Recalculating

Time to recalculate!  Yes, that obnoxious voice in my head keeps saying it to me.  That means I must be on the wrong path. 
So it is relatively early on a Saturday morning of a three day weekend .. that I am going to extend to include lots of hours this week. 
Recalculating ... When does the recalculating lady say those words in your ear!

Picture to follow!

It is really Just Joey?

Names can be deceiving!  If I recall ... the name of this rose is "Just Joey".  I think it is one of my mom's favorite.  Maybe it is because it is fun to say Just Joey ... or maybe because it is so beautiful.  When on the garden tour, I heard her say ... "Look, its a Just Joey."

Nothing in God's world is "just .... anything"

This rose is beautiful ...
As is God's creation.

We are called to care for it ...

God Inspired Patterns

A while ago I learned about labyrinths.  There is one in Holden Village ... marked with stones and reinforced by the walking of humans.  In winter it is maintained ... by snowshoes, by boots, by seekers.  The walls grow higher as the snow continues to fall.

And yet ... one can find forgiveness, reconciliation, renewal and hope walking a labyrinth in the middle of a bustling city ... in the interior of a nave.  There for folks to walk and meditate. To find cleansing in the midst of vaulted ceilings, the sun colored reflections through the windows depicting God's glory, the precision of arches, the seekers kneeling forward praying what only they know.

Labyrinths around the world, on walls of caves, in our hearts and our minds.  In Chartres, France, the hills of Contra Costa, Eagles Point, SF, and here at Grace Cathedral in SF.

So fitting ... a labyrinth ... full of the grace of God ... in Grace Cathedral.

Slow day ... walk ...

Lo I am with you always, says the Lord.

Patterns of God

I went on a garden tour in Oakland today with my mom and sister-in-law. I was amazed at the number of succulents in the many gardens. I have really never been of fan of them ... but the more and more I see them I am fascinated by their patterns and the intricacies. As I opened this on the computer and did a bit of a crop I was even more fascinated by the details and what appears to be little "spikes" at the outer edges of each leaf.

Patterns and repetitions were again to be found in this multi-color plant. The newest "leaves" in the center were lightly colored with yellow and green while the older had a tint of pink. Another creation of God whose imagination is beyond our imagination.

Still later in the day I came across this one. It seemed like a Christmas cactus (it is not) yet the red and green were so vibrant. and consistent. To me this was a happy succulent. Not sure why I think this when I see it ... but it brings a smile to my heart. God again has created patterns, and uses a wonderful palette of colors! What do you think?

Finally this surprise was waiting for us in the front yard of one of the homes. Rather than the circular development of the succulents shown above, the leaves seem to be opening and growing in a twirling pattern. Just as I thought I understood the pattern and was looking for shifts in the color palette, I was again surprised by God.

Take a look around ... find the surprising patterns of

God's delightful creation.

Let's now do our part to take care of it!

Colors abound!

Spring has finally arrived.

It has felt like such a long long winter this year. So much snow. It started early and ended early actually, but this year was a year of many storms on the east coast. I don't know what we would have done had they all com through Rochester. As quickly as the snow started ... it stopped. But then suddenly the rains came and came and came. A new record for the month of April ...

The snow blower has been released of the gas and now it is time to ready the lawn mower. Freshen it with a new spark plub, oil and very expensive gas! The chives that arrive in the middle of the lawn will be enjoyed with potatoes next week. A lone tulip that found its way into the lawn on the otherside of the driveway has opened. Next it will be dang dandelions. The cost of going pesticide free.

Roses have yet to bloom in New York ... but they are at their glory in California. I am in awe of the patterns, the colors, the intricacies of nature. Today there shall be more.

Look at Your Heart

It was a chilly Friday afternoon and the weather was somewhere between winter and spring. We gathered in the backyard, bundled in our jackets, long pants and sneakers. It was Good Friday an in our journey to the cross it was time to walk the stations and look into our hearts.

When I was a child growing up, it seemed as though church lasted all afternoon on Good Friday. I must admit that I don’t remember much of it, other than where we would sit, the beautiful expanse of the sanctuary, lots of readings and songs, and lots of sitting. But on this Good Friday it would be something different. Stations of the Cross around the yard. Eric found a simple service for children on line (www.cptryon.org), made some modifications, and printed a copy that we shared. With the cross that Faye had decorated in Sunday School we began our journey.

From station to station, 14 of them, the girls would rotate, Faye had the odd numbers, Meghan the even. Our job as adults was to read the reflections. Abbey, a friend of the girls, came along with us and she listened and we explained the historical piece of the journey to give it context in her Jewish faith. The cross went from place to place being set in trees, on tables, in the milk box, on a basketball post, the back of a car, and finally coming to rest deep inside the canopy of an evergreen.

As we moved to the front yard a couple was passing by and noticed us. You could see them chatting. The man took off his hat, looked at us, and put it over his heart. One never knows when one is a witness to another.

At the end, Sue asked the girls if they had any questions. One asked why didn't say anything about Easter. Ah, we responded, this is part of a very important three days of Easter: from dusk on Thursday through dusk on Sunday. Faye reminded us that Thursday was about the Last Supper and that was when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples and we were given the commandment to love and serve one another. How at church Pastor serves everyone first and then his served last. And that Friday was about the death of Christ. A time that we are humbled by Christ's great sacrifice for us and the world.

Later that evening I went on my way after a plate of potato latkes with Abbey’s parents. I worshipped and listen to the story again ... from the old testament to the Gospel of John. I sang the song "Were you There" through silent tears of memories, sadness, joy, and hope. I placed a stone at the foot of the cross, laid my sins and am grateful for continued forgivness.

And now today we wait. We wait in anticipation that Jesus will rise from the dead. Today is the vigil.

Coming Back

I think it is time to return to my blog. Its noon on a cold wet spring day.

This is something I need to do ... might you come back and read my musings again?