Author: cometsgirl

A number of years ago my best friend and I exchanged gifts.  These gifts were a bit unusual, but they fit the circumstances of our lives at a certain time, more her life than mine.  Still, there was upheaval in that moment for each of us, and these gifts fit perfectly.

I gave her an airline ticket to Boston so she could go on retreat at the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, a monastic community of the Episcopal Church.

She gave me a six-week online course entitled Photography as a Contemplative Practice, offered by Abbey of the Arts.

I was faithful to the course for a short while. I have returned to the course a number of times since, though never completing it.  I returned once again this day.  There is no telling how far I will travel on this photographic pilgrimage, but for now I am on my way.

The author suggests that “photography is a deeply contemplative practice, and if approached with reverence and intention, it can help us to see the holy moments all around us”. There is a lot of contemplative time and exercises associated with this course, and that’s quite likely why I have not embraced this as completely as required.

Who is surprised to hear this?  I imagine no one who knows me. Still, I’m ready to step into the contemplative moment.

Something that caught my attention years ago, and has remained in my mind, is the idea about the word “taking” photos. The author suggests we should receive, rather than take, the gifts around us and to be “present enough so that when the photographic moment arrives, we are able to receive it fully, with our whole hearts”.

I’m definitely quoting here, because I just don’t speak in this manner.  I can, however, hear and understand the possibility.

All this to say, it’s the Fourth of July, and I’m mindful about the freedoms I enjoy and of the need to be reminded from time to time so as to never take for granted my privilege of freedom and my free-from tyranny.

I began this day as I generally do.  Cappuccino, and the NY Times. Then I took a long over-due walk. Later, my Fitbit app  sent encouragement to me by letting me know that I only had 2,225 more steps until my goal of 10,000 steps.  I admit I’ve not seen that encouragement for a good while.  Too much rain and a bit too much lethargy.

Faced with an empty rest of the day, I was reminded of Barbara Crafton’s words from an essay she wrote about living each day in such a way that if you were to look back on yesterday, you would not perceive it as a “wasted’ day,  She cautioned that one does not  get another chance of living the day that has passed.

I decided this day was a day to embark on a photographic pilgrimage

I set out on a walk around my home.  I went no further than a circumference around my home of about 100 feet.  I was looking for colors and shapes that form this day in my mind and heart.

Here’s what I received.

The American flag, and it’s colors.

Bells of liberty.

A reminder of “this fragile earth, our island home”.

Celebration.

Expectation and promise.

Home.

My pilgrimage time was filled with contemplation and revelation. And with quiet — just enough quiet for me.  I even sat and swung for a time. Face-timed for a couple of minutes with my friend with whom I shared the gift-giving those few years ago.

Tomorrow I will do Day 2 of Week 1 of this photographic exploration.

A thought as dusk settles on this Independence Day. A good while back I clipped this image out of a newspaper, and used the Jeremiah passage for the 4th of July cards I made that year.  Designed by Mordechai Rosenstein, it sought to honor one who perished in the 9/11 WTC attacks. The Hebrew translates to: “Seek the peace of the Nation… and pray then it to God, then through its peace will you have peace.” Jeremiah 29:7.

How can I use my gift of freedoms to ensure others also have this gift?  Perhaps this photographic pilgrimage will point the way.

 

 

 

Returning home took some real effort, primarily by a petite, and high energy airline captain; along with the cabin crew. Severe weather forced Captain Jennifer to fly our loaded plane to Huntsville, Alabama, last night. The flight from Seattle to Atlanta began with a departure delay of two hours due to weather conditions in Atlanta which held up our “pick-up” aircraft.

A two-hour delay didn’t feel like a real inconvenience – just a later arrival home than originally planned. Lined up to board, the art installation at Terminal A was not only stunning, but a calming distraction as well.

It was a most beautiful day to fly!

Not long after takeoff, I gazed out the window hoping to see Mt. Ranier.  I wasn’t sure the mountain would make an appearance as we flew through clouds headed for our cruising altitude.

And then……….there it was.  Wrapped in clouds below, jutting up toward the brilliant blue sky. A WOW moment!

Cruising along in our metal tube, relaxed in my chair, the sights down below were like none I had seen before.

The Great Salt Lake and its environs were a color-filled scene below.

Next up was the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.

The mountain views ended over western Colorado.

