Renewed by cow bones and jack-o-lanterns

A weekend at the farm always does the trick when I've been working hard, thinking too hard and just need to re-focus. We returned last night from a three day weekend at Blackacre. We did all the things we do in October: pick up pecans, sit by the fire, sit in the sun by the river and usually a hike up the hill. I decided my friend Katy needed to experience the hill. In years past it was a much friendlier place but lately it's really grown up and become quite wild. There used to be a cave where we'd fine fox cubs and we used to try to transplant the flowering cactus. I knew we'd be in for an adventure but it was quite an amazing hike. Katy learned how to whistle with an acorn cap, we saw little horned spiders and then the icing!!!....we found the remains of a cow just as we began to decend. The bones were completely bleached so we could really inspect. Just as we thought we'd picked the ones she wanted to keep we spoted the pelvic bone. It is about two and a half feet high and two and half feet wide. Of course she couldn't live without it and she lugged that thing down the hill and then all the way back to the cabin. (We made into a pumpkin display rack for Katy's creation)

I always discover something new when I go to the farm but this time I was blessed with a rediscovery. I watched someone discover the place for the first time and relived my own joy of loving it for the first time. I've always had a special feeling for the people who taught me to whistle with an acorn cap, skip a rock on the river and find doodle bugs in the sand. This time I got to show someone those treasures. I think we should all be thinking of the things that are important to us and do what we can to pass those things on whether it be your traditions, your faith, your love of nature or music...anything. Just don't keep it to yourself.

Pecan Harvest and Girlie Time

It's that time of year to go to the farm and GET THE PECANS!!! Woo Hooooo! We get one chance each year to pick up all the pecans we can to last us till next fall. Heck, Christmas baking eats most of 'em up anyway. Of course I've packed my trusty Rocket Cracker so that when my back starts screaming from picking the things up we can sit down for a while and crack some. (One in the jar...one in my mouth)

But this year, there's an added bonus. I get to take my friend Katy. I guess I've known Katy since she was 8 or 9. We used to play the piano, laugh a lot about really silly stuff and I always go to her birthday party. This year I didn't get to go (which I hated). So I thought it would be fun to spend some time together...like a whole three-day weekend's worth :) No boys allowed this weekend. We'll do some roasting of marshmallows, driving of the tractor, smear some mud mask on our faces, picking of pecans, carving of pumpkins and generally having a relaxing time at the farm. The best part will be getting to know Katy again. I remember being 15 and perhaps I haven't grown up all that much so I know we're going to have a great time. ha! Thanks in advance Katy for helping me have a great, young and meaningful weekend.

Fading into the background

Look at this picture. Can you find the moth on the tree trunk? okay, I'll give you a minute.....I have no idea how I saw it as I walked by this tree but I was amazed by the size and doubly amazed at how a moth that big could blend in to its background. Even as I got a ladder, climbed up to its level and aimed my camera just inches away he didn't make a move.

Sometimes I find myself doing this. There is a big crowd of people...maybe even people I know, and I find myself just trying to be quiet and blend in to the background. Then I wonder, "Why wouldn't I want to be outgoing and talk to everyone?" I try to assess if I'm feeling down and somehow apart from people. I decide I'm not feeling that way at all. I just feel like being quiet and having a glass of punch by myself. I think sometimes we just like to observe which in itself is a very proactive activity. We can find a nice vantage point like this moth did and just watch and listen to the people around us. Listen to their exchanges, listen to their greetings to each other, listen to the kindness around us. It makes me smile to listen to other people laughing, telling each other about their weekends...who they saw; what they did.

There is amazing beauty in exchanges between human beings. Take notice of the people around you.

Bye bye birdie

Well, today is Niles' vacation is over. I have to take him home today. What fun we have had! I'll have to write Scott and Jennifer a note that I've spoiled him terribly...and I had a great time doing it. He is very smart, very funny and has his very own personality which entertains everyone around him. It's been since 2000 since I've had a pet and he's made me think a lot about going right out and finding a little animal spirit who would enjoy being in our home. Alvaro, who is not much of a pet kind of guy, loved having Niles here. I never owned a bird before and Niles requires a lot of attention and I realize that he, like all pets, need attention...lots of it.

We are leaving for the farm today where there are LOTS of animals which will make me very happy. But none of them are pets...thanks Scott and Jennifer for letting us have Niles for a week :)

What is your spiritual type?

Each day in my job, I get to visit with lots of people who are looking for a church or some kind of spiritual family. It would be ignorant of me to assume that everyone grew up just like me and have the same feelings about spirituality as I do. What I can assume is that everyone has feelings about spirituality...even if they don't consider themselves to be spiritual or religious.

I found a fun quiz to help me define my spiritual type. Click here to take the quiz. I learned that I am a Questioning Believer. Yep, that's about right! :) I'm strong in belief in the big stuff but I don't sweat the smaller issues that many people like to argue about. Actually, since college I've thought that it's okay to question God...how else am I going to work out what my beliefs actually are? I want to use the reasoning brain God gave me. Plus I'm stubborn and sometimes a hard sell so I have to ask questions.

It's interesting to look at the different Spiritual Types and then look at the different Christian denominations...the lines are almost perfectly drawn. If you wanted to, you could even put our familiar labels on these groups...all the way from conservative Christian to liberal left. To find out where you fit in on that continuum you first have to learn what kind of spiritual person you are; rather than WHAT you actually believe about every single issue. This way you have an avenue of growth rather than barriers to break down.

If you haven't already, take the quiz above...if nothing else, it is interesting to see if they have you pegged :)

Birdie Horror Flick

If you remember from a previous post, I'm bird sitting for Niles the parrot who belongs to my cousins Scott and Jennifer. Wow are we having fun. He is now addicted to 24 just like Alvaro and I are...he makes the 'peet peet' sound of the clock as it ticks down. Last night after his snack of apples, peanuts and squash, I thought it would fun to watch a movie together. Alvaro wouldn't be home till 9:30 so I started looking to see what we could find. The very first movie listed was Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". I thought it was just way too perfect and I know God arranged with the programmers of MONSTER HD to include this flick; so we would just have to watch it.

Creepily, every time the birds started attacking the children, Niles would inappropriately do his woman laugh. Or when the birds really got going with the squelching and screeching, Niles let loose too. I swear he had that evil eyebrow thing happening and I'm pretty sure someone went, "heh, heh, heh". (I'm well aware that birds don't have eyebrows but still)

After the movie was over I went over to his cage to see if he liked the movie and to have the all important conversation with Niles about pecking people's eyes out and the resulting guilt. He seemed to understand and said to me that he's a 'good boy'. So all is well at Hotel Cabal...for now...muuaa ha ha ha ha ha.

It Smells Like Worms!

So have you ever noticed that when it hasn't rained in a while and it suddenly comes a Texas sized downpour that the air and even the inside of most buildings smells like worms??? yuk! I remember recognizing that smell since forever. I knew that the earthworms had come out for the water and then end up getting dried up on the sidewalk cuz they didn't quite slime back into the dirt quickly enough. I also sensed that there been A LOT of rain...even if I didn't witness it.

Last night, one such downpour began and I guess didn't really let up till today around 11:30. There was that wonderful lightning and thunder, the sound of the rain on the roof that makes you want to sleep till again...forever. But ugh...those worms! I guess anytime there's a big cleansing rain...or re-thinking of things...or a new revelation...the smelly yucky stuff has to be washed out too.

A True Super Mom

I was doing a little dusting this morning and picked up this photo of me and my mom probably taken in 1971 or 1972, my dad had died but she had not yet married my dad, Landis. I think we were living in Seguin and mom was attending Texas Lutheran College. I keep this photo out mainly because I love to remember that time but also for that hair...just look at mom's hair...it's awesome!!

