Archives for October 2012

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 22

October 22, 2012 By
Seemed like time for a survey, of sorts.
Only a very small one, of course.
And maybe not the last one in this series, either.
Today, I am traveling to northern California
for a spiritual directors’ retreat
and will not have internet access until late tomorrow.
So here is just a small sampling of 
the ways in which I am saved by Beauty
in this life of mine.
Most of these reflect the wonder of the
natural world around us.
But there may be a few surprises here and there.
A cormorant, low over the water at Summerland Beach.

 A roadside stop on the way to San Luis Obispo.

 The best ice cream in three counties.

 The view from the Monastery of the Risen Christ, San Luis Obispo.

 Island view at sunset, Highway 101 near Gaviota.

 Goats-for-hire, clearing weeds near a winery in the Five Cities area.

 A variety of shore birds at the Goleta Slough.

 Looking down the coast from the slough.

Hay bales off O’Connor Road, SLO.
Stained glass on the north side of the sanctuary, Montecito Covenant Church.

“Beauty is one of the rare things that do not lead to doubt of God.”
    — Jean Anouilh

“You are as beautiful as your thoughts.”
     — Unknown

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart.”
      — Helen Keller 

“Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.”
      — Psalm 23:5-6

Joining with a few friends as the week begins: 
On In Around button
    



Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, God's gifts, photography, The Sea

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 21

October 21, 2012 By
Sitting in the swing one evening about ten days ago, I noticed a little bit of color creeping onto the western edge of the clouds.
So I took a little look around the sky.


Sometimes it’s hard to know which direction to look,
toward the setting sun,
or toward the hills to the east.

The weather was, as usual, changeable.
Hot sun, followed by blustery wind.
Those two together often create ideal conditions
for a beautiful evening sky.
So looking toward the west allowed lovely silhouettes,


especially these king palms, which are one of my favorite
California trees.
Something about them speaks of pre-history,
quiet grandeur.
They also provide hidden homes for scores of birds,
birds of all kinds and sizes, from
tiny finches to screech owls.

But the view from the backyard?
Well, this particular evening,
it was nothing short of spectacular.

The layers of sky and hill upon hill
took my breath away.

Every once in a while,
I feel like God sends me a telegram.
“Look around!” it says.
“Admire my handiwork.
Enjoy the beauty I have given to you,
and to all humankind.
I Am, indeed.
I Am the Author of all things Beautiful.
And here is a hand-signed copy
of my latest release!”

What can I say?
Only thank you, thank you,
THANK  YOU.



Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, God's gifts, Photo Essay

Quiet for the Weekend – October 19-21, 2012

October 20, 2012 By
“Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits —
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Psalm 103:1-5, TNIV

Hanging onto these words this weekend,
celebrating their truth
and their comfort.
My thanks to Cheryl Hyatt Smith 
Joining with Cheryl, Sandy and Deidra for their weekend links.
Thanks, friends, for encouraging us to take time to be still,
to choose thoughtfulness and reflection.

 


Filed Under: biblical reflection, Quiet for the Weekend

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 20 AND 5 Minute Friday – LOOK!

October 20, 2012 By
Every Friday, she pulls one out of the hat.
A word or a short phrase.
And we’re supposed to set the timer
and free-write in response to that prompt.
Lisa-Jo Baker is dang good at this prompting business
and a couple of hundred people join in the party
each and every week.
I’m late this week . . . but I’m here, for the first time in several.
Hop on over to her website and check out a few:
Five Minute Friday
Today’s prompt?
Look . . .

GO:

Idou –
a tiny Greek part of speech
that imitates an earlier Hebraic one.
A small word that modern translations
don’t even bother with, 
but oh! SUCH a good word.
It means . . . LOOK AT THIS!
And it’s usually translated, “Behold!”
Think about all the places in scripture
where you’ve seen that word!
“the handmaiden of the Lord,”
and “I tell you a mystery”
are the first two that spring to my mind
in these five minutes.
The Incarnation
and the Resurrection,
bookends, in a way,
of our faith,
of our story.
And what a beautiful,
mysterious,
glorious story it is.
And you know what?