For the next hour or so, things were on track.  As I try to always be connected when I fly, this flight was no exception.  I brought up my app that lets me see my flight and its trajectory in the midst of all the adjacent flights.  I noticed we were going a bit out of the way, and then the straight line of flight became a large oval.  And another oval, and additional off-the-beaten-flight path routes appeared.  Uh oh.

Severe storms in Atlanta were the cause.  We were in a holding pattern.  What transpired over the next hour or so of hopping and skipping through the sky, was an unplanned stop in Huntsville, Alabama. Atlanta’s airport was CLOSED, and we were low on fuel.

Sunset as seen from 32,000′ as we turned left for our layover in Huntsville.

Captain Jennifer kept us cheerfully and honestly informed through it all.  The cabin crew agreed to extend their day.  And so it came to pass, that we spent a couple of hours on the ground, refueled, and then flew for 30 minutes to Atlanta.

After deplaning, one normally takes the escalator to the tunnel to catch the plane train. At 2am the train had ceased to be in service, so the walking trek from Terminals C to B to A to T to baggage claim began.  It was much needed exercise after having been seated for most of nine hours.

Another two hours and we pulled into the driveway – home – safe and sound.

Thanks be to God. And thanks be to Captain Jennifer and her most excellent flying skills.

Let’s review: The word commencement is derived from a 13th century French word meaning beginning or start. Commencement is the celebration of a new beginning, a new chapter in one’s life. One does not attend a graduation, because graduation is the completion of all education requirements and recorded accordingly.

It turns out Valerie had one more graduation requirement to complete before she could take part in commencement. She, along with the other 35 girls in her 8th grade class, had to write a 350 word speech, and then deliver it at the ceremony. THEN, she would meet all graduation requirements.

We began the evening by dining at Poquito’s restaurant.

Then on to the ceremony.

The school is a building previously owned by the Catholic Church. Built in 1904 , it’s the kind of structure her grandparents, or even her great-grandparents, would have attended in their high school years.

The ceremony itself was next door at the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

The girls entered one by one.

One of my favorite lines of Mary Oliver’s The Summer Day, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” was included in one of the teacher’s exhortations to the students.

The 36 speeches were incredible! These 8th graders had such presence, and such beautiful and thought-filled words, we were astonished and delighted.

NOW Valerie could commence.

Diploma in hand, she is officially a high-schooler.

It was a grand gathering to honor the accomplishments of this most special young lady.

The grandparents have dispersed, some early this morning, and the others shortly, all carrying the love and presence of family in our hearts.

Traveling mercies.

The grandparents are here, just as they should be. Here to gather and celebrate. To honor a granddaughter and help usher her forward into the next places in her life.

Last night we gathered to reunite and reflect. To share tales of our life journeys since we last were all together. And, of course, to recall stories about being with our grandchildren, both the two whom we share, and the others we grandparent beyond this family.

We met at The Nest, a newly opened lounge located on a building top adjacent to Seattle’s Elliot Bay. To take the elevator up to the rooftop, wrist bands were required. Once settled in, we relished the views and our time together.

A must see stop-and-look on the drive home.

Several years have passed since we were all together. It is wonderful to reunite.

The gathering continued today with a trip to Pike’s Market for lunch and provisions.

After lunch it was time to shop for dinner. Abundance at the market.

Gathered around the dinner for sustenance of food and family.

It was a day filled with in-and-out conversation, reflecting back and looking forward.

Tomorrow is both graduation and commencement. Stay tuned.

Some time ago I read an article about two chicken joints in Seattle. Ezell’s Famous Chicken and Heaven Sent. They are battling over an endorsement from Oprah. It’s a confusing story, but suffice it to say that each entity has a legitimate claim to “owning” an Oprah endorsement.

Seattle residents host taste tests. We decided to do just that. After we were picked up at the airport yesterday, we made two stops on the way home.

We purchased legs, thighs, and breasts, along with rolls and sides, at each chicken joint.

We somewhat systematically distributed samples of each for the tasting. Surprisingly there was 100% agreement for Heaven Sent. While not exactly scientific, we declared this to be our – and Oprah’s – favorite. It was all delicious and a good time was had by all.

When I come to Seattle for a visit, one thing I love to do is find worship at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral. It’s a beautiful structure, situated on Capitol Hill, overlooking the city. It’s breathtaking inside and out.

We were there for the 9 o’clock service of Holy Eucharist. While the service was traditional in structure, prayers throughout the service were taken from the Prayer books of New Zealand and South Africa. The version of the Nicene Creed was a trial version as authorized for use by the 1997 General Convention.

