Second Sunday in Lent

A full week of gratitude is behind me.  Here are my reflections from the past week:

Monday, March 10

My dad...it's his birthday!

Relaxing spa afternoon

That the girl giving me the treatments today was a young Christian!

Tuesday, March 11

Beautiful, clean, safe city in which I enjoy walking my dog

Material comfort

Meaningful job

Wed. March 12

That God is in charge (visited Dinara today, a single mother who is dying from cancer...such a sad and complex situation.)

That I enjoy teaching and got to do it today with an eager group of adult learners.

My house cleaner and that I can afford that luxury.

Thurs. March 13

Collaborative ministry

Great Board

Good health

Fri. March 14

Warm memories of my grandmother whose bday was today.

Ability to think and write.

God's word that comes fresh over and over again.

Sat. March 15

Thankful my father is home safely after his back failing him while in Las Vegas.

Thankful my sermon is ready for tomorrow.

Thankful for good friends to share a film with tonight.

Sunday March 16

For resources which allows us to enjoy life.

For our church which I always look forward to being a part of.

Warm clothes and home to fight the chill.

I guess I'm wondering if I have to come up with completely new things to be thankful for each day! Sometimes the best thing is to cultivate a spirit of gratitude for the ways in which life is truly satisfying.  I saw this sign on Facebook and it seemed to fit with what I'm trying to be about:

The consistent features in my life for which I am truly grateful include my husband, my family, my friends, my church, my life privileges (food, house, shelter, money, etc.).  I suppose these are also the things that I can often overlook and so it is good to remember, on a daily basis, that these "ordinary things" are far from ordinary...they are truly treasures in a life that is filled with abundance.  Blessings on the next 30 days of your Lenten Journey.

Ah Spa!

One of the great things about Stockholm is the vast array of spa, massage, treatment opportunities that are available.  I watch Groupon pretty carefully as there are some great deals to be had!  At Christmas, Doug had given me an afternoon in a boutique spa and I booked it before our trip to the US for right after we arrived home and boy was that ever a great idea!  A spa afternoon is the perfect solution for jet lag and helps with the transition back to work and life in Sweden beautifully!
I am, of course, familiar with the big bath house Sturebadet, which is indeed my favorite way to spend an afternoon, but it's pricey so I only indulge when gifted with such!  This little spa was located in a former apartment that had been renovated beautifully.  Upon walking in, I immediately felt the warm coziness of a nurturing environment.  I was led into the treatment room by Tilde, the young woman who was in charge.  The room itself exuded relaxation.  Candles were lit in the fireplace, the table/bed was inviting and the whole room ushered me into an atmosphere where I could forget the outside world and allow the stress of life to simply melt away.
The afternoon included a body scrub, facial, mini manicure, mini pedicure, and eye brow management.  I really love this stuff! 
An added bonus to the day however was Tilde!  We were chatting, as you do, and she of course, asked me what I did so I told her that I was a pastor and she about jumped out of her skin!  She shared with me that she and her husband go to Hillsong church, which is a few short blocks from our house!  She shared with me how she had been adopted from Sri Lanka when she was 2 months old, how through her Confirmation experience in the Swedish church led her to begin pondering matters of faith and how some difficult circumstances a few years back led to her becoming a Christian.  Her husband shared a similar journey and they are now worshipping at Hillsong but expressed an interest in visiting Immanuel.  The international nature of our fellowship appealed to her so I hope to see her some time on a Sunday!  I was blessed to meet another Christian in the Swedish marketplace!  It is so rare.
An added bonus was getting a text from her that stated what a blessing it was for her to also meet me!  So my afternoon at the spa turned out to be a blessing for my body, mind and spirit!
By the way, this place is great and Tilde is a wonderful spa provider. Check out her website here and if you are in Stockholm, I absolutely recommend this place to you!  I hope to return time and again.

First Sunday in Lent

In my previous post I mentioned that I was going to seek to give up ingratitude for Lent and practice mindful thankfulness by stating three things at the end of each day that I am especially thankful for. It has been an interesting few days as I've started this. I also started a Facebook group entitled Thankfulness Project for those doing the same thing and wishing to share it on Sundays. What joy it has been for me to not only connect with so many friends from all walks of life, who are literally scattered across the globe, (People participating live in: New Zealand, South Africa, France, Sweden, Germany, England, USA!) but also to connect these various relationships in my life with one another. What joy! I must admit that I have been more mindful of my complaining spirit and more cognizant about what I will be thankful for at the end of the day. 

