What we need is here--Advent 19 Rethinkchurch.org

Rethink church reminds us that most of the time everything we need is right here.  As I filled this jar with M&M's I was struck with this reminder--M&M's yes--This jar is reminiscent of the anticipation of little minds wondering when the treat would come out. In this jar are the memories of little hands sinking in and sneaking off with the red and green treats.  Of course I always new they were eating them, I would not have put them out otherwise.  This jar is the laughter and voices saying "We are too old for this now"...but not really.  There are no children in this home now, but the jar holds everything I need--the wonderful memories of what was, the anticipation of an unexpected visitor who will delight in the old tradition and the new traditions to be made with our grandchildren.

Geese appear high over us,
pass, and the sky closes. Abandon,
as in love or sleep, holds
them to their way, clear,
in the ancient faith: what we need
is here.

And we pray, not
for new earth or heaven, but to be
quiet in heart, and in eye
clear. What we need is here. - Wild Geese, Wendell Berry

Instigate good ---Rethinkchurch.org

This 18th day of advent we are asked to think about instigating good.  I saw this story and there is nothing I can say that can compete with the "good" seen here--the man hoping to heal a broken relationship between the community and the police, while sharing his own good fortune, the police open to delivering the good news and the people humble and thankful--everyone aware of the unspoken --walls being chipped away at one person at a time.
Check the story out below:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sheriffs-deputies-kindness-brings-drivers-to-tears/

Advent 15--Rejoice! Rethinkchurch.org

    So during our Thanksgiving gathering of over 26 people, a visiting dog ate the turkey.  Yes that is right, as the turkey was tucked in a snowdrift to keep cool, with the refrigerator full of a ham and side dishes to feed this crew--the dog found a treasure and did what any dog would do--dug in.
   Well after the dust, snow, debris settled one question remained for our 3 year old grandson "Did the dog eat the cranberry sauce?"  When he was told there was plenty of cranberry sauce he rejoiced!
    So often we get caught up in what is "suppose" to make us happy when typically anyone of us would be plenty happy with a little less than the main course.
    This advent experiment with the idea of rejoicing with less.  Ask yourself "What great joy is in the thing I am most likely to take for granted?"
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; (in our case the dog will relish the turkey) and a little child will lead them.

Isaiah 11:6

Advent 15 Breathe Rethinkchurch.org

     This is a photo from a visit to my brother and his family in Florida.  If you breathe in deep enough you might just be able to smell the salt water.  Rethink church reminds us of the importance of breathing and refers to the connection between yoga and breath.
    Yoga reminds us to concentrate on our breaths, making sure they are deep and full.  I think many of us could stand at the shore of this beach and on any given day, breathe the shallow, stressful patterns we are familiar with and never smell this ocean.
    The three part breath of yoga begins with settling in, lowering shoulders, filling your belly so it expands then filling your chest, actually rising up with the breath and then slowly exhaling.  This kind of breathing actually burns calories.  This kind of breathing brings great awareness to our physical and emotional being.
     Try to be aware of where your shoulders are and how deep your breaths are this advent.  Take time to inhale life, exhale the waste then inhale more life.

Spaces have the power to stress us out and to heal us. What are those healing spaces for you? Rethinkchurch.org

    Books and libraries have always been a healing place for me.  I can remember the library from our childhood in Holliston Mass--an amazing library (at least in my memory)--as a place that was hard to leave. The original Wizard of Oz series and anything by Roald Dahl were my books of choice then.  When I moved to Wiscasset as a young mom, I spent hours reading, nursing in a comfy chair in the corner of one of the rooms and the sun came in the window at the perfect angle--John Steinbeck was the author of choice at one time.  I moved to Richmond and friendships around authors grew--Elizabeth Berg, Alice Hoffman, John Irving and so many more.  Now I listen to murder mysteries in the car much to my friend's dismay, but even these books heal me--sometimes the life stories I hear make escape necessary.  I will always have books, and a bookcase, it is a mini retreat even if during school and busy times I simply touch the books, I am comforted, I am not alone and I am quite often healed.

