Thursday Thoughts - Simple Acts of Kindness

I've been mulling over this for about a week now.  Not that the concept is new.  Not that I haven't experienced it before.  But, that I wanted to share about it.

Daffodil from the Yard

Last Saturday when I got home from going on a Discipleship Walk through Vassar Farm and grocery shopping for the week, Anastasia was outside playing creating a Fairy Garden.  Next thing I know she plucked a daffodil from our front flower bed.  Now, I love looking at the daffodils in the flower bed.  And I will say sometimes I get annoyed when the flowers are picked and then just found strewn about in the yard.  But Anastasia walked right up to me and handed me this daffodil.

A simple act of kindness.

You know the last time I was given flowers?  May 2020 when my bosses had flowers delivered to my house the day I was supposed to have walked at Commencement, but instead we had a pandemic.

But this act by Anastasia got me thinking to all the simple acts of kindness we are surrounded by every day.  And I'm not just talking about the person ahead of you who pays your toll (which is kind of impossible now with all the toll booths coming down for cashless tolls) or who buys your coffee for you in the drive through.  Though those are great acts of kindness.

I'm talking about the things that people do without realizing they are doing an act of kindness.

Yesterday my sister and brother-in-law helped in different ways with a particularly yucky (nicest way to put it) situation at home.

I put a post up, which in hind-sight may have been a bit embarrassing or overwhelming to someone who had a birthday, and had so many people who wished this person a Happy Birthday, whether they knew them or not.  This person means so much to me, the fact that others celebrated this fact with me was a great kindness.

My best friend is always so gracious when I text random things and pictures.  Even if she is having a tough day, which is a kindness that amazes me to no end.

I have a friend who lets me listen and sometimes record organ music they are playing because they know it is what recharges me and helps me get through things sometimes.

Random hugs when I need them, don't know I need them, or just are nice to have them.

People who make sure I'm taking care of myself in addition to everyone around me.

I have a student employee who when they work checks to be sure I have had my breakfast!

People who comment or react to my posts or photos on social media.

Random messages or images by text or Messenger or some other way.

People who open my eyes to things.

So many, many more examples that I haven't even touched on.  So many things, whether they are realized or not, are simple acts of kindness.

And I say thank you for them.

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - It All Led to This

Well, I'm sure there will be other "this"es that will come along.  But, there are a few things that happened this week that truly led me to feel like there were many things leading to this.  This place where I am in church, what I am doing in church, and what I am doing to support my time in church.

The more recent revelation started coming to fruition on Thursday evening when one of the choir members mentioned to me that I really seemed to fit in with the choir.  After not being part of a group like that for a long time, it was nice to hear that.  And to realize it.  A far cry from when I first started going and tried to keep to myself.  (That is impossible in choir!)

This sat with me more and more - the feeling of really fitting in - when I went on a Discipleship Walk on Saturday morning.  It was just myself and one other person.  We spent time in prayer and then walked on a particularly easy trail.  We were talking about different books we had read that maybe were not written in the perspective of the church, but could definitely be used in church applications.  And I shared what I had been sitting with - that I really feel like I belong.

Then we had our contemplative worship service.  This is a short service with scripture and plenty of time to spend in prayer and meditation on guiding questions related to the scripture.  This week since one of the readings was about Doubting Thomas and so our contemplation went to visible or invisible scars that we may have.

I have several visible scars, some from issues with my skin and others from cuts.  But I have invisible scars too.  Some I have shared.  Some I keep inside.

Yesterday I shared with those in attendance about a scar I had deep inside me.  A scar that I felt comfortable sharing with those who could hear me.  And one that, again, showed to me that I truly belonged where I am.

The scar goes back about 10 years.  It made me question a lot of stuff about not only myself but what I thought was the calling God had for my life.  It was a wound that I stopped thinking about after awhile, because like all wounds that scar over, the pain eventually fades but the scar remains as a reminder.  Yesterday I was reminded of that pain.  But as I was reminded of the pain, I was also reminded of the steps I had taken since that pain.  The steps forward in growing as a Lay Servant with Preaching.  The steps forward in being more involved with my church not just at the local level but the district and conference level.  The steps forward as I moved with my church from a very small congregation to part of a larger one in a merger.  The steps forward as a leader in my now church home.  The steps forward in making new friends and family.

