Canadian geese and Alzheimers art: grace sightings

An Oregon spring abounds in grace. I will only mention a few recent sightings.

--Canadian geese on the lake: Early one morning at Tilikum, I walked to the lake and enjoyed the company of a family of Canadian geese. We pretty much had the place to ourselves. Mist rose off the water as the sun joined us.

--Reading the river: My experience as Listener at the Leadership Institute for Group Discernment surprised and delighted me. During our four days together I heard God’s voice as currents flowing together in a river. One the last day, reading the river back to the group was my joyful “responsibility.”

Oregon wild flowers: We spent a day at Oregon Gardens and were surprised again at the vitality and variety. What a gift.

Saturday morning cinnamon rolls at the Newberg Bakery: Making new habits is fun. We walk through the quiet streets, bring along a poetry book and read to each other over our second cup of coffee.

Alzheimers art and grandma: The Oregon branch of the Alzheimers Association has been using art therapy among those suffering with Alzheimers disease, and they sponsor an annual art contest and auction. Hal’s mom, 94 years old, participated this year and had her watercolor of Mount Hood accepted for display and the auction. Some of us accompanied her to the exhibition in the Portland Art Museum this week, where her painting was displayed along with that of the other 80 winners. Grandma doesn’t remember painting the picture, but she accepted that it was hers and seemed to enjoy all the attention. In fact she smiled more than is common these days, and that was the best part of the evening. We discovered that a chain of care-homes for the elderly had pre-purchased her painting for $400.00 and will hang it in their corporate offices. Of course, that’s neither here nor there to Grandma. But the whole experience was a grace-filled affirmation to all of us that she is still a person of great worth and creativity.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer walk on the shore

Several years ago I participated in a week-long retreat for “Personal Growth in Christ,” sponsored by Twin Rocks Friends Camp. Most of the week was actually spent in silence, but every morning the directors would present a spiritual discipline for us to try out during the day. It was there I learned about prayer walks, a practice common in rural monasteries. It seems each monk chooses a route through the surrounding countryside. At set locations, the monk stops and prays in specific ways, repeating the process each day. These are prayers for personal growth.

We were encouraged to try it on the beach, imagining walking the path with Jesus and directing our prayers to him in conversation. We were encouraged to memorize the path and the prayer sequence, so that when we went home after the retreat, we could continue the practice in our imaginations. Since my imagination is alive and well, and since I love the ocean, I tried it, and it’s become a prayer exercise I frequently come back to. Photos of my “prayer stations” help. Here’s the exercise as I developed it:

Preparation: As I walk the path to the beach, I read a portion of Scripture and prepare my heart to meet Jesus. I joyfully anticipate our meeting.

Station 1: A bench with a view of the ocean. As I approach the bench, I see Jesus coming to meet me. We are both smiling. We greet, hug and sit down together. We don’t talk much at this point. We both sense a quiet joy in being together. If needed, I confess whatever I need to, receive his pardon, and then just rest in his love.

Station 2: We get up, and walk slowly down the beach to a log, where we again sit together. He asks me what gift I would like him to give me. I repeat my theme verse (2 Peter 3:18) and tell him I want to grow in grace and in my relationship with him. I ask him that I might more and more live out my core values of gratitude, wisdom, compassion, poetry and humor. We linger for a while, and get up and approach the surf.

Station 3: At the edge of the water, I pray for relationships. I present to Jesus my key relationships and ask his help in being the person I need to be for the people he has brought into my life. I present myself as wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, friend, elder, and in any other relationships that God is currently placing in my path.

Station 4: Then we continue walking down the beach, hand in hand, until we reach the river, coming down from the mountains. We sit on another log. As the river runs into the sea, I focus on the various ministries God where has asked me to partner with him. I consider myself as a writer, teacher, intercessor, elder, and however else God may want to use me. I ask help in being a good team member, able to value and encourage the contributions of others. I ask to grow in my ability to hear God’s voice and work as a co-laborer in God’s mission. I take my time.

Station 5: We arise, walk back to the surf and follow the water home. We are silent. My heart is full of praise. I glory in the beauty of the sea and the sky. I glory in the presence of my Lord and friend, amazed that he is both. I carry the beauty back with me into the world. Amen. Amen.

 

On safari in Rwanda!

We pulled out of the driveway in the pre-dawn darkness (4:00 am to be exact) in order to make it to the Akagera National Game Park in time for the gates to open. Which meant, by the time we got back home, about 15 hours of straight driving. But our son David shared driving privileges with three of the teenagers in the car who are learning the art. That, of course, was all part of the adventure. The roads in the game park are dirt, mud in places, and full of interesting ruts and termite holes, just the kind of driving kids love (at least third-culture-kids, TCKs).

The animals seemed especially shy, which only made our encounters all the more dramatic. My favorite was driving right through a “herd” of about 20 giraffes. All sizes and stages of development—from huge full grown adults to tiny 10 foot high youngsters—surrounded us, largely ignoring us as they nibbled tree tops, nuzzled each other, and slowly meandered about. One group of four seemed to be having a meeting. It was awesome, in the actual meaning of that overused word. (Do giraffes group in “herds”? Flocks? Surely not. Pods? Most certainly not. Clans? Nope; that’s a people word. I’ll have to look that up when I get home. I’m sure there’s a word. But you get the picture.)

We also encountered hippos, zebras, two crocodiles, many herds of impalas, gazelles, cape buffalo (one of which looked like he was charging us), warthogs, turtles, tupis, exotic birds, antelope, dung beetles (nothing too small to be fascinating), baboons, small monkeys, and  hundreds of butterflies.
The wonderful African landscape—mountains, planes, lakes, and all the hundreds of varieties of trees, thorn bushes and flowers—was part of the wonder.
     Thanks be to God for most this amazing world.

Green and grounded in dirt: Spirituality and the Arts

True spirituality engages the five senses and has dirt under its fingernails; this was part of the message of a recent session of the seminar on “Spirituality and the Arts.” Miriam Bock and Phil Thornburg presented from the perspective of landscape artists. Brother and sister, they grew up in Burundi, and the African flora and fauna early formed part of their experience of the life of the Spirit. Phil now owns and manages a landscape company called Winterbloom, and Miriam works for him as a landscape designer.

They demonstrated how art and spirituality join in this profession, a profession where, according to Phil, “Practicality and aesthetics need to be married; but practicality comes first.” He presented the practical side of his art, telling fascinating before and after landscaping stories, with photos, that addressed real problems having to do with such issues as drainage, depleted soil, small areas, etc. But the result, as he puts is, gives the client “art that is not finished but is something that person can step into and become an ongoing partner with creation.” 

Phil also brought and demonstrated the four most valued tools a home gardener can own; these included a Japanese hori hori. I definitely want one of these, even those we don’t have garden space in our condominium. I would love to casually mention my hori hori to people, partly because it would be such fun to say.

One of the most insightful moments of the evening came as Eric Bock, part of the audience but also another of his Uncle Phil’s employees, told about how humanely Phil treats those who work for him, encouraging as well as training them and giving opportunities to grow personally and professionally. This relationship has been transformative for Eric. I realized that discipleship can be an art, and that Phil is an artist on more levels than maybe even he realizes.

The Winterbloom website contains Phil’s artistic philosophy, as well as photos of his work.

The integration of art and spirituality that Miriam and Phil live out encourages me to appreciate the artistry of the Creator of all this green splendor, and to be grateful for the trees and flowers that draw us closer to our Center.