I too used the system

Please look at the link below.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/11/06/362019133/florida-activists-arrested-for-serving-food-to-homeless

What does the prophet look like?  Who does the prophet speak too?

This article about Arnold Abbot's willingness to  feed the homeless not only speaks to the voice he is willing to share but also the judgment placed on those who have less than.

In 1997 I was a happily married working mom of three. I loved my life and I LOVED my job, I was teaching Head Start. I became very ill that year and was diagnosed with M.S.  I could no longer work.

I went on disability in 1998. I used the system.  I used the system to try new treatments, experimental and otherwise, I used the system to go back to school, I used the system always with the intention and dream of not using the system one day.  During the most difficult times we relied on the kindness of our neighbors and church.

I always worked when I could and I always claimed my wages.  I just mailed my last repayment check back to Social Security—paying back?  Yes paying back-for those who don’t know it is almost as hard to get off Disability as it is to go on.  Often there is a reassessment of wages and it takes time for the understaffed department to catch up with the release from support. 

Most people are one illness, one job loss, one death away from homelessness.  The person that stands in the bread line could have been me. No one lives securely on disability alone.  Most people loved the jobs they had to leave and it can take along time to recover from a crisis. 

The prophet sees this; the prophet shares the hopes and dreams of all who come through their line.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/11/06/362019133/florida-activists-arrested-for-serving-food-to-homeless

Advent 11--Living the Questions

My home in Holliston Mass. (this is a recent drive by-- we left in 1972) 

    This is a photo of my bedroom window when I was a little girl.  I lived in this house until I was ten and I spent a lot of time pondering questions while looking out this window.  I wondered why we still had to go to bed when it was light out.  I wondered about going to the carnival in the summer, and I would stay up late listening to the carousel music well into the night.  I wondered about school and friends, my family and the family across the street.  This family had two teenage children and I was very interested in their lives and I thought about them a lot, knowing they never thought about me.  I wondered about our other neighbors who were older, and I worried about them.  I had a lot of questions as a child, I talked to God often as I wrestled with the unknown.  My questions today are usually occupying my mind as I do something else.  I rarely give myself quiet time to sit and live with my questions.  This advent it might be a good practice to sit and really think about what it means to live the questions--not in spite of them but in and with them.  The big questions, the ones worth most of time won't have answers that come easily or in the same way for all people-and so we learn to live them.

Advent 10-Not So Random Acts of Kindness--Rehink Church

All lit up.

    Following the leading of Rethink church (www.rethinkchurch.org) I began to think about the not so random acts of kindness that I have witnessed and participated in.  The thought is that while random acts of kindness are awesome and it can change the mood of the whole day when you pay for or receive a coffee out of the blue, it is the not so random acts that take time. They give good thought to who receives them and they cost more time, possibly money, and or aggravation.
     Right now my husband is not so randomly shopping in the pouring/sleeting cold evening after a long day of work so I won't have to go out.  In return I will turn on all his Christmas lights for his arrival. Relationships are made of this type of exchange.
   Advent really is the perfect time to think about what acts of kindness we might be able to deliver to our neighbors, family, friends and strangers. This is the time to deliver the unexpected to a community that waits--waits for warmth, food, shelter, recognition, acknowledgement and ultimately love.
  1 John reminds us that God is love and that where love is God is there.--There is nothing random about that.

What will you do to prepare for God's arrival? Rethink Church

This poem was sung at a Christmas concert last night and I was so moved by the words.  

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote this poem during Civil War, and I think it is appropriate to us today as we wonder about the possibility of peace.  Prepare the way by keeping hope for peace, by listening for the bells, no matter how distant they may be.  

Christmas Bells

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

 And wild and sweet

 The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

 Had rolled along

 The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

 A voice, a chime,

 A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the South,

 And with the sound

 The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent

The hearth-stones of a continent,

 And made forlorn

 The households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said:

 "For hate is strong,

 And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!

 The Wrong shall fail,

 The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men!"

"Comfort, o comfort my people" says God--Advent 8

 

  Comfort has come to me so often in the form of a pet.  This photo is of our dog Roger (He can't stand having his picture taken!) When Roger arrived in our home almost 10 years ago he was one of 5 pets, he is now our lone survivor.  

   Over the years my pets have supported me through grief, transition, disappointment and joy.

   My cat Mittens was wept on profusely when I was ten and grieving the very unexpected death of our grandfather. This cat was a family favorite, he really was the boss. One night when I was babysitting and a strange car pulled in the driveway he jumped on the banister and growled like a dog.

   Tiger was not the most beautiful cat, she, like me as a teen, was particular about who she loved, when she would love and how much.  She was the perfectly imperfect cat for a wayward girl like me.

   Jezebel was my first "baby” I moved away from home and got married and this beautiful cat was all I needed to feel safe in a new state, meeting new people and working new jobs.  Nine years after we got her our youngest son was born and was allergic to her, our neighbors loved her and took her in.  I can still tear up remembering looking at her from our driveway as she sat vigil in a window looking back.  She didn't cry, she just looked there really wasn't anything more to do than this and she knew it. This family loved her well into her old age.

    That was my life with cats--always a cat girl really until Jake!  Jake was a mutt found in a parking lot.  This good boy took care of us and loved us giving our family comfort his whole life.  Jake would crawl up into my lap (not too big a fellow but not a lap dog either) when I would cry, cry in frustration that comes with being the mother of three by the age of 29 with only 8 years of marriage under my belt, cry in grief, cry with hormones, cry as I learned to live with M.S., oh the crying this guy saw.  When Jake was 14 our son said "We need to get another dog now so Jake can train him up." And so we did.  

   And this is Roger--he is quite a bit more anxious than his predecessor and needs a bit more from me than Jake did, but our children are grown and so it is my pleasure to care for Roger.

   The fact is these pets and others have given me insight to the kind of love that looks beyond accidents and bad breath, the kind of love that forgives bad days, the kind of love that senses "Something is not right." 

    What can we learn from our pets?  Comfort, o comfort--look to the stranger who is different than us and judge less, welcome others into our homes and churches with enthusiasm, forgive in a way that frees you to love again. 

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself."
—Josh Billings 

Rethink Church Project for the Day

This is straight from Rethink church---if you don't find time to sit with a candle tonight think about trying this one night during Advent--we could all use an excuse to be still---Peace!

"Today's reflection will take a little prep. Find a candle to light tonight. Perhaps you light it just as the daylight is fading. Or maybe it's something you light as you're winding down before bed.

If you don't have a candle, maybe you have a night light or a glow in the dark sticker in your child's room.

Spend some time in the dark with the light. 

Sometimes we fear the dark. We are afraid of what we can't see; of what's unknown. But if you stare at the light long enough, you notice how bright the light of a small candle really can be.

As you extinguish the light, think about the places in your life or your community that could use a little light."  http://rethinkchurch.org/articles/spirituality/day-7-sit-in-the-dark

Turn your face to the sun.

 HOW WILL YOU PRACTICE THE APOCALYPSE TODAY, AND LOOK FOR THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST WHEREVER YOU ARE?

     "ADVENT CALLS US TO PRACTICE THE APOCALYPSE: TO LOOK FOR THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST WHO ENTERS INTO OUR EVERY LOSS, WHO COMES TO US IN THE MIDST OF DEVASTATION, WHO GATHERS US UP WHEN OUR WORLD HAS SHATTERED, AND WHO OFFERS THE HEALING THAT IS A FORETASTE OF THE WHOLENESS HE IS WORKING TO BRING ABOUT NOT ONLY AT THE END OF TIME BUT ALSO IN THIS TIME, IN THIS PLACE." --JAN RICHARDSON

                As I pondered on this thought of noticing beginnings in the midst of endings I thought about going off to Richmond to see the dedication of the new bridge.  The new bridge spectacular in size next to the “Old Bridge” the rickety metal bridge that scares most people as they drive across, praying no other car will approach.  Of course there are some who love the thrill of the old bridge, the originality, the history and they will miss this bridge. Side by side the bridges stand, new and old, past and future. 

                While unloading my car, thinking about whether or not to go drive over the new bridge, I caught sight of this swing in the midst of the debris from a recent storm, and then as I took the picture there was my shadow.  Well there it was—the end of a tree limb, an empty swing and a dark shadow, and yet there is the sense new beginning.  Summer will come and a grandchild may swing in the warm air, the tree still stands and will heal in time, the sun will shift and shadows will change.  But in this moment, while I see possibility, the emptiness remains and it is okay. 

Jan Richardson continues:

This blessing
will not fix you
will not mend you
will not give you
false comfort;
it will not talk to you
about one door opening
when another one closes.

It will simply
sit itself beside you
among the shards
and gently turn your face
toward the direction
from which the light
will come,
gathering itself
about you
as the world begins
again.

               

        

Our ask is that you take notice. What's happening around you? http://rethinkchurch.org/advent

     The other day a my sister in-law pointed this nest out to me asking "Did you know that was there?"  My reply "No."  Knowing this nest was there would mean looking around at my surroundings as I walked out our door each day.  Yes that is right--I have been walking out the door, under this nest for months.  Now in my defense I am not the most aware person when it comes to the physical stuff--I can tell if someone is upset, having a bad or great day pretty quickly and yet I can also drive by construction everyday going to work and be surprised by a new building--"Where did that come from?"  One Christmas it took me almost half a day
to realize there was a pair of unwrapped cross country skis next to the tree for me!
     I am a person who has learned that I need to take time to NOTICE my surroundings, what is going on around me.  This nest over my door--this nest held life and I missed it.  It was right there and I missed it.  Advent is a great time to take notice of all that is right in front of us--the things that bring life and the things that may prevent it.

Where are you seeing transformation happening around you? rethinkchurch.org/advent

     Twice a week I head to the local high school to teach Adult Education and twice a week I am impressed by the commitment people make to transform their lives through education.  Since we live in Maine most of the school session we travel in the dark and a lot of times the cold and by travel I mean by car and by foot for some.  Many of the people who come to class have families and work full time jobs.  Most days we gather together dragging our feet---really who wants to go to school at 5pm and get out at 9?  However, once I am in the door the students make sticking around easy.  Education is transformation in the greatest sense---what ever we are learning transforms the way we are in the world ---
 therefore the world!

Today, what can you do to bring hope? http://rethinkchurch.org/Advent

How can we be hope to the world---as I looked at this poor birch bending over the snow covered garden I realized sometimes the best way to be hope to the world is to simply be present.  There is not a thing I can do this moment to make this tree stand tall and in fact my physical intervention—my desire to “fix” the situation may actually cause more damage. I must wait for the weather and the tree to come to some resolution before it eases back to standing tall or not.  I will wait and watch and I will show up, I will show up for the celebration of restoration or I will show up to clean up and to put to bed this piece of God’s creation.  Quite often it is simply the fact that we show up that gives the most hope to others.

Restore

 

 I recently had my entire family for Thanksgiving dinner and I am still "restoring" my house back to order.   Though it will probably never be the same-I say this with a smile.  As I was putting bowls away in the cupboard I realized that after four of us putting dishes away over the past week that I can't remember how I had them before our big event.  Truth be told I really did have them in somewhat organized and truth be told that while I sense that it is different I can't remember what that order was.  We so often think of "restoring things back to how they were" when the truth is that nothing can really ever go back to how it was.  When Christ was born some thought that it was to restore things to a certain way and well...their attempts were probably similar to mine or even the innkeeper as he tried to clean up the barn from the chaos.  Nothing is ever really the same when love arrives.

Making Room.

"Well," said the tree, straightening

herself up as much as she could,

"well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting

Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."

And the boy did.

And the tree was happy.

Shel Silverstein –The Giving Tree

            I was walking with my husband the other day and we came upon this tree growing out of the stump of another tree.  We stumble upon treasures occasionally that can give us great insight to life.  What does it mean to make room for new growth?  What does it mean to be able to grow up and out of our past maintaining independence while surrounded by our roots?

