Saturday, November 8, 2014
Yearning for Reading Time
When I was on the 9-5 weekday schedule, my deepest yearning was always for more reading time. Since retiring, most of my days are intentionally paced slower and reading is scheduled daily. Realizing that many of my friends are not at a place in their lives where there is adequate reading time, sharing my reads in summary form on a blog could be of a benefit to them in a couple of ways: 1) allow them a review to determine if it is a book they think would be worth their time to obtain and read; 2) give them informational highlights of the book with a quick blog read. And of course, it gives me another "gleaning" from a book that was beneficial to my journey of life. So that is why this is a blog about books and the tracks I will be known by, will be the books I share.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Music of Silence by David Stendl-Rast
Music of Silence A Sacred Journey Through the Hours of the Day by David Stendl-Rast (check out this link www.gratefulness.org for more of his work). I originally read this book in 2004 and it was the beginning of my awareness of the rhythms of life.
Hours of the Day: Vigils, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, Compline
Vigils - the Night Watch
... before the day's noises begin, when it is still perfectly quiet
...in the stillness open your heart to the gift of the hour; gratefully listen to the silence
...time for learning to trust the dark
...it is the hour that call us to set aside time outside the practical demands of the day
...invited to connect with the dark, grace-filled mystery in which we are immersed in the sacred, timeless dimension of our lives
...challenges us to carry the good news through the rest of the day: light shines in the midst of darkness
...night wind is the natural voice of vigils
...calls us to a loving listening; we have so much restlessness and noise in us, we find it had to nurture and cultivate a listening attitude
...carry through the day the mystery of darkness that gives light; carry the melody of wonder and joy
Lauds - the Coming of the Light
...as this hour opens the door to a new day, give thanks for new opportunities
...takes us out of the darkness into the light
...begin with the attitude that each day is a gift, that everything in our life is a gift; appropriate response to this given world is gratefulness even in the midst of suffering and pain
...invites us to ask "what attitude should I bring to this day?"
...take time to rejoice and delight in the gift of the moment; don't sleepwalk through life
...world is reborn each morning
...awakening of the child within, combines fresh enthusiasm of the child's innocence with the wisdom that comes with experience
...our senses are so overloaded that they are dull; we can't really hear well or savor a taste
...light exposes darkness
Prime - a Deliberate Beginning
...accept tasks for today; tackle them with courage and bring blessings to all whom you serve through mindful, careful, cheerful work
...focus on a proper beginning; start the day's activities wholeheartedly and deliberately
...men work together whether they work side-by-side or apart and never see one another
...if you make a right start, aligning your actions with your best intentions, everything you do is prayer; savor work, don't hurry just to get it over
...disobedience is not so much not doing what you know you should do, as not even listening to what the situation demands and calls you to do
...starting the day off right requires stop, look, then go
Terce - the Joy of Living
...mid-morning prayer break
...grateful for the gift of life, take a breath and pray "May all beings everywhere live in peace"
...focus on the Holy Spirit that is life-breath, that joy living within us
...delight in being blessed with life
...pass a blessing onto others by a good word or smile, a kind action that goes completely unobserved or simply a good wish in silence
...as we lovingly take care of details, we grow into that attitude of caring and tenderness
...to be vital, awake, aware in all areas of our lives, is the task that is never accomplished but remains the goal: to be ablaze with the Holy Spirit
...the spirit is our strength that expresses itself in strong action and tenderness
...spread the fiery enthusiasm of the divine life within us
...remember God's presence
Sext - Commitment & Fervor
...at this hour of high noon, lift up heart and mind in a moment of grateful silence
...tend to get sleepy and our good intentions can begin to flag
...courageous resolution: "I will stay true and uphold for the rest of the day"
...high noon is the time of great silence in nature; turning point of day
