Serene Living

Snowpocalypse 2016 is in progress as I write.  We’ve enjoyed a snow day here in Pennsylvania.  So far we have over 23” of snow in less than 24 hours.  It’s beautiful to look at.  This quiet Saturday has been spent reading, cooking, eating, and cross country skiing.  I love when I am home on a weekend with no particular agenda.  My favorite thing is to sit on the couch in my living room.  The sofas are old, but their blue, green, and white large floral pattern makes me happy, as does the design and architecture of this home.  From the couch, I can see the snow falling outside the four sliding glass doors and piling up on the back deck.  This quiet house in the woods is my respite.  I am so blessed to enjoy this beautiful home.  

But it’s my attitude and my choices that make it a respite.  First, I try to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness every day.  In this I am encouraged by Ann Voskamp.  I believe in God and choose to give thanks for big and small things daily.  I’m still working on my list of 1000 Gifts and will continue - probably I’ll be making lists all my life.  But a thankful heart is a content heart.  Remembering that I have things to be thankful for helps me keep life in perspective.

Secondly, I choose to cultivate ‘down time’ - time for me, in the midst of a busy life, it is easy to be constantly on the go.  I am intentional in making time for quiet in my life.  I try to spend some time every day with a book or going for a walk or simply enjoying a cup of tea.  There are many ways to add serenity to your life.  Time outdoors, even in the middle of a blizzard, is always life-giving to me.  Something about fresh air, seeing the sky and trees, always perks me up.  I love to go for a ten minute walk first thing in the morning.  I am forever stopping to take pictures - the scenery is always changing - even if the walk is the same.  I take lots of pictures of clouds.  Clouds inspire me.  

What brings you serenity?  Let me know in the comments.

My One Word

I remember where I was when I got my One Word.  It was early January of 2016 and I was just leaving the doctor’s office on a cold winter day, and I paused just outside the door to look at a bush.  There in the midst of winter was a tiny bit of green.  I was reminded to slow down and admire the beauty around me. And it came to me, Serenity is my word.  It defines me.  It is how I live my life.  And it is partly my temperament, but it’s also intentional.  Like the choice that I made to stop and admire the landscape, not just hurry on to the next thing (or back to work).  It’s about choosing to see and notice the beauty around you.  A life lived in a rush does not leave much room for serenity.  But slowing down can be hard.  Stick around, see how I cultivate Serenity.

Living Serenity

What is serenity?  And how does one find it?

I'm meditating on this One Word for 2016 and woke up early this morning with ideas running through my head, so I got out of bed and began journaling.  Here are the preliminary thoughts of things I want to write about:

• Quiet or margin
• Thankfulness
• Meditation
• Reading
• Time Outdoors

These are things that feed my soul.  I especially like to get some daily time outside to see the sky and connect with my Creator.  The fresh air stimulates my mind.  In the coming weeks, I hope to explore these topics in more detail ... stay tuned!

The Serene Life

Here's a working title for what God has been speaking to me about in 2016 ... if you know me, you know my name fits me - my parents named me well.  I'm feeling a nudge to share my serenity with the world and think I'll start a new blog.  I'm polling ideas for a title on my FB page.

Coming soon  - more thoughts on living serenely.

Eucharisteo

 

The question was raised in my book study of One Thousand Gifts last week ... of what is the point of listing small things that we are thankful for like the green leaves of spring.  I don't remember who asked it, but I think she and others were wrestling with the larger question of how to be thankful in the midst of life's larger trials and what relevance these small things had.  Why should we fill a list of 1000 things we are thankful for with seemingly insignificant things?  How can we be thankful for the hard things?

Eucharisteo - grace, joy, thanksgiving

As I pondered this, several things came to mind.
Thankfulness is a discipline.  Being thankful in the small things teaches us how to be thankful in all things.
Thankfulness is a habit - and habits take practice.
Noticing these seemingly small things, puts God in perspective and teaches us to reverence our Creator.
Noticing helps us to "be here now" to live fully.  It allows us to experience life in new ways.

I think that as we develop this discipline, we grow closer to being able to trust and thank God in all circumstances.

Being thankful brings us deeper into relationship with God.

I think God is delighted when we give thanks in big and small things.

As Maria sings in The Sound of Music:
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles with warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Full lyrics

The picture is the view I enjoyed yesterday as I worked at our annual golf tournament.  

