Meditate on it

“I wonder how many people I've looked at all my life and never seen.” -John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent I've been doing a lot of walking since July when they first discovered the mass in my colon.  Initially I was driven to it as a stress release, then as a recovery recommendation, and now I'm striving to continue the habit as an investment in spiritual and physical health. I've learned much through the process of walking in the last six months.  It slows you down by teaching daily discipline in a hectic schedule.  It forces you outside, prompting you to think more about other people living and working in the world around you.  It teaches you about polite and crazy drivers.  It acquaints you with different landscapes and neighborhoods--each with its own flavor and character. About half the time, I listen to sermons on my podcast while walking.  If you are curious, my bread and butter is  Growing Thru Grace (Jack Abeelen) and Truth for Life (Alis

The older I get, the less I value the outside of a person.  But, when most people look at our daughter Rose, that's the first and sometimes only thing they see.  Her eyes.  Her hair.  Yes, she is a physically beautiful child, and although some piece of me is thankful for that--in the same sense that one would be thankful for the beauty of a literal rose--a bigger piece of me feels her appearance is a gargantuan distraction from her even more lovely unseen qualities. I stumbled across this old cereal bowl this morning while looking for something else.  It's part of a set of dishes I made for my mother during her later years when she was battling multiple sclerosis.  She was also a physically beautiful person when younger; in fact, I think Rose's eyes hearken from her family.  It was hard to watch my mother's life be taken from her, piece-by-piece, and I suppose I painted this bowl as a sort of touchstone.  What is seen is indeed temporary...   All appearances

The continuity of seasons is evidence of God’s forbearance.                                                                                        -Bible Knowledge Commentary I planted seeds for a fall garden last week.  As I almost always miss the window for fall gardening, I was proud of myself. It's the little things. August is such a whirlwind with school starting back that little things--like fall gardens-go by the wayside. But I really needed the continuity of a fall garden this year--need something to connect me to the outside and ground me in the here and now. It feels counter-intuitive to plant colder weather plants when it's hot outside, but gardening is funny in that way. You anticipate the seasons before they arrive in earnest. The germination window of certain vegetables is like catching a wave---although you could plant them sooner or later, ideal timing allows you to take best advantage of the weather and conditions. I threw an heirloom winter squas

"People are turning to their gardens not to consume but to actively create, not to escape from reality but to observe it closely. In doing this they experience the connectedness of creation and the profoundest sources of being. That the world we live in and the activity of making it are one seamless whole is something that we may occasionally glimpse. In the garden, we know." -Carol Williams, Bringing a Garden to Life While walking in downtown Weaverville yesterday, I met an avid gardener named Sue who invited us into their garden, Laughing Crow .  After my disparaging comments on crows awhile back, I thought it interesting that she had such a different take on these birds.  They are definitely hard-core lovers of nature though--she even welcomes the yellow jackets because "they are mighty hunters that keep the caterpillars down." Sue graciously invited Rose and I to explore, so of course, we did!  It was an enchanting place to spend time on a hot

“Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are.” -Alfred Austin Some folks like to people watch, but me, I like to garden watch. Wherever the children travel with their to and fro, I'll look for a new place to walk and garden watch. Neighborhoods are a great place to wander--the best ones have a good mix of the sublime and the dysfunctional. I prefer eclectic neighborhoods where the houses don't all look alike and  the outside of each home tells its own story. A person's yard can be a window into what they value or tolerate, what they find beautiful or useful. Some approach their yards very structurally. These types like gates, hedges, fences, edging. You may step here. You may not go beyond here. The tree lives here, the bush is shaped just so, and their flowers are delegated to a few posed pots or bed. A sense of security and order characterizes such yards. I imagine dinner will be served on time there. However, taken to an extreme, this type of gard