What's in YOUR Purse?

      If you're a woman you probably carry a purse. You may call it a bag or a handbag, but you carry that thing everywhere. It's like a security blanket for grown ups. When my son was little, my purse was a magical bag of tricks. All you had to do was open that zipper and stare into the treasure trove that would save you. There were wipes, an extra diaper, my wallet, a clean shirt for him, a clean shirt for me, at least one toy, a drink and a snack or two. The toddler days are gone, but the purse remains.
     Today's purse has a wallet, cell phone, four pens (Four pens? Do I think I am going to write an incredible missive? Or attend a scavenger hunt where purple pens are at a premium?), three lipsticks, one band-aid, tissues, a lens cleaning wipe, a headband, coupons, an assortment of photos, a sweet note from my husband from 1995 and a holy card of Jesus. Whew! Maybe I should simply graduate to a suitcase?

Sweet mercy! Just get a suitcase.

     We all carry different size purses or wallets. Some folks just use their pockets. Everyone has a different definition of what they need. Yet all of us carry something in common. The photo of my purse contains clues. It's hard to see, and sometimes you have to look very closely. It's not keys, though it is the key. It is sometimes heavy and sometimes light. It transparent and vivid at the same time. It is the very best in all of us:  It is our ability to love.
     There have been times when my wallet's been light, and my heart heavy, but my husband's love--as evidenced by the note I carry--has kept me going. My photos of loved ones speak to heart connections that span time and space. The holy card of Jesus depicts him with a glowing, sacred heart. His commandment is "Love one another as I have loved you." It's difficult, yet so simple.

Your heart is a strong muscle.

     When we go out in the world, we take our cell phone and our wallets, ( If you're me, you also take lots of pens and lipsticks) but what we really need is heart consciousness. Our ability to love is more powerful and trans formative than that silly band-aid floating around in my purse. Love can heal and love can change things. I check for text messages daily. From now on, I'm going to check for heart messages too. Judith Campbell said, "When your heart speaks, take good notes." I have enough pens, I just have to pay attention.

Light Guides

    As the two boys crossed the finish line, they jumped up and down with joy and embraced. They had won as a team. Both ran, but one had special needs and one was a guide. The guide kept his buddy on course and focused. Similarly, at the National Ability Center in Park City, sight impaired athletes ski with a guide. Though the situations vary, we all need a guide from time to time.

We are all light guides.

     My sisters have guided me many a time. Parenting dilemmas, marital stresses and even fashion dilemmas... there is no topic that hasn't benefited from their loving intervention. When my newborn son was ill, my sister found my hospital room in Japan. When I heard her voice, I saw a beam of light crossing the globe and anchoring me to the earth. She was my guide in my darkest hour. Friends and family have stepped in during unemployment, military deployment and sickness. Here's the beautiful thing: This kind of aid doesn't make you beholden or weak. Eventually you will be called on to walk alongside somebody and be THEIR guide. Your own history and challenges actually make you a better guide. You approach others with empathy and compassion.
     For believers, being a light guide is an opportunity to be a channel of God's grace. It is a privilege. Sometimes you guide a loved one. Sometimes you guide a stranger. The soul work is the same. Just as there are fishing, hunting, trekking and snowshoe guides, there are different life guides. There are many gifts but the same Spirit. You may give counsel, teach, encourage, heal or simply be present. Offering your time by being present is a significant way to bring light into darkness and remind a person of their inherent worth.
     The impact of a guide is exponential. The light is passed from one soul to another. It is a vital circuit. When you are following, take notes. Your time to lead is coming.
   
   

     

Same Church, Different Pew

     I nagged my husband to stop in Sedona, Arizona.  I heard that the red rocks were beautiful and that the energy of the place was strong. We drove into the valley and then we saw it: The Chapel of the Holy Cross.

     It is a breathtaking chapel built into the rocks. You enter from the back. The front of the chapel is made of glass.  You look past the altar and out at the valley of rock and sky. The interior has simple wooden benches. My husband kneeled and looked deep in thought and prayer. I sat down and had a humbling, profound realization: The side trip was not about me at all. I was the catalyst, but not the reason.

     Fast forward to this Easter Sunday. My men are less than enthusiastic about organized religion. I could have coerced them to go to church, but that felt wrong. If I really believe that each person must form their own relationship to the Divine, I have to let God's time and ways prevail. We want our relationships with people to be authentic. How much more important is a genuine relationship with the Creator?
     When I returned from church,  My husband was watching Music and the Spoken Word by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I joined him and it was deeply moving. Modern Christian rock doesn't resonant with my spouse; it doesn't have to. The concert finished with Handel's Messiah. We watched in stunned, reverent silence.
     There is one God, but many ways to see his face. Today I am praying that each of us discovers their own personal hallelujah. Happy Easter!

The Velveteen Rabbit

         " Dad, did you have a a Johnny Lightening M-14?"  A sad look crossed my husband's face. He replied, "Yes, but grandma got rid of it."  When my son came back into the room, my husband was wistfully staring at the computer, browsing through photos of the Johnny Lightening toy. This little exchange prompted an interesting, and very thoughtful, observation.

Love makes you real.

     My son saw his Dad not as a retired Special Forces soldier or as an authority figure, but as a person with feelings. This put a new wrinkle in his brain. As my husband sat there looking at the long lost toy, he softened for just a moment. In that moment, his heart was on his sleeve and my son saw it. "Dad looked like a little kid. Maybe people stay small on the inside, Mom," he said.

      In Margery Williams' The Velveteen Rabbit, the velveteen rabbit becomes a beloved toy. His coat gets shabby but it doesn't matter because he is truly loved. When we look beyond the surface of people, we are able to love their heart and not their exterior. When my son did that, he saw his Dad differently. My son's heart grew a little bigger. His Dad's world got a little sweeter. In the Velveteen Rabbit, the Skin Horse says,"When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, you become REAL." Children make us better and they DO help us become real.