Let It Go

So much to blog about - So little time!   This is simply my way of saying there is so much going on, with so many opportunities to find joy.  This is not to say that much of what seems to be "going on" in many of our lives feels chaotic, uncertain, or confusing.  Change is everywhere!   The big question is how do we handle change?  How do you handle change? 
In a recent sermon I spoke about change as transition, and the need to let go in order to be open to the possibilities that will present themselves as a result of change.  I didn't say that letting go was easy.  Letting go is a practice that requires intentionality and faith.  I'm referring to faith as trust - trust in your best self, trust in those you love, trust in the universe and whatever you consider the Great Mystery or Divine in your life.
One of the most common quotes used in situations of loss, change, and transition, comes from poet Mary Oliver:
To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal, to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it, and, when the times comes to let it go, to let it go.
I must admit that I am learning to let go.  It's a difficult practice for me, but I know that it is a necessary practice.  There is humility in letting go; a humility that most of us could use a little more of.  So many lessons in the practice of letting go.  I'd love to hear about your struggles and successes with letting go, change, and the opportunities that open through transition.
May you know joy in your letting go and on the other side of transition!

Juggling Life

Life is nothing short of a juggling act - a juggling act that begins when we are children, juggling friends, music lessons, sport practice, schoolwork.  That juggling act becomes more complex as we take on more roles and responsibilities.  Sometimes we feel like we’re juggling giant glass balls, or dangerously sharp knives, or huge fire torches.   The stress can seem overwhelming as we struggle to keep everything moving through the air.  We can’t let even one fall or there will be disaster – glass will shatter, knives will cut, fire will burn, someone will be hurt. And there are days, or weeks, or months, when we feel like the acrobat on the high wire juggling chain saws! Talk about a disaster waiting to happen. A popular website for jugglers has as its slogan: "Keep throwing up"! And that’s exactly what it feels like sometimes when we're in the throws (no pun intended) of juggling.

Let's face it, we will always juggle, whether it's just 2 balls or 20.  And so there is a deep need for balance in that juggling.  A need for balance in our lives.   The famous opera singer, Jessye Norman, has said "Problems arise in that one has to find a balance between what people need from you and what you need for yourself."  I am working on that balance in my own life and know that it is no easy task.  It's a balance that can require big decisions and possible transitions.  The process of finding that balance can be painful in the short run.  I've never been fond of the catch phrase 'no pain no gain', and yet I find it to be too true in many of life's situations. 

One of my favorite descriptions of balance comes from author Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Gift of the Sea).  Lindbergh describes balance as "an alternating rhythm between… solitude and communion, between retreat and return."   There is joy to be found in balance; in that alternating rhythm. 
May we all know that joy.

Big decisions

Sometimes life's journey presents a stretch of road that requires big decision-making.  I'm talking about life changing, or at least tweaking, capital "B", big decisions.  It's the fork in the road that has your stomach doing flip flops ad nauseam (literally)!  I  imagine that most of us don't have to face those big decisions too often.  But when we do, it's not typically a joyous task.  It can be arduous, gut-wrenching, sometimes heart breaking, and even a bit depressing.  O, Joy, where art thou?

Joy may not be in the moment of discerning where to turn in the road, but joy is in seeing how far along the road you've already come, breathing in the present moment of life, and looking ahead to the possibilities further down the road.

There is no guarantee that the decision to take one path over another will be successful.  Without doubt it will hold opportunities for mistakes.  But somewhere along the path joy will spring anew.  I'm going to keep my eyes and heart open.  How do you face those big decisions in your life and where in that process do you find joy?