Sacred Life Sunday -What Now?
August 3, 2008
What's up Ahead?
I just finished reading “What Now?” by Ann Patchett. It is a small book based on her commencement speech given at Sarah Lawrence College and aimed at the question that comes to us throughout our lives. We all remember family and friends asking throughout our lives – - What now? when you graduate from high school, What now? when you graduate from college, What now? when you start job hunting, What now? When you are in a committed relationship. Everyone seems interested in the next step we will be taking and all along, we are also asking ourselves that same question. She includes photos of puzzle pieces, someone standing at a crossroad, someone standing in front of multiple doors, someone walking in circles; all demonstrating that feeling and thought process of What Now? I found myself thinking, What now? is a process, not a destination. Some of us think we know where we are going and some of us actually arrive at our predetermined destination, but I’ll bet most of us take this detour and that detour and end up somewhere quite unexpected. I think this is what makes life interesting. Have you thought of your life and realized because of one decision or another, this is how you ended up where you are right now?
Patchett says, “. . .see how all the dots in your life are connected, how one decision leads you to another, how one twist of fate, good or bad, brings you to a door that later takes you to another door, which, aided by several detours- long hallways and unforeseen stairwells – eventually puts you in the place you are now. Every choice lays down a trail of bread crumbs, so that when you look behind you there appears to be a very clear path that points straight to the place where you now stand. But when you look ahead there isn’t a bread crumb in sight -. . .so you stand there, sniffing at the wind, looking for directional clues . . .What Now?”
Oh Happy Day!
July 24, 2008
How can you not feel good when you listen to this group sing? Enjoy a happy day of your own!
Gail
http://www.embracethepossibility.org
Sacred Life Sunday
July 13, 2008
Scarlet Ribbons, Norwich Terrier, 2 years old
3:53 a.m. Sunday, July 13, 2008 A wet kiss wakes me. I stagger to the alarm system, turn it off and open the back door for Scarlet to go potty. Good girl! (Better than the alternative of finding a wet spot on the carpet in the morning.) She seems so energized! What’s up? OK, OK, good girl, now back to bed. . . She tries to settle down but acts likes it 6 p.m. and she’s ready for a walk! We can hear her getting into things on the floor of the bedroom and in the closet. Maybe she needs a snack. . .there you go. . .no, that didn’t do it. Finally after a few minutes we gave up and decided to join the Joy Club. Let’s just not fight it anymore. So we threw back our covers, ran around the house a few times, roughed Scarlet up and played for a few minutes to tire her out. Usually I would not be up for this at 3 something in the morning, but today was different and I decided I’d let the present moment happen, have a burst of fun and then head back to bed. That was all it took for Scarlet. After a few minutes of play and a snack she was ready to settle in again. This is mildly reminiscent of my daughters and grandchildren as babies with night feedings and “talking” to each other until sleep won us over. Precious moments. There is something special about the middle of the night. It’s quiet and the night air has a special quality. We could even see the stars which have been hard to see lately due to the smoke from all the fires in California. So, thank you Scarlet for a taste of night air and stars, and a little middle-of-the-night joy. Sleep tight!
“The dog was created specially for children. He is the god of frolic.” ~Henry Ward Beecher
Gail Brokaw You CAN create the change you want in your life!
Certified Life Coach
http://www.embracethepossibility.org
