Find Your Peace

I find peace in the morning light that streams through the tops of the trees and turns them bright shades of green. I find peace in the evening light that then turns those leaves to gold. I find peace in the stillness that brings the songs of birds or the soft sweet ripple of water to my ears. I find peace in the hymns and anthems sung at church. I find peace in deep gulps of fresh air in wide open spaces. I find peace in closing my eyes to embrace a gentle breeze that’s found its way to me. I find…I seek…I hope for peace.

In a world of constant interaction and engagement and the world pushing in on us from all directions, it is ever important to give ourselves the opportunity to find peace.

We all need time off. Time away. Time out. We must shift gears to make sure we don't over do it in one way or another. Constantly red lining leads to burning out. Sometimes we just need to let off the gas and brake.

Take a moment. A minute. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Just seek and ye shall find. Your heart and soul will soak it up, your mind will thank you, and whether you realize it or not you will then bless the world by facing it with your peace. I hope this so much for you, for all of us.

Find your peace, sweet friend. An entire day was dedicated to it in the beginning, surely a few minutes a day can be managed. Please do this for yourself. Find your peace.

With love and light,

LT

New Light

I love learning. Since childhood, I have loved exploring, whether in a museum, a library or the yard. I love listening. I love hearing new perspectives, stories and music. I’m thankful that every time I hear or see something, whether it’s been around for years, there is always something new to discover. I think this is one of the reasons I am so drawn to liturgical seasons and celebrations. There is always so much more to learn. The readings follow a cycle that allows us to revisit them time and time again.

This Sunday, the second Sunday in Advent, the Gospel was of John’s voice calling to us from the wilderness in Luke 3:1-6. For many years, I’ve heard the different versions of John’s ministry. I know this was certainly not the first time I’ve read Luke’s version, but it was the first time in my now many years that I realized what the repetition of the prophet Isaiah’s words were asking of me. Here’s verses 3:3-6.

3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

    make his paths straight.

5 

Every valley shall be filled,

    and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

    and the rough ways made smooth;

6 

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

I’ve always read this as Jesus would be the one filling the valleys, making the mountains low and those crooked paths straight once He arrived. This year, it finally dawned on me that John was not telling us what Jesus would do but was instead calling us to prepare the way for Jesus in our own lives. We are being asked to fill those valleys, to level all those hills and mountains and no matter how hard it may be to straighten our paths and make the rough ways smooth.

I’m so glad I was surrounded by friends when I came to this realization, friends who empathize with me in how hard these statements are to fulfill. Our eyes, ears and hearts were all open to this old yet new idea. How wonderful again to have such a lovely reminder that within the challenges of life there is a great gift awaiting us in our efforts to keep straight the path and to recognize life’s highs and lows by staying balanced. I am grateful for the new light shed on this reading and yet another opportunity to feel God’s redeeming grace. I hope you find comfort and joy this Advent, too, and time and time again. I know the road gets crooked sometimes; just remember, there will always be a voice in the wilderness crying out to you.

With love and light,

LT

Learn to listen, dear little ones

Dear little ones, my beloved,

I hope you learn to listen. You will learn so much and enjoy life with abundance. Through listening I hope you will find yourself inspired, fulfilled and protected.

Listen to the story being told. It's exciting; it's meaningful; it has a lesson.

Listen to the birds singing. They are filled with delight and want to share it with their glorious song; they are welcoming the morning; they are singing praise for the light and for being provided just what they need.

Listen to your teacher. Wow! What amazing gifts each teacher has to share. You don't want to miss a minute. Hang on to his or her every word. Each is a challenge for your mind to grow, to understand and to build something extraordinary.

Listen to the music. The notes are intricate; they can beat with your heart; they can move your soul and body. They were created with passion and love.

Listen to the person talking to you. Ask questions that help him or her better share his or her story. Hear what they have to say. Open your heart to the response you are called to give. Between listening and response is a pause for thought and prayer.

Listen to the wind rustling through the trees, a perfect balance between power and peace. There is thoughtfulness and pause in the swaying branches, the leaves dancing in the reflection of the sun. This simple act of looking up and listening can help you catch your breath and fill you with strength.

Listen when you are called to action. It may be a boardroom, an emergency or a quiet counsel. Be ready, my sweet, hone those listening skills because you will be called. What you hear will teach you, guide you, shape you and enable you to respond to others.

Listen to the rain; listen to the water rippling along the shore whether it be sand or rocks, they sound different. Listen to the water in the shower and how it sounds as you move your hand through a bath. Listen to and appreciate clean running water. What a gift! Let the water remind you of its energy and the new life it will bring you in every refreshing moment.

Listen to the kind words shared with you. Please, please do not ignore them or brush them off. They are powerful gifts of love being purposely said to you with the intent of filling your heart. They are meant to help you recognize the unique you and to empower you. Listen, listen, listen to the kind words and share them yourself.

Ultimately, you must decide what to believe in what you hear, but listening will enable your heart the growth to make the good response still the same.

With love and light,

LT

PS Sweet Abby, thank you for looking over my shoulder while I wrote this, for being thankful for my words (our book :)) and for pondering these thoughts in your heart. I am always thankful when you listen.

When the World Covers You Up

I’m having one of those weeks. It’s not a bad week. It’s just one of those weeks when I’m feeling covered up by the world. I’m doing, doing, doing and not a lot of being.

I’m reminded of a scene I stumbled across a couple of weekends ago while trying to keep up with my children at a local park. As I somewhat uncomfortably looked right and left for the boy child, who I had just lost sight of running from place to place, I turned back to the right and noticed light and calm. Shocked out of my own frantic pace to keep up, I noticed a friend of mine slowly swinging back and forth in an oversized wooden glider, hair shining in the fall sunlight as she and her son sat quietly, smiling, being. Just the sight allowed me a deep breath and a moment of balance. After a short hello, I was off again, smiling myself, to see what else my children had discovered at the park.

While considering how to pull myself out of this little funk of sorts this week, I remembered this simple moment at the park. It reminded me of how often God tries to get our attention when we are rushing through our days. We have so much to delight in each day; it’s unfortunate that we allow the world to seep in and halt that joyful connectedness to love and comfort. My guess is that similarly to my experience this week, there are days when the world just gets the best of you. You don’t feel necessarily unhappy, maybe you do, but you don’t feel elated or joyful or connected or centered.

We may be too busy too notice, but the love and support we need to get through those busy times is with us all the time. Just like that flash of light and noticing my friend enjoying that fall afternoon, God is sending us little love jolts ALL THE TIME. We’ve just got to notice them.

I wasn’t having a bad day at the park. I was out with my children and their friends, fulfilling a long promised play date. What I wasn’t doing was allowing myself to fully enjoy how God had created that special moment for me. I thought I had done it and to be honest, with that attitude, I wasn’t fully enjoying it. Acknowledging that God jolt enabled me to switch to a state of gratitude and connectedness, and I relaxed into the moment.

I encourage you to open yourself up to those God jolts as you move forward. I’m going to work on paying better attention to them, too.

Accept a kind word.

Rest.

Share a smile.

Be quiet.

Notice the colors in the sky.

Listen.

Consider a daily practice.

Read.

Watch the animals or children around you.

Unplug.

Look at the trees.

Stop.

Just breath.

Give yourself a timeout and pray.

Just notice, my friends. Even in your darkest moments, God is sending you out jolts of light. I promise, there are better moments to be experienced. Embrace them and know that you are loved.

With love and light,

LT