The Holly Bush

While sitting at my craft table/desk this morning and writing in my journal, I looked out the window in front of me.  I noted the exceptionally bright and glorious sunshine which always puts me in a good mood.  However on closer inspection, my idyllic view of the beautiful blue sky bathing in sunshine was obstructed by a drab wooden fence which lies between me and my next door neighbor.  Actually, our lot positions us next to five neighbors but from this window I can see over the fence to one particular neighbor's house.  This house could use a coat of paint, a few minor repairs and in its current state, it's not pretty.  So, here we have it: ugly house, ugly fence.

But, in this drab scene sits a huge holly with shiny leaves of deep, dark green and magnificent red berries.  It's a common bush but stands very festive and quite showy in a place surrounded by drabness.  Then, while still basking in my previous thoughts of sunshine and blue skies, I had an idea.  

I put down my journal and pen and went outside to my potting table.  I pulled on my gardening gloves, grabbed my clippers and went to the back fence where I could, standing on my tiptoes and arms outstretched, barely reach a few limbs of my neighbor's holly.  I pulled hard and clipped off a half dozen magnificent sprigs.  Theoretically, I guess you could say, I pilfered my neighbor's holly but justified it by declaring that the holly, in fact, could use a good pruning.

After retrieving my prize, I strategically placed said holly branches in a basket on our coffee table. Even James noticed them and commented on how pretty and Christmas-y they look.

I went back to my journal where I was moments before being distracted by sunshine, sky, and the looted holly. Looking out the window again, I thought about that lone holly bush.  I needed to look beyond the drab fence and the drab house to see something beautiful, something vibrant and alive.  And isn't that the way life can be?  It's often times uneventful, humdrum, and boring, especially during a pandemic.  But, if we take time to look beyond ourselves we might be able to see the beauty in the simple little things that surround us. 

This beautiful Haiku was written by a teenage boy named Eric, who, for such a young person, gets it: “It’s the simple things in your life that make up the bulk of it. The mundane is where we live and we end up missing most of it. We find it again in the silence and in attention of everyday life.” 

I am not necessarily endorsing cutting branches off a neighbor's shrub but I am suggesting that there may be something beautiful in the midst of the noise and confusion that clutter our lives.  And it may be found in the simplicity of a holly bush.  

    

            

A WINK FROM THE COSMOS

As a pragmatist, a practical-minded individual, I am somewhat surprised when mystical and bizarre incidents occur in my life.  Recently, I experienced one of these rare occurrences which leave little doubt in my mind that the Cosmos is at work.

A couple of days ago, on Sunday evening, James and I attended a church-wide Thanksgiving dinner.  As were driving to church, I told him that I hoped someone would sit at our table and talk to us.  We are relatively new in the church and don't know a lot of people so we were delighted when a couple about our age asked if they could sit with us.  Immediately we began a lovely conversation. 

They introduced themselves to us as Mary Beth and Kim, K-I-M.  He spelled his name as I suppose his name is often confused with Ken, K-E-N.  When he said Kim, I immediately thought of a guy I knew at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, in the early 1970's, Kim W.  That in itself is rather strange as I have not seen or heard from Kim W. since then.  The last I heard, he had transferred to the University of Oklahoma and was living in Norman.  That was around 1973. 

After the church dinner and the next morning, I was going about my typical Monday morning routine, when out of the blue, I had a second fleeting thought about Kim W. from East Central.  I wondered where he is and what he is doing nowadays, if indeed he is still alive.  I pondered this for a moment and then quickly, my mind moved on to other things.

This is where the story gets interesting. Later that same day, I made a trip to Walmart.  I had just placed several shopping bags in the back of my car, closed the rear door, and began to push my shopping cart to the cart return area.  Someone came from behind me and said, "Are you Nancy?"  I turned and looked into the face of a man I didn't recognize, smiled, and said, "Yes, now tell me who you are."  He replied, "Kim W."  I nearly came unglued and told him I had literally thought of him just that morning and couldn't for the life of me think of what had triggered his memory to come to my mind.  I'm sure he thought I was making it up and understandably so. 

