Currents in the Mist

Autumn in the Midwest brings cooler temperatures, lovely displays of fall colors and mornings with thick blankets of misty fog. These are the misty fogs that can be watched rolling in and slowly envelop the still heavy eyed and sleepy morning risers, such as me, in a cloud. Fog or no, the first thing in the morning is to let the dogs out. Spotlights are turned on and I can actually see thousands, hundreds of thousands of tiny water droplets moving on air currents.                                                                                                                                         Positioning myself just right in the lights, I can now see how my movements are changing the patterns of the air. I can’t resist moving my arms and legs, slowly raising my arms over my head, then balancing on one leg. The water droplets twist as they are caught in small airborne whirlpools; the currents are changed by my movements.                                                                                                Most of the time, we can’t see how everyday movements impact the currents of air that swirl around. It is the occasional fog or smoke that makes these things visible to the naked eye. Subtle things, those currents, like influences of people in my life.                                                                                                                                                        An eighth grade math teacher of mine passed away yesterday. He made a subject that has always been a challenge for me into something intelligible. I remember being able to do math and I remember his kindness. There have been many that have made wonderful influences in my life as well, sweet currents that have surrounded me and others.  Teachers who have grown, mentors who have guided, friends of celebration and solace, pastors to shepherd, family to love, and many kind strangers who have been eddies.

                                                                                   We often do not see the true twirl and whirl of our influence, the changes our movements make in the currents. The unlooked for encouragement that may change a life, the writing that enables the courage of good men, and songs that let us share our most gentle loves; churn words, spin and twirl in the fog – create beautiful currents around me and the people around me. I may not be able to see them, but I can choose how to shape them. I want them to be beautiful.

  

   

Summer Saturday Mornings

I’m not a morning person, really, at all. Bring on the coffee! And yet, most ideal Saturday morning sleeping in times, I am awake and up.  First I enjoy quiet time in the yard with the mandatory coffee cup in hand, and then I head to the garden for some time of weeding and harvesting. 

This last Saturday was no exception.  The beautiful lily blooms welcomed the day with their bright colors.  Industrious butterflies fluttered on the wind like yellow and white wisps. The garden was equally welcoming, the coffee is now in a to-go mug, and I enjoyed the sound of the bees flying from corn tassels to squash flowers to bean flowers.  My hands became dirty, little scratches appear on my arms from moving aside squash leaves, and great excitement builds at finding green beans ready to be picked and bring home.  A few hours later, after removing the pounds of dirt I have picked up from “playing” in the garden, I am ready to really start my weekend. 

Though coffee remains a common factor throughout, it is the quiet time that refreshes my spirit at the start of the weekend.  It is time away from excess noise and wonderful distractions to listen quietly for God’s voice.  The words of the song, Great is Thy Faithfulness, fill my heart.  “‘Great is Thy faithfulness,’ O God my Father,’” sweet words in all seasons and times of day; even in the morning with a cup of coffee in my hand.

Dreams and Sacrifice

Tomorrow I plan to be sitting in a parking lot, surround by a crowd of people, enveloped in a cloud of bug spray and a sea of lawn chairs.  Tomorrow I plan to walk in a parade, listen to music, watch fireworks, and celebrate July Fourth.  This is not a day grounded in some flippant summer celebration, it’s one based in a purpose.  In the midst of these wonderful lawn chaired crowds having fun, it is easy to forget the purpose behind the celebration.  So, I want to pause with my celebratory activities for a moment to remember those founders of what would become the United States of America. 

Volumes of information have been written on those who started with a dream and a hypothetical situation.  We now celebrate the reality of what was the hypothetical, the blessing that came of the sacrifice.  These are the founders that defied the British government by forming a new government.  It is also the time to remember the founders made of farmers, towns-people, craftsman, merchants, and the future citizens of the country.  It is a time to remember that this is the celebration of a war fought, a war won.  It is a celebration to remember the sacrifices of those who crafted our founding documents, searching their minds and hearts of such words as “When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and the Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”  The words, such as “May it be to the world, what I believe it will be ... the signal of arousing men to burst the chains ... and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form, which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. ... For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them."  Words of power, strength, and purpose reflect an awareness of the importance of events that were at the heart of them. 

