December 28, 2010 at 01:21

Christmas Joy

Several times this past week I heard the Christmas song that states, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” That should be true, but for many people Christmas has become a time to survive – with overloaded calendars, too much shopping, increased debt, depression, loneliness. In our hearts, we may wonder, Where is the Christmas Joy?

A good friend of mine said, “I’m afraid we’ve turned our sacred Holy Day into a holiday.” Sometimes I wonder if we’ve forgotten how to truly observe and celebrate Advent and Christmas. Perhaps we do get caught up in a “meaningless holiday,” so when it’s over we feel empty or that we’ve missed the boat.

This Advent and Christmas I’ve thought about what the true spirit of Christmas could mean for us. I know that the story of God’s love is still true, that God did send His Son into the world to show us how to be compassionate, to be forgiving. I believe Christmas reminds us of that, and it can draw us together to share love with one another.

Looking back on this Christmas, I remember one moment that felt especially holy and joyful. Before we shared our Christmas Eve dinner at my sister Shirley’s home, my family stood in a circle holding hands as we listened to the song Mary, Did You Know? My great niece Natalie Joy held up a picture book illustrating these poignant lines: Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your Baby Boy has come to make you new? At that moment, I felt the warmth of our family’s love and the power of that beautiful song to hold us in a deep and sacred connection.

Perhaps the joy of Christmas comes when we remember that we are the reason Jesus came to earth on that holy night. Then we can turn the “holiday” into a holy and joy-filled day.

Beloved Holy Baby, thank you for being in our universe and reminding us that you came to earth to teach us how to love, how to forgive, how to be compassionate. Remind us that Christmas – and every day – can be sacred and joy-filled. May we celebrate the joy of your being with us. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com

 

December 20, 2010 at 06:11

Advent 4: Be with Me

My friend Cai is a wonderful sculptor. This past summer when I saw her in Greece, she sculpted for me a lovely statue of an unguarded, hope-filled woman with wide open arms. The woman seems fragile, but strong, frightened, yet courageous. When Cai gave me the statue, she told me her name was: “Be With Me.”

“Be With Me” reminds me of a very unusual sculpture of the Virgin Mary and her cousin Elizabeth that stands in the courtyard of the Church of the Visitation in Ein Karem, Israel. The courageous pregnant Mary stands facing her aging cousin Elizabeth – their miraculous pregnant bellies almost touching each other.

Although it is believed that at the time when Mary visited Elizabeth, she said the beautiful Magnificat: “My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. . . .” (Luke 1: 46-55), I think Mary must have also felt vulnerable and afraid. After all, she was only a teenage girl who had been visited by the Angel Gabriel and told that she was blessed among women and was to be the mother of the Son of God. Living in a society that didn’t look kindly upon unwed pregnant women, Mary must have been scared out of her mind. I know I would have been. As I studied the sculpture of Mary and Elizabeth, it seemed to me that Mary was saying, “I’m afraid. I need you. Be with me.”

In this fourth week of Advent, we draw close to Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus – that sacred birth at the end of Mary’s pregnancy – a pregnancy which must have been filled with pain, unknowns, fears, hopes, courage, joy, and thoughts of “be with me.”

In these last days of Advent may we remember that “being with” is very important and that there are many people who need us to “be with” them: those who have lost their jobs, those who are sick, those who are dying, those who are homeless, those whose children are serving in distant countries, those who have lost hope, those who are lonely. Perhaps we can “be with” people who need our presence through a phone call, an email, a visit, a prayer.

Emmanuel, God within us, we are so grateful for this Advent Season – a time to be awake, to prepare, to be still. We thank you for being with us and loving us. We turn to you asking that you teach us how to be with those who need us in a loving and caring way. Yes, Lord, be with all of us. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com

December 13, 2010 at 09:21

Advent 3: Be Still

This past week, I went to Holy Cross Monastery for some Advent peace and quiet. I wanted to arrive at the Monastery in time for the 9:00 am worship service, but the traffic leaving New York City was heavier than I expected, so I was running late. As I rushed down the path from the parking lot to the Monastery, I saw a large rock with these words: “Be Still and Know I Am God.” How appropriate to find it there just before entering the Monastery for a time of quiet!

At the Monastery, I pondered the words on the rock, and I recalled the story in Mark 5 when Jesus decided to take a boat across the water to escape the noisy, demanding crowds. When a huge storm came up, the terrified disciples woke Jesus up. According to Mark, Jesus didn’t seem very happy, and he yelled, “Peace, Be Still.” The sea and the disciples calmed down.

It’s easy to fill our days with mind-numbing television, Internet surfing, electronic gadgets, busy-ness. The walls of our minds are cluttered with “graffiti” from too much information, advertisements, noise. We may even be intimidated by silence because it forces us to look at things we might not want to face. And when we pray to God, we ask for things, but rarely stop to listen.

Advent is a good time to ponder the message on the rock at Holy Cross. We might also want to ask ourselves:
1. Can we be still and know God?
2. What is God saying to us?
3. What is our still small voice trying to tell us to do?

By being still and remembering how Jesus calmed the waters when he said, “Peace, be still!” perhaps we will feel God’s peace.

Beloved God, thank you for reminding us how important it is to be still and to quiet our noisy lives. Help us to learn to sit in stillness with you. As we move further into this sacred Advent Season, may we see reminders everywhere that You Are Our God. May we be still and know you as our God. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com

December 05, 2010 at 10:43

Advent 2: Be Prepared

Several times during this week, I have heard what is a rather commonly-used Advent word: “Prepare.” Perhaps the line that we most associate with Advent is from John the Baptist: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.”

I’ve been thinking a lot about “being prepared” this week. I’m a volunteer for the American Red Cross in Greater New York. A major focus of the Red Cross is to teach people how to be prepared for emergencies and potential disasters. I’ve talked with individuals, businesses, and organizations about the importance of being prepared. “Do you have your ‘Go Bag’ ready? Does it include personal information, prescriptions, money, an extra key? If there is an emergency, do you have a plan where you will meet your family? Do you have adequate, appropriate food and water in your home in case you are unable to go to a store? Do you have a flashlight?”

We spend a lot of time trying to prepare ourselves – for our lives, for possible problems, for our work, for vacations. But things don’t always go as we plan. Unexpected things do happen – things we may not be prepared for, and we get caught by surprise and wish we had planned better.

We also prepare for Christmas by decorating our homes, sending out greetings, playing Christmas music, inviting friends and family to our homes. But do we pay attention to what John is saying: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Or do we really hear Matthew’s words: “Be ready . . . stay awake, for you do not know . . . watch therefore.”

Perhaps this Advent we can spend time preparing for the gift of the one who was sent by God to show us the way. Maybe being prepared means following the urging we feel in our hearts to be more compassionate, to be kind, to help the world be a better place. Or maybe it means living our lives as faithful people and caring for those in need.

It might be a good idea to ask ourselves: if Jesus walked into the world today, would we recognize him? Would we be prepared to greet him, accept him, and follow him? This Advent is a perfect time to prepare ourselves for the Lord.

Beloved God, thank you for this time of Advent – the waiting period before the birth of your Son. Help us understand how we might prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord in our lives and in our daily living. We wait in great anticipation for this awesome day. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
November 29, 2010 at 09:00

Advent 1: Be Awake!

This Sunday’s epistle was from Romans 13: “You know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep.” Those poignant words reminded me of what Jesus said in Mark 13 when he stood on the Mount of Olives and looked at the city of Jerusalem. He told his disciples that the place would come tumbling down one day, and he reminded them: “Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come. . . . What I say to you, I say to all: Keep awake.” As frightening as those words must have sounded to his disciples, Jesus let them know that they were still in God’s hands, but they were to be awake.

Thirty years after Jesus spoke those “wake-up” words, Mark wrote them down. The times were very difficult, Jerusalem lay in ruins, the temple was destroyed, and everything seemed to be falling apart—just like it may seem to us today. Those who had believed in Jesus must have wondered if they’d been fooled. However, in the midst of these difficulties, God was not absent, but rather very present. And Jesus also reminds us today that our job is to watch—not to watch out—to stay alert, to pay attention, so that we are not snoozing when the Master comes.

Recently I read an article stating that people in our fast-paced and insecure times are in danger of being dazed, of drowning from an information overload, of moving through life asleep and therefore missing peak experiences. The article ended by saying that people often die before they are ever awake.

Several years ago, I was hit by an out-of-control car while standing in front of a store in Greenport, NY. The car hit me and struck a four-by-four beam holding up the roof over the sidewalk. The beam fell onto my head and I was thrown through the store’s glass window and knocked unconscious. A woman I’d never met before knelt beside me in the shattered glass and talked to me. I don’t remember anything about the accident except that I can still hear her saying to me: “Wake up, don’t go to sleep, stay awake.” Doctors have told me that by keeping me awake, she likely kept me from slipping into a deep coma and may have saved my life.

Perhaps if we can stay awake and be alert, we might even save our lives.

Dear Lord, as we wait for you to come to us in this Advent Season, we thank you the gift of your birth. We ask that you will help us to stay awake so that we will not be snoozing as you enter into our lives. May we learn to help each other to be more awake so we help save each other’s lives. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
November 22, 2010 at 11:56

Waiting with Thanks

The past four days I’ve been spending time with a friend in Virginia who has a very aggressive cancer. While I was there, my friend had to spend several days in the hospital running tests and getting a blood transfusion to raise her hemoglobin level. So I was her driver, housekeeper, nurse, and her waiting friend. We waited for hours in doctor’s offices, the hospital’s admitting office, for tests and treatments to take place, and to be discharged.

Waiting is not really my strong suit. I’m a person who is on the move, who likes to get things done. I don’t want to “waste my time doing nothing.” Before I went to Virginia, I had read that waiting can be a mundane thing or it can be a grace. The problem is that we haven’t learned how to wait with patience and grace. But we can choose how we might use our waiting time—whether to wait aimlessly and unfilled or with meaning and a sense of fulfillment.

As I packed my bag for my trip to Virginia, I realized that Advent, the four-week waiting period before Christmas, was about to begin and that I could use waiting times to prepare myself for Advent.

Advent is a sacred time to consider our spiritual life and what it means to prepare ourselves for a deeper relationship with God. It can also be a time to slow down to see the signs of God that are all around us, the ones we often miss in our rushing and busyness.

So as I waited for my friend, I began to notice the kindness and gentleness of people, the beauty of God’s universe outside the hospital windows, the miracle of modern medicine that can help us to have a healthier life, the joy of laughing and relief when my friend was discharged and returned to her home again. Yes, a lot of signs of God’s presence.

God, giver of life and of the true meaning of Advent, help us to learn to wait with patience and fullness, to remember what are the important things in our lives and to be thankful for your love. May we be grateful as we wait in this coming Advent Season that you have given us Jesus to show us the way to live. Amen.

Joy Carol

www.joycarol.com
November 14, 2010 at 10:18

Living with the End in Mind

“There sure seems to be a lot of people I know who are dying these days,” my neighbor said to me this past week. “And I don’t like it! No, not one bit!”

Dying is something we all will do, yet almost nobody in our youth-oriented society wants to think or talk about it. Because it’s seen as difficult, we are afraid of death and try to hide from it. Even aging is a difficult concept for us to deal with. We exercise, eat the right foods, watch our cholesterol intake, and even tell jokes about death to lessen its potency. But we’re likely not prepared to face our death.

Often death comes on like an unexpected storm. Suddenly we are confronted with the realization that our life and present reality are disappearing. This can be terrifying. Nothing in our previous experience has  prepared us for this. Feeling helpless, we often turn everything over to the professionals from physicians to funeral homes. If we haven’t taken care of our lives or our actions have been negative, we may feel regret or guilt.

We know that people who live life fully are less afraid of death than those who live superficially. And when they accept the fact that they are dying, they usually halt self-destructive actions and slow down their life. They begin to live in the present moment and ask questions like: What is the value of life? What still matters in the time that remains?

If we want to learn to die well, we must learn to live well. Even when death doesn’t seem immediately threatening to us, we should try to understand that it is always present. If we have a true love for life and are aware that we will die, we may realize that we have limited time and won’t waste it. We can make choices for life – and for God. Then we will find meaning in our living and in our dying.

