Expectant
How brave the mother cardinal, perched atop the feeder, not feeding, but performing, not performing, but calling. With words I do not know, but a voice I dearly do. I am here! I have a message for you! Come! She calls out and waits, calls out and waits, for the answering call in a pitch and rhythm […]
How Could Someone DO Something Like That?
How could someone DO something like that? This is what we ask ourselves when events like the recent crash of the German passenger plane happen. Or bombings at a marathon finish line. Or shootings at numerous schools. Or museums. Or places of worship. We are faulty, we humans. But are we at fault? Can we […]
One Table, Many Chairs
Something special happens when we insist on one table with everyone around it. Oh, we may not like everyone there. We may not have seen them in years. We may not even recognize them. But, when the first rule of gathering is that everyone gets a seat at the table, the dynamic changes. It seems […]
Sound Cancellation Magic and Mystery
Close your eyes and what do you see? Pin your nose and what do you smell? Shut your mouth and what do you taste? Cover your skin and what do you feel? Hold your ears and… you still hear what you heard before, just a bit quieter. I can’t shut out sound like I can […]
You Have the Right to Remain Silent
Hang out… Listen… Walk in the truth. That’s what I heard in a sermon yesterday. The preacher is a young guy. Heck, Tim’s hardly even a thirty something. He’s a kid! And he’s got this nailed. Because he lives in the land of young people and he’s always looking around. He told us that these […]
Are there layers to listening?
Folks today listen fast. We have to. We have information coming at us from all directions at rapid fire pace. Young people are unfazed by this. They’ve grown up with it and seem to have perfected the technique. The young woman at the register was completely amazing. I approached her to exchange a pair of […]
Can you hear me now?
When someone has noise in their ears, you have to touch them to get their attention. A woman is sitting on the two-seater sofa at Starbucks. We, a group of three with coffees in hand, prepare to sit down. There are two free seats, plus the seat on the sofa next to the woman. She […]
If I worry, am I bad?
My friend says, “I am not a worrier.” Is that possible? Real? True? Worry and I have known each other a long time. I can’t say I don’t worry. Can’t say I won’t worry. Worry butts in every now and then and, actually, I think that is a healthy thing for me now. But it […]
We art to listen and perceive
I write, therefore I am. Well, not exactly, but sort of. “We write… or paint or sculpt or draw or make music or …because we are listening for meaning, feeling for healing.” ~ Madeleine L’Engle Yes and yes! Can I have an amen?! This is exactly why I write. To listen to my brain-workings. To […]
Praying with my mouth full may be an improvement
I made the mistake of taking a bite of my morning sweetbread (homemade zucchini at our house) just before diving into my Bible reading. All of a sudden I remembered the card I pray before reading my morning scripture. I looked down to begin the prayer and there I was with my mouthful. What a great […]