David Lee

Dear Sunday morning pedestrian at LRU,

   First of all, let me say I was impressed that you had arisen so early on a Sunday morning when most of your college cohorts were perhaps still sleeping the morning away.  I assume you were going to get some breakfast at such an early hour, or perhaps going to a church service even.  But there is something I feel the need to share with you about some of your walking practices.

     The intersection you were crossing at does tend to be quite busy.  There are any one of a number of motorized vehicles traveling that road at any time during the day.  I feel that’s one reason the college has chosen to put in crosswalks with lights to aid students in getting across the road.  They have even gone to the trouble to have detailed instructions posted on how to cross safely, including how to get the crosswalk light to change to allow crossing.  (Although I will say as an LRC graduate, I find it quite humorous that it would be necessary to have instructions for a college age student to be able to cross the road safely.)

     This morning you were walking across the crosswalk while the approaching traffic had the green light for travel.  The phone call you were having was of, I am sure utmost importance, but next time you’re crossing, you might want to consider giving the oncoming traffic your undivided attention.    I am sincerely glad that the three cars in front of me saw you crossing and decided to come to a complete stop despite having the green light.

        The reason I’m writing you is just to let you know that not all Sunday morning drivers are as alert as we were this morning.  They may or may not be paying full attention to what’s going on in front of them.  Perhaps they woke up a little late and are in a rush, maybe they’re taking a call or heaven forbid texting, or in some cases, maybe they had one-too-many night before and are still in the process of overcoming that inevitable hangover.  Bottom line is that I am afraid they may not be able to avoid you like we did this morning.

       I’m not one to tell others how to live their lives, but for future walks to the campus, you might want to consider following the indicated pedestrian signal:  red is for stop; white is to go….and the countdown numbers tell you how many seconds you have to safely cross the street. You also may want to think about waiting for that phone call until after you’ve crossed the road.   I just don’t want your time to be up forever.

 

Signed, 

Concerned Sunday motorist

Dear Sunday morning runner,

     I applaud you for the effort you’re putting forth to take care of yourself by getting out and jogging/running at 7:45 a.m. on a forty degree morning.  I only wish I had the determination and drive to do the same.  But there is something I feel the need to share with you about where you’re choosing to do your runs.

     The five lane road we were both traveling this morning was meant for vehicular traffic, aka – cars.  I saw well in advance that you were choosing to run in the middle of the right hand lane that I was traveling in the opposite direction.  I was also glad that you made the decision to move out of the middle of the lane and to the edge of the road.  But at the same time, I noticed there was a sidewalk that you could just as well been using for your morning jaunt.  

     Now I know I’ve read somewhere that the black asphalt pavement is supposed to be better to run on, but as I said earlier, I think that’s mainly designed for motorized forms of transportation.  I would have even been a bit more understanding if you had chosen to at least move over to the curb.

     The reason I’m writing you is just to let you know that not all Sunday morning drivers are as alert as I was this morning.  They may or may not be paying full attention to what’s going on in front of them.  Perhaps they woke up a little late and are in a rush, maybe they’re taking a call or heaven forbid texting, or in some cases, maybe they had one-too-many night before and are still in the process of overcoming that inevitable hangover.  Bottom line is that I am afraid they may not be able to avoid you like I did this morning.

     I’m not one to tell others how to live their lives, but for future runs, you might want to consider using the sidewalk for its intended purpose.

 

Signed,

Concerned Motorist

from Melodie Beattie’s More Language of Letting Go

The magic of a story lies in the spaces between the words.

When we read a novel, we often find that the writer vies us only the barest elements of a scene, and yet our imagination fills in all the blank spaces from our experiences, our hopes, our dreams.  We don’t need the author to give us all of the details.

So it is with life.  Often we are given only the barest outline of the path that we are to follow, and yet if we are silent and listen to our hearts, we can hear all the details of our path spelled out for us, a step at a time.  There is no need to have everything laid out for us beforehand.  If it were, there would be no need to take the trip.  We could simply read about it.

Get up.

Live your path with your heart. 

Fill in the blanks yourself. 

God, Give me the strength to find out how the story ends by living until the end of it, instead of wanting it read to me beforehand.

