April 4th: Paddle forward

The story...

I woke, before my traveling partner, on the BWCA's Cherokee Lake.  It took a lotta paddling and portaging the day before - I actually carried our aluminum canoe over the Continental Divide.  It was way worth it - beautiful and serene.  We were the only group camped on the secluded lake.  We actually trolled for, caught, and ate lake trout the night before.  It was a crisp sunny morning on the island - you know I was actually cold.  Yet, my morning hour was one of the best parts of this canoe-in wilderness. 

Someone told me how surprised they were of what they saw and learned by focusing on one-square yard of earth for one-half hour.  I invested the time, on that rocky island, and was surprised and thankful for what I witnessed.  There's a lot going on around us that we're unaware of.   I actually saw a bug die, disassembled by ants, and pulled down a hole into the earth.  The close observation seemed to fill in missing pieces of the bigger view of Cherokee Lake - what's really going on.

Take a paddle from the island we camped on.

Life's worked out in the present.  I hope that the only church in town would teach what God's done, who He is, who we can be in Christ, and the reason(s) for our hope.  Yet, the group would primarily focus on working out their faith, while walking humbly with God, in the present - in actuality.  How about taking another look around already?

Just for today...

"Today I'll be keenly aware of my senses. I will think about what I am experiencing at this moment. I won't let the beauty of this day slip by unnoticed." Courage to Change  (p. 95)

"A searching and fearless moral inventory helped me see myself in a balanced way. This humble and realistic view of my gifts and shortcomings helped me forgive myself and in turn forgive others..." Hope for Today (p.95)

"Virtually veiled; Spiritually blind - Self willed; Reality missed."   Am I a Poet?

April 3rd - Power and Momentum

The story...

We moved to a home in the woods - lots of trees.  I worked a desk job; strenuous physical activity after work felt good.  The lumberjack cycle includes: tree felling, sawing, hauling, splitting, stacking, stump removal, and wood burning.  One of the transferrable skills was wood splitting.  You need to swing the 8-lb maul with momentum to split.  If you miss the mark or swing with less than 100%; ya got ta do it again - fatiguing and slow.  So, I became proficient with the splitting maul through repetition.  

We have a county fair site near our home.  One day my family and friends were strolling through the fair midway.  There it was!

One swing and I rang the bell. The strike felt natural, rather easy, and the sound of the bell ringing gave me a feeling of joy.  Oh, the sound of hearty cheers from those I love.

Similarly, I hope that feelings of joy would occur frequently within the only church in town.  The cheers would be a witness to the power of God worked out through His people - the power of a new nature worked out in actualities.

Just for today...

"Who I am, not what I do, makes me worthwhile."  Hope for Today (p. 94)

"Eight-pound arc; Muscle, Sinew, Sweat - Hit's the mark; Core revealed."
"Never seen; Knots and grain - Lonely beauty; Basking in Light."   Am I a Poet?

April 2nd - What's going on?

The story...

It's the summer of 1977 and I'm working on a sled gang for the Burlington Northern railroad - summer job.  Sled gangs replaced old railroad ties with new ties - new ones are covered with thick-black creosote.  The car pooling drive was long, the creosote burned my skin, and the work was fatiguing.  I experienced back-muscle spasms and I drank so much water that I used my hard hat as a cup.  Yet, it paid over $6/hr.

Much of the job was "high spiking."  There was a machine that ran on the tracks that automatically drove the spikes; but, it didn't always work.  So, young guys like me drove in some of the spikes with a maul.  As you can see in the picture, the spike head is real close to the rail.  If, or when, you hit the rail there's a loud ding.  All the gang hears it and the foreman yells at you.  Why?  Every train car that rides over that flat spot is going to feel that bump until they replace the rail.  I remember hitting the rail a bit more than most people and the foreman's yell stung.

So, one day I was sitting by myself taking a break.  The dreaded foreman came over and sat down next to me.  He says: "Have you ever drank beer out of a straw?"  I couldn't believe that he was threatening me like that.  Then he followed that line up with: "I've had to learn how to since I broke my jaw when I got hit by the backswing of a maul.  My jaw's wired shut."  So, for weeks I thought that the foreman was snarling at me every time he attempted to talk with me.  In reality, his jaw was wired shut and I mistook his helpful attempts as personal attacks.  My number of rail hits dropped significantly after that welcomed conversation. 

I hope that people within the only church in town will be less guarded.  Hopefully, most of the people would be trusting God more than "self" and be a bit less guarded too.  They'd be capable of taking their eyes off themselves with a better understanding of what's actually going on.

Just for today...

"As I become less self-centered, I will have stronger defenses against being hurt by slights and injustices. Minor crises will not loom large because I will not allow myself to magnify them out of proportion to their importance."  One Day at a Time (p. 93)

"I think I've developed an understanding of God that I don't fully understand."  As We Understood... (p. 227)

"God's big; I'm small - Anxiety flees; Peace lives."   Am I a Poet?

April 1st - The Critic

The story...

What's true about that acute or overt criticism that I receive?  A wise person told me that criticism often has an element of truth in it - the wise man values criticism for what he might discover.  The "feedback" may be a truth, or perception, that we're blind to, ignored, or minimized.  Honest introspection can discover fine pearls.  The pearl may be hidden and require you to pry open the shell, take it out, assess the value, and then decide what to do with it.

It's likely harder for a person, who stores deep-felt emotions such as shame and guilt, to truly listen.  It's easier to criticize the message sender and discredit the message than humbly consider it's validity.  

I wish I'd never criticized a preacher - especially in front of my children.  Rather, I wish I'd have developed closer relationships with them so that we both might've grown together - even through infrequent constructive criticism.

I expect the only church in town would have  a preacher and leaders who model wise behavior.  For me, being open to receiving criticism is part of continual growth in both me and my relationships too - fine pearls. 

Just for today...

"The contented, well adjusted person has no need to look for flaws in others . . . criticism has the effect of pushing love right out of the picture. This in turn, leads us to feeling sorry for ourselves because people do not respond to us as we would like them to."  One Day at a Time (p. 92)

"Dig here; Map speaks - Crusty rock; Hidden gem."   Am I a Poet?