Enough to Share.

           

             Whenever blueberry season starts I end up picking a small cup of under-ripe berries with this unfounded fear that I cannot afford to miss one berry.  So for those first weeks I am like the main character in Robert McCloskey’s Blueberries for Sal, with a small tin cup I pick and drop “Ker-plink, Ker-plank, Ker-plunk!” 

             I grumble under my breath when I pick berries with noticeable nibbles.   Yet when I watch the birds on the branches I am in wonder, I am in awe and I am grateful I have enough to share with them.  That is the truth, in spite of my early pickings, in spite of the birds and chipmunks—did I mention the chipmunks?  In spite of all of God’s creation sharing these berries with me; there is enough.  I know that within two weeks I will have enough to eat a bowl with cream for breakfast, to bake a cake with and I know that by the end of summer I will have several bags full in my freezer.  I know there will be enough for our grandchildren to pick, eat and even drop without concern. 

            We are funny creatures to worry about what we know we have enough of, to hang on tight to what we were always meant to share.  When something is precious to us we tend to hang on tight rather than let go.  Sometimes it is hard to share what and even who we love with others, maybe especially who we love.  In the sharing we may fear some sort of loss, as if someone could become less valuable the more he or she is shared.  Could it be that this is why it is so hard to share Jesus, God, and our faith with others? 

            When I think of the people who have encouraged me, not just those who were suppose to, but the teachers, co-workers, faith community members and even the cashier at a local market; when I think of them I know that I am just one of many who benefited from their good nature, smiles and love. 

³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸ And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹ And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ ⁴⁰ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,^[a] you did it to me.’ 

Matthew 25:37-40

                Summertime in Maine is a great time to share God’s good creations with others; it may also be the perfect time to practice sharing Jesus and our faith with others without the fear of loss or not having enough but rather with the knowledge of more to come.  One day late in the summer I will pick my last berry, I will also know that Spring is right around the corner—even in Maine.

“He drew a circle that shut me out-
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle and took him In!

Outwitted by Edwin Markham

I have entertained angels--not by choice.

To Whom It May Concern-----

            Congressman Mo Brooks recently made me aware of the burden I, and others with pre-existing conditions, have been putting on all of those who have done things “right.”   I cannot tell the feelings I have over this sudden epiphany—I have been so selfish to expect someone else to pay into the same system I do—a person living with M.S. having the same health care as someone who doesn’t—appalling!

            So, I thought it might be appropriate to write an apology for this inconvenience, this burden, but the trouble is I am not sure who that person might be.  Given the criteria, this is not an easy task.

Let’s start with these requirements:                                                                            

I need to find the neighbor that has never:

·         Eaten a Twinkie or an Italian sub or Velveeta cheese, a chip, a cheese stick (you remember those packages of cheese and sticks to dip in—and don’t tell me you never licked the plastic wrapper), French Fries, whipped cream from a can or even better-Cool Whip, or anything else laced with toxic preservatives.

·         Drank a diet soda, drank too much coffee, too little coffee, too much water, too little water or more than one glass of red wine with dinner.

·         Speaking of toxins—must never have dyed their hair and what about tattoos? Do we really know if that ink is safe? 

• ·         Lived in a home with toxic mold.
• ·         Been in a car accident.
• ·         Been in a fire.
• ·         Has never been divorced, lost a job, experienced a break-up, moved, or been homeless.
• ·         Has never been to war.
• ·         Never worked around asbestos.
• ·         Been in the sun too long, YET, remembers to take vitamin D as well.
• ·         Allergies –especially those requiring an epi-pen.
• ·         Had diabetes.

The list could go on but this is a good start—autoimmune disease, PTSD, asthma, stress, depression, cancer and premature births could be a result of such choices, of such crazy and wayward living.

This person must:

• ·         Have their own insurance or be born into a family with insurance.
• ·         Be employed and earn enough to never be hungry, cold or without a phone and electricity.
• ·         Be able to go to the dentist—that means have the cash and the transportation, dental disease is bad for the whole body.
• ·         Have a body mass proper for their height and weight.—Is there a proper height and weight?  Is it the same for all of us?
• ·         Have transportation.
• ·         Must have genetic testing to prepare for the possible condition that might put them in the dreaded “Pre-existing” category.
• ·         Exercise!  That means 30 minutes of cardio three times a week, some weight bearing exercises, and walks every day.
• ·         Get a good night’s sleep every night.
• ·         Most importantly this person must continue to live this healthy life in order to get through that gap year.  You know that gap year?  The year when you leave your employer’s insurance and move into retirement, or the year you come off of your parent’s insurance and move onto….? 
• ·         Be willing to move to another state to get insurance if their state doesn’t accept the waiver..just because one person is making healthy choices doesn’t mean all the people in that family are.  Healthy people can have family members with pre-existing conditions.
• ·         Never age---once a person is a senior citizen they have pre=existing conditions-after the age of 50 we are all immune compromised.

