Tiles of Time

Gratitude is the birthplace of joy. 

~Brené Brown

Ten years ago, while house-hunting on Thanksgiving weekend, I toured the house that would become my home. Two disparate things captivated me: the panoramic mountain view and the unique ceramic tile in the master bedroom with its indigo-and-linen pattern adorning the fireplace.

As I wake today from a rare Sunday afternoon nap, the low sun casts a golden spotlight through the open window onto those eclectic tiles that remind me (then, and every day since) of a warm, joy-filled vacation through Cinque Terre, Italy.

Much has transpired in those ten years: birthdays, holiday celebrations, graduation, empty nest, road trips, reunions, weddings, dear visitors, grief and loss, sleepless nights, tears, prayers. I strive to tuck each one into the cedar chest of life memories. Major events coexist alongside the innocuous beauty of brief moments: a gentle word, lingering sunsets, breathtaking sky, small blooms, tender glances, echoes of song and laughter, surprises, campfires, a first-year raspberry, juicy watermelon and faithfulness. Each one, observed, becomes a good and perfect gift, no matter how tiny, squirrelled away in a precious nook or safe cranny of memory's trove.

Treasures and sadness, light and dark, joy and mourning; these are not opposites, but complementary. I do not despise one for the sake of the opposite. One cannot exist without the other, not until eternity. I seek to embrace both extremes and all the various in-betweens, since we mostly live the greater fraction of our lives in the un-sensational middle-ground of Average.

For all of these gifts, and the mosaic they make of my life, may I be truly grateful. Amen.

How to Pray

In our rehearsal last night, our large choir was led in an amazing prayer time of praise and adoration – sharing our declarations of love, awe, wonder and gratitude for our precious Lord and Saviour, our awesome God and the beautiful Holy Spirit. We were reminded that in the Lord's Prayer, Jesus gives us the model of how we can structure our prayers. He begins with adoration, humility and surrender. We remind ourselves of who God is and align our hearts with His will, just as Christ anguished in the garden, "Not my will but thine be done."

Prayer can take many forms, but one simple acronym that many have found helpful for their personal quiet time is A.C.T.S.

A = Adoration

C = Confession

T = Thanksgiving

S = Supplication

Adoration is what we experienced last night. When we focus on God and who He is, not only in relation to us but who He is in the beauty of his holiness apart and separate from anything to do with us. If you find yourself at a loss for what to say in adoration, consider reading scripture (some helpful lists are here and here), articles and study aids that help you get know the God we worship. 

We can only worship someone we love, 
and we can only love someone we know.

Confession is a necessary time of speaking before the Lord in open and total transparency. He knows everything about us, but as C.S. Lewis says, prayer doesn’t change God, it changes me. To name a thing takes away its power. We cannot heal what we do not acknowledge. When I confess sin in my life, God can release me from its power. His forgiveness for us was secured on the cross, but he instructs us to confess. As 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” For a more in-depth consideration, read David Whyte's thoughts regarding the value of confession.

Confession opens the door to healing and to a larger life 
where I do not repeat the self-same sin.

Thanksgiving is God’s will. “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:18). It is the internal attitude of gratefulness, cultivating the eyes of our heart to see His gifts, no matter how small, in every situation. Thanking God for all that comes in the journey, not for every circumstance but in the midst of it, realizing that every good gift and every perfect gift is from his hand, and that sometimes his gifts come disguised in trials or challenges that shape our character and require us to trust or wait on Him. Gratitude preceded many of the miracles Jesus performed. He lifted his eyes and thanked God before he broke bread, before he fed 5,000+, before he raised Lazarus from the dead. A wonderful resource on gratitude is here.

Gratitude and thanksgiving make it possible 
to live fully right where we are.

Supplication, petition and intercession is about humbly and earnestly asking God to act, provide or intervene. When we pray for God’s will on behalf of someone else, it is called petition or intercession while making a request for ourselves is supplication. There is nothing wrong with asking, in fact, God invites us to boldly approach the throne of Grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Learn more here. 

Don't worry

Tell God what you need

Thank Him for what he's already done

and peace will follow

from Philippians 4:6-8

Note for the choir: As we have various leaders prompt different styles of prayer over the remainder of the season together, we will explore different aspects of God and our relationship to him, different ways of speaking with and hearing from the Spirit. We've practiced the beginnings of Listening Prayer, which is very different from speaking to God like we've discussed above. If you'd like to learn more about Listening Prayer, consider reading Can You Hear Me or Rivers from Eden, or watch the seminar videos by Brad Jerzak here.