We chatted for a few minutes with the usual things two people would say to each other after 45+ years.  I gave him a hug and commented on his beautiful blue eyes, as I remembered them.  I asked him if he recognized me after all these years, which was a dumb question, but he said yes.  I was more than flabbergasted. 

By the time I put my cart away and was opening my car door, he was in his car and driving out of the lot.  As he drove past, he stopped, rolled down the passenger window and said it was great seeing me again, and off he went.

I immediately called my sister Jayme and told her the entire story.  In her dramatic fashion, she wondered what could it mean and what am I supposed to do with it? Is it a "sign"?  I told her it's probably a coincidence but my gut told me it was a lot more than that. When I shared my experience with James, Mr. Analytical, he concluded it was something between an uncanny coincidence and just maybe, there was a slim chance, it was a "sign". 

I've had a day to think about this.  Was it a sign, coincidence, intuition, or 
what?  I struggled to make sense of it all.  I have since discovered this unique phenomenon is an unexplained human ability, a mystery, and for those who are open to the possibility, true magic!  In other words, synchronicity.  A synchronicity can be all of those things: mysterious, magical, and I would venture to say it could be a "wink from the Cosmos"!  For whatever reason, I had the good fortune to experience something inspired by God or maybe it was simply an unexplained lark. It made me feel like I am part of something bigger than myself prompting me to preserve what happened in this note.

We live in a chaotic world filled with doubt, a place where bad things happen daily, a world in which we are bombarded with the ugliness of human nature.  In the midst of all the darkness, a sparkling little gem called synchronicity was dropped into my life.

One thing of which I am sure, I was gifted a "wink from the Cosmos".  As a result, my heart is full with hope, surprise and genuine delight.

Whimsical Summer garden in Oklahoma 2018

THE LONELINESS EPIDEMIC

Loneliness.  Just saying the word touches my heart in a way that no other word can.  To think that millions of people throughout the world are experiencing loneliness breaks my heart and stirs in me a desire to do something to help.  But what can one person in this cold and chaotic world do? 

A recent program on NPR addressed this phenomenom labeled "The Loneliness Epidemic". Until I heard the statistics and problems that loneliness create, I never thought too much about it.  According to those who study the loneliness epidemic it is a real problem, not only in the United States but, internationally.  The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Teresa May, has appointed one of her ministers to take the lead on issues connected to loneliness and its effect on British citizens.  The former U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthey, stated, "Loneliness is a solvable problem.  We only need a heart full of compassion and the courage to express that."  With that in mind, it is no wonder that the problem of loneliness strikes a chord in me and cries out for my action.

Loneliness kills.  It is proven to be worse than smoking 15 cigarettes a day.  It is worse than obesity or inactivity.  Loneliness creates a disconnect from others that is stressful and unhealthy.  Loneliness is not inherently natural as human beings are created for socialization and connection.  Yet, many people find themselves living a lonely and isolated lifestyle.

I am not a licensed mental health provider and I'll admit I don't know the first thing about the psychology of loneliness.  What I do know is that after hearing and reading a little about this epidemic, I am saddened and bothered.  I could not sleep for thinking of lonely people in pain who believe that no one cares a hoot about them.  I feel I am being called to react but I'm not sure how. 

Mother Teresa, one of my favorite people to quote, said, "Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty."  What an interesting thing to consider.  We concentrate on feeding the hungry and providing clean water to the masses, but what about those who are starving from the lack of human contact?  There are people who live in urban areas who have not had a conversation with another living soul in weeks, not minutes or hours, but weeks!  How could this be?  Surely this is not my neighbor or the lady who sits on my row at church or the elderly man on the elevator at the hospital.  Am I so blind that I do not see those suffering from the ill effects of loneliness?

