Lynn M. Dixon's Blog, page 48

In January 2017!

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Breathe in the fresh, changing wind,

That will cause your mind to bend.

Towards the pure light like a plant,

That feeds itself in a slant.

Anchor your soul like a ship.

When waves billow, you won’t slip.

Though the sways may cause alarm,

Hold tight to God’s steady arm!

Lynn M.                                January 1, 2017

The Good in 2016!

[image error]Before this year slips away, take a moment to pause and list all of the wonderful things that have occurred in your personal world.  First sigh and “Breathe, you are alive!,” as Thich Nhat Hanh says.

Take out a pad and pen and do an inventory.  Leave no stone unturned.  If you keep a journal or a daily calendar, review the year of 2016 as you take one month at a time.

Did you work?  If so, what were some of your personal successes on the job?  Were there any verbal or monetary accolades?


Did you have good relationships with family, friends and coworkers?  Did you acquire any new friends or add any new names to your professional network?


Did you decide to end some relationships to make room for more positive acquaintances?  If so, that is a good thing.  New good will rush in to fill that vacuum.


Did you enjoy the arts?  Did you see or attend any art shows, plays, concerts or other big outdoor venues?  Which ones stick out in your mind?


Did you go to any sports games?  They may have simply been local matches or they may have been  big league games in baseball, football, hockey or soccer.  Which games were most memorable?


How were your finances?  Did you have a prosperous year?  Are you ending the year in the black or in the red?  What can you do to change your circumstances in the upcoming year?


And how is your health?  Are you facing some hidden condition that you had not  dealt with?  Are you ready to let that error surface so that it can be eradicated? You definitely want to start 2017 in a more healthy state.

Jot down these things as you go through your notes from the year.  See that you have been shown many degrees of mercy. Take nothing for granted and give thanks for even the smallest bits of grace!

Get ready for the New Year and a newer you.  Label the year as a success because you are still here, alive, alert and paddling your own canoe!

Lynn M.                                                                                              December 27, 2016

In Hushed Tones!

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In hushed tones we wait

For the arrival of the Newborn Babe.

Who will bring light,

Hope and peace to a world

Teetering on the brink of despair.

In hushed tones, we see

The Three Wise Men’s

Silhouettes pass through

The night and follow the

Guiding Star’s direction.

In hushed tones, we see

Them presenting their gifts and

Placing them around the Babe’s manger.

In hushed tones we sing

Alleluia or Ava Maria and

Songs of reverence as we

Acknowledge that there is

An assurance of spiritual leadership.

In hushed tones, we sigh and wait

For the Christ within each of us

To awaken as we cleave to

All that is possible.

Hush now and listen.

Lynn M.                                                                              December 24, 2016

A Week before Christmas!

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It is almost here- the most wonderful time of the year! The most precious holiday is almost upon us.  People busily prepare for Christmas Day!

Trees are strewn with colorful lights.  Bells ring for hopeful donations.  Malls are filled with throngs of people looking for that perfect gift.  Children spell out their Christmas Wish Lists.   And, the beat goes on as each person has a personal agenda for that special day.

Some will stand in long lines at the airport hoping for minimal delays.  Others will gas up the family van or car for that sainted road trip as they constantly check the weather forecasts for warnings and safety tips.

Some may opt out of being a part of the frantic pace and simply bring their activities to a slow halt.  They may choose to have a low-key retreat and truly let those “chestnuts roast on an open fire.”

Others may decide that a good holiday is a time to put on the new pajamas and curl up with a good book.  They may cook, eat, sleep and deepen that groove in the couch like a couch potato with the remote control close by.

Whatever the choices, it is a time to be merry, safe and filled with that blessed cheer!

Lynn M.                                                                 December 18, 2016

Heal by Facing It!

Is there something in your past that you can’t face? Have you masked over the pain to avoid feeling the hurt?  A high price is paid when you are either unable or unwilling to face those unpleasant issues. You must take a deep breath and peer down into the well of darkness so that you can truly heal.

The New Year is around the corner and you want to get off to a fresh start. Here are some suggestions:

•Go to the memorabilia closet and pull out those items from that painful era such as pictures, brochures, garments or music.

•Place them all around a room.

•Give yourself at least 48 hours to relive those times and face the good, the bad and the ugly.

