I just finished reading Ann Napolitano’s, Hello Beautiful. It’s a family saga with all the drama that entails. It’s also the story of how a father’s love impacts the lives of his four daughters. It was particularly poignant because that’s how my father greeted me whenever I entered the room. He used to question…..
Don't Be a Flat Leaver
A term from my youth popped up unexpectedly last week. I was with a fellow New Yorker who called her husband (who chose to return to work after a long hiatus) a “flat leaver.” He had no idea what she was talking about. I’m not sure flat leaver is a New York term or simply a gender or age-related one. It refers to…..
Everlasting Arms
While visiting a friend’s church recently, the pastor was installing the new youth minister. He invited the congregation to lift their arms to pray a blessing over this young man as he embarked on his new ministry. Eagerly, I raised my arm as the prayer began. And he prayed, and prayed, and prayed. It didn’t take long for my arm to become fatigued. I braced it….
Ding Dong Ditch
A friend invited me to a show this week entitled, The Ding Dongs. I eagerly accepted anticipating a comedy about the popular juvenile prank (at least in Brooklyn), Ding Dong Ditch. You ring a person’s doorbell, then run away. My poor elderly neighbor (probably my age now but seemed ancient at the time), Mr. Munch, was a frequent victim. DDD was probably the most harmless of our antics. It’s not…
Say Yes to the Dress
My daughter is getting married next year, and we’ve started looking at wedding dresses. After getting over the sticker shock, which was no small feat, it’s been a fun process. She has tried on everything from the sublime to the ridiculous. Apparently, I need to work on my poker face because there was no hiding my responses when she emerged from the dressing room. Some were looks…..
Legacy of Faith
You may have noticed Owen’s distinctive christening gown in the photo from last week. It’s a family heirloom made by Owen’s great, great, great grandmother’s mother and sister in 1875. Since then it has travelled extensively from San Francisco to Mexico to Ireland, eventually returning full circle to San Francisco for Owen’s sister, Tess, a couple of years ago. As Owen’s grandmother explained, “It has gone back and forth…
A Holy Longing
My niece’s son, Owen, was baptized this week. I had the privilege and honor of being his grand godmother. He’s a lucky little boy to have two generations of women dedicated to helping him in his spiritual walk. Mathematically speaking, I doubt I will live long enough to see him hit his stride, but I will certainly be front and center cheering him on as he takes his first wobbly steps of faith. This is not the first time I’ve served in such a capacity, but I don’t think I truly grasped the responsibility……
My Happy Place
Everyone has a place (or state of mind) where they feel closest to God - a place of peace and contentment. Some arrive there through prayer and meditation, others employ more tangible modes of transportation. In the summer I drive - certainly a more direct route than my feeble efforts at prayer and meditation recently. That's not to say that the four-hour journey…..
My Happy Place
Everyone has a place (or state of mind) where they feel closest to God - a place of peace and contentment. Some arrive there through prayer and meditation, others employ more tangible modes of transportation. In the summer I drive - certainly a more direct route than my feeble efforts at prayer and meditation recently. That's not to say that the four-hour journey to Massachusetts doesn't involve soul searching and long conversations with God. We cover a lot of ground during those rides.
As I've mentioned on more than one occasion, being by the ocean makes me feel close to God. I love the first whiff of ocean air when I arrive and the peacefulness of once again falling asleep and waking to the rhythmic sound of the waves. The vastness of the sea is a vivid reminder of my smallness and His greatness. Sitting on the shore with my feet buried in the warm, soft sand, one verse always comes to mind:
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:17-19).
That truth is the basis of my "happy place" regardless of my geographic location.
The other aspect of the ocean that I find hypnotizing is the constancy of the waves, whether they are gentle, rolling ones or angry, crashing ones - especially when a storm is approaching. Surfers flock to the beach during rough surf because that's when the waves are the biggest. They know the best surfing occurs in stormy seas and have no reservations about diving into turbulent waters.
Spiritually, the same holds true yet no one embraces the storms of life with enthusiasm, nor are we eager to dive into painful situations. No one escapes being tossed around by the waves of life on occasion. Stormy waters test our faith. You may feel like you are drowning in fear, anxiety, hurt, discouragement, despair; but take heart. "God can use the storm to make you fearless, secure, and steadfast." He may not calm the storm, but He will calm you because the Lord is more concerned with changing our character than our circumstances.
It's only in hindsight that I recognize my best spiritual rides have always been during rough times. It was in my pain that I felt totally one with God, carried by His power to the safety of the shore. Furthermore, it's through that pain that compassion for the pain of others grew. Experiencing, learning, and being honest about my own pain allows me to be a safe haven for others to come for comfort, encouragement and support.
Maybe that's why much of my beach conversation this summer has revolved around pain and suffering. What can I tell you? The relaxed pace here leaves people eager for conversation. That's the beauty of summer. With no pressing obligations, you can enjoy the luxury of unencumbered time, which is when meaningful conversation unfolds. The issues vary wildly, but the bottom line is we all live, we all love, we all lose, we all suffer, we all grieve...it's part of the human condition. There is no greater connector than shared suffering. Pain respects no boundaries. I consider it an honor and a privilege when someone feels comfortable enough to choose to reveal their pain. It's such a vulnerable position, which is probably why so many of us choose to be silent sufferers - something I've never mastered obviously or I wouldn't have anything to blog about.