Beloved Creator, we thank you for the gift of life. Help us to understand that it truly is a gift – one that we should cherish and nourish. We turn to you asking that you help us to accept our mortality. May we learn to live life fully and meaningfully so that we can learn to die well. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
November 08, 2010 at 09:22

Moving Beyond Our Fears

One of my friends recently said: “It’s such a scary time. My husband’s health is deteriorating. My son lost his job and is facing a possible foreclosure on his home. And my granddaughter was suspended from school because she was found using marijuana. I’m so afraid.”

For many of us, our days are filled with unknowns, insecurity, fear. And life is speeding by so quickly that we don’t recognize that there may be opportunities for us to experience God’s healing powers in our lives. Perhaps if we made the time to stop, listen, and reflect, we might become aware of God’s comforting presence.

Fear is not a new phenomenon for the peoples of the world. Since the beginning of time, people have been afraid of something, of someone. The scriptures are filled with laments concerning peoples’ fears. “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” “Why are you disquieted within me?” “My, God, why have you forsaken me?”

We tend to forget Jesus’ reassuring words: “I have come that you might have life abundantly. Be not afraid.” If we pause and ponder God’s abundant mercies to us, there is the possibility that our fears can be relieved.

Unfortunately, we are not patient people, so it’s difficult for us to slow down and open our eyes to see God’s work in our world especially in these troubled times. Perhaps during this day or whenever we feel fear or anxiety we can recall the words from Romans 8: “Nothing can separate us from the love of God” – not even financial difficulties, job problems, issues in our families, concerns about illness or loneliness – yes, nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Beloved God, sometimes we are deeply afraid. We need your help to calm our fears. When our faith is shaky, we ask that you show us that you are near. We call out to you to help us live in a world filled with fear and pain. May we always remember that though we walk through valleys with shadows of death, we need not fear for you are always with us. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
October 31, 2010 at 12:08

Aging with Grace

Recently I’ve seen a number of articles that focus on the increasing numbers of elderly people in the world. At the same time I’ve been hearing more people talk about their fears related to the aging process. I confess there are times when I too worry about growing old, about the possibility of losing my good health or my independence.

At such times I can almost hear my parents quoting Jesus’ words to me: “Why are you afraid? Why do you worry? Consider the lilies – they neither toil nor spin, and look how beautiful they are. What good will it do you to worry, my friends?”

When I take the time to ponder those words, I realize that I can affirm that life is a treasure. I also know that I need to ask myself: What will I do with this amazing life, this gift from God during my limited time on earth? Will I deny that I’m growing older, until one day I find I’m old and weary and wondering if I was ever truly alive?

Sadly, many of us are not careful about what we choose to do with our precious days on earth. We hardly give thought to what we hold as sacred. We don’t want to admit that life is brief, that we are growing older every day, and the length of our lives as healthy people is unpredictable. It’s sobering to think that there isn’t a lot of time left to live a meaningful life. It makes us want to use our time well. If we tried to live as if we had only one day left, then the sense of impermanence might heighten our feelings of joy and gratitude.

Perhaps we might consider pondering these questions: What are our strengths that will be useful for us as we grow older? What dreams do we have that we still want to complete? What parts of our life do we want to develop further? Are there painful issues that we need to liberate ourselves from such as guilt, anger, shame? Are there new options for growth that could be open to us as we age? How will we use our earth time to create a life of hope and joy?

Divine Creator, thank you for the precious gift of life. Teach us how to appreciate the things we experience each day. Help us explore the stages of our lives and the aging process with peace and compassion. Oh, beloved God, open us to new options, new growth. May we feel the touch of your love upon our hearts as we age with grace. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
October 26, 2010 at 08:24

Living Prayer

This weekend I led a workshop on Living Prayer in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The people who attended were open, honest, and enthusiastic about their desire to make prayer more a part of their daily living. They were genuine about wanting to deepen their relationship with God and to make their prayers be meaningful dialogues with God.

During the workshop, we read scriptures related to prayer (such as “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances” – Thessalonians 5:16-17), we sang hymns, we were silent, and we prayed. But mostly we were people coming together expressing our desire to learn how to improve our prayer intentions.

Several of the thought provokers that we discussed in the workshop were very helpful to us and would seem useful to anyone who wants to have more open doorways to God. Here are some that we appreciated.

1) These days our lives may feel hectic and out of control, perhaps even lacking in hope and joy. And yet every day, openings come our way to connect with God through prayer, to experience God’s joy, and to live God-directed lives. But we must be open to those opportunities.

2) We can hear our stomachs growling when our bodies are hungry. And if we listen carefully we may hear our souls grumbling. These “sacred hungers” may be telling us to find ways to connect to God in prayer in our daily living.

3) If we shift our perspective in life to become more focused on God in prayer and in living our prayers, we may find that life will be more meaningful for us.

4) When we feel spiritually “empty” and are in need of filling our tanks, what we may need to do is to learn how to connect to God’s love in prayer and then truly “live our prayers.”

We ended the workshop by reminding ourselves that we need to ask God to teach us how to pray and live our prayers – without ceasing.

Beloved God, we lift our hearts to you with gratitude for the many gifts and blessings you give us. We pray that you will take us by the hand and lead us deep into the center of your Presence. Continue to teach us how to pray every day and how to live our prayers.  Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
October 17, 2010 at 02:17

Healing the Wounds of War

This past week I had an email from my Vietnamese friend Vu Khac Nhu, whom I had not heard from for some time. I felt delighted to reconnect with Nhu, a person who had helped me open the first on-the-ground program for Save the Children in Vietnam after the war. (Nhu is the man sitting at the table, the second person from the right.) Many memories poured into my heart.

How vividly I remember my first trip to Vietnam only a few years after the end of the war. As the airplane approached Hanoi, I felt my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. When I stepped off the plane and onto the tarmac, a young Vietnamese soldier was standing there. Our eyes briefly locked, and I felt a kind of fear rush through my body. Then quite unexpectedly, he smiled at me.

That brief exchange was the start of a healing connection and a realization that I wanted to make peace with the war – a need that had been in my soul for some time. I wondered if that need was dwelling in the heart of every American old enough to remember the war.

From that first encounter, the healing processes multiplied. Nhu, who was working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met me at the airport and asked if I was an American. I remember pausing for a few seconds, wondering if he considered me “an enemy” and blamed me for the destruction done to his country. Perhaps he wouldn’t want me there. But he too smiled and welcomed me openly, telling me he was happy to be my guide as I explored the possibility of opening a program in VIetnam.

As I walked the streets of beautiful Hanoi, I realized that I was searching for something: I was looking for “an enemy.” Sometimes I’d look at a man and imagine him as a Viet Cong searching for the enemy who was bombing his country.

One day returning from Thanh Hoa Province where Save was developing a program, Nhu’s family joined us in our rather crowded car. I can still remember Mrs.Nhu sitting beside me, her sleeping daughter on her lap, her long black hair falling across my sweaty arm. Nhu was in the front hugging his small, carsick son (who is now a college student in LA). Outside the car was the spectacular scenery of Vietnam: green rice paddies, tiny women in bamboo hats knee deep in muddy water, little boys on water buffalos, purplish mountains. And on the car’s tape deck, Willie Nelson singing “Amazing Grace.”

Somehow in that moment of amazing grace, the healing power took over, and Vietnam was no longer a place on the map where soldiers had fought and died in a terrible war. Rather it became a place where people like me loved their children and worked hard to make a more peaceful place for them to live. So now nearly 25 years later, I am grateful to reconnect to Nhu and remember God’s healing power is working in the world.

Divine Healer, there are many scars in our hearts from wars – between one another, between communities, between nations. We need to be reminded that all of us are your children who really want to have a more peaceful place to live. Help us to make peace with one another – and with you, our healer and creator. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
October 11, 2010 at 09:22

Autumn Joy

During these cooler autumn days, I’ve watched many plants in my garden begin to close down – as though they are preparing themselves for the cold, winter days ahead. However, some plants have burst into new life this fall. One of them is commonly called Autumn Joy. During the spring and summer, this plant is rather ordinary; it has green puffy leaves, but it doesn’t show off any flashy blooms to compete with the rest of my beautiful flowers. However, at this time of the year, the Autumn Joy springs into life. Several weeks ago the blossoms began to develop a pale pink tint. The following week, the pink had turned into a lovely shade of rose. And this week, the Autumn Joy has peaked, showing off a luscious, deep burgundy flower.

Somehow watching this plant evolve over time made me think about how we too evolve and move into the autumn of our lives. And it does happen to every one of us – for some at an earlier age than for others.

We live in a society that fears aging and seldom values the wisdom or the beauty of people who are in the autumn of their lives. Indeed, we rarely appreciate the possibilities for growth and joy that come our way as we grow older. We may not be aware how lovely we can be as we move into the autumn of our lives – like the Autumn Joy flower.

Life is very brief and growing shorter every day. Maybe we have fifty or sixty more years to live, or maybe we don’t even have one more day. As we move through life, we need to be careful about what we choose to do with our precious days on earth. We may want to ponder how we will use our remaining time on earth and what we hold as sacred.

It’s sobering to think that there might not be a whole lot of time left for us. We could careen from one day to the next, checking off lists, fortifying our lives against trouble as best we can, until we die weary wondering whether we were ever truly alive. But if we choose to live our life as if we are in the autumn of life, then the sense of impermanence could heighten our feelings of preciousness and gratitude. And we might choose to live it beautifully – like the Autumn Joy.

Beloved Creator of Beauty, thank you so much for flowers and for seasons that remind us that every day might be the autumn of our life. May we choose to live life fully and beautifully with great joy and gratitude – no matter how much time we have left to live. Help us to learn from the Autumn Joy. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
October 04, 2010 at 09:52

Brain Tumor: Part 3 – One More Chance

The last two weeks I’ve written about my journey with a brain tumor. Several years ago, my neurosurgeon Dr. Harry Young decided that I no longer needed to get MRIs, unless I had symptoms of a brain tumor. I’m not a person who suffers from headaches, so when I started getting frequent headaches around my right eye a couple months ago, I began to worry that there might be another brain tumor. But I tried to put away that fear – I really didn’t want to go there!

Finally, after weeks of feeling concerned, I decided to call Dr. Young. One evening I called his office and left a message on the voice mail about my headaches. The next day, Dr. Young personally called me asking what was I up to. As we visited on the phone, he told me he had re-connected with a vet on whom he had performed brain surgery over 40 years ago in Vietnam. Since the vet left Vietnam, he had been searching for a doctor named “Young,” had finally found him in Virginia, and went to visit him to thank him for saving his life.

Dr. Young and I talked like old friends – as if it had only been yesterday when we had teamed up to work on my brain tumor. He sent me a prescription for an MRI. Although I didn’t know what the results of the MRI might be, I felt a sense of comfort and peace knowing that I was back in Dr. Young’s and God’s hands. I found that even my prayer times were more relaxed. Yes, no matter what, I would be okay.

I will always remember the feeling I get when I’m pushed into the MRI tube – the uncertainty, the doubts, the fears that come up. I’m not claustrophobic, but I know that I don’t go into MRI machines just for fun. They have a history for me. But this time, armored with my prayer scarf, many prayers, and the knowledge that I was working with my spiritual friend Dr. Young, it was much easier.

And, thank God, the MRI results were great. Dr. Young called to tell me he was looking at the MRI films, and my brain looked very healthy. No signs of the tumor nor of any aneurisms. Only some swelling over my right eye (perhaps a sinus infection) and an indentation where he had removed the last tumor. He ended our conversation with these words: “Joy, go out and live every day of your life to the fullest. And may God bless you!” Yes, and God bless you, Dr. Harry Young!