The words, the actions that made them more than empty words, still ring with purpose and validity today.  The words and actions were those of dreams, sacrifice, and putting the effort to change the hypothetical into the new reality.  We can still pull national strength from these efforts, as we face new dreams, and make new sacrifices.  I challenge each of us in the USA to realize that effective citizenship in such a place demands an awareness and continual seeking for future growth. 

                                                       Happy Independence Day!

Edify

   It shouldn’t be so hard, but it is. It shouldn’t be such a struggle, but it is. With one quick flick of fingers over a keyboard of a computer or phone, with a phone call or ill conceived word, we can be so cutting. Our words can turn each other into a mass of cuts before our eyes, and we walk away as if nothing ever happened.

   “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
   The Superbowl came and went, championship come and go, celebrity awards – they come and go with a moment in our lives. But, how do we respond to those who did not receive the spoils – that lose the game? Losers! Just think of the talk the last few hours of a national song which was sung with great enthusiasm but the words became mixed up, a toss that was missed, or a run that wasn’t quite fast enough. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I could nerve up to sing in front of millions and certainly not to run in front of them.
   So, how do we respond? We need to edify them! Because with that, we are telling each other that we all make mistakes. We are human, let’s go on and help each other get better. It’s not ignoring the mistake but not blasting someone for an error either.
   I have a choice to make to edify someone today. I’m going to give it a shot – how about you?

Truth or Complaint

   I’ve presented myself a challenge to really monitor and curtail any complaining I might be doing for this week. I’m hoping that I find at the end of the week a new focus on the words I use and the attitude they are shared with.

   So, the first day came and went and as I look back, I think that one area that must be buttoned up is the difference between truth and complaint. If someone sidles up and asks, “How are you?” If we are honest, we may have to say something other than the standard answer of fine. Instead, we may need to answer that we are really having a rough day, perhaps feel poorly, or are just so-so. There is a difference between acknowledging truth, even unpleasant truth, and complaining.
   It is the next breath that the complaint can come. Complaints are the whining and nagging that can come after. For a Sunday, it wasn’t too hard overall, but there were a few moments when I caught myself afterward. Was that a bit of sarcasm and carping that just came out of my mouth? Where is the duct tape when I need it? Again, I stress that it is not the same thing as discussing or simply stating facts, but it is when the criticism comes in. So, it was hard, but I did find my focus was a little different as I tried to be more fact based and less fault finding.

Those Handy Southern Aphorisms

   There are some very handy sayings that I learned when living in the sunshine state of Florida. Though you may not hear ya’ll from me very often, I can lapse back into that at any moment. There were other things thought that are quite useful…

   There are differences in each region of the country. From the ma’am and sir of the south to the eh of the middle north, we speak the same English with our variances. We call the same things by different titles, coke and pop and soda; or lunch and dinner and supper.
   Subtle differences and yet, these words speak of our colorful distinctions amidst the larger picture of the country. In the same way, within a community or school or workplace, we have diversity. Instead of trying to alter each other to make us each the same, let’s revel in the variety and learn from each other.

Bad Rap of Four Letter Words

If I say the expression “four letter words” the words which flit to your mind probably aren’t of the best quality. Oh, they might be colorful and certainly not used according to their definition, but do four letter words get a bad rap? Personally, one of my biggest four letter words is… math. Yes, math! What can I say, it’s not my subject. So, let me challenge you to consider the four letter words, perhaps we could infuse a few ones into our vocabulary.