Loneliness is not new.  Elvis sang about it in "Are You Lonesome Tonight". Who is not profoundly touched when he speaks in the middle of the song "someone said that the world's a stage and each of us must play a part. . . "? And, of course, who could forget when Hank Williams croons "I'm So Lonesome Tonight" and it melts your cold, cold heart?  And an even older song, a hymn from the Bible, Psalm 147:3 reads, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Loneliness has been in existence for a very long time.  But that doesn't diminish the fact that it is a fatal illness of the heart but I have hope that it can be treated.  In my own simple way, I have thought of three propositions. 

First, I propose that we put down our phones.  I know what I am suggesting is not easy as I enjoy social media as much as the next person.  I'm posting this on social media and you are probably reading this on your phone so I understand the implications.  Just think about putting it aside for a few minutes and talking to a real person, face-to-face. 

Second, I propose reaching out to someone who you might suspect is lonely.  Consider a smile, a casual conversation, sharing a cup of coffee.  It doesn't have to be a huge commitment but allow yourself to see beyond your situation and observe another human being with mercy and love.

Third, remember the Surgeon General's words.  "We only need a heart full of compassion and the courage to express that."  And another wise person, Paul of the New Testament, told the Ephesians, "Be kind and compassionate to one another . . . ". Taking these words to heart, I have determined to do my part to fight The Loneliness Epidemic.  Maybe in some small way, I can help a person know that they are worthy and someone really cares. 

2017 RELIVING THE LEGEND IN THE AMERICAN WEST -- COLORADO, WYOMING, NEBR...

An Unexpected Blessing

  The outdoor thermometer read 70 degrees so I threw on my old clothes, grabbed my garden tools and gloves, and headed outside.  About 15 minutes into my work, it began to rain.  I hurriedly put everything, including myself, under cover.  I wasn't in a big hurry to go back inside so I sat on my porch swing to enjoy the cool breeze and gentle rain.

  We have robins who return to nest every year high up on our deck.  I was pleased to see they returned a few weeks ago and set up housekeeping.  Because I am outside every day they are accustomed to me.  I talk to Mrs. Robin and check on her throughout the day.  As I was swinging and deliberating how to readjust my morning schedule, I looked up at the nest and spotted Mama Robin.

She was nestled in and protecting her precious eggs from the rain.  I'm sure she saw me and thought to herself, "Don't worry.  I'm right where I should be and the babies are fine."

  As this conversation between me and mama bird was progressing, I could hear another robin singing a beautiful tune.  I knew Daddy Robin had to be close and I quickly found him perched on a branch nearby.  He, too, was sitting in the rain and keeping a watchful eye on his little family.

  Two birds, out of millions of birds on this planet, decided to make a home in my backyard.  They are doing what birds do.  They mate, make a nest, have babies, and eventually, push the little ones out and send them on their way.  It's a common occurrence, however, for me, on this rainy morning, I was in complete awe.

  My heart was filled with thanks and joy as I marveled at the glorious miracles of life.  I contemplated the way Mama Robin protects her eggs with a steadfast, God-given instinct.  She has a mission in life and with her faithful partner, a little luck, and a lot of hard work, they will succeed.  It is truly amazing.

  Here's what my robin friend taught me this morning.  Life brings unexpected problems, disappointments, and sorrow.  There will be storms, and sometimes, it's enough to know the wind right out of us.  But even in those difficult times, there can be an unexpected blessing, a promise of hope and reassurance.  I am reminded that God is ever-present.  He is there in the big moments that bring anxiety, fear, or jubilant celebration.  He is there in the small moments of rest and quiet solitude, just as I was sitting on the porch swing this morning.  At all times and in all things, thank Him for everything because you never know when an unexpected blessing will come.

  "For man, as for flowers and beast and bird, the supreme triumph is to be most vividly, most perfectly alive."  D.H. Lawrence

Garden Tour Summer 2016