Divas discover nature

"Whatever you do, don't lean!"

(How to not tip over)

The local REI store has this amazing arrangement with the DuPage County Forest Preserve. They co-sponsor programs. They share a common goal of helping people learn about and appreciate nature. What a happy concept!

Thursday night was “Divas only” (ladies night!) – some kayak instruction followed by a paddle around Hidden Lake.

Nine of us showed up. Ray, a senior ranger for DuPage County, met us in the parking lot, and directed each vehicle to the boat launch – a modest gravel stretch sloping to the water. There two competent and friendly REI kayak instructors, Margie and Colleen, greeted us.

They spent a good thirty minutes explaining the basics of kayaking, before launching each of us in our little boats. The first thing we noticed was a little furry head moving across the middle of the lake. Turned out to be a beaver. When he decided we were too close, he dove, smacking his broad tail on the water as he disappeared.

A gaggle of Canada geese three times considered settling on the lake for the evening, but turned away when they saw our little boats dotting their sleeping area. There are other small lakes nearby, so they had handy alternatives.

We paddled twice around Hidden lake before darkness threatened to really hide it, and we headed for the boat launch. We each stroked swiftly toward shore, gathering momentum to get as much of the kayak on land as possible before debarking.

We helped our instructors pull the boats up to the rental truck. We gathered paddles and PFDs (personal flotation devices) into a pile as well. Divas stick together.

I appreciated the womanhood of these ladies. It’s very special. They were modest, funny, friendly, eager to learn, attentive, caring, helpful. And they loved being out on the lake in the evening. Even with powerlines skirting the edge of the preserve, and traffic audible from a nearby Interstate, the middle of the lake was totally peaceful.

And nine women gained further insight on engaging respectfully with nature, and finding renewal.

“All nature teaches God’s love to man…”
Mary Baker Eddy

History in the making

Respected news host Jim Lehrer

in Denver

I wasn’t planning to watch much of the Democratic National Convention in Denver. I turned it on mostly so I could say, Yes, I watched some of it.

Yet as Jessie Jackson, Jr. gave his speech, it dawned on me. This is history! Perhaps more than any other convention in America’s short life.

Tuesday evening featured the first woman in our country who has had a clear shot at the White House. While she didn’t get the nomination, she came close. Really close.

Simultaneously we have the first African-American with a clear shot at the White House with the nomination of the Democratic party. Whether he is elected to the presidency remains to be seen. But someone who is not traditionally white stands at the threshold.

That these two people are where they are represents the best of democracy in action.

I’m not happy about opposition bashing – from either party. It should be obvious that you don’t make yourself bigger by pounding the other guy down. Even though the bashing has so far been light-weight, I’m more interested in specific proposals and carefully thought-out plans for progress.

Still this convention speaks of long-awaited maturity for the American people. As Hillary said of her run as a woman, “We didn’t break the glass ceiling, but there are 18 million cracks in it!”

Neighborhood at its best

Terry’s friends and neighbors came from miles around to hear her grandson’s jazz band. The five boys set up in his grandmother's backyard, which comfortably seated over 60 people.

Terry forestalled noise complaints by inviting all her neighbors via flyer and email: "Bring your lawn chairs and snacks to share!" Only the string bass was amplified, so the decibel level was kind.

These were high school kids – a sophomore on string bass, three seniors – alto sax, tenor sax, and drums; and an extra drummer who, as a college sophomore, added some pizzazz to the charts he played.

The boys performed a two-hour program including music by Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk.

These kids were good. It is amazing to me at least, to find musicianship of this caliber at the high school level.

What’s the spiritual perspective? It’s about finding God’s goodness shining past all the negative stuff the media spews out. It’s the tough guy singing his puppie to sleep; it’s Lorenzo treating horses with respect and finding they’ll do anything for him; it’s kids dedicating themselves to making the world a better place by playing beautiful music.

It’s about parents and grandparents and neighbors who celebrate young people as they venture into new responsibilities and new arenas.

It’s neighborhood at its best. Thanks Terry!

Here comes Lorenzo!

A friend just sent this video of Lorenzo and his horses. Apparently herds of these camargue horses are allowed to run half-free in the marshes of southern France, their natural habitat.

Lorenzo clearly has the respect and trust of his animals. No domination here. He communicates by touching their necks with a small stick. Who ever heard of such a thing?

