ContemplativeJourney

Some days it's best to read your devotional in the morning, before you start your day...and on other days it's best to read it in the evening, when you can look back on the day and see how it fits...in retrospect. Today was just such a day...a wonderful day...a beautiful day! Sunny and warm, unlike it has been for most of the past 2 weeks, it was the kind of day that calls for outdoor activity...if you were in Dallas, and didn't spend most of your day outside, I'm a little sad for you, because it was the kind of day that can heal the wintertime soul! As I write this, it is early evening...the sun has set, and the weather is cooling, without being cold. I have a fire of pinion wood in the fire pit, and am listening to my windchimes sing their beautiful song...in the distance I can hear the ambient sounds of traffic, helicopters and airplanes overhead...and even a distant siren. I never cease to tire of this time sitting on my deck, listening to the sounds of the city ar

There are days when I don't have much to write about, or at least, so it seems. I could write about the fact that it's a spectacularly sunny day...albeit, very cold. The cold, dreary, rainy weather of the last week or two had really become depressing to me, so I'm reminded again of how much I treasure sunshine and warmth. I am a southern girl, at heart. I'm babysitting this weekend, or as my protege' would say, "tween-sitting." She is 11 years old, and would have you know that she will turn 12 this year (in September, to be precise). I've been babysitting since I was 13 years old, and I suppose I was meant for this role...as opposed to the motherhood role. I was reading a passage this morning in the Gospel of Luke. In it, Jesus is talking to his close followers about the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and about the persecution they will face from those who are not believers. Tucked in the middle of his admonition is a sentence that caught my

Sometimes when I read a book, there's so much great stuff in it, I have no idea how to convey the most meaningful parts of what I'm reading. Bird by Bird , by Anne Lamott, is just such a book. The lessons in it are applicable to the art of writing...yes...but even more importantly, there are some profound insights for life, and how we live it. First and foremost...good writing is honest. I certainly try to be honest, but to suggest that I'm really "putting it all out there" would be a farce, because there is much about what goes on in my head that I'm not saying. Maybe I'm leaning too heavily on the honesty of authors whose books I'm reading and quoting, but I see the process of self-disclosure as a gradual one...jumping in with both feet seems a tad extreme! I have heard many times that reading decreases our sense of isolation...when we read another's story, whether it be fiction or non-fiction...and we relate to the person or the characters, we f

What do you think of when I mention the word "airport"? Vacations...business trips...long lines...overhead compartments...crying babies sitting right behind you...? Airports have always fascinated me. I never fail to be full of excitement and energy when I arrive at the airport to begin my trip...and almost as certainly, I never fail to be tired and anxious to get home on the back end of my trip. This trip lived up to all those expectations...I arrived at the airport on Monday afternoon, energized by some indescribable sense of adventure that is built into even the most mundane of business trips...and today, I sit waiting for a return flight home that has been delayed...and I'm tired...anxious to be done with the trip and get home! It's interesting...all of the different kinds of people you find in the airport...families and businessmen, grandparents and little children...there is a story for every person here, and for the next few minutes or hours, our stories inters

I'm reading a book on the subject of writing... Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. I love her writing style...it is honest, helpful, and at times, hilarious. She tells the story of a time when her brother, 10 years old at the time, was overwhelmed with the prospect of writing a book report on the subject of birds...her father, in order to help the young boy get started on the project, told him to take it "bird by bird." If he was at a 12-Step Meeting, he might have just as easily said Easy Does It , or One Day at a Time. Yesterday I called the Water Department in the city where I live, and asked them to come inspect the pipes that connect my house to the city lines. I'm sad to report that there is a broken pipe, but it's not the city's pipe. I find the idea that I have to replace the lines that connect my house to the city pipes somewhat overwhelming...and I'm struck by the fact that something so basic as plumbing can disrupt your whole world! It was probably f

Earlier this week, I was talking with a friend about strengths and weaknesses...she made an interesting point about how we can become overly concerned with our weaknesses, and how to improve in those areas...rather than focusing on our strengths... The idea that we all have strengths and weaknesses is not a new one, but to the degree that we spend more time focused on our shortcomings than on showcasing our strengths, I think the topic bears discussion. In scripture, we're taught that each of us are uniquely created, and that we have individual and unique gifts and talents. If this is the case, why do you suppose we worry so much about what we cannot do , or are not gifted to do ...rather than enjoying what we can do, and are gifted to do? Last year I was in a job situation that constantly exposed and magnified areas in my skill sets that are underdeveloped ...or, to put it more bluntly, my weaknesses. I can't remember a time when I've been more miserable in my job. Fortuna