God, thank you again for the gift of life, for another day. Please help us to go forth and live every day of our lives to the fullest. May we pass on this blessing of living life fully to each person we meet today and every day. Yes, God, bless us. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com

September 27, 2010 at 09:25

Brain Tumor: Part 2 – The Healing Process

Last week, I wrote how I learned that I had a brain tumor and then met Dr. Harold Young, who challenged me to be involved with my own healing process. I’m a very active person, so it was difficult for me to slow down. But the brain tumor forced me to realize how important it is to stop, be present, and relish life. After I left Dr. Young’s office, I canceled stressful activities and did “healing activities” like massages, long walks, eating healthy food, imaging positive outcomes. I spent time talking with family and friends, listened to peaceful music, watched sunsets, stopped to smell the flowers. These were ways of being involved in my own healing process.

Then my church held a special healing service for me. The minister began: “God knows our needs before we ask. Let us open our hearts to God’s healing presence.” As Romans 8:38 was read, I felt a soothing peace. “I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor anything else, will separate us from the love of God.” As people gathered around to pray for me, they laid their hands on me. I confess it felt like a heavy weight. Then inside my head I heard: “Be open, Joy, to this heaviness, this connectedness. This is not just about you; everyone is in need of healing.” Yes, we were all carrying our woundedness like heavy yokes, and we needed healing physically, mentally, spiritually. By coming together prayerfully, we shared God’s healing love. When I left the church, I knew the tumor was still inside my head, but much “healing” had taken place.

The day before surgery I enjoyed being with my father and sister, who had arrived from California. We reviewed our life stories and family ties. That evening Dr. Young called to reassure me he had reviewed my x-rays and everything looked good. Later that night my family prayed together, and Shirley gently brushed my hair as Daddy read the 23rd Psalm: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” I felt cherished and supported.

It was dark when we went to the hospital the next morning. As I entered the operating room, I knew that I could die or be disabled, but I didn’t experience the chilling fear I had when I first learned of my tumor. My “healing work” had been successful; I was at peace. Before I was put to sleep, I said, “I’ve done my homework, now I’m in God’s and your hands.”

Seven hours later, I woke up in the ICU wide awake. I said to the nurses, “It’s already ten minutes after one. When will they do the surgery?” I was told the surgery was already completed. Then I realized I could talk and move my arms and legs. I wasn’t in a coma nor paralyzed. I was alive! I was ecstatic! “Thank you, God. I’m so happy!” One of the nurses told Shirley they’d never seen a patient come from brain surgery so coherent.

Less than 18 hours after surgery, I was out of the ICU calling my mother in California before taking my first walk down the hallway to the nurses’ station. A few days after surgery, I was doing so well that Dr. Young discharged me from the hospital.

Next week I’ll tell you more about this amazing journey with a brain tumor.

Great God, our healer. Thank you for the gift of life – a gift we often take for granted. Help us to take time to stop, to be present, and to relish this amazing life you’ve given us. Help us to be more involved in our own “healing process” as we continue on our journey of life. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
September 20, 2010 at 09:02

Brain Tumor Part 1: Getting Involved

“You have a brain tumor which is located in a difficult place. There are risks to the surgery. You could die on the operating table, you could become paralyzed or not able to talk.” Those were the words I heard from a neurosurgeon almost 18 years ago. He focused mainly on warning me about  the risks: “There’s a 5 to 10 percent chance of death, 5 to 10 percent chance of not walking again . . .” As he continued, I added up the list of risks and found they were over 120 percent. No way was I going into surgery with him!

When I went to the prayer service at my church that evening, I was in a state of shock. My very perceptive Pastor Kerry saw that I was hurting. “Are you doing okay, Joy?” she gently asked. “Would you like to talk?” I told her about my brain tumor and the neurosurgeon who had scared me by only focusing on the risks of surgery. She took my hands and prayed: “Lord, sometimes our burdens just feel too big for us to manage. We need your help.” She said she would try to find other neurosurgeons. Later that night, she called with names that five different people had given to her: “Harry Young, Hal Young, Harold Young, Hal Young, Harry Young.” Yes, Dr. Young was to be my doctor.

When I first met Harry, Hal, Harold Young in his office, we talked about our experiences of working in Vietnam. I forgot that I was his patient – with a bomb ticking in my head. After 20 minutes, he asked, “Shall we take a look at the x-rays?” We did it together, and I immediately felt that I was a part of a healing team. When I left his office, I asked if there might be any risks to the surgery we had scheduled. He responded: “I don’t think there are a lot of risks for you. You love life, and you will be very involved with your own healing process.” What awesome words those were.

Dr. Harry Young was right: I did get involved with my own healing process – especially with a healing prayer service at my church. And, of course, I’m still here! In next week’s blog, I’ll write more about my journey with a brain tumor.

Great Healer, Beloved God, thank you for doctors like Harry, Hal, Harold Young who care for and treat patients like your children, like precious people. Help us to learn the lesson that Dr. Young taught me – to ask for your help and to get involved with our own healing process. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
September 13, 2010 at 08:58

Healing after 9/11

It’s hard to believe that nine years have passed since September 11, 2001 – the day that life seemed to stop in the United States. In New York City it was a terrible time: people missing, the city shut down, the Twin Towers and other buildings demolished. It felt like we had a huge wound in our city and our existence – frightening, traumatic, sad.

Looking back, I can see that some positive things occurred post-9/11 that helped people to heal. Perhaps we can benefit by looking at these lessons learned and applying them to our lives.

1) We felt a sense of community. We were stunned by the cooperative spirit that emerged. People pulled together. Volunteers arose from every culture, class, and profession giving blood, carrying buckets, handing out food and drinks, writing letters. People seemed kinder with one another, and there was a deeper respect for all peoples.

2) We felt encouraged and supported. The outpouring of compassion from around the world was huge. Children wrote letters,  sent candy bars with notes of love for the families and workers. Every day hundreds of people stood along the streets and cheered the rescue workers as they entered and left the site: “We love and support you. Never give up.” Visitors brought empty suitcases to New York City to support the city.

3) We pooled resources and worked together as a team. Community services learned how essential it is to work together. The Family Assistance Centers offered one-stop services for the families of the victims including housing, financial assistance, emergency services, counseling, even food stamps. Some funds raised for 9/11 were set aside to train teachers, health workers, clergy, counselors, ordinary people to spot signs of trauma.

4) We allowed ourselves to talk about our pain and to grieve our losses. People felt free to cry and express their feelings in crisis centers, churches, on the street. Photos of the missing were taped to walls and fences. Flowers and candles were placed on sidewalks and in parks. Impromptu music and prayers sprung up everywhere. The city became a chapel, a place of healing. We were all “in church.”

5) We got involved in the healing process ourselves. Churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples learned what it meant to be of real service. St. Paul’s Chapel, near Ground Zero, was turned into a house of hospitality, run almost entirely by volunteers. Its doors were open 24 hours a day. As volunteers we handed out food and bandages, gave hugs. Thousands of people entered that space for rest, encouragement, healing.

6) We honored our need for rituals and endings. We remembered that it’s important to honor endings and celebrate beginnings. We had simple closing ceremonies – at the site, in churches. At those events, we cried openly, held and hugged each other, felt supported. And we congratulated each other for a job well done in the most difficult of circumstances.

Yes, looking back I know that during this difficult time, strangers became friends and family to each other because we shared so much together and we helped each other to heal.

Beloved God, on this Anniversary of 9/11, may we take time to remember some of the positive lessons we learned from this tragedy. Help us to remember that we can help each other to heal – that we can be friends and family to each other even in difficult times. May we use these lessons every day to make this world a better place.  Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
September 07, 2010 at 08:35

A Golden Anniversary

50 years of marriage! Now that’s an amazing event to celebrate – especially in this fast moving society we live in today where many marriages fail. This past weekend I had the joy of celebrating the golden anniversary of my sister Shirley and her husband Cecil.

It brings laughter to my heart and tears to my eyes when I think about this special couple. Shirley and Cecil are fun, loyal, trustworthy people that you would want to have as your friends. How lucky I am that they are both my family and my friends.

I want to tell you a little bit about them. Shirley is my big sister, and we were born on a farm in Nebraska. As I was growing up, Shirley was my hero and my mentor. It seemed like there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do. She was fearless. She could swing higher than anyone I knew and parachute into a stack of hay when the swing was at its highest point.  She could climb up on the barn roof and run around. She rode a big bicycle without many instructions and managed to slam into the back of a hay wagon since she hadn’t quite gotten the hang of the brakes yet. But she didn’t whimper or complain. Shirley was smart, beautiful, enthusiastic, and caring, and she became a Master teacher winning the Outstanding Teacher Award for her skills.

Cecil grew up in South Carolina. He was an only son with plenty of sisters, so he took it upon himself to screen out his sisters’ boyfriends, sending them away, if they weren’t up to his standards: “She’s out on a date. She didn’t want to see you.”  He became a successful engineer much sought after even into his retirement years.

Shirley and Cec don’t have time to be “retired” or “tired.” They live their lives fully in Anaheim, California, where they care for their neighborhood, their church, stray animals, and many people – including our parents Alma and Wilson Haupt before their deaths, their daughter Sheryl, their granddaughters Natalie and Emily, and me too. I’ll never forget when I had been diagnosed with a brain tumor years ago, and I called my big sister to tell her the news. She was making plane reservations to be with me before I got off the phone. Later she told me that if I had ended up incapacitated, she would have driven me across the country to move me into the guest room of their home.

I thank God for the blessing of Shirley and Cecil in my life. Their love and compassion for each other and for many others have taken them through five decades. That is amazing!

Beloved God, thank you for Shirley and Cecil and for their 50 years of marriage. Bless them and let them know that they are much loved  – especially by their little sister Joy. May we follow their model of compassion and devotion as we walk on the journey of life. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
August 30, 2010 at 07:57

Change

I woke up this weekend realizing that the days were getting shorter and cooler, that it felt like there was a bit of autumn in the air. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for this change of seasons, and it caused me to reflect on life and its changes.

Whether we like it or not, change is a part of life. It can be in our relationships, our home life, our work, our finances, our physical or spiritual lives. However, because our lives seem to be changing so quickly in a fast moving world, it can be frightening. With so much change occurring, we may feel uneasy or out of control. We may not realize that even as life is speeding by, we can choose how we will respond, that we can experience God’s gifts of peace, calm, and love.

Sometimes when we are going through a time of change, we may understand how vulnerable we are or how precious life is to us. We may see that our lives have become sloppy, that we aren’t very careful about what we choose to do with our precious days on earth. We might not give thought to what we hold as sacred. Indeed, life is very brief. It’s sobering to think that there isn’t endless time left for us to live. It can make us want to use our time really well. If we live our life as if we only had one day left to live, then the sense of impermanence heightens the feeling of preciousness, passion, and gratitude.

Although change can be frightening to us, it can also provide new opportunities for growth. We may want to think of positive things that have occurred when we have faced change or times of transition. Likely we have developed skills or attitudes that can help us go through other major transitions in a healthy way. Perhaps we can affirm that we are changing, we are growing, we are learners, we are filled with potential. Our job is to try to gather wisdom from our life experiences and then to live a transformed life.

Yes, we face change every day and are always in transition. And we have no idea what life will be like in the future. But we can make good choices about changes we want to make in order to live our lives fully and meaningfully. Even when we feel busy or rushed, it’s important that we stop, listen, reflect, and pray so that we will become aware of God’s loving presence. We can listen to what God may be telling us to do.

Beloved Creator, thank you for creating a world full of surprises and changes. When we are in transition on our journey or we face major changes, help us to learn from our experiences. May we realize that you are always there for us, even during major changes in our lives. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
August 23, 2010 at 11:05

Strong Women

This past weekend I preached at the beautiful Stone Church in Cragsmoor, New York. I’ve been preaching there every summer for the last eight years. The Stone Church is truly a sacred space sitting on the top of one of the Shawangunk Mountains overlooking an awesome view of the Catskills.

