Gracie~~~

                

Her decline continued, she didn't appear uncomfortable till last evening. At that time she appeared quite weak and lethargic and had a bout of diarrhea--- that is all. When we got up this morning she was lying on the living room floor, and when I touched her she cried. We got her comfy on the couch, and wrapped her in a fleece blanket to keep her warm. No more sounds, though she enjoyed being gently patted. And within an hour, she died. 

So my Gracie, after fourteen years, is gone. Best cat I EVER had. Sweet, simple, and I believe she fulfilled the purposes God had for her--- to be my companion all these years, resident pet therapist at the Haven of Grace -Jude, the Executive Director, gave her to me one year for my birthday- she shared my quarters and evenings and weekends she spent time with the ladies- then companion to my mother in her latest years- and been our fur baby the last few. 

I am so sad. Jack is very good, handled everything, and is a comfort.

GRACIE FLANAGAN 2002-2015

SIMPLIFY. ORGANIZE. MANAGE RESOURCES WISELY.

It's been a "one thing leads to another" sort of thing the past couple of years. I have worked in health and human services my entire career, and been involved in lay ministry, so had never heard of organizing, not as a profession. One of my work colleague's wife was a professional organizer with her own company, so I heard of that... then while in the process of checking on job postings (on behalf of my husband who was forced into early retirement four years ago), I saw her post an apprenticeship. Timing was not right for me then and I didn't know enough about the field, started to read about it, look into it, and linked to sites on simplifying, organizing, managing resources wisely, creativity, and productively. And found that interesting as well. 

In my field "productivity" can be a threatening thing, a pressure to keep interactions with clients to a specified minimum length of time, treatments are defined in minutes, but some definitions of productivity are quite different. It appears to be about maximizing our personal and organizational time, talent, and treasure... to keep things simple and manage our resources wisely. My life is all about that, as my husband and I deal with our mid-life transitions. And that, in a nutshell, is my current interest in professional organizing and productivity!

ADVENT PREPARATION AND CONTINUITY

There is something reassuring about our traditional annual reflection with regard to the story of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem, Christ's birth in the manger, and the promise of hope that arises within the celebration of the true meaning of Christmas. The story returns to us year upon year as a constant and tradition. It's a mainstay.

Within our personal lives as the years pass by, new family members may be born, others may return home to God, we might move or begin new work...but each December Christmas returns and the opportunity for renewal and hope is brought to light. There is a sense of familiarity and continuity that is sustaining and ever constant when Advent comes round and once again we begin anticipating His arrival.

On this second Sunday of Advent while I contemplate the story of Christ's birth, I am reflecting on how the story of my life is not unlike a complex and beautiful tapestry being woven upon a loom. Each thread and fiber holds an experience, interconnection with others, and frequently a valuable lesson or two. One by one the threads are woven together. These fibers stretch horizontally across the weaving creating the weft which will ultimately reveal the intricate design of a lifetime lived to completion.

Before the weaving begins, the Weaver fixes vertical fibers to the loom. The vertical fibers are strong and usually the same color. They form the warp that will hold all the other threads to the weaving. These are the durable and lasting fibers that are foundational to the lasting strength of the tapestry and all that will be woven over time. I imagine God places the warp on the loom of life before birth. Whatever particular strength is necessary becomes the anchor for the soul's journey from birth to death and beyond. Part of our work on this earth is come to know what our warp is made from.