Look at these amazing words from Romans (The Message)

Romans 14:1

   Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.

--As a 50ish year old woman I have learned to appreciate the shell of my family that I have come out of.  Like most people I tried to lean far enough this way or that, thinking it would enable me to separate myself from the past but now I find comfort and security in the roots, the trunk that shores me up.

--As a parent I have had to let go and make room for the growth of our own children so that they may feel my presence while claiming their own place on this planet.  Not always easy and often hard to watch. There are times when my arms ache from keeping this circle wide, while there a many times I enjoy the space it makes for all of us. 

--As a pastor I think of the church, the new trying to grow out of strong roots and the old trying (or not) to make space for new growth.  I have no idea what this new church will look like, this church of the future but I do know what the old church looked like (at least my old church) and it was beautiful. Of course that is what makes this all so hard.

            This old trunk has had to let go of branches that reached far and wide, provided shelter and shade and nourishment.  Like the church, this old tree let go slowly, some branches probably died and withered hanging on for a lifetime and others must have come crashing down during a storm or two, still vital so the separation was painful.  Each year fewer and fewer leaves, until one day this shell was left.

What does it mean for a church to let go and make room?  It means less judgment, less comparing our own past to the future of others. It means treating each other gently. The church is a living vessel, full of voices about how things should be, or once were. What would it mean if we were the place for rest and comfort for all those who are attempting to grow on their own?  It can be painful to hold the circle wide enough to make room for the new, the different, the unknown, but what blessings could be ours if we did so? 

Draw the Circle Wide by Gordon Light

Draw the circle wide

Draw it wider still

Let this be our song

no one stands alone,standing side by side,

Draw the circle wide.

God the still point of the circle

Round whom all creation turns

Nothing lost, but held forever

 in God’s gracious arms.

Growing up Richmond--

Richmond Days 2014--

Today we begin packing up to move into a new home in a new town—after 25 years.  Our town Richmond is like any small town yet unique to those of us who live here.  Like every small town there are quarrels and grudges, gossip and rumors, love and laughter, and the memory keepers (preserving facts of interest and some that should have been forgotten).  It is unique because it belongs to us, though truth be told as our children have become adults and we are no longer connected to the community through church or school, I am watching it belong to a new generation.

            When I think of our small town and what makes it unique I think of the following:

·         Our daughter Charlotte and her friend Julie waiting for the soccer bus swinging plastic Hannaford bags with their cleats in them...to be more exact Charlotte had a pair of used cleats.  There was no shame in wearing someone else's cleats in Richmond and it was actually kind of cool to wear The McKenny's old cleats!  The unspoken rule for most of our children's peers concerning sports was: "You wear used at first buy your own after that, junior year we'll split the cost and if you are still playing senior year--we will buy the best." 

·         I think of this crazy event called Richmond Days—this is when the town comes out to entertain each other and raise money for a good cause.  We brought my brother and his family to one event and my brother looked around at how many people were there and said “So I am thinking no one is in their home tonight?”  Seriously ---who does this—a whole town getting together to sing for each other and make each other laugh? Our children may not have been spoiled with material items but they were indulged as we watched them sing and play!

·         I think of watching our boys playing sports with a wonderful group of friends.  I think of carpooling to Greenville and Rangeley –I always opted out of staying overnight at the school on the island.  I remember a community member standing up at our youngest son’s last basketball game and thanking the team, saying “You were just so much fun to watch.”  He was right.

Two of our children learned to walk and talk in our old house and as all three of them grew so did I.  I grew as a wife, mother, friend, teacher, and eventually pastor.  I was blessed to raise our kids with the best of friends!  I gained family that was not created by “blood” but by love. 

Our home was a place to gather and share joy and it was a place that received abundant blessings as this community took care of us when I was ill.  I was taught by the best, many through our church, to give silently and humbly.

Like most small towns everyone knows everyone’s business (or at least they think they do) but most of the time when the chips are down, as I have learned, the people that show up at the door will surprise you.

