SOL 3/31/2024: Saturday Wisdom from a Seven-Year-Old!

In spite of a long line and extremely breezy conditions, Blake pulled up to a favorite spot for kolaches and began standing in line, a line that wound out the door and halfway across the parking lot. I stayed in the van with three of my grands: Teddy, Ruthie, and Lily. They had just picked me up from my hotel and Roots Tech 2024.

I got out of the van at one point to chat with the grands so I could see their faces, but both the girls have coughs and the wind swirling around us didn't seem to be good for them. So back I crawled into the front seat. We predicted how long it would take for their dad to get into the restaurant. Finally, he disappeared from Teddy's sight. Then we predicted how long it would take him to reach the counter, place the order, and return to the van.

We talked about Ruthie's preschool, Teddy's favorite subjects in first grade, and I was introduced to each grand's favorite stuffie. I decided to tell them about the "Three L's of Kindness" (Listen, Lift and Love) shared by an emcee from one of the general sessions at the conference. 

As we discussed each "L", I asked Teddy what was meant by lift. 

"Are we supposed to actually lift people, as in picking them up?"

Without hesitation, seven year old Teddy replied, "No, Grandma, you lift someone by lifting their spirits." Then we talked about scenarios when we could lift a friend.

Perhaps our world needs more wisdom from the mind and hearts of seven year olds!

(By the way, the kolaches were yummy and worth the wait!)

I am thrilled to be joining my slicing friends even though I missed the first two days.

Slice of Life: Blossoms!

Two weeks ago we ventured to the park on a blustery January morning with grandson Ollie. On our return to the parking lot, a spot of yellow lifted my spirits. 

 

I intended to write an elfchen, an 11 word poem. Then I discovered it's supposed to adhere to a specific structure. I didn't follow that structure, but my structure reminded me of a diamante poem. So I married the two forms. Meet my elfchante!

 

Winter

swirls brown

 leaves. Yellow curtsies

to brown, harbinger of

spring.

- Ramona Behnke

SJT: God's Love

Despite Patricia's reminder that SJT was coming soon, I was startled to see February 1 and Spirutal Journey Thursday arrive so quickly. Generally, I wait until my own post is written to read the posts of others. However, this month, I read Patricia's "Love Is" post before writing mine. I clicked on her link to the inspiring essay by Rabbi Sharon Brous, "Train Yourself to Always Show Up." Rabbi Brous shares an obscure Jewish text, about 2000 years old, that has become a north star in her life.

 Here's a paragraph I love from the essay:

"Showing up for one another doesn’t require heroic gestures. It means training ourselves to approach, even when our instinct tells us to withdraw. It means picking up the phone and calling our friend or colleague who is suffering. It means going to the funeral and to the house of mourning. It also means going to the wedding and to the birthday dinner. Reach out in your strength, step forward in your vulnerability. Err on the side of presence."

As a Christian, I often reflect on the two great commandments of Jesus as shared in Matthew 22:37-39:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

“This is the first and great commandment.

“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

One way that helps me love the Lord with all my heart is to feel His love for me as an individual. I like this quote by Susan H. Porter:

“. . . do you know how completely God, our Heavenly Father, loves you? Have you felt His love deep in your soul?

"When you know and understand how completely you are loved as a child of God, it changes everything. It changes the way you feel about yourself when you make mistakes. It changes how you feel when difficult things happen. It changes your view of God’s commandments. It changes your view of others and of your capacity to make a difference."

Susan Porter continues: 

"God’s love is not found in the circumstances of our lives but in His presence in our lives. We know of His love when we receive strength beyond our own and when His Spirit brings peace, comfort, and direction. At times it may be difficult to feel His love. We can pray to have our eyes opened to see His hand in our lives and to see His love in the beauty of His creations."

Sensing God's love for us increases our ability to love Him. As we love the Lord we gain the strength to reach out, to step forward, and be present for others. As we focus on seeing His hand in our lives, His tender mercies and loving kindness will be an ever present source of strength and love. Indeed, His love and presence will be the catalyst that nudges us to be present for our neighbors.

Patricia J. Franz at Reading, Writing, Wondering is hosting our February gathering with a Love Is... theme. Pop over to read posts of other travelers sharing thoughts on this theme. All are welcome to join us. 

Slice of Life: Stuffie Jeopardy Jumpstarted my Slice!

I'm trying to write a slice each week, in preparation for March which will be here before we know it. With no ideas about what to write, I resorted to a tactic I often use during March. I started reading slices from other people. And sure enough my slice found me!

Sunday morning found me teaching daughter's Sunday School class. (I volunteered to fill in because she was going to Costa Rica, only she didn't get to go because her husband got Covid, and in spite of being extra careful and isolating him from the rest of the family, one child got sick four days later, she got sick three days after that, and another child tested positive on Sunday morning.)

