Friday's thought...

Something to consider....

Thought for the day

Another day....another thought!

Thought for the day

Something to think about...

Fruit Trees

As I sat in my garden this morning, I thought about how perfect fruit trees are.  They are lovely to look at. They provide shade in the heat of the summer. They give us delicious things to eat. They provide food for birds and pollen for bees. And they do all this by standing absolutely still and demanding nothing of the world. They are able to withstand lack of water for long periods of time.  Their deep root systems support them through storms. Trees are really amazing. 

Jesus said of people:  By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 

What is this fruit that Jesus is talking about?  I would define fruit as those actions that someone might do that would help, nurture or cause something else to grow and thrive.  

As we look at others and ourselves we can hopefully see what kind of fruit is being produced.  Someone who has a loving heart is kind and loving to others. A person who wants others to thrive guides and teaches and inspires.  Thorns and thistles hurt. Fruit nurtures, fills and encourages growth. 

So, what can we do every day to produce good fruit? We can smile.  We can tell others about the good we see in them. We can write, teach, and create things that help instead of hurt.  We can share ideas that lift up instead of tear down. And I think we can pay attention to those who do the same. 

We can learn a lot from fruit trees. 

Eight Ways to Deal With Today's Chaotic World

Last week was awful.  Threats, anger, fear, confusion.  Leaders making terrifying statements. The news in disagreement as to whether we should be very afraid or shrug and go back to watching TV.  Then Charlottesville. A horrifying display of the lowest humans have to offer.  Racism – so ugly. So detestable.  I thought maybe we had gotten past the worst of this in the 60’s. The 1960’s and the 1860’s.  And as I watched the ugliness transpire on the news, I felt totally powerless over this resurgence of White Supremacy.  I also feel powerless that nuclear war has become a real possibility again.  Thought we had moved mostly past that, too.  

I am not so naïve that I didn’t know that all this stuff was bubbling underneath the surface of our country and the world.  The severe partisanship of the past decade or two has made that clear.  But here is my problem. I don’t want to hate. ANYONE.  I can hate ideas that I find abhorrent.  I can hate behavior. But people. I don’t want to hate people.  I believe in free speech – even if it expresses ideas that are revolting.  But violence. No.  Not how we do it here in this country.  Well, at least, not how we should be doing things.  And advocating violence against others because of their race, religion or choices – No.  There have been too many voices out there suggesting violent solutions as good options.  So I find myself deeply concerned and disturbed at what seems to be happening.  So what can I do? Realistically. Rationally.  This is my list of how to deal with this current environment of chaos:

1.     Prayer – I have to start here.  I can pray.  Pray for those that are angry, for those that are hurting. I can pray for those who feel marginalized and left out. I can pray for the families of those that have died or were wounded.  I can pray for our leaders. Prayer calms me down. It helps focus me on what the problems might be.

2.     I can give – Money, time, and effort to groups that promote peace. To groups that help others.

3.     I can speak peace - I can speak kindness.  I can use words intelligently when I am on social media.  I am sorry to say that I have seen far too many people I know saying the most horrific things to each other. It saddens me deeply. Anger, fear, dissension gets us nowhere. It creates a bigger divide. 

4.     I can listen – to everyone. This is really hard. But if we don’t hear what others are saying, we can’t begin to have a real conversation. Some people are coming from a very dark place.  But not everyone is. Some people don’t know what to think and are easily led. Some are afraid and confused and want their world to be different, so they strike out at who they think is causing the problem.  The media sadly, feeds into people’s fears on BOTH sides.

5.     I can get involved – in positive ways. Peaceful protests are fine. But volunteering to help the causes that will ease suffering can go a long way.

6.     I can learn – about the issues.  I can learn for myself from a variety of sources about the problems with healthcare, about the underlying issues with China or North Korea.  This involves more than just watching one news program or reading only articles that support my view.

7.      I can be a better person – in my own sphere of influence.  I can listen, speak peace, give time and support to my own family, or to my children’s school, at my church, or work.   At my water aerobics class the other day, a woman was saying how Christians were responsible for all this.  We are friends and I gently reminded her that I am a Christian and many of us know that our first and foremost job is to LOVE and care for each other.

