Sometimes…

“Sometimes, not often enough
We reflect upon the good things
And those thoughts always center
Around those we love

And I think about those people
Who mean so much to me
And for so many years have made me
So very happy

And I count the times I have forgotten to say
Thank you, and just how much I love them” – The Carpenters

Sometimes

Sometimes
if you move carefully
through the forest

breathing
like the ones
in the old stories

who could cross
a shimmering bed of dry leaves
without a sound,

you come
to a place
whose only task

is to trouble you
with tiny
but frightening requests

conceived out of nowhere
but in this place
beginning to lead everywhere.

requests to stop what
you are doing right now,
and

to stop what you
are becoming
while you do it,

questions
that can make
or unmake
a life,

questions
that have patiently
waited for you,

questions that have no right
to go away.

  — David Whyte

“Sometimes questions are more important than answers.”

Nancy Willard

“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need”

The Rolling Stones

“Sometimes” is a good word. Use it sometime.

“When the roll is called up yonder…”

Everyone wants to fit in. Everyone wants to belong. We all long for some type of acceptance. We get puppies that will love us in spite of our tempers and sad days. Most have a family member or in some cases so many family members we don’t even know some of the names. We want someone to call our name though. So we can say we are here! So we can be present and point to how we showed up. We participated.

It’s Easter, so we want to be included in the teaching of death, burial, resurrection. We accept it. Our family taught it to us. We teach it to our kids, and they teach it to theirs. On it goes. It is radical. It is mystical. It brings us to tears. It is a story of love.

We can fight it, war against it, or we can teach it. We can belittle it. We can stand in awe of it. We can doubt or fearlessly believe. We can never change how the message has shaped our past, our present and our future. It is multidimensional.  I will not argue about it. It is a part of mankind. “One truth, many songs.” Many interpretations, and that is even scandalous to many different cultures. Look outside though, so many variations to the theme depending on where you are.

So, “When the roll is called up yonder…” Will you be there? We will all be somewhere. I’ll place my bets on it being “up yonder.” I think it will surprise even those who say they have it all figured out.

I can’t help it. This makes me want to sing. Songs from days gone by for some and days ahead for others.

“I serve a risen savior. He’s in the world today…

He lives within my heart!”

One Size Fits All?

No Battle here with this pic right before Easter. Please don’t be offended, or do. It’s up to you. I often think I will get off FB especially when I do not agree, or I get fussy about a post I’ve just read. What I notice is that after I explode or vent in the mirror I become glad for the opportunity to stretch my thought life. It takes on different dimensions. That is growth. If we arrive, figure it all out, or become satisfied and limit our ability to see the other side, or sides, then we stop growing. Life is about questions, not answers.

Schools get it wrong always asking for the “right” answer. How about every day we see how many questions students could ask?  Facts are for one thing only and that is to lead us to more questions. The greatest movies look like they are wrapping up the ending in a neat package only to allude to the possibilities after the ending, that from which a sequel could be made. It’s the hook. It is creativity, flow, our source of life. Why would our creator want us to stop? or to control? or to limit? or to not recognize differences?

So, one size fits all? Really? Even stretchy material like spandex is not comfortable when stretched beyond its limit. When we proof text to prove our points we show our limitations, our blind spots. We all have them. That’s not bad, but it shows our limits. I am not opposed to people wanting to live with belief systems that serve them and their upbringing. I am not opposed to people adhering to faith. I love when folks show passion for the creator. These show energy. That is good, but I spot control a mile away. This takes place when the person says with their actions “it’s my way or the highway.” When others are lesser financially, or intellectually, and are expected to think or make decisions we would make, then we control. Or, we do not protect those much younger than ourselves, but expect them to live according to high standards “we deem valuable,” then I see clearly that growth is not taking place, only control.  Ego is at the helm.

Some say they are setting the “bar” high for the greater good. Okay, that serves a purpose. Use that for personal growth, but if we toss aside the very people we say we are trying to help, we become a mini god, judge and jury. That is what power does to those without checks and balances.

Cookie cutter education, religion, or politics produces robots that think, act and dress alike. Is there no room for different walks of life? Do we think success looks and smells like us. Really? I don’t think one size fits all.

