Sunday Morning Freewritea

 

I am just back from a walk with my Georgie along Jackson Frazier. One thing I have learned is that I need to get up and moving. It is a rest day, and this brings me great rest. Today is a blue sky, spring starting to blossom kind of day. It is a very short walk around this wetland, but it is so fulfilling. Open and wide sky. Birds flying, singing, settled into ponds of cold water. Ahhh.

I never tire of talking to my guy. Everything under the literal sun on our little foray. I loved it. 

Prior to that, I had extended time with God that was lovely. I also did a bit of reading of Punkmonk by Andy Freeman and Pete Grieg and Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton. People have raved about that book, and I am glad it is there. It is a good gateway into creating space for God. I love reading about anyone's journey though.

Still kicking around the idea of doing podcasts for our Movement that highlight people's journey to a deeper experience of God, and how it overflowed into action. I am asking God to drop something in my lap that will make a clear path. I don't need to be the one to do it either. I want to be part of a revolution in our Movement, but I certainly don't want to necessarily be the face of it. 

After that extended time, I spent time with about 40 others in a Centering Prayer time. He read a quote from a book that I loved. So I ordered the book. :) I am also doing another one in about six minutes with local people here. I know it is two in one morning, but I don't mind. This is often my day of rest. So I love spending it in this way.

I might take a bike ride in the afternoon because it will be in the 50s! WOW! Spring is just around the corner, and I could not be happier.

I think that I have my rhythm back. Fran asked me how I know, and I just know when I am overdoing it. It is like when I start to not feel right physically, I usually stop and cancel everything to rest. Consequently, I have not been physically sick for about seven years. I also do this spiritually. It is when I sense something is not right, or I am not living out of peace. I pull back and find the equilibrium between output and input. Consequently, I have not been "sick" in this way since I left our old church in 2006. That was my last big WAKE UP call. I am grateful. Before that, it had been many years. 

Well, it is almost time for Centering Prayer time. BYE!

Saturday Morning Sabbath Freewrite

 I give myself the option of having a Sabbath on Saturday or Sunday, depending on whether there is a wedding or activity on one or the other of the days. 

So I looked at this day, 27th, my monthly birthday celebration, as a "clean calendar day." YAY! Then at 10:30 yesterday I get a Facbook message from a college friend whom I have not seen in probably 8 years.

"Hey, girl. I am driving down to Corvallis right now. Can you meet at 10 am for coffee?"

I am thinking that it is Friday, but if it is 10:30, she must mean TOMORROW.

Yep, it was TOMORROW. Or today. 

I am really good at saying "NO" these days. But how do you say "NO" to someone you see once in a blue moon? 

So there goes my Sabbath. So I will switch it to Sunday. I love the flexibility, but it means saying "NO" to something I was looking forward to, but I am determined to have one day a week for total rest.

Things that I have prayed about for SO MANY YEARS are coming together. I am not sure how they will come together, but they will. I am resigned to believe that I have a leadership role in this even though I would rather just sit back and "be a resource" and one-on-one companion of the movers and the shakers of the Movement. That is more my role in life: best friend to the president of my sorority, back up center to an All-American and Olympic Gold Medalist, etc. 

But this week was Purim, and the story of Esther keeps going in my mind as I have prayed:

"And who knows but that you have come to your position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14 - I even played Esther in a play once, by the way.)

God keeps saying FLY. My spiritual director, Fran, says I AM CONFIDENT. But why is there still this little bird inside of me that wants to go back to the nest? 

This morning, scripture in Lectio365 (or was it yesterday?) became my breath prayer:

OUT: DO NOT FEAR

IN: I AM WITH YOU

OUT: DO NOT BE DISMAYED

IN: I AM YOUR GOD (Isaiah 41:10)

God knows that fear, and he obviously knew that people would struggle with it. But Fran says that she hears me saying I am fearful, but she sees me walking in confidence. (As I skipped and danced on my walk with George yesterday, I sang, "I have confidence in sunshine. I have confidence in rain..." That song in The Sound of Music has been my song since I would sing it at the top of my lungs with Tara Rozelle when we were 6 years old!) 

Well, here is my 15-minute bell, and I must go for a walk and do some Pilates! 
BYE! 

Wednesday Freewrite

There is such a peace in my heart right now. I had a colonoscopy. I think it was something about slowing down and taking care of myself. 

And then I didn't finish this!

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book makes me want to visit Savannah!

According to Wikipedia:

"The book's plot is based on real-life events that occurred in the 1980s and is classified as non-fiction. Because it reads like a novel (and rearranges the sequence of true events in time), it is sometimes referred to as a "non-fiction novel."
Although the book's timeline is set to coincide with the entire saga of Jim Williams' arrest and four trials for murder, in reality, Berendt did not meet Williams for the first time until 1982 — after the millionaire had already been convicted of murder the first time and released pending appeal. Berendt also did not move to Savannah to collect material for his book until 1985 — after Williams' second conviction for the murder. Williams was a free man and living in Mercer House during Berendt's five years in Savannah."

The author paints such a colorful picture of the city and its people.

Next up: the Clint Eastwood film based on the book!

View all my reviews

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had an inkling of who may have "done it," and I was right! Christie is a master storyteller, and I loved this first foray into a Poirot mystery even though I am not a big fan of murder mysteries. 

The narration was perfect too.

WEDNESDAY FREEWRITE

 I think I am going to just write. I am really tired right now. I don't know why, but I think I will take another walk and then get in bed. This is my rest day before a very busy day tomorrow, starting at 5 am with a call with a team of people on Abiding. Then another one at 7 am with a guy in my subgroup on Abiding. Then I have a walk at Finley Wildlife Refuge with Julie, another spiritual director from Springfield. Then I have a Centering Prayer group with a book discussion afterward. Then I lead Pilates. Then we have dinner with John and Katherine. That is the thing I am most looking forward to.

I did OK leading the Jesus and the Disinherited discussion. I think this might be my last year leading. It is a lot of time preparing for the book discussions, and I feel like I need to make way for some other things in my life. So, I might ask another person in the group to take the lead. I am not sure. 

I don't know if I will last writing this the full fifteen minutes. It is beautiful outside. 

I had such a pleasant time with R and R yesterday. Those are the types of things I love to do, one-on-one conversations with people. I would really love to read the Renovare books and just discuss them with just one other person. 

Oh, the sunshine is calling me. I am going to cut this freewrite really short! BYE!

Oh, by the way, I finished my 1084 miles up the UK Island! Here is my final postcard: