From palmettos to camellias....

Time to say farewell to this blog...as I leave the palmettos of Florida and embrace the camellias - and magnolias and Spanish moss and azaleas and...and...[fill in the blank].. of Alabama's Black Belt. Stay tuned...just different address!! Alabama Grace Notes!! Peace, Betsy+

Christmas Trees

On my way to church yesterday evening to unlock and prepare for the early Christmas Eve service, I drove past the local Christmas Tree lot in the heart of Navarre. I was unprepared for what I saw. Daily - since Thanksgiving - I have driven past that lot and seen rows and rows of carefully chosen and cared for Frazier Firs underneath big white awning. About three days ago, I noticed that more than half of what must have been a hundred trees had yet to be selected and taken home with a happy and eager family. That day I thought...hmmmm....still three more days to Christmas, must be a lot of folks out there waiting (as we do in our home) to decorate a tree. Perhaps there are a lot more locals living into Advent than I had thought. 

I should have known better. Because last night as I drove past the lot all the trees were gone - not to happy homes but instead to a mound of chopped up Frazier Firs that must have been seven feet tall just outside the white canopy. Alas, those beautiful trees had found their way not to cozy warm home to be decked out with lights and ornaments, but instead to a communal "burial ground" - unable to "live into" what had been their destiny when they had been planted at a Christmas Tree farm years ago. How sad.

The Good News of Christmas is that, through the astounding love expressed in the Christ Child born today, God has given each one of us the astounding gift of being chosen, adopted, "taken home," if you will - to be adorned and loved and cherished as special in the household of God's Kingdom. And to the extent that we too embrace and take into our hearts those who have been cast-away - the "unchosen evergreens," the needy, and the hurting in this world -  we will participate with God in the New Birth of God's New Creation.

Next year, why not look for the smallest, crookedest, and most ungainly tree for your Christmas, bring it home and adorn it with love and appreciation. And do so in something of the same way with those people who are also at risk of being passed over and in a very real sense, disposed of by our society? 

School Zones

     I am more and more aware of my deep need for quiet and peace, peace and quiet, in the midst of my often chaotic and cacophonous life. In my new commute to church from home - 20 minutes along US 98 with aggressive drivers, confused tourists, ever-present cellphone users, and stop lights every mile or so - a surprise gift has come in the form of .... school zones, of all things! Realizing that schools are nearly done for the academic year, I am hoping to continue my spiritual discipline of slowing down mentally as I traverse each of the three school zones through which I drive from home to church each day. realllllyyyyy ssssllllooowww dddooowwwnnn......

    Similarly, I seek to create space for "school zones"(= sabbath times) on a regular basis at home as well.  My mind is so full and there are so many lists that never end. My prayer is that I will be intentional about seeking the spaces for slowing down that are essential to a healthy spiritual life. Learning to let go. Learning to laugh more. Learning to languish in God's love. Learning to look for and love school zones of all sorts in life. 

   School may be out, but this school of spiritual growth is always "in."

    

Surviving Hurricane Season

Well, it came today. The annual mailing to area residents. "2008 - Hurricane Tracking and Survival Guide." A firm reminder of the fact that we here in Florida are on the cusp of this year's hurricane season. I am still working on a healthy response to this chronic anxiety-producing meteorological reality of our life here on the Coast. My first year back home from seminary, Hurricane Dennis hit the day I was to preach my first sermon in my new parish. Instead, David and I celebrated the Eucharist in our small breakfast room - with Dominic our canine companion as congregation. The year before, while I was still in New York in my last year at seminary, David was in our new home by himself when Hurricane Ivan hit. Terrifying for him. Terrifying for me being hundreds of miles away. We still feel the effects. 

      So when June 1st rolls around each year, we become on high alert. We restock our hurricane supplies. Check our gas cans. Replenish our pantry larder. Reassess our personal information. Make sure Dominic's immunizations are up to date. Move the Weather Channel to first place on our list of computer favorites. Revisit our respective parishes' storm preparedness plans. Make lists. Make lots of lists. Dip into Weather Underground [the best place for updates] each AM. And pray for a non-anxious and centered presence throughout it all.

       The last two years have been relatively gentle for us here on the Gulf Coast. Not so for others in other parts of the world. But these two milder years here have given us some breathing room to be better prepared for whatever the weather ahead. 

     It seems to me that our lives as Christians can also be seen as being always lived - in fact - during "hurricane season" in a way. Whether subtle or overt, we are always vulnerable to the powers and principalities of the world that seek to destabilize or even destroy us. May we always live in a state of preparedness as faithful Christians - stock our spiritual larders, be faithful to our spiritual disciplines, stay connected to those people in our spiritual journeys so important to us, and live each moment of each day as a precious gift from our loving God. 

     As we do so, we will move beyond simply "surviving" to really "living." 

        

The learning curve steepens

Today went to the library to check out some books on CD to download onto my new iPod [!!!] and came across a newly published book called - appropriately - Blogging for Dummies. Checked it out. I need all the help that I can get!! Bear with me as I learn the nuts and bolts and fonts and colors and ins and outs of this new world. As new to me as palmettos were some 25 years ago!!

Teaching an old dog new tricks

My first excursion into blogosphere! Exciting but a bit daunting for this "over-the-hill" middle-aged priest/physician. Hopefully though this will give me a space for reflection, creative writing, dialogue with others with similar interests, and an opportunity to grow in faith and understanding. I invite others who resonate with my entries to join me in "conversation"! Blessings, health, and peace from palmetto country....