What are you Watering?

Tis’ the season! “Spring has sprung, the grass has riz’, I wonder where the flowers is?” Has anyone heard that diddy? It’s an old one with many variations on the theme. I love this pic of the watering cans. Such creativity, flow, and good energy all in one space. Could our lives be a source of such goodness, bright light, crystal clear reflection? We long to make a lasting mark in our world or workplace or home.

If you will notice some water falls out of the can and ends up on the well designed rock, but it all flows. In constant motion while it is connected to a source. I hate to say it, but this is reflective of life. When we are plugged in to our source we too stay in motion. We sleep or nap from time to time, but we continue to learn and grow and move and shake.

I get caught up in which water I am. I have to be the water running out the spout, not down the side. That would be scandalous or not appreciated. It would get talked about by all the water flowing and the cans would only appreciate the running water not the water that splashes. Gah! Does source care? Does source say only the water that flows through the spout will be blessed? No. Source gives. Source gives freely so that the water may flow and the cans will receive and be the vessel, the pipeline, if you will. Maybe the watering cans are our Guardian Angels, assisting us, guiding us.

Well, it is a cool picture with many analogies. And it made me wonder…what are we watering? Where are we going? Does it matter? Or does it matter only that we go?

These Days

Creativity comes and goes these days. It shows up mostly when I interact with students. I never plan it. It just pops up. It originates around the freedom to go wherever the conversation flows. It is spontaneous.

Conversation with teens is transient at best. It take twists and turns and can often be playful if the adult is willing to allow for unscripted dialogue. This happens when an atmosphere of peace is fostered and there is no hidden agenda. Mutual respect can be established when the lines of communication are open. It’s fun and necessary for students to be heard. It takes a bit of time, but doesn’t have to consume all time. Have fun. Be spontaneous and enjoy the humor which shows up in the moment. It’s the stuff from which relationships are built.

Which teachers do you remember from High School? Are there any you admire? I only had a few. One was a band director named Roger, because he was funny. A choir director, because she was truthful with my craft, and her husband the science teacher because he was so informative with practical healing information called Biology. It woke up my soul, a type of inner wisdom. Another was my principal who was playful and to be respected, and an English teacher for the mechanics of writing she instilled, not because she liked me, because frankly she didn’t. They either invested in classroom climate or they invested in me the individual. Not many did both. They were only human. So, I choose to invest in individuals. It makes a lasting connection these days and creativity flows from here. Maybe not like I think it should look or how a lesson plan will map it out, or what I’ll be evaluated by, but it will flow.

These days are filled with opportunity to observe, to interact, to create, to inspire, to witness inspiration. Choose to engage in…these days.

“Well I’ll keep on moving…
Things are bound to be improving
These days, One of these days.” Jackson Browne

By the Water

Walk and Talk Time becomes my favorite thing to do in the whole world when I am by the lake. I think it was meant to heal by design. Who can resist touching it? Kids run right up to the edge and have to splash a hand in it. Can you be near and not dip a toe in it? It is a large part of our body composition. We wash a wound with it. Jesus walked on water.Water gives us an energy source. It unites us as human beings. No one can go without it for any long length of time.

We water the lawn, water the flowers, water the cattle, and the animals, bathe in it, cook with it, swim in it and on and on, so why would we not consume it? Increase your intake. Drink a big glass of warm lemon water tomorrow morning when you first wake up. Your body will thank you!

Ok, tea and lemon, no sugar? Well, just down a big glass of water for the fun of it then! I do, and it makes me smile.

The Switch

This happens to be my favorite movie, but for the purpose of this blog there has come a time to make “The Switch” to more blog posts. And more posts have to be about life. Novel idea don’t you think? I thought the blog phase would go by the wayside, but it is such a great tool. This is a time to encourage all people in their walk. What better way than to celebrate it with pictures and video and the written word. My words, the things that inspire me. Thanks to Elizabeth Gilbert for the inspirational pic for today. The sources I post here pick me up, and I hope they will do the same for you too. Happy St. Patty’s day! Are you wearing your green today? I am!