A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY ABOUT THE ACCUMULATION OF YEARS

Is life about becoming the person we are?  Or perhaps the person we choose to be, or should be.  Which ever it is, it is an ongoing experience, evolving, and hopefully growing and maturing, and not remaining stagnant and stale.  If my life has been a series of “becomings”, at this age, what more can I become?

We are old when the past becomes more important to us than the future. 

NOTES FROM A JOURNAL Regarding God

The man or woman who is truly aware of God’s presence in their life does not need a text of religious doctrine to tell them how to live.  Nor do they need a book of rules and regulations to tell them what is right or wrong, or who is ‘good’ and who is ‘bad’.  They will speak and act in a manner that lifts others up, shinning a light on them, and not judging,demeaning and demonizing them.

Those men and women “of God”, who stand on the pulpits for their own creation and condemn all who do not believe as they do,,  and blame the unfaithful for all of the world’s problems are usually small, ineffectual people who use religious trappings to combat their own insecurity and fulfill their need for control and power.  

The gift of faith is a humbling experience.

A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY from Have I Told You Today That I Love You

Be proud of your accomplishments and humbled by what has been given to you.

Do not take credit for God’s grace

A FUTURE BEYOND IMAGINATION

From the time I had the mental capacity to do so I could always imagine my future.  I could see myself in medical school or imagine what my lfe would be like as an intern and resident.  I imagined my first medical practice years before It came to be, and when Patience and I decided to move to the country my mind was filled with notions and images of country living.  I was living in Paducah months before I was living in Paducah.  What ever it was to be, I could envision the next chapter in my life or the next stage of the journey…until now.

Over the past several years the future has been quietly slipping away from me.  I can no longer clearly imagine what I want, or what I expect the future holds for me.  For the first time I have no long term plan to lean on beyond my current studio projects.  It has occurred to me that my future is in the canvas on the easel or the watercolor in progress on my drawing table,  or perhaps the essay on ageing that I have been struggling with for the past several months.  I will occasionally get caught up in a gust of enthusiasm over a new project and reclaim at least some vision of what may lie ahead for me, but it is never sustainable.  I’m being forced to do something I have never been able to do very well…live in the moment.

It is all a bit disconcerting.

HAVE I TOLD YOU TODAY THAT I LOVE YOU

 

"Do not be afraid!  If there would be one lesson for you to learn now it should be this...do not be afraid of who and what you are, and what you are called to become. Trust your dreams, your aspirations, and your imagination, for these are of yourself, and that alone makes them worthy of unwavering trust.  Do not allow others to determine the paths you will follow. Don’t be afraid of change, remember, it is your world."

THE POWER OF MUSIC

Today's post is from a work in progress, exploring "what I have learned" in my 76 years.

Music has the power to transport us to a different place, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  Sometimes it is the lyrics and/or story, and other times the melody or the voice that can take us back in time, inciting vivid memories of people, places, and events.  We are pulled into the world of the heart and soul and lifted above life’s daily fray.  I find comfort, inspiration, and encouragement when I allow the music to enter deep within me.

Music can transform loneliness into solitude, grief into sweet sadness, and hopelessness and despair into resolve and determination.  It can evoke sad, and joyful memories, and has the potential to touch the entire range of our emotions. I like to hear Pavarotti’s voice fill the room when I’m working in the studio or cooking pasta, even though I have no idea what he is saying.  Not only is he a silent (or not so silent) link to my mother who loved his music, but there are times when the sound of his voice seems to belong with my work.

I know nothing about the craft of music and cannot discern or appreciate all the variations and nuances that transform noise into music.  My taste is very eclectic, determined entirely by the emotional response it evokes in me.  It is not unusual for me to be totally clueless regarding the lyrics in a song that I like, but this does not prevent me from enjoying the music and creating my own.

I have learned the value of taking the time to sit in the stillness of my room and allow the music to work its magic on my soul.

A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The Soul, that delightful, magical mystery that is each of us.

A silent awesome temple for God, yet also a playground for elves and a stage for minstrels and jesters.

That center within us where we meet God and receive His spirit,

That center from which we reach out and touch the world,

All that becomes us flows into the Soul, and from there it flows outward, to be shared with others.

(from a journal 1977)

A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The journey inward is not a call to self-absorption and narcissism, but a preparation for the journey outward.