Distant Thunder

When we first moved here to Central Texas, I found the sound of distant explosions frightening. Now, however, they have become familiar background noise, just the sound of artillery practice at nearby Ft. Hood. I heard them again this week, and thought how easy it has become to ignore this reminder of war and destruction. These days the two wars in which our country is involved aren't always on the front page of the morning paper or the lead stories on the news. The violence seems only to matter to those for whom it is personal, who have loved ones in harms way or have lost them to the violence of war and terrorism. In this season as I contemplate once again the birth of the Prince of Peace, I think how much this weary world needs peace. Peace is hard work. Violence often seems like a quick solution. Then we spend generations trying to fix the problems the quick fix of violence caused. Perhaps if more of us were willing to take a chance on peace the tide would turn. Perhaps I should be willing to take a step in that direction rather than waiting for others to move first. Maybe then I might be a light shining in the darkness of this world for others to see.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

Giving Thanks

We're in San Antonio for a family Thanksgiving celebration. At the moment all is quiet. One grandson is sleeping and the two youngest went to the zoo. Grandpa is watching football, and I'm trying to learn to navigate around my new laptop, which has a different keyboard. I like the Spanish name for Thanksgiving Day, el Dia de Accion de Gracias, the day for thanks action. Somehow that sounds like more is required than just sitting and eating, or even praying, though prayer is always a good action. The last two days I have been offering up many prayers of thanksgiving for family and friends, for health and living in peace and safety. Too many around the world lack these most basic requirements for well-being, for shalom. I'm especially thankful for being welcome in my sons' homes and for the opportunity to spend time with them, our beautiful daughters-in-law and our grandsons. To be this blessed has been worth all the struggle and occasional pain in the experience of arriving at this point in my life. I will try to give thanks each new day that God grants me on this earth.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

Flashbacks

It has been a year now since my dad died. This week was the first anniversary. It's hard to believe he's really been gone a year. Sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday. I've been having flashbacks of late, mostly to childhood Christmases. One morning recently I was walking the dogs and caught the scent of pine in the air, which instantly brought memories of the annual Christmas tree. More recently, I found myself frozen in the grocery store near tears as some sappy Christmas song drifted over the sound system. Grief has been such a strange experience, coming and going in waves that were initially overwhelming, but have slowly become more bearable, something like the ocean as a storm roars past first bringing enormous waves that gradually become smaller as the storm fades. Mostly I have found that the unpleasant memories have begun to fade, while the positive ones remain. Maybe that's God's way of helping me cope. I preached a sermon this past Sunday about trusting God in difficult times. Now I'm working on one on the topic of power. The world's view of power seems to generally involve force or violence. But I think the most powerful force in the universe is love. I remember my dad closed every phone call by saying, "Remember I love you." That memory has been a gift to hold close.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

The Clock Angel

We were invited to a Halloween party by our oldest grand kids last weekend. We went with simple costumes. I once again dressed as the Fairy Grandmother in my long white dress with the scepter decorated with tinsel and the fuzzy halo. Of course the halo could also signify an angel, which is what the kids often assume. My husband asked me to bring him a simple costume from the grocery store if I could find one, so I brought home bright red horns surrounded with black fur on a head band. I told him it was not a comment on his personality, but the only thing available. He wore his red shirt. Some of the kids were a little frightened of the devil.

We helped set up the party, and while the 35 kids that had been invited ran around and had fun, I sat on the front porch with the big silver alarm clock, setting it off at regular intervals so the older kids and the younger kids could take turns in the jumping castle--our daughter-in-law wisely decided there would be less chance of injury that way. As the alarm didn't work on schedule, I set it off by simply turning it on, which worked fairly well. It also allowed me to vary the times, less for the little ones when they lost interest, and cutting short the time for the older ones when they became too violent in their jumping onto and into each other.

I wasn't sure anyone (besides the kids in the jumping castle) was really paying much attention to what I was doing. But, as she was leaving the party, one mother told me she had told her son he had to pay attention to the Clock Angel and leave the jumping castle when the alarm went off. So I have a new name, which I'm still thinking about. I think I like it. My mind keeps running to the scripture that says, "My times are in Your hands." I like knowing that all the days and times of my life are in God's good hands. Maybe he even has a Clock Angel to help keep track.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

Blessings

We had a crazy, wonderful weekend. Our three year old granddaughter and their six month old puppy came in Thursday evening. She and I watched the movie Enchanted, or half of it as she had to go to bed. We watched the rest the next day while we waited for two of her cousins to arrive. They are 22 months and 6 months old. We ate hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. The wagon got a work out as we took walks with the puppy around the big live oak tree. The mile and a half walk is too far for the little ones, but they love riding in the bright, red wagon we bought for walks. The neighbors stopped to talk or waved as they drove by our parade. What a blessing these beautiful children are in our lives. They help us see the world again with a child's innocent wonder. I'm so grateful to have lived long enough to know my children's children. I have learned to see God's blessings most clearly in the everyday, small blessings, like the opportunity to watch a princess movie with my granddaughter. God is good, all the time, and especially good to me, more so than I can ever deserve.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

Acedia

I've been reading Kathleen Norris' latest book, Acedia & Me. She has such a beautiful writing style and her wisdom as always shines through the pages of this book. I like that she has named what she says is a common sin in our time, that sense of apathy and detachment from all that is evil in the world, a sense that is much too strong for the meek word "sloth." It helps to know I'm not the only one who struggles regularly against this ancient demon, which regularly can convince me that what I do doesn't matter anyway, so why bother. I especially like her suggestion for combating this sin, "earnest devotion." I intend to do my best to remember this as an antidote when the weight of all that is wrong in God's good creation leaves me frozen in a state of inaction. I cannot fix all the problems of this world, but I can earnestly devote my attention to the work to which God has called me. Good news indeed.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue

Many hands make peace--International Day of Peace, September 21, 2009

My grandmother had a saying, which I learned from my mother, her youngest daughter: Many hands make light work. I saw vivid proof of that last night as our church's youth group and their sponsors helped me bake the 300 cookies I had promised for the local Art of Peace Festival. The festival is this weekend and celebrates the International Day of Peace. The proceeds from the festival will go to the Central Texas Child Advocacy Center, which helps abused and neglected children.

Helen, the amazing artist who arranged all of this, said in January that she wanted to do something for peace as opposed to just talking about it. She decided that helping local children was a good place to start. Being Helen, she recruited artists and writers and singers and a myriad of other folks to help. Sunday evening my husband and I will go to enjoy the art and poetry and good food, including some of the 28 dozen cookies the youth helped me bake last night. I reminded them of the reasons for their hard work as we dashed around the kitchen, just as I reminded myself the night before during the hours it took me to make that much cookie dough! Sometimes making peace is as sweet as making homemade cookies.

Grace and Peace,
Donna Sue