I was sitting in a rather long line of traffic the other day waiting for a construction crew to pause long enough to let some of the backed-up traffic through an open lane when I spotted a sign on the back of a huge road grader. The sign read, "This is a good time to remember that the road to patience and happiness is almost always under construction."

  As I watched people make their way through that construction area, I noticed scowling faces turning into smiling faces. You could almost read each motorist's thoughts. They seemed to be saying to themselves, "Well, isn't that true!"

 

 Some of the most famous and easily recognizable words from any poet are:

          "The woods are lonely, dark and deep,

          but I have promises to keep

          and miles to go before I sleep."

 

 I was flipping through a bunch of old National Geographic Magazines the other day while I was at the public library. I came across an article about mountain goats that I found rather interesting. (I know I need to get a life!)

  What stuck me about the article was the fact that mountain goats live in one of the most dangerous environments on the face of the earth. One false move and the goats fall to their deaths.  The author of the article said that you would think that this would be the worst place to raise young goats since young goats are known for their romping and playing and jumping around. They don't seem to pay much attention to what they are doing or to where they are running and jumping. For them it is all about play.

 

 

 Ben Franklin said one time that he thought the greatest need that people have is light. He said that there is nothing quite as dampening to one's spirit as a gloomy day.  With the dismal winter we have just been through, combined with the heavily rainy spring we have endured recently, probably every one of us is feeling the truth of Franklin's words.

I was reading a book the other day by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk and Zen master, Thich Nhat Han. I always enjoy reading him, though I cannot say that I can always grasp all that he is trying to teach. One particular paragraph in the book I was reading really struck me as something to think about. Here’s what he wrote: “We often ask, “What’s wrong?” Doing so, we invite painful seeds of sorrow to come up and manifest.We feel suffering, anguish and depression and produce much more seeds. We would be much happier if we tried to stay in touch with the healthy, joyful seeds inside of us and around us. We should learn to ask, “What’s not wrong?” and be in touch with that.

 

Today we celebrate Easter and I am thinking of a verse from one of Saint Paul's letters: "If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; old thins have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

 

 On this Palm Sunday as we enter into the holiest week of the year, we read the account of Jesus laying down his life for us. On Holy Thursday of this week we will recall what Jesus did on that important night. The night before he died, Jesus told his disciples by the act of washing their feet what kind of life he was calling them to live, a life of service.

 

  On this Fifth Sunday of Lent the church gives us the Gospel of John and the account of the raising of Lazarus from the dead as the focus of our meditation.  That passage of Scripture is one of my favorites. It has much to teach us and can be of great comfort to us when we confront death.

  I was reading recently from the memoirs of former president George Bush. I was struck by one particular passage in which he wrote about an experience he had when he served as Vice-President. He had been sent by the President to represent the United States at the funeral of the leader of the Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev.

 

   St. Teresa of Avila taught her sisters that one sure way to deepen your spiritual life and development is to engage in what she called "meaningful conversation" with someone you love or with a dear friend. She said that meaningful conversation has the power to open one's soul so that God becomes almost touchable.

 

   Lent is a season of reform. It is a time for us to find our way in following Jesus who calls us to conversion of the heart.  As I think about conversion and the reforms the process of conversion brings about, I think of some advice I read some years ago.

 

This past week we celebrated Valentine's Day. I like to use that day to do a kind of blessing inventory. I have found it a great opportunity to thank God for all of those blessing that have come our way in the people that God has given us. 

 I remember last year on Valentine's Day I visited an elderly couple at a nursing home. They had been married for almost 70 years.  When I arrived, they were working their way through a huge box of fancy chocolates that one of their grand daughters had brought them to celebrate the day. Both of them loved chocolate and they weren't letting my visit get in the way of their finding their favorite piece of candy!

Wandering Thoughts   One of the hermits from the early days of the church approached St. Anthony of the Desert about a problem that plagued him. The hermit said, “O holy one, I have great difficulty with my prayer – whenever I sit in my cell to pray, instead of my thoughts focusing on almighty God, my thoughts wander all over the place. I cannot concentrate.

Imagine yourself in a boat, floating down a beautiful river. As you go along, what do you notice? One of the first things you may notice is that as you move down river, the river changes. In fact it seems to be changing all of the time. It is wide in some parts, narrow in others. Some parts of it seem very tame while other parts seem to be fast and wild. Some parts of the river seem quite deep whereas other parts appear to be quite shallow. None of that is very surprising; it is simply the nature of a river to behave that way. If you want to travel on a river, you ought to be ready to deal with the various aspects of

 

Wise Folk

 I recently read a science magazine in which there was an article about intelligence. According to the author, every one of us knows at least 8 really smart people. Think about it for a moment, do you know 8 really smart people?  You may know even more than that, I know I do. I've met some incredibly smart people over the years and I am always amazed at how smart some people really are. 

 

Like everyone, I am sure that you spend some time worrying about those you love. But, have you ever been heart-sick with fear because someone you love is in real danger? It can be an overwhelming experience.

 One day last week I was reading about some of the more famous people who had served in combat during the Second World War. One such person was the late actor Jimmy Stewart who flew combat missions over Germany. When he was asked how he dealt with the terror of being shot at in combat, Jimmy Stewart replied, "I kept a letter from my dad in my pocket whenever I was in combat. It was a kind of protection from evil. It was my dad's way of praying a shell of protection around me. It did the job. I was able to survive some horrible battles."

