How Great Is Your God?

Identifying deciduous trees in the winter when they are without their flowers and fruit can be extremely difficult.  In fact, some species are much harder to ID than others.  Consider this: there are so many different parts of a twig (buds, either terminal or lateral; the scars of the leaf, bud and vein; and the lenticels and the pith), each of which has so many different variations.  This creates an almost unending combination of possibilities.  In fact, there are over 60,000 tree species in our world.  Isn't that mind-blowing? Can you imagine creating something that complicated and then remembering what each and every one consists of?  Me either! That's one of the reasons why I believe God* is great!  
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, the community and I 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.
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Reflective questions:
1.  Why do you believe God* is great?

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, magnificent tree

Note:  These posts are part of a broader call to do spiritual journaling (read more at CardinalTouch.net)

What's Growing Out of Your Fallow Time?

     So if you follow my posts, you know that I've had fallow time as a result of not planting a vegetable garden this year (this garden and I have rested).  This has led to me joining a local CSA.  I will pick up my first box of locally grown fruits and vegetables next week.  I'm sure I'll have more to share on that in coming weeks.
     In the meantime, I want to talk about my "fallow" garden.  I did not grow any seedlings indoors or buy seeds to plant, but guess what?  Some of last year's crops set seed and I will have yield even though I did nothing (squash, tomatoes, and beets).  I will also have the perennial crops such as raspberries and rhubarb.  Thank you, God,* for designing plants this way!
    In the meantime, I've been able to attend some webinars about the pests that destroyed my onion crops last year and have learned some new solutions.  Whether or not I will plant a full garden next year depends on what my coming path holds.  Whatever it is, I expect that what grows out of this fallow time will be grand!  How about you?  What's been growing out of your fallow time?
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, the community and I 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.  Are you coming out of or going into fallow time, or is it that you would like fallow time, but don't feel that it's possible?

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, PERT

Note:  These posts are part of a broader call to do spiritual journaling (read more at CardinalTouch.net)

Be Still and Know

Part of the magic of journaling is that out of stillness comes creativity.  (Don't believe me? Be still and see how many ideas come).  Even more so, being still allows us to connect the dots between ideas in order to create something bigger.  Here's an example:

I play Words with Friends with my brothers.
Yesterday I had the letters for "haiku."
I remembered writing haiku poems in 8th grade.
When I sat to journal today, an old journal was opened to a gratitude list.
Gratitude lists have been my prompts for writing poems, so...
today I wrote some haiku.
Doing so gave me joy.
Joy connects me to God,* the greatest Creator.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is how Laura Numeroff came up with her children's books like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie!  
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, the community and I 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 a recent "connect-the-dots" story from your own life?

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, Mount Healthy, OH

Note:  These posts are part of a broader call to do spiritual journaling (read more at CardinalTouch.net)

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, the community and I 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. Pick one:  How has journaling changed your life?  Noticing cases of 3 pings?  What about God moments?  Are you recognizing your thought patterns?  Is there something crazy good that's come from your journaling?

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, OC, NJ
Note:  These posts are part of a broader call to do spiritual journaling (read more at CardinalTouch.net)

Summer Time, Summer Time & Something Better!

Summer, summer, summertime!  It's my daughter's favorite time of the year.  So much so, that in the spring we begin creating a list of things to do together in the summer.  The list always includes breakfast, just the two of us, at the shore.  As you can imagine, that is one of my favorites.  We have also added some adventure in recent years, including paddle boarding. I'm done with jogging - too hard on my knees at this point - but I'm glad I could say "yes" the year she wanted to do a Color Run. What's been on my heart is to see Cirque du Soleil, but they were just in my home city, so I need to leave it to God* to make it happen, or something better.  That's the thing about setting intentions and then leaving things to God - something better is always way more than I could imagine on my own!
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, the community and I 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 is something you could put on your heart for this summer to leave to God to make better?

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 EJH, backyard silver maple

Note:  These posts are part of a broader call to do spiritual journaling (read more at CardinalTouch.net)

Walking Meditation Part 2 (Picking a Word)

Did you try walking meditation?  Don't know what walking meditation is about?  Check out my last post for the detailed instructions.  If you got stuck on picking a word or phrase to meditate with, try one of these suggestions:

1.  Utilize a deck of angel or meditation cards with one word on them and randomly pick one of the cards (examples of words on these types of meditation cards:  insight, success, laughter, observation, etc.)

2.  Utilize the Bible:  the Psalms are particularly helpful for this practice because they have so many "living" words and phrases (dwelling place, praise, glory, creation, new life, etc.)

3.  Utilize a word or phrase that keeps “popping up” for you (maybe, for example, you've awakened with a lyric on the brain)

4.  Something else that is specific to your practice (you read a daily devotional, you look at words in advertisements, etc.)

Still not sure?  Here's a poem that has many words or phrases to choose from.  I wrote it in 2013 after reading Chapter 4, The Cup of Thanksgiving, from Joyce Rupp's A Cup for Our Life. 

Alive

Alive, aware, awake.

Beautiful, bountiful, bold.

Colorful, curious, creative.

Delicious, delightful -

I eat my breakfast, peering through

Vased flowers, out into the backyard.