Love          Hope              Keep        Idea     Moon                
            Live                                     Find          Jump                       Life
    Kind           Soil       Made                    Door              Rain                              Fire
       Week             Good          Mine                     Over                        Sail                   Bind
Your                  Word                              Care                             Kite               Able                   Bold     
         Edge                     Walk                 Rose                   Open                                    
    Tear                             Tent                             Book                               Flit                        Time   
                   Save   Born             Drop                                    Even                              Faith

A Stranger’s Smile

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2

Sometimes, a kind word from a complete stranger can make the difference in your day.  Recently, on a day that I was looking for sunshine behind every cloud which seemed so large, heavy, and grey, I found sunshine through the smile of a stranger.  Walking to work, she had crossed the street and was heading to an assisted living center.  A big smile greeted me, “oh what a pretty hat, it looks so good on you.”

I responded with a “thank you,” but must have seemed either not quite awake or a little surprised because she went on to emphasize it. 

Parting ways, just a few words and a couple of seconds, but she made my morning.  I walked a little lighter, smiled a little quicker.  Perhaps, just perhaps, I entertained an angel unaware that day.  Maybe I can go be an “angel” to someone else tomorrow.

The Shape of Words

I wonder what shape words take if we could see them.  If I open up the shapes feature in my word documents, I can see all sorts of fun things.  Maybe, a word is like a circle, a square, a triangle, an octagon.  An arrow could be something direct and pointed, an arch for something high level. 

If I could see my words, would I use them differently?  If arrows stuck, would I choose something softer?  If circles bounced and never settled anywhere, would I choose something a little more straight sided?

The shape of words, the shape of the meanings – I wonder what they would look like.

Layers in Words

I love words, how they form, move, and the power they hold.  Powerful words of recognition, of hope, of disappointment, of anger, of peace; they move from thoughts to lips and then are composed in sound, riding out in waves upon our ears.

Words in the hands and mouth of the right people can bring out layers of meaning, words which build us up and inspire us to think and learn.  Tolkien is one of these word smiths, a user of words that contain layers of meaning.  One of my favorites is: “All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king,” (Tolkien).

Let’s take it layer by layer……

All that is gold does not glitter

Now obviously there is a top layer reference, there are some metals that look like gold.  In reality, they are covering something which will tarnish in a very short time.  Other things can be that way as well.  I’ve been around people who can appear like gold for a while, charming and present a wonderful cover.  Then, they tarnish before my eyes.  They don’t turn green physically, though sometimes it might be better if they did to warn the rest of us.  But, they do have the capability to turn us a sort of green, rubbing off the fake gold onto us.  Perhaps a situation is showing itself to be fools gold, it looks like it is something valuable: an opportunity, a promotion, a new move, or a new challenge.  Everything looks wonderful and then we find out that it is not what we thought.  No, not all that is gold glitters or is of worth.

not all those who wander are lost

I love this one!  I have been a wanderer so many times, seeking out new ideas and new truths.  Just because I seek constantly or want to learn new and at times rather obtuse topics does not mean I am lost.  Also, there is real physical wandering, sometimes I can wander about in a new place to see what is there, taking a different route, or going exploring.  This doesn’t mean that I am lost.  So, lost as in without direction or just plain lost does not always go hand in hand with wandering. 

the old that is strong does not wither…

Take time to examine a giant old tree, looking at how the bark sits upon the core of wood protecting it.  The branches lean out, holding life giving leaves.  The age of the tree being great does not mean necessarily that it is weak.  Those great trees in our lives, surrounded by wisdom and experience have much to offer us through the sheltering branches.  Age and wisdom, not in themselves synonymous, in the hands of the old soul who is gifted with prayerfully received insight are powerful.  Their lessons do not dim over time, with physical aging, or as the body ages and slows down.