...noon day bell is invitation to pray for peace and commit oneself to treat others with love
...trustful waiting is a truly fervent way of praying
...time of transition, passing into the second part of the day
None - the Shadows Lengthen
...needed boost for last hours of the work day
...as day declines towards evening be renewed in spirit and not grow tired of giving your best
...time to turn inward again, after the outward movements of the day
...look to those things which endures
...listen intently to the music that never stops, the inner music of silence
...acknowledge that each day comes to a close, each life comes to a close
...the more fully life is lived, the easier it is to let go
...we all need a place apart to face reality
...time to be forgiven for our shortcomings and be encouraged to forgive ourselves and others
...late afternoon of our lives is often a time when we are called to forgive and let go of our grievances
Vespers - Lighting the Lamps
...an evening celebration
...pause to review the harvest of today and to give thanks for what you have learned for tomorrow
...find peace of heart by reconciling contradictions within and around us
...place disappointments and regrets of the day behind us and become festive in a new way
...light the lamps of caring attention for our neighbors in this dark world
...daylight fades and the distinct silence of night descends
...become festive and receive God as a guest, stretch beyond time and embrace the now
...luxuriate in the quiet beauty of evening
...what candle can we light for others to to acknowledge and show appreciation
...we move closer together when it gets dark
Compline - Completing the Circle
...give thanks for another day
...review the day and resolve to do better tomorrow
...approach the night with trust and joyful anticipation
...trust opens our hearts to the blessing of rest
...examine conscience and ask forgiveness; making a clean transition into night and sleep
...connects the end of day with the end of life itself; reinforces the theme that the rhythm of our days parallels the rhythm of our life; the way we live each hour, each day, determine the character of our life; the paced hours teach us how to pace our life
...remind ourselves of the firm foundation on which our faith rests
...trust in the uniqueness of each person; we thrive in an atmosphere of feeling at home and safe in the world
The introduction to this book is written by Kathleen Norris, the author of many books that has been most helpful in my journey; I will be forever grateful to the pastor who introduced me to Kathleen Norris via The Cloister Walk. Here are a few of her comments from the introduction:
---The human perception of time has long been subject to technological revisions, and increased speed has often subtly reduced our capacity to appreciate the world around us
--- Addiction to speed, to the artificial rhythms generated by electronic media, can change our consciousness
---This book is steeped in the wisdom of disciplined prayer done according to the rhythms of day and night. As a monk, Steindl-Rast has learned that "prayer is not sending an order and expecting it to be fulfilled. Prayer is attuning yourself to the life of the world, to love, the force that moves the sun and the moon and the stars." It is the sort of thing that monks, mystics, and poets come to know very well by paying close attention to the flow of hours around them.
Hours of the Day: Vigils, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, Compline
Vigils - the Night Watch
... before the day's noises begin, when it is still perfectly quiet
...in the stillness open your heart to the gift of the hour; gratefully listen to the silence
...time for learning to trust the dark
...it is the hour that call us to set aside time outside the practical demands of the day
...invited to connect with the dark, grace-filled mystery in which we are immersed in the sacred, timeless dimension of our lives
...challenges us to carry the good news through the rest of the day: light shines in the midst of darkness
...night wind is the natural voice of vigils
...calls us to a loving listening; we have so much restlessness and noise in us, we find it had to nurture and cultivate a listening attitude
...carry through the day the mystery of darkness that gives light; carry the melody of wonder and joy
Lauds - the Coming of the Light
...as this hour opens the door to a new day, give thanks for new opportunities
...takes us out of the darkness into the light
...begin with the attitude that each day is a gift, that everything in our life is a gift; appropriate response to this given world is gratefulness even in the midst of suffering and pain
...invites us to ask "what attitude should I bring to this day?"