 “Wherever you come near the human race there’s layers and layers of nonsense.” 
― Thornton Wilder, Our Town

-Living in a small town gives us plenty of chance to be a part of the nonsense, I mean just the other day a woman came into the coffee shop and said she needed someone to take care of a mouse that was caught in a trap.  She waved her arms explaining she could not touch it. Without a second thought I told her I could do it and we walked in the rain to her home and I removed the mouse.  The next day at that same shop I received applause.  ---Pure and utter small town nonsense!

-I have loved being a part of the ridiculous, hysterical, maddening and loving nonsense of this town.   We will only be just around the bend but I know enough from watching others go that the good old fit of this place, like a worn pair of jeans will change. 

I am looking forward to moving to our new town---and it will take time to become ours but I will carry this town in my heart.

“here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)”   e.e. cummings

Will We Meet the Standard?

Had to leave the dandelion to represent the 5 year old approaching a year of new standards. 

Knowing something or somebody isn't the same as knowing about them. More than just information is involved. When you are a knower, you don't simply add to your mental store and go your way otherwise unchanged. To know is to participate in, to become imbued with, for better or worse to be affected by. ---Frederick Buechner        

            Recently I preached Genesis 21:8-21 concerning Hagar the slave woman.  Hagar was Sarah's (Abraham's wife) slave. When Sarah could not have her own child Hagar bore one for her.  When Sarah receives the miracle of a late in life pregnancy and gives birth to her son Isaac--Hagar is sent into the desert.

          What struck me about this scripture was the reality of the "haves and have nots".  Hagar represents every person who ever felt less than, every person oppressed by those who have more and Hagar is every person who may have to access their dreams and success in another way.

          "What makes the desert beautiful", said the Little Prince, is that somewhere it hides a well..." .... The Little Prince added: "But the eyes are blind. One must look with the heart".

         The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Hagar is sent to the desert where she is ready to die along with her son.  It is in her desperate moment that God shows her the well of water---their way will be a different way but it will be theirs to claim.

     What does this have to do with ABC and 123---everything.  As our state along with others begins using the Common Core Standards (using 1234 vs. ABCDF to grade progress—does not meet, partially meets, meets and exceeds) I feel it is our responsibility to  recognize the "have nots". 

     

    The "have nots" are the children who live below the poverty level, they are the children born to minorities, they are the children brought here from another country, they are children who have seen death, crime, arrests of parents and they are children who are hungry.  Children living in poverty are at greater risk of homelessness, they often do not have dental care, older children stay home occasionally to watch younger siblings and their well may look very different than the well used by other children.

     It is wonderful to imagine that each child will be given the opportunity to reach their highest potential.  It is our responsibility to make sure our educators are able to teach in a way that promotes success for all students.  But if 3 is the same standard for all students how does the child in special education succeed to those standards?  How does the child who speaks a different language succeed to those standards? 

     Recently I listened to a woman named Donna Beegle---she was raised in West Phoenix in a very poor family, she describes her life as going to work in the fields for the morning to pay for lunch and then going back to pay for dinner.  She received her GED at the age of 26 and has her doctorate.  She is committed to helping the poor receive the education that is there for all people, understanding that cookie cutter education may mean success for some but certainly not all. 

In our own Regional District Unit (RSU2), which is made of four communities, there is a significant difference in the number of children living below the poverty level. The unit ranges from Hallowell at 7.3% to Richmond at 29.9%.  The state average of children living below the poverty level  is 16.7%.  If we look at our neighbors (within 50 miles of Richmond) Lewiston has a child  poverty rate of 37.7% and Cape Elizabeth has a rate of 2%.

     I don't think it is any surprise that Cape Elizabeth received a higher state grade for education than Lewiston.

    This is not an issue just for parents, students and educators--this is a community issue.  It is up to the communities to ask:

-If a 16 year old student is told that they will age out of the school system before they meet the standards will they stay in school?  Would you stay in school?

-Children will be better prepared for college (a good thing!) but will they be prepared for the hands on jobs so many of us depend on?

-Will we be able to celebrate those that made it to the well and then to college without demeaning those who drank from a different well---not everyone wants to go to college.

-Will college expenses change so that our better prepared students can afford to go to school?

-Finally knowledge is more than knowing information---as we increase the standards for our children and youth, will we increase our knowledge by knowing who they really are so that true change can be made?

 *The updated standards, adopted after a public process in 2011 and fully implemented in the 2013-14 school year, emphasize more complex content and concepts and the development of needed real-world skills like problem-solving, collaboration, critical thinking and communication--imperative for Maine students to succeed and our state to thrive. The strengthened standards set a high bar for all Maine students, no matter their school. How Maine educators go about helping students meet and exceed those standards--including curriculum, required reading or school operations--remains entirely a local decision.

maine.gov---Maine Department of Education
Data for poverty percentages came from:  http://www.city-data.com/

Blackbirds, ladybugs, greyhounds and love--it is all too much!

     

       I looked up the other day and saw all these blackbirds (grackles, starlings what have you) in the tree and I was instantly reminded of our daughter.  When she was young Charlotte developed an aversion to things in large numbers.  One fall we had an invasion of ladybugs at our house, now normally this might seem like some random sign of good luck, but not for Charlotte.  She could not sleep due to these cute little bugs, "they smell" she would cry, and you know-she was right.  Then there was the 4th of July parade in my hometown, every group imaginable comes to this parade including the Grey Hound Rescue Society, you can guess what happened next.  After  the parade my husband and I were standing in the park when we saw at least 40 greyhounds come right through the center, we looked at each other and without thinking we read each other's mind "Charlotte"!  Sure enough there she was standing with her head down and face grimacing as she tried not to have one of them touch her.  She is now a mother of her own children yet we still will occasionally taunt her with a picture of a grey hound.

     When is too much too much?  I met a woman in town after I was appointed to the church I serve.  She never attended church but she took me through the town and showed me where people lived and described who was who in the zoo.  We both have a passion for writing and reading.  I would arrive at her house weekly with a canvas bag full of books, some to return some to share.  I would take my shoes off; we would sip tea and talk for an hour about life and books, community events and books our families and books.  After a year I began to realize that she would repeat herself often, but she was in her nineties-who wouldn't?  So what if she tried to give me the same books each visit?  Is there ever really too much Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Thomas Merton, or Wendell Berry?  Then one day I saw her in a part of town that made me think she might be lost, soon she moved to a retirement community.  I would visit her there and she would re-share with me the stories she had written and I would gladly take them as if they were new to me.  Our conversations still inspired me.  Yesterday I went for a visit and when I got to her door it was bare, no name tag and sea glass welcoming sign.  I stood with my fist in mid air while my other hand held on to some flowers, fortunately an aid came to let me know that my friend had been moved into assisted living.  When I arrived at her door she stood with a bright smile, her arms opening for an embrace.  We shared a deep hug and sat across from each other, she looked at me and said "I know I know you but can you remind me how?"  I smiled as I told her while my insides wept.  It was too much.

This is Holy Week, which is a week full of too much.  Too much chaos, too much judgment, too much fear, too much finger pointing, too much suffering, too much pain.  The truth is we will share the same stories over and over in an attempt to remind ourselves of a love that is so big and so great that it may seem like too much. 

Maybe the reason Charlotte didn't like things in large number was because it really was too much---too much to make sense of--to the point that even ladybugs became frightening.

The truth is that if someone told me that my friendship would take this turn I might have thought it too much to deal with, once I grew to know her it may have seemed too much to bear, and now while it is too much to understand-"how and why her?" I love her too much to walk away.

“So, friends, every day do something that won't compute...Give your approval to all you cannot understand...Ask the questions that have no answers. Put your faith in two inches of humus that will build under the trees every thousand years...Laugh. Be joyful though you have considered all the facts....Practice resurrection.”

― Wendell Berry, The Country of Marriage

What will you call me?