Adult A.D.D. and Thanks: A Path to Wholeness?

Trying to concentrate on what I’m reading about living fully right where I am, but my adult Attention Deficit Disorder kicks in. I stop reading and strain to identify the barely audible rhythm of a distant car alarm. 

I turn back to the book but the drone of the dryer and my husband’s morning throat-clearing cough and grooming routine pull my attention away again. I squint my eyes and beg the Lord to help me hear his voice, fully, with rapt attention. 

Why he called this distractible mind into an administrative position, I will never know in this life, other than perhaps that the hyper-focus on one thing can be an immense benefit to accomplishing a project. But the rest of me struggles to keep track of a plethora of small requests and some days are worse, with every diversion another brick in the wall of forgetfulness that bars me from the goal of being a detail-oriented professional who makes everyone happy. 

Should I give thanks for this deficit? The book says it is through thanksgiving that my wholeness comes.

295. I am grateful that I see life in every diversion.

296. Thankful for a heart that desires joy and completion for others.

297. Thrilled for tasks that are diverse every day.

298. Pleased to meet others along the path

299. Stunned with the awareness that I can bring death or life to them through my words, Your words.

Lord, help me pay attention to you.

Let eucharisteo be my corrective replacement lens.

From 1000 Gifts: eucharisteo: an attitude of thanks. Life filling gratitude.

Bears and Rockies and Lakes, Oh My!

285. I saw grizzly bears today. Mom (Bear 64) and three cubs. They were grazing the dandelion meadow beside Bow Valley Parkway (Hwy. 1A) between Johnston Canyon and Banff Town (on the way back from Lake Louise).

Every visit to the unparalleled Canadian Rockies and World Heritage Site, Banff National Park, I am healed. The muscle of the mountains, the changing moods of the covering cloud, the diamond jubilee dancing on pristine water, the wary and evasive wildlife... all of it a testament to beauty and a restoration of hope. There are many gifts to number.

The drive out was shrouded with cloud and pounding rain. 286. We camped with our little dog and small trailer at Tunnel Mountain but it rained most of the weekend. 287. We visited with good friends, Joyce and Sam Hewson, who tented at Two Jack Lakeside (is there a more breathtaking camping spot? I think not) and they built great fires despite the rain so all was well.

Yet after another long night of pounding rain keeping me from sleep, I suggested we drive to Lake Louise. The rain was steady but light and lifted just as we reached the lake. Always beautiful, but shrouded in cloud, we couldn't see the heights of the mountains. Yet 288. the lake always charms and 289. the cafe makes astonishingly great lattes.

It was the drive back from Lake Louise that charmed me most. Brent wanted to read the Sunday Sun so I drove, and 290. chose the path less traveled: the Bow Valley Parkway (Highway 1A). After stopping briefly to 291. photograph two bull elk, a passing pro photographer whispered, "There are some grizzly bears just down the road, they're a lot more interesting than this." And so they were.

Brent took the wheel after the bear encounter and we returned to our campsite to pack up and head home. 292. Cascade Mountain was still hiding its head under a cover of white fur, but the blue sky and persistent sun made it joyful.

As we headed home, 293. Brent looked at me. "I was getting really tired of the rain and so impatient. I would have rather just packed up and gone home, but when I see the joy you get from the mountains, I love that. It really feeds your soul." 294. I'm so grateful he noticed. And appreciates it.

Yes, Brent it feeds my soul. Yes, yes, it does.

Good Stories

You know those stories that captivate you? How many of them had no tension, no problems, no death? All went well and the sun always shone? Yeah. No. So why do we cry foul or "not fair!" when things go awry in our own story? Live the mystery. Follow the Author to find out the ending. It's happy. He promised.

August Long Weekend, College Kid Style

Drove 530 kms over seven hours today with stops, including beautiful Lake Louise. We're staying in Salmon Arm overnight, as I chauffeur four summer kids' camp workers (including my boy) back to Mission, BC. They took the bus from Salmon Arm to Calgary after a mishap with their vehicle, and needed a ride back to BC. Thankfully, Sunday traffic wasn't bad, being a long weekend. Another 5.5 hrs. tomorrow; then after I deliver this precious human cargo, I'll head back home to Calgary.

Update:

Turns out, I drove straight back home through the night and the Big Dipper kept me company out the driver's side window for almost half the trip. Now home safe and sound, ready for a long summer nap.

These are rare treasures: time with my son and time alone. I'm grateful.





Photo: Personal collection (the kids at Lake Louise, since the fella on the left was from Australia and needed to see this iconic location)