Ill-matched threads

She who reconciles the ill-matched threads of her life,

and weaves them gratefully into a single cloth -

it's she who drives the loudmouths from the hall

and clears it for a different celebration

where the one guest is you.

In the softness of evening it's you she receives.

You are the partner of her loneliness,

the unspeaking center of her monologues,

With each disclosure you encompass more

and she stretches beyond what limits her,

to hold you

(Rilke)

passive activism

california sunshine, rocky shores with crashing waves, puffs of air and water from whale blow holes, women who love God and are attempting to serve God here in this place, knowing there are others who are in a love/hate relationship with the church, open windows, hearing questions, pondering

A good day off

(thanks to Jen and Mary for the pix)

clean sheets, new toothbrushes, clearing space, time with the great kidlets (Eric, Alec, Annika & Rebekka), finishing a shawl, California dreamin', hershey's peppermint kisses, peas and carrots, watching paperwhites and amaryllis grow and bloom, im-ing with JA who is far, far away, feeling like I should get a smiley sticker on my paper, sounding healthy, taking time to breathe

Between a rock and a hard place?

I read somewhere that what you do on New Year's Day is what you will end up doing all year long. Hmmm...

Rob, B and I decided to begin the year with a hike. We let B choose. She chose to hike to a place called "Devil's Marbleyard, described on Roanoke.com as having a "Gottasee factor" of 3.5 (0 - 4) and a "Gottabreathe factor" of 2.5 (0 - 4). Did we make a mistake letting her choose?

With Mannheim Steamroller providing the background music, the sun shone warm through the windows, lulling me into a peaceful relaxed state. What a nice day to be out. Ahhhhh. We parked the car at the "well marked lot," crossed a lovely wooden bridge and headed into the wilderness. The trees, the fallen leaves, the cold crisp air, the sunshine, the company. Ahhhhh.

It didn't take too long, however, before my "ahhhh's" became "ugh's." The trail was rocky. The rocks were covered with leaves. The leaves were wet. 3 water crossings - again, with wet leaf-covered rocks. After maybe a mile, we pass a young woman who responds to our "how much further?" with, "Oh, maybe a half a mile...and it gets steeper."

We finally reach our destination. A huge field of boulders - really BIG boulders. It reminds me of watching a child play with a toy dump truck. Fill 'er up, then dump it out. Except this was some dump truck! Rob's first comment was, "We are NOT going to climb on those!" Yeah, right. Up B goes. We sat there and ate our lunch with the view of those amazing boulders before us and the sound of melting icicles around us. Awesome.

For some, it would not have been a difficult trek at all. For others, like Rob and myself, it was a little strenuous considering our age, physiques and lack of experience. What it ended up being, at least for me, was proof that I could do it and it felt good afterward. If it is true, that what you do on New Year's day is what you end up doing all year long, then I will be working hard to see some awesome displays of God's handiwork, will indeed see them and will feel fulfilled, accomplished and blessed for the effort.