I think there are evidences of these ‘beholds’ 

all around us, every dang day.

We are invited to be the incarnate Word
in the lives of our families,
in the neighborhoods in which we live.
We are encouraged to be Easter People,
shining forth hope
of better things ahead.
And if we stop,
if we slow,
if we open our eyes,
and loose our ears,
and tune our minds —
we can not only look,
but SEE.
The Glory of the Lord
is present in our world,
and in every one of us.
Imagine!
Look!
Behold!
Idou!

STOP

 Yes, I thought about this for more than 5 minutes. But I did not write for more than that.
And here, in these pictures, most of them taken with my not-so-smart phone
are some real-life examples of the glory of God made real in this world of ours.
LOOK. SEE. BEHOLD.

A lone young woman, journal in hand, sitting on the wide sand, looking. Looking.
Off in the distance, a cruise ship – 
. . . a reminder that sometimes we might feel invaded
by uninvited tourists making demands
upon our time, energy and resources.
But.
Every person on a cruise ship is also made in the image of God, whether they know and acknowledge that or not.
So maybe I need — in general — to be more welcoming,
and gracious to those who feel to me like. . . interlopers?
And sometimes those might even be members of 
my own family?
A wide stretch of sand
on a beautiful sunny day. 
Behold! The goodness of God.
Friends, neighbors and strangers —
out for a walk, just like I am.
Can I be a grace-filled, smiling co-conspirator
in the joys of life?
And that water, lapping on the sand?
Pure refreshment,
reminder of all things good and lovely.
So, hop on board,
set your sail into the wind,
and see where Ruach* takes you next
But never forget that sometimes
the very best adventures of all
happen under a striped umbrella,
alone on a wide beach,
reveling in the beauty around you.
LOOK!

*Ruach is a biblical word for ‘wind’ or ‘spirit.’ 
I use it here for Spirit, Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit.
Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, 5 Minute Friday, God's gifts, photography, The Sea

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 19

October 20, 2012 By
Today we got frustrated,
and disappointed,
and enraptured —
all at the same time. 

We drove across town to the Old Mission.
Our assignment?
Get fingerprinted,
so that a background check could be run,
so that we could serve as volunteers
at our soon-to-be-seven-year-old 
granddaughter’s school. 

Our daughter-in-law carefully 
researched the date,
wrote us some instructions
and said in passing,
“It says to call ahead and make
a reservation,
but we just walked up and got
in line. You probably don’t need to.”

Wrong. 

So we’ll wait til next time.
But when I turned around from the office
complex, I realized that the early morning
cloud cover had burned completely off,
and we had a lovely shot of one of 
the most beautiful buildings in our state,
the Queen of the Missions.

I didn’t have much time,
as my husband was peeved and restless,
but I aimed my camera and rattled 
off a few shots, wondering
what I might have captured
in the three minutes I grabbed.

Someday, I will post some interior shots on this blog,
but today, I was fortunate to get these angled exteriors.
To tell you the truth, everything
about this site is lovely.
Standing on those front steps,
you can see all the way to the ocean.
And you can imagine Father Serra
surveying this beauty and sighing, 
as he traveled the Camino Real up and down
the coast of Alta California.

These bells actually ring,
reminding parishioners to pray,
calling them to mass,
inviting people to stop,
for just a moment or two,
and remember that being busy
is not all there is to this life.

There is a fountain here that is as old as the Mission,
part of the original aquaduct system that brought
water to the crops,
supplied the laundry workers,
and provided drinking water for everyone,
priests, soldiers and Indians alike. 
The angle of the sun was just right today,
and the gently rippling water
caught the reflection of Mission Santa Barbara.

She is a lovely old thing, isn’t she?
And she wears her years very well, indeed. 



Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, photography, Santa Barbara

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 18

October 19, 2012 By
Depending upon the time of day,
walking at Butterfly Beach
can be a very different experience.
And this is what it looked like just three days ago.
The beach was wide,
with lots of sand for walking,
or digging,
or lazing around.
And some rocky shoals, which are hardly ever visible,
were eagerly explored by young beach-goers.
There is something soul-expanding about seeing
that much level beach —
an invitation to come on down,
breathe deeply,
get your toes wet.

Today looked decidedly different.
There was no beach,
not an inch of sand that could be walked upon with confidence.
No space for sitting,
relaxing,
toe-tipping.

Instead,
the water pounded right up to the wall,
stunning in its proximity and power.

The weather was similar —
warm, sunny, clear. 

The long-range view was basically
the same — islands in the distance,
oil derricks a little further in,
the curving peninsula of the mainland
visible toward the southeast.

But it felt profoundly different. 

A shift in time,
a moody pull of the moon,
a portent of stormy weather ahead?
I do not know how the tides shift.
I just know that they do.

And that makes all the difference.
High and low each have beauties of their own —
an invitation and a warning,
a welcome and a reminder. 

Life is a little like that, I think.
Some days, all looks level.
Others, there is no sure footing to be found. 
Nothing else has shifted,
the ingredients are the same basic mix —
but some days feel like invitation,
and others feel like warning.

I love them both.
The allure of a wide beach is 
wonderful and warm;
the power of a surging surf is
heart-stopping and thrilling.

I think you have to experience
both to fully appreciate each. 
Because we need both kinds of tides.
And we need both kinds of days,
both kinds of living:
resting on the sand and 
enjoying the view for a while
and standing with arms wide
and hearts open to
receive the beautiful,
sometimes terrifying power 
of life itself. 






Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, photography, The Sea

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 17

October 18, 2012 By
Since Lilly started pre-school in September,
her grandfather has been volunteering
every week,
on Wednesdays —
the very day we cared for her
for over two years.
He spends about four hours —
helping with stories,
snacks,
lunches,
naps.
He loves it.

I have never known anyone who has such
natural rapport with small children.
Every one of our grandchildren
adores him,
and with good reason.
Today was a field trip –
and I got to go, too.
“The wheels on the bus
go round and round…”
Thirty pre-schoolers,
about a dozen adults,
all of us singing,
doing the hand motions,
anticipating a fun couple of hours.

The day was warm,
HOT, to be exact,
and crystal clear,
as we unloaded
ourselves from the 
big yellow school bus.
The Pumpkin Patch
is only a few miles
from the school
and is small and compact.
Thank goodness!!
Have you ever tried
to corral 30 small persons
around a large open field?
In we marched,
and Lilly found
Poppy’s hand just as
soon as she could.
Everyone filed into the shade
for a presentation 
about pumpkins, gourds,
and Indian corn.
These two little girls – our Lilly on the left,
and Carolyn, on the right,
were born on the same day,
just hours apart.
And the director of the pre-school
was in the waiting room with
all the grandparents.
Each of these cuties
has an older sibling
who was a student at the school
at the time of their birth.
I have no memory of ever
seeing a school administrator
at any of my kids’ births!
After learning about fall veggies,
and enjoying a much-needed cup 
of cold water and a snack,
the kids were let loose to pick a pumpkin.
Lilly chose a small, compact one
and her teacher happily wrote her
name on it and put it in the class wagon.
Trying to get a class photo was interesting.
And fun. 
The two girls in the center of the front row,
that’s our girl and her BFF, Alice.
They truly love each other,
hugging when they meet,
choosing to sit together often,
sharing long connections
through their parents and
older sisters – 
all of whom are friends.
For the purposes of this 31-day challenge,
I could wax eloquent
about how much beauty this
small person has brought into our lives.
And before this month is over,
I most likely will do so.

But tonight?
Tonight I want to celebrate the
beauties of friendship,
the joys of shared history,
the ties that connect
people over time
and life experience.
We are designed for community,
and it shows up very early.
I was delighted to see these lovely threads
winding between two small girls,
not yet three years old.
One of the most beautiful things 
I’ve seen all day, in fact.

Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, family, God's gifts, Santa Barbara

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 16

October 17, 2012 By
It was darkening by the time I returned from the store.
That’s happening a lot earlier these days,
and I am not pleased.
I love the sun.
I love a reasonable amount of heat.
I like long days,
with lingering sunlight,
lengthening shadows,
sunset coloring the sky for a good, long while. 

So as much as I enjoy the onset of fall-ish weather,
and as glad as I am to re-enter some
semblance of a schedule with the 
start of the school year,
there is a part of me that feels
a little bit lost,
and a slow, creeping sense of sadness
as the dark claims more and more of the day.

But in just the two minutes
that it took to drop my purse on the bed,
look for an anticipated email,
(it wasn’t there),
and rattle down the list
in my head of what needed to be done
in the next 45 minutes,
I glanced out the screen door
and saw this glorious spilling
of crimson,
lightening and brightening the 
growing gloom of too-early nightfall.

The last gasp of summer,
radiating hope 
     and light and 
          stunning, stop-me-in-my-tracks beauty.

What is it about red roses? 
Something about the depth of color,
the strong, familiar scent,
the sturdy call to pay attention?
I’m not entirely sure,
I just know I love them,
and they always stir
something joyful in my spirit. 

I like them best
when they’re on the bush,
lending their glamour to the garden,
forcing me to look,
and to look again.
It seems almost a sacrilege to cut them,
although I do it from time to time.
Even red roses need pruning,
dead-heading,
trimming back.

And soon enough, 
this one will be trimmed, too.
But right now,
tonight,
when I’m pondering
a proposal that surprised me,
wondering if this is what’s next
on God’s plate for me,
I will enjoy their vibrant cry
for my attention. 

Red is the color of hope,
I’m told.
And of life.
It is a scarlet thread that weaves
its way through scripture
and my life,
splashing passion,
crying ‘courage!’,
promising good things ahead.

Joining with Jennifer, Duane, Emily and Ann tonight:

 



Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, God's gifts, personal journey, photography

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 15

October 16, 2012 By
So there are some days in which
beauty takes you by surprise.
I had a doctor’s appointment today –
not usually something that comes
even remotely close to being beautiful.
But for just a moment,
I spotted it.
“You look really good today,”
the cardiologist told me
when I went in to see him 
for follow-up to a change
in blood pressure meds.
“Your numbers are exceptional. 
I’ll see you in a year.”
That was a spot of unexpected 
beautiful news. 

And I had about one hour
after that appointment,
and before my next one.
I chose to spend it
in my second ‘office,’
reading through a couple of days
in a new devotional guide,
recommended by my friend, Nancy Franson,
and prayerfully pondering future writing
themes and projects.
This is “my” spot on the bluffs, overlooking Butterfly Beach.
From the front of my traveling office space,
this is the view.
Shifting just slightly to my right,
brings in this one, which is a little bit less dramatic.
And this is the view to the rear of my work space.
Not too shabby.
We have been blessed to see some of the most beautiful
coastlines in the world –
the Garden Route in South Africa,
the Amalfi Coast in Italy,
the Italian Riviera,
the north Atlantic seaboard,
from Connecticut all the way up to Nova Scotia,
the Caribbean shores of St. Thomas and Mexico,
the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Baja,
and the entire Pacific Coast of North America,
as far as Alaska and the Yukon.
And this right here?
This is at the top of the list. 

And I can drive here in five – count them FIVE – minutes.
Thank you, Lord. 