            Of course this part of the list is a little difficult because the things I think were right didn’t cut it so maybe shopping at Whole Foods, and drinking a certain type of bottled water should be on the “must do” list, maybe there are types of friends, private schools and shopping malls I should have paid more attention to as well.  I imagine a college education and no more than 2.4 children would be ideal---does it matter how my children look?  Hmmm….Congressman Woods---Does that matter?

            Now this living right loses ground when we think of all those born with a condition that is “taxing” on our healthy neighbors. 

What about the baby resting comfortably in a womb awaiting the bright lights of life to shine on them?

About 3%, with no power of a choice, of these children will rely on us to ensure they get to live out their pursuit of happiness.  Of course we could go Old Testament and blame the parents—blah blah blah.

            Maybe I am being too hard on Congressman Woods, who let’s face it is taking the heat for something he must be discussing with his peers, but his voice is the one I heard/read.  And I can only imagine that he could say these words simply because he does not know what he is talking about, and honestly I am glad if he has had a life that has afforded him this ignorance.                 It is obvious he has never thought about hoarding medicine, never asked a spouse to stay at a job for the insurance, and never told his family that he would stop a treatment before putting his family into a financial crisis.   

            This may also mean he has never experienced the kindness and generosity of family, neighbors and strangers alike when one is experiencing physical and chronic illnesses.  He has never had to accept charity to afford treatment or physical assistance to accommodate a need. 

            I said my prayers every night, I still say my prayers every night, loved and love my family, read good books, read good books to our children, I made mistakes, I did not always treat my body as well as I could, I was too hard on our children, I was too easy on our children, I tried my best to be kind, to love well, to appreciate each person as their very own story. There are things I would change and things I wish never occurred but I have entertained angels unaware (Hebrews 13:2) because of my circumstances and I can’t imagine losing that. 

            Yesterday I went to have a haircut and as it became increasingly difficult for me to keep my head back against the sink, and even more difficult to lift my head from the sink, I allowed the very kind and gentle hands of an angel (so to speak) to lift me up. 

              Remembering that moment, all the humility (NOT a negative word) and the gratitude, a greater truth was revealed--it may be that the public vulnerability some of us share may make people uncomfortable with their own vulnerabilities, and if there were a “right way of living” we could prevent all that messy stuff.  Wearing the places we need help out on our own sleeves. 

            There is no “right” way to avoid all that makes this life messy, all that makes us rely on each other—nothing to apologize for—not my choice --not my fault.

           

           

What I learned, or have been reminded of, while watching an expectant giraffe!

          A few weeks ago or maybe a month, I like many others tuned in to watch April, the giraffe, have her baby.  I watched steadily throughout a couple of days as if she were going to give birth any moment.  Well, just in case you are not one of the many keeping tabs on April—she has NOT had her baby yet.

          Now the truth is that I stopped watching with such devotion, much like The Voice, the idea is good but I can’t commit to that much time.  But I did check in every once in a while, there was something soothing about watching this giraffe in the midst chaotic times.  I paid little attention to the conversations, rather I simply breathed and watched April’s stomach—silly I know…but if I am silly so are hundreds of others.  

            The conversations of the “others” would float by the bottom of my screen and honestly, amidst the hellos and goodbyes, what all I really noticed were the arguments of whether giraffes laid eggs.  Yes this was the reason I avoided the comments—that was until March 22^nd, the day of the attacks in Westminster, London. 

            On that day, as I stopped on April’s video, I saw all the comments were from people praying for London.  Not only were they praying for a country but I could see that there were words of comfort to people they had come to know who were living in London.  Suddenly I saw the conversations were not simply between strangers but there was a community that had formed. 

            Everything was set in a different perspective, the same way as when the vet walks in next to the giraffe, lest we forget her size, the very thing that makes her unique. I saw that there were people from all over the world talking to each other, all while watching a giraffe. 

            So here are some things I have learned from this community, mind you I am still the occasional observer, but now I pay as much attention to the people as to April. 

1.      People all over the world

          Hate time change

          Get up and have coffee or tea

          Bring their children to school.

          Share recipes

          Can stand up against bias remarks without anger but rather by asking them not to talk that way, it hurts my feelings—which leads to

2.       People all over the world

          Say “I’m sorry.”

