Catch a glimpse

Painting, Glimpse of hope by Among Thorns, found at Flicker.


Sometimes, in or after a difficult gray time, I seem to catch a glimpse or flicker of hope, promise, or joy. It sometimes shows up in the gut flutter feeling of excitement in my stomach. It appears over and over again in the things (that I thought had no connection) that I read or watch. Then again this flicker of lightness may come through the voice or a friend, a dream, or sometimes something I can't quite put my finger on.

It's like catching a whiff of something that triggers a childhood memory and makes you smile involuntarily, only this memory hasn't happened yet.

I'm glad for these shadowy glimpses, for every time they appear; hope is renewed and life has a greater sense of purpose.

Cheers to glimmers and glimpses, and to G-d who sends them my way just when I need them the most.


'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.
<< Zechariah 4:6 >>

Mentoring makes a difference

You may be familiar with organizations like Big Brothers or Big Sisters, Compeer and even locally, Striders makes an effort to pair students with caring adults to help support and build up the lives of students who may be missing out on caring adult relationships.

Mentoring Spotlight - Ben and Dennis from The Mentoring Project on Vimeo.

This month, my church (First Lutheran of Jamestown, NY) will be learning about a new program called, The Mentoring Project, when Don Miller stops in Jamestown on his Million Miles tour with Susan Isaacs, to let us in on the details of his program geared for boys growing up without the regular involvement of a father. My new friend Larry, from Grace Church in Erie, PA is on the board of the Mentoring Project and will be coming to help share more details about the program on October 24th, in addition to Don's presentation.

Larry tells more about this opportunity, here at his church's blog.

Are you interested in mentoring a child missing a connection to another caring adult? Were you a child that missed out on a paternal or maternal relationship? This evening of comedy and storytelling is an opportunity to explore how you could make a difference or how your own life could be different, if mentoring were a rich aspect of it. Join us for the adventure on October 24th at 7PM - you never know where this story could take you.

Angry Conversations with God

To book tickets for Susan Isaacs and Don Miller's USA Book Tour, go to itickets.com to search for a booking in a city near you. If you are in the Southwestern NY, Northwestern PA area - come to their booking at First Lutheran Church, October 24th at 7:00pm. Tickets are $12.00 for Adults and $8.00 for Students. Call 716-664-4601 for more details.

Tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort Image by Edvard Munch from the blog Canvas.

God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

I know it's too early for Christmas songs for some, but the words of "God rest ye merry gentlemen" speak to the circumstances of this last week and particularly, this last weekend.

Comfort/Joy:
Earlier this week, we adopted a 2-year-old cattle dog/beagle dog from our local humane society. Her name is Aggie. I know it may be hard for some to understand the grief that is a part of loosing a pet, but for the last year my family was in the process of grieving over the loss of our family dog who passed away last August. It was so hard to feel the space that was left when she died. The house felt empty afterward, but day by day we learned how to get along. It took a little over a year for all of us to be ready to try again, but I'm glad that we waited for the time we were all ready. It's better that way. So on Tuesday, there was comfort in our home. There was joy. The space that was left by our loss a year ago, was not replaced, but filled with a new presence by the personality of Aggie. So, it is a new start for us on the pet frontier. It's sure to be a fun challenge.



Family:
On Saturday, we helped to close the pool at my mother-in-laws house. It was chilly and the bugs were out, but in all the work it was comforting to have the family together. This job requires many hands to accomplish. Plumbing has to be disassembled, a giant 'pillow' has to be placed in the center of the pool, the steps have to be removed, the cover has to be placed and then tied and shrink wrapped in place to keep the winter elements out. I had the distinct pleasure of jumping into the very chilly water remaining in the pool and helping to lift the steps out. The water was so cold I had to concentrate to breathe and lift myself out of the pool minus the steps.

It was hard work, but in the end we had a great day outside. Aggie even came along for the day and enjoyed meeting the family and being outdoors most of the day. Later, we ate together and then sat chatting together in the living room. My mother-in-law kept laughing at me because I jumped into the pool minus my jeans. She's say, "Nice green underwear you have there." Funny, but these are the things family memories are made of.

Challenge/Hope
Sunday was a busy work day for me. I was involved in helping with two worship services, Sunday school opening and teaching the Sr. High Sunday school class. The morning was not what I had expected, and there were some very difficult moments, but later as I had the privilege of singing the Liturgy..."In peace let us sing to the Lord, Lord have mercy"...I felt grounded - comforted - as I sang the Kyrie.
There were people too, that hugged and supported me all morning.
Your care helped me make the best of things. Thank you.