I will admit this about being surrounded by such beauty –
I can easily be distracted.
Take today, for example.
This was a day for boats,
a subject about which I know very little indeed.
though I doubt these photos will give her enough
info to identify what type of boats
I was watching today.
This one was very purposeful,
heading toward waters down
the coast. (You’ll note that I did not say
heading south down the coast. That is because
our funny peninsula here faces south
rather than west, so it gets a little weird
if you say you’re heading ‘south.’)

This tiny guy, however, was content to just drift a bit,
taking in the sights,
enjoying the beauty of a suddenly balmy day
after a tender taste of real fall weather late last week.

 Then a bit bigger boat came into my sight line,
looking sleek and intentional.
Again, he was heading down the coast.

Suddenly, the meandering mellow guy
began to rev up the engine, 
and before I knew it,
I had an interesting shot –
the islands in the distance,
the oil derricks in silhouette,
and two ships, passing in the daylight.

And just before it was time to move my office
to a parking spot in front of a favorite restaurant
(yes, lunch with a friend is an appointment, right?),
one final flourish from a small craft heading up the coast.
Perhaps this was the first guy heading home?
Perhaps this was boat number 4 in 40 minutes?
Perhaps it was time for me to put the camera DOWN,
and write a bit? 

I did grab a few ideas here and there,
and quite possibly some of those will 
show up here or at 
A Deeper Story/Deeper Family/Deeper Church.
Who knows?
All I know for sure is this:
today’s office visit(s)
were rich with reminder
that I am – truly – 
being saved by beauty as I walk through each day.
O Lord, may I have eyes to see!


Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, God's gifts, personal journey, Photo Essay, Writing

31 Days in which I Am Saved by Beauty – Day 14

October 15, 2012 By
today brought clear skies
and warm temperatures.
Our small group did its monthly thing,
gathering at our home.
And on this fall day, October 14, it was still more 
than warm enough to meet in the yard. 

These are such good people,
so dear to us,
and we enjoy our 2-hour window
for sharing and prayer,
sipping cool (or warm) beverages,
enjoying a few sweet or savory treats. 
Every one of us carries around
some points of concern and struggle;
every one of us finds moments
of grace and redemption
even in the middle of the messy.

The theme of our morning worship
carried over into our conversation a little bit.
We looked at the story of the rich young ruler
and the call to surrender,
to let go of all those things
that bind us and keep us
from fully following Jesus. 

I don’t like that story very much. 
It hits a little too close to home, you know?
But today, I liked it just a bit better.
We pondered the line,
“Jesus looked at him and loved him,”
in juxtaposition with the 
end of the story –
when the young man sadly walks away. 

Ever wondered why Jesus
didn’t do what we might be likely to do?
Soft-soap the deal?
Make a different offer?
Do everything in our power to
change this potential great-leader-for-the-kingdom’s mind? 

Yeah, me, neither. 

But today, I did think about it.
A lot.
And here’s what I’ve come to:
Jesus looks at us and loves us;
Jesus invites us into a full-bodied relationship
     of community and action;
Jesus loves us too much to either force us to follow
     or to back-pedal about what it might cost us to do so. 

So, as I cleaned up the kitchen
after they left this afternoon,
as I rested and caught up on Facebook,
as I took my walk and spied
this glory on the Carpinteria foothills –
I asked God to help me to want to let go.
To let go of . . .
     how much I love living where I live;
     how much I adore my grandchildren;
     how controlling I can feel inside,
          wanting to ‘fix’ everyone’s problems,
          not trusting that God’s got it – no matter the outcome.
Because we all have those things that trap us,
     and bind us,
          and keep us 
from becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus. 

What are yours?
 “Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
Let the earth and all living things join in.
Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!
Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the LORD.
For the LORD is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice,
and the nations with fairness.”
Psalm 98:7-9, NLT

Joining with a few friends tonight – Michelle, Jen, Ann, Laura and L.L. to name a few:
 
On In Around button
    




Filed Under: 31 Day Blogging Challenge, Beauty, biblical reflection, community, God's gifts, personal journey
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