I’m often so sure of myself as I utter familiar words from the service. Today I was sharply reminded of verbal complacency. The use of alternative liturgy caused me to pay attention to the words I spoke, and to find unexpected beauty in the unfamiliar liturgy.

There was another draw for me in this space this sabbath day. The installation of Josh Faught’s Sanctuary.

Hanging on one of the church pillars, it soars 50′ high. It is stunning. Two panels are dyed in bright reds, purples and blues. The piece expresses a commitment to gay pride, Woven into the hand dyed cotton, hemp, and gold lame are various artifacts intended to represent “gay shame”, in terms of the traumatic aspects of being gay so many young people feel. It is thought provoking, to say the least, and a reminder of how so many suffer so much for just being whom they are born to be.

Intercessor: We celebrate the blessing of our earthly home, part of the vast universe within your creation, Creator God,

Assembly: Awaken us to your presence and love.

Taken from the the service of Holy Eucharist on The Third Sunday After Pentecost.

Bonus! I’ve got double viewing from my chair in the tube at 30,000+ feet.

Check out the view. It appears this cloud formation is resting on a pillow of cloud billow.

Here we are passing over Colby, Kansas.

And now Cheyenne, Wyoming. You can see the Rockies way off in the distance.

Gazing down on our land, I’m reminded of a recent episode of Krista Tippet’s On Being podcast. Her guest was Michael McCarthy, a naturalist and author of The Moth Snowstorm:Nature and Joy.

He talked about how the natural world is where we evolved and how “there is a legacy deep within us, a legacy of instinct, a legacy of inherited feelings, which may lie very deep in the tissues — it may lie underneath all the parts of civilization which we are so familiar with on a daily basis, but it has not gone; that we might have left the natural world, most of us, but the natural world has not left us.”

What we are called to do right now, is to defend nature. We should offer up what it means to our spirits; the love of it. We should offer up its joy.

Now flying over Barroil, Wyoming.

Oh, look, it’s the Rocky Mountains near Lander, Wyoming.

McCarthy says the joy nature gives us is distinct from fun or pleasure. It is an intense happiness and that “joy looks outward to another person, to another purpose; and that joy has a component, if not of morality, then at least of seriousness. It signifies a passionate happiness the natural world can trigger in us all.”

Now passing above Jackson, Idaho.

Whoa! Where did the Rockies go? Over Dubois, Idaho.

Now gliding over, Leadore, Idaho, with the Rockies back in view.

Returning to McCarthy, “my contention is not that we all love nature, but my contention certainly is that we are all capable of loving nature, because in us, at the very deepest level, in the bottom of our psyches, we have a link to the natural world, which really goes to the essence of who we are.”

Tippet commented “there is an emergence of literature of public health, about contact with the natural world and human well-being” and the positive affect this has upon each of us.

Gazing out over Grangeville, Idaho, I’m thinking this can’t be good, for hope of seeing Mt. Ranier.

The conversation concluded “with the world that we love, and that bond we have with the natural world – if we could take that seriously, that could keep us, also, attending, and then participating in the healing of our natural world”.

I have just spent 4 1/2 hours gazing upon this portion of the natural world. I have been filled with joy as I gazed below.

There it is! Peeking out. Mt. Rainer. 14,441′. Awesome sight.

Now we descend. Soon to arrive.

Traveling mercies.

It seems my previous post was misleading to some, especially my Seattle family.  They read it and wondered if we were arriving in just a few hours.

Oops.  Sorry about the brief shock.

I am, however, on my way this day.

After “Clear”ing security, and a walk from Terminal A to D, I hopped on the plane train for international Terminal F. While I’m not flying out of the country today this is where I can find Starbucks and a cool lounge, a bonus provided by the credit card I carry. I know, privilege.

These folks have international flights. I hope they make it to the gates in time.

I’ve another hour or so before takeoff, so let me tell you about a Kickstarter Project I learned about last night.

Here’s the scoop;

For Freedoms founders Hank Willis Thomas and Eric Gottesman launched the 50 State Initiative, a campaign to bring 52 thought-provoking billboards designed by artists to all 50 U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Their goal: to spark open civic dialogue about freedom and equality nationwide.

They are partnering with artists, art institutions, colleges and universities.

Check it out here:

https://creators.kickstarter.com/forfreedoms/?ref=HappeningNewsletterJun0918&utm_medium=email-mgb&utm_source=happening-newsletter&utm_campaign=happening-06092018&utm_content=image

I’ve backed Colorado, Georgia, Texas, New Mexico and Washington state. Join me!