Later, I helped with the 5th grader's communion retreat where they learned about the history of communion, why Christian's take communion and even had a tasting so the students would be prepared when they take their first official communion in the next few weeks. There was a student at the retreat who also attends the fellowship I help with at the local middle school. All afternoon, he smiled and talked with me.

"Mrs. E what are we doing next?"
"Mrs. E can I use your phone to call my Dad?"
"Thank you Mrs. E for being here."

Somehow, in his words and conversation I knew it was important to him that I was there that afternoon. And knowing that fact, made the day a little better.

There are days that will be bad, terrible in fact. You will experience things, you never imagined possible. Not even in you nightmares. But would we know the value of comfort and joy if we did not know the darker feelings as well? Tears need to be cried at times, but eventually the crying does stop.

Bread:
You get a new dog.
You receive hugs when you need them the most.
You sing and the sound that you make blesses others.
You offer communion to EVERYONE. You don't hold back.
Your spouse listens to the whole story with an open heart.
A student makes sure you know your made a difference.
You receive an email inviting you to help with something you've always wanted to be a part of.
A friend sends a scripture that nails how you're feeling and tells you to keep on keeping on.
An acquaintance tells you the work your doing makes a difference - and to not give up.

For all the anxiety there is in the world, there is a message of comfort and joy, even on the hard days. Suffering lasts for a time, but it does have an end. Then we can have a new beginning. That beginning can start now.
So rest with the bread of knowing a new start will come, a new way will show itself, maybe not today, but someday soon. The start will come. Till then, comfort.




1 Peter 4:7-10
Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.

SWB: Host Post - Joy in a take-away cup?

I don't know if you have a Mc Cafe' in your town, but I have one just down the street from my house. As if McDonald's didn't have the corner on the market on the drive-thru meal, they now are working on staking ground on all the sit in/take out coffee shops that many folks know and, despite the $5.00 a cup price tag, love dearly.



If you are a fan of the Starbucks Frappuccino, McCafe' is now trying to draw your business by offering their, somewhat cheaper, versions of the same coffee treats you've grown to love.

Coffee, or tea, is something that gets people moving as well as brings them together. It's warm, sometimes sweet and creamy, sometimes dark and bold. Coffee has a way of clearing away the cobwebs of the mind, while it's warmth brings comfort and sometimes I'd even say solace.

Somehow though, the warmth or comfort of a cup of coffee (wherever you get it from), only lasts as long as some remains in your cup - or you get a refill. The kind of comfort that we discuss on Mondays did originate from the giving of bread to children traumatized by the bombing and loss of WW2, but the comfort itself is not limited to the tangible things of life.

The kind of joy, comfort and contentment we search for in this weekly meme are the kinds that help us through the darkest and sometimes the most difficult of days. This comfort may start with a cup of joe, but it lasts much longer than what the largest Grande' cup could hold.

What warmth, hope and joy did you hold on to this first chilly fall week of October? Did the chill of life have a chance against the joys? How did those joys show themselves to you throughout the last seven days?

May your cup overflow with joy, comfort and hope for the days to come. Thank you for sharing your joys, for as you share them, they may be the one thing that helps someones cup slip over the edge into comfort too.

Lamont

Running for home

Image from Best Weight Loss Now.

Darkness surrounds, but the jingling sound of the leash calls us to greet the street with our feet.
Your feet are bare and mine are tied up snugly in my sneakers.
You don't wear a coat, except the one you were born with -
but I wear layers of clothing. Tank top, long-sleeved running shirt, over-sized hoodie, track pants, skull cap and hobo gloves.
It seems too cold today, even for October.

Step by step my body warms up, you happily prance by my side. You are sniffing here and there as your tail wags almost in tempo with our moving feet and the song on my Ipod.

Our breath hangs in the air as the darkness begins to lift. I take the top layer hoodie off as you rest for a moment. Tying to hoodie around my waist, we head up the big hill and you graciously stay with me, even though my pace slows a little. You are asking me lead. You need me to be the leader.

As we reach the top of the hill, I look back and see the sky erupting in colors of cotton candy blue and pink. The sun wakes the rest of the town up and we get to see it happen.

We run up another hill, down a street and lean into the home stretch that just happens to be downhill. I let the leash go a little long and we run with all our might to the end of the street and stop, breathing hard and sweat running down my nose and face. We arrive to the place we call home. You call it home.

We are home from our run and are standing in the glory of the sunrise of a cold Friday in October. Looking at all the colors above us, I think maybe the sun is happy we found our way home to.

Everyone needs a place to call home.