 Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I am so ridiculously distracted. Our house and garden (= our home) are in shambles at the moment. We were already looking at a lot of garden renovation, but since the deep freeze and subsequent house damage, it’s a whole new ballgame. It’s okay, too. It’s just… even if I wasn’t a list maker, which I am, I would be making, arranging, and rearranging all sorts of lists! Also, I need to up my shopping game pronto! In my case, that pretty much means starting right above basic necessities. I am finally beginning to comprehend that if you avoid shopping as much as possible, you really will never know what’s out there – and sometimes, you should know. Aaaagh. So… what first? Plan? Research? Shop? I wonder if I can find articles on how to begin? Begin which? Garden plans, floor tiles, light fixtures, paint… closet. Closet! Our closet will be “torn asunder” – floors, walls, ceiling, shelving. How do I want it set up? I say “I” because, really, it might be the last thing on Joseph’s mind right now. But I love the possibilities and up till now, I only know of a few. We have simple tastes, but I would hope to maximize every inch of space. Pinterest, here I come! The fact that our garden needs major work, especially now that it’s clear that some of the plants won’t return, is both exciting and alarming. I suppose that if we drag it on through mid-summer, it will be okay. No matter what, for the first time in many years, we won’t be able to host Easter at our house. Today’s weather has mirrored my state of mind. Early on, it was blah – damp, humid, muggy. Then the sky grew dark and eventually broke in a torrent. Now, midafternoon, it’s sunny and cool! I’m going out to the garden. I’ll work for a couple of hours. I might even take a glass of wine with me. Or a Guinness. Now, that makes sense, doesn't it? Cheers! You can expect garden photos! I might post closet photos one day, but nothing’s happened yet. It will be a while. I might fret and fume at times, but in my heart, I am grateful. I hope I am very grateful always. 
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 I just love this stained glass image of Saint Patrick from Saint Patrick Church, Junction City, Ohio. The colors are so vivid and the saint looks so determined! St. Patrick lived a long time ago, in the fifth century. Myths and legends about him abound, but some of his writings have survived as well, and there are some beautiful poems attributed to him.
It is generally accepted that he was a missionary, that he converted Ireland from paganism to Christianity. I like to focus on this aspect of his life. Being a missionary could not have been easy. He would have had to be extraordinarily unselfish. Can we do that? Dedicate our lives to our missions? And what would those missions be? Of course, a little celebrating can do wonders! In Dublin, the Saint Patrick Festival has created a wonderful online event with days of videos portraying Irish food, music, and history. On St. Patrick's Day, 11:25 GMT, Pat Liddy will be tour guide In the Footsteps of Saint Patrick. I recommend the website. It's amazing! Have a wonderful Saint Patrick's Day!  Not to feel exasperated, or defeated, or despondent because your days aren't packed with wise and moral actions. But to get back up when you fail, to celebrate behaving like a human -- however imperfectly -- and fully embrace the pursuit that you've embarked on."
-- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations We don't always see the good in ourselves. Too often, we focus on the negative. Granted, we're not always our best selves and that's where Marcus Aurelius' quote comes in. My favorite part, "to celebrate behaving like a human -- however imperfectly", is a call to both pride and humility. We are who we are, and we will make mistakes -- large and small -- but that doesn't mean we give up or give in. I noticed the egret on a short walk this morning. I did not see the reflection, so I was surprised when I looked at it a little later. The bird didn't seem to notice her reflection, either, and it crossed my mind that sometimes we don't see ourselves at all, even when we're looking. And that's when we need to embrace a little calm, take a breath -- recall our unique humanity -- then pick ourselves up and continue. No one can walk our journey but ourselves. Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season!  Someone recently asked me what sparks my creativity. Two major sources of inspiration for me are being with people I love and nature. Last week, I enjoyed a hike through some woods and a day at the coast. I loved it. The hike was fun mostly because I was with our son Bashir, who also writes. We decided that a day in nature would be good for our writing. We headed to a state park. Ridiculously, I hadn’t taken hiking into consideration, although I love it and we were going to a park. Interesting, right? Bashir, of course, hadn't considered not hiking. Of course, he wouldn't. Neither one of us are exactly famous for our sense of direction. We struck off down a path with notebooks, pens, and our phones. No water -- I, genius, didn't think we would spend much time along that particular path. Again, what? I was a little bit of a wreck, to be honest. I was wearing crop pants and no-show socks. Everywhere I looked, I saw poison ivy and poison oak. What had I been thinking? Probably not so much about hiking as sitting beside the river, under the old, live oaks, writing and nibbling on snacks. I have an unreasonable fear of poisonous plants.  Bashir wasn’t bothered in the least. He marched confidently down paths lined with poison ivy while I held my breath. He made his way to scenic overlooks while I hung back doubtfully. He surprised me, too. He knew exactly how to return to the parking lot. He was paying attention to the trails and not focusing solely on groundcover! We finally did get to my lovely setting by the river. A cool breeze blew over the water, leaves drifted from the trees, and we soaked it all in. We talked. We snacked. We wrote. It was beautiful.  “Whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence or anything worthy of praise, think of these things.” Phillippians 4:8
Not a lecture. Not a suggestion to bury our heads in the sand. It's permission to take a mental break, an invitation to opt for peace, choose the high road. Sometimes, especially if we're under siege -- of any sort -- it might not seem possible to find anything positive or hopeful to think about. But there is something, and we should try to find it and ponder it as a gift to ourselves because that's when we need it the most. Wishing you moments of peace. |
A Little of This, a Little of ThatKeep me away from the wisdom that does not cry, the philosophy that does not laugh, and the greatness which does not bow before children. – Gibran Khalil Gibran Archives
November 2024
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