The text for my sermon was about the uninvited woman, who is called a sinner, who kneels before Jesus while he is a dinner guest at a Pharisee’s home (Luke 7). There she bathes his feet with her tears and dries them with her hair. I am deeply impressed by this woman’s courage. I doubt that I would have had the guts to go into someone’s home – especially if I had not been invited – and touch Jesus. His tender response to her was: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

As I prepared my sermon, I started looking at other stories of women who had shown great courage when they had interacted with Jesus. I remembered the woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years and was considered unclean. She must have sneaked out of her house in order to go to the road where Jesus was walking. When he passed her, she reached out to touch the hem of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. And Jesus knew that power had gone out from him. Imagine that woman’s courage! As an unclean person, she was willing to approach Jesus and touch him – in spite of the fact that she was only a woman, and an unclean one. And Jesus told her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

Finally I think of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. If I had been a teenage girl and an angel came fluttering toward me and told me that I was to be the mother of God, I would have run away so fast that you would have seen skid marks on the pavement. But Mary courageously embraced the task and stuck it out with Jesus – even when he seemed to reject her by saying, “Who is my family?” Yes, she was there at the foot of the cross when the terrified disciples ran away. Not that I blame them. I confess that likely I wouldn’t have been one of those strong women at the foot of the cross with Mary.

It’s important to remember these stories. Perhaps they will help us to have more courage to do what these brave women did: to reach out to Jesus even when we haven’t been invited, even when we are not clean, even when we feel rejected, even when we are scared out of our minds.

Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. We are people who are not always strong or courageous. Remind us to reach out to you at all times – even when we are not invited, when we feel unforgiven or shameful, when we are afraid. Help us to remember that our faith can heal us and make us whole. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
August 16, 2010 at 09:36

Being Family

While I was in Greece this past week celebrating my friend John’s 90th birthday (see my blog of August 9), I thought a lot about what it means to be family. Many of John’s family members traveled to Greece to be a part of the special birthday celebration: his children, grandchildren, even a former son-in-law with his family from France. And there were other people who came long distances for the celebration – including me, who traveled from the United States.

As I spent the week with John and Nancy and their family, I felt truly accepted as a member of their family – whether we were out in the garden pruning olive trees or driving around in John’s ancient car (named Margareta) or eating Nancy’s awesome Greek meals deliciously seasoned with olive oil (from their own trees) and lemon.

When John gave his birthday speech, he talked about the importance of having friends and family, and how much that had meant to him over the years. Indeed it had been one of the most important parts of his life. So it was a special thrill when John and his wife Nancy introduced me as part of their “family.”

Upon my return to New York City, I looked up the definition of family and found there are many including:
•    A fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.
•    A group of persons sharing common ancestry.
•    A group of individuals derived from a common stock: the family of human beings.
•    Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another.

I particularly like the last definition; it feels right to me. I love and appreciate the members of my own family with whom I share a common ancestry. But I am grateful that I can also be part of other families who share goals, values, and commitments.

It reminds me that we are all children of God, that every one of us is a member of God’s family. Now that’s a rather awesome thought.

Beloved God, may we remember that you are our parent, that no matter what we do or how we act, we are your children and members of your family. We need your guidance and help to be children worthy of this honor that you have bestowed upon us. Thank you for being our compassionate parent. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
August 09, 2010 at 03:40

A 90th Birthday

This week my friend John celebrated his 90th birthday. If you met John, you would guess that his energy, enthusiasm, and mental capacity would make him be less than 50. What a whirlwind he is. He works and plays hard helping his neighbors, tending to his olive trees, entertaining friends, keeping up with  happenings in the world, swimming in the sea. He absolutely loves life and lives it to the fullest.

As I approached John’s birthday, I thought a lot about aging. As we move through life, we are not always careful about what we choose to do with our precious days on earth. We hardly give thought to what we hold sacred. But life is brief and we are growing older every day. Even if we live to be more than a hundred, it’s still a very short time to live. And the length of our lives as healthy people is unpredictable. Maybe we have fifty more years to live, or maybe we don’t have one more day.

It’s sobering to think there isn’t a whole lot of time left for us. It makes us want to use our time well – like John does. Perhaps if we lived our life as if we only had one day left, then the sense of impermanence might heighten the feeling of preciousness and gratitude.

I came up with five questions that I want to ask myself as I grow older:
1) What are aspects of my present life that I value and enjoy that I would like to have with me all the days of my life? How can I make that happen?
2) What are special, meaningful strengths or gifts that I have that will be useful to me as I grow older?
3) Are there issues or concerns that cause me pain that I want to liberate myself from? Grief? guilt? sadness? What can I do about that?
4) What are elements of my life I want to develop further or are not yet finished?
5) What might be new options, new growth, new possibilities that could be open to me as I grow older?

Perhaps like John, we might want to remember this truth: Every day we have fewer days left to live a meaningful life. Let us live our lives fully.

Divine Creator, may we take the time to ponder our lives and to fill our days with your Presence. Help us explore our lives with peace and compassion. Teach us how to enjoy the daily things of our lives. O God, open us to new possibilities as we grow older. Help us to feel your love in our lives. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
August 01, 2010 at 10:41

Self-Care Needed

Recently I’ve noticed a lot of what I call “loving and giving people” who appear to be tired, discouraged, or running on empty. I started thinking about who is a “giver of care” and came to the realization that it is each one of us – to a greater or lesser degree at different times in our lives.

Giving care to someone can be stressful because of the many demands on our time and energy coupled with other feelings we might have such as regret, resentment, anger, helplessness, frustration – with life and even with God. Perhaps guilt is one of the most common problems, the dilemma of not being able to do it all or do enough.

There are certain aspects of giving care that can cause us to feel exhausted and discouraged especially if we have unrealistic self-expectations, believe that we should be a never-ending fountain of good cheer and strength for others at all times, think we should be doing more – in order to feel worthy or acceptable, have few or no boundaries, or don’t allow ourselves to take breaks and care for ourselves. Yes, that could happen to any of us.

When are we most likely to get fatigued or burned out? I believe it can happen when we have an insatiable need to solve the problems of others or of the world, if we set impossible goals for ourselves rather than being content with smaller reachable goals, if we have a low self-esteem, and if we don’t allow ourselves to rest.

So what can we do to be healthier, better givers of care? I think it’s important to start by following the lesson taught by Jesus: love your neighbor as you love yourself. It’s difficult to be good givers of care if we are not cared for ourselves. So we need to recognize and respond to our own needs, admit and forgive our own limitations, refuel our bodies and souls, be gentle and compassionate with ourselves – as well as with others. Also, it would help if we kept more balance in our lives, along with a sense of humor. Finally, perhaps the most important thing we can do is take time to reach out to God in prayer.

Beloved Giver of Care, we are at times weary and disheartened. But you have promised that if we come to you, you will restore our souls and give us rest. Help us to learn that we don’t have to do everything, that we can turn things over to you, and that we need to learn to love ourselves as well as our neighbor. Thank you for caring for us. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
July 26, 2010 at 06:24

Leaving the Nest

I have a bird feeder in the backyard of my little beach house, so I have lots of birds. They come to find their favorite foods at my bird buffet: suet for woodpeckers; thistle for the Goldfinch, and safflower seeds for Cardinals, Chickadees, Nuthatch, and other small birds. When I added another arm on the feeder this summer, I had an extra place to hang something. It seemed the perfect spot for a “decorative” white birdhouse with a blue roof – it went with the décor.

The following week, I saw that a wren was building a nest in the “decorative” house in the middle of what felt like Birdy Grand Central Station. I carefully removed the house and hung it on a corner of the grape arbor – a more private place for a new family. But I was concerned that the wren might abandon the house due to my invasion of his property. So I was pleased to see that he didn’t miss a beat – carrying twigs into the tiny hole of the house in its new location and singing like a lovesick maniac.

It wasn’t long before the petite Mrs. Wren arrived and took up residence while Mr. Wren sang his heart out on the nearby rhododendron bush. During the last weeks I’ve heard the peeping sounds of baby wrens and watched as Mom and Pop have worked overtime feeding their loud children with their demanding ever-open mouths.

But the real treat came this weekend. As I was sitting on my terrace sharing a cup of coffee with a neighbor, I noticed a very noisy baby wren sitting on the grape arbor flapping her wings, her mouth in the “feed-me” position. It was the moment of truth: the time to leave the nest. Later another little guy carefully came out the “front door,” sat on the perch outside the house, flapped his wings, and decided to return to the safety of the nest. He must have done that three times before Mom came along and either cajoled or pushed him out of the house. And to his surprise he found he could fly. That evening I saw the little wrens playing on my swing under the arbor. At some point they returned to their nest to be in the security and comfort of their home sweet home. But the days of hanging out at their safe home are almost over. Soon they will leave the nest completely to be adult birds and make it on their own.

Ah, I thought, we are so much like those little birds. We don’t want to have to leave our secure and comfortable nests. We are afraid to venture out into the world. We are afraid of falling or failing. But God, our parent, encourages us to leave the nest, to grow, to try out our wings, even to experience the joy of flying.

Beloved parent God, you know how hard it is for us to leave the security of our nests. We feel afraid, insecure, uncertain that we can do things on our own. But you are always there with us – if only we could trust and believe. Indeed, with you all things are possible, and we may even discover that we can fly. Thank you for all these gifts. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com

July 20, 2010 at 11:21

Making Wise Choices

This past weekend I visited my friends who recently moved to Maine and are in the process of restoring a charming old house. While I was there, I met the contractor who is overseeing the restoration: a kind and gentle man whom I shall call “Jack.” Jack is a Vietnam vet, who is physically fit, positive-spirited, and truly content with his life.

When I first talked with Jack, I was surprised to learn that he had been a soldier in Vietnam, a place that often has painful memories for veterans and a place where I had developed programs for Save the Children after the American War. In my work over the years, I met many veterans and had taken some into Vietnam to meet Vietnamese veterans. Many vets found such a visit to be healing for themselves.

After his return from Vietnam, Jack didn’t have much money or other resources, but he knew that he wanted to work with his hands and to live close to the earth. He did whatever work he could find. Eventually he was able to buy a little plot of land on a mountain in Maine and put up a tent near a spring-fed stream where he could collect water. Over the years, Jack cleared the land, built a beautiful house, planted an enormous vegetable garden, dug a pond, and established a fruit orchard.

When I asked Jack how he had made his existence so rich and filled with such joy, he responded that life is all about choices. “It would have been easy to have felt bitter and unappreciated when I returned home from what was a very unpopular war,” he said. “But I knew that wouldn’t help me. I learned that my body and soul would heal best from the pain and ‘guilt’ of war if I chose to live a simple, healthy life – one that was well-grounded in the earth and filled with compassion. So I’ve chosen to try to live out what I believe, and to love whatever I have and whatever is around me.”

As I left the beautiful land that Jack has chosen to passionately tend and love, it was very clear that he had made wise choices for his life and that his choices were touching other peoples’ lives in positive ways.

Divine Giver of Choices, thank you for people like Jack. As we go through life, we are aware of the many choices that are available to us. We ask that you will help us to live well-grounded and simple lives. May we tenderly care for this beautiful earth where we live and make wise choices in our lives. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
July 12, 2010 at 08:11

Hot Weather Prayer

It’s been really hot in New York City – we’ve been breaking the heat records. It seems that summer has come straight into our windows, our homes, our streets, our lives. People barely seem to be moving as the heat blasts off the stone  buildings and up from the concrete sidewalks. Air conditioners roar away, there have been power outages, and the blazing sun is drying up flowers and plants everywhere. A lot of people are complaining that it’s too hot, that it’s too early to have this kind of weather so early in the season. Many say they hope the skies will open up, and we will have a major rainstorm.

But I know that in many places in New York City – and around the world – there isn’t air conditioning – not even fans to help people cool down. People are hanging out windows, sitting on fire escapes and stoops trying to catch a tiny bit of breeze. Some are getting sick or even dying from heat stroke.

If my father were alive, he would remind me that in every event or happening, even in every discomfort, we can learn something – if we are open to it. He told me the drought and Dust Bowl of the 1930s taught people a lot of important lessons. So what can we learn from this season of high temperatures? Certainly we know it is a time to slow down our fast lives, to walk more slowly, to sit quietly, to meditate on the changes in the climate and what we might need to do about that. And certainly we should be more compassionate and caring for people who are less privileged than we are.

As I slow down and ponder the heat, I’m remembering Ecclesiastes 3: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted.” Yes, there is so much to learn.

