In a fog

Morning Fog

Lately in the morning we wake up foggy and with frogs, not just in our head and throat but outside our window. By midmorning it lifts and a glorious late summer day decides to stay. I love this time of year.

This last week I interviewed a friend to help him promote his book. He related several stories about friend's boats in the fog and I ended making a video of a fog related story about his Dad and his house. I tried to post it below on blogger but something went wrong and the whole page disappeared and it saved the blank page before I could get to the auto drafts. I sort of ended up with this story in the fog.

What I wrote is not reappearing even in my mind so I will just give the link to Henry's video and put it also on the sidebar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZkTrMSkqKU.

Delayed

Blog delayed, playing music instead.

More music in my life

Void of music - (Piano parts taken, hammers reshaped)

Last week I decided that it was time to become serious about wanting more music in my life. With so many deaths in our family this year along with moving, I have neglected to find joy. I have always loved music and surrounded myself with instruments and opportunities to play but never taken the time to really practise and get better. So last week when I saw an ad on the kiosk from a music teacher willing to teach mandolin, I called and had the first lesson. She put a few songs in my head and hand and sent me off to practise. At the same time last week the piano tuner called, said he was going to be on the island, showed up and took the insides out of the piano home with him to reshape the hammers. They had become dull from the previous owner's playing(not mine). He came again this week to put them back and tuned the piano and I've been sitting everyday playing

I know that joy cannot be hammered up but is a gift from God. It occurred to me that only when I am doing what God has ordained and in the place I have been designed to be, will there be joy. Music is a start. It has always been in my life yet I have never given it the time it deserves. With all the households finally combined and the funeral services over. It is time to do what I love. I'll get piano lessons too.

This round plays in my mind. I don't think it is theologically correct, but if it helps me to practice I'll sing it.

"All things shall perish under the sky

Music alone shall live, music alone shall live, music alone shall live

Never to die."

Piano delivered June 2008

Family gathering

Pappy held still

Every family has its black sheep they say. If this were true and we had to point one out at this family gathering, it would be Pappy. It is not because we don't love her, but somehow if the black sheep demands a lot of negative attention she would be it. Unfortunately for Pappy, two great-uncle dogs showed up that had grace, poise and caused no problem except initially to Pappy. Jon, the new family dog whisperer (Matt taught him) decided they should all, Pappy and the two standard poodles, go outside to duke it out so to speak. Soon they were all running around and enjoying each other, except when Pappy ate their full supply of kibble for the trip which put Pappy out for a day with a tummy ache.

However, she made up for it when she ate Maggie's meal off the table when it was left for a second. Up on the counter licking the butter dish, up on the table when we left the room taking off with the bread, it was not like she wasn't fed. Too many other occasions to list. We took the child's gate from the stairs and put it to close off the kitchen. So we all got in and out of the kitchen by climbing over the gate, hands full of plates and food for the table. We heard she wandered into the neighbor's garden where she found a dead bird under their fencing, proceeded to get caught in the netting pulled it and broke their spinkler system. We still need to make amends. Some of us tried to keep her isolated, but she was also a door opener escape artist. She has lost her privilege to go from the house but we need to repair a breach in the back yard that goes under the deck and out by the back stairs.

Why did most of us accomodate to Pappy? I guess we all know that this is us sometimes. We need someone to show us they care enough to set the limits. Better yet a family gathering, stopping everything, and all together with love take the time to help get someone where they need to be. I hope for the same when I get out of line.

But then, the whole purpose of this family gathering was to celebrate Nan's life. All had stopped everything to travel to this four day event to lay her remains to rest in the ground where she needed to be and gathered around the table for good food as she would have us do. Perhaps it was Pappy that noticed her missing the most and acted out because Nan was not there to slip food to her under the table.

Rescue

Didn't get the blog finished today. It has been a week of interruptions while trying to get ready for our whole family coming to visit. We are very excited. Perhaps I will finish this tomorrow.

Storms

Last night we had the most amazing thunderstorm. Unlike where I grew up, we don't get many in this part of the world in summer. First faint flashes in the sky and much later thunder proved a storm. It moved gradually closer, the channel in front of the house changing texture and color much like marble, as wind picked up off shore. Then the long awaited rains started lightly and slowly, (Yes, it has been extremely dry in the Pacific Northwest) picking up speed and intensity as the storm came closer. The lightening, brighter, bigger and more frequent, the thunder close behind with the storm climaxed with a simultaneous huge crash and light. I wish I had my video camera ready as the scenes, sky and water, were amazing.

