Shining Spirit

I watched the brilliant fireworks show last night from our second floor balcony. It was only 100+ degrees at 9 pm when the show began. I’m sure the estimate of crowd numbers will be 10 thousand plus. This is a big deal and lots of people show up to eat an almost warm hotdog while sitting on the hard ground in 100 degree weather listening to local bands play music over blaring sound systems. Food trucks and port-a-potties are everywhere. Then, right on time, the first big rocket is launched into the black sky and the show begins.

Professionally designed fireworks fascinate me. How in the world did someone create the patterns, the timing, the amazing displays of colors? I didn’t get any answers last night, but I got a lot of enjoyment
as boom after boom echoed through the neighborhood. At one point in the display, I thought to myself: isn’t this a remarkable commentary on the human race. No two bursting rockets were exactly alike at the moment of colorful explosion, the levels of sound varied and the patterns created in the sky were unique. And it is precisely the differences that make the final product beautiful. A variety of colors changes the show from drab and common to extraordinarily beautiful. Without the variety of colors and color combinations, one sky rocket would be just like the next one. There is purpose in our diversity. When working together, a lovely pattern is created. We need each other in order to be authentically who we were designed to be. Thank God for differences that make us unique and yet bind us together as human beings.

Isn’t it great when you’re driving across country, zipping along the Interstate, and you have need of an oasis. Just watch for the blue signs, then pull off for a time of rest and refreshing. When I rode a bike more seriously than I do now, the same thing happened. This time, though, the refreshment spot was a big table bending under the weight of bananas, protein bars and other helpful items. These rest stops were placed strategically along the El Tour route and they were life-savers. I mention this because you know, as I do, that spiritual refreshment is just as important as bananas and cookies to the bike rider.

Today, on this 4th of July, take time to be refreshed in your commitment to the welfare of our nation and the world, to principles of truth and human kindness, and to the Source of our ultimate freedom. Let your prayer today be one of gratitude and re-commitment to the Good News announced in The Christ.

By the way, speak softly. Looks like two friends are already dozing. Press on.

Yesterday I called on an old friend. I haven’t seen him in what seems like a long time, maybe a month or more, so I went to his place of residence and looked him up. Sure enough. There he was standing in shallow water near the shoreline, and as I approached he looked up and stared at me. Probably thinking: I know that guy. O yeah, fishing line, etc. And then, as if to signal his recognition of the suddenly appearing visitor, the Swan Goose lifted his left leg and shook it in the early morning air. I could see clearly that he was not hampered on that same leg as before…no fishing line restricting him. All is well at the local pond. He then tucked his left leg up under his feathers, turned his head and rested it on his back, closed his eyes and went to sleep. Standing up. On one leg. Asleep.

But I know he’s ok, and he knows I care about his welfare, so I bade him a happy day farewell and left him to his sweet dreams. Driving home, I thought to myself: I haven’t heard from…and there followed a list of people who are good friends but have fallen through the cracks of my busyness. Reminder to self: they are your friends, so contact each one with a greeting and a blessing. Isn’t that part of being as friend? I am “my brother’s keeper” after all. Who do you know in need of a phone contact or a personal visit. No day better than this one to be a good friend.

"Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly,
kiss slowly, love truly, laugh
uncontrollably and never regret anything
that made you smile.  Twenty years from
now you will be more disappointed by
the things you didn't do than
by the ones you did.  So throw off
the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe
harbor.  Catch the trade winds in
your sail."
Mark Twain

Sounds very attractive, but there's another option.
This one is also about living life to the fullest,
not by grabbing everything you can but by
giving your life away. This option goes deep,
all the way to core values.  Identity.  The difference 
is in "taking" versus "giving."

The name associated with this option has
been around longer than M.T.  It is
Jesus of Nazareth who once said:
"What does it profit a man to gain
the whole world and lose his soul?"
Choose wisely.

Cactus can be sneaky, ill-tempered, and sometimes hostile. But, Oh my! Cactus can be beautiful.

Today, in your encounters and engagements, look for the flower instead of the fault, the good behind the grumpy. Enjoy a half-full cup of life instead of the half-empty one. I had no idea the beautiful blooming cactus existed in my neighborhood. But, I turned a corner and there it was. Sometimes we don’t expect the good, the beautiful, the astonishing, but life is full of lovely surprises. May this day surprise you with moments of joy and beauty. No, may this day shock you so that you will have no other option than to say “Thank You!” Be grateful today for the least, the little things. You and I are blessed so that we can share ourselves gladly and thankfully. May it be so. Press on.

The poet Mary Oliver once outlined Instructions For Living A Life. The instructions were simple, few in number and profound. Here they are. Are you sitting down?

