God in all things

I must admit that I believe that the Light shines in the darkness. I believe that the Light is beautiful and powerful. Just a speck of Light will shatter the deepest dark. The Light always wins.

Think about it. In this crazy world of technology, light keeps us awake. During a recent hotel stay, the microwave clock, the alarm clock, the TV and cable lights, and the smoke detector light all shone in the darkness, disrupting my sleep pattern.  The light wins. The Light wins. It is that simple.

I met today with a priest to talk about the Light and the darkness and he helped me to understand that if we ground ourselves in Love, the darkness cannot overcome us. That if at our core we seek God and Love, then the powers that try to sway us from our Centre lose. It does not mean that there will be no suffering. It simply means that we are capable of enduring and standing our ground, of finding strength that we did not think possible.

I needed to hear that message today and claim it as my own personal Truth. When we fear the darkness, we need to stop and understand that the Light will win. The powers of darkness lie to us and create fear and shame. As the fear rises, breathe and whisper the name of Jesus. Cling to the Light. Even the smallest Blinking can destroy the darkness. Join with the great cloud of witnesses who have learned this lesson and realize that the ground is solid. The power belongs to the Light.

Be calm and trust. The Light shines in the darkness.

Peace,

Suzanne

What do you carry around in a day that should be left elsewhere? Sometimes I think I drag around a lot of unnecessary baggage that would be better stored in a trunk somewhere.  I took my car in today and got it fixed by my mechanic. I have a great garage and one of the things about moving offices this summer will be not having the opportunity to use their services. 

When I dropped off my car, the mechanic was very sympathetic. When I picked it up, he asked if I had paid for the work that had been done by the other garage. I said yes, believing that it needed to be done. He did not agree. He said it seemed unlikely that both sides needed to be done.  The owner then came in and asked the same question. They both thought I should not have to pay for their mistake. I love my garage because they are honest and filled with integrity. 

After I picked up my car, I had to consider what to do now with that information. I had to pull off my shame of being perhaps taken advantage of and not feeling smart enough to have seen it. That does not get to go back into my trunk. I had to consider my desire to be nice and wonder if I could be kind but still stand up for my rights. That got parked in my trunk for now. Wrestling with baggage is not always easy. Sometimes it is just better to pack it away and trust in the moment. 

What’s in your trunk?  What needs to be parked there? What needs to be tossed out?

Peace,

Suzanne

Some days unexpected stuff happens. Waking up to snow on May 14 would be one of those things I suppose. Who knew May needed mittens? I wonder sometimes about how we deal with the unexpected, how we dodge the snowballs thrown at us. Can we take it all in stride or do we stumble? I have had a crazy 48 hours or so and I am tired.

I drove to a town several hours North of here, cranking the tunes so that the fact that my car sounded like an airplane did not prevent me from continuing on. I prayed lots. My poor guardian angels were working overtime again. When I arrived the owner of the garage was happy to help, diagnosing in less than a minute my need for a new wheel bearing on the driver side. Trouble was the part needed to be ordered from my home city. I was staying overnight so I agreed to go ahead. The next day I woke up, dropped the car off, and was told it would be ready by noon. The lunch hour came and went…no car. I called the garage and was told there was a problem. The ring had broken when the bearing was removed and that part was also hours south and could only arrive the next morning.

Unfortunately I was supposed to be elsewhere by then. I began to rearrange my plans and let go of expectations. I spent the night in a hotel lost in the 1970s and miserable. I tried to keep a brave face but I hated canceling all my plans. The next morning I woke up and called the garage. The part was in and my car was ready.  By the time I walked over there, that story had changed. A test drive showed that it was the passenger side that needed the new bearing. Did I stay another night or did I trust my life to God and recklessly drive back to the city in a car that could literally fall apart on the way back? I was torn but I decided to ask my guardian angels to work double time once again. 

I had hoped for a leisurely drive home but it was stressful. I do not like to put God to the test. I do not like the thought of endangering my life and others. The owner of the garage was not pleased with my decision but he understood it. He was ashamed and embarrassed at the situation. I was trying hard not to get angry–or worse yet, cry. I could not afford to ruin my vehicle but staying did not seem like the right option either. I shook his hand and off I went. I drove back to the motel to pick up my belongings and as I turned into the entrance, a strange sound was heard. Back to the garage I went after I had packed everything up and told the receptionist to not clean my room right away as I might be back shortly.  I calmly asked the owner if he had personally given the car a test drive because he had alluded to that. We both hopped into the car and he was glad I had returned. It would only take a few minutes to fix the problem. I was now really struggling to be kind and not to cry. Where were my mittens I thought as I trudged over to the mall for a break. Why do I even need mitts in May?

What do we do when unexpected things occur? Do we dig deep and find grace for the moment? I felt like I was failing this test. As I walked back to the garage, my car pulled up and the owner assured me it was all fixed–well, half fixed. He once again asked me to call when I arrived back home so he would know that I had arrived safely. I could see he was worried. I reached out, thanked him, and shook his hand. Something made me turn back before I got into my car. “Hey,” I called out. “I hope  your day improves.”  He sort of smiled and nodded. “You had a part in making it get better.”

Funny how sometimes we do not realize it is the things we do not do–like getting angry even when we have a right to or braving the cold when we could be cursing–that can make someone else’s day brighter.

What needs mittens in your life?

