether they get up with me or not. It is quite unusual that I sit by myself during my morning meditations but like Susie and Deliah, I can always rest comfortably knowing my needs will be met, too, as I go forth into this day. Awake or at rest, God is always with me.
Monday, January 4, 2010
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me.
Ps 40: 8a and 9 a
I wonder what Susie and Deliah do all day when I am working? I know when I walk in that door, they are always there to greet me--wagging their tails--waiting for me—my bending over and petting them. It must look quite look like a glockenspeil chiming outside some square high in the Alps. I doubt that they’ve been waiting behind that door all day for me (there’s too much discovered array in my absence). Nor I have been particularly thinking of them. But at that moment of entry, there is truly joy. Deliah and Susie recognize many moments of entry in their lives. Each new box, each new crinkled piece of paper, each new food smell—are all moments of entry. They do not hesitate to celebrate with a joyful sound! There are many moments of entry in my life, too. Susie and Deliah are two of them—everyday they bring such joy to me. They remind me that there are many wonderful things to wait for. There are many moments of God’s entry into my life if I don’t hesitate to enter them.
and he stooped toward me.
Ps 40: 8a and 9 a
I wonder what Susie and Deliah do all day when I am working? I know when I walk in that door, they are always there to greet me--wagging their tails--waiting for me—my bending over and petting them. It must look quite look like a glockenspeil chiming outside some square high in the Alps. I doubt that they’ve been waiting behind that door all day for me (there’s too much discovered array in my absence). Nor I have been particularly thinking of them. But at that moment of entry, there is truly joy. Deliah and Susie recognize many moments of entry in their lives. Each new box, each new crinkled piece of paper, each new food smell—are all moments of entry. They do not hesitate to celebrate with a joyful sound! There are many moments of entry in my life, too. Susie and Deliah are two of them—everyday they bring such joy to me. They remind me that there are many wonderful things to wait for. There are many moments of God’s entry into my life if I don’t hesitate to enter them.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Rise Up and Praise the Day
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem!
Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Susie and Deliah have chosen to remain on the goosedown quilt with me on this cold dark wintry morning. The temperature outside is below freezing and it is my last day to sleep late. But little by slowly, a slit of daylight, then a spark of sunbeam begins to illuminate the little space where we've nestled. I hear Susie and Deliah rustling beside me and feign sleep. Maybe they'll think I'm still asleep. It proves as useless as trying to escape this gloriously sunny, if not cold, day or God's hand in despair. Or as useless as not finding God's glory in dark spaces or splendor in the most ordinary moments of my day--especially those spent with my cats.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Everything God Has Touched Is Good
Then God said,
"Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures…
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed.
Gn 1: 24a, 31.
In having Susie and Deliah close to me, I have learned to respect all of God’s creation. It’s funny—I hadn’t been a cat person and now I am in love with "Delh--ee" and Susie, but I’ve also become a dog person, a pet person, a worshipper in God’s environment. Susie’s and Deliah’s links to creation have made me more whole, more connected, and more respectful of the world I share with others. I watch them and marvel at how everything God has made and touched is so very good. Now, when I witness something else that contradicts that, I know that as certain as evening comes, morning follows. The innocence, playfulness and goodness that are instinctive in Susie and Deliah are more prevalent in the universe. They are what God intended. And it is all good.
Friday, January 1, 2010
A New Year of Miracles--2010!
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name...and I will bless them.”
Nm 6:22-27
It is New Year's Day--the first day of a new decade, a day of anticipation, of wonder and expectation. A new year awaiting miraculous things to happen. The wonderful thing I've learned to appreciate in Susie and Deliah is vision--being watchful and wide awake enough to see the miracles in their lives. That piece of dust moving so mysteriously across the floor or the lonely white crested wren meeting daybreak outside our window. If I have only one prayer this new day of 2010, it would be to have eyes to see the miraculous things that happen around me every day of the year.
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