I like to thank the lifeguard

I like to thank the lifeguard when I am done swimming laps.  Without her or him, I would not have that gift of safe keeping.  Without the gratitude I would tend to take the vigilance for granted and add to the isolation of the job.

I like to be grateful for the opposing team of a game played or watched.  Without them there would be no game at all – no opportunity to play – no way to improve team skills.  Without the gratitude I could take myself or the outcome way too seriously, projecting the “opposition” as adversaries beyond the exercise.

I like to share a gratitude for my husband in some way each morning and to hear his gratitude for me.  Any observation is welcome with no judgment or expectation.  This discipline of gratitude helps the flow of our days, we’ve found, for negative dramas thrive when gratitude is scarce.

Meister Eckhart gave the gift of his offering that “if the only prayer you ever say in your life is thank you, it will be enough.”

Try it.  Write a thank you note.  Discern a gratitude.  For it can be found anywhere, anyhow, any time.

Why Church?

If you had told me twenty-five years ago that I would be a minister, I would have dismissed the notion out of hand.  I had not attended church regularly for some fifteen years before I decided to go to Seminary, and the thought of going back to church at that time, frankly, seemed a downside of becoming a minister.   Now, eighteen years into parish ministry, I remain intrigued by the special attraction that a faith community has for so many people.  I, for one, am glad it is a part of my family’s life.

At first I justified the worth of church as a tool for social change, a way to manifest the better world we are all capable of.  That is an aspect of what we do together, but it is not what makes faith communities vital to the health of the world.  What can make a faith community vital to the health of the world is the opportunity it gives each individual to connect with their own inner knowing, with each other’s journeying lives and with the flow of ideas and creativity that foster wisdom, love of life and gratitude.  Church community is not about what we have done, it is about what we have made possible, what we inspire, what we embrace.  And we do this by showing up, by living our lives together, by risking our love.  That’s the energy the world needs.  Once that connection is made, the healthy world we so yearn for, the good works we expect to manifest, will naturally come into being. 

So may it be.

Finding ground

In order to endeavor to calm my busy mind, I use various meditations, both physical and mental.  The one I used this morning on the labyrinth path is one that helps me center into the day.  It was originally inspired by the wonderful contribution of John O'Donohue's writings.  An irish poet and theologian who died too soon, O'Donohue offers astoundingly beautiful perspectives on life and the Divine.  Do check him out if you do not know him.  A treasure.

One sensibility that he brings forth is that we are inspirited clay, we humans....we are nature and spirit combined...embodied life.  So, as I was walking some time ago, I thought of these words.  They work best for me when I am walking:

I am grateful for Earth
       knowledge of growth and transformation
             wisdom of being and interdependence
                   manifesting, responding Earth
I am of earth.

I am grateful for Sky
     knowledge of space and eternity
           wisdom of breath and interconnectedness
                  ever present, all encompassing Sky
I am of sky.