1. Pay Attention
2. Be Astonished
3. Tell About it

These basic life guidelines are exactly the ones Jesus talked about long ago. Live in this moment, not the past or the future. Be aware of what and who are around you and be attentive to what’s happening. Pay attention, particularly to the needs of others. Then, with wide-eyed wonder, be astonished. Head over heels! Look at the color of that leaf! Astonishing! The skill of that craftsman…astonishing! The sound of that music…astonishing! Be astonished because everything around you, when examined closely and gratefully, is amazing. Then, tell somebody about your observation or your experience. Share your astonishment; tell good news; broadcast your joy. Joy shared is joy doubled.

Today is a very good day to test Mary Oliver’s three life guidelines. If you try this today, it’s very likely that you will do it again day after tomorrow. Who knows? This might become a habit!

Let’s hope so. You are blessed in order to be a blessing.

I bought a little book yesterday and it is astonishing. At least, I think it is. Here’s the title: The Little Book Of Love Letters To The World: 150 Messages to Brighten and Enlighten. Now, that’s a title. One of the love letters says this: “It is impossible! said Pride. It is risky, said Experience. It is pointless, said Reason. Give it a try, whispered the Heart.”

So, the next time you run into that person who annoys you, the one you’d like to avoid, do the impossible. Speak kindly, even if your kindness is not received. Don’t let Pride write your life script.

Or, when you think to yourself: I can’t do that! It’s too risky. Think carefully before you turn away. Tell me something that is not risky about this life. It was risky just getting out of bed this morning. Trying something new requires a little bit of courage, or maybe a lot of courage. Don’t let past Experience direct your life.

Or, in that moment when you shrug your shoulders and think “It doesn’t matter, what’s the point?” add this to your thought: Everything matters.. Everything. Reason has its place in life, but Reason does not rule life. If I care, everything matters. If I have faith, everything matters. If I believe that love is stronger than hate or evil, everything matters.

Nothing is impossible. Everything is risky. My life and yours has a point. Listen to your heart. “Give it a try.”. And, may I add: You are not alone in this journey. You possess a power greater than the impossible. Listen to Your Heart.

The forest begins to slow down as shadows lengthen.
An elegant Steller’s Jay sits atop the wooden slat fence
watching the sun’s triumphant departure. I whisper
a prayer of gratitude and in the midst of the sacred
moment, the Jay raises a song that surely speaks of
glory and praise. Wave after wave of melody echo
through the pine trees. And with the last note fading
into the dusk, a welcome hush melts over all the
majestic red stones that line the Mogollon Rim.

A beautiful silver squirrel darts by, slides to a
stop in thick pine needles in an effort to pick up
one more morsel of food from the plentiful earth.
His full-cheeked face looks my way once, quickly,
before he dashes off into the darkening shadows.
All the forest’s inhabitants, great and small,
prepare for the coming night. This creative
orchestration occurs day after day, in spite of
wars and floods and famines. The symphony of
wind and storm, sun and snow, the song of the
mountain’s birds define life, not we who think
ourselves wise.

Even as I write this word, the arrow-straight
golden pines bow ever so slightly to the last
shafts of light. They bid goodbyes, and they will
be waiting in the morning to rise playfully on
their tiptoes to reach the first passing clouds.
Until then, darkness spreads his big, black
cloak over the forest, gently, tenderly. All is
well. All is as it should be.

When Sue and I drove up to the rental cabin in the White Mountains, I did a double-take. This little bench, announcing the name of the cabin to the world, sits just by the front door as a welcome party of one for the next guests…that’s us. I feel great pressure now living in a house on Mark Twain Drive in a lodging called “The Writing Cabin.” I must produce something more substantial than rhyming couplets. And this was supposed to be a restful holiday!

Otherwise, the weather is comfortable, the scenery is fabulous, the altitude is breath-taking, literally, but that’s not the location’s fault. All in all, this is a great get-away and we are thankful for the opportunity to see the remarkable examples of God’s creative imagination.

O Lord, how lovely is your dwelling place…

That’s it. Yes, Mr. Twain, I’m coming.

I don’t want heaven to be gates of pearl, streets lined with gold and angels’ wings flapping around everywhere. I would be very happy in this heavenly place, a spot not far from
Pinetop, Arizona. Sit back and take it all in. Shapes and textures; color combinations and contrasts; lush yet simple; a balance of plenty and scarcity. I first thought the rising land feature in the background was a nice launching pad for folks on the next flight to heaven. But, I have reconsidered. I now believe it is a landing strip for incoming heavenly beings who just want a vacation in a lovely spot. Much of the drive from Tucson into the White Mountains where Pinetop is located is through beautiful landscape like this. Of course, you don’t see it if you are focused on getting from A to B. So many of us miss the joy of the journey because we are destination focused instead of seeing amazing beauty along the way. So today, slow down, look around and up, hum a tune or sing a song, do something outrageous, laugh until your sides hurt, dance even if you don’t know how. Find your little piece of heaven. It’s probably right under your nose. Psalm 84 begins with the words: How lovely is your dwelling place. And it’s right here on US Highway 77. Who would have thought!