My mind's picture of the new year

I wanted to draw a picture of what a year looks like to me because I'm not sure I can describe it.... but I'm a word artist and not a computer graphics artist. So here goes:

In my mind, the year is arranged like a clock. The year is a circle, but January is at 12:00, July is at 3:00 and December is at 6:00. In other words, my mind arranges all of the months into the right-hand half of the clock. The other side of my clock is blank. So, on New Year's Eve at the stroke of midnight, the hands of my year-clock jump clockwise from the 6:00 position to the 12:00 position and we start over.

Now this is not one bit logical, for I know that each month of the year is about the same in length. Yes, I remember the rhyme that starts "Thirty days hath September, April, June and November......" and you know it too. So, my year-clock should have all twelve months arranged around the circle in close to equal parts, but my mind's eye won't let it be that way.

I find it odd that an otherwise reasonably intelligent and logical person (like me) would create this picture. Perhaps it is because a year is one of those things you can't grab onto. It's a way to divide our time -- not something you can put in the palm of your hand or into a box. I can't hand you a bag and say, "Here's 2009. I hope you like it. Oh... and if you'd prefer a different color, the gift receipt is in the bag."

There are many things like this. Time, God, age, health, love, peace, wholeness, brokenness, reconciliation. What does time look like to you? How about God? What does God look like? What about peace? I sure would like to see more peace. Perhaps these things are only visible in the people we meet, the places we visit, the activities we pursue.

My wondering mind is wandering again..... and so I'll stop writing for now and wait for midnight when my year-clock makes it's dramatic swing from 2008 to 2009.

God Pause for Tuesday 12-30-08

I post this God Pause as a reminder to myself. I hope it is not plagarism. What would I put on my list of things that remind me of God's goodness?
More on this later. Nancy
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Psalm 147:12-20
There is no difficulty in catching the psalmist's message: Praise the Lord! But it may be a bit difficult for us to catch the psalmist's enthusiasm. In case we aren't quite ready to praise, or in case we have forgotten, the psalmist joins those who like to make lists and both invites and instructs us with some reasons. The items on the list range from children, to weather, to harvest, to the affairs of the nation. Like all lists, there may be items I would rank higher or lower, but at the center stands God's creative and effective "word," which occasions it all--and even promises to melt the bitter snow and cold with the refreshing water of God's special blessing and peace (shalom, 14).

O God of finest wheat and blowing snow, by your word you invite us to imagine the extravagant generosity of all your creation. Teach us to make lists as reminders when we forget of reasons to sing your praises. Amen.

James L. Boyce St. Paul, Minn. Emeritus Professor of New Testament and Greek, Luther Seminary

Christmas expectations

Once again, I am frustrated with the Christmas holiday. I'm never disappointed with God and the gift of love that we've been given. I'm disappointed in the way we celebrate.

Perhaps my expectations are out of whack. Maybe I've watched "It's a Wonderful Life" or "Miracle on 42nd Street" or any number of those movies a few too many times. Maybe I've got the Norman Rockwell pictures etched too firmly into my brain. Maybe I've glamorized my childhood Christmases.

We try to do too much. We cook too much food. We eat too much. We buy too many gifts. We get one more ornament and just add it to the collection. We don't go to as many holiday programs and gatherings as we used to, but we feel like we should. I guess that's the key word here - "should." So many of the things we do are things we feel we should do.

All of this leaves me tired, short-tempered and worn out...... and very disappointed. Disappointed because I know this is supposed to be a time of great joy. A time to gather with the family and friends we love. A time to hope for better tomorrows. A time to find glimpses of peace among all people. You know what the angel said to the shepherds, "Don't be afraid. For I bring you good tidings of great joy that will be for all the people." And later in the story, a whole group of angels show up and sing "Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace to all."

So why am I not singing with the angels? Why am I sitting here being a grump? Maybe it's because I've seen some peace, but I still see too much war. I've seen some love, but I still see too much hatred. Maybe I have some hope, but there are some situations that seem hopeless. I need more joy.

Or maybe I just need to go pick up those stray bows, eat that last bit of pie and wash the plate. Maybe I need to get the hoopla of the Christmas holiday put away and get on with spreading the joy of Christ Jesus in the world.

So, sing with me......
Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her king!

This is a song I need to sing every day of the year.

Watch! Be aware!

Today (and always), I wonder where I will see God's face. Will one of the people I meet see God's face when they look at me? Many of us believe we've never seen God, but I think we just aren't paying attention. My vision is often clouded by other things. I need to remember to look beneath the surface of a person. I need to remember that even the disagreeable person is a child of God and worthy of my love and respect.

Easier said than done.
Hi ho! Hi ho! It's off to work I go.
Nancy

What have I done?

If this first post seems odd, it's because I'm still figuring out the hows and whys of blogging. The mechanics of the whole thing is simple, I'm sure, but for now I'm learning which tab does what.

I have always wondered why things are the way they are. One of my earliest memories is of a glorious summer afternoon when I was about 8 or 10. I was hanging on the swing set in the backyard, staring up at the clouds and thanking God that I wasn't living in Russia where I was sure that every day was gray and gloomy. This was the time of the Cold War, you see. Why was I born in small-town Iowa? Why did God favor me with a secure and warm home, a mother, father, sister and extended family? I didn't want for any material things. Why did I have more friends who were a generation older than me? Why was I a good speller but a horrible runner? Why do I have red hair... and freckles? Why do I wear glasses?

My questions continue to this day, from the weighty questions about my reason for being to the mundane and everyday questions I must answer to get me from one day to the next. Who am I supposed to be loving today? Which sox shall I wear? How do I want to live in the next ten years? What shall I eat for supper and with whom shall I eat? Why do some folks not have supper to eat and how shall I go about sharing my supper with them? Why are my greatest blessings also my greatest challenges? Why did God create brussel sprouts? That seems like a horrible waste of God's time, but then God is eternal.....no beginning and no end, so I guess God can afford to waste time on stuff like brussel sprouts, okra and gooseberries. Why has God blessed me and how can I be a blessing to others? I am reminded of the first part of Micah 6:8, paraphrased...... "And what does the Lord require of you?" It is a question that is always at the forefront of my thoughts.

These are the sorts of things I expect to post here. It may not be of interest to anyone but me, but that's ok. Sometimes I don't interest me much either. But I love to know about other people and I am a curious sort. So when this wondering soul makes connections with my wandering mind, it's hard to tell where we will end up.

All for this time. Nancy