Thresholds

                                        T    A threshold

                                       H    has appeared,

                                       R    ripening,

                                       E    encouraging,

                                       S    silently.

                                       H    Hazy possibilities,

                                       O    opening to newness,

                                       L     lightness,

                                       D    and darkness.   Discernment.

S    Stand still on

T    this threshold

A    and wait for

T     time to open the door.

I     Invitation to pause,

O    open to the liminal space.

 P   Pause and wait.

E    Eventually you will

R    realize when you are called

E    to exit this place

G   with grace,

R   with respect,

I    in love and in faith.

N  Next step still unclear,

A  without anxiety or angst,

T   toward the

I    in between place

O  opening up to you.

By Marcia McLaughlin

March 15, 2019

Statio:  Practice of stopping one thing before beginning another

Peregrineatio:  Pilgrimage in a boat without an oar or rudder

Promise of Christmas

Advent

Promises of God

of Hope, Peace,

Joy, Love.

Promises of God

which we find elusive

as we look at our world.

A world of

      Hatred

      Violence in word and deed

Unrest

Climate change threatening

the existence of creation

Fear

Homelessness and hunger

Grief and loss

Mary, did you fear the future?

Or did you trust God’s promises?

Surely, you too had doubts.

Trust

in the midst of darkness

is difficult.

Yet, the truth of Christmas

is God,

God walking with us

in the darkness.

God does not promise

that there will never be darkness.

God promises that we can,

with the help of God,

find light and healing

in the midst of the darkness.

With God’s help,

we become

the bearers of light

bringing peace and healing

to our world.

The invitation of Christmas

is to be in the darkness

and to become

bearers of light

to a weary world.

Marcia McLaughlin

December 2015

January and A New Year

January

Cold, wet

Gray days

Short days

Long nights

Snow and ice

Frozen ground

Crisp, cold air

Mountain winds

Birds huddling

At a feeder

Seeking warmth

In the trees

Promises

New growth

Small green shoots

Tiny signs of spring

A new year

New chances

New starts

Forgiveness

A gift

from God.

by Marcia McLaughlin

Who will betray the Son of God

God created the heavens and the earth.  

The earth and all that is on it are the children of God. 

  

Who will betray the child of God?

Is it I? Is it I?

Betrayal:

a conscious act

a non-action

unawareness

apathy

not awake

Who will betray the child of God?

Is it I? Is it I?

God’s children are

polluted,

destroyed,

unsheltered,

hungry,

sick,

in prison.

Who will betray the child of God?

Is it I?  Is it I?

Betrayal

or

Wake up!  

Change!  

Act!

Resurrection is possible.

Poem and photography by Marcia McLaughlin

Good Friday, 2013

Seeing Anew

How often do you miss seeing little things that are right in front of you?  Last week I was at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, focused on bird watching.  I stopped to talk to two folks who were at an overlook, peering down into the bushes.  I asked them what they were looking at.  Tiny Pacific Tree Frogs!  I never would have seen them on my own.  I was looking for birds, especially ducks and other water birds.  Much bigger than frogs.  I don’t know why these frogs caught their eye, but once I saw these two, I started seeing many other frogs in the bushes around the overlook. 

Talking to this couple about the frogs changed my outlook that day.  Some geese flew overhead as we were talking.  One of them asked what’s flying over head.  I responded Canada Geese.  She said no—the sound is different, it’s higher.  Later, I asked one of the refuge volunteers about the geese.  They weren’t Canada Geese—they were Cackling Geese, a smaller goose that looks very much like a Canada goose, but with a higher voice!  Because of my conversation with them, I also looked more closely at a field of what I assumed was full of Canada Geese.  And I found there another surprise, the Greater White Fronted Goose, which migrates through this area.  Before this trip, the Cackling Goose and the Greater White Fronted Goose were only pictures in my bird book.  This couple opened my eyes that day to new things.

Where in your life do you need to open your eyes and see something new?  Where are you assuming it’s just what you’ve seen before?  Or perhaps, seeing something you’ve seen before but with new eyes?  Where in your life do you need to listen more closely and hear something new or different?  We make so many assumptions!  Open your eyes, your ears, your heart to the newness around you.

Transitions in life

I don’t really know what causes this kind of transition line in the water.  I guess it’s probably something to do with the currents and tidal changes.  I saw this particular line from a ferry, crossing from Vancouver BC to Sidney BC.  As I looked at it, I kept thinking about transitions in life.  Our life transitions are a lot like this line.  There’s something going on below the surface that is not visible to a bystander; sometimes not even visible to the individual experiencing the transition.  Waves of change break in some places; others are smoother.  And it’s not a straight line!  Just as in this picture, there are curves and blips.  The waves of change may be events occurring in our lives, in our community.  They may be the call of God to a new way of life.

One of the things that fascinates me about this photo is the change in color, which is what makes the difference so visible.  I wish there was something that made my own transitions so visible!  Or the transitions of those I love.  Or are they visible?  Am I choosing not to see the change happening right before my eyes?  Journaling and meditation help me to be awake to the changes that are happening within and around me, to the call of God in my life.

At other times in my life, change has felt like I’m starting over a tall waterfall, threatening my very existence.  The change reflected in this current doesn’t seem so dangerous. And yet, it is as demanding of my attention. 

Are you awake to what is happening within and around you?  Are there currents that you need to be aware of?  I imagine that if you were steering a boat across this transition point in the water, you’d need to be prepared to respond to the currents.  Similarly, in our lives, we need to be prepared—or at the very least, paying attention.  Changes can happen that we cannot expect, but we can have spiritual tools in place that help us to respond.  What tools do you have in your tool box to assist you in responding to change?

O God, help me to see the gentle waves of change in my life and to ask for Your guidance in responding in a way which meets Your call for my life.  Amen.

Opening Vision

 

1 Corinthians 13: 12-13.  For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face.  Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Sometimes we have so much difficulty seeing clearly what is ahead of us.  This winter I was at Holden Village, a retreat center in the mountains above Lake Chelan.  The photo to the right was taken out my bedroom window, which was covered with snow.  The colors were beautiful, but I couldn’t tell at all what was beyond my window, other than the snow.  Less than 48 hours later, because of melting snow, I was able to see the trees and buildings beyond my window. Life can be like this—we struggle and struggle to make sense out of life, not seeing our way out of a difficult situation. 

Then something happens that changes our vision and brings sudden clarity.  The confusion and struggle melt away as the snow did, opening up to an answer.  The snow melts when the temperatures get warm enough.  One can wait for that to happen or use a shovel to dig your way through the snow.  When our vision of a situation is blocked by something, we may have to wait or perhaps there is something we can do to bring clarity.  What or who helps you when you are in the midst of confusion and struggle and need clarity?  Since my blocked window was on the 2^nd floor, I wasn’t capable of removing the snow.  I had to wait.  Are you able to wait when nothing you can do removes the block, when struggling is futile?  How is God a part of finding clarity? How is God a part of stopping the struggle and waiting?