A Mundane Life That's Really Something

In 2009 I left the corporate world in search of a less frenetic life.  Less frenetic I got!  Sometimes it's even mundane.  In fact, I've begun to think of myself as a little bit like the author Garrison Keillor. He writes about observations of  "prairie life" which at first glance may appear very uninteresting.  I write about the tales of a work-from-home suburban woman.  I use prose and poetry.  The poems are about topics that start on my gratitude lists written in my journals.  They celebrate the mundane which I have learned is actually really quite something. Here's an example.  It's a poem I have yet to name, maybe someone with the same experience will name it for me.

A group of
Fourteen year olds
In the kitchen
Making bacon and eggs
Please pay attention

Sink full of pots and pans
Splatter on the stove
House still standing
I'll gladly do the dishes
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  What's something from your mundane life that's really actually something?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

Picture of tree in Pennypack by MH

Developing Your Inner Spirit Wisdom (A Reminder)

I thought today would be a good day to remind you about what I am teaching.  Specifically it is a way to use journaling to develop your inner spirit wisdom.  It's quite simple really in terms of the steps:

1.  Use a journal and write down whatever is on your heart on a regular basis.  I do this almost daily now but when I started years and years ago it was something I did every once in a while, then once or twice a week, and now I hate to miss it.  I am a morning person so I do it first thing or after a few chores.  It often starts off with what I did the day before or what's coming today but then I also get into what's bothering me or what's making my heart sing.  I might also write my gratitude list in my journal but not always.  You decide what time of day is best for you and what you include in your journal.

2.  When you think you have written out what's most pressing on your heart, write out the question "God*, what do you want me to know?"  

3.  Then write down what comes to you.  If you feel compelled to use a tool, use a tool.  Tools include things like meditation cards (I like the ones with one word on them), a book that you open up randomly and read what's on that page (I often use the Bible or Psalms for Praying by Nan Merrill but nonreligious books work too). If you're not sure what tool to use, let the Spirit* guide you.

This is the daily practice.  It can take as much or as little time as you have.  Doing it often provides value because it gives the opportunity to look back over your journey.  You can look back over a period of time to see what was happening in your life and what your Higher Power* was telling you, often repeatedly.  Maybe you want to look at the last week, the same week from a year ago, the last whole journal.  Whatever time frame is on your heart is right for you.  Be a pattern hunter:  was the same thing on your heart last year, have you pulled the same meditation card 3 times in the last month, did you write about the same place or person?  Write down what you uncover.

The hard part is making the time to do the work.  For me, it has made a significant difference in that I have found an easier way to live, allowing the Great Spirit* to be my guide..  

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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Have you come across a journal lately in your travels (at a bookstore, half-used in your junk drawer, a sketch pad which could double as a journal)?  Did you begin to use it?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.

Photo by MH

Put It All Together

On April 2, 2013 I wrote 3 categories in my journal to label experiences for that week:  praises, frustrations and suffering. Praises included things about my time spent outdoors and with my daughter. Frustrations included my hip issues and dress shopping.  Suffering was about others in my life who were experiencing either serious sickness of a loved one or marital strife.  I also wrote "put them all together and you have life."  This is not something new.  It's just something to think about.  What came up for me is that they can not be what they are without the others.  The contrast among them is what makes each situation so regarded and impactful, and sometimes more than others.  For example, if I am the one that is suffering, it might diminish or multiply the praises.  It just depends on where I am at the moment.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  What are your joys, frustrations and sufferings this week?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, Sensibility, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide. 

Photo by MH

What Does Trust God Mean?

A few years ago I read A Cup of Our Life by Joyce Rupp.  It recommends setting intentions and doing other spiritual exercises as you move through the book.  One of the exercises suggests writing a dialogue with God about trust.  Here's a portion of what I wrote in my journal:

God*:  Good morning, Marie how are you?
Me:  I am very good, looking outside at snow-covered ground, it is beautiful.
God:  I know, right?
Me:  Yes, and I thank you!  Also God, I have a question.  Can You tell me Your version of trust?
God:  Yes.  All you need to know is I Am Who Am.
Me:  Huh?  How does this answer the trust question?
God:  I Am Who Am.  Trust that I Am going to save you when, that I am going to be with you when.
Me:  What do you mean by when?
God:  When-always; when-you need me; when you can't ask for me; when it is more than you can handle; when-always.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Do you dialogue with God*?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, Sensibility, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide. 

Photo by MH

Make it a Habit (Cold Winter, Rising Temps)

     I have poor circulation in my hands and my feet.  So much so that it's hard to get them warm on cold winter days or even during the summer while inside somewhere with air conditioner blasting. The thing is I used to just suffer because the temperature was set at what it was set at, because it's what I knew.  I trace it back to my upbringing to keep expenses down by temperature control. Fortunately my husband said "You know, you can adjust it; why not raise the temperature a little when you're cold?"  So simple, why didn't I think of that?
     What a difference it made!  On days when the temperature in the house doesn't warm me all the way through, even though I am bundled in layers, I temporarily override the program until I warm up.
The thing is I forgot I did this.  It's probably because it's been a bit warmer the past few winters, and I went back to my old habit of just suffering with cold hands.  I mentioned to a friend that it is cold in my house this week and she said "I thought you just raise the temp a little during these times?"  How had I forgotten?  Why wasn't this a habit yet?  Thank goodness for spouses and friends to remind us of things we said, or practices we let go by the wayside.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Have you forgotten one of your good habits?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, Sensibility, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide. 

Photo by MH

Pleasing People

This is how I think God* thinks about people:  we are pleasing.  We please because we are.  We live. Living is pleasing to God.

This is something that really came to light for me when a local team brought a youth home repair camp to our area.  Originally the target was set at 40 homes with 400 campers to work on them. Because it was the first week of August when a lot of youth turn their focus back to school we only had about 100 campers and therefore needed a quarter of the sites.

It turns out that the 11 homes that were repaired was the right number.  I don't know if the team could have found thirty more houses near enough to the host campsite.  That's because what we learned is that there are many organizations and people in our area already doing this work.  That is, there are lots of pleasing people everywhere.

If you are a person, you are pleasing to God.  So it's not just the people who repaired homes.  It's also the people who opened their homes for repair.  It's also the people and organizations who gave us their time, helped spread the word, gave donations, etc.  It's also everyone who wasn't even involved. It's people everywhere!
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God* wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Do you feel you are pleasing to God*?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

* I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, Sensibility, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide. 

Photo by MH