A Season of Thanksgiving

I just finished reading Mary Pipher's "Writing to Change the World." My 14 yr old daughter is now reading the book as she has an equal passion for recording her thoughts to share with others. I am struck by how infrequently I read authors who contribute to helping others gain insight into themselves. Mary shares with us skills to help develop in ourselves an ability to suspend judgment and criticisms; to give others the space to be "where" they are in their own journeys.

The other book I recently read, "Son - Leaving the servant's quarters for the intimacy of the father's house" along with Mary's book, force within me a change of perspective I wouldn't have gained without having read these works. I, like many of my acquaintances and colleagues, waste too much emotional energy on supposition and speculation about the motives and attitudes behind the actions of others. I am more aware now than before of the necessity to do more than "try" to wear the moccasins of another. She has an exercise I think everyone should attempt at least once; write about a situation from more than one point of view (her exact exercise is to write a story about one person who causes trouble for two other people.) To actually accomplish this exercise requires one get into the mind of another--to think through the other person's perspectives and actually let the feelings of that perspective sit with you.

This Thanksgiving holiday I give thanks for mentors such as Mary Pipher, Barbara Kingsolver, and other great writers who have helped me gain elements of truth and wisdom. I am grateful for my wife who has through example taught me great lessons about relationships and compassion; about commitment and true love (love is a verb!) I am thankful for my children...who are God's way of boiling the narcissism out of adults (if we allow them to teach us life's purpose.) I am thankful for life, and the gift of waking up each morning--a new day; to start anew; to correct poorly shaped habits; to better our communication skills; to appropriate in each day moments of non-busy-ness to examine ourselves and to seek wholeness.

I plan to pour more of my thoughts and self-examination in my blog posts over the next few months. I will not be regular with postings because I have found that to put arbitrary deadlines on myself is to set myself up for failure to hold true to the commitment, and it also makes for lifeless words or rantings about topics which are probably left addressed by those truly passionate about a subject. You will however, see more entries so that I may exercise my writing mind muscle and give voice to those stirrings in my spirit which demand my attention.

Stay-cation in Nebraska City - Poetry

Autumn's Blush

Stillness, sleepy silence amid the meadow
The Jay screeches a melody and answers the Crow
Mighty Oaks and Walnuts drop a percussive line
Squirrels give chase as the sunny breeze begins to shine

The reds, golds and amber skirts of Maple maidens
Shimmer and courtsey as the North winds tease
til slowly, flittering and falling on top of one another
They cover Summer's blades in quilts of blushing color

Sounds of football and Southbound "V" formations
Coincide with frosty nights and foggy hesitations
The apples have been plucked and jack-o-lanterns carved
The logs cut and stacked to warm Winter's hearth

Written by: Ed Milligan

These lines have been forming in my mind over the last couple of weeks as I've watched the color changes in the leaves throughout the hills of Southeastern Nebraska. Our stay-cation at the Leid Lodge in Nebraska City was a much needed break from the norm. If you haven't taken a stay-cation in your state, I highly recommend it! Keeps the dollars in your communities, allows you to explore uncharted territory, and the best part--you don't spend all of your time and money getting "there!"

Eiffel Tower on all Six Contents--What Cans do you Buy?

I just had to post an interesting fact about "green" choices that my daughter read to me this morning. Did you know that if you would substitute 1 large can (beans, peaches, tomatoes, etc) instead of two smaller ones when you go shopping, the annual savings in steel could build an Eiffel Tower on all six continents! (Fact taken from the book "The Green Book" written by: Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas Kostigen)

So, we can all make a difference in the carbon footprint we burden this planet with just by making just a few changes. The smart choice for those who do buy larger cans is to make sure you're buying plastic containers that are reusable/washable in the dishwasher to store the unused product from the larger containers. Looks like SAMS (http://www.samsclub.com) and COSCO (http://www.costco.com/) shoppers can easily make these choices!