Patience, The Seasons and the Passage of Time

Lake Hogan

Yesterday as I took my walk I was treated to all sorts of new sights. It had rained steadily for most of the day on Monday and so much of the ground was still covered with puddles and other patches of standing water. Little streams of rainwater had cut their way through the gravel path and flowed slowly down towards the grassy hillside. All of the normally dry colors of the leaves, trees and rocks were made more brilliant by the water and gray skies. The entire park felt transformed.

I readily admit that I tend towards anthropomorphism. I imagine the rocks and the water and the grasses and trees as being kind of human like. Silly, but I do it. To me, they seem like they are all patiently waiting for the inevitable. Everything will cycle back around eventually. Just wait for it. But how long will it take? As I walked along, I wondered if I could learn anything from inanimate objects that knew more about being patient than I can ever hope to know.

The picture above shows the little rivulet of water that now extends from the lake back towards the original path of the river. I wondered how long it would take to once again bring this man made lake to capacity. And I thought about the passage of time and waiting for things to happen. How, as humans, we really can't ever imagine what real waiting must be like. The kind of waiting that involves centuries and millenniums. The kind of waiting that rocks and trees and the earth itself does. The kind of waiting that God must do and must know about; something we can't fathom but that leads to a continuous cycle of renewal and promise. 

So, as the days now get longer, and as I wait for time to pass, I'll do the best that I can to be patient. I'll continue to go to the park and wait for the passing of seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall. I'll continue to watch the cycle of life and death that must be all around me there though maybe not visible to my eyes. Through observing nature in all of its seasons, I will continue to watch the renewal that God provides for all living things. And I will try to be patient, just like the trees and rocks around me.

Libby

Snow, Light and Chanukkah

Big Trees State Park-Photo by Libby Fife

Last night was the first night of Chanukkah. As is so often the case on Jewish holidays, I look for a way to relate the historical or biblical aspects of the holiday to my current everyday life. The light of the candles reminds me of the many ways in which God's illuminating light is present in our everyday lives. My recent hike showed me that God's illuminating presence is both obvious and not so obvious. 

I am sharing the above photo that I took last week while out on a hike at Big Trees State Park up in Arnold. I live in the foothills of northern CA so a trip to the mountains (or close to them) is very doable. I normally go to the park during the spring and summer when it is warm. I am used to how the park looks at that time of year. Imagine my surprise when I arrived this time to find that the park had been blanketed in snow! Objects that were once familiar became a mystery to me. The snow obscured their familiar features so that I had to look very hard to figure out both where I was and what I was seeing. The walk was a real treat for me.

As I lit the Chanukkah candles last night I thought about the different ways in which God helps us to see. Specifically, I thought about how the snow brought the trees, rocks, and paths at the park into relief and caused me to see them in a new way. I felt like I was seeing something for the first time. Things were both hidden and revealed; familiar and unfamiliar. The light of the chanukkah candles is similar. It is both illustrative of a miracle but it also provides warmth and illumination during a cold and dark part of the year. God's light in our world is many faceted. And not always obvious but keep looking. It is there.

Libby

Just For Fun: Some Thoughts For Friday About Giving and Time

***This is just for fun. Prompted by an idea I had about giving someone your full attention; what that would be like. An idea about how to be expansive in what you offer to people. An idea about being gracious and giving without actually giving something of material value. Enjoy!
****And no, I don't know anything about poetry!:)
__________________________________________________________


I have time. 
Here. Sit right here. 
The sun will be warm
Tea? No, you wan't coffee right?
That's right. Milk with a little sugar.
That spoon? Thanks. It is a pretty pattern isn't it?

Tell me. What happened?
Was there a lot of traffic?
No, don't worry. 
The machine will get it. Really.
Then what happened? 
I wouldn't have guessed it.

And then what? Wow. That's long isn't it?
I am sorry. That must hurt. 
Maybe next time. 
Sooner? Not that long then.

The sun is strong isn't it?
No, here. Let me get it. 
Keep talking, I am listening. Then what?
That's too funny! 
Were you surprised? What did you think?
Me too. How funny.

Already? Wait. Just one more.
It's only been a few minutes hasn't it?
Wasn't there something else? Yes, that's right.
Now I remember. You were there? Me too.

OK, then. 
No, really. Anytime.
Here. There is plenty. 
Don't forget these too. 
It's a long way home. Be safe.
Honestly. Anytime. I have time.

Libby

Ordinary Lives

View to far backyard and beyond-sunset

Earlier this week I learned that my neighbor's husband passed away in September. He was in his late seventies and had been sick for several years. Having met him once or twice and having spoken with his wife several times, I was sad to hear about such a sudden loss. They were both expecting him to pass away at some point I suspect but I can imagine that they thought they had more time. We all do.

Coinciding with the above is this lovely article, link here. The author writes eloquently of the special intimacy between couples, of the care that they give to one another and the lengths to which they will go to support and love each other at the end. Lives intertwined and enmeshed with one another. Where does one life end and the other begin after all of that time?