The pain could center on some loss such as a job or of a loved one through separation, divorce or death. But loss is loss and unresolved pain is unresolved pain. Perhaps, you have been trying to numb the pain for years by traveling, buying expensive clothes, houses or cars.

However, the nagging ache still lingers down in the depths of your being and nothing seems to bring real satisfaction. Sometimes you know what is bothering you and sometimes you have to take time to remove the layers that blanket the core of your discomfort.

If you really quiet your mind and let those pensive thoughts surface, some faces, names and events will show up like the Ace of Spades in a deck of cards. Once you start facing the fact that there is some unfinished business from the past, you should put that card face up on the table and spend some time with that phase of your life.

Pick up a pen and pad or iPad and write down what you are feeling. Pause. Then, dance with it. Cry about it, if necessary. Ask yourself if you could have handled things differently. Either way, it is a time that has gone by so the only thing that you can really do now is face it. Own it.

Then, you can see what was learned. After all, some things are simply out of your control so the best thing you can do is accept it and adjust your feelings about whatever or whomever. The bad feelings will begin to lift and eventually, they will evaporate into thin air.

It all occurred to make you stronger. And by all means, remember the good times. Every phase of your life left some good memories. It all helped you reach a higher tick mark on your totem pole of inner growth.

People can only give what they have to give.  Life is often seen through rose-colored glasses and you may have assumed that there was more depth to the barrel. You got all that was available.

Make peace with it and walk on into your brighter future. Breathe! Smile and sigh “Thanks!” You lived through it and it helped to shape the you that is you!

Lynn M.                                                                                         December 11, 2016

I Won’t Crank and Moan!

I thought of the spiritual song, I Won’t Complain when I read the line “I won’t crank and moan,” from Bernie Mac’s book, Maybe You Never Cry Again. His mother’s pearls of wisdom are filtered throughout the book. He decided that he wanted to be a comedian when he saw her go from depressed tears to a hilarious laughter in a matter of minutes as she listened to a comedian.  He wanted to know who had the power to make a sad person laugh that wholeheartedly.  The seeds for his comedic success were planted on that day.

His mother, Mary, passed when he was a young teenager but she laid the groundwork and left him with a host of teachings that he called Mac-isms.  His mother and grandmother reminded him that every day that he woke up, he had something to accomplish.

Isn’t that a great lesson for all of us?  We are basically a complaining society as we stay in quest of just one more material thing.  We tell our woes and vent to all who will listen as we go through life and accumulate more belongings.

Unfortunately, it’s the way of the world. The news, the talk shows and our conversations are normally filled with what we see wrong, what we fear or what we denounce and find uncomfortable.

We go on and on but, we must simply stop and curtail that list of the negative observations and feelings. We should fill up our daily gratitude pages.  One minister graciously reminded us to be thankful for something as small as a stick of chewing gum.  We should write or audibly voice more thank you’s and not crank and moan so much.

The more we praise, the more we raise and lift up the standard of being mindful of what we have already been given.  Then we can humble ourselves, locate more peace and practice housing a more appeased Spirit.  We can become more magnanimous and grateful as we downshift into cruise mode as we close out 2016.

Lynn M.                                                                           December 4, 2016

Ah, December!

We hear the jingle of bells,

Yes, December. All is well!

We hasten to get those gifts,

We shop to give others lifts.

Last month of the year is here,

Spreading that holiday cheer.

Buoyant hopes raise our trust,

As we bake and cut pie crust.

Soon, it’s 2017,

It will roll in with a zing!

Lynn M.                                                                                   December 1, 2016

Assessments!

Whenever you take on a new job or walk into a situation where you plan to serve, you must first take a step back. Retreat.  Take stock.  Take notes.  See what has transpired.  Then form a plan of action.

Life is quite the same way around this time of the year.  As you wind down to the last two months of the year, stop, look and listen.  Review the past ten months.  Look at your logs, journals, notes and important papers.

Ask yourself, “How did I do?  Where did I grow? Where are my weak points?  Where are my victories?” An honest appraisal will help you see how far you have come.  And, yes progress has definitely been made, somewhere, somehow and in some areas.

Ask yourself, “How did I do in the Relationship Department? Did I make peace with some?  Did I delete others from my world?  How many new contacts have I added to my personal and professional worlds?”