Next post sky-high!

ANOTHER beginning. This makes three new beginnings in the last six months, with two of them just two weeks apart. I’m enjoying all these new chapters in the lives of those whom I love! While primarily a spectator, I’m nonetheless engaged.

Yes, it’s chair-in-the-sky time again.

So listen, I just today read an article about airport layovers ( I believe this pertains to the waiting time for flights as well), and the many ways they can be beneficial to travelers.  One thing really caught my attention – the author posited that “perhaps the most crucial element of the layover is that is arrives at the exact moment when you need to be pacified….as things are about to get serious. The airport tends to mark a moment of significant change. You are about to get inside a metal tube and scream through the sky into a whole new emotional reality.”

Well, indeed that is the case. While I appreciate the image of the comfort of a chair in the sky, the reality is I AM in a metal tube screaming through the sky.  Oh my!

One of those tubes passed by on a recent flight.

This will be a much longer ride, too. Five hours. I’ve prepared by pre-purchasing internet access for the flight, and by downloading books and video content on my tablet. And of course, music to fly by.

Plus, I’ve reserved a seat on the “mountain”side of the plane. The mountain being Mt. Rainer. It’s an awesome sight to see. But first, other mountains come into view.  First up is Mt. Adams, followed by Mt. St. Helens (note the lack of a peak which blew off thirty-eight years ago).

The anticipation grows. Will THE mountain be out?  Or will it be shrouded in clouds. But then, when it does comes into view, it’s stunning.

And then the plane comes alongside. 14,441′ high!

Always the first thing I think about when I see Mt. Rainer is the fact that my Seattle son has summitted this mountain four times.  I don’t know about him, but that’s enough for me. On one trip I flew right over the top of Mt. Ranier and I imagined my son in that very spot.

All this to say, we are gathering for my second granddaughter, Valerie’s Middle School commencement, and transition to high school. Another set of grandparents will be part of the gathering. They have me beat, as they have five commencements in 9 days, coast to coast. They have many miles in a steel tube on their graduation tour.

Maya Angelou has said “Nothing can dim the light that shines from within”. This young woman radiates light. It’s in her voice, her eyes, her laughter. It’s in her passion for fairness, for seeing beauty in all, and for serving those in need.

I spotted this open lock on my walk yesterday. It makes me think about the doors, gates, and the many opportunities ahead to be unlocked. For Valerie. For each of us.

Traveling mercies.

Jack and Georgia each have a new beginning ahead – Jack has college, Georgia has her soon-to-begin employment as a nurse. Both were ushered on after having completed a certain course of study and preparation, and were carried, celebrated, and honored by family and friends.

Pride in, and love for, is a constant.

And so those who came to gather now disperse home to our own lives, knowing with certainty there will be new beginnings to come. As a matter of fact, I have one coming up in Seattle in just twelve days.

I know, too, that each of us has our own new beginnings ahead. I’m pondering my own. How shall I begin anew?

How shall I be transformed?

This new day is filled with possibility and promise.

Pay attention. “Wherever you are right now, there is something lovely you have stopped noticing because you see it every day. Enjoy.” Meditations on the Psalms for Everyday.

Or….perhaps a new “fave”.

At last, the day for which we have all gathered – commencement!

Rising at 4:45am, and making a quick stop at Starbucks, we were on our way. It is no secret that I like to arrive early, especially when seats need to be reserved.

First in line! Forty-five minutes prior to the doors opening, we were in a prime position to secure ten GOOD seats. (I know, it says 6 is the limit—). And that’s how it came to pass, that we would be seated on the preferred side, and preferred level, with a most excellent view.

We watched Jack enter and take a seat. He’s seated in the row adjacent to the concrete steps on the left. Not certain where we were seated, he glanced around and our enthusiastic group wave identified us. With a slight nod he acknowledged us. Such a cool guy.

The Keller ISD school superintendent made a few remarks as the ceremony began, including “as you leave here it’s a new beginning.” The salutorium suggested “let go of the past eighteen years and face the unknown. The valedictorium told the students, “life is now what we make it – get busy living!”

“Set your own path.”

“Be grateful for the blessings bestowed upon you.”

Afterwards we caught up with Jack in the midst of hundreds of families all seeking to reunite with their graduate. Boisterous and gentle joy.

“You’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting,

So… get on your way!”

Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!