Over every mountain there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley.
Theodore Roethke
    Every day I look out to see mountains. Our little island is surrounded by them. No matter what the season, they are beautiful. Back lit by the sunrise; snow covered peaks; or majestically towering through the clouds, they are always beautiful.

    I love to drive up the mountains. The plush variation of greens; the flowing spring that creates a miniature waterfall, and cutting through the clouds as they drift around me fills the soul. Reaching the top, seeing clearly where I’ve come from and where I may go next is exhilarating.

    Yet there are toils and risks at every turn. Falling rocks, unexpected black ice, animals that leap into the path, the risk of a closed pass, or fire all have to be considered.

    Right now a good amount of Washington’s mountains are on fire. The only hope of them being extinguished is snow. So while we enjoy an unseasonably warm October others pray for snow to save their homes.

    How like life this mountain adventure is. Breath taking joys and clear paths mixed with seen and unseen dangers.  There is a risk of getting to the top and having so much cloud that I can’t see below. In that moment I can bask in the glory of rising above the clouds. The next move must be slower, more calculated, fear is not a bad emotion in this moment. Fear reminds me to move so I don’t freeze but to move with caution. A more positive name might be a heightened awareness of my situation. Call it what you may, the base is fear. It is not meant to be debilitating, it is meant to keep me from harm. Energy lives in fear, if I choose to tap into its source.

    So I take a deep breath of the clear fresh air and start my descent to the valley (or in my case the island) that awaits me. Going down a mountain is no less beautiful or dangerous as going up it. Yet peace and rest comes in the valley.  Am I scared, of course I am. There will be laughter, screams; sighs, gasps; tears of joy and sadness.

    While one person is basking on the mountain top, one is resting in the valley, and one is fighting for life itself. I pray for you, what I hope you pray for me, that we never get so tired or blinded by the storm; never so encased by the victories of the mountain top; that we forget that we are not here alone.

Peace in your valley. Strength in you ascent. Joy in your mountain top. Care in your descent. Love on your path. <3

 What do you do when you can't see your way?

 When a person enters a dark room, what do they do? Stand still, wait for their eyes to adjust to the lack of light, move slowly with hands out to feel any obsticles. They search for the light switch. Light makes the path clear.

When a person is driving and comes to foggy place, what do they do? Slow down. Be aware of their place on the road. Turn on the low beams. High beams will create a glare that can cause danger. The right light makes the path visible.

When a person is on a boat and the fog rolls in, what do they do? Slow down, turn on a spot light. Then they do something distinctively different than any other dark place. Listen. For the hum of motors around them, the fog horn, and bouy bells. Each sound tells them what dangers they are near.

How much do we rely on sight. "When I see it, I'll believe it." "Enlighten me." "Shed some light on the subject."

What if the light doesn't help? What do happens when knowledge isn't enough? Are you prepared to stop and listen?

Isaiah 55: 1-3A 
 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
² Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
³ Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.


If you want to get to the safe harbor, you have to stop and listen...Then you can find the light that makes your way clear.

This week I hit a fog, figuritively speaking. I can not see my path. But I hear my Fog horn and bouy bells around me guiding me. I know that I will be safe and arrive at the place I am meant to be.

 Stop today. Be still and quiet. Listen, what you need is there. In the stillness of your heart.

There is hope in the darkness, listen for it.

Continued blessings my friends. Much love.

Walk About Whidbey

9/7/12

It's quite a haul at the end of the day.

Look closely, you can see the two bluffs.

 

This shell reminded me that the outside my be green and slimy

But when you look inside they are beautiful.

On my way to the point I saw children sliding down the bank.

All the adult thoughts came to mind, be a grown up. You'll

get sand everywhere...then I thought, "the heck with that"

I climbed the hill Mobly style. And slid down! Weeeeee!

 

My walk on Double Bluff was a beautiful, beach walk.

Finding Hope In the Darkness

I woke to find a morning that was dark and rainy. There was light drizzle, the temperature hanging close to freezing. The rain dripped slowly from the railing, not sure whether to splash to the ground or wait to be part of a new icicle. The day was going to be gray the sun could not burn its way through the thickness. And yet in that was beauty.  It was not a cruel harshness of a beating rain, tormenting the earth. Instead it was a simple moment, easing the earth into the coldness that will come.

 Isaiah 9:1&2

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress,…

 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned

   Darkness comes into our lives like that day. We wake up one day and suddenly the sunshine is gone.  It takes the form of trial or tragedy. In those time we look to God or we let go, turning from God and making our own path. When we hang on, like the icicle, allowing ourselves to take on a new form. It is a slow process.  We look for comfort and answers, expecting Him to be there promptly and with clarity. Why can’t our lives always be sunshine and warmth? Forgetting that will take away from the process, causing a meltdown that will take away from our progress.  Stomping a foot, “Well, if you won’t give me what I want I won’t love you anymore.”  And with that we crash to the ground below.   Leaving our lives in a shattered mess, melting into the earth.