Peace,

Suzanne

On the way North, I spotted a beautiful red-tailed hawk sitting in a tree. Unfortunately I disturbed it when I pulled over for a photo and it flew off accompanied by a red-winged blackbird. I took the photo on the fly, literally. Sometimes God shows up, easily recognizable in Beauty. Other days, it is harder to find God in all things.

I dropped my car off at the garage this morning for a two-hour job, hoping to be on my way to my next school later today. That did not happen. The task turned out to be a bit more complicated and tonight I am in a humble hotel room (wishing I were next door at my usual place) I am tired and cranky. Internet is spotty. The weather is lousy–wind, cold, hail, and possible snow yet. The morning at the school went well; the afternoon less so. The overtime I had hoped to gather from today’s travels won’t happen now which sort of sucks. I am trying to decide how to reframe it but I suspect God has not shown me all the details yet. 

The only hope I have is that a good night’s sleep will restore my spirit to a less cantankerous state.

When was a time you felt like a storm cloud got stuck over your head?

Peace,

Suzanne 

I took a bit of a time out yesterday, traveling up early to a friend’s place to spend the evening. La Grange is a bed and breakfast en route to Dauphin in a little French community. As I turned off the highway to the Bed and Breakfast, it started to snow. I could not believe it! A warm welcome awaited me though. I had helped in the destruction of the old house to make way for the new and was glad to see the transformation. Supper was whipped up quickly and bread broken and shared. I had hoped for an early night but crawled late into a bed with a heated mattress pad. 

A good night’s sleep was had–I really need to buy one of those mattress pads! The morning was leisurely and I drove to Dauphin. The time out did me good. When was the last time you took a time out?

Peace,

Suzanne

Good Shepherd Sunday has me thinking about listening. On Mother’s Day, I suppose I could be thinking about how I did or did not listen to my mother over the years but I would rather focus on hearing the One Voice that directs me. This Sunday has a bit of sadness attached to it as I remember it as the day my former pastor died. Him, I loved listening to. He knew his Shepherd well and lead his own flock closer to Him.

I think sometimes we try to discern the voices in our lives and fail. So many distractions pull us away and shiny objects distract from the real purpose. I find sometimes heading out to nature stills many of those noisy gongs and allows me to find my centre again. To that end, I am heading out to the country now. Hoping to find peace as I drive to a friend’s place, en route to work tomorrow. I will be able to drive through our national park in a few days and am happy for that too.

Many thieves and bandits do not want us to hear the Shepherd’s voice. They drool at the thought that they might be able to steal us away or have us make a long trek away from the goal of the Shepherd. They are like people who steal young Nigerian girls from their mothers and cause pain and suffering. They come to kill and destroy the spirit when the Shepherd brings a full and beautiful life.

What is it that has your ear these days?

Peace,

Suzanne

What return can I make to the Lord for all that has been given me? This question posed in Psalm 116 is very Ignatian. Tonight as I listened to the inmates talk about a variety of topics, I saw one minister to the other gently and respectfully. He was returning the gift of listening and affirmation. As I head to bed tonight, I can lift a prayer of thanksgiving for this young man who stepped outside of himself to help another. This is the work of the Kingdom.

What shall you return to the Lord this moment?

Peace,

Suzanne

I saw the movie, Heaven is for Real, tonight. I had read the book when it first came out. Some people say that it is a place invented to calm our fears that nothing comes next. Like the disciples, we find it hard to trust that there is so much more. We have no hands that are marked to touch, no side pierced to touch. We can only have faith that life beyond this earth is beautiful as Colton says in the movie: Heaven is beautiful.

However heaven is also a reflection of life here on earth. I am not sure that those without grateful hearts will appreciate heaven. They will stay stuck in a self-created hell perhaps. I found the innocence of the four-year old boy refreshing. He did not have to defend what he saw or knew. He simply knew it and did not care what anyone else thought.

Perhaps that is what we need to do…just know that a beautiful place awaits us when this journey is done and not care what anyone else believes.

Peace,

Suzanne

There was a big election in South Africa yesterday. It was the first time that the Born Frees could vote. The ANC was leading last  I checked. Then there is the heart-wrenching story of the Nigerian girls who were kidnapped. I keep thinking about Mama Angelina in Uganda and her long struggle to find her daughter who was abducted by Kony’s rebels. The world needs peace. The world needs a visionary like Nelson Mandela. We need less crazy people who destroy rather than build up. May God forgive us our sins.

As we approach Mother’s Day here, I cannot help but think of the mothers of those missing girls. The voice still cries out in the wilderness; Good Fridays will happen even when many of us celebrate Easter. One day there will be a new order. Until then, pray.

Peace,

Suzanne

I decided to walk to a board meeting tonight, about a 15 minute walk from my home. I was a bit preoccupied in the first steps, trying to organize my thoughts, letting go of the busy day, the things I still needed to do, and to begin to focus on this new activity that I was joining tonight. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, as I multi-tasked walking down the street and responding to a text message, I caught a glimpse of purple. Now purple is a colour that can stop me in my tracks and this most certainly did. The provincial flower has been on my mind and there it was–the first sighting of the season. I stopped everything and soaked in the moment, grateful that I had my camera phone with me to capture it.

What do you wait for with excitement and anticipation? What is it that has the power to both still and steal your thoughts?  What can captivate you? What brings you hope and gratitude?

Peace,

Suzanne