It doesn't matter what kind of wave you're caught in, God is waiting to provide the most thrilling ride of your life if you choose to reach for His hand. I read somewhere, "the storm is not where you face the enemy. The storm is where you meet your God." I couldn't agree more. God doesn't promise a life free from storms, but He does promise to be with us through them. For that reason, my happy place will always be by His side wherever and in whatever circumstance I find myself.
Take It Easy
Before I move on from the Peloton, there are two spiritual lessons to share. As I mentioned last week, my first rides weren’t pretty. Truth be told, they never were. My post-ride appearance mirrors someone who’s just gone nine rounds, and they never seem to get easier. When my daughter worked at Soul Cycle, family day involved a class. The photo included sums…..
No Pain, No Gain
“No pain, no gain” elicits horrible memories of Jane Fonda in leg warmers urging viewers to “go for the burn!” The leg warmer fashion trend always baffled me. I had enough padding on my legs without adding a thick layer of wool over them, highlighting exactly what I was attempting to lose. Plus, my legs were plenty warm. Seriously, no one was exercising outside! By the end…
Missing in Action
MIA is not a winning recipe for success as a blogger. That said, sometimes life happens and everything goes off the rails. My apologies for being out of touch for so long with no explanation. It’s been a long haul since January. First, my father died in January, which was sad but not unexpected. He was 96 and had lived a long, relatively healthy life – much to his dismay…..
Less Phubbing, More Loving
Wise Men Still Seek Him
Friday marked the Feast of the Epiphany, which commemorates the Magi finding the baby they’d been seeking for so long. Their journey must have been arduous – certainly more difficult than my return from Florida today, though travelling by camel seems easier these days than flying. And if you’re flying…..
Christmas Hope
Years ago during yoga class, our instructor was introducing a challenging pose. After a number of clumsy efforts by the class, she had us lean against the wall to experience how the pose should feel. When you feel the safety of the wall, you can lean into it knowing you won’t fall. This allows you to…..
Christmas Chaos
When I traveled to Israel in 2016, the Old Testament professor who led our group shattered many familiar biblical narratives with new perspective. The Christmas story is probably the most notable. However, his version incorporating Jewish customs of the time makes more sense than the serene manger scene on the outskirts of Bethlehem we’re all…..
Answered Prayers
Last week in Bible study when prayer requests were being shared, it was obvious that, as mothers, prayers for our children (of all ages) were at the forefront of our concerns. Children never age-out of their parents’ prayer life. A member of the group shared an answered prayer while grieving the tragic death of her daughter. The divine message she received made Psalm 34 come to mind. As she revealed, “He said….
God's Pumpkin Patch
Rise and Grind
While walking with a friend recently, she stopped to appreciate the view, and it certainly was a vista worth pausing to admire. However, she then went on to apologize for asking me to take a moment to enjoy the natural beauty of our surroundings. The fact that she felt the need to make an apology epitomizes a gaping societal flaw…..
Blessed Assurance
Hurricane Ian is a just a memory for most of us, but for the residents of Florida it will be years (if ever) for restoration to be complete. Their losses are a vivid reminder of the fragility of life. Intellectually we know disaster can hit at any moment, but it’s still a shock when catastrophe strikes whether it’s hurricane related or any number of disasters that threaten our existence. Insurance companies appeal to our fears to market expensive policies.
Most of us carry insurance to help mitigate consequences, but there are plenty of things money can’t replace. And even if your property is insured, it’s a lo-o-o-ong, arduous process to collect and rebuild – especially when labor and supplies are in short supply. We don’t carry flood insurance on our house in Florida because it’s prohibitively expensive with an enormous deductible. Basically, it costs more than the house is worth. Luckily our house survived, but there are plenty of victims of Ian that have no recourse other than the kindness of strangers and FEMA, but even those have their limits.
Gambling on living near the water in Florida without flood insurance can be costly but nowhere near the cost of living in this world without the benefit of spiritual insurance or blessed assurance as the hymn goes. Where you will reside in eternity is not something to gamble with. Thankfully, we don’t have to because our premiums have been paid in full. Our position in Heaven has already been secured and insured through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Even better is the fact that we get to begin our eternal life with Christ here and now.
My relationship with Jesus is the only thing I will be taking when I leave this world. My confidence in that truth is based on St. Paul’s words in Romans 8:38, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). It’s His presence in my life that allows me to endure all kinds of storms and damages – physically, mentally and spiritually.
Finally, the insurance we carry for tangible items may never be needed. However, we will all face God one day. That’s a certainty, yet so many fail to consider the consequences of not choosing to invite Jesus into their lives. He is the only person capable of mitigating the consequences of our sin. There are no limits on His coverage either. Christ can restore anything we offer Him so don’t hold back. Nothing is beyond His redemptive power.
Choosing blessed assurance is always a wise choice.