We have three children and two have family names and the middle son is named after our favorite names at the time.  Charlotte Louise, our first born, was named after two of our grandmothers, Christopher William, our third child, was named after my brother and all the Bills in our family (there are 4).  I was in the hospital for about 4 weeks before he was born 6 weeks early, we named him after the men in our family feeling it would give him a fighting spirit.  Nathan Scott was named after a character in Ben Ames Williams' "Come Spring”, a wonderful book, and Scott was my husband's favorite name.  Nate never liked that he was not named after family.  I could never get across to him how much we loved his name.

      I never liked my own name as it was spelled differently than a more common spelling and it was often misspelled.  Now I like that it is different. 

     Listen to any expectant couple today as they try to name their babies, it must be unique, it must be original and most of all it must not be associated with someone they know, unless they really love them, and it CANNOT be rhymed with or turned into some humiliating nickname.

  I am not sure we thought as much about nicknames and how our children might be teased by others because of their name.  Is it because bullying has become worse and people are protective; thinking they can actually create a "tease free" name therefore a "tease free" life? 

    

Unfortunately what we know is that forget about your birth name....there are plenty of other names that can label us for life.  People are called all sorts of names based on their size, age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality and even their political leanings.  We can be defined by labels we never heard of before or by the familiar standbys. 

   

After working in the school system, with teens, for about 8 years I can tell you there are children who are rarely called by their birth name.  Maybe they are called something cool, giving the impression that they are popular or athletic, or maybe they are called many things that mean only one thing "You do not belong!" 

     What is in a

“What's your name,' Coraline asked the cat.’Look, I'm Coraline. Okay?'

'Cats don't have names,' it said.

'No?' said Coraline.

'No,' said the cat. 'Now you people have names. That's because you don't know who you are. We know who we are, so we don't need names.”

― Neil Gaiman, Coraline

     What's in a name?  In Mark 14:1-11 there is an "unnamed woman" who lavishes expensive oil on Christ's.  This woman, in a man's world, made it into the Bible because of her actions and her insight. She showed extravagant and wasteful love...for this image she is remembered.  Jesus referred to himself as light and bread, signs of hope and community….through these images he is remembered.  Imagine yourself…unnamed----who are you?

We all fall down.

It has been some time since I have written, life has literally gotten in the way.  I am not going to go into detail as to what has been standing between me and writing, take any overwhelming, busy, or difficult time in your own life and use that.  There are times when life just literally leaves us in a "treading water" pattern of being.  Each day may begin with "I am doing all I can do; no more no less." 

            One day after a snow storm I was climbing through the snow to shovel our deck (we live in Maine, so I really was climbing through the snow) and I was reminded of the need to occasionally let go.   While I was maneuvering my way out back I felt myself lose my balance. As I started to go down I began to fight the inevitable; I grabbed the shovel trying to use it as a cane; when that failed I tried to use my hands and then I just gave in.  This was not a quick surrender, it was slow.  I sunk into the snow up to my waist and once I was there I decided to embrace the situation and sit down. 

            There was something about this moment that was incredibly freeing to me. I felt like I was giving permission to myself to not be in charge.  The tension of fighting the situation left my body, and the snow provided me with a soft place to land yet it was also cold so there was little chance I would remain there.

Abraham Lincoln said "   “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”

Some days we have nowhere else to go but down on our knees, or as in my case, our bottoms.  

     This week is the beginning of Lent a time when we are encouraged to let go of what keeps us from surrendering our lives to God.  If you are treading water, maybe it is time to take a deep breath and go under, submerge yourself in order to pop back up with a vengeance.  If you are racing with blinders on checking off your "to do list" maybe it is time to stop and take a good look around at what you have been missing.  Finally there is no better time than Lent to fall on our knees and pray. 

     Maybe you are feeling like me this season- deciding to forget about giving up chocolate or TV (though these have been valuable tools in the past) and remembering to take the time to give in.

Give in to the snow, the long cold winter, give in to the longer days and promise of spring, give in to the days ahead-whatever they may hold. Rather than fight the season embrace it as a retreat, make it your own, find your safe place to land and take a deep breath and let go!