Beloved Creator, as we go through these days of heat, help us to learn something. May we take appropriate actions of compassion and kindness to others and to our planet. May we be reminded to slow down, to leave our work behind, to rest and restore our souls. May we feel the heat of Your Presence in our lives. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
July 05, 2010 at 04:10

A 4th of July Prayer

The summer is flying by, and already we have celebrated the 4th of July – the day that Americans remember the Declaration of Independence and separation from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. The 4th of July has become a holiday that most Americans celebrate with festivities including gatherings of family and friends, parades, fireworks, cookouts. Flags wave, bands march, and bystanders cheer. But what is the real meaning of this day? What do we really mean when we say independence and freedom?

This year I decided to ponder the significance of Independence Day by considering some of the words of John Adams, one of the founders of our country.

On July 3, 1776, John Adams wrote his now famous letter to his wife Abigail. I hope his words will help us to put this celebration into perspective. (This is the exact text from his letter with his original spellings.) “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” (The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784).

As John Adams stated, perhaps we should always remember Independence Day as a Day of Deliverance and celebrate it with solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. We have so much to be grateful for, so many freedoms, so many choices, so many blessings. Life can be truly abundant, if we choose to be open to it. May we celebrate and honor our liberation, our freedom, our blessings through gratitude and prayer.

Beloved Creator, we thank you for creating us as your children in this amazing world. Thank you so much for the gifts of freedom, of liberty, of life. May we celebrate our “independence” with solemn acts of devotion to You, our God Almighty. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
June 28, 2010 at 09:13

God’s Amazing Creatures #3

This weekend I’ve been cat-sitting for my friend Roger’s cats. Yes, “cat-sitting.” This included three nights of sleep-overs with Stevie Wonder (the blind cat I wrote about in my earlier blogs of 11/23/09 and 1/11/10) and his new roommate Tucson. Roger is in Nantucket celebrating the joyous occasion of his daughter Jennifer’s wedding, so I have the privilege of being the giver of care for the cats while he is gone. And what a pleasure it has been!

In the last blog, I wrote how little Jet had died, how Roger and Stevie were both grieving, and how healing it was when one night Stevie finally crawled into Roger’s bed, allowed him to pet him, and then started to purr for the first time.

Since then, Stevie loves to be touched, purrs like a motor boat, and always sleeps in Roger’s bed. They have become true buddies.

One day as Roger was buying cat food for Stevie at the vet’s office, a “cat fair” was being held. Someone approached Roger about adopting a cat, but he said he didn’t even want to look at any cats. He had just lost two cats, and he already had a blind cat, who might not adjust to another cat. In his heart he didn’t think he could face the possibility of yet another loss. But the vet’s assistant insisted that Stevie needed a friend, that she would bring a cat to Roger’s home to see how Stevie would react. Then he saw Tucson – another beautiful black cat, who looked just like Jet and Magic – and Stevie too.

When Tucson came for his trial run visit, he walked right over to Stevie, who sniffed him and didn’t even back away or growl. Then Tucson grabbed a bite to eat from the food bowl, used the litter box, and checked out the toys. It was that easy. So Tucson moved in with Stevie, who openly accepted a new cat into his space without so much as a single hiss.

I had no idea how special it was going to be to cat-sit with Stevie and Tucson. I’ve learned a lot about enthusiasm and joy from Tucson who has boundless energy. And from Stevie, I’ve learned about patience, openness, tolerance, and caring. When Tucson gets tired of running around, pouncing on Stevie, or bouncing off the furniture, he lies down by his loving and accepting buddy Stevie, who gently bathes him and calms him down. Yes, both cats are God’s amazing creatures, and Stevie truly is a Wonder cat.

Thank you, God, for the gift of animals. There is much they can teach us, if we take the time to watch them and be open to their teachings. Help us to be more like Stevie, who has learned to be trusting, patient, and generous. May we be good givers of care to all of your amazing creatures. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
June 21, 2010 at 09:08

The Gift of My Father

My father, Wilson Julius Charles Haupt, was a special friend, a great mentor, and a spiritual companion to me. He was “daddy” to my sister Shirley and me until the day he left this universe when he was over 96 years old. I am deeply grateful for the gift of my father.

Daddy was one of the most optimistic men I have ever met. He never saw the glass empty, not even half full. For him, the glass was just plain full. When I asked him what it was like to live through the Great Depression, the drought, the Dust Bowl days, the grasshoppers that ate whatever crops were still standing, and the desperate poverty, Daddy answered, “Your mother and I always were thankful that we had each other, we had love, and we had God in our lives.” Yes, God in our lives!

Although Daddy never had the opportunity to get a higher education, he was a very wise man and a life-long learner. He kept himself well educated and learning until a few days before his death. I remember only four days before he died that we were doing a crossword puzzle (one of his many ongoing mind-stretchers) and Daddy didn’t know the meaning of one of the words. “Would you look it up in the dictionary, Joy,” he said. “You never know, I might need to use it where I’m going.”

Only weeks before his death, he asked me: “Do you think your mother will be able to find me when I get to heaven? Remember Jesus said, ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions.’ Maybe it will be so big up there that we won’t be able to find each other.” I told him that, knowing Mother, she likely had already prepared a special room for them and filled it with roses from the heavenly garden. I added that Mother might come to get him when he was ready to leave this world. “Ah, that’s good,” he remarked. “You know what, Joy, I’m kind of looking forward to all of this. I’ve never died before. I think it might be an adventure – a whole new learning experience.” Yes, Daddy, a great way to approach the end of life.

And sure enough, just a couple of days before Daddy died, as we were looking at old photos, Daddy looked up and remarked, “Wow, do you see that?” And not seeing anything, I asked, “What, Daddy?” “Don’t tell me you can’t see all those musicians coming into the living room. There’s your mother by the piano, and there are others.” And he named some of my parents’ friends who were already on the other side. They had come to escort Daddy home. So it truly was an adventure, a whole new learning experience. Yes, I thank God for this amazing man – my father.

Thank you, God, for our fathers. Whoever they may have been, may we have learned something from them. As Daddy would say, let us be grateful that we have love in our lives and that we always have You in our lives. Help us to see life as a full glass, because You are here with us – even in the most difficult of times. Thank you. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
June 13, 2010 at 10:44

Courageous Women of the Bible

This past Sunday I was the guest preacher at the Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Carrollton, Texas. The scripture reading for the day was about the woman who came uninvited to Simon’s home where Jesus was a guest for dinner. There she bathed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, and anointed his feet with expensive perfume. It was an amazingly courageous act for a “sinful” woman who was considered to be an unwelcome and undesirable intruder to a dinner for the young rabbi.

As I prepared for my sermon, I began remembering other brave women who had interacted freely with Jesus and who had been openly accepted and cherished by him. I thought especially of the woman who had an “issue of blood” for many years and was therefore judged by society as unclean and tainted. According to the customs of the time, she was not supposed to be in the same room with her husband and was viewed as a kind of outcast. She must have snuck out of her home and slipped into the crowd along the road where Jesus was passing by. Then with all of her courage, she reached out and touched the hem of his cloak. In the customs of those days, Jesus should have walked on by and rejected this audaciously brave woman. But instead he insisted on talking with her and telling her that her faith had made her whole. A courageous woman indeed!

Then there was Mary, the mother of Jesus. Although she has often been depicted as a gentle and meek soul, it seems to me that Mary had more guts and strength than all the disciples put together. As a teenager and a betrothed virgin, she accepted the most difficult of challenges from the Angel Gabriel – to be the Mother of God’s son. As a young mother, she pondered in her heart all those strange things that Jesus said and did including hearing him reject her when he harshly said, “So who is my family?” And it was Mary and other women who loyally and valiantly stood at the foot of the cross when all but one of the disciples had run away and hid.

If Jesus were walking around these days in his grubby sandals, dirty feet, and tattered clothes, would we (women or men) have the courage to reach out to him without fear? Or would we (as I confess I might do) cross the street when we saw this grimy, undignified man approaching us?

We have a lot to learn from those courageous women of the Bible. I pray we will become braver and more like Mary. Perhaps then we too will stand at the foot of the cross and be there when Jesus calls us.

Thank you, God, for your son Jesus, who in all ages and in all times accepts and encourages all peoples to be courageous and strong contributors to the world. We pray that we will learn from these special women whose stories we read in the Bible. May we too reach out to you as you pass by – whether we are considered to be unclean, “sinful,” or meek and mild – knowing that you love and support us. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
June 07, 2010 at 04:46

Welcoming the Stranger

Recently I saw a very powerful, but painful, film Welcome. When I went to the theatre, I had no idea what it was about. My friends had told me that it was an excellent film that shouldn’t be missed. Welcome is an amazing film about the struggle of a Kurdish immigrant who is in Calais, France and is yearning to get across the English Channel to England where he believes he will find work and join the young woman he loves. A very sad but compassionate man, who once was a champion swimmer and is now working as a swim instructor, befriends him.

Welcome has been on my mind since I saw it. It reminded me of a verse in the scriptures that tells us to welcome the stranger, for we do not know when we will be entertaining angels.

Last winter as I was walking home from the subway on a cold wintry night in New York City, a homeless man approached me and asked me if I could give him some money. Certain that he would spend the money for drugs or alcohol, I made a decision to offer to buy him a cup of coffee and a sandwich in the local deli. He took me up on my offer and thanked me as I turned to go home.

But something made me stop. For some reason, I knew that it wasn’t enough. I asked him if I could join him for a cup of coffee. And so we sat on the bench outside the deli, and Abdul told me his story. He had come to America looking for work to support his family, who he had left behind in Syria. His dream of making money turned into a nightmare: of not being able to get a job, of getting sick, of being seen as a “dirty Arab,” and of his shame and guilt. He felt he had let down his family who had such high hopes for him – after all he was an educated man.

As we talked, Abdul’s eyes filled with tears. He told me that he had planned to take his life that night by remaining outdoors in the bitter cold, hoping that he would die in the freezing cold. “But,” he said, “you came along and treated me like a human being. You were kind to me. So perhaps my luck has changed. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to find some work and begin to think about how I can return home to my family.” As we parted, Abdul said, “I know I’m a stranger, but would you pray for me? You saved my life tonight. Thank you.” And I replied, “And you may have saved my life too. Thank you.” And I wondered, was he a stranger or an angel?

Thank you, God, for creating all of us as your children, your angels. Please teach us to open our eyes and our hearts to welcome “strangers” in our lives – to recognize that they could be angels, that they are your children. And – they just might be you. May we remember that we too are strangers in someone’s eyes. May we be compassionate to all. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
May 31, 2010 at 10:21

Memorial Day Memories

Memorial Day – a day when we remember and honor those who have helped our country and those who have sacrificed their lives to make the world a safer and better place for us. On this special day, I also remember and honor my parents, the people who helped me to grow, who sacrificed themselves so that my world would be a safer and better place to live.

Since Father’s Day is just around the corner, and I’ll be remembering my dad on that day, I am writing about my mother Alma Johanna Weilage Haupt – the amazing woman who was “mommy” to my sister Shirley and me. Born in 1906 on a farm in Nebraska, she was a strong, compassionate woman, who tenderly cared for the environment long before it was popular or known to be important for our survival. She saved dishpan water and recycled it for watering the garden or flushing the toilet. She washed out plastic bags, hanging them on the line to dry, so they could be used again. She always grew perennial flowers and divided and spread them all over our gardens – and we had lots of them. She started all of our vegetables from seeds.

But mother also loved beauty and found it in all things. She made attractive clothes for Shirley and me – from my aunt’s hand-me-down dresses, even from pastel flour sacks. I never saw mother wearing a “house dress” in her 96 years of life. She took care of her face and hair – even when she went to the fields to drive the tractor. My dad was so proud to have this lovely woman by his side, and he treated her like his queen until the day she died three years before him.

More importantly on this Memorial Day, I remember my mother as a woman of prayer. If someone was dying or sick or in some kind of trouble, they knew to call Alma Haupt and have her put their name on her prayer list. She spent a lot of time talking and listening to God. When Shirley and I were growing up as little girls on our Nebraska farm, after supper our family prayed on our knees for what felt like a very long time. I remember from time to time that I would lay my head on the kitchen chair in front of me and actually fall asleep until my mother said, “Joy, are you awake? God wants you to pay attention and listen.”