From Melody Beattie’s  More Language of Letting Go

“God must become and activity in our consciousness.” ~ Joel S. Goldsmith

God is not separate from this beautiful world that he created.  He is the creative force behind everything we do.  He is the sunshine, the moonrise, the tides, and the eclipse.  He created us from nothing, and we are special for no other reason than that we are.

When we let go of our separateness and welcome the fact that we are a part of the universe, an amazing thing happens:  we see we are a part of the glory of the universe.

God is more than a great father standing judgmentally above looking down with a mix of love and anger at his creation.  We are created in God’s image.  We are a part of God, and a part of God’s spirit resides in each of us.

We are a part of universal consciousness.

Today, where you are feeling down or sad or joyous and free, take a moment and get in touch with the part of God that resides within you.  You’re a part of something bigger than all the petty victories and losses in your life.  Enjoy your uniqueness; embrace your universality too.  Find comfort and humility in all that is.

See God in your life and in the world.  Pray.  Meditate.

Make conscious contact with your God.

God, help me make conscious contact with you today.

Notes to self:

1.) Comments and opinions that people have of painting, photographs, and the like say as much about the person commenting as they do about the artist/photographer.

2.)  When someone is talking and says “You probably all know my story…”, most of the time I don’t know the story and wonder if most people don’t the story (and perhaps aren’t really that interested in hearing it.)

3.)  Those single serving packets of mustard are a lot smaller in size than the single serving packets of ketchup and I’m left wondering “why?”

4.)  You pay more for a cold 20 ounce soft drink than you do for a two liter off the shelf…I guess that’s the price you pay for refrigeration.

5.)  There are lots of places you go to buy things where there is no one at the cash register, or if there are multiple cash registers, most of them are not open.

6.)  FB and other social media give people “fame” that used to be difficult to come by… I wonder if this feed their egos….I wonder if I am in this group of people.

7.)  Prime numbers are way cooler than composite numbers.

8.)  I wonder if book stores are going to put themselves out of business when they sell electronic devices that allow you to download books…I know it’s a great saver of space, but I like my actual book!

9.)  Firemen and policemen and anyone that serves in the armed services have a special type of courage.

10.)  It’s best if you don’t have a lot of items in a list or people will stop reading or not read them at all.  This is the end of my list.

What are the chances?  The chances that someone would find a fifty-dollar bill on the ground, pick it up to examine it, and then contemplate what to do?  One of three friends involved in a conversation looked down on the pavement to find what appeared to be folding money.  Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that it was a not-often-seen fifty dollar bill.  After concluding that it was indeed real, the three friends debated over what to do with the newly found currency.

It would seem to some that the person that found the bill was indeed lucky that day and should take it to spend or save as he would choose.  But alas, he didn’t think that was the way things should go.  Another friend, after being handed the bill, listed a couple of options, including giving it to someone they all three knew that could probably use it.  They second-guessed that choice, not entirely sure how the money would be spent.

It was finally decided that the third friend would keep the money and offer it up to the nearby resource center .  It reasoned that whoever had dropped it had more than likely visited the center and they would be able to find the most appropriate way to distribute the fortunate find.

After contemplating the situation, I  have reasoned that good friends can be as hard to find as a fifty dollar bill. We find people along our life’s journey that are there for a season and then gone.  But there are also those people with whom we share a common bond that seem to always be there through thick and thin, good times and bad.  Consider it good fortune to find those friends that are bound by integrity and look for the common good instead of selfish ends.

I have been fortunate in my lifetime to have found friends just such as those…. And I consider it a blessing.

One of the things I haven’t quite gotten around to in the new year is the to purchase a large calendar to keep track of my daily schedule.  I keep one posted one the wall in my bedroom and it helps me to know at a glance what  appointments and commitments I have forthcoming.  I did finally get around to taking down the previous twelve months and deposited them in the trash.  But during this process, I looked back at all the events I had noted and marked for the year just completed.

You sometimes forget events in the recent past and this year was no different.  There were trips and birthdays, substitute teaching assignments, and doctors’ appointments.  All went together to make what is now referred to as “the past.”  With each calendar entry, there was a story to be told, a memory to recall.  The entries chronicle the ebb and flow of life and each one added to what has become my life as I know it.

