Minding the Light

 
 

Our Collective Journal
Dec. 2014/ Feb. 2015

“I have often felt a motion of love to leave some hints in writing of my experience of the goodness of God.”
–John Woolman 

Chapter 20
When has an experience of the Light changed your perception of someone or some thing?

Rotting Fruit.  Mark Pratt-Russum.
http://markprattrussum.com/nature

Body Blows

Posted on March 21, 2015
I have received two huge body blows of life.   When I was seven, my thirty-nine year-old father died suddenly.  I was raised by my widowed mother. More recently my twenty- two-year-old grandson Griffin died from a rare heart issue.   God, why do loved ones die before they grow old?  Two scriptures come to mind. Job 30:20, “I cry out to you, God, but you don’t answer” and Ecclesiastes 1:14, “I saw all the deeds that are done... [more]
 
 

Grace

Posted on March 21, 2015
These are the days of transformation Days where wood smoke scents the air for the first time Days where the light recedes and we grumble about how the dinner, that filled the home with warmth and the smell of cooked down onions, celery and carrots will be eaten as the sun sets Nights where as you approach the bed and nudge the opened window a bit closer to completely shut you think about what you... [more]
 
 

One Little Prayer

Posted on March 21, 2015
In 1999, doctors removed half my husband’s liver and gall bladder to eliminate a tumor.  Bill was expected home in ten days, but he survived 67 in ICU.  His nurse John was polite and thorough, but I found him very irritating. He never laughed or smiled, wouldn’t mention Bill had visitors, and worst of all, called me Ma’am! Arrgghh!   I tried to communicate with John. After sleeping at home, I would ask if anyone... [more]
 
 

Young Friend’s Story Chapter 20

Posted on March 21, 2015
Query:  When has God helped you see someone differently (like a friend or a teacher or a family member)?   I have a new boy in my class this year and he sits next to me. At first I thought he was annoying and I wished he wasn’t in my class. He kept interrupting the teacher during math. If I looked over at his side of the table he would say that I was copying... [more]
 
 

The Wall Between Our Houses

Posted on March 20, 2015
We happily introduced ourselves to our new neighbors when they moved in several years ago.  But they purchased the home for their future retirement, which means we rarely see them and have not developed much of a relationship. This summer my husband noticed the retaining wall between our houses was starting to crumble and was in need of an upgrade. He hired a contractor with a good price, but it’s taking a long time and... [more]
 
 

Dominos of Love

Posted on March 19, 2015
Choosing a single instance when following the light revolutionized my life seems impossible. Each time I have stopped and listened to my own inner voice something magical has happened. As a child, I recall setting up dominos in rows and mazes just for the pure joy of observing the chain reaction when they connected and came tumbling down, simply to be built again in another unique pattern. In a similar way, my actions of listening and acting have... [more]
 
 

How I Lost My Nemesis

Posted on March 19, 2015
How I Lost My Nemesis “…love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:44   I once attended church with a man who regularly joked about women, poor people, and those he felt were despised by God and hell-bent.  If I expressed my feelings about these slurs, he’d drag me into a long-winded argument that tried my patience. He loved to argue, even more if I responded to his bait. He labeled... [more]
 
 

Dazzled

Posted on March 19, 2015
My son Griffin dazzled me. I couldn’t look away. Each moment of his life was aglow, white-hot from the forge of living.   When Griffin died, the forge of his life went dark. His life no longer burns through the present. All the moments of his life are of equal brightness to me now. Each moment is a memory: Griffin made coffee with cinnamon, he loved the long take in movies, he read about dinosaurs,... [more]
 
 

Connections

Posted on March 19, 2015
I suspect there are others of you who feel like I do.  Many times, when I’m in a large group of people, I feel very alone.  That may seem odd, but it’s true. I may be surrounded by people, often people I know, but I feel very small and practically invisible. I don’t really feel connected to anyone when I’m in a large group…but Minding the Light helps change that.   When my copy arrives in... [more]
 
 

Acceptance and Navigating Grief

Posted on March 19, 2015
“Moses climbed from the Plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the peak of Pisgah facing Jericho. God showed him all the land from Gilead to Dan, all Naphtali, Ephraim, and Manasseh; all Judah reaching to the Mediterranean Sea; the Negev and the plains which encircle Jericho, City of Palms, as far south as Zoar.   “Then and there God said to him, “This is the land I promised to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and... [more]
 
 

Change in Perception

Posted on March 19, 2015
After reading this query I tried to think of a sudden insight that had changed my perception immediately and irrevocably, forever transforming me.  I couldn’t think of one.  Instead I thought of the gradual change in my perception of my marriage.   I think of myself as a cat.  Sleek and self-contained.  Maybe a bit prissy.  Definitely discriminating and probably fastidious.  I am assuredly self-possessed.  I strive to be composed and poised and in control... [more]
 
 

 

Stories in this Chapter

 

Body Blows

Posted on March 21, 2015
 

Grace

Posted on March 21, 2015
 

One Little Prayer

Posted on March 21, 2015
 

Young Friend’s Story Chapter 20

Posted on March 21, 2015
 

The Wall Between Our Houses

Posted on March 20, 2015
 

Dominos of Love

Posted on March 19, 2015
 

How I Lost My Nemesis

Posted on March 19, 2015
 

Dazzled

Posted on March 19, 2015
 

Connections

Posted on March 19, 2015
 

Acceptance and Navigating Grief

Posted on March 19, 2015
 

Change in Perception

Posted on March 19, 2015