    Like the weather no matter how much sunshine we’ve had, when the clouds roll in there is a sense of gloom and disappointment. Realizing there’s nothing we can do to change the weather, we complain about it. Somehow in this we feel better about it. Giving the earth permission to rest, but wanting it to happen on our terms. There is a part of our humanism that makes us decide what is acceptable darkness. As long as God stays within our boundaries we’re okay with it. Yet it is in the letting go of control that the most beautiful and needed moments come to our lives. A wild snowstorm may wreak havoc, but it provides us much needed water.

    “I don’t mind the rain, but it’s so dark.” Gloom overwhelms us. It effects our bodies. In those times we should rest, but we have work, agendas, laundry , how can we possibly rest. Rest is a time of separation from the concerns of the world. It can be a literal, set aside time apart. Scripture tells us that we should pray without ceasing. So do you roll out of bed onto your knees and stay there until you crawl back into bed? Of course not. Being at rest in our souls is the same idea. There are times when we stop and physically rest our minds and bodies. There are other times when we continue to work, knowing that our soul can rest in the one that is forming us into the thing of beauty that we will become.

     We have been taught to fear the darkness. That something lurks there, waiting to devour us. That Satin dwells there. What we can see in scripture is that God dwells in the darkness.  In those moments of life when the darkness seems to be the worst thing, there is God. Working in our lives every day and every moment, in the darkness he dwells. Waiting for us to stop, be still and know that He is there.

                The darkness is beautiful, look at it, great light is there waiting to be revealed.

Make your world a better place

He’s too…She’s so…I would never…Do you believe that?...

            It’s interesting to me that as much as people say they hate being judged, they judge. If you’re fat: you’re lazy, don’t care about yourself, gross. If you’re thin: you work out too much, you’re conceded, stuck up. If you’re rich, you’re greedy. If you’re poor, you make bad choices. If you’re blue collar, you’re low class. If you’re white collar, you’re a workaholic.

It goes on and on and on.

            Why do we judge? We all do it. The answer is simple, but it’s an ugly truth no one wants to see in themselves. It’s selfishness, the internal need to be better than someone else. It is a human emotion that drives us to be better. That is not always a bad thing. Problems come when it gets out of hand and turns mean. While we can’t control the world, we can make a choice in our own minds to be different.

            I had lost 90 pounds. Over the last year, about half of that has come back. Many of the people around me think that it’s because I put my weight loss after other priorities or I just gave up. The people, who know me, know that I have been ill. With little energy to function with, the weight came back on.

            Now I’m on the road to recovery, I am able to think “I did it once, I can do it again” and regain my healthy weight. If I listened to the negative judgment around me, it would be very easy to think, “Why should I care?” The choice I make to listen to the positive message from my own heart and the people around me, makes the difference for me.

                        How do we face judgment towards us?

•       Know why you do what you do.

                                  Write it down. Put it on a mirror. The dashboard of your car. Seeing it reinforces your commitment to the goal. It also makes you face the truth about the reasons you are doing what you are doing. If they are impure they will look bad on paper.

•   Know that your motives are pure.

                       If you’re motivation is to be the best, that’s not a bad thing. But if it’s to be the best, no matter who you hurt along the way; you have a bigger issue to deal with.

•  Know that you can turn a negative into a positive.

                                       If someone comments on something you’re doing, look at it. Self check is not a bad thing. It keeps us on the right path. If what you are judged on is within your beliefs, go forward knowing you’re good. If not, then the check was worth “cashing”. Fix it and go forward.

•  Know how to respect others opinions.

                                      This is a tough one. You often will not get a positive return on this one. Learn to say, “Thank you for your views/opinion. I will think about what you said. I may not agree with you, but I appreciate the spirit of your convictions and the courage it takes to stand up for them.”  People want respect. When you pay judgment with respect, you both win.

How do we not judge others?

Can’t happen, you're thinking. Or prehaps you're saying, “Wait, what, I don’t judge!”  Of course you do. The person that cut you off in traffic is an idiot. The overweight woman is lazy. The dirty, unshaven man is a slob.

The point is not that we judge, but what we do with the judgment. We each need to come to a place where we can care for the person we judge. To see the person, not the thing that's different from our view.

              The person that cut you off in traffic is trying to juggle a stressful job and sick kids at home. The overweight woman is so busy giving time to everyone else, while her husband is deployed there’s no time to think about losing weight. The dirty, unshaven man just got off a 12 hour overnight shift digging the ditch for your high-speed internet line, but needs to take milk home for breakfast.

            What would happen if you were blind? What would you see in people? What would be important to you? Close your eyes. Drink in the world around you. It's full of love and happiness.

Romans 12:2 says: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

When you are being judged, you have to know in your heart what you’re doing is good and acceptable. When you are judging others if you put compassion in front of the judgment it makes you a better person, more able to see the whole person.

Choose to be kind and to return meanness with kindness. It may not change the whole world, but it will make yours a better place.

 

Welcome

Welcome to "Finding Hope in the Darkness". Get a cup of tea and visit for a while. You are loved here. You are appreciated for who you are. You are heard.

I ask that you be kind to everyone, even (or especially) if you don't agree with their views.

My goal is to show that there is Hope in the darkness.

Thank you for visiting.