Spiritual Journey Thursday

Spiritual Journey Thursday – Shall We Dance?

04/May/202305/May/2023 Denise Krebs7 Comments

Thank you, Chris, for hosting and inspiring us with your music and beautiful poem. I have more hope today after reading the Thursday Spiritual Journey post here.

Shall We Dance?

Our next step is to imagine a courageous
country where a hungry yelling person
is not choked to death on the subway. Are we
stuck in a nightmare of distress and death? Yes. And No, for
In this today, in our losses, we can also dance.
A truth is that during a plague we can
seemingly sing and dance with
endless rings around the rosie, the ashes-ashes
cycle soothing during the scourge.
We will always have good and bad news, so I
refuse to give up, I refuse
to stop dancing. Can we fight injustice, while we
accept jubilee? The Lord of the Dance says
that we can. “Dance, dance, wherever you may be.” I believe.

This golden shovel was written with a quote from a student in Colorado at a school walkout about gun violence, published by Truthout: “Our country is stuck in a seemingly endless cycle. We refuse to accept that.”

In addition to Chris’ hopeful Spiritual Journey post, I was inspired by an episode of A Truthout Podcast called Movement Memos, this one was a conversation between Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba.

Carol’s Spiritual Journey post reminded me of a video I took this week, so I’m posting these dancing flowers here:

Spiritual Journey Thursday – Community

01/Sep/202204/Sep/2022 Denise Krebs7 Comments

Community.

Since I moved from Bahrain eight months ago, my community has changed so much. I left a supportive community that began in the late 1800’s and has proceeded through more than a century of service and fellowship. The history is rich and valued there. The love for God and people was palpable. I was loved and supported in all my areas of life by the Muslims, Hindus, and Christians I worked and lived with.

Since I returned, my community has been limited to my family members who are close and online writing communities. We have not attempted to find a local church community yet, and sometimes I wonder if I will even do so. Yesterday I had dinner at my brother and sister-in-law’s house. Another sister was there too. We laughed, talked, swam in their pool, and ate shrimp scampi and homemade apple pie from apples that grew in their yard last fall. It was a delightful evening. I am tickled that I get to live near my siblings again, after living apart for more than forty years. So, for me, community has changed a lot, but it is still good.

This morning, I read a fascinating opinion piece today by Michael Gerson at The Washington Post. It’s called “Trump Should Fill Christians with Rage. How Come He Doesn’t?” I found especially compelling the history of first century Palestine and its parallels to today’s society. A quote in the article jumped out at me, since I had not written this post yet. It was part of his answer to the question asked in the title of the opinion: “It has been said that when you choose your community, you choose your character.” I decided to use this quote to write a golden shovel poem about my best friend I left in Bahrain.

For Vinolia

It has been too long since I saw you and quite awhile since we’ve talked.
Has Janna had a great beginning to the school year? You all have
been on my mind. I miss our ready chats. I
said we could get together and deal with the curriculum
that the church school will soon need.
When does that work for you?
You can let me know. How did we
choose to go to Bahrain anyway?
Your land and my land were thousands of miles apart, yet
community was waiting for us in the Middle East.
You came north; I came east. Did we
choose to be friends? Or were we chosen?
Your friendship has built my spirit and
character, and I think you would say the same. Love you!

Thank you, Maureen, for hosting this month’s Spiritual Journey Thursday.

Spiritual Journey Thursday – Nurturing our Summer Souls

04/Aug/202204/Aug/2022 Denise Krebs10 Comments

From a beautiful walk around a remote lake in Oregon

The night before we went to the hospital for my daughter to have her baby.

Summer started and the next morn
my very first grandchild was born.
It’s my first summer after teaching retirement–
now Grammy-school is where my time is spent.
What a wondrous gift from God–
This new child has me awed.

Thank you, Carol, for hosting Spiritual Journey Thursday this month.

Spiritual Journey Thursday – I Bind Unto Myself

07/Apr/2022 Denise Krebs6 Comments

Karen Eastlund is rounding up the post today.

Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, and like Margaret wrote about today, I am feeling a little unbound, unmoored, and trying to find my way in my new chapter of life. Peter, when Jesus asked if the disciples wanted to leave him, answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68) I, too, don’t want to leave, so I am claiming these truths today.

I bind unto myself today
Jesus–the Life, the Truth, the Way

I bind unto myself forever
The Love that cannot from me be severed

I bind unto myself the Power
of God, the one worthy strong tower

I bind unto myself the Name
of the One who o’er me has claim

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me;
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

From: I Bind Unto Myself Today

Spiritual Journey Thursday – Ashes

03/Mar/202203/Mar/2022 Denise Krebs4 Comments

Ashes have a new meaning for me this Ash Wednesday. No ashes on my forehead, this year. Only in the bucket.

I have been neglecting my spiritual journey these last few months. I’ve been distracted with many things. We have made a huge change in our living situation. It’s been two months today since we moved from the Middle East to southern California. We had been living in a hospital flat, with every housing expense taken care of by the hospital, to now living in a seventy-year-old homesteader cabin with tons of repairs and upgrades needed, each one up to us.

The bucket of water gets black so quickly. Wash and wipe these dark paneled walls. I did this once in January. Why are the walls so dirty again? I finally finished, and then I added primer to the dark paneling. After that, two coats of lovely “white mocha” paint.

Yesterday on Ash Wednesday, instead of going to church, I watched six workers install a new heating and cooling system in my house.

My husband likes the homey (and ashy) wood fire, but I asked for a break while we experiment with our new system. At least our white walls can stay clean awhile longer!

Perhaps I should pay attention and look for the metaphors here.

I’ve begun a Bible reading plan for Lent called Walking with Jesus: A Journey to the Cross. I’ll be discussing it with my husband. Hopefully, fasting from some of the diversions that are keeping me from focusing on God, plus studying the life of Jesus will help me prepare for Easter.

This post is for Spiritual Journey Thursday, hosted this month by Ruth Hersey. Thank you, Ruth!

Spiritual Journey Thursday – Gratitude

04/Nov/202130/Nov/2021 Denise Krebs20 Comments

Continue…

To let gratitude be the pillow
Upon which you kneel to
Say your nightly prayer

~Maya Angelou’s in “Continue” Read the rest here.

Continue gratitude.

Is it cliché to focus on gratitude in the month of November in the U.S.? Perhaps. But here I am doing it again, with no regrets. This Spiritual Journey Thursday group’s theme last November was gratitude, too. I wasn’t part of the group then, but I did join others in writing daily haikus of gratitude, #gratiku. That experience led me to choose “gratitude” as my one little word for all of 2021, and I have tried to practice being more grateful always for the little things as well as the big things. If you haven’t already done so, I hope you’ll read Maureen Ingram’s touching poem about being grateful for a small big thing.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

When I signed up to host the Spiritual Journey Thursday group, the theme of Gratitude was on my mind. I decided to celebrate November again this year by writing a small poem of gratitude each day, focusing on one of the gifts of that day. I’m choosing to write small poems of any kind, but with three lines, like haiku (modern or traditional), blackjack / septercet (scroll down to Jane Yolen’s description of the septercet at this link), sijo, and hay(na)ku (as well as free-from-form poems where we don’t count syllables or words of gratitude!)

Here are my first days of thank you poems for this month of gratitude. I will keep adding to this post daily throughout the month. Please consider joining me by sharing your #gratitudepoem and #gratiku on social media.

Ten
days of
staycation with Keith

Mango
And Blueberry
Yogurt for dessert

Clear-eyed observing
No longer seeing the world
through sepia lenses

181 students completed
with DIBELS screenings
Sixty-eight to go

It’s all, all a gift
Our spiritual journey’s
glow of gratitude

(Thanks to Ruth Hersey and Chris Margocs for inspiring this found poem.)

Old friends smiling at
the airport–John and Barbie–
Here again, once more

walking
at the
seaside at sunset

You
gave us
our daily bread

Cleaning
cupboards while
audio book listening

One unknown soldier
100 years ago rests
in peace. Thank you, sir.

