Deer by the Side of Road

                    Deer by the Side of Road

I took this picture one morning as I was walking down our road.  I had taken along my camera as usual, in case I came along something I wanted to photograph.  As I came over a small hill, I first noticed the way the light played on the tire tracks in the gravel road. Seeing the deer I stopped, and had just enough time to take the photo before the deer retreated into the brush.

This photo is a reminder of the importance of slowing down and noticing the world around us. It's only when we realize that life is more than a straight road to our next goal that we begin to see the gifts at the periphery. 

The question to ask ourselves each day is, "What gift is waiting to be discovered today?"

Storms & Rainbows

                             Rainbow

With all the rain, flooding and tornadoes this Spring, the rainbow carries a new significance to many.  This sign in the sky is not meant to downplay the devastation that many are facing; it's not a "don't worry, be happy" message.

The rainbow reminds us that God continues to accompany us, sharing our suffering and loss.  God's faithfulness is painted across the sky, proclaiming that even now, in these most difficult times, the Love that created us continues to surround us - comforting us in our loss, and strengthening us as we go forward. 

                            Rainbow*
                                

                                Passing through
                                 water droplets,
                                 sunlight scatters
                                 into colors;
                                 a streak
                                 of vibrant hues
                                 crossing
                                 once-threatening skies.

                                A promise of faithfulness
 
                *from Fields of Grace, Everyday Encounters with the Holy, by Cathy Scherer Stubbs

Spring Field*

                            Spring Field

                                   
Spring planting season was an important part of the year on the farm where I grew up.  It was always exciting to see the transformation of a field that had been bare ground suddenly give rise to orderly rows of crops. 

It wasn't unusual to see a clump of trees growing in the middle of a field, and I remember that when I asked my father about the trees he told me the story of a particular clump of trees.  It turned out that when the field had been originally cleared there had been a lot of rocks which had to be picked up and set aside before the field could be planted.  The rocks had been piled in one central site, and over the years the trees had grown up around them since the soil hadn't been disturbed.  The trees also served the purpose of marking the area where the rocks had been piled so the farmer knew to avoid that spot.

                        Spring Field*
                
                                 Orderly lines
                                   fashion a pattern
                                   in newly-turned earth.

                                Seedlings in
                                  precise formation
                                  make way for the
                                  wisdom figure
                                  in their midst;
                                  acknowledging the
                                  presence of One
                                  greater than they.

                    *from Fields of Grace, Everyday Encounters with the Holy by Cathy Scherer Stubbs

Clothesline*

 

It seems that Spring will never arrive - we've had snow for the first few days in May - something very unusual even for Minnesota!

 

I managed to hang some laundry outside on one of the (very few) warm days in April. While I appreciate the convenience of the clothes dryer; at the end of the day there is nothing like crawling between sheets that were dried in the wind and sun.

 

 

Clothesline*

 

 

                  Rusted poles with

                         outstretched arms

                         balance gracefully,

                         frozen in time.

 

                        Drooping lines

                         abandoned in favor

                         of tumbled warmth

                         wait patiently
                         to be rediscovered.

 

                       Memories of heavy

                         burdens made light

                         sweetened with the

                         scent of sun and wind

                         hang in the air.
       *from Fields of Grace, Everyday Encounters with the Holy

Something to Ponder: 

The gift of God's love is always available - making heavy burdens light and giving us rest at the end of the day.

 

           



Boot Planter

 

 

This is the reflection I wrote that gradually gave way to the poem "Boot Planter" in Fields of Grace.

 

 

"Just when I think this is the end of my usefulness there emerges another way.  When I can no longer move, my stillness presents another way to grow.

 

The earth that I once walked upon now fills me - there is no separation between me and life - I take it all in.  It would be tempting to say there is nothing else I can offer now, but I would be missing so much.

 

I wonder what else in my life I am discounting, what else I'm ready to discard that could lead to new insights and provide me with unlooked-for graces."

 

 

 

Boot Planter

 

 

 

 

                         Thick soles,

                    now abandoned,

                    surrender quietly

                    to journey's end.

 

                   Usefulness,

                    once measured in miles,

                    redefined;

                    the future

                    no longer certain.

 

                   Travel-weary stillness

                    brings new insight;

                    transformation

                    brings new life.

Sacrament of the Present Moment - Awareness

"The present moment holds infinite riches beyond your wildest dreams..." 

Jean-Pierre de Caussade S.J., The Sacrament of the Present Moment

    
     Jean-Pierre de Caussade was born in Toulouse, France, and took his final vows as a member of the Society of Jesus in 1708.  In 1731 he was appointed spiritual director in charge of a Jesuit retreat house where he became the spiritual director for the Nuns of the Visitation.   His notes to the nuns form the small book, The Sacrament of the Present Moment.   

     I've come to realize that it is Awareness that enables us to "Find the Sacred in the Ordinary" and to appreciate the "Sacrament of the Present Moment."

   As you go through your day, take a moment every so often to simply

•       Stop 
•       Breathe deeply  
•       Look around 
•       Listen

     You may be amazed at all you have been missing.  Too often we take things for granted, and become blind to our surroundings.

     Messages of comfort, encouragement, love, consolation, challenge, hope, faith, and more are present in all that we encounter. 

"We learn through what happens to us from one moment to the next...Each moment is a revelation of God."    Jean-Pierre de Caussade S.J.  

Dandelions*

Spring seems to be arriving slowly in our valley - there is still snow on the hill across from our house even at this late date.

 

We are all looking forward to those first flowers of Spring; the crocus, daffodils and tulips.  But there is another flower that will soon show itself, and it's not welcomed with the same amount joy - the dandelion.  Yet, even this lowly flower has some lessons for us:

 

 

Dandelions

 

 

 

 

                       Unwanted,

                        unappreciated.

 

                       Appearing

                        like clockwork

                        each Spring.

 

                       Unfazed

                        by criticism;

                        emerging,

                        celebrating,

                        returning.

 

                       Dandelions

                        know how to live!

 

*from Fields of Grace, Everyday Encounters with the Holy,

  by Cathy Scherer Stubbs (c) 2011