Fear of Flying

        Diana and Paul, my Colorado friends, own two dogs and a large parrot. One day their parrot escaped their house and flew to the top of an Aspen tree in their back yard. But the silly bird, though it knew it could fly up, didn’t realize it also had the power to fly down. Diana stood outside for 20 minutes cajoling until finally--nervously and very gingerly—the parrot crept down the tree, claw by claw, branch by branch.
       Even as I laughed at the story, I wondered: how often am I just like that silly parrot? How often do I fail to use all the power I possess? When we hold ourselves back, avoiding risk, it’s usually because we’re afraid.
      But as E. Hubbard wrote: “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one.”
      Scripture says, “Be not afraid.”
     A modern philosopher put it this way: “Feel the fear--and do it anyway.”
     Next time I feel afraid to take a legitimate risk, I’m going to think about that silly parrot. And instead of limiting myself, I’m going to spread my wings and fly.
     How about you?

What are you waiting for?

I call December the month of waiting. Remember when you were a child? It seemed as if the wait for Christmas morning took FOREVER.

 You had a wish list. Something special you hoped would be under the tree. Maybe your family--as my daughter’s family did--held “tree time” at night, when you would turn out all but the Christmas tree lights and sit together in the magical dream of the holiday.

Or the holy-day, because for church-goers, December is also about another kind of waiting: when you light a candle each week to observe Advent, marking the time before the birth of the Christ child.

 Notice how important the word “child” is in describing December’s waiting time? Not only in December, but all year, let us honor the child within ourselves--and to remember
a child’s eyes are open to see miracles,
a child’s heart is open to experience joy, and
the Christ child--”The Christ in me”--is forever being born again when we pay attention to those around us in a loving compassionate way.

A Laugh a Day?

Last week, I was hired to give an upbeat funny talk at the 40th birthday of a lovely lady who lives in Kansas City.

As I worked on stories for my talk, I referred to some notes I’d kept from a hilarious speaker named Jeanne Robertson, who tells stories in a Texas twang from her own life and who is so funny that, as she might put it, “I laughed so hard my water broke and I wasn’t even pregnant.”

At a workshop for members of the National Speakers Association, Jeanne encouraged us in a habit that I think everyone would benefit from --including you.

Said Jeanne: “Before you go to bed at night, think of at least one amusing experience you had that day.”

Oprah has told the world that it’s a good thing to make a daily list of our gratitudes, but how about also looking consciously at what is funny in our lives? 

Here’s why:

• Laughter reduces stress and anxiety. Ever tried looking sad when you’re engaged in a hearty belly laugh? 
• Humor shifts perspective. It helps us see situations in a less threatening, oh-poor-me light. 
• A sense of humor has something in common with a suit of armor: it protects us from the slings and arrows of each day. It can be a good friend when the going gets tough. 

TRY IT FOR ONE WEEK. See if you can find one amusing episode in your life every single day. Jot it down. At the end of the week, notice how you are feeling about life in general. A bit happier and less stressed?

The Gift of Memory

My son Andy was 18 and in college when he sadly said to me, "Mom, I don't have any of my own memories of Daddy. I was too young when he died.  All I have are the family stories." His statement shocked me. It made me profoundly aware of what a gift memory is.

 Right now, I'm enjoying the memory of a wonderful week spent with friends in the Colorado mountains.  What are some of your special memories? Getting your child ready for the first day of  school? A spontaneous "date" with your spouse?  A much-longed for trip you were finally able to take?

Sometimes we get so busy multi-tasking that we don't pay attention--we literally don't notice--our own memory-making moments.

Today, resolve to pay attention.  Notice.  And right now, take a moment to recall some of your own special memories. What a gift they are!

I’ve been remiss in writing my blog this past month--and for a good reason, I think. I went to Colorado to a wonderful Women’s Fitness Camp and left my computer  and smart phone behind. 

 Years ago, my friend Don Campbell, a man who truly walked his spiritual talk, said to me, “If you want a relationship with someone, you have to invest your time: the same thing holds true for a relationship with God. Start your day with an hour of prayer.”   

In these days of addictive texting and Face-booking, when we can easily spend an hour (or two!) checking  our Facebook messages, it’s worth asking: “Do I care enough about my day to day relationship with God to spend at least as much time communicating with my Creator?”  

In between hiking and biking and yoga and water aerobics at the Fitness Camp, I found it spiritually renewing to walk among the trees and gratefully ponder for an hour all the gifts in my life that have come from the great universal force of Love we call God. 

Notice how much time you spend on Facebook today. And then, ask: “Can I spend at least as much time in prayerfully building my relationship with God?”  

A Psalm For traveling along the Way

The path winds before me
Curving, hidden in parts
So I do not see where it turns.
And how easy it is to fear I will
Stumble or take a wrong turn.

Yet lifting my eyes upward,
Above the trees I see the sky,
blue and sun-tipped.
And in the dazzling brightness,
I step out in faith
Knowing I will not stumble for long.

Knowing that God is at my right hand
And at my left foot.
Above me as the dazzle.
Below me as the humous.
And when I walk with God
I never walk alone.

The Real Thing: Celebrating July 4th

American Reality is shaped by the freedom
into which all of us are born.
No more than we can experience what it is
to be a jellyfish can we understand
the reality of tyranny and non-freedom,
for we have never experienced what it is.

Our Constitution is more than our birthright.
It is our birth channel, for from its articles and amendments,
its freedoms and guarantees, we American are formed.

Nowhere on this globe can we find
a more perfect vision of freedom than the vision that
you and I got up with this morning.

And probably didn't even notice.