A PRAYER FOR WOMEN EVERYWHERE

Even in our dark times when we are sick, afraid, confused, needing rest

We need to trust reaching out as well as inward helps weave the web of Life.

We are the Ones we’ve been waiting for.  We matter when we lift our hearts in prayer,

Our voices in song, our drums in celebration of this new Era.  We march and dance with passion born of injustices that need mending all over this world.

We women are becoming the leaders, no longer silenced and discounted.

We have a resilience, a fortitude, a way of honoring our own wisdom

that needs to be shared and amplified so all living forms feel this River of Love and Peace that shall not be stopped.

The bloodshed, heartache, isolation and astonishing imbalances on this beloved planet, coming from greed, indifference, and polarized politics means we all share

responsibility for honoring the changes needed now.  So don’t give up, sisters, and trust there are kind-hearted men too who share our passion, and are ready now to listen to our voices, welcoming our talents and insights

To turn this world around.

By: Carol Browning

Inspirational thought:  We are all God’s rays of possibility when we illuminate what brings a smile to our faces so we enjoy the Journey, reach out with Love, and gather our Courage to share with one another. 

By: Carol Browning

 

The Magic of Being Open

 Living for Today:

The Magic of Being Open

Being open and trusting allows magic to unfold that may be totally different from what we expect when our lives are programmed by too much structure and scheduling.  Yes, most of us were raised to honor commitments, and stay on target with what we planned to do on a given day. 

The weather isn’t predictable and on schedule.  Today it was supposed to rain.  Instead I am being blessed as I write with an awesome pink-hued sunset, clouds as lovely as they can be in Hawaii, a sense of stillness and magic as the changing tones begin to darken, and in minutes, darkness shall prevail.  Happily, I was open to glancing out my window at a lovely view I could not begin to paint.  The magic of enjoying simple pleasures happens by being present to unexpected beauty.

Life is constantly changing, and if we choose to cling to the familiar and resist new possibilities, we get stuck, maybe even angry, resentful or depressed.  Friends move on or die or can no longer engage in our lives because of changing circumstances.  This is true for family members too; once we were close, and now they lead lives that allow little time spent together.  Today I phoned a new friend.  She called back to say she would love to hang out in our local YMCA pool, so we shared gentle exercises and caught up with one another in a setting comfortable and relaxing for our sensitive and no longer athletic bodies.  We enjoyed an adventurous moment close to home, costing us nothing but time.  We’d both had a hectic week, needing some time for simple friendship.

Both of us live with the uncertainties that come with chronic health conditions requiring great perseverance, patience, flexibility, and radical self-acceptance.  We need to be open to supportive good company one day, and making peace with solitude the next. When exhausted, it is a time to withdraw from desires that deplete our energy or expectations that don’t honor our internal voice that says, “Take it easy.  You need more down time right now.”  Being open to our emotions instead of spinning off into judging them to be good or bad requires basic trust in our own goodness; sometimes life is difficult, the way unclear, and we need some quiet retreat time-out for self-care.  This means saying no to the busy mind focused on the “to-do” list.  It means having a soft place in our own heart to accept illness, pain, and disappointment when being present may mean making peace with loneliness, not judging it as bad.  There is magic in honoring restful times needed for renewal, gathering our inner resources so we make wiser choices.  May we all pay more attention to whatever makes us more compassionate, more honest and open in this New Year!

To the Earth I Come

To the Earth I come with my kind son, drinking in the brisk, cold wind
Looking south to Pilot Rock, we do not linger, for it is December and cold outside.
A reminder winter is well underway, and it is no time to bask in the sun that has gone over the hills before our four p.m. arrival.  So we return to warm our tummies with a hearty soup, for Jeff needs some down time to ready for his flight to Calgary in the early hours of the morning, and I need prep time with my caregiver to have good meals over Christmas.  May the much needed snows and rains come soon too.  It is the time of the Winter Lodge, where storytelling and sharing beauty in simple ways takes precedence over doing too much on limited resources; it is a time to conserve and nourish our roots, and give a helping hand as we are able to be there for one another.

The Importance of Social Networking

Reach out, play, start small but get involved with other people.  We all need to remain active, whether it's socializing at the local YMCA, calling a friend to take a walk, learning new skills that help us connect on the internet or using a cell phone. 
    Sometimes we need a helping hand as we age.  Learning new skills is often easier with the help of someone who already has some of the skills we may be new learning.  Some learn from a manual, a TV program, a friend, a book, or whatever interactive ways keeps you curious and able to hang in there and not feel discouraged.  Even fifteen minutes on a computer social network can expose us to ideas, information, possibilities that engage our minds even when attending a workshop or night class may be beyond our financial and/or physical means.
     In my grandmother's senior years, she had no computer skills and could no longer drive as her vision failed, so her church was the center of her social life.  She had an alcoholic husband who didn't realize how isolated she felt.  Her means of networking included phone calls and letters, but she had no access to the networking we can do with today's technology.  Being isolated leads to depression and feeling powerless to getting important social needs met.
  So the next time we feel frustrated trying to connect on the web, realize we have communication possibilities not even dreamed of by our forefathers and mothers.  Networking helps us build community, and yes, it takes time, attention, and sometimes patience that is in short supply when we are tired.  Lighten up!   Communication is important, and reaching out is part of honoring we are social beings.  Solitude has its place too, but when we reach out with love and concern, we feel connected.  We learn from each other, and find ways to deal with problems that may be outside our personal experience.  Enjoy learning with and from others; it will keep your brain alive, and let you be a happier person!