So on Memorial Day, I say thanks to God for these special memories of my amazing mother, the environmentalist, the woman who appreciated beauty, and the woman of prayer.

Thank you, God, for Memorial Day, when we can stop to think about the many people who have helped to make our world a better place. We give thanks especially for the people who have touched our lives and helped us to grow. Now as my mother would remind us, let us remember to stay awake and listen to you. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
May 24, 2010 at 08:31

Find Beauty in All Things

This weekend it was warm enough to use my outdoor shower at my beach house. I had been gardening in the warm sun pulling weeds, moving plants from overcrowded flower beds, digging up invasive wildflowers, and I was dirty and sweating profusely. So it felt refreshing and rejuvenating to get into my wonderful outdoor shower where the only roof over my head is the blue sky and the branches of my huge oak trees.

Last year I planted a honeysuckle vine beside the wooden structure surrounding the shower, and this spring the vines have climbed all over it – both outside and inside. When I moved some of the leaves and flowers of the honeysuckle that are growing inside the shower, I saw a little ceramic plaque that I had forgotten was hanging there. On it are written the words “Find Beauty in All Things.” How special to discover that sign – a reminder that in the midst of weeds, dirt, and sweat, we can experience beauty.

I started thinking about that – how valuable it is to look for beauty in all things which God has created. It’s so easy to see the ugly side of life and to find fault with people, things, even life itself. One of my friends reminded me that we often think of rare things as being beautiful. For example, we see a red cardinal as a stunning bird. But because a sparrow is an ordinary or common bird, we tend not to appreciate it or to think of it as beautiful.

When I was writing my book Journeys of Courage, I had the opportunity to interview women prisoners in Ireland. The warden of the prison told me that he believed that the prisoners should be treated with compassion and respect as women – not as prisoners, because they too were children of God. He said he had never met a person, even a murderer or a hardened criminal, that didn’t have a side of beauty in them.

As I returned to my outdoor shower, I took a good look at the little “Find Beauty in All Things” plaque. But what I’d missed earlier was a small mirror right next to the sign. Looking into the mirror, I reminded myself that it’s important for us to look for our own deep, internal beauty. Yes, it’s there. After all, we have been created by the master artist – God.

Thank you, God, for being the great artist and for creating a world full of beauty – including ourselves. Teach us to be attentive observers and protectors of your amazingly beautiful world. And help us to look for beauty in all peoples and in ourselves. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
May 17, 2010 at 08:57

In the Garden with God

After returning from the Holy Land Pilgrimage, I felt restored and ready to get back to my life, which includes gardening at my little beach house outside New York City. Of course, a lot of things can take place when one is absent and not tending one’s garden.

Recently I read an article that gardening is a bit like warfare. I can understand why people might say that. There’s the ongoing struggle with what we think of as “unwelcome” creatures, and I’m not just referring to weeds and crabgrass. There are other “battles” to be fought. Those innocent-looking, lovely deer can gobble up your favorite flowers overnight and leave only the stems behind; they can turn your once proud stand of enormous hostas into a graveyard of hosta skeletons. Or there are the oh-so-unpopular moles, who can’t see where they’re going, but you can certainly see where they’ve been. They leave a trail of bumps and overturned plants as they blindly wend their way through flower beds and lawns. Or there are the groundhogs, who don’t like to get their teeth dirty, so they eat your favorite herbs down to about one inch above the ground.

And I don’t want to forget to mention the BIG birds, who wreak chaos and havoc on the lives of the smaller birds. I’ve managed to fool the squirrels by discovering and installing a truly squirrel-proof birdfeeder, so they’re no longer a problem there. But when crows and grackles show up, the little songbirds fly away. I find myself feeling very protective of the small things – especially the little birds. I’ve been known to charge out to the birdfeeder with arms flailing and shouting as I try to scare away the big guys. It works – for a few minutes.

When I’m in my garden doing my best to make a place of peace and beauty, I get a strange sensation that God is watching me and smiling, maybe laughing. I can almost hear God saying, “I understand what you’re feeling, Joy, about the little things. I too have similar feelings about you, my little children. I want to nurture you, protect you, and care for you.”

Then I find myself smiling and overwhelmed with a sense of hope and joy that God does care about us so much – just as I do about the little birds.

Thank you, God, for loving us, for nurturing and protecting us, your little creatures. We are so grateful that we can experience your love in real, almost palpable ways when we spend time in your gardens, in your awesome nature. Help us to be good gardeners in life and to love one another with the kind of tenderness that you show all of your creatures. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com

May 10, 2010 at 09:07

Sharing Loaves and Fish

Before I left the Holy Land, the Pilgrimage I was leading visited the Loaves and Fish Church on the site where tradition says Jesus fed more than 5,000 people. How often I’ve read the Scriptures about that story and wondered with a sense of curiosity what really happened that day when Jesus blessed the two fish and five loaves of bread and fed such a huge crowd.

The Scriptures tell us that Jesus had been saddened about the news of John the Baptist’s death. So he crossed the Sea of Galilee with his disciples hoping to go to a lonely place in the hills. He must have yearned to have some time to grieve his enormous loss. But when people learned where Jesus was going, they left their towns and went by land to the place where Jesus was heading. They had heard about how this amazing man had made people well.

Although he was tired and grieving, the ever-compassionate Jesus took pity on the people who had followed him. He healed them and spoke with them. As the evening progressed, I can just imagine that the disciples were getting worried and perhaps feeling a bit protective of Jesus. They probably said, “Hey, Jesus, maybe you should let these people go. You must be tired. It’s getting dark, the people are hungry. Maybe they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”

But the always-generous Jesus said, “No, they don’t have to leave. You can give them something to eat.” I picture the disciples looking at each other, shaking their heads in disbelief and frustration, and thinking that Jesus had really lost it this time. “Okay, Jesus,” they said, “but we don’t have much food, and we certainly don’t have enough dinaro (money) to buy something for all of these people.” And the ever-optimistic Jesus said, “So what do we have? Bring it here.”

You know the story. They only had two fish and five loaves of bread. So Jesus blessed the loaves and fish, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to distribute. And when everyone had eaten and had enough, the disciples took up twelve baskets full of what was left over – enough to feed a neighboring town.

I’ve pondered this passage of Scripture and believe that a miracle really happened. Certainly, Jesus could have made the loaves and fish multiply enough to feed that enormous number of people. But I think an even greater miracle took place. In the presence of the caring Jesus, every person who had the tiniest morsel of food in the pockets of their robes or in their small baskets opened up their hearts and shared what they had.

Compassionate Giver of Life, you teach us about love and sharing. But, like the disciples, it takes us a long time to get it. Thank you for your patience. We ask that you will show us how to be more giving, to share what we have been given – which is so much, yes, so much. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
May 04, 2010 at 08:08

The Garden of Gethsemane

The Garden of Gethsemane is truly an amazing place. Historians have stated that they are quite certain that it is the location where Jesus went to pray after having shared his last supper in the Upper Room with his disciples and friends. It would have been the place where Jesus was betrayed and abandoned by his own people.

As I stood in the Garden last week looking at the enormous, ancient olive trees, I wondered just where Jesus might have prayed, where he would have asked God if it might be possible to remove the very difficult and bitter event he was facing. He must have been filled with sorrow and disappointment knowing that he would soon be betrayed, denied, and abandoned.

When I read the scripture reading, I could almost hear Jesus asking his disciples if they would please stay awake with him and pray with him, He must have been so lonely at that moment. I found my heart pounding with a sense of sorrow and guilt. I asked myself if I too would have fallen asleep in the garden that night – out of fear or denial or exhaustion.

I began to think about Jesus asking me the same questions that he asked his disciples: Can you stay awake with me? Can you pray with me?

The questions I embraced in the Garden of Gethsemane that day are in my mind and heart today and will be there long after the image of the Garden has faded. Would I too have fallen asleep when Jesus wanted me to pray with him? Would I, like Peter, have denied that I knew Jesus? Would I, like Judas, have betrayed him for money? Would I, like the disciples, have abandoned Jesus and run away and hid out of fear?

Beloved Christ, we are so grateful that you love us in spite of our weaknesses, our fears, our betrayals, our denials. We thank you that you are a forgiving Lord. We ask that you will take us by our hands and open our hearts to hear you as you ask us to pray with you, to be awake with you, and to stay with you. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
April 26, 2010 at 08:38

Praying on the Sea of Galilee

“Sometimes the Sea of Galilee can suddenly become quite fierce, even when it looks as calm as glass,” the captain of the fragile-looking Jesus Boat said to me. “If the winds are very hot and blowing west from the Golan Heights toward the Sea of Galilee, they can drop down from the Heights and bounce on the surface of the Sea causing big waves to occur – sometimes as high as ten feet or more. That explains why in the Bible it says there was a rough storm that came up suddenly and frightened Jesus’ disciples.” I must have looked a bit concerned when the captain said those words, because he quickly added: “Oh, I don’t think we’ll have one of those storms today.”

And I replied, “Well, if we do, it sure would be nice if Jesus was on the boat with us.”

“Ah,” said the captain with a smile, “but he will be.”

Before boarding the boat that afternoon, the women on our Pilgrimage had read the story of Jesus sleeping peacefully as the storm roared around the disciples and him in their boat. When the disciples feared for their lives, they woke Jesus, “Don’t you care that we might perish?” And Jesus calmed the storm saying to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” I imagine he also said, “Oh, my dear friends, when will you get it? When will you have faith in me – and in yourselves?”

That afternoon it was truly a peaceful time for us. We sat quietly on the boat watching the shoreline fade away. I imagined I could see Jesus standing on the beach waiting for our return. Later it seemed he was in the back of the boat – sleeping peacefully.
As we disembarked, I realized that Jesus had been on the boat with us that day.

Jesus, thank you for being the Pilot of our souls. Thank you for lovingly caring for us during life’s tempestuous seas. Help us not to be afraid, to have faith in you and in ourselves. Help us to finally  “get It” – that you truly are our Pilot. Amen.

– Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
April 18, 2010 at 12:22

Being on Pilgrimage

This week I am traveling to the Holy Land to host a Women’s Pilgrimage. I’m looking forward to this spiritual journey and have been preparing myself for it since I went to the Holy Land last year with another group of pilgrims.

Ever since I started leading pilgrimages, I’ve thought a lot about the purpose of a pilgrimage – whether one travels to a far distant place or stays in one’s own neighborhood. For centuries people of all faiths and religions go on pilgrimages for many reasons. Some are on a search for something sacred or meaningful in their lives; others may want to undertake a deeply spiritual journey; or they may wish to celebrate a special event in their life such as an anniversary, a birthday, or a recovery from an illness. Still others may merely want to walk on what they consider to be holy ground.

For me, going on a pilgrimage – whether it be to the Holy Land or to visit my former hometown of Clatonia, Nebraska – is about unlocking my heart and connecting to a place, its people, its history. It’s also about being fully present and being more mindful and soulful to the meaning of the total experience of the pilgrimage so that I can relate it to my own life. Indeed, being on a pilgrimage can be a life-changing event.

So whether we are going on a pilgrimage to a distant sacred place or having a pilgrimage in our own neighborhood, it’s important that we be receptive to change and to growth. If we can explore our spiritual growing edges, let go of what we think are “safety zones” in our lives, and open ourselves to God’s spirit in our hearts, we may find that we have truly been on a pilgrimage with the Divine.

Beloved Creator, we are deeply grateful for the gift of being Pilgrims with you on this sacred journey. We come to you seeking your guidance and help to find meaning in our lives. Open our hearts so that we can connect to the earth, to people, and most importantly to you. We truly yearn to be on a pilgrimage with you. Amen.

– Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
April 05, 2010 at 07:04

Post-Easter Thoughts

And suddenly we are on the other side of Easter – that beautiful, meaningful day when we shout and sing “Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!” The day that our churches are filled with sweet-smelling Easter lilies, with beautiful music, and with people in fine attire who come for their once-or-twice-a-year dose of an uplifting church experience.