 

A few days ago while reading in the public library, I came across a collection of letters written by Mark Twain. In one of those letters he writes about an experience he had on a train bound for Washington D.C.

  According to his story, Mark Twain was quietly reading a newspaper when the conductor came down the aisle collecting passenger tickets. When the conductor collected the first two tickets, he noticed that those people were on the wrong train. A few seats later, as the conductor collected more tickets, he noticed that these people were on the wrong train as well. "It's a bit strange that so many of you got on the wrong train." the conductor said as he continued taking tickets.

I recently came across a Taoist story the other day that I think can serve as a reminder to us. According to the story, a carpenter and his apprentice are walking through a forest looking for some wood for one of their projects. After a short walk, they come upon a very tall, huge and gnarled old oak tree. As they pause to look at it, the apprentice remarks that the tree is the most beautiful tree he has seen in years. The carpenter agrees. Then the carpenter asks his apprentice, “Do you know why this tree is so tall, so huge, so gnarled, old and beautiful?”

I was in the public library the other day reading through some old magazines when I happened on an article/editorial about a teacher in Piper, Kansas. According to the article the teacher was at the center of a major scandal involving her student’s grades.

In just a few days, hours really, we will celebrate the birth of Jesus, the light of the world. Christmas is the season of light. Just look around at how much we use lights and candles during this time of the year. Light is an important religious image and it one that Jesus himself used often. There is one ancient Jewish story about light that is very fitting for Christmas.

A man in his early fifties went to seek advice from a famous Zen spiritual master. As the man poured out his tale of woe, the Zen master listened attentively. “I have had three marriages”, the man complained, “and every one of them has failed. My wives have never understood me, they only find fault with me and put me down. My career is a mess, no one I work with has the insights I have so they don’t listen to me. My talents are never really put to good use at my company. I have few friends, and I am lonely most of the time.”

   

   As I was sitting in traffic the other day, I listened to an interview with the famous American Rabbi, Harold Kushner. The discussion centered on the number of people in the news of late who are openly hostile to religion and to the concept of God. At one point in the discussion, Kushner was asked if he had ever doubted the existence of God. The rabbi responded by saying that the existence of God or a higher being had not be the important question for him and he didn't think that it was a problem for most people. He said he thought most people believe in God. He concluded by saying, "For most people, the issue has never been the existence of God but rather it has been the importance of God, or the difference that God makes in the way we live."

 

Do you consider yourself a wealthy person? Most folks would not call themselves wealthy because they think wealth consists of having huge amounts of money and possessions. We think of the billionaires and millionaires who have vast holdings and estates around the world and since we do not have these things, we certainly are not wealthy by any means. Yet it is quite possible that we are far wealthier than we realize.

 

  Very early in the morning of November 2nd of this year, the Feast of All Souls, I spent some quiet time in prayer for all of those who have died. Each year on that feast day, I try to find some time to pray for all of my relatives and friends who have passed away. The bulk of my time in prayer is spent in thanking God for each of the people I am remembering.

 This year, as I was praying, an article I read a few months ago came back to me. I remember the article because I found it very comforting as I thought of the many people who have died over the years.

 

  I recently read an account of a Native American Tribal Chief who was teaching the young people of his tribe about how to be a good person. When the chief had finished his talk, one of the young men in the group asked him if he could describe his own troubles with trying to be a good person. The chief replied by saying, "In my own life I have come to discover that there are two dogs inside me.  One of the dogs is mean as hell and very evil. The other dog is very good.  The mean dog fights the good dog all of the time."

 

This weekend we once again get that yearly opportunity to "fall back", to get an "extra" hour of sleep as we turn our clocks back one hour ending Day Light Savings Time.

   Every year as I turn my clocks back an hour, I have some recurring thoughts. I think of how wonderful it would be if we could "fall back" more than an hour. Wouldn't it be great if we could "fall back" to a time when we could "un-do" or "do-over-again" some part of our life?  For most of us, it is only hindsight that has shown us how often we have missed great opportunities; and "falling back" would be a great way to take advantage of them, wouldn't it?

 

A traveling missionary visited a village where, in one of the larger houses, a young girl lay seriously ill. The young girl's parents begged the missionary to come visit her.  The missionary came and knelt at the young girl's bed, took her by the hand and quietly prayed with her.  Then he rose.

  "Now this young girl will begin to recover." The priest said quietly to her parents.

 Flipping through the channels this past week I happened on a news program in which elderly people were being asked to share their “wisdom”. One man, named Henry, had just celebrated his 100th birthday, so he became the focus of many of the questions.

 

 

    A great holy man and prophet came to a city to tell all of its inhabitants about the wonderful love of God. In the beginning, many people came and listened attentively to his sermons. Filled with enthusiasm, the holy man continued speaking about God's love. People still listened for a while, but gradually, one by one, they drifted away. Eventually there was not a single one to hear the holy man when he spoke.

    One day a traveler who had paused to listen to the holy man said to him, "Why do you go on preaching, and with such enthusiasm too?

Recently I read a series of articles and essays by Sister Wendy Beckett, an Anglican contemplative nun, who some years ago hosted a PBS and BBC special TV series on art. Before she entered the convent, Sr. Wendy taught school in South Africa. Prior to the convent she lived a very active life and all of her experiences have shaped her insights.

I was struck by a brief paragraph she wrote about the importance of silence in everyone's life. She said that silence is something that everyone needs. She wrote: