No hats in heaven...

Blessed are you, Lord God,
maker of all living creatures.
On the fifth and sixth days of creation,
you called forth fish in the sea,
birds in the air and animals on the land.
You inspired St. Francis to call all animals
his Brothers and Sisters.
We ask you to bless this animal, our Eiger.
By the power of your love,
call him to join you peacefully.
May we always praise you
for all your beauty in creation.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures!
Amen.

Run free and fast dear Friend,
At least in heaven, there will be no hats...probably.

Letter to God...

"I saw that God never began to love us...We have always been in God's foreknowledge, known and loved from without beginning...We were made for love."
Julian of Norwich, as quoted in "Christian Mystics," by Matthew Fox

I stepped up to the window at the Post Office to pick up a package yesterday. My friend, who works there, showed me a letter written by a small child to God and sent to the Post Office.  She had been given the letter and the task of answering it.  Tall order, that!  She asked if I had any suggestions of what to say to this dear child.  With a line of people behind me and only my friend at the service counter I could only think of one word...Love.  Somehow, if she can convey to this little girl that God loves  her with the biggest love in the world...that would be the route I would go.  I think if I spent a four day silent retreat pondering the question I would come up with the same answer.  God loves you, Dear Little One. God loves you with the biggest, most special love ever!  It's bigger than the huge mountains of snow we have outside! Come to think of it, this is an awesome Spiritual Direction exercise for all of us, really.  If you had to answer a small child's letter like this, what would you say?  Let's ponder and pray with that this winter day. And maybe let's think about how we could answer that letter with our very lives, when our words seem to fall short...Love, heidi

A thousand times a day...

"What must I do, Lord?"
Acts 22:10

Saul-soon-to-be-Paul has just had a stunning wake-up call from Jesus...his "Come to Jesus" moment as we like to say today.  But this isn't just Paul's journey at all. Once we realize that we need and desire God's guidance in our own lives each day, we may ask this question ourselves.  And not just for the Big Decisions or the Big Events of our lives, but also for the smallest things.  Once we realize that God isn't just for Sunday worship or as a lifeline as we sit waiting for the doctor's diagnosis, we are reassured that God's is there for us.  God wants THAT kind of relationship with us. The kind of relationship where we call on God to help with all the thousands of decisions we make.  The kind of help and support we may seek out a friend to receive. That is the meaning behind the "Pray always" advice.  God doesn't want to just be waiting on the shelf to be called upon for the Big Times.  God wants to be there for any event that pops up in our winter day. So, what must we do, today, Lord? Love, heidi

Nature and grace...

"Nature and Grace are in harmony with each other. For Grace is God and Nature is God. Neither Nature nor Grace works without the other. They may never be separated..."
Julian of Norwich, as quoted in "Christian Mystics" by Matthew Fox

Yesterday, my inside efforts to be quiet and prayerful fell short, so God beckoned me outside.  The sun was bright and beautiful and there was fresh snow on the driveway that needed shoveling. God said, "Come and see!"  I went from heavy coat to lighter coat to no coat at all.  It was blissfully quiet, save for a bird I heard singing, celebrating the glorious day.  My heart melted into God's peace.  Fr. Thomas Keating says, "The interior experience of God's presence activates our capacity to experience Him in everything else--in people, in events, in nature." (as quoted by Fr. Richard Rohr in his Sunday's Daily Meditation). Thankfully, I'm learning to recognize God's voice when beckoned from inside to outside. Even more thankfully, I'm able to see God so clearly in the peaceful combination of sun and fresh snow.  If I was missing God's voice on the inside, I couldn't recognize God's presence in the outside.  Love, heidi