After waiting throughout the darkness of Lent with a sense of longing and hunger for the return of the Divine in our life, Easter finally arrived, and we have been moved from darkness to the light. As John writes in his Gospel, “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” We feel that our souls have been moved into the light, we have been nourished, our hearts are inspired, and we have a sense of new faith and even new joy. We know that Jesus was killed in a hideous manner and painfully nailed to a cross, mocked and humiliated. Yet on the third day, he rose up from the tomb and left it empty – much to the surprise and disbelief of the soldiers, the Pharisees, and even his disciples. It gives us hope that we too can rise above our pains, our suffering, our pessimism, our sorrows, and we can live a new and meaningful life. Yes, there is hope for each one of us and even for our crazy world.

So what can we do after the shouts of “Alleluia!” die down and are only a memory? Our job is to keep alive this Easter hope and light, to remember the lilies, the music, the filled churches, and to nourish our re-born faith and dreams. We need to keep the negative, pessimistic, angry thoughts away from our cleansed hearts.

Yes, we can hang onto this Easter hope, these life-giving thoughts. We can take our everyday lives and immerse them in the sacred love of the risen Christ. We can practice special acts of love each and every day. And we can pray that God will hold our hearts open to the light and to Easter every day of our lives.

Beloved risen Christ, thank you for bringing the light back to our lives and into our hearts. Help us to be faithful always to you and to your light. Inspire us to open our hearts to the positive, to new life, to service. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

– Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
March 29, 2010 at 09:31

Praying through Holy Week

It’s hard to believe that this is Holy Week – the last week of Lent. For many, the purpose of Holy Week is to relive and participate in the passion of Jesus. When we look at the entire week –not just the joyful celebrations of Palm Sunday and Easter, we can understand that life is not just about newness and joy, but also about the darkness of betrayal, denial, fear, and despair. During these days we may want to do more than remember Jesus’ last week. Perhaps we can examine our own faith journey and turn each day into vital prayer times.

Palm Sunday: Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph with crowds waving palm branches and shouting that he was the messiah. Only a few days later, the crowds would cry out for his execution. In our prayers this day, we might want to ask ourselves if we are easily swayed by the psychology of the crowds. Do we want God only on our terms?

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday: It is believed that Jesus chased the money-changers out of the Temple and preached and taught in Jerusalem. During these three days, we can focus on Jesus’ work and its impact on our lives and on the world.

Maundy Thursday: Jesus’ washed his disciples’ feet, shared the last meal together, felt Judas’ betrayal, prayed in agony in Gethsemane while his disciples slept, and was arrested. We might want to remember our own betrayals of God, of others, and of ourselves. We can also ponder what it means to wash each others’ feet, and if we could “stay awake” and pray with Jesus or if we too would fall asleep.

Good Friday: Jesus’ arrest, his trial, his crucifixion, death, and burial. On this day, Jesus says from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” This day, we may want to ask for forgiveness and for help in being forgiving.

Holy Saturday: The day Jesus rested in the tomb. This may be a good day for us to wait and reflect, to be quiet, and to ponder the darkness of the world without God in it.

Easter Sunday: The day the angel told the women at the tomb that Jesus has risen from the dead, that he is alive. Our prayers could be filled with gratitude for the love of the risen Christ.

Beloved Christ, during this holiest of weeks, help us to ponder the meaning of each day of your last week and of the impact on our own personal lives. Help us to learn from these days of pain and of joy and to start our lives anew with the risen Christ. Amen.

– Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
March 22, 2010 at 01:27

Retreating Ourselves

Last weekend I led a retreat for 52 women from the Thousand Oaks United Methodist Church. The setting for the retreat was in the hills above Malibu, California in the Serra Retreat Center, which is an absolutely breathtaking place surrounded by lush green hills, abundant flowers, hiking trails, a labyrinth, and a view of the Pacific Ocean. To top it off, there were 52 delightful women who were receptive and eager to be on a retreat. So it was not difficult for us to take a journey into the landscape of our souls and to have a meaningful retreat experience.

In our daily living, what makes it possible for a retreat to take place for us? Are we able to stop our hectic lives and make the time to re-treat ourselves? Many people feel that they can’t go away to a place like the Serra Center because they are far too busy. They may even think of being on a retreat as a luxury – something they couldn’t possibly do.

When I work with people whose lives are filled with tension, anxiety, or stress, we talk about how important it is to take a retreat, that a major goal for a retreat is to refresh our souls in order to experience a newness of life and a deeper relationship with God. Sometimes we discuss ways that we can “go” on retreat without actually going away.

It is possible to take a mini retreat in our own homes and in our hearts, and there are things we can do to be on retreat without going to a retreat center. When we quiet our minds, calm our souls, and are prayerful, we can take stock of what our life is all about, why we are so busy, and how essential it is to make time for God in our lives.

Beloved God, thank you for making yourself accessible to us in retreat centers – and on retreats in our own homes and within our hearts. Help us to realize the value of pausing, of taking the time to re-treat ourselves to being in your awesome Presence. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
March 15, 2010 at 09:38

Waiting Time

Hurry up and wait! Hurry up and wait! That seems to be one of the messages of our lives these days. So many people I know are in a rush, only to find that when they get somewhere, they have to wait.

This past week I went to my eye doctor’s office for my checkup. The waiting room was filled with people waiting to see the doctors. Yesterday I was running late, so I almost ran to the subway. When I got on the platform I found it was packed with people who likely had also rushed to catch the train only to learn that the trains were delayed. So we waited for nearly 25 minutes before a train came.

Today I got up early, finished packing my suitcase, and charged out the door to catch a taxi. The ride to the airport went amazingly fast for New York City. I felt lucky – we only stopped twice in the traffic to wait. Of course, I had to wait in line at the security checkpoint and waited at the gate for almost two hours. And then I waited for almost five and a half hours for my plane to reach its destination on the other side of the country.

As I began to think more about waiting, I realized that there is a lot of waiting time in all of our lives. How do we use that precious time? Do we use it in a constructive way or in a wasteful way? Do we get frustrated and angry or do we see the time of waiting as a time to be open, to pay attention, to be present, to learn, to pray, to connect with God?

Beloved God, we bustle through our hassled world rushing about and then waiting for something to happen. We need to learn to use our “waiting time” in useful and peace-filled ways. Help us to use this time as special time with you. Amen.
March 07, 2010 at 08:07

A Hint of Spring

The winter this year in New York has seemed longer, colder, and harsher than usual, and there have been more snowstorms than we ordinarily have. People seem hungry for a touch of spring. One day when the weather got over 40 degrees, I saw a number of people walking on the streets with only light jackets, and one brave soul was in shorts and a T-shirt. Yes, we’ve been ready for the arrival of spring for a long time.

This weekend on a very promising day, I decided to drive out to my little beach house to check out the status of my snow-covered, frozen, dormant gardens. The sun was shining in a blue sky, the winds were calm, and the thermometer was reaching into the mid-40s. I felt a sense of pleasure when I saw that the hardware store in my little town was displaying its rakes outside instead of snow shovels, and the local nursery seemed to be gearing up with soil, fertilizer, and plants.

I felt so encouraged and inspired that I decided to start cleaning out the broken branches, twigs, and dead leaves from my flower beds. How surprised I was to find under the winter debris that tiny shoots of green were popping up in the most unexpected places.

Sometimes we can get so bogged down with the darkness of winter in our lives that we may forget that spring is coming with new life, new possibilities. As spring approaches, it’s a great time to liberate ourselves from our darkness and our fears. Perhaps we can open ourselves like spring flowers to God, to our gifts, and to the fullness of our souls.

As I worked in my garden enjoying the hint of spring, some questions came to mind:
•    What does the darkness of winter mean to us?
•    Are there gifts we can glean during winter times and how can we best use them?
•    What does “springtime” mean to us?
•    Are we open to the gifts of springtime? And how can we use those gifts?

Oh, God, as your children, you generously give us the gifts of spring, of new life. Help us get un-stuck from the darkness in our lives and to be grateful for your love and forgiveness. Help us to be worthy of your precious gifts and to use them in meaningful ways. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
February 28, 2010 at 06:50

Trying Out Different Flavors

For many years, I worked for international development organizations in different countries around the world. I had the opportunity to meet people of diverse cultures, customs, styles, races, religions, and faiths. I learned how much we had in common: a primal need to have adequate food and water, a desire to have good health, a yearning to read and write, and a longing to have a decent quality of life.

One of the privileges of living and working in so many places in the world is the pleasure of experiencing many different flavors of foods. At times I wasn’t sure what I was eating. However, when I learned that a particular food was a delicacy of a community or that it had been specially prepared for me, I tried it. At other times, I had no choice; there was nothing else to eat. When I was working for Save the Children and visiting some of the programs in Nepal, I had to walk deep into the mountains to remote areas where no vehicles could travel. Each day I was served a little rice and dal (a spicy lentil dish) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I grew quite accustomed to this routine and began looking forward to each meal and savoring the subtle differences in the flavors of the dal, which had been lovingly prepared for me.

As a result of my international work, I’m open to trying new foods and to paying attention to the way they have been cooked. I’m always surprised when people tell me they don’t want to try something new – that they probably won’t like it. How can they know if they don’t try?

In a way, it’s similar with prayer. We might not be willing to try out new ways of praying, new avenues that may help us better reach the Divine. Not long ago a woman I work with said that as a child she had been taught only to pray the prayers that were found in a certain prayer book. She had followed those instructions all her life, but she didn’t feel connected to God and she was afraid to venture out on her own and diversify her style of praying. When we discussed how she might like to speak with God, she said she yearned to talk with God as a child to a parent or as a friend to another friend, to someone with whom she would feel comfortable. So I encouraged her to test different types of communication with God. Recently she reported that she had tried out some new ways to pray and had discovered she felt more peace-filled and tranquil. She had found new flavors of prayer that brought her closer to God.

God of all the Nations, of all the peoples, of all religions, thank you for loving all of your children and calling us your own. You invite us to reach out to you in whatever ways we can that will help us draw closer to you. Teach us not to be afraid to try out new flavors of prayer, so that we can experience your peace and your love in all aspects of our lives. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com

February 22, 2010 at 09:06

Bathing Elephants – A Spiritual Experience

As I spent time in India, I saw that, for most Hindus, religion is deeply intertwined with daily life and activities. Their gods are prayed to every day and are consulted and asked for help in almost all aspects of daily life. A devout Hindu doesn’t have to attend a temple service to worship or to honor a god or goddess, because the divine exists in everything–every living being, every animal, every tree. Perhaps that is why Hindus are so hospitable to strangers, since every person carries something of the divine within them. Even the traditional greeting of “Namaste” means “I recognize the divine in you.” A very worthy custom.

One day I had the opportunity to join in “bathing elephants” in a beautiful clean river about an hour outside Cochin in Kerala, India. I had no idea what to expect. So when I saw Sunitha, a huge 40-year-old female elephant lumbering down the hill toward me, I confess I felt afraid. How on earth could I get up the courage to help bathe her? Sunitha approached the river with great excitement trumpeting her glee as she stepped into the water. She placed her long trunk into the water, sucked up some water, lifted her trunk into the air, and showered herself with delight. At a gentle command from her trainer, she laid down in the river like a baby happily waiting for her bath.

It was then that three baby elephants walked down the hill toward the river. As they passed me, I could see their almost human-looking eyes. I remember having a similar feeling the first time I saw the eyes of a whale up close. One four-year-old elephant named Asha stopped near me, sniffed me with her trunk, looked me in the eye, and smiled at me–or so it seemed. I knew then that Asha was the elephant I would wash. She was absolutely precious, and I wanted to hug her. So I rolled up my trousers, stepped into the river, and began talking to her. I bathed Asha with a coconut husk marveling at her skin, the little hairs that grew on it, and her amazing trunk that sniffed at my arms and gently touched my face.

What a privilege to talk to and bathe an elephant–an animal that is considered sacred in many countries and represents loyalty, wisdom, elegance, and good luck. As I bathed Asha, I told her that she was indeed one of God’s beautiful creatures, that I could see the divine in her. It was truly a sacred spiritual experience–one I will always treasure.

