May 1, 2011
Dear friends,
Though I perceive myself as an optimistic person I am always shocked about how negative I get when I’m feeling under the weather… and with the advent of spring in Omaha comes the allergy season. Instead of blessing the green and the flowers I find myself cursing the pollen and keeping all the windows closed tight, trying to prevent any small amount of allergen from crossing my path. I’ve substituted my normal “How are you doing?” reponse of “Good!” for “Been worse.” I’m laughing at myself even as I write this, but as chagrined as I feel, it’s true, I am the worst sick person ever.
When we first moved into our apartment in the middle of Omaha’s Park Avenue neighborhood there were so many trees in the yard across the street that we couldn’t see the house opposite our front door. It felt like living in the country again, and since I grew up in the country, I loved the feeling that maybe nobody actually lived across the street and it was just some wooded area. As summer turned to fall and fall to winter, the house quickly became obvious, still beautiful but not so wooded. Now that the Omaha spring is here I thought we’d get the green again and not see the house anymore. Today Calvin commented that since the homeowner trimmed her trees over the winter it probably won’t be quite as green. And I was a little bit bummed, because even though I’ve been cursing the trees, it still makes me so happy to see them blooming. In Omaha, as with all of life, there are trade-offs, for the lovely spring we get allergies. Today I finally realized that I am ok with that.
The timely reminder of the fact that I actually DO love nature and a blog post from 2008 by Paul L. at ThisIgnatianLife.org (thisignatianlife.org/whatever-makes-you-happy/) are an encouragement for me though I’m still feeling sick. In this blog post Paul talks about how persistently seeking things that make him happy helps call to mind the deeper sense of joy of being a Christian. The Biblical Paul wrote: Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. (Phil 4:8-9, The Message)
If I need any further reminders this week to look at the bright side of spring I’m going to post this poem (see back) by Mary Oliver by my desk.
I hope that spring brings you lots of hope and joy and bright sides of things.
Love,
Liz
Mindful
By Mary Oliver
Every day
I see or hear
something
that more or less
kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle
in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for—
to look, to listen,
to lose myself
inside this soft world—
to instruct myself
over and over
in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,
the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant—
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,
the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help
but grow wise
with such teachings
as these—
the untrimmable light
of the world,
the ocean’s shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?