...take time to rejoice and delight in the gift of the moment; don't sleepwalk through life
...world is reborn each morning
...awakening of the child within, combines fresh enthusiasm of the child's innocence with the wisdom that comes with experience
...our senses are so overloaded that they are dull; we can't really hear well or savor a taste
...light exposes darkness
Prime - a Deliberate Beginning
...accept tasks for today; tackle them with courage and bring blessings to all whom you serve through mindful, careful, cheerful work
...focus on a proper beginning; start the day's activities wholeheartedly and deliberately
...men work together whether they work side-by-side or apart and never see one another
...if you make a right start, aligning your actions with your best intentions, everything you do is prayer; savor work, don't hurry just to get it over
...disobedience is not so much not doing what you know you should do, as not even listening to what the situation demands and calls you to do
...starting the day off right requires stop, look, then go
Terce - the Joy of Living
...mid-morning prayer break
...grateful for the gift of life, take a breath and pray "May all beings everywhere live in peace"
...focus on the Holy Spirit that is life-breath, that joy living within us
...delight in being blessed with life
...pass a blessing onto others by a good word or smile, a kind action that goes completely unobserved or simply a good wish in silence
...as we lovingly take care of details, we grow into that attitude of caring and tenderness
...to be vital, awake, aware in all areas of our lives, is the task that is never accomplished but remains the goal: to be ablaze with the Holy Spirit
...the spirit is our strength that expresses itself in strong action and tenderness
...spread the fiery enthusiasm of the divine life within us
...remember God's presence
Sext - Commitment & Fervor
...at this hour of high noon, lift up heart and mind in a moment of grateful silence
...tend to get sleepy and our good intentions can begin to flag
...courageous resolution: "I will stay true and uphold for the rest of the day"
...high noon is the time of great silence in nature; turning point of day
...noon day bell is invitation to pray for peace and commit oneself to treat others with love
...trustful waiting is a truly fervent way of praying
...time of transition, passing into the second part of the day
None - the Shadows Lengthen
...needed boost for last hours of the work day
...as day declines towards evening be renewed in spirit and not grow tired of giving your best
...time to turn inward again, after the outward movements of the day
...look to those things which endures
...listen intently to the music that never stops, the inner music of silence
...acknowledge that each day comes to a close, each life comes to a close
...the more fully life is lived, the easier it is to let go
...we all need a place apart to face reality
...time to be forgiven for our shortcomings and be encouraged to forgive ourselves and others
...late afternoon of our lives is often a time when we are called to forgive and let go of our grievances
Vespers - Lighting the Lamps
...an evening celebration
...pause to review the harvest of today and to give thanks for what you have learned for tomorrow
...find peace of heart by reconciling contradictions within and around us
...place disappointments and regrets of the day behind us and become festive in a new way
...light the lamps of caring attention for our neighbors in this dark world
...daylight fades and the distinct silence of night descends
...become festive and receive God as a guest, stretch beyond time and embrace the now
...luxuriate in the quiet beauty of evening
...what candle can we light for others to to acknowledge and show appreciation
...we move closer together when it gets dark
Compline - Completing the Circle
...give thanks for another day
...review the day and resolve to do better tomorrow
...approach the night with trust and joyful anticipation
...trust opens our hearts to the blessing of rest
...examine conscience and ask forgiveness; making a clean transition into night and sleep
...connects the end of day with the end of life itself; reinforces the theme that the rhythm of our days parallels the rhythm of our life; the way we live each hour, each day, determine the character of our life; the paced hours teach us how to pace our life
...remind ourselves of the firm foundation on which our faith rests
...trust in the uniqueness of each person; we thrive in an atmosphere of feeling at home and safe in the world
The introduction to this book is written by Kathleen Norris, the author of many books that has been most helpful in my journey; I will be forever grateful to the pastor who introduced me to Kathleen Norris via The Cloister Walk. Here are a few of her comments from the introduction:
---The human perception of time has long been subject to technological revisions, and increased speed has often subtly reduced our capacity to appreciate the world around us
--- Addiction to speed, to the artificial rhythms generated by electronic media, can change our consciousness
---This book is steeped in the wisdom of disciplined prayer done according to the rhythms of day and night. As a monk, Steindl-Rast has learned that "prayer is not sending an order and expecting it to be fulfilled. Prayer is attuning yourself to the life of the world, to love, the force that moves the sun and the moon and the stars." It is the sort of thing that monks, mystics, and poets come to know very well by paying close attention to the flow of hours around them.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Ready to Continue this Blog
Guess what? I'm ready to continue this blog. It was started several years ago and was disrupted by a relocation and now that I'm settled, I have the desire and time, of the two, desire is the stronger. So hoping my friends (old and new) will check out this blog and see the direction my journey of life is taking, mainly through the books that are speak to me. And please, add your thoughts in the section for comments.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Monday, February 28, 2011
Reading List of 2011 Continued
Princess Jean P Sasson life behind the veil
Dubliners James Joyce short stories
Bookseller in Kabul Asne Seierstad life of women
The American Henry James love his style
Nonesuch Georgette Heyer fluff at its best
Glass of Time Michael Cox magnificent
Heart of the World Mother Teresa saintly indeed
Laughing w/o Accent Firoozeh Dumas great storyteller
Book of Hours Rainer Rilke second reading
Different about Dad Kristi Evans adult asperger
Dubliners James Joyce short stories
Bookseller in Kabul Asne Seierstad life of women
The American Henry James love his style
Nonesuch Georgette Heyer fluff at its best
Glass of Time Michael Cox magnificent
Heart of the World Mother Teresa saintly indeed
Laughing w/o Accent Firoozeh Dumas great storyteller
Book of Hours Rainer Rilke second reading
Different about Dad Kristi Evans adult asperger
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Secret Soul Signature
"Are not all lifelong friendships born at the moment when at last you meet another human being who has some inkling (but faint and uncertain even in the best) of that something which you were born desiring and which, beneath the flux of other desires and in all the momentary silences between the louder passions, night and day, year by year, from childhood to old age, you are looking for watching for, listening for? You have never had it. All the things that have ever deeply possessed your soul have been hints of it--tantalizing glimpses, promises never quite fulfilled, echoes that died away just as they caught your ear. But if it should really become manifest--if there ever came an echo that did not die away but swelled into the sound itself--you would know it. Beyond all possibility of doubt you would say, "Here at last is the thing I was made for." We cannot tell each other about it. It is the secret signature of each soul, the incommunicable and unappeasable want, the thing we desired before we met our wives or made our friends or chose our work, and which we shall still desire on our deathbeds, when the mind no longer knows wife or friend or work."