• Thankful for a day outdoors
• Thankful for good weather
• Thankful for time to enjoy God's beautiful creation
• Thankful for the hawk overhead
• Thankful for the sunshine and the breeze
• Thankful for the people I met
• Thankful for the team of people I work with
• Thankful for filet mignon for dinner
• Thankful for my health
• Thankful for women on the journey studying together

#1000Gifts 

My Daughter's Thoughts on Christmas Day

White Christmas that was melted before (a lovely) sunrise.
Thoughts about being wholehearted and obedient and seeking simplicity. Waking up laughing.
Cuddling with the whole family starting at 6am.
Long morning wanders on the golf course with my mom & aunt.
Dark espresso & eggs/bacon.
Joy from giving & seeing delighted loved ones.
So many blessings in return - Sunlamp alarm clock, baby crockpot, beautiful sea glass jewelry made by my sister, comfy jean shirt, Patagonia jacket, lavender...
Accidental naps on the couch.
Paddle tennis.
Cozy fire & reflection on Christ's gift.
Champagne cocktails.
Family movie night w/ blanket beds on the floor.
Christmas celebration at it's best!

Girls Weekend - Puget Sound

From Where I Stand

The Tea House

This photo was, I believe taken in early spring [judging by the shade of green in the picture] and we have yet to see it in spring.  We are having fun imagining all the use we will get out of it come warmer weather.

Meanwhile, it makes for excellent storage for the patio furniture.  And for a few laughs whenever one of us suggests that we could use the tea house ... much too cold to even think of going out there now - high of 23 today!

Canvas of the Sky

Spring weather in Philly this year has provided many beautiful vistas with flowers, green grass, new leaves on trees, vibrant bushes, and ever changing patterns of clouds and sky.

The canvas in the sky is ever changing

An interesting architectural feature.  This is in a medical building, if I remember correctly [or was it a museum] ... anyway, I loved being inside, but being able to look up and be connected to the outdoors.  It provided a sense of connectedness even though I was sheltered from the elements.

I always love to watch the sky, to see the ever changing cloud patterns.

Spring!

Cape Cod 2010

He is Worthy

Lord, You are worthy Of a child-like faith And of my honest praise And of my unashamed love Of a holy life And of my sacrifice And of my unashamed love Words quoted from "Unashamed Love" by Ten Shekel Shirt"

Life

Life is a mystery.  We cannot see the bigger pattern.  According to author and speaker, Richard Rohr, life is a river.  He asks an interesting question, "Are you trying to change the course of the river? Or are you in the river?"   So often our focus is on how we can change things instead of simply living in the moment.  One of my favorite expressions I learned in college during a LaVida trip with Rich Obenschain .... "BE HERE NOW!"  It means that we should soak up every moment and enjoy life.  Jesus said, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  Matthew 6:34   God wants us to be able to experience all that He has for us in each moment.  Life is so often about "letting go."   Let the river carry you.  Trust that God is in control.

Quote From Richard Rohr on Contemplative Prayer

Autumn

My daughter posted this on Facebook recently:  "Everything about today hinted at fall. The woodsmoke smell, the crisp cool air, the few scattered leaves on the ground, the rustling of wind in trees and the taste of hair blown into my mouth. Each lingers teasingly in my sensory memory."

Autumn is beginning to reach Georgia now.  The sky is so blue.  As I sat under the shadow of some pine trees today I was struck by the beautiful contrast between the deep evergreen and the azure sky and also by the gift of the senses that God gave us.  As I enjoyed the feel of the breeze in the cool air, I smelled that distinctive smell of sap from the trees and enjoyed the intricate variety of God's creation.  

The ability to form pictures from words is a gift given to some, but enjoyed by many.

Art

"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures." - Henry Ward Beecher

Your art, be it watercolor, poetry, music, or photography, reflects who you are.  The creative impulse is deep within us.  Our creativity is a gift from God, a reflection of His Creative nature.  When we create something of beauty, we feel a sense of satisfaction because we are following the instinct to create beauty.  The act of creating something allows us time to reflect, to use our hands and our brains, and to produce something which can be enjoyed. 

Nature

In The Outermost House, Henry Beston says, "Nature is a part of our humanity, and without some awareness and experience of that divine mystery man ceases to be man.  When the Pleiades and the wind in the grass are no longer a part of the human spirit, a very part of flesh and bone, man becomes, as it were, a kind of cosmic outlaw, having neither the completeness and integrity of the animal nor the birthright of true humanity."

He talks about the "meditative perception of the relation of 'Nature' to the human spirit."  This classic book is about his experience living on the shore of Cape Cod for a year and observing the natural world.

Romans 1:20 says, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made."  Through time spent outdoors in nature, savoring the creation, my spirit is refreshed by communion with God's Spirit.

Spring is Coming

eventually ... i think ... i hope!  we've had lots of rain and too much cold weather this year.  the daffodils are here and the trees have buds.  can't wait for the warm weather to stay.  the night before last it was so windy that the lake had 6" waves, then in the morning it was like glass.  i love seeing the many moods of God's creation throughout the day.  i love to look at the goldfish in my pond and see them come up for food.  the water is warm enough now that some birds have come to splash and take baths in the pond.