If my life is viewed as a tapestry being woven upon a loom...what is the constant thread (my soul's strength), the foundational warp of my journey? What qualities, values, or beliefs hold my life experiences in place? How do I experience a sense of continuity and "weave" as my story unfolds upon the loom of life?

~~~~from SACRED-LIFE ARTS

GIVING PAUSE

This from D'v:

The reason that we have to think and ponder before the Lord everything we stitch is because, as you are discovering,  everything takes a piece of us.

Every project, every vision stitched, every revelation revealed and unveiled  though the work of our hands as ordained of Adonai, takes time, which belongs to Him, and resources, which are His. But more it takes us. It takes who are in Messiah and spills it out for His sake, for His glory. We are, in this holy work, for so it is, poured out for His sake and for the sake of those to whom He is revealing Himself in these His holy works.

You are learning now, on a very steep curve I think, but we must all make no mistake. It is a holy work, this work of our woman's hands. An offering to Him who both created and redeemed us and set us under His holy shelter.

Behold behold behold.

"I AM LORD." says He.  "BEHOLD AND LOOK UPON ME WITH AWE AND TREMBLING.

"BEHOLD."

End of message. 

My response:

Seriously~~~ this is HARD! At least for me, and in every aspect!

That said, I got the borrowed Singer up and threaded, bobbin wound and inserted, and tested a few rows of stitches on a scrap. All set for the morning!

D'V:

Am glad. It is a new thing for you. And it is hard to learn something completely new. It's not like you had a foundation in sewing to lean on.  It'll all click.It has to. I don't know what the Lord plans but I'm hoping you can show me how to use a sewing machine.

Me:

Be glad to! A little more confidence AND practice. My husband is SO proud of me! That part of this whole thing is interesting.... and fun. He's always romantic, as you know (except when he's angry & snitty of course) and always proud of me in a general way-- but this is so specific a thing for him to be proud of! Last evening when he was talking to his sister for their weekly telephone check-in, he was telling her all about what I was doing--- from his perspective. Cutting & pinning & measuring and stitching....

I do waste some time wondering WHY God has put this on me NOW..... but between you and me, it's an urgent thing to trust and obey about this. Forgive me if I repeat myself over and over, but usually nudges to me are about service, not about doing something that may be useless --- or not, depending on what is made and how it comes out --- and that may have an aspect of personal satisfaction and possibly even--dare I say it? --- FUN. Or at least people appear to have fun and when the anxiety of new gets left behind, maybe it will be for me?

D'v:

Of course it will be fun you silly!

I hate to state the obvious but if you are doing it out of obedience, trust and love, that is service to HIM. 

Long time ago He told me that He misses His daughters. Their tenderness, the way they love on Him. He misses us. This is a gift from your Father who wants to bless you.  That He will use it for His purposes is a blessing. That it is a joy, and it will be, is the mercy that makes the work of it more like play. 

POW WOWS AND TALKING CIRCLES

Went to a "Talking Circle" at Endicott Park in Danvers, sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness (MCNAA). About 30 people traveled from Connecticut, the South Coast, Western Massachusetts, attended and shared their stories. They also gave warmth and encouragement to others.                                        

I went with a work colleague, who has an extraordinary interest for things Native American. We had gone to a Pow wow this past summer together, also at Endicott Park in Danvers, which was great. Not only did the work colleague and I get to know each other better, but the music, dancing, food, and fellowship at the Pow wow was most impressive. Obviously we are all children of  he One Great Spirit!                                                     

STORIES MATTER

The lives we live are based on the stories we tell; 

and the stories we tell build the world we live in.

Indeed, I am learning lots about STORY. Having been an avid reader my whole life--- at least since I learned how to read--- I have always loved stories, all kinds, all genres. and I've always had an urge to write, a desire to be a writer. Nowadays--- I want to be a STORYTELLER. And I want to help others tell and share their stories.

I have had vivid yet brief dreams, frequently, lately, about stories and that STORIES MATTER. I have been in what appears to be an almost infinite library, which made me exceedingly happy--- perhaps it is Heaven! Jesus has spent time with me, telling and re-telling His Parables, and explaining them. Jesus was--- IS--- a STORYTELLER. And He reiterated to me that STORIES MATTER.

I want to write, to speak--- to share MY story, which is, in its own way, fairly interesting. We each have one, and we are each unique, a wonderful creation of God the Eternal, the One Who SPOKE "Let there be light" and there was light!

DE-CLUTTERING + ORGANIZING = PURGING

Thought I’d get your attention!

You know it isn’t just us (you, me, maybe a couple others), but as a society, including within secular circles, among folks who have little spiritual insight nor “feeling”. In the world, those who have given it thought tend to believe it has to do with the over- muchness of our material life, which is non-sustainable, as well as unjust to most who live on this earth. In other words, it’s not right that so few have so much, and we can’t keep doing this anyway, our resources are running out.

For those who may have spiritual inclinations, Christian or otherwise, the sense is that our “stuff’ has not just cluttered our physical living and working spaces, but have cluttered our hearts and souls as well. An increasing chaos which increases stress, just by having it around, this is not good for our body-mind-spirit, individually nor collectively.

For Christians, I think it’s “same old same old”, in that there has always been a tension between ascetism (think hermits and some orders of religious brothers and sisters, think of Saint Francis of Assisi who on his conversion went to the Vatican and appeared to the Pope of that time naked) and the prosperity gospel thing (God loves us so wants us to have have have…). Not too many of us have it figured out.

For my husband and me, it’s been interesting. I cannot imagine all the stuff that continues to come out of his closet--- “old records”--- of every description, that he is now heaving. HOW and WHY he kept it all, other than his accountant mindset, and HOW and WHY we had to move it all….. is absolutely beyond me.

As for me, it took way too long to get through all of my mother’s things which were in the storage unit. The first year after she died I could not do it at all. After which I could do it in nanoseconds, gradually working up to minutes and finally to as much as a half hour. Jack was very helpful and very patient with me. (Just for the record, now that it’s gone I had a burst of anger at my brother, who left all her care and all her things for me to deal with, without any assistance from him. But we digress. And that anger went rather quickly. I think. Because I realize, deep down, he just CAN’T). And now that it IS done and it IS gone, such a sense of freedom!

All our stuff is now where we live! Cars are empty of stuff. And each closet, each drawer, each cabinet is getting pared down. To the essentials. And even more, clothing may be essential, but if it hasn’t been used, or no longer fits--- no matter how we may wish to think it may again--- going to be used by someone else. If it exists it needs to be useful. If not to me or to us, then to someone else.