When you have a major injury, you need to do some physical therapy to get back into shape.  When I sprained my ankle, I had to do exercises that made my ankle move in order to get it into regular walking shape after not being able to move it for a couple months.  When my pinky was broken, I had to bend it once it was healed after it sat straight for 2-3 months in a tiny support thing.  Same for my wrist when it was sprained.

Similarly I think all the steps I wound up taking were ways of doing physical therapy so that I could be better for when I came to where I am now.

All that pain.  That hurt.  The wound.  The scar.  It all led to this.  This moment where I am right now.  And while I remember the pain sometimes like it was yesterday I am glad I went through it in order to be right where I am.

Morning Sky 4/24/2022

Thursday Thoughts - New Tires Make a Difference

At my inspection last year (2021) my tires were okay, but I was advised that I would need to replace them.  Well, then my front end was broken into two pieces by a blown tire that some truck driver left in the middle of I-84.  And time went on.  And life got busy.

Storms hit, especially some snow, and I made sure I was an extra careful driver because though I hadn't had the time or money to replace the tires, I knew I was on borrowed time.  

And then the roads started to get really bad with potholes due to snow and ice and how the roads are treated to make all that go away for drivers.

So then I got very nervous any time I had to drive my car.  I started having fears of any of my tires blowing out on me, especially as I had to drive over unavoidable holes in the road.

Then came my inspection this year, 2022.  When I also asked for my tires to be replaced.  And they were.

One of my new tires

It was amazing how having these new tires and the inspection made me feel that much better about driving my car.  My damage to the front end was basically cosmetic.  So I live with Gorilla Glue tape on my car.  And now I have brand new tires that are great in wet conditions.  And I don't live in fear of pot holes.

Not that I'm driving around in search of pot holes to hit!  I just feel better when I'm not able to avoid them as much as I would like.

It is amazing just how much new tires made me feel better about things.  Similarly once I got the Gorilla Glue tape on my car back in August I felt much safer about pieces of my car not flapping around and getting lose when the tape didn't stick anymore (which is what duct tape was doing).

Yes, I know I shouldn't have waited as long as I did.  And the relief I feel is proof of that.

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - A BUSY Holy Week

And just like that, Holy Week is over.

It seemed like it went by so quickly even though I did take time in each service to really contemplate and think about everything that Jesus went through so that we could be saved.  

But I was also busy.  Like normal busy for Holy Week.  Or what I was used to.  But it didn't seem so stressful.  Even though right now I am still quite exhausted.  (However I would dare not say as exhausted as my Pastor or our Organist!)

Thursday we had a very nice and subdued Holy Thursday service.  It was all done in silence with just cues from our bulletin as to when things would take place.  The only words spoken were the words of Jesus during the Last Supper and just afterwards.  I assisted with serving Communion, the first time using bread and separate juice cups since March, 2020.  And of course, we left in silence.

Friday I was off from work and spent the day in 3 different grocery stores getting food for Easter dinner.  Then went to church for Good Friday service where I sang.  I also got to relax for a bit, which was nice.

Saturday was a crazy day.  I was at church 3 different times for 3 different things, prayer, Easter Egg Hunt, and Easter set-up.  I also went back to the grocery store to ensure my family had food to eat that wouldn't cause a lot of left overs so we had room for Easter dinner leftovers.  In between my travels to church I took care of the garbage, I made an ice box cake, fed the birds, and took a shower.  Oh!  And chatted a bit with my friends from high school on Zoom!

Sunday was a long day.  It was EASTER!  I was up at 4:45am to get ready to go to church for Sunrise Service at 6am and then stayed through the end of our regular 10am service.  I had a bit of a stressful singing morning at 6am.  But by the 10am service, I had a GREAT singing day.  I was hitting and holding notes I hadn't before.  I was singing very strongly.  Oh, and ALL THE MUSIC WAS AMAZING.  Unfortunately there were technical sound issues and none of it is available on YouTube.  But it was a wonderful day at church celebrating Christ's Resurrection.

And then I got home and made dinner.  Ham, mashed potatoes, mustard pineapple sauce, and a ginger ale brown sugar sauce.  My sister made green bean casserole.  It was all yummy.  But kept me busy.  And more importantly awake!