Ever-changing, eternally evolving.

Fresh and fragrant.

Gorgeous, gleaming, great.

Heavenly, homey, humble -

Lord, please mold my soul

with the same loving care.

Intense and immediate,

Jonquils jumping joyfully,

Knowingly kept,

Light and lush. 

I wait for my daughter to wake,

Intent to tell her "I love you."

Much mulch mounded,

Nature's newness near, and

Opening,

Prettily packed.

I desire the same, 

A life of living.

Quaint and quiet inside,

Rejoicing, rolling robins outside.

Squirrelly sites and shadows,

Trees towering.

I hug my son as he rises, and

Listen as he lays his day.

Unassuming and
under-appreciated Visitors

are varied, including

Wispy winds and

EXuberantly youthful zinnias.

I put down my pen,

And go outside. 

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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, the community and I 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 have time today for walking meditation?

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

Note:  These posts are part of a broader call to do spiritual journaling (read more at CardinalTouch.net)

Walking Meditation

I am now in the practice of meditating almost every day, the kind where you sit in a lotus position with eyes mostly closed.  It didn't start out that way.  As with so many things, it has been a progression.  I started with walking meditation.  Walking meditation is a wonderful, easy way to begin practicing meditation because it’s simple and most everyone already knows about walking for good health.  All you need are good shoes, a few quick stretches, and a safe place to walk. 

Walking meditation is simply adding a meditation practice to your walking.  We simply use the experience of walking as our focus.  We become mindful of our experience while walking, and work to stay focused on the walking.  Here’s one way to do it:

1. Before you set out on a healthy walk, pick a word or phrase to meditate with (if this seems daunting to you, stay tuned; my next post will have more on this). 
2. Once you are physically prepared for your walk, take a few minutes to mentally prepare.  Simply ask your mind to quiet so that you may have the space to meditate.  If you are spiritual, you may want to ask God* to dwell with you.
3. Now walk with the word for two to twenty minutes  
• Say the word with your interior voice as you walk.  If it’s a phrase, say one word per step that you take.  For example:  Your (step), will (step), be (step), done (step).  If it’s more than a one syllable word, try breaking each syllable out with each step such as with the word ‘joyfulness’:  joy (step), full (step), ness (step).  This will help keep the mind from wandering – trust me, I know!
• Repeat the word over and over and walk until you and the word are one and your mind is quiet.
4. When you’re finished walking, write down what you have learned and experienced in your journal.  Include what you thought about the word from the outset and what you think about the word at the completion of the walk.  I find this step to be so very important because you can go back through your journal and look for patterns, ideas, action items, etc. Listen to what God wants you to know and experience about this word (ask God directly:  God, what do you want me to know?)

Lastly, just take that first step.  I can almost guarantee you will be so glad you did!

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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, the community and I 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 do you think about walking meditation?

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 (walkers along the PERT trail)

Note:  These posts are part of a broader call to do spiritual journaling (read more at CardinalTouch.net)

You Can't Always Give What You Want (Part 2)

When I am out of balance, (or off-balance as some may joke), I need to figure out why.  That's why I keep spending time on "guilt that comes from not giving".  I mentioned before that I feel guilty when I don't use my God*-given talents readily.  From reflecting more, I remembered that I've had this guilty feeling before, and I'm so glad I did (feel guilty and reflect), because it is giving me closure. Here's the backstory.

Years ago, I had been asked to do a sort of catalog of my gifts in order to determine where I could best help this organization which I had come to really believe in. When I completed that assessment, I was angry because, yes, I had all these gifts, but these weren't the gifts I wanted to use.  I had other gifts, but I really couldn't put them into words, verbally or on paper, because they weren't evident to me yet, nor were they well-practiced.

I think I am here in this space again.  The reason is that I had gotten involved in an eighteen-month project in which my old gifts were necessary.  When I was finished with it, I felt content and ready to go back to being still, to being in the place where creativity and my new-found gifts lay.  I think that's where the frustration came in.  I felt tugged by others to keep doing the old, because I am good at it, but wanting to keep going with the new.

Simply realizing this, I think, and writing it down, will begin to put me back into a more gentle spirit. But again, I ask God to help me.
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, the community and I 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 have new gifts that you want to uncover?

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 (Starfish on Sofa)

Note:  These posts are part of a broader call to do spiritual journaling (read more at CardinalTouch.net)

Guilt From "Can't Always Give What You Want"

So today I woke up with a song on the brain.  It's by Rolling Stones, called "You Can't Always Get What You Want."  It made me pause because I wasn't quite sure what this was in reference to, but then I remembered that yesterday during my share with my Anam Cara (Soul Friends), I spoke about how I feel awful when I need to say "no" to something or, even worse, I get aggravated at the people who keep asking.  In essence then, the lyric changed in my head to "you can't always GIVE what you want."  In the meantime, I need to learn how to bow out more gracefully.  Right now, I am not at all good at this so I am asking God* to help me.  
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Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, the community and I 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.  When do you have guilt?

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, Elmwood Park Zoo
Note:  These posts are part of a broader call to do spiritual journaling (read more at CardinalTouch.net)