Storms can be thrilling or frightening depending on where you might be. To be in the water in a small boat as someone we knew was last night, could be frightening if you were depending on yourself to get to shore.
I think the message is clear, we are headed for another storm, financially, politically, literally or figuratively and it could be scary if we don't know what to do.

As our pastor related today, relating to Mark 6:45-52 the disciples on the sea of Galilee hunkering down in a storm depending on the oars and almost didn't see Jesus walking by on the water. As soon as they looked up and full of fear, saw him, he spoke to them then they knew that it was Jesus. He came in to the boat, the storm subsided and they were where they needed to be. I've experienced this peace that comes when I finally realize that I have left Jesus out of the boat and begin to look to Him instead of the problem.

I remember being terrified of flying . It began after flying into Seattle when I had a premonition that part of the plane was cut off and crashing. I prayed and we landed safely. But the next day I heard on the news that the same flight into Seattle, only the next day, the airplane had broken in two upon landing, cutting off right in front of where I was seated as I saw in my mind the previous day. This seemed to do nothing for my confidence in flying. So when I was called to go to Israel, meet a group I did not know in New York and the flights were going on strike the night before I was to leave, I got a plane out the night before getting into New York in the middle of the night, 3 am. The plane went through storms in and out of Denver. Many got off at Denver because the airplane was on strike at that point. I was ready to get off as well. As I considered this, a man asked if he could sit beside me, I mentioned to him the turbulence and he mentioned that he was a pilot trying to get back to his N.Y home base and that this happens all the time in Denver because of the mountains . He immediately fell asleep.

As we took off out of Denver the plane began falling once again and I became scared. I wanted to shake him and wake him up to ask if the pilots really knew what they were doing and were we going to crash? Then the scripture came to mind about Jesus sleeping in the boat with the disciples while a furious storm raged around them in the middle of the sea. I seemed to feel a hand on my arm near the window although no one was there. I heard the voice of Jesus say,

"Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Mark 4:35-41

Then I realized that if the pilot beside me was sleeping, and the true pilot knew what he was doing, I needed to trust. All fear left me and I felt immediate peace. From then on, I had "peace that passes all understanding" with worse turbulence going into New York City with most people sick on the plane, arriving in New York City with an empty airport and not knowing where I could sleep and be safe, a scary ride with cab driver through back alleys to a hotel found on a sign near the wall pay phone ( they let me have the day rate and I began Jerusalm time). Then continuing the next evening waiting for the plane to load, we were called to go out to the tarmac to pick out our luggage and open the suitcases, since there was a bomb reported on board. That was just the beginning of the trip.... and me, because I met Jesus, with complete peace through it all.

So I guess, even though there may be storms ahead for us. I hope I will remember to trust that Jesus is in the boat with me even when he appears to be sleeping. Will you remember?

Dealing with thorns

Photo by Cherie Christensen

Kittsgate rose covering cottage several years ago

Goldfinch in the thistles

This week I've been pulling and cutting back thistles and stuffing them in black plastic bags so they won't spread to the neighbors. They made their many points on my arms and legs, putting up a fight before I put them in the sack, but I won the battle though scarred. One year I kept a field full of thistles just to watch the goldfinch. It was wonderful to see, but the neighbors and us suffered with more than twice the thistle the next year. So I purchase thistle seed and put it out in the Droll feeder and I stop and enjoy the goldfinch before I cut the thistles down. I know they both will be back.

Since I was already beaten up, I decided to tackle the dead-since-two-years-ago wood on the Kittsgate rose bush that climbed to the roof and over a trellis making an archway to the entrace to our home. It is the type that could engulf the house. In fact in England several cottages have disappeared under them. It has grown for years without much water with small profuse July white blossoms making a canopy over our heads as we enter and leave our home. Two years ago after a winter storm, it began to die. I noticed that one side was completely dead and the other, some canes cutting lose from the nibbling deer and beginning to find their way up the post to the trellis again. Now or never I decided. The dead wood needed to go to make room for the new shoots. More puncture wounds from thorns. I worked for several days with a ladder and longer handled pruners and made room for the new growth, winding it along the now bare trellis to start training the bush once again.

As I look at the sores on my legs and arms, how Jesus suffered wounds and death to set me free flitted across my mind. I have been thinking a lot about dead wood lately. I have a lot of it, old ways of acting, behaving that don't help anything new to grow. Time is ripe for freedom and a movement of the spirit here. My dead wood, the ways of thinking and acting in difficult circumstances, needs to go. It doesn't feel very good to be pruned or bear the scars, but I know that this is the only way new branches leaves, flowers can grow unobstructed and beauty returned. As I look out the window from our bed in the morning, I miss seeing the birds perched on the branches (and thistles) but they will be back and both the rose and I renewed.