After dinner I spent time with Sparkle as she did her usual I want to go out/I want to come in/I want to go out routine.  I did get some reading done while outside.

I'm back at work today.  Really tired.  But still feeling really great about everything in general.  Though I am physically tired (and a bit headachey) my spirit is in a really great place.  He is Risen!  Christ is Risen Indeed!  HALLELUJAH!

Easter 4/17/22 outside at PUMC

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - Palm Sunday!

Well, we have started Holy Week.  And a very celebratory Holy Week at that, because it is not just a few people doing a virtual service like last year, or just sitting trying to figure out what to do with myself like two years ago.  Which I still laugh about.

And even though the day before I was busy and tired from chaperoning a Marist trip to Six Flags Great Adventure, I was able to recover enough to get up for 8am Contemplative Service and, well, look pretty nice I think.

Palm Sunday 2022

But it was such a great day.  Lots of celebratory music.  But also contemplative music as we moved from celebrating Christ's entry into Jerusalem into starting to think about the events that are coming up.

I am so blessed that we are able to celebrate and go through this week in person.  It is one of those weeks that we go through every year, and you almost know all the parts to it.  But it really is one of my favorite weeks of the year as we take the time to remember all the pain and suffering Jesus went through so that we could have eternal life.

This week will be a busy one, for sure.  But as long as I keep in mind what it is all for, that is what matters most.

Thursday Thoughts - Mute Button Challenged

Here we are, two years later, when all our meetings transitioned from taking place in person to taking place through an interface called Zoom.

It didn't take us too long to get used to, and I suspect get tired of, the Brady Bunch-type boxes that each meeting or gathering brought us.  We caught up with family and friends this way.  We conducted our jobs this way.  We met with church groups to plan what ministry could be done.

And though we still are signing in to Zoom and seeing the boxes and sharing video when we felt comfortable or playing with virtual backgrounds, I dare say we are all struggling with that mute button.

My mute button

Now, I will speak from personal experience.  Your mileage may vary.

I am still quite mute button challenged.  As evidenced last night at our Church Council meeting held regularly by Zoom (even when there was an in-person option), when I got SO EXCITED about announcing our next Church Council date (May 4th!  Star Wars Day!).  But, the problem was....I forgot to un-mute myself.

Sigh.

I will say part of this stems from me constantly muting myself.  When I would be on a Zoom meeting from home, undoubtedly my dog was somewhere nearby.  And she likes to join in my meetings.  Or bark at things outside.  Plus at home there is always some sort of side conversation going on.  So my default was to keep myself muted and only un-mute when I spoke.

But now, 2 years later, I still struggle with the remembering to take myself off of mute when I speak.  I am quite mute button challenged.

What is nice, though, is when this first would happen to me I would be so embarrassed!  Yes others around me would have forgotten to un-mute themselves.  And there were others who would forget to mute themselves so we would hear them talking to someone else or a strange sound in the background.  But I always felt so self-conscious about doing it.

Now, I just laugh.  Because it does not just happen to me.  And it has happened to everyone at some point in their life with Zoom.

Yes, I am mute button challenged sometimes.  But, I can laugh about it.  And apparently blog about it too.

Merging is an Ongoing Journey - What Contemplating Visioning Brought Me

Last week the Contemplative Service at church brought me almost to my knees as I wrestled with the Prodigal Son.

This week we were doing a bit of personal visioning during the time.  And while I did not have the same reaction as the week before, I did figure at least one thing out with music.  Which has been just out of reach for me.

One of the things that we have been doing a lot in my classes for the Music Ministry is looking at hymns and taking time with the verses and saying how they are speaking to us.

I wanted to share this experience and open it up to my church family.  Or at least, that is where my brain went as I contemplated a vision.

I want to find a way to use our church's social media to promote either an online or some sort of in-person discussion on a hymn each week.  I see myself choosing a hymn and asking guiding questions like, "Which of the verses resonates with you and why?" or "Do you have a memory of this hymn that you wish to share?" or something along those lines.  Just to get people to dive into hymns more for just the tunes that we sing but the words that we sing.

I still have a few things to work out.  And that may not be all that my thought of music may be.  But it is a start.  And that is enough for right now.

4/3/2022 - Using the CameraZOOM App