Last Sunday I completed something of a personal milestone -- an 8 mile interval training run. When I say 'interval,' I'm referring to a training technique that involves running/walking at 2:1 minute intervals. It took me 102 minutes and 33 seconds to finish, or 1 hour, 42 minutes and 33 seconds... This week, my body has not recovered well from the run, and I've found myself caught in an internal argument about whether to continue the training...stop the training...or adjust the training... Because I'm so new to this world of running, I'm not sure what to expect in terms of recovery, but I sense that something is off in my body, and it's possible that I pushed myself past my capacity (for now). It's important that I get this right, because getting it right means that I avoid an injury that would stop my running altogether...and so I'm listening carefully to my body today, training myself to hear and perceive its instructions about my capacity and my

I've been thinking about Easter egg hunts today. Perhaps the early part of January is an odd time to think about Easter egg hunts, but I have a recurring image in my mind about Easter eggs that are "hidden in plain sight..." Maybe you've had this experience...in order to make the Easter egg hunt more accessible for the youngest of children, eggs are "hidden" in plain sight...laying in the middle of the yard, perched on a lawnchair, placed carefully on the lowest branch of the tree... easy to find , are these treasures of the hunt. Answers to life's difficult questions often seem impossibly hard to find...obscure to even the most diligent seeker... We all have different questions, of course....my hard questions may seem silly to you...your most difficult dilemma, an easy thing for me. Knowing this is true, we do well to respect each other's questions....and our limited ability to provide each other's answers... We can offer encouragement, shared e

It's raining this morning...a cold, hard rain that the weatherman tells us will turn to snow at any moment...I am skeptical about the snow, since it still registers as 39 degrees outside, and it would take quite a precipitous drop in order to bring on snow...but the weatherman tells us this rain has the capacity to change to snow, so we'll see what happens... My name is Susie...and I'm a food addict. Have I shared this charming fact about myself before? Perhaps I have...but I can't recall. Yesterday was an example of a bad food day for me...I started out well, and then began sliding downhill about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Over the past 5 months, I have continued to run, work-out with a trainer, and participate in a community of people who are supportive of a healthy lifestyle, but the struggle with my food addiction seems to be a lifelong companion. Until the holiday season, I had logged 3 months of healthy eating and consistent fitness habits...trying to re-esta

Several people have asked me how my Christmas went this year...they've been very kind and thoughtful about the fact that this is our first Christmas since my Mom passed away in August. I appreciate the questions, and the concern behind them, but sometimes I don't know how to answer...and to be honest, it feels to me like I don't have a good answer. The experts tell us that there is no "right" way to grieve, and that everyone grieves differently. As I look back on the different times I've lost someone, either to death, relocation, the end of a relationship, Illness, dementia, or some other cause...it seems to me that my grief is always different. The holiday season wasn't at all what I thought it would be, in terms of feeling the loss of my Mom. I think the most difficult part of the past two months was the first week of November, when I anticipated the beginning of our shared birthday week...and the coming of Thanksgiving. When the birthdays finally arriv

...because I am a closet SuperHero! Perhaps I'm not really a SuperHero, but a girl can dream, can't she? This week, it seems that my aspirations of greatness are struggling to get off the ground. It's tough sometimes, recovering from the holiday season, don't you think? I have found my way back to the normal routine, but it has taken me the entire week to do it, and not just a little bit of struggling has accompanied the process... I took time at lunch today to "get away" by myself and read. I spent time reading Runner's World magazine, one of my absolute favorites...and I caught up on my reading from The Runner's Book of Daily Inspiration. I suppose that some people are able to maintain a daily routine for years and years...without missing a beat...but consistency of that kind has always been a challenge for me. One week into my newfound commitment to read daily from the Book of Daily Inspiration , and I'm already a week behind! As I start the

I read Lauren Chandler's blog from time to time, and I found this entry from yesterday. I wanted to share because I thought she had some great things to say about life and death and perspective...and because I think "The House of Duplicity" is an incredibly insightful moniker for a hospital! Hope you enjoy this, and perhaps you'll decide to check out Lauren's blog at http://themchandlers.blogspot.com The Chandlers: The House of Duplicity : "A good name is better than fine perfume,and the day of death better than the day of birth.It is better to go to a house of mourningthan to g..."

Why not make 2011 your best year ever? Why not do everything you can do? See everything you can see? Love everyone you can love? Why not enjoy yourself? Why not choose happiness instead of sadness? Why not choose to be healthy and active, instead of sitting around on the couch eating potato chips and ice cream? Why not? Is there another year that would be a better time to start over? Is there another week that would be better to change your attitude? Is there another day, another hour, another moment that would be a better time to turn things around? I am saying this to myself...right this minute...today. I'm not saying it to myself because I feel particularly motivated, or "in the mood" for change...on the contrary, I have a bad headache and am in a kind of new year's funk... So ...why not? Why not me? Why not you? Why not live a great life... starting right now? In the scripture, there's a verse that is known and loved by adherents of both Judaism and Christiani