What a special comment on the oneness of Life, the oneness of Mind.

First, plant your feet

So many choices!

Hiking in the Sierras is amazing.

In back of our cabin a slight granite ridge begins a public trail marked by occasional orange paint dots.

Beyond this ridge, little gray mini-cliffs rise helter-skelter above one another. A stream from somewhere above gurgles through the undergrowth as gravity urges it towards the lake. Aspen leaves quake in the breeze.

I soon learn, at least on this rocky ridge, that stopping to admire nature can be perilous. The narrow path drops too steeply on either side. To safely pause for scenery, first plant your feet firmly, then look around.

That’s not a bad motto for life either: Plant your feet firmly before looking around. How many times have we seen people looking left or right, or even back over their shoulder as they continue walking forward – right into a person, a post, or a tree?

Solid rock is a good place to stand while getting our bearings. It doesn’t shift, provides good footing, and offers a place from which to determine the next stage of our journey.

Let’s take the metaphor a little further. If that rock is Christ, the true idea of God, it supports every honest and unselfish desire as it breaks free of the undergrowth and tangles of selfish thinking. It provides a view of the future with so many possibilities, we scarcely know which path to follow.

Christ also speaks to us in ways we can understand, answering honest questions about life, helping us make wise and unselfish decisions. The path we take with Christ probably won't follow reassuring orange dots.

The confirmation that we are on a good path comes from our own on-going conversation with God, our own listening for His/Her direction, our own desire to walk hand-in-hand with divine Love's purpose.

“To ascertain our progress,
we must learn where our affections are placed
and whom we acknowledge and obey as God.

If divine Love is becoming nearer, dearer,
and more real to us,
matter is then submitting to Spirit.

The objects we pursue and the spirit we manifest
reveal our standpoint, and show what we are winning.”
Mary Baker Eddy

What does granite do when a galcier comes through?

When an irresistible force meets an immovable object

Margaret’s grand gesture took in the surrounding mountains as well as the lake our little boat was bouncing across. Above the purr of the motor, she explained, “These are all granite. This is all glacial formation.”

The deep lake scooped out eons ago by melting ice nestles snuggly among sunlit mountains and a brilliant blue sky. Somehow fir trees, redwoods, and manzanita shrubs have gained a roothold among these rocks.

At breakfast next morning, Jackie threw this out, “Have you ever thought about the granite that withstood the glaciers?” We hadn’t.

In spite of the power of the moving melting ice mass that excavated deep lakes and upheaved massive boulders, granite mountains remain.

I learned from Wikipedia that granite is igneous rock, meaning it was once molten. As it cooled and hardened it changed into the solid form we see today.

So how might this molten stuff-that-becomes-granite that-withstands-glaciers relate to you and me?

Even though we seem weak and vulnerable, our Maker has made us spiritually solid enough to withstand adversity. By turning to that one infinite Mind who created the universe, many people, including me, find strength, courage, and useful ideas.

Sometimes discovering and using these spiritual qualities means giving up my own view of how solutions should come about. But without exception, divine Mind’s ways are always better.

I think it’s because we tend to think in finite terms and limit our ability to do good – and God's purpose for us is unfettered.

God sees our unlimited potential, and shows it to us as we are willing to connect with that higher view. That purpose is much greater than to be just another rock thrown on the shores of time.

Each of us is made of solid spiritual substance that, something like granite, fully represents all that's enduring and good and true.

Ramblin' around

Prolific July flowers

Hello Good Buddies,

I'm taking off for a few days.

See you sometime the week of August 10th.

Meanwhile, may you have wonderful insights and find ways to share them with others.

Until next week!

Sandi

Lesson from a bumble bee

A honeybee at work

An email arrived telling about a bumble bee.

It is said that a bumble bee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will die unless it is rescued. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the glass sides near the bottom. It will seek an exit where none exists, until it is exhausted.

Sometimes we are like the bumblebee. We find ourselves struggling against adversity and disappointment, too often looking for escape where there is none. Yet it is true that very often all we need to do is look up – literally and figuratively.

“Looking up” can have the meaning of looking beyond ourselves to what one friend fondly calls “the Higher Power.” She finds answers there too. She hears messages of comfort, patience, courage, and practical ideas for going forward.

The email concluded with this little reminder:
Sorrow looks back,
Worry looks around,
Faith looks up!