When I think of that time I only think of the great fun I was having. Mom and I lived in a little green house in Seguin where she helped me nail wood slats to the hackberry tree in the back yard so I could climb way up to the top of the tree. Or the time I thought I would be really helpful and use her lipstick and some popcicle sticks to label the vegetables in the garden. Or when I got one of those metal lawn chairs out of the garage to sit under the tree but always ended up getting folded up like a Peanuts character. She always rescued me.

But now, as an adult, I think about her and what she might have been feeling. I would imagine she was quite scared even though I never saw it. I would imagine she was struggling to make it all work even though all I experienced was her always being there to take me places and ride bikes. Sometimes I went to her college classes with her and there was always a learning project that took us to Grandma's to find certain kinds of leaves, rocks or an inspiration for science learning centers for elementary children.

After she finished college she taught kindergarten for 25 years and retired this past May. Thanks Mom for the amazing mothering that I never knew you did till I grew up...oh, and for the hair!

Meet Niles

This is Niles (he is named after Frazier's brother). My cousins Scott and Jennifer have had Niles for about 7 or 8 years and ever so often Alvaro and I are the happy sitters of this awesome bird. My favorite thing to do is to feed Niles. He loves fresh fruit and veggies, peanuts in the shell and his newest love (they've just informed me) jalapenos!! I had no idea!! Can't wait to buy some of those and watch him eat 'em. He loves to imitate noises like the phone, my cousins' cats (yes, he actually meows) and a woman's laugh...it's uncanny. He makes our home feel very tropical! I have an unexplainable hankering for something served in a coconut shell with an umbrella.

Before I got married and I lived in a small apartment, Niles would come to visit then too. I let him out of his cage just so he could stretch his wings and be naughty by landing places where I couldn't reach him again. I remember he always landed on the ceiling fan (it was turned off of course). I really didn't care about him being on the ceiling fan but I remember that he would land, then there was a big POOF with dust flying everywhere then his unending sneezing! Hysterical!

I mentioned recently that I used to have cat and how much joy Martin always brought me. And having Niles in our home is a reminder of how much joy all pets bring many people. If you do not have a pet (as we do not), may I recommend taking a little trip to the SPCA or a pet shop and, if nothing else, just stay a while and watch an animal. Be amazed how at they do things. Right now Niles is grasping a carrot and just gnawing away. I'll let you know if he picks up any new impressions during his stay at Hotel Cabal.

Packing a bag for a place you've never been

Some of you know that I'm a HUGE fan of U2. I love their way of making me think about faith and social action. One of my favorite lines is, "You're packing a bag for a place you've never been". It seems like each day we are packing that bag...in the way we interact with others, the ways in which we serve others and in the way we help others. We are building our own character as we build our understanding of selflessness and concern for someone other than ourselves and those beyond our own families and our own culture.

Yes, serving others feels good...we all know that. But what if we serve sacrificially? Actually serving when it's not comfortable or convenient. The holidays are coming up and we will see numerous opportunities to serve Thanksgiving dinner to people who wouldn't normally have one and to buy Christmas gifts and take them to that little tree in the middle of the mall. Please do these things; but this year maybe we can see that it doesn't end there. After the prime giving season, make a commitment to continue these acts. Visit a retirement community on a Thursday night. Serve meals at a homeless shelter over your lunch hour. Become a Big Brother or a Big Sister. Make empathy an integral part of your suitcase and let the service flow out of you year round.

I once knew a family who went once a month to a nursing facility...the whole family. The guys took checker boards and challenged the men to a game. The girls took nail polish and gave manicures while listening to the women tell about their lives and their experiences. No talent needed for this friends...just a willingness to turn off the TV, get in the car and do it.

Eschmangelism continued

So I've been thinking about what I wrote yesterday and hoping that you all have a sense of humor because these I think these card are hysterical! I probably won't send you one in the mail but still....