Honoring One Another in Tough Times

      Our community grieves the tragic murder of an aspiring, caring, gifted young man who died at the hands of an unknown swordsman in a local park a week ago.  It is helping to have an on-line dialogue on Facebook, and at a community forum this next Tuesday at Ashland High School.  Shop N Kart was closed two hours Saturday so his fellow employees could attend his memorial.  It is good to live where concern  and open expression of our grieving is possible; yes, the police are silent and likely in shock themselves.  It is still early, and we need to be both courageous and take unusual precautions in the aftermath of this serious crime.
     We honor David when we share memories of this innocent man , with us still in spirit.  It triggers memories of 9/11, untimely wartime deaths of so many young men (and women, too) , car accidents and other circumstances that make us all aware we are fortunate to be alive, and there are no guarantees.
    Watching Democracy Now! a few evenings ago, I saw a great panel on the impact of the Occupy Wall St. movement. It has changed the dialogue in our country so concerns that truly matter to the people are being voiced while Congress wallows in apathy, indifference, inability to take responsible action.
   One of the panelists commented that our media, our government, and our financial system have been occupied by Wall Street.  This leaves a space for something new and more accountable to be born, and it's still in the gestation stages, so we don't know how it will all work out in the months and years to come.  We honor one another when we participate, using our own talents and interests, in this unfolding.  One way I'd like to contribute besides writing is to be part of CSAs, Community Supported Agriculture so our local farmers can continue even in the winter months to feed us top quality foods, that we can share with neighbors in need, too.  This happens with our local food banks, with the huge increase in grower's markets and community gardens too; the latter two don't happen in our area in the winter months, so CSAs become even more vital for us to support.  It's about supporting life even as we face death and dying among our friends and families.  We need to care for one another, not become hermits and turn our backs in tough times.  Love begins with conversations that matter, whether they be in a worship service, on-line like this, or in person.  We do make a difference!  Decide how you'd like to contribute to the common good today!

Thanksgiving Reflections

    Thanksgiving is about honoring what we do have to be thankful for, in spite of all life's challenges.  Friendships where we share common goals, aims, helping one another through life, depending on one another-these are gifts where we give and we receive, and some friends we rarely reach out to, others are vital in our web of living.  The use of computers and social networks gives us access to a broader world so we are part of community even when we may live in our separate abodes, less lonely thanks to being able to touch others with our thoughts.
    Thanksgiving usually evokes memories of earlier years when we gathered with our family clans, or school friends, or families we create as we move away from traditions that served us growing up, but no longer work in such a mobile society.
One of my "traditions" in recent years is listening to our local public radio broadcasts about poems, hymns, and stories of Thanksgivings past, with a focus on the spirit of giving thanks for the blessings we all yearn for-yummy food shared with friends, fellowship, laughter, a vacation even for a day from our usual routines and concerns.  In my family, we honored elders, inviting them to join us when they no longer could prepare a big meal.  We took the time and the effort to show our respects with our actions of including them in this holiday.
    So I do find it disheartening when Black Friday and its insane shopping overshadows our taking the time to give thanks and reach out with kindness to those having a hard time as the days are colder, the nights longer, and aging or exhausted bodies require more attention . Our health care system and tough economic realities leaves many without resources they need to live with basic needs and simple comforts.  We live in austere times, yes, but many simple gestures of caring and sharing don't require money as much as compassion and more gracious choices.  One of our reflections this season may be how can we be open to both giving and receiving in ways where we build community and honor our diverse talents. 

Son and Mom, enjoying Thanksgiving potluck

Mosaic tiles on a walk nearby

Violinists entertaining at Fellowship potluck

    May this be a time for fellowship, fun, and greater tenderness and empathy as we honor what sustains all living creatures in this season of winter, death, and renewal.  Some dreams  we do need to let go of, and others give us hope to keep alive our own passions for living.  Let us count our blessings to live where women and others hurt by current patriarchal ways of neglecting or silencing voices for a more just and peaceful world are finally having the courage and tenacity to speak out for changes we sorely need.  It is time for fresh air and refreshing changes in the winds of change swirling about us all!  Take care, and trust we are not alone!

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