Amazing God, You shower upon us so many surprises in life. Who could begin to imagine that bathing an elephant would leave a person awe-struck and grateful? Ah, if we could just stay open to your surprises and gleefully rush to the river of life. May we recognize the divine in ourselves and in each of your creatures. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
February 14, 2010 at 10:02

Generosity Comes Around

The first time I rode with Navas in his motorized rickshaw through the streets of Cochin, India, I was impressed with his gentleness and kindness. He carefully tried to miss the potholes and bumps in the streets. He seemed sympathetic to those he met – both people and animals. He had a huge smile that could steal your heart away, but he also gave off a sense of dignity and pride.

One day as I was waiting for Navas to pick me up, he was a few minutes late. When he arrived, he apologized and said he was feeling very sad. He had been driving two people who had “problems something like his,” and he wanted to help them as much as possible. They both were disabled.

When Navas was only eight months old, he was struck with polio. He survived, but both of his legs were badly weakened. Because he lived in Kerala, he still had the opportunity to be educated (Kerala has a 100 percent literacy rate – one of the hightest in the world), and he was very intelligent.

About 10 years ago, my artist friends Cai and Didier, who live in Greece, started spending two months of every year in Kerala to rest and get inspiration for their work. One day Navas picked them up in his rickshaw, and they took an interest in him. In the last two years they have generously helped Navas to buy his own rickshaws. At the end of each day, after Navas drives Cai and Didier home, they have a conversation about his business and provide him with helpful tips. Now Navas is hoping to buy another rickshaw that he can rent out. If the complications from his polio ever prevent him from driving, he would have another source of income to support his wife and three children.

When Navas drove me to his home and proudly introduced his family to me, I felt honored. Such beautiful people.

God reminds us that we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves, that we should do unto others as we would want them to do unto us. Didier and Cai’s generosity and ongoing support of Navas is a perfect example of that kind of love. And Navas passes it on to his passengers with his kindness, his smile and laughter, his generous love.

Beloved God, you have been so generous to us. You have loved each of us as your children. Thank you for your gifts to us. Now help us to be more generous to one another – to all peoples everywhere. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
February 07, 2010 at 10:05

Praying for Enemies

As my airplane flew to India, I occasionally looked up at the flight map on the screen in the front of the cabin where I was seated. I wanted to know where I was. My routing took me from New York to London to Bahrain, and then to Cochin in Kerala, India.

Every plane enroute was packed, so there were no extra seats where I could stretch out. I dozed off and on as we flew on that long journey to the other side of the world. At one point when I woke up, I saw that our plane was flying near Iraq and Iran. I remember thinking: “These are countries that we think of as ‘enemies’ to our nation.” And it flashed into my mind that likely many people in those countries think of my country as their “enemy.”

As I leaned back in my seat reflecting on those thoughts, I remembered that Jesus had been very clear about “enemies.” I pulled my tiny little pocket Bible out of my purse and found his words: “But I say to you, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. . . . If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? . . . But love your enemies, do good, and expect nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

As I sat quietly pondering those words at 39,000 feet, I decided to try to pray for “my enemies.” When I ended my prayer, I added a P.S. – that “my enemies” would pray for me too. I hoped that perhaps we could learn to love and be merciful to one another so that we would truly be children of the Most High.

Oh, merciful God, we come to you asking for forgiveness for our arrogance, our self-importance. Teach us to truly be your children and to learn to pray and be merciful to each other – even to our “enemies.” You are the Most High, and all things are possible with you. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
February 06, 2010 at 11:12

Synchronicity

A number of years ago, I worked in India and had the opportunity to see many parts of the country. I grew to love this astonishingly diverse country. The colors, sights, smells, tastes, and sounds are truly a sensory delight. This week I’m traveling to Kerala, a place I’ve never been, to visit friends. (I’ll write more about that in my next prayer blog.) My friends are artists who live in Greece and who temporarily move to Kerala for two months to be inspired. They say they are both restored and stimulated by the splendor and exquisiteness of Kerala, and when they return to Greece, they feel motivated to take up their art work with new vision and energy.

As I’ve prepared for my trip, I’ve had some interesting, almost synchronic experiences. I use the word synchronicity with a sense of delight. The word is described as an experience of two or more events that are unrelated occurring together in a meaningful way.

Last week as I stood in line with dozens of others waiting to apply for an Indian visa, the man behind me asked where I was going. When I said “Kerala,” he smiled and responded that was where his family lived, that he was returning home after many years. “It is the most beautiful place in the world,” he said with tears in his eyes. “Would you like to meet my family?” Later that evening when I returned to pick up my visa – again with dozens of other people, a young man asked where I was going. When “Kerala” was my answer, he beamed with joy and told me about his aging mother who soon will retire from managing her small shop in Cochin. He gave me the address of the shop. “You must come to meet my mother. I’m sure she will want to serve you her special tea.” And he smiled with delight. Then yesterday in the church I was visiting, a young Indian priest told the congregation that he was going home to visit his family in India for six weeks. As I left the church, I asked the priest where he was going. “To my home in Cochin, Kerala.” He was pleased that I too would soon be there, and he invited me to visit his family.

Different places, different times, different people – all going home to Kerala, all inviting me to visit them there – a place of beauty and a place where people love to say, “This is my home. Come visit me.” God’s creatures and God’s lovely place – created for us.

Beloved God, we thank you for creating so many beautiful places in the world. We also thank you for loving and hospitable people who invite us into their homes – just as you invite us into ”your home.” May we learn to appreciate synchronicity in life and to be hospitable to others – as you are to us.  Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
January 25, 2010 at 10:19

Rocks and Beaches – God’s Surprises

This past weekend my friend Jen and I went for a long walk. It was a cold, grey, blustery, and about-to-rain-or-snow kind of day – what you might say was not really a good day for a walk. And you may be even more surprised when I tell you where we walked: on the Peconic Bay Beach on Long Island.

I confess that I’m a lover of beaches. There is something so magnificent, so powerful, and so spiritual about water, sand, rocks, and waves that it takes my breath away. It’s not easy for me to find words that describe the feelings I have when I’m on a beach whether I’m with friends or by myself. It doesn’t matter what time of the year or what the weather is like, I find time spent on the beach restorative, uplifting, and invigorating.

My friend Jen also loves beaches, so she too was up for a walk even in the less-than-perfect-beach-weather. But when we got there, we were astonished to see that huge wedges of ice and snow had been blown up out of the water onto the beach. They were stacked like shimmering, iridescent piles of lumber. It was so beautiful that it took our breath away. And if that wasn’t enough of a miracle, the rocks on the beach were absolutely stunning in their gold, pink, and orange shades as they peeked out from under the sparkling ice mounds.

What a shock to find so much beauty on what could have been described as a drab and cheerless day. Ah, but God continues to surprise us with special gifts of beauty in such things as rocks and beaches. If only we could keep our eyes and our hearts open to God’s generous offerings.

Giver of gifts and surprises, we thank you for loving us enough that you provide us with such amazing beauty – especially when we think things are dingy or dark or terrible. Open our eyes and our hearts to your offerings – even to rocks and beaches on dreary days. You are our awesome God. Thank you especially for that gift. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
January 17, 2010 at 09:35

Making Life Gentler

This week one of my spiritual companions sighed and said, “I hoped to slow down my life a bit in 2010. But unfortunately it already feels frantic and harried, and we’re only a few weeks into the New Decade.” I know many people who are feeling the same way. At the end of last year, they made little promises that they would slow down and simplify their lives. But soon after the New Decade began, they were again caught up in the frenzy and craziness of “over-stuffed” lives. They know they want less rushing and distractions in their lives; they yearn to have more serenity and peace.

Our spiritual lives are stunted when our lives are too busy, too stressed. If we reduce the complexities of our overly-programmed lives, we may find that we will experience a kind of serenity and inner growth. If we rearrange and un-complicate areas of our lives in our homes, our work, and our personal/social lives, we may discover that we don’t feel so frantic and harried, and we may find time to do the important things that really matter to us.

We can start with our homes, which should be a sanctuary for us – a place where we can leave hassles and pressures behind and where we can nurture our souls. As this new decade begins, we may want to think about the things we might do to make our lives gentler and more spiritual where we live.

I’ve found a few simple things that have made my home more of a refuge: putting a few meaningful photos, flowers, and special fabrics around to create a feeling of love; turning off the television and playing soothing music; cleaning out the clutter – almost as soon as it comes in the door (living in a small New York City apartment has its benefits – if something comes in, something has to go out); and designating a place in my home for prayer and meditation.

This is a New Year, a New Decade – and we have a chance to make it gentler and more spiritual.

Peacegiver, we turn to you for help in this new decade. We have allowed ourselves to get too caught up in too many activities and things. We need to remember that Jesus went to the hills, to the lake, to the garden to pray and to be with you. Help us to do the same – to be with you. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com

January 11, 2010 at 08:54

God’s Amazing Creatures – Part 2

In my November 23 prayer blog, I wrote about my friend Roger adopting two little cats following the death of his much-loved older cat Magic. Stevie, one of the two cats, is blind, but Jet, his constant companion, “showed” him the ropes. For two months those lovely creatures lived happily in the safety of Roger’s home, and he was delighted by their frolics and playfulness. After a few weeks, Jet began to trust Roger and slept on his bed with him. At first Stevie wasn’t sure how to get up on the tall bed. But one day he reached up with his paw, found out how high the bed was, and jumped up – only to be surprised to find that someone was sleeping in the bed. Although Stevie romped contentedly around the apartment, he kept his distance – not cuddling, not sleeping in Roger’s bed, and not purring.

Then last week, tragedy occurred. Jet stopped eating and drinking, ran a fever, and was completely lethargic. With fear and trepidation Roger took her to the vet, where she was admitted to the animal hospital for intravenous fluids and tests. After five days, she was diagnosed with a fatal viral disease with no cure. Roger was devastated by her death – it was just too soon for another loss.

But there was another problem: How would Stevie adjust to the loss of Jet since he had never been separated from her? One night as Roger was lying on his bed grieving Jet’s death, he felt a slight movement. Stevie had quietly jumped up and was lying on the other side. Roger reached out, gently petted Stevie, and told him they would get through this pain together. Stevie responded to Roger’s gentleness and grief by slowly inching his way across the bed until he was lying next to him. As Roger stroked him, Stevie rewarded him by snuggling under his chin and loudly purring. Since then, Stevie continues to bond with Roger and the two of them are helping each other to heal their loss and grief.

Beloved Creator of every living creature, help us understand that when we are hurting we can reach out to you and to others – even to a precious creature like blind Stevie. We stand in awe and wonder at the gifts your beloved animals can give to us. Teach us to be patient and tender to ourselves and others in our grief.  Amen

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com
January 04, 2010 at 07:32

Starting Afresh

I love starting a New Year. For me it is a real reason to celebrate. As the dates change on the calendar, I know I have an opportunity to see if I need to make changes in my life. I have a chance to take a look at my old habits to see if I have become accustomed to doing things in a certain way just because it feels easy and secure – rather than appropriate or God-inspired. Perhaps my “spiritual life” has become too comfortable, and I might not even realize that I have become spiritually stagnant and sluggish.

So when the beginning of a new year rolls around, it’s time to take stock, to do an assessment of what our life is all about, to try to understand if we have blocked out opportunities and options because of our concerns or our fears of the unknown. Let’s ask ourselves questions like: Are we keeping ourselves busy with our routines, our usual patterns of spiritual practices and prayer? Or are we open to starting afresh and experiencing a newness of life? Are we willing to unlock our hearts and minds so that we can see fresh ways we are being called to serve? Can we open doors and hear God calling us?

Yes, this New Year can be a time for us to start afresh. It might be a time to discover a newness in our living, a springtime in the seasons of our lives, a new vitality and energy in our being. Perhaps it’s a time to open doors and to crack open our hearts so that we can hear and experience God’s call to us.

Oh Giver of new life, help us to start afresh this New Year. Make us open to your life-giving words. Crack open our hearts and wrap us up in new skins. May we be ready to honor your teachings and follow you wherever you may lead us. Amen.

Joy Carol

www.joycarol.com