Another one I saw said, "Jesus called. He wants his religion back." Hey if God has a sense of humor I can too...

Evangelism Eschmangelism

I am the director of Evangelism at First United Methodist Church in downtown Dallas...scary huh? First, the word Evangelism...yipe! Second, Dallas...in the beltbuckle of the Bible belt...double yipe!!!! I think many Christians have given evangelism the scary rep it has for many people. Since as long as I can remember I've had a weird feeling when I see an evangelist on TV. The hair on the back of my neck gets all prickly and I want to run away even though the Christian faith has always been a part of my heritage.

Evangelism, in my view, is the job of everyone. We practice it every single time we encounter another human being. Another opinion I have is that if we, as Christians, meet someone for the first time and mention our faith in God and what that means to us without having first been asked seems only self serving...somehow thinking we're going to 'win' a soul for Christ is in our power. We're doing that because strangely we think that that person is just dying to know about us and what we believe. Why don't we wait for the invitation? Why can't we allow God to move that person to curiosity instead of biting at the bit to 'please be interested in me'. Rather, we should be more interested in that person, respect them for who and what they are and let God work in God's own time. God gives every human being free will and they may decide not to make their life with Christ. If you've argued someone into wanting to know more about Christ, have they really made that choice? Don't speak the language of what seems to many non-Christians as 'club speak' and just be a person loving other people.

Don't feel like you have to learn some special steps to Evangelism. Don't think that you have to have a Theology degree in order to talk about spirituality. Love and commune with God, then allow that love to flow back through you into the midst of others. Just let it be.

Tell me what you think about this brand of Evangelism. A great way to better understand this way of thinking is to read John Shore's, "I'm Okay, You're Not"...his blog is listed in my favorites to the right.

The Blessing of the Animals

How many of you have a pet? I used to have a cat named Martin Luther...the reformer, not the social activist although Martin was quite kingly. Martin was to me what many humans could not be. He was the best listener, acted any old way without worrying what I thought about him and simply gave me companionship at a moments notice. Today at 5:30 p.m., First United Methodist Church will hold a mass Blessing of the Animals at Reverchon Park off the Katy Trail near Uptown Dallas. Because we are talking about hundreds of animals with their humans in tow, there will also be a joyous mass chaos! Dogs splashing about in the kiddie pools, people trying to keep up and the love of pets written all over it. The SPCA will be there to give everyone the opportunity to bless an animal by giving them a home and to receive donations of blankets, kitty litter, pet toys...etc. The children's choirs will be there to lend a song. And a new ministry, UrbanLife, will be launched. You can check out this new group by clicking on the church website to the right.

Hope to see you all there.

Tell me You're Helpless without me!

My sister recently sent me a 'have-a great-week' care package which included two candles, a great hand lotion and this amazingly hysterical sticky notepad. Would you just take a good look at that woman !?!??! "She was comforted by the knowledge that they were helpless without her" HA!!!!!! With a bit of a sheepish face I'll admit it...sometimes I think this! (maybe that's why she sent it...it's a joke right?....wait...right?)

I was out sick yesterday but guess what. The whole office just kept on running. Nothing really fell apart...hmmm. Maybe I'm not as required 24/7 as I thought. At first I thought, "Man, did they even notice I was gone? Are you telling me I wasn't really needed?" Then I thought, "Wow, how great that a team works so well that when one link is missing for a day or even a month, the whole team pulls together and makes the train keep on barreling down the track". When I'm out of the office because of illness, I usually let that psychosis of guilt keep me from resting...Ohhh, I should be there, I could make it if I really tried...there always the restrooms along the way....but maybe it's okay to just stay in the bed and concentrate on getting better.

There is the need to be needed and then there is that icky pride thing that makes us think no one else can do what we do as well as we do it. I say we all need a good whippin' when that kind of pride sneaks in. I'm probably way more guilty of this than anyone I know but I think God likes watching us grow and become...and in pride of any kind, there is lots of room for growth.