C S Lewis, The Weight of Glory
"Our original shimmering self gets buried so deep we hardly live out of it at all...rather, we learn to live out of all the other selves which we are constantly putting on and taking off like coats and hats against the world's weather."
Frederick Buechner, Telling Secrets
Tis hard for us to rouse our spirits up
It is the human creative agony
Though but to hold the heart an empty cup
Or tighten on the team the rigid reign. Many will rather lie among the slain
Than creep through narrow ways the light to gain
Than wake the will, and born bitterly.
but we who would be born again indeed,
Must wake our souls unnumbered times a day
And urge ourselves to life with holy greed.
now open our bosoms to the wind's free play,
And now, with patience forceful, hard, lie still
Submiss and ready to the making will,
Athirst and empty, for God's breath to fill.
George MacDonald, Diary of An Old Soul
"Our nature makes us wish for rest, that is to say, an increase in being."
St. Augustine
Immortal Heat, O let thy greater flame
Attract the lesser to it; let those fires,
Which shall consume the world, first make it tame;
And kindle in our hearts such true desires,
As may consume our lusts, and make thee way.
Then shall our hearts pant thee.
George Herbert
"Losing our souls means losing touch with our true call in life, our mission, our spiritual task. It means becoming so distracted by and preoccupied with all that is happening around us that we end up fragmented, confused and erratic. " Henri Nouwen Society Devotional
"I am obscurely convinced that there is a need in the world for something I can provide and that there is a need for me to provide it. True, someone else can do it, God doesn't need me. But I feel He is asking me to provide it. " Thomas Merton, A Search for Solitude
The Road Not Taken
C S Lewis, The Weight of Glory
"Our original shimmering self gets buried so deep we hardly live out of it at all...rather, we learn to live out of all the other selves which we are constantly putting on and taking off like coats and hats against the world's weather."
Frederick Buechner, Telling Secrets
"Thirsty hearts are those whose longings have been wakened by the touch of God within them." A. W. Tozer
"The true story of every person in this word is not the story you see, the external story. The true story of each person is the journey of his or her heart". Brent Curtis & John Eldredge, Sacred Romance
Tis hard for us to rouse our spirits up
It is the human creative agony
Though but to hold the heart an empty cup
Or tighten on the team the rigid reign. Many will rather lie among the slain
Than creep through narrow ways the light to gain
Than wake the will, and born bitterly.
but we who would be born again indeed,
Must wake our souls unnumbered times a day
And urge ourselves to life with holy greed.
now open our bosoms to the wind's free play,
And now, with patience forceful, hard, lie still
Submiss and ready to the making will,
Athirst and empty, for God's breath to fill.
George MacDonald, Diary of An Old Soul
"Our nature makes us wish for rest, that is to say, an increase in being."
