Tag Archives: surprise

Aug12

Unknowing

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prepare to dive

 

I am diving into a three-year course of study through Formation in Direction, FIND. First assignments have us plunging into both eastern and western Christian spirituality, and into personality types (beginning with our own).

The Cloud of Unknowing, written by an anonymous Christian mystic in 14th century England, captures the state of my progress.

Unknowing whatever I thought I knew about God, the unknowable.

Unknowing whatever logic gets in the way of silence.

Unknowing where FIND will take me.

Anonymous begins this book by telling the reader not to read it aloud or copy it or quote from it. Its lessons about contemplative prayer belong to one reader at a time. Until I have read the 75 short chapters and actually followed their instructions, I cannot know the whole of it, nor can I explain it fully by sharing it in part.

How delightful! This unknowing!

As I travel this unknowable path toward an unknowable God, I will come here to this blog from time to time to drop pebbles of uncertain origin. They might help me find my way home. The stones on my desk are inscribed with individual words:

Spirit

Courage

Balance

Walk

Always Say a Prayer

For now I shall claim them as my touchstones and solid companions to help me find my way home. Let the Unknowing begin!

Jan5

Two days in Nagano

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What a fun weekend! Thursday the 4th of January, Lin and Rob took Fred and me on an adventure. Without telling us the destination, they told us to bring warm clothes for two days and we piled into a rental car for a five-hour drive from Kawasaki.

Destination Nagano! Rest stops along the expressway are quite extensive, with large parking lots, restrooms, shops, and vendors. Paper cones of roasted and sweetened almonds, cashews, or peanuts enticed us to buy one of each to share. Yum!

Thanks to GPS we found our way to Yamanouchi-machi. We checked into our large room  and found tea waiting for us. The square table has four adjustable stadium-type seats on the floor. Under the table top are blankets and a quilt to hold in heat generated by heat lamps that are protected by a mesh cage. We can choose low, med, or high heat and our legs are toasty warm! We have enjoyed tea and good conversation here several times a day.

The first afternoon we agreed not to use any electronics until after dinner! Today as I write this, Lin and I are both on iPads and the guys are playing Minecraft on their phones

Dinner at 6 and breakfast at 8 were served Japanese style with so many delicious dishes. I’m not sure when I”ve tried so many new and unfamiliar foods. Using chopsticks was sometimes a challenge for me with the odd shapes and sizes.

After dinner was the first of several trips to one of the onsen (hot springs) at the inn. They are mostly segregated by gender, but after 11 if no one else is there, a group or couple can lock the door for a private spa. Lin and I loved the outdoor onsen under a light snow. So beautiful! The guys had different hours for that experience

Tomorrow, another surprise planned by Rob and Lin!

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Jul14

From a Sad to a Solo Symphony

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Last week I wrote about Cristian Mihai’s short story “A Sad, Sad Symphony.”

Thursday night I attended the opening performance of Solo Symphony. It features Peter Bay, the conductor since 1998 of the Austin Symphony Orchestra. This time, instead of conducting with his back to the audience, he faced us, and his movements and directions became a dance.

Has anyone heard of Trash Dance? Choreographer Allison Orr worked with trash collectors and their trucks to create a large scale “dance” on a huge parking lot at night. The workers and their movements; the trucks and their own long arms; turns and pivots. Extraordinary! Allison has also choreographed Venetian gondoliers, firefighters, and Elvis impersonators and highlighting their ordinary jobs as contemporary dance.

So it was no surprise when she watched Peter Bay conduct and saw  his movements as dance. The idea stirred within her: would he work with her to turn his craft into dance? Yes, indeed! In a collaboration with Graham Reynolds, musician, and Peter Bay, conductor, they transformed Bach, Stravinsky, Beethoven and Reynolds, with video by Stephen Pruitt, plus a 13-piece orchestra, we watched Peter Bay conduct. The small Rollins Theater made for a truly personal experience.

Loved it! Last performances today at 3 and 8pm at the Long Center, though it’s probably sold out. Perhaps a video someday?

Feb14

Chocolates and Chennai

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Chocolates and a sweet card (in Spanish) were waiting for me on this beautiful Valentine’s Day. Jon and I will enjoy a special lunch today; our next chance will be well into March!

My bags are packed (and repacked) for tomorrow morning’s departure toward Chennai! Reading the Lonely Planet travel guide was a real help: There was a link to travel tips especially for women. You can get information about countries all over the world. Based on those tips, I changed out some of the clothes to take with me. Check out http://www.journeywoman.com

The trip to Chennai via Washington Dulles and Frankfurt will take about 25 hours of travel time each way, plus trips to and from airports and getting through security and customs. India is 13.5 hours ahead of Central Time. [Gee–I’ll just be 1.5 hours behind son Rob in Japan!] Other websites of note: http:/www.incredibleindia.org and http://www.mapsofindia.com.

Just a little bit of business today–trips to the bank and the grocery store and I’ll be nearly ready. In a way, the shorter my list gets, the more room there is for anxiety to fill in the gaps.

But it’s Valentine’s Day! A time for special attention to love in all its forms. We are sisters and brothers who share SO much in common. Love your neighbor, everyone! My neighborhood will soon get a lot bigger, halfway around the world. I’m expecting to see, hear, taste, smell, touch, and sense an entirely different world view. I send neighborly love to all of you–no matter where you live! What will you do today to show a little love?

Jan9

Sabbatical Countdown

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Hello, Blogosphere!

In two short weeks I’ll be going on a 12-week sabbatical, with travel plans to Santa Barbara and Pacific Grove, California; several states in India (!); Boston, Massachusetts; and various places in Texas! This is such a wonderful opportunity for personal growth and transformation. The plans in place provide a framework, but I expect to be surprised by the people, places, and experiences on the journey.

It only seemed right to get a blog started and invite YOU along.

Blessings,

Kathleen