If you compare your current state to where you were this time last year, can you see that you are better off?  If so, how?  If not, why?

Ask yourself, “Am I stronger and more confident?  Am I less affected by the actions and thoughts of others?” Keep listing those questions as you take a personal inventory of events, feelings and reactions.

“Is my faith stronger?  Do I feel like there is hope so that I can keep on thriving and surviving?”

Make those assessments.  Be honest. Be candid and be fair.  Give yourself a break as you look back and face situations squarely in the eye.

Then, when all of that business has been handled, start formulating that Dream List for 2017 as you carefully tie up those loose ends of 2016.

The future is bright and right ahead.  So, “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”( Hebrews 12:1 )

Never give up!

Lynn M.                                                                                                                November 25, 2016

Loving: A Movie!

The slow pace of the film, Loving, symbolizes the long days that exist when living in the South and the lack of speed that it took for this interracial couple to get a fair ruling in the courts. Richard and Mildred Loving were a married couple that lived in Virginia.  He was white and she was African-American and Cherokee.

In 1958, the authorities broke into their home and arrested both of them for breaking the law which did not allow mixed couples to marry.  They had driven to Washington D.C. to get married.  The Virginia courts told them that they had to either serve a year in prison or leave the state for 25 years.

They moved to a poor part of Washington D.C. and had three children while they lived with another family.  Mildred Loving missed being around her own family and at one point she sat down and wrote Attorney General Robert Kennedy.  He replied and referred her case to the ACLU.   Lawyer Cohen was assigned and later teamed up with Lawyer Hirschkop, a civil rights lawyer. Then, the long process for justice began.

After one of their sons was hit by a car, the Lovings secretly moved back to Virginia, but rented a farm in a different county.  She wanted enough land where the children could run freely and not have to play ball in the streets.

The two lawyers worked on the case for almost ten years and it eventually made it to the Supreme Court. Life Magazine also interviewed the couple and helped expose the outdated laws through photography.  He took a famous photo of Mr. Loving resting in his wife’s lap as they watched television.

In 1967, the Supreme Court decided to hear the case.  The lawyers invited the Lovings to come to DC to be present at the hearings.  Mr. Loving said no and she said that she was not going without him.  He was asked what he wanted to say to the justices and he simply said, “Tell them that I love my wife.”

They won and it became legal for interracial couples to marry in the State of Virginia.  Other states followed suit.  The charm, the love and the camaraderie of Richard and Mildred was compelling.  Only the gods could have given them such an appropriate last name.  Through it all, they remained solid, of one mind and quite loving to one another.

The actors were also quite convincing in their roles. Interestingly, Mr. Loving was played by  Joel Edgerton from Australia and Mrs. Loving was played by Ruth Negga from Ethiopia.  After comparing them to what was read and seen about the real Lovings on YouTube, these two fine actors got it right.  It took two artists from other countries to show a bleak chapter in American history that happened not that long ago!

Lynn M.                                                                                                 November 17, 2016

Those Old Love Songs!

Have you ever listened to a beautiful love song and then felt the need to attach its meaning to someone?  In order to connect to the flow of the lyrics, you pick up the memories of a former love that you’ve already released!

Why?  Because you are not currently involved in a relationship, so you unconsciously reach back into the past. Danger! Danger!  The last thing you want to do is recycle what has already been placed in the dumpster.

You can stir around and stir around and chances are you will find a small salvageable piece for longer use. But nine times out of ten, you will end up trashing it again.

So when those touching love songs come on, enjoy one or two and get caught up in that false nostalgia for a few minutes.  Play them sparingly, if you are at an in-between stage in relationships.

In order to avoid crying in your soup over some stale, spilled milk, you should change that tune.  Put on some freeing, airy music instead.  Try some nice instrumentals, a tad of jazz, some classical or even a little light rock, rap or reggae to liven your step.

But don’t become enmeshed in those love songs that make you pine for something that you’ve  already  discarded.  Those words can pull at your heart-strings and make you travel down a guaranteed bumpy road. Again!

Instead, listen to some calm or even humorous music that allows you to think clearly and feel hopeful.  The holidays are coming and you don’t want to be dizzy while seated on a tiring merry-go round at the beginning of the New Year.  Be mindful of what you listen to as you prepare for your fresh, new date with destiny!

Lynn M.                                                                                                                                                                  November 13, 2016