Reflections on My Life
March 1st, 2022
Today, I want to shed some light on the meanderings of my life. Recently, on a silent retreat, a leader suggested that we could view ourselves as an integrated whole. I found myself intrigued with this notion. I then spent some time reflecting and digging deep into who I am for insight. I wondered if the many things I do are all connected in some way to the essence of my life journey. Here’s what I discovered about me.
Serving God and People. When I was twelve years old, I began to consider my purpose in life. Was there meaning in life, I wondered. If there was a God, I decided I would serve God and people with my life. I sought out God with my questions. I received an assurance of God’s presence with me and made a commitment to “Serve God and People” with my life. I majored in religion and sociology in college.
Working for Peace and Justice. Growing up during the Vietnam War, I began to listen to the Christian scriptures intently and took to heart Jesus’ teachings on nonviolence. And over time, I learned that it wasn’t enough to be a pacifist and protest war and violence, but that I must also work for peace. In addition, during my college years, I spent a year studying urban sociology in Detroit and developed a deep concern about racial injustices and other injustice that people suffer in our society. When I later participated in a career discernment group at my church, I identified my life call to be to work for peace and justice. How impractical is that? But actually, it turned out to be very practical and guided me in my work and writing.
Grounded in My Contemplative Heart. As a Christian, spiritual disciplines and prayer have grounded my life. But in the second half of my life, I have become a contemplative. I practice daily meditation and seek times of silent encounter with God. I can’t always explain how this transforms my life, but it has become a guide and beacon. I would say that living water which springs from my inner well refreshes and enlivens me. I intend to act from my spiritual heart.
Advocating for the Earth. As I slow down in meditation and other contemplative practices, I connect more with all life on our planet. I have learned that the Earth is crying out to us in so many ways to take action to stop the destruction of the environment on which all life depends. I feel a deep call to advocate for sustainable practices to protect this sacred planet and the future of humanity.
As I identified these areas of grounding in my life, I went on to consider my vocation and my writing and how I have lived these practices, as well as to consider how I am called now in retirement to continue this life quest.
With my writing, I began writing a novel with a theme of peace, Revelation in the Cave (2012). The story incorporates a view of the Book of Revelation which calls the early Christians to keep faith and love central to their path. It challenges some interpretations of the Bible in which Christians glorify war and the Rapture Theory, concocted by a cleric in England in the 19th century. The Magnificent and Marvelous Book Club, the MAMs, venture to Greece, and then Turkey, where they dig up scrolls that shed light on the Book of Revelation and their own lives. The book ends at a conference of mystics on the island of Patmos, where John wrote his prophecy of Revelation. This book’s story line incorporates my life work of serving God and people and working for peace and justice. It also includes some aspects of contemplative spirituality.
In my second book, Revelation at the Labyrinth (eLectio Publishing, 2017), the MAMs Book Club starts a halfway house, an organic farm for women in recovery and re-entry. It’s called Farming and Restoring with the MAMs (FARM). The story involves much healing and recovery among the women in the house. Justice figures prominently as the book delves into issues related to domestic violence, drugs and prison. The characters also face problems caused by our changing environment, of cancer and climate havoc which interferes with their farming and threatens their lives. The contemplative practice of labyrinth walking is central to the story. This novel incorporates all four aspects of my life quest.
My third book, Letters from the Earth (Higher Ground Books and Media, 2018) is a memoir of a year in my life when I encounter fall-out from climate change and other struggles among family and friends. The focus of this book is advocating for the planet, as I explain the messages I’ve received from the Earth. It is grounded in my contemplative practice and also fulfills my life work of serving God and people.
My fourth book, Awakening: A Contemplative Primer on Learning to Sit (Higher Ground Books and Media, 2020), seeks to explain contemplative practice. It includes short descriptions of a variety of practices, including meditation, Lectio Divina with scripture and the Earth, labyrinth walking, gratitude and contemplative rituals. For each practice, suggestions for personal and group practices are given, along with a Letter from the Earth I received concerning the practice. This book grows out of my intention to serve God and people, it explains how I listen and take action to work for peace, justice and the Earth, and it fully explains the contemplative aspect of my life.
In my fifth book, Revelation in the Roots: Emerald Isle, the MAMs Book Club take men and women from their group homes to Ireland on a trip of discovery. This book deals with the political division in our country, seeking to find bridges of connections between Blacks and whites, and Republicans and Democrats. It is a book about peace and justice. It includes contemplative practice in a silent retreat. It points to a call to unity. If we as a country are going to take necessary action to address climate change, we must work together across party lines to save the life of humanity on our planet.
I encourage you to read my books and dialogue with me about what we can do together to chart a healing course for ourselves and our planet into the future.