The class warm-up activity is High, Low, Buffalo! Each class member shares a high or low from their week, or a buffalo (a random fact about themselves). I used to do Roses and Thorns with my Sunday School class twenty+ years ago. I could have used this idea because there was always that kid who couldn't think of a rose or a thorn. We could have dubbed it Rose-Thorn-Candy Corn! (But I digress.)

My grandson, the only member of his family still testing negative, is in his mom's Sunday School class. He diligently wears a mask at home and school. He said his high for the week was a new game he and his brother created, Stuffies Incorporated. If you've read Stacey's slice for this week, then you'll know her Stuffie Jeopardy Fever jogged my memory about Stuffies Incorporated. 

The boys spent a large part of Sunday organizing their store and pricing the Stuffies. The store is on the upper bunk and big brother is the boss of the store. Once you select a Stuffie (prices range from $6 to $300), you can opt for a note to be included with the Stuffie at no additional cost. Then the Stuffie goes to the lower bunk where it's prepared for delivery by the younger brother. 

My husband and I did our shopping on Monday via FaceTime. He opted for the puppy and I chose the otter. They are wrapped and ready for delivery as soon as everyone at their house tests negative for Covid. I can't wait to see what's written on my note!

Slice of Life: This Is Progress?

Normally I do not answer calls from numbers I do not recognize. For some odd reason, I picked this one up. It was from a pharmacy I've never used, asking for my address so they could mail my prescription. 

I replied, "You're not my pharmacy."  

They countered, "Your insurance covered it. All you have to do is pay $15."

I replied, "Cancel it. I did not order medication from your pharmacy."

At this point, I connected to my chart, virtually, to look at my preferred pharmacy list. My mail order pharmacy and my local pharmacy were not there. Instead, this pharmacy that called me was listed on my chart. 

In an attempt to be a good digital citizen, I drafted a message to my provider, explaining the situation. But the "powers that be" would not let me to send the message.

Sigh! Back to the telephone.

After looking up my new provider's phone # (and entering it in my contacts), I called the office. 

Lucky for me, it was not a long wait until someone answered. I explained the problem, she replied that she saw my two pharmacies on my profile, and I insisted that is not what I was seeing on my end. 

After a bit, she replied, "Oh, I see what "she" did."

With a few more back and forth comments, my preferred pharmacies were changed back to the correct ones. Now let's hope that "she" doesn't access my chart any time soon.

More than half an hour after I had donned my coat to take a walk, I finally pulled the door closed behind me. I heard a message ding, glanced at my phone, and saw that my mail order pharmacy had received the order.

Whew! Sometimes I long for the good old days.

SJT: A Redux for 2024

I refused to join in the OLW (one little word) reveals for Tuesday's Slice of Life, choosing a slower, gentler approach to the new year. I was startled to realize that Thursday's Spiritual Journey theme was (you guessed it!) our OLW for 2024. I toyed with connect and more (I do love that rhyming phrase, More in 24!). It didn't take me long to realize that I wanted more  time with gather. It got stuffed into a moving box as we prepped for our cross country move from Washington to North Carolina and then stashed in the attic as we focused on unpacking essentials, finding new health care providers, and learning our way around our new community.

I've enjoyed showcasing my words for each year in this poem-in-progress. This is my twelfth year to choose a word for the year.

 

Listen to the stillness,

Savor the present moment,

Stretch to grow, and always 

Abide in His love to 

Nourish my soul and reach out in love. 

 

Delight in small moments and simple pleasures,

Try, a gentle word inviting growth and change.

Light becomes a beacon during difficult times,

Comfort wraps me in a year of coping with loss,

Clear leads to downsizing challenges and big changes.

 

Gather gets lost in a cross country move,

Gather stands firm to find its new groove.

-Ramona Behnke

 

I've never reused a word, but gather deserves more space in my heart and life. Here's the poem I composed in 2023 that I'll keep with one line added for 2024:

 

 What Will I Gather in 2024? 

Words, Moments, Stories

Wonders, Revels, Enchantments

Photos, Empty Boxes, Loose Ends

Friends, Loved Ones, Ancestors 

Hope, Goodness, Faith

Laughter, Love, Light

- Ramona Behnke

 

I can't step away from 2023 without highlighting a delightful gathering of friends for a book club trip to mark 25 years together. I wrote about this November gathering here.

Margaret at Reflections on the Teche is hosting our gathering for this first month of 2024. I'm arriving three days late. Pop over to read posts of fellow travelers sharing their spiritual journeys. We welcome all to join us.

Slice of Life: A gentle beginning to 2024

I glanced through the posted comments today and see that many slicer friends are ready with their new word for 2024. I'm not one of those people. I'm still waiting to settle on this year's word.

This post must be short, so I'll share some meandering I did today, collecting words that resonated with me during this year:

 

I snapped this poem from one of Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's posts:  

I love this quote so much that I had to stop and copy it into my journal of favorite words:

This was my last read of 2023. If you haven't read it, move it to the top of your list:

Happy New Year, my friends!

May your year be filled with

good friends,

perfectly ordinary moments,

daily delights,

and books you yearn to share.