          Love their pets

          Make assumptions

          Stay up too late

          Worry that the mouse in the corner is really a rat (as if a mouse isn’t bad enough)        

3.       People all over the world

           Are looking for community

           Find joy in the ordinary

           Can find ways to cross the imaginary boundaries set between them.

           Find common ground as they pray for each other and each other’s family.

      Recently I have noticed that some of the people have begun to prepare themselves for saying good-bye—because even though it seems like April will never have this baby—she will.  Some have set up private groups on Facebook, the chefs and pet lovers, the night owls and care takers, they will break off into smaller groups and the truth is without April, I wonder how long they will last, or even if they are meant to.

      It is ironic to me as a pastor that this international time of waiting is happening during Lent.  For me this is a time of waiting, paying attention, listening, seeing and looking for what God has in store for me, and the community of faith I am connected to. 

      This is the time when the days grow longer and the sun feels warmer and we would love to have spring rush in; all hope cannot erase the need to wait. 

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
⁶ I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Psalm 130:5-6

A DNA connection--the great dust rising of God.

We are walking dust

       On Wednesday I spent about 10 hours watching candles grow dim and my finger turn black with dust.  Ash Wednesday is a powerful day for me as I wipe ashes along smooth foreheads, foreheads lined with the wrinkles of life and foreheads that are covered by wisps of hair.  I am always amazed by the intimacy of reciting these words as I make the shape of the cross; “From dust you were born and to dust you shall return.” Gen. 3:19

            I am not sure if it is speaking the truth of our humanity that makes me feel so close to tears or it is the humanity of Christ.  This is our beginning act of Lent, traditionally a time to prepare for baptism into the body of Christ.

            I imagine God breathing life into the dust; my life into dust!  I also imagine this dust coming from more than the gardens and dirt roads of Holliston Mass.  I like to think of my dust coming from the places of the ancestors I know; from Sweden and England, as well as the ancestors I don’t know.  What if my dust was from the Continents of Asia and Africa?  What if my dust included Armenian dust, dust I absorbed from a couple I adored who fed me beregs, homemade rice pilaf and wisdom? 

            What if all of us were dust gathered from a cyclone like event?  What if the dust of the ocean sands and salt of the seas and the planets in the sky were swirling in us, and shedding off of us?  (Of course this may be TMI; we really do leave our own dust behind.)

            People are spending a lot of money to have their DNA tested to connect them to their past.  What is this sudden interest and need?  As the world becomes smaller through technology, it may be that we too have insight to the “others” we are connected to, the great dust rising of God.

            From dust we were born and to dust we shall return.  These are the hard words, the truth of returning to dust.  But where will my dust go?  Will bits of my smile land with others that look like me in Sweden? Will bits of my hope land on a child in Syria, a child that looks nothing like me but is just like me in breath? Will my dusty remains be part of new life? 

            Christ went into the desert preparing for what was ahead, preparing for the end of his humanity and the beginning of an eternal life.  This is lent, a time of preparation for something new, a time to see ourselves as the very breath of God.

“Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.” 

UMH 420

The sky I share with you.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean--But other lands have sunlight too.
Lloyd Stone and Georgia Harkness

This one sky. On a day like today I can’t get enough of the sky.  On a day like this I am reminded of the sky I share.  On a day like today I am overwhelmed by that thought.

I spend a lot of time looking at the sky.  When I drive, when I walk my dog, in between planting and weeding in the garden, and sometimes I just walk to the window and look up. 

        What do you think about when you look up?  I ask this with the assumption that like me you too are drawn to the window.  What is the one thought, one wish, the one prayer that meets you at the window?  I say one because I feel like we usually carry one prayer that is the answer to all of our trouble—peace is mine.  Illness, discourse, children, parents and our world are basically wrapped in my desire for peace. Peace of mind, peace of healing, peace of home and peace for the future. 

        Whenever we stand looking up at the sky we quite possible stand in the footprints of some other soul, which looked up just as we do.  We also stand alongside, another mother, partner, child, friend, enemy some other –other.

Christ before the people and advises them

         “When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.”

        Maybe looking up to the sky feels overwhelming because we cannot deny that we are called to be our best selves.

        We are not alone…no matter how easy it may be for us to live as if we are---we are not alone. There are people just like us and those who are nothing like us.  But here is the thing---we share this amazing sky—this amazing sky!  This has to mean something right? Something bigger than us is at work.

 Christ says this when we are about to lose ourselves by disconnecting from others—all those “others”

⁴⁸ “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity.

Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.

       There is a hymn called “This is my Song”—I have it here attached sung by the Indigo Girls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0OcZdzfOV8