Boundaries

Once again, Tom Ehrich's daily column called On a Journey speaks to me deeply. It's about boundaries. He says, "Some [boundaries] are necessary for personal integrity, of course, and safety. But many boundaries simply keep inconvenience and discomfort out. They reinforce a sense of self that isn't as large or loving as God would have us be."
Funny how that concept really fits with my last post to this blog. This must be a lesson that I need to hear over and over again.
Thank you to everyone who shows me where my boundaries are!

Water is life giving

I have taken the liberty of grabbing a portion of the Arizona bishop's blog about the Anglican Lambeth Conference which just finalized in England. This is his quote:
"Joan Chittester, in speaking of the nature of a Rule of Life, tells the story of someone who visited a huge sheep station in South Australia. After driving the vast expanse of the ranch, the visitor asked the rancher, "I see you have herds of livestock all over your ranch, but you have no fences. How do you keep your sheep on the ranch? The rancher responded simply, "We have wells."
I hope my actions today can be life giving, like the wells, and not constricting like fences. Wish me luck!

Life is Preparation for Death

I recently listened to a podcast from Speaking of Faith, which was an interview with Kate Braestrup, Unitarian Universalist minister and chaplain for the Maine Fish and Game Department (I hope I have that agency name right). Among the many things she had to say, one was that all our lives we are preparing for our deaths whether we realize that or not. If one accepts that premise, then the questions often asked and supposedly answered by religion about life after death, etc., become less meaningful. The question is more importantly what are we doing while we live? In Spong's words, are we loving wastefully? God is to be found in the love we show right now, in this life.

It sounds rather trite, but it has profound implications for how we live our lives, especially since your life or my life may be over sooner than expected.

Wedding Dresses Galore

Boy, what an adventure it is to choose a wedding dress! Isa looked beautiful in every single one. She must have tried on 100 dresses, or more! It is really wonderful to be able to share this experience with my daughter - to share her desires and doubts, her excitement and planning.

I must say that she had it all planned out - the try-on sessions were scheduled perfectly, we never lost our sense of humor, and it was all just great. The "sweatshop" building sure was spooky - a building full of halls and doors with no signs on them, just numbers, and a very protective doorwoman at the entrance to the building. We had the whole range, from a tight space shared by several other women trying on gowns, to a spacious all-to-ourselves session with the designers themselves, and everything in between.

New York City has it all. Plus great places to eat in between try-on sessions, and gracious cousins who gave us a place to stay. This was an experience to never be forgotten. I even kept a diary of each day's happenings!