St. Augustine
"We look for rest and if we find it, it becomes intolerable. Incapable of the divine activity which alone can satisfy (rest) ... fallen man flings himself upon exterior things, not so much for their own sake as for the sake of agitation which keeps his spirit pleasantly numb ... (The distraction) diverts us aside from the one thing that can help us to begin our ascent to truth ... the sense of our own emptiness." Thomas Merton, The Ascent to Truth
Immortal Heat, O let thy greater flame
Attract the lesser to it; let those fires,
Which shall consume the world, first make it tame;
And kindle in our hearts such true desires,
As may consume our lusts, and make thee way.
Then shall our hearts pant thee.
George Herbert
"Losing our souls means losing touch with our true call in life, our mission, our spiritual task. It means becoming so distracted by and preoccupied with all that is happening around us that we end up fragmented, confused and erratic. " Henri Nouwen Society Devotional
"I am obscurely convinced that there is a need in the world for something I can provide and that there is a need for me to provide it. True, someone else can do it, God doesn't need me. But I feel He is asking me to provide it. " Thomas Merton, A Search for Solitude
The Road Not Taken
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Books, Books, Books
What does a list of books that have been read, reread or reviewed say about a person? Hoping to have an answer to that question, I'm only listing the ones I've read completely since turning 60; I'm sure the books one doesn't finish reading also make a statement. Having a library of the books I've read and enjoyed has always been important to me. I think it is because books become "friends" and I may want to visit with them again, so they must be available. I periodically review the books in my library and do away with the ones that are no longer reflecting my life-interest, mainly because of limited book space, and the need to make room for the new-found delights. I never take up space for what I call "fluff" and usually use the local library for that need. Some authors will always stay in my library; George MacDonald, George Herbert, CS Lewis, Thomas Merton, Kathleen Norris, Brennan Manning, Phillip Keller, Henri Nouwen, Jane Austin, Daphne du Maurier, Ellis Peters.
TITLE AUTHOR COMMENT
Sold Patricia McCormick eye opener
3 Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson melted my heart
Stones Into Schools Greg Mortenson wish there was a third one
Reading Lolita Azia Nafisi women:second-rate citizens
Standing Alone in Mecca Assa Nomani solidarity in my heart
The Great Gatsby F Scott Fitsgerald second reading
The Music of Silence David Steinal-Rast love for monastery life
Jack's Life Douglas Gresham Lewis - by Joy's son
Wayside Tavern Nora Lofts do not remember this one
Dead Man's Ransom Ellis Peters Cadfael Mysteries
The World as I Remember Rich Mullins musical genius
The Sacred Romance John Eldredge inspiring as "Captivating"
Alias Grace Margaret Atwood writing style marvel
The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood wow! must read again
Going With the Grain Susan Seligson extremely interesting
Ruthless Trust Brennan Manning speaks to my heart
Thorpe Mary Dutton similar "Kill a Mockingbird"
Daisy Miller & Others Henry James master story teller
Turn of the Screw Henry James short story
Poison Maria V Snyder believable fantasy
Five Languages of Love Gary Chapman guide for couples
Quiet Strength Rosa Parks inside glimpse
Lady Susan Jane Austin society glimpse
Wisdom of Tenderness Brennan Manning needful reminder
TITLE AUTHOR COMMENT
Sold Patricia McCormick eye opener
3 Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson melted my heart
Stones Into Schools Greg Mortenson wish there was a third one
Reading Lolita Azia Nafisi women:second-rate citizens
Standing Alone in Mecca Assa Nomani solidarity in my heart
The Great Gatsby F Scott Fitsgerald second reading
The Music of Silence David Steinal-Rast love for monastery life
Jack's Life Douglas Gresham Lewis - by Joy's son
Wayside Tavern Nora Lofts do not remember this one
Dead Man's Ransom Ellis Peters Cadfael Mysteries
The World as I Remember Rich Mullins musical genius
The Sacred Romance John Eldredge inspiring as "Captivating"
Alias Grace Margaret Atwood writing style marvel
The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood wow! must read again
Going With the Grain Susan Seligson extremely interesting
Ruthless Trust Brennan Manning speaks to my heart
Thorpe Mary Dutton similar "Kill a Mockingbird"
Daisy Miller & Others Henry James master story teller
Turn of the Screw Henry James short story
Poison Maria V Snyder believable fantasy
Five Languages of Love Gary Chapman guide for couples
Quiet Strength Rosa Parks inside glimpse
Lady Susan Jane Austin society glimpse
Wisdom of Tenderness Brennan Manning needful reminder
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