When I was quite young we had one black and white TV in the living room of our house. Grandma and Grandpa were the first in the whole family to purchase the latest technology of the time: a color television. There was such excitement when visiting them as we watched programs “in living color”. It felt as if we were seeing programs and actors in a new way and for the very first time. But alas, when visiting time was over and we returned to the drabness of black and white. The view from my window on this cloudy, rainy and windy afternoon is a stark reminder that autumn is waning and those long, cold winter months will soon be upon us. The lush green of many fields has turned to various shades of brown, the colors of foliage hav
e dulled considerably, and the leaves on the trees in our woods have thinned so much so that in many places one can see clear through the woods to the other side. All too soon the predominant colors of our Midwestern landscape will become black and white. This particular time of year, when our natural surroundings begins to look so barren on the heels of providing us with such splendid colors, gives us the opportunity to pause and consider endings and memories and…beginnings.
According to the Christian calendar we celebrate All Saints Day on Sunday and All Soul’s Day on Monday. We remember all those who have gone before us from this life. Did they make a difference? The saints, the canonized ones according to the Church, certainly did. But I suggest we consider all our dear departed loved ones as saints in their own right. Were they perfect? No, just as we are not perfect, but neither were most of the people officially declared as saints by the Church! Those with whom we had a connection during their life certainly had an influence on us – whether the relationship we shared with them was good or strained, they made a difference in our lives and our world if only through helping to shape who we have grown to become.
On Sunday and Monday consider joining me in celebrating the lives of our dear departed loved ones. Pay a visit to the cemetery or mausoleum. Flip through old photo albums. Ponder and savor the memories. Gather with family and tell the stories of their lives. Light a candle in remembrance. Because of the death of our loved ones life has truly changed but it just as certainly not ended – for us or for them. Jesus said: “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me” (John 6:37). How comforting it is we have such a loving and gracious Creator who turns what we feel as an ending into a whole new beginning…much like the promise of spring’s new life awaits us after the barrenness of winter.Peace on the Journey
Upon awakening few mornings ago and looking out the window I was hard pressed to see our neighbor’s house through the thick fog. Since we don’t live in the city, the neighbors houses aren't only a few feet away from ours, but there is such an uncomfortable feeling of being so isolated when I can’t see their house or the woods that grace our property or even the road as has happened on occasion. It’s glorious and pure gift to see all the beauty that surround
s us on a clear day, especially this time of year. Last week on a drive to a friend’s house I spotted an eagle’s nest. I pondered its location high up in a tree and thought about what a marvelous view there must be from that vantage point. Just imagine how far and how much one could see from way up there!
Those of us who don’t see well can feel isolated and uncomfortably dependent on others when poor eyesight strips away at our independence in the form of no longer being able to drive safely. We may take our ability to see for granted but it is a huge blessing and it’s comforting to know we have the capability to navigate our way by sight.
Bartimaeus knew well the physical and social distress of blindness. Destined to life as a roadside beggar he was seen as an outcast – one who did not merit the common decency of kindness when he called out to Jesus as he and his disciples were passing by. The gospel says “many rebuked him”. Rebuked – reprimanded, scolded, admonished, chided, ridiculed – when he was merely asking for pity; for someone, anyone, Jesus to notice him and his plight. His only request: “I want to see”. We know from the gospel Jesus healed Bartimaeus’ blindness (Mark 10:46-52) and forever changed the life of the man once born blind.
What is it we want to see? Here’s what I want to see: A society where children are not abducted or are horribly abused but are safe and cared for and loved, where jokes about people of different ethnicity's cease, where workers are paid a just wage for a good day’s work, where people drive like they own the car not the road, where each of us is respected as equals. I want to see a world without war, discrimination, and terrorism and a world where women are valued members of society. I want to see (and breathe) clean air. I want to see a prime time television show that is not filled with violence, sexual innuendos or “reality” that really isn’t reality for most of us. I want to see politicians and leaders of nations, states, cities and yes, even some churches, cease to use power and control as their governing agenda. Will I ever see all this? Probably not but…I truly believe if we sincerely strive to live as people wonderfully and blessedly made image of our Sacred Creator, we will have a good chance of being able to see beautiful things all around us…maybe clearly for the very first time.
This is such a beautiful time of the year here in NE Wisconsin. The fall foliage is now at peak color and the landscape dances with brilliant oranges, reds, yellows amid the green of pine and spruce trees. Taking a glimpse at the woods on our land from the house I can see some red and a few splashes of orange foliage but to my dismay the most common color is yellow. I know that just on the other side of the woods there are plenty of trees with vibrant orange leaves but the view cannot be seen or enjoyed from the house – it remains hidden (unless I take a drive around this country block). And I ponder things that are hidden.
Though not the gospel for this weekend in most Christian churches, I cannot help thinking about the story of the servants who received talents from their master – five, two and one – and the servant who received only the one talent going off and burying it so as not to lose it (Matthew 25:14-18-25). What are the things, the qualities that make up who we are and what we enjoy that we hide from others and sometimes even ourselves? Our Sacred Provider lavishes each of us with rich blessings and talents meant not to be hidden away for safe keeping but to be enjoyed and shared. Oh, we may think we don’t really have any special talents or anything of value to share with others, but we do! By working on a hobby or learning to become more proficient at a craft honors our Sacred Gift-Giver who has bestowed upon us the ability to create, whether it is making something useful, writing, photography, or any number of leisurely pursuits. And we can brighten someone’s day merely by sharing the gift of ourselves – our time, care, compassion. It costs us nothing but the returns are abundant.
