I’m just back from a snowy walk. I was the only one outside, and except for the occasional barking dog or chirping bird, it was really quiet. I was warm enough, but my cheeks were cold, and I liked that. I always
say that the cold makes us feel alive… more alive. We pay attention to our bodies and our breath. We hold ourselves close. We notice our red fingers or our chilled cheeks. We might pay no attention whatsoever to
cheeks and fingers any other day… but the cold says, “Look! Feel! Come to attention!”
And so walks in the snow are a favorite of mine, and walks, in general stir my thoughts and creativity… not to mention the delightful aspect that God always shows up. And this morning, as I tried to let go of my own thinking and traps, as I tried to be present to pavement and nature, I heard God say, “What are you living for, Kathy?” And so… that became the meditation as I walked. “What am I living for? Why is it that I live?”
Yesterday, my daughter called me as she had been working on that earthly exercise called ‘doing our taxes.’ She works hard. She is conscientious and diligent about being responsible with the small earnings she makes. So why, she asked, was it coming out that she must pay a butt-load of taxes? That came to my mind as I walked. We’re all here working to have money so we can be responsible and take care of ourselves. We are working so hard so we can have a car and a house and clothes and food and lots of things. Is this what we are living for? It feels rather much like a snake eating its tail. So many times I just wonder who set this system up? We work to live and live to work. And, by the way, who decided that football players should earn more for their time and efforts than teachers or nurses? Sheesh! But I digress…
What am I living for? Why is it that I live? Last week-end, my daughter and I travelled out of state to attend the funeral of a dear young woman. We came to know her through an annual summer-time gathering of kindred souls. This annual event focuses all who come on the topics we yearn to envelope… peace, artistry, nature, love, and each other. It has always been a place where we carve out the time to be reminded of the living God in each of us. Our children have grown up there… in the cup of nurturance, nature, story and song. And now we bury one of these. Just like that… she is gone… and on any given day… we may be shocked and saddened to say another good-bye to another loved one who is remembered as being so full of life. Each day is just this tender and ripe with what is often so unexpected.
Additionally what came to mind in the morning cold, is that we are all trying to live into our own gold. We are trying to pan our way deep down into our truths and beauty to honor the world with our purest gifts. We bend and sift and bend and sift and often feel like we are coming up empty handed. But there are times when suddenly we see it, that small sparkle of light that reflects our souls and we see who we are through the lens of the Divine. We see, and we know, and we begin to trust enough to let the rest fall away. It is back-breaking
work. It takes an enormous amount of energy and creativity to allow that nugget to be seen and known. The world may not yet recognize the need for such work. The world may deem this very work as futile and selfish.
Wealth, power, and prestige will continue to be the strongholds among humankind that dissuade the clearer truths. But the true reasons to live are rising, my friends. They are whispering to souls hungering to hear, and I believe our hunger will lead to wholeness and life.
As I came around the bend and started toward home, I began to realize what I live for. I live for me… for my truth, for my God, for love that is open and compassionate and wise. I live to bring honor to the fact that I am here… with purpose, with a good heart and a thankful soul… and those attributes matter in this world of taxes and brutality and competition. We buried one of our own lights last week-end, and we’ve got to show up or we’ll just keep burying more. We’ve got to show up to ourselves so we can cast light and hope. Don’t let anyone sell you short. Don’t let anyone distract you with that which dims your light. Don’t accept the notion that you, in any
way, are less than glorious. When you realize your own merit, your own amazing way of being in this world… a shift occurs and the people of the world have a new chance to flourish.
One by one, God is asking…
What are you living for? Why do you live?
say that the cold makes us feel alive… more alive. We pay attention to our bodies and our breath. We hold ourselves close. We notice our red fingers or our chilled cheeks. We might pay no attention whatsoever to
cheeks and fingers any other day… but the cold says, “Look! Feel! Come to attention!”
And so walks in the snow are a favorite of mine, and walks, in general stir my thoughts and creativity… not to mention the delightful aspect that God always shows up. And this morning, as I tried to let go of my own thinking and traps, as I tried to be present to pavement and nature, I heard God say, “What are you living for, Kathy?” And so… that became the meditation as I walked. “What am I living for? Why is it that I live?”
Yesterday, my daughter called me as she had been working on that earthly exercise called ‘doing our taxes.’ She works hard. She is conscientious and diligent about being responsible with the small earnings she makes. So why, she asked, was it coming out that she must pay a butt-load of taxes? That came to my mind as I walked. We’re all here working to have money so we can be responsible and take care of ourselves. We are working so hard so we can have a car and a house and clothes and food and lots of things. Is this what we are living for? It feels rather much like a snake eating its tail. So many times I just wonder who set this system up? We work to live and live to work. And, by the way, who decided that football players should earn more for their time and efforts than teachers or nurses? Sheesh! But I digress…
What am I living for? Why is it that I live? Last week-end, my daughter and I travelled out of state to attend the funeral of a dear young woman. We came to know her through an annual summer-time gathering of kindred souls. This annual event focuses all who come on the topics we yearn to envelope… peace, artistry, nature, love, and each other. It has always been a place where we carve out the time to be reminded of the living God in each of us. Our children have grown up there… in the cup of nurturance, nature, story and song. And now we bury one of these. Just like that… she is gone… and on any given day… we may be shocked and saddened to say another good-bye to another loved one who is remembered as being so full of life. Each day is just this tender and ripe with what is often so unexpected.
Additionally what came to mind in the morning cold, is that we are all trying to live into our own gold. We are trying to pan our way deep down into our truths and beauty to honor the world with our purest gifts. We bend and sift and bend and sift and often feel like we are coming up empty handed. But there are times when suddenly we see it, that small sparkle of light that reflects our souls and we see who we are through the lens of the Divine. We see, and we know, and we begin to trust enough to let the rest fall away. It is back-breaking
work. It takes an enormous amount of energy and creativity to allow that nugget to be seen and known. The world may not yet recognize the need for such work. The world may deem this very work as futile and selfish.
Wealth, power, and prestige will continue to be the strongholds among humankind that dissuade the clearer truths. But the true reasons to live are rising, my friends. They are whispering to souls hungering to hear, and I believe our hunger will lead to wholeness and life.
As I came around the bend and started toward home, I began to realize what I live for. I live for me… for my truth, for my God, for love that is open and compassionate and wise. I live to bring honor to the fact that I am here… with purpose, with a good heart and a thankful soul… and those attributes matter in this world of taxes and brutality and competition. We buried one of our own lights last week-end, and we’ve got to show up or we’ll just keep burying more. We’ve got to show up to ourselves so we can cast light and hope. Don’t let anyone sell you short. Don’t let anyone distract you with that which dims your light. Don’t accept the notion that you, in any
way, are less than glorious. When you realize your own merit, your own amazing way of being in this world… a shift occurs and the people of the world have a new chance to flourish.
One by one, God is asking…
What are you living for? Why do you live?
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