Blog Posts

Prayer walk

12/28/2021

Since returning from Florence on the 17th, the weather for walking as been superb. In Florence, I walked about 7 miles; here at home, my walk is 2 or 3. That’s okay.
I’m committed to paying attention to the moment on these walks, noticing the surroundings, especially the trees; being aware of God’s creation and God’s gift to me to be living in this moment and in this beautiful space. God invites me to look up. And here is what gratitude I am blessed to enjoy and share with you.

Praying as a child of God

12/14/2021

This is just for you, my prayer diary friends. (As you know, I do my best to keep anything too prayerful, too religious, too Godlike out of my cottage by the sea blog.)
As I started out this morning to wander the streets of Florence and settle on where to stop for my first cappuccino of the day, I felt a restlessness.(I’m sure you know that feeling). So I decided to stop in at La Badia where I knew I could sit silently in prayer. When there isn’t a service going on in this ancient church, all that is happening is prayer! I sat for a good half hour, gazing at an icon of Jesus. My prayer felt deep as I sat with God and then prayed for people and situations. I left renewed, back in God’s world.
These paradigm shifts have been happening to me more and more these day, not just in Florence, but at home. I shift from trying to negotiation this world as only a human being, to being fully present in this world as a child of God. I think of Jesus, fully human, fully divine. I know I must spend time praying and meditation at the start of each day.

Annunciation in picture and message

12/11/2021

Below is today’s post on www.acottagebythesea.net. Put here I want to talk about the different poses and expression that the artists have given Mary when she is told she will be the god-bearer. As I consider God’s call to me, at various times I resonate with each Mary. I can receive God’s call with joy, acceptance, and willingness, but also with fear, reluctance, and denial. My stance can be confident, privileged, and powerful, but also meek, common, and humble.

Every time I come to Florence I get fixated on the paintings and frescoes of Annunciation . Just when I think I have snapped every depiction of Mary and Angel Gabriel, a new one appears. Yesterday, it was at the Academia. Most of us go there to see Michelangelo’s David, but I also love to climb to the first floor to absorb the paintings of the Florentine School 1370-1430, which include Late Gothic and Early Renaissance works. Most have been restored to the vibrant colors that were a landmark of the shops (bottega) where the artists and apprentices worked to create these magnificent altar pieces.
Wealthy patrons made sure that their own portrait joined the adoration of the magi or was present somewhere in the picture, tympanum, or predella. They were eager to do what they could do gain a place in heaven and to gain favor with the powerful in the city.

Thoughts and prayers: a writing project

11/17/2021

You can read about my new writing project on today’s acottagebythesea.net
Working title: Keep Me in Your Thoughts and Prayers; a phrase you are familiar with.
As a prayer person, I’ve often thought disparagingly when hear that phrase. It felt like a throw away. Currently, however, I am praying to get rid of my judgments and understand that ‘thoughts and prayers’ is inclusive. I don’t want to be a religious snob.

Praying out of love

11/15/2021

My sermon lifting up the saints at my church who passed away during the pandemic was received with open hearts. For me, the project from start to finished, has helped release some of the angst that has been too prevalent in my life. I’m talking about the anger and fear that I have allowed our country’s political situation.
I am praying that God will help me release the hold (worry/anger) that grips me. I hear God telling me to pray out of love: to keep my heart open to the good, to pray for those are not loving, and to concentrate on the commitments that I am called to keep: for my husband and I to stay in our home; to help and pray for those I know who are in need; and to pray for DCETG (democracy, the covid situation, the environment, teachers, and gun control). I am sure God hears these prayer more clearly when I am not upset.

Honoring the saints in our lives

11/6/2021

(Also posted on cottagebythesea)

You may have noticed a larger than usual time gap between my last post and this one. I haven’t taken a hiatus from writing. In fact I’ve been busy writing vignettes of the seven church members who died since the beginning of the pandemic when we stopped having in-person memorials services. Tomorrow I will share these at our All Saints Sunday Service.
    I’ve loved putting together recollections from family members and friends, snippets from published obituaries, and memories of my own (for I was privileged to know each person). Each died during covid, but not from covid. Six were in their nineties, the oldest being 99, the youngest, 79; four were men, three women.
   One challenge was to keep each vignette to between 350 and 400 words. The other challenge was to select three words that succinctly described each of these saints.
Here is the array of words that came forth: dependable, organized, ‘a good man’, kind, gentle, full of integrity, optimistic, determined, grateful, unfazed, forward-thinking, positive, loyal, honest, a gentleman, sense of humor, optimistic, fun-loving, 100% dedicated, reliable, loyal.
   I trust some of these apply to people you know, and yes, even to you.

Loving God, self, neighbor

10/30/2021

St. Barbara

“Love God with all your mind, heart, and soul; and love your neighbor as yourself.” We hear a version of that throughout the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, and we say, “Sure, that’s part of the Christian faith.” And then w are apt to move on, paying little attention to what that means, or, to be more specific, not living our lives loving God.
I’m good a compartmentalizing, addressing each aspect of my life differently. I can be compassionate toward someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer, and loving toward a neighbor who is facing a difficult decision. But then, I can be judgmental toward the politicians I don’t agree with; I can even wish evil upon them, forgetting they they too are my neighbor.
How can we become totally absorbed in loving God with all our mind, heart, and soul? By loving ourselves, because when we love ourselves, we can love our neighbors, each one of them. It’s not sequential, but if loving God is a good place to start.

Praying for the Red Sox

10/18/2021

I’m still praying for the two year old boy who was being beaten by his dad in front of the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence a couple of weeks ago. I’m also praying for the disturbed dad and the entire family, and for all families experiencing this kind of abuse. I am home, now; I have been for a week; the prayers continue.

Naturally, prayer is not practical, it is absurd; we have to realize that prayer is stupid from the ordinary common-sense point of view.

This comment by Oswald Chambers, that I posted today, challenges me as I pray. I can easily pray for this son and his dad; we can find general agreement that God does not want that kind of abuse. But what about other prayers in which right and wrong is not as clear? Some are wishes that seem selfish, and certainly ones that never get close to God.
For example, it is absurd to pray that the Red Sox win the World Series. In Roman 2:11 Paul tells us that God shows no partiality. Surely that must include a favorite baseball team.
But what about praying that a player do his best? But if I pray only for my team players, what about the other team? Is it different when individual players pray to do their best or thank God after a hitting a home run? I pray to do my best because I believe God wants that of me.

Please pray

10/5/2021

This morning I lit this candle for a two year old boy, his dad, and their family. Yesterday evening in the piazza of San Lorenzo (Florence) I witness this dad grab his son and pound him brutally in the head and then forcefully pick him up as little boy kicked and screamed. I was aghast. In all my years, this is the most violent brutality I have ever personally witnessed.
No one did a thing to help; I felt helpless. But, thanks be to God, there is prayer. Anyone reading this, please pray for this family. God will hear each of us praying in our own way from wherever we are in the world. Let us be grateful that we can help in this way, and for the internet in sending this prayer request.

Fiesole's Convent of St. Francis

10/2/2021

Yesterday I took Bus #7 to Fiesole and then walked the hill to the Convent of St. Francesco. The steep walk felt like a pilgrimage. This must have been my tenth visit to the monastery; oh, probably more. Again, my heart longs to be assigned one of those cells. Monks/nuns are called for life. I know that. But still, the longing remains and was renewed.