Uphill idealist

My daily reader (Simple Abundance)   had something to teach me about 'Ecopsycology' today. According to the author, Psychologists that embrace " ecopsychology believe that deepening our emotional ties to nature is vital to our well-being as the close personal bonds we pursue with family and friends. When we follow our instincts to leave the city for a weekend in the country, garden in the early morning...visit a zoo... we are responding positively to psychological and physiological urges to connect for survival." (Simple Abundance, Oct 16 entry)  In August of this year, I relocated to a more urban area than I've lived for twenty years, but thankfully where I live is surround by a considerable amount of green space. My living room also connects me to the outside world by a small terrace that looks out onto a green courtyard...this morning I noticed the sweep of fallen yellow leaves dusting its corners. This small change and contrast to the green delighted my ...

Earlier this summer, I was gifted a copy of Simple Abundance , by  Sarah Ban Breathnach . As I've learned from reading this day book regularly  - if you happen to have a copy of it you cherish it! Day in and day out, Sarah writes about creativity - life - and all the everyday struggles each of us have. Somehow, every time I pick it up to read the book speaks to me. Sometimes I'd say it's a bit too close for comfort, but the fact that it connects so well, even on all things challenging, makes it well worth a read. A few days ago, I found a SECOND copy of the book at a discount store and picked it up for a friend that I think will enjoy as well. As I've been told, its very unusual to find an extra copy, as people protect and save this book to be read and re-read throughout their lives. Thank you to the person who passed on their copy - so I can pass it on to a friend that could also use the gift that is, Simple Abundance.

On Sunday morning I shared one of my favorite quotes in my sermon. The quote comes from a book written by Parker Palmer called, Let your life speak . I've written about this book and even this specific quote many times before, as this phrase came into my own life at a time I was wrestling with my own calling or vocational purpose. When I'm in the midst of confusion and worry over the course of where my vocational process may or may not be heading, I find myself returning to this well loved phrase in order to help find a center space where I cans see progress and hope in the process that is vocational discernment “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” (Note: This quote was not originate with Mr. Palmer, but he uses the statement that originates with Fredrick Buechner's little book Wishful thinking: A Seeker's ABC's   as a means of telling his own story concerning vocational wrestling.) ...

It was one of those mornings. The alarm did NOT go off. The number of hours of sleep did not come close to approaching the recommended need. The left front burner on the electric stove cooks way hotter than it should... so the tomato splattered all over my shirt, the turkey sausage burnt and the smoke alarm went off. But... I've been setting some time every morning to read Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy  and after the fiasco it already had been getting ready for work, I thought I should ditch reading and head to the office. But this time of pause and prayer is important. So I stopped. I read. The words washed over me and helped to slow down my pace. Now, it really was time to go. I got to work - only 9 minutes later than I'd hoped. It was one of those days where I did not know what to do first, so I talked with my secretary for a bit to get oriented to the needs of the day - and made my list of things to do. While it might not be a life lesso...