deep roots are not reached by the frost…

Oh the frost - I have experienced this before.  Let’s take this again one layer at a time.  The frost comes during the winter beginnings; the grass is coated with an icy layer and if you step on it crunches underfoot.  The plants above ground or those which are lightly rooted will droop as a result, starting their cycle of dying off for the winter.  Next year, new seeds will come back.  But, sometimes we have deep frosts and the plants do not come back in the spring.  Other plants will have leaves drop, flowers and whither as the frost comes.  In spring however, they will come back with new growth.  Their roots are deep enough to be protected in the frost.  Note that it is the roots that are not reached by the frost.  Have you ever had a frost moment, a moment when part of you is withered and dies?  Plant the roots deeply, they will be protected from frost.  The leaves will drop or at least be withered, which may come in the form of hurt feelings, pains, or the groaning of a spirit.  The blooms that were our shining moments, our great accomplishments dim and may even be stripped from us.  During these times it can be so difficult to understand that the roots are safe.  

from the ashes a fire shall be woken…

In the winter, I love the feel of a wood fire, producing heat different than the central heat in the house, richer and more deeply permeating through my skin.  The wood fire produces ashes, coating the wood stove and settling slowly into the bottom.  At the same time, they hold coals and gather the heat.   Stir up the ashes containing these coals, put in some kindling, open up the stove to allow the movement of fresh air, and a fire can be rekindled.  Ashes in our life are much the same way.  We can have a fire in our life, some sort of tragedy that burns everything down around us.  But, God can rekindle the fire in our lives, repairing and relighting.  Rebuilding occurs with work, materials, and the flow of air.  God provides the materials and the air.  We must provide the work.  

a light from the shadows shall spring…

In the early morning when it is still dark out go and wait, facing the east.  Slowly you will see light spread out over the sky and then the earth.  Shadows will grow longer, then lessen, finally spilling light which will cover the land.  Light can come from the most unlikely of places and even a little light can dispel the darkness.  Sometimes, it is an unexpected word or touch that brings light.  The word of God is referred to as light.  In the darkest span of life, there can be light that comes as you discover how God is working in your life.

renewed shall be blade that was broken…

A blade that is broken, a sword that is shattered must be put through a smith’s forge to be renewed.  The metal needs to be tempered and folded carefully to renew the blade.  If you have ever been broken or shattered, it is the forge of faith, the forge of God that renews.  A forge heats the material, removing impurities and making it malleable in the hands of an expert smith.  The difficulties in life are renewing, rebuilding even when it does not seem possible at the time.  God is the expert smith who renews the blade, purposing our hurts into something good for His purpose.

the crownless again shall be king…

A king is typically thought of as having a crown, something regal and official looking, decked out in precious metals.  A crownless king is someone who presumably has lost power.  I think of Christ who appeared to have been without power, without sovereign control.  In those moments when this appeared the most; right before and during the crucifixion.  This was really a time when the King – the true King was reigning in his great majesty.  But, the actions he took were beyond our understanding. And the crownless Christ was crowned by His father, and returned to heaven.

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king,” (Tolkien).

The words are just a few stanzas in one book, just a few phrasing of thought strung together in words.  Yet, they contain meaning that is in depth, in layers of depth.  Search for the depth in your words and make sure that they are really what you intend.  

Power in Words

Words, have you ever heard them declared in some TV movie – words have power. But, there is some truth in all of that digital information. Words do have power. Speak with wholesome talk, speak with uplifting words… I’m instructed in words to be wise with and wary of words. Do my words really have power, do they really impact? If they do, do I not need to be careful with them and think it through before I speak?

I think words do have power. The power to lift, to strike, to cut, to love, to caress, to teach, to tear, to heal, to act lives in the breath and sound of their pronouncement. I’ve been lifted by words until it is all I can do to not skip around the place like some silly and enthusiastic little girl. I’ve been cut by words that strike at me, slicing me and leaving me bleeding. But those are the words to me – my words back, those are my responsibility.

It would be so easy sometimes to strike back, to cut and wound intentionally. Sarcasm and disdain oozing off of the words like some slime that can leave a trail of reeking excrement. But, gentleness can turn away wrath acting like a fire extinguisher and cooling a heated moment.

Words can last thousands of years and linger in the consciousness of a culture. What words in a legacy am I leaving? What air will I breathe into being through sound?