I snapped this picture on today’s rainy and dreary afternoon. To my delight, th
e various vibrant fall colors of the woods, when taken in as a whole appear to be hidden from sight as compared to the view on the back side of the woods, are amazingly abundant with color when captured on film. When another looks at us, what do they see? William Shakespeare wrote: “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man” (Hamlet, Act I, Scene 3). If we are to be true to who we really are, the beloved of our Sacred Creator, will we strive to develop and use the gifts and blessings we have been given to benefit the lives of others and our world?
Peace on the Journey.
Have you ever wondered about dreams? Not those stop in the middle of the day to let your mind wander off daydreams or the hopes and dreams we have for our future, but the dreams we encounter during our night’s sleep. I don’t pretend to be at all skilled in dream analysis, nor do I take the time to sit down and try to figure out what a particular dream meant or what may have prompted the dream. Of late I’ve been conscious of dreaming nearly every night. Most of them have been rather disturbing and some were down right nightmares. As a child, as I suspect with many children, there were a lot of nightmares. Those scary dreams I have in the wee hours of the morning are easy to remember (for a while) and most often cause difficulty in returning to sleep. But more often than not once the alarm goes off in the morning I have trouble remembering most if not all of the dreams. What little I can remember, the main theme of many usually plays out to be someone trying to take something away from me – a valued possession, a person in my life, or even an unknown villain trying to threaten my life or that of someone I love.
In real, waking life it’s difficult to say the least to have something or someone loved and integral to our life taken away from us. But how very hard it is to willingly give up things we value and prize – things that may mean nothing to anyone except us, things that visibly show us and the world we are successful and well off, things that in reality can well be viewed by ones so immersed in poverty as wasteful excess. The story of the rich young man who approached Jesus and asked what he needed to do, besides already having kept all the commandments, to inherit eternal life (Mark 10:17-22) is a great lesson in what really matters in life: to treat others with respect, to place much value and importance on assisting the poor of our world to the best of our ability and in doing so honoring our Sacred Creator and living as the caring, compassionate and loving people we are intended to be. Unfortunately for the young man, he went away sad because he had many possessions – things that defined who he was, things he was not ready or willing to give up.
This story gives us cause to ponder: what excess are we living with; what are the things we really do not need that would be of benefit to someone else and help to ease their lack of basic necessities? It all boils down to how we define ourselves – by our possessions or as the Sacred’s beloved.Peace on the Journey.
Living in or traveling through the rural areas of NE Wisconsin this time of year, one cannot help but notice the signs of fall and approaching winter: corn fields are in the process of being or already have been harvested, some fields not long ago abundantly green are already plowed and barren of plant life, flocks of geese are beginning to head south, even the number of various bird species has decreased as they too have headed for warmer weather. Just yesterday I noticed a flurry of Eastern bluebird activity in the back yard; today they are gone, presumably until early spring arrives again. Outside our home is a field of barley, planted as a late crop after the winter wheat was harvested. The
past couple of weeks a pair of sandhill cranes has visited daily to partake of the barley almost ready for harvesting. They are a curious pair – when I leave the dogs out the cranes squawk loudly and dance around in a frenzy probably in an effort to protect their bountiful territory. Otherwise they go about quietly reaping and eating some of the handiwork of the farmer’s planting.
Late last May when I planted the garden, the tomato plants looked so fragile and tiny. The growing season, although quite dry, proved to be a good one and the tomato harvest has been quite abundant. So much so that a good many quarts of tomato juice have been processed to date with more to come. By my estimation there already has to be enough to last through the winter, into spring, and maybe even until next year’s first tomato ripens on the vine. It’s a wonder of nature, with little skill on my part, to be blessed with a harvest plentiful enough to offer one enjoyment of the fruits of her or his planting, weeding, watering and preserving handiwork for months to come. The saying “We reap what we sow” literally rings true for us gardeners this time of year…in a very good way!
“For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork” (Psalm 128:2) is a good reminder that although we can take this verse literally, as I wrote in the paragraph above, it also moves us to look deeper into how we live and relate to others. Our handiwork bears fruit when we set aside our own “vices”, perhaps those of conceit, arrogance, indifference, intolerance, bias, etc. to place our focus on building bridges and relationships with open and honest and caring and compassionate communication. A good turn done for another in need does indeed return to us in abundant ways – a smile, a thank you, a kindness returned – the fruit of our handiwork of kind generosity. The psalmist also reminds us that it is not by our hands alone that we prosper but also by our faith in and reliance on the grace of our Sacred Creator’s abundant Love and blessings.
Although it’s now harvest time, I wonder…what is it, at this very time that we now wish to sow and watch as it grows?
Peace on the Journey.
e dulled considerably, and the leaves on the trees in our woods have thinned so much so that in many places one can see clear through the woods to the other side. All too soon the predominant colors of our Midwestern landscape will become black and white. This particular time of year, when our natural surroundings begins to look so barren on the heels of providing us with such splendid colors, gives us the opportunity to pause and consider endings and memories and…beginnings.
