staggered

I belong to a small group of women who meet monthly to deeply listen to each other. We share our challenges, joys, dreams. We don't try to solve each others' problems-just deeply listen. Yesterday one of the women shared a diagnosis of a gravely serious illness. I am still staggered by the enormity of her diagnosis. AND I am staggered by the intimacy and connection that filled the room was palpable. Another woman in the group called the group a "vessel"-a container in which we hold each other. Another said we are "daughters of the house-sisters."

I hope each of you has the honor, the blessing of belonging to a group like this...a place where you are loved and held in the best of times and the worst of times.

I also hope you feel God holding you in the best of times and the worst of times.

Blessings-Penny

truth

My friend, Karen, a very prolific author just wrote something on her blog which I love. She quotes Lauren Bacall---"The highest kite we can fly is the truth within us."
By the way check out Karen on Amazon.com. She has written many books-all somewhat spiritual with a strong feminist voice. She also has a blog entitled Sophia Serve.

Does your kite of truth fly high??

Blessings-Penny

dumpster

As I recently mentioned we are moving. We've been in this house 8 years and like everyone we have accumulated way too much stuff. So we have been discarding rather ferociously. If "it" hasn't been used in 2 years, it goes to the church rummage sale, the Salvation Army or a large dumpster we have rented. I am embarassed at the amount of stuff-about 8 carloads to church and Salvation Army-- and the dumpster is almost full. And then yesterday I saw the man who helps with our lawn "dumpster diving"-literally in the dumpster pulling out things we saw as trash.

What is wrong here?? We are certainly part of the 99%-probably more like the 50%-- but we have so much stuff and others are hungry and struggling.

And in all of this, my publisher sent a copy of the cover for my new book. The title of the book is "Filling the God-shaped Void." The cover is a beautiful yellow dahlia with a deep yellow center.

That is what we all do-we try to fill the "God-shaped void"-the emptiness that is part of the human condition-with stuff.

How else do we fill that void? Work, drugs, alcohol, ---name your strategy. Can you work towards filling it with knowing God's love for you?
Blessings-Penny

bittersweet

Since we have begun to tell people that we are moving from Vermont to St. Louis the response has been somewhat amazing to us. Friends, neighbors, acquaintance have said how much they will miss us. Parties are being organized. Invitations to dinner extended. Requests for one last this or that of things we have done in the 10 years we have lived here.

The amazing part is that we really have not been aware that people noticed what we were doing. We just did what seemed to fit with what we have been given to share.

My point is not to brag about the response to our leaving but to remind all of us to tell people how much we appreciate what they are doing---when they are doing it!! It would have meant alot to hear some of these compliments in the middle of the process. That means with our families, with our neighbors, with our friends and even those we don't know so well. Tell them how much you appreciate their efforts. Don't let it slide. Even the very smallest thank you is treasured.

Who can you remember to thank today? It will make a real difference!
Blessings-Penny

Easter and Spring break

Such contrasts this week. Here in Vermont Killington ski resort had 20 inches of new snow! Other places Easter has flowers and baby chicks.

Easter is a very sacred time for me...full of hope and peace. It was the one holiday celebrated without alcohol and tension in my childhood home. We laughed and loved and celebrated the new life promised us by Christ's resurrection.

In this week's Time magazine is a great article of hope and peace..."Rethinking Heaven" by Jon Meacham. It frames heaven as not some far off place up in the sky, but as the life we live here by being with others in the pain of this broken world---which leads to the coming together of God's space and our space.

It's worth reading and considering.
What difference might "rethinking heaven" make in your daily life?

Blessings=Penny

The big "redecide"

How do we make decisions? During the last 2 weeks a buyer for our house (which was on the market 2 years ago but has been off the market for 18 months!) has come forth. We really had redecided to stay here (Vermont) after removing the house from the market 18 months ago. But we have "re-decided" to sell and move to my husband's hometown of St. Louis.

So how does one "re-decide?" I'd like to be able to say it was a clear, rational process and in some ways it was. We had thought it all through and made plans 2 years ago so it wasn't a new idea. Suddenly all those plans came back and made alot of sense. Suddenly there was a sense of excitement and adventure. Suddenly practically and spiritually it seemed to come together. We didn't write it all down, but we did look at the pros and cons pretty strategically. We looked at it economically and at what touched our hearts. We are going!We can all "re-decide."

In something I recently read it asked, "Are you open to being surprised by the day?"
I sure am!

Are you??
Blessings-Penny