12
Biryani
and curries
conversation even better

13
Sitting
outside, breezy
shady coffee spot

14
Dinner
with friends
delicious and healthy

15
Helping with a Zoom workshop
Three to seven, before dawn
Just the birds and I awake

16
Lumees
for dinner
Delicious vegan koshari

17
Almost
finished with
your yo-yo gift

18
Good
comprehensive health
care and insurance

19
Jesus-full Gospel of Mark
Filled my morning, as children
had fun and showed their learning

20
Birthday
party surprise
full of laughter

21
Teacher friends over
I’ll miss these cherished colleagues
Laughter, food, flowers

22
Unbirthday
party: teachers
over after school

23
Gifts to
Lina and Hanan
Reactions brought joy

24
Started
cooking for
ten for Thanksgiving

25
Lovely
time with
friends like family

26
For the beauty of
the verdict that helps Dixie
forge a new future

27
Garden
party with
Church School teachers

28
Reflective
time with
Thomas and Katie

29
Another
chapter finishing
today. Then more.

30
Angela has gone
to heaven. Jesus and she
are sipping good tea.

“We are all more blind to what we have than to what we have not.”

Audre Lourde

How will you share gratitude today?

Spiritual Journey Thursday – This is the Day to Love

07/Oct/202112/Oct/2021 Denise Krebs12 Comments

“And do you really believe God is with you no matter what? That you are not alone, that you don’t have to be you all by yourself? Here’s to being where you already are. Fully present with all that is true. And then here’s to doing your next right thing in love.”

~Emily P. Freeman, The Next Right Thing Podcast #188

Yes, indeed. I believe this more and more every day. With three surgeries in one month — two for my cataracted eyes, and another abdominal surgery for my husband, we are feeling more ephemeral in our house.

These thoughts of vulnerability aren’t making me worried or sad, but instead I believe they make me live more intentionally. More fully here. More often saying, “This is the day to love.”

Thank you, Ramona, for the link to Emily’s podcast. It was as you described, and I’ve enjoyed thinking about where I am these days. And thank you for hosting this group today.

Now, here I sit at the Toyota dealer, for what is going on the ~~sixth~~ seventh hour. I’m writing a poem on napkins with a borrowed pen and editing the rest of this post on my phone. Being here.

You Have the Right to Be Here

Yesterday I crashed into you.
My reaction was reflexive, “I have
to move over” as I heard a
car horn blast from behind. I jumped right
into you: the curb designed to
keep me in my lane. How can I still be
afraid to hold my space and remain present?
Fortunately, I got off with just a
blown tire and broken rim, right
there I was – – pinballing to the roadside to
regroup. Then today I sit at the dealer and attend,
waiting as things are fixed, enjoying a
grilled cheese and iced tea, right
here and now at Caribou, not neglecting to
be fully here and to be
gratefully astonished.

This golden shovel poem is based on a quote in The Overstory, the book by Richard Powers, which I just finished reading this morning. “You have a right to be present. A right to attend. A right to be astonished.”

Spiritual Journey Thursday – Love

02/Sep/202103/Sep/2021 Denise Krebs5 Comments

“Welcome to Spiritual Journey Thursday. On the first Thursday of each month we gather to share our insights. This month our focus is on virtues,” from Karen Eastlund at Karen’s Got a Blog!

I’m thinking today about faith expressed in so many different ways, so many different religions. I feel thankful that love is the main virtue. I will keep believing this one fact — that God is love.

“But the fruit of the spirit is LOVE: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” I John 4:16

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love.” I Corinthians 13:13

I used this verse from the love chapter for a golden shovel poem today.

It’s another day and
the muezzin is calling to prayer now
with his minor chord pensive plea, these
adhan come not one, two, or three–
but five times a day and the faithful remain
tuned to hear, exercising their faith,
praying regularly. Me, I don’t always hear, but I hope
in a big God to hear and
understand the hearts of all in Love,
and the wild and grateful prayers I utter. But
I am surely glad I don’t head up the
prayer collection–the greatest
challenge would be to make sense of
the childish, pious, sad, tender, and voiceless prayers–these
appeals go to the one who knows because God is
Love.