Monday, February 23, 2009

On Timelessness, Aging and Irish Rubbings








It was good year, turning 50 notwithstanding. All my years have had exceptional moments, but this year they flowed in abundence. Toni, Nita and I were on a bus touring the Aran Islands in Ireland when we asked the driver to stop and let us look at a 700 year old cemetary. He obliged (grudgingly.....later I found out we almost caused the ferry to leave the island without our whole bus cause we were late!) I had brought crayons and packing paper, so we raced to find the most beautiful grave stone to pull this rubbing. Maybe it was the waxy crayon, the course, brown paper, or the delicate speckled stone, worn away by ages of icey Irish gales that made this particular rubbing most perfect.


I love old things; those touched and hewn by the hands of some anonymous person hundreds of years ago. I love to think about the timeless nature of human creativity and the urge we all feel to leave a mark; to express. Someone made that stone, cutting and crafting each symbol and then standing before it to see it said something. How many eyes have looked on it? Who was it for? What ties of love lie as hidden mysteries captured in this one stone?


Through loving and appreciating we create and recreate divinity. So, celebrating 50 years of this grand life by jumping off a bus to do a rubbing of an ancient tribute seemed most perfect. Most wonderul.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

God in the details

God has been quiet lately; you know what I mean...it seems that sometimes, when my restless heart is tantruming for answers about what it going wrong in my life...God just gets so quiet. Deep, intensely quiet. Quiet like snow. So, this morning I was in that mood, moping about my house and wondering for the millionth time if God is REALLY out there. I know deep down inside that He is, but when I am hurting or lonely, or just frustrated God becomes more elusive.

I prayed, talked to my neighbor (she traded me eggs for some cobbler) and my friend Kim called to help me get going with my blog site. She guided me through the steps and sent me a picture to post so I could learn how to add pictures.

Kim has an eye for beauty. Lovely, delicate pretties of all sorts; jewelry, decorations, photos, always elegant and cool. She sent a picture that she grabbed up randomly from her thousands and sent it to my blog. I studied it and loved the tiny embroidered details and creamy swirling colors. Van Gogh and Renoir and Grandma.

I just smiled and remembered that when God gets really quiet, maybe I need to quit tantruming and get quiet too. Invariably, There He will be, in the loving help of my friend Kim or the swirling colors of an eccentric ring. It is a huge relief to me that my God loves art, blesses friendship, and moves in close whenever I stop and just enjoy the little miracles.

Thinking bliss



I'm drinking wine and thinking bliss
Is on the other side of this.

I just need a compass
And a willing accompliss;

Love just needs a witness
And a little forgiveness...
And a halo of patience

I'm learning to be brave
In my beautiful mistakes.

Pink

Sunday, February 1, 2009