8.     And finally I can put myself on a news-diet – I can turn off the TV, the computer and the iPhone. Not forever. Just for a few hours everyday.  I could spend the time being creative, walking the dog, reading a book, and sitting outside. I could focus on what is right with our country and my life.  The news will still be there screaming “Be very afraid.” And I can tune back in whenever I want.  Lately, I have been trying to limit myself to only one hour a day of dreadful news.  I am not always successful. But on the days I spend less time watching or reading about the latest outrage from Twitter, I really do feel better.

I know this is a gentle list. I know that it won’t solve the North Korean crisis.  I know that there will still be prejudice and anger and confusion.  But the world is made up of individuals… we each contribute to the whole.  I know I could be kinder and gentler. I could be more loving. I know that I can at least try to be a voice of peace and calm. Maybe you could try, too.  Maybe we could all breathe deeply, and take a collective step back from the brink.  It’s not too late.

Five Things I've Learned From My Grandfather Clock

I inherited a wonderful grandfather clock a couple of years ago. It is more than 200 years old and has been in our family for at least a hundred of those years. I have loved this clock since I was 7. It stood in my Great Aunt’s huge Terra-like home in Beaumont, Texas. She had gotten it in England and had it shipped duty free in the early 1900’s.

When I first met the clock, it wasn’t running. I asked Auntie why she didn’t fix it  - she said it felt like it was ticking her life away.  So the clock stood silently for another 60 years. It moved to my grandmother’s house, then my mother’s house in Georgetown, Texas. It took a long trip to Tucson, Arizona when my parents moved there. And it finally traveled in the back of a U-Haul to my home in Oxnard, CA.

An antiques dealer laughed at its disrepair. She said it was essentially worthless.  But it wasn’t worthless to me.  I wanted it to live again. So I searched for someone who could fix antique clocks. I basically heard from everyone – it’s a piece of firewood.  Then I came across a 3^rd generation clock guy.  He came out, took it apart and announced it still had all its necessary parts to run. It would need a pendulum, some weights and some cleaning of the 200 year old dust, but he was up to the challenge.  Six weeks later, just in time for Christmas, he brought it back.  He had touched up some of the places where the veneer had come off and he had gently cleaned the case and mended the foot. He set it up in my front hall, wound it and the grandfather clock was alive again!

It now stands in my hallway joyfully ringing every hour on the hour and it means the world to me.

I learned a lot from this experience. Here are the top five bits of wisdom this clock has given me:

1.     You are never too old to start over – Our world would have us believe that only young people have all the viable ideas and creativity. Hollywood learned after a lawsuit that people with age and experience still have stories to tell and the ability to tell them. Businesses let senior level people go because they are expensive, only to discover they just lost a knowledge base that was crucial. I think its important to recognize that there is always something you can do or try your hand at.  Never let someone tell you that you are too old for what you want to do.

2.     Your worth is not based on what others say about you – This is a lesson that everyone at every age needs to learn again and again.  If you based your value on what other people think, then you will have an ever-shifting sense of yourself. Everyone is valuable and loved by God. Believe that, because it is true. And live your life knowing you are loved and you have value.

3.     Life is a journey, embrace each season – You will experience different seasons of life. Nothing stays the same forever.  School. Work. Marriage. Children. Grandparenting. Retirement. End of life. Each time period carries with it unique requirements and issues. Raising a baby is different from raising a teenager. School is different from the working world.  Be adaptable. Its ok if you are confused when you are transitioning between seasons. Just about the time you get comfortable in your current season, the next one will arrive.

4.     Love and determination can overcome any obstacle – This is a bold statement.  But if you are determined to succeed at something and if you truly love what you are doing, you will wear down the opposition. Keep searching. Keep trying. Don’t give up.

5.     Age can be beautiful – Someone asked me if I wanted my clock to be completely refurbished to look brand new again. I was horrified. No!!! This beautiful clock has been around almost as long as this country. The weathering of those years makes it more beautiful to me.  The Grand Canyon’s age is what makes it grand; otherwise it would just be a meandering river. Youth is lovely, pretty, innocent. A life well lived is magnificent!

I treasure my clock. It is a daily reminder of the long line of wonderful women I am related to.  It connects me to the past even while the pendulum moves time into the future.  I don’t see the clock as “ticking my life away.” Instead, I see it as my clockmaker described it, “The heartbeat of my home.”