I have a special love for the idea that we are all quiet witnesses to one thing or another but especially to each other. The author takes care to point this out-how important it is to notice what is happening around us; that which is manifested in the everyday activities of our friends and neighbors. Many, many of us live very ordinary lives. I can't help but believe that God's presence here in the lives of those of us just living very quietly is most important. Just as important as in the lives of those of us who do big things. It all matters. And if we just stop for a minute or two and pay attention, we can realize that we are the witness. We have a part to play too. 

Libby

Conceal and Reveal

New Melones Dam, Old Parrotts Ferry Bridge Now Revealed Due to Drought

Earlier this month my SIL, BIL and I took a trip to visit the site of the New Melones Reservoir. The old bridge is now exposed due to a severe reduction in the level of the reservoir. The photo above shows an area that was once completely submerged under water. That bridge was covered for many, many years until now. To say that it was an awesome sight, something incredible to actually be a witness to, is a real understatement. Words don't begin to describe things. I will say however that I felt a certain "accidental privilege" in being able to witness something that otherwise would not be visible. This area was covered before I moved to the area and in fact, before I was born if I am not mistaken. I tried to keep these things in mind as I walked down into the reservoir. I felt that I should somehow be careful and I felt that my vocabulary was really inadequate to describe how I was feeling. It was as if the earth itself was being exposed to me somehow. 

This morning I came across an article that somewhat underscores what I am getting at above. The article can be found here. It's a short read and a good way of looking at just how vulnerable we all are when we open ourselves up to others. In this age of being able to readily share any and all information, I suspect many of us forget just how important that information really is; how we are changed when we reveal things. And conversely, how we change others at the same time when we open up to them.

Libby

All Parts Together!

Rain over our hillside-photo by Libby Fife

There is in all visible things … a hidden wholeness. —Thomas Merton

It's always amazing to me when things seem to coincide with one another. Somehow it seems to suggest that underneath a world that sometimes looks like it is in chaos, there is actually an order of sorts that isn't always apparent. My personal beliefs tend to point towards the presence of something unseen, maybe not guiding events exactly, but certainly a driving force in the universe.

Just recently, Jews all over the world completed the yearly Torah reading cycle. It's part of tradition to read the Torah from beginning to end each year. Though I have never done it, I did follow along this year thanks to weekly updates via the Internet. The regular events of the Torah give structure to the year and provide a sense of continuity.

And just as the Torah gives structure to the year, so do the seasons in their own way. They have their own regularity too of course. Summer leads to Autumn which leads to winter, etc. Yesterday we experienced some actual rainfall for the first time in months. After such a long and hot and dry summer I almost forgot that rain and cooler weather were possible. It felt like a miracle of some sort. It also helped me to remember that no matter what happens the seasons will continue to progress and cycle regardless of what I do and whether or not I am here. I may become discouraged by such dry weather but eventually, at least for now, some rainfall will eventually occur.

All of it makes me feel comforted, knowing that no matter what, things will continue to go on. All of the disparate parts, both the ones that I can see and the ones that I can't see, will be gathered together to create a whole. 

Libby

Light of Life and Blessings

Big Trees Park-North Grove

Big Trees Park-Stanislaus River

Lake Hogan-Fiddleneck Boat Launch

Lake Hogan-Inspiration Point/Old Dam

In the past, when I have heard people say that they are blessed, I have always been a little reluctant to embrace both the term and the sentiment. To me, that word implies that the person has something that someone else doesn't have. Or that they somehow were given more than the next person. Then there is the quandary of who gave them that extra bit in the first place? So, it's a limited and childish view I know but I offer it up as food for thought.

Today I did two things worth mentioning. I visited my friend in San Andreas whose house burned down in the fire. In telling her that I didn't know what to say or do, she said that she had our friendship. That was a blessing to me. 

The second thing was that I went to Big Trees State Park for my walk. I love the drive to the park. It takes me through such diverse countryside all in the space of about an hour. It occurred to me as I was driving home that I was blessed to live in such a place as this, Calaveras County, where I could see so much with just a short drive. These views and experiences in my landscape are a blessing to me.

If those things are blessings, which I believe they are, then how do I square that with the experiences of others who maybe don't have the same things or opportunities? I came to the conclusion that it wasn't what you had or what you did that was the blessing. It is the awareness of those things and not the things themselves per se. It just can't be about material objects or monetary advantage or good health or whatever. It has to be about an awareness of what is making you happy-what is there in the everyday even if it doesn't seem like much.

I am including two links below. Take a minute to read and listen. Sissel, a Norwegian soprano, sings like an angel. Her voice has been described as having a "crystalline" quality and that is an apt image of what she sounds like singing this song below. Read the lyrics too which at first seem hard but can actually be seen as positive, perhaps even a blessing.

link-lyrics: Vitae Lux (Light of Life)-Sissel

link-Video-Sissel singing Vitae Lux (well worth it!)