So as I go out searching for a calendar for the upcoming year, I can only wonder what events and memories it will hold.  There are most certainly lots of blank spaces yet to be filled, events and appointments yet to be scheduled.  But such is life as we know it.  And I have found the best thing I can do is to take it one day at a time and hope for all the best, both for myself and for others.  Above it all is a faith that knows all things work together for good if I keep my eyes focused on the One that makes it all possible.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11-13

 

There is a Danish story about a spider that lived high in the rafter of an old barn.  One day, the spider decided to lower himself to a beam where he found the flies more prolific and more easily caught.  He therefore decided to live permanently on this lower level.

He spun for himself a comfortable web.  One day he noticed the line down which he had come and said to himself that he no longer needed it.  So he snapped it and destroyed the support for his whole web.

A tiny thread connects us with the infinite.  We have come from God and we are returning Home to Him.  Everyone wakes up someday.  Everything eventually returns to its source.  Coming into the world, we easily become fascinated with the world and we forget about the source.  We look at that thread which connects us with the infinite and think. ‘That thing is in the way.’  We snap the line, and we go mad.”

From: “Living a Course in Miracles” by Jon Mundy

The boxwood shrubs in front of my house are slow-growing plants, serving more as a home for spiders than providing any great beauty.  I trim them down about twice a year and have contemplated removing them altogether.  But I recently found something that the shrubs were hiding that otherwise might not have been noticed at all.

My German shepherd, Abby, loves to go for walks around the yard and for some reason, always wants to examine the area around the bushes in particular.  She sniffs around, as if she was hot on the trail of some other creature.  One day, she went farther back in the bushes than normal and when she did, I noticed something pink hidden behind them. Turns out it was a small cluster of pink flowers, whose name I did not know.

I found out later, with help from my sister, that they were known as volunteer begonias.  I did a bit more research and discovered that they grow from seed that has fallen naturally to the ground, not planted by a person.  So somehow this flowering plant had found its way into an area unseen by most all that would pass by.

This reminds me of a lesson that I have learned in my journey of life.  There are always characteristics of people, places, and things that are readily visible to the naked eye.  In this case, that is represented by the boxwood shrubs.  But also growing, away from plain view, are other even more beautiful parts that for the most part go unnoticed. These were the beautiful pink begonias that for many weeks had gone unseen.

We as humans many times see in others as what is readily noticeable to our eyes. But just as in the case outlined above, there are hidden treasures that may take a while to be discovered.  Our character traits may contain facets that are easily discerned, but if people are willing to take the time, other parts more beautiful may be brought into view.

I previously posted a blog detailing what synchronicities are and gave an example of several that had occurred just that day.  Today, I had yet another series of synchs that illustrated the concept rather well.  They say that synchs tend to run in “strings” and such would seem to be the case here.

I was going to a nearby discount store to pick up a few items and pulled into a parking place.  When I was getting ready to enter the store, a woman who had just gotten out of her car said “Thanks for the parking space!”  It seems that I had not seen a space that was right in front of the entrance.  Given the fact it was approaching ninety degrees, she was thankful to have gotten the closer spot.  Truth be told, I very rarely park in front of the entrance, but that’s a whole other story.

She was picking up the same type items I was and so I told her about my “365 Days of 23’s” picture project. I had noticed that she was wearing a Lebron James #23 jersey and thought it was neat that she chose to thank me for the parking place.  She said that twenty-three was also her favorite number and related how she had found out that her house was located on Lot 23.  I asked if it would be OK to take a picture and when I returned from getting my camera phone out of my car, I told her a bit of my story.  I then took a picture of the back of the Lebron James #23  jersey and will use it tomorrow on my FB page.  I related to her how the number had become a “God thing” for me, showing me His presence in my life.

It just so happened that we met again at the cash register.  I told her another snippet of my story and the young lady at the cash register informed us that her birthday was a little over a week away, on July 23rd.  And she also offered that she would be celebrating her 23rd birthday.  I had just finished telling the other customer that my sister and daughter were born on the same date, exactly twenty-three years apart.  The three of us got a good laugh out of the whole story and the way it had unfolded right in front of us on that hot summer Sunday afternoon.