Here's the full list from my week:

Ash Wednesday

Thursday, March 6:

Thankful for technology and travel that transport me to the other side of the world in a safe a comfortable manner.

Thankful for our friends who have stayed in our house while were gone, taking great care of it and having dinner made for us upon our return.

Thankful for the darlingest of all dogs...Tanner!

Friday, March 7:

A meaningful job

A beautiful home

Good, fresh food

Saturday, March 8

Beautiful city to live in

Time to relax

Social media through which I connect with friends far and wide

Sunday, March 9

Fantastic church

Daylight returning to Sweden

The Thankfulness Project group on FB. What a wonderful day to connect with family and friends, near and far, scattered across the globe!   

I am curious to see how the progression of gratitude will go for me...if I will tire of the task or be inspired to notice more and more reasons to be thankful. I think the latter will prove to be true. One of my friends who is participating mentioned this poem in her thoughts this week. What a great way to begin the second week of Lent.

St. Jude's Prayer on Lent

Looking for something to give up for Lent?
Give up resentment and become more forgiving.
Give up hatred and return good for evil.
Give up complaining and be more grateful.
Give up pessimism and become more hopeful.
Give up worry and become more trusting.
Give up anger and become more patient.
Give up pettiness and become more noble.
Give up gloom and become more joyful.
Give up doubt and turn to God.

You are welcome to join the Facebook group if you are interested.  Just let me know via commenting on the blog or private message.

May blessings be yours this week and may your heart overflow with gratitude!  It's good for your soul!

The Journey Through Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of the season in the Christian year known as Lent.  On this day, thousands of churches will gather for worship and to be reminded that from dust you have come, to the dust you will return, blessed be the name of the Lord. Perhaps this sentiment is resonating more deeply with me this year since we "returned" my mother's ashes to the earth just a few days ago.  At any rate, even though the season is heavy and challenging at times, I actually do welcome it, knowing what awaits us when the journey has finished.

The 40 days prior to Easter, Sundays not counted, are intended to be a time when we reflect more deeply on the events leading up to the Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.  Different traditions mark the season in different ways but incorporating a discipline of some sort is often the most popular way people engage the journey through Lent. My understanding of giving up something that is valued or enjoyed is rooted in the sense that our "little suffering for a little while" helps us to more deeply identify with Christ's suffering on the cross, which he did out of his great love for us. 
For my part, I've done a variety of things through the years, sometimes taking something away, other times adding something.  I do try to read through the gospels every year and add another reading of sorts to help me focus and to practice discipline, neither of which are very easy for me.  I also try to not broadcast what it is that I've given up because then it becomes more about my willpower rather than a private journey between me and God. But this year I came across this great idea and I'm throwing it out there for those of you who read my blog and would like to participate in some way.

Lent starts today.  Traditionally this is the time of year that Christians "give up" something for 40 days in order to prepare for Easter.  I'd like to invite everybody-Christian or not-to give up something with me this year.  Together-let's try to give up ingratitude.
I have a hunch that gratitude is the key to peace.  I'm not sure we need to change our circumstances but I think we might need to change the way we SEE our circumstances. So I'm going to start a little page on my computer and before I go to bed I'm going to write down three things for which I felt especially grateful that day. Want to join me?  40 days is a spiritually important amount of time for experiments and not surprisingly, it's the amount of time many psychologists suggest that it takes to form a new habit.
This Lent, I want to wander out of the desert of ingratitude and into the paradise of gratitude. If you want to join me, I'd love for you to share your thanks if you'd like to.  If you'd like it to be private, that's fine too. I suggest that on the Sundays of Lent we look back on each week and share with one another the beautiful things that have made us thankful.  If you let me know that you are doing this I can set up a Facebook site where we can just drop in our thoughts.
As for today, the first day of Lent in 2014:
I am thankful that the real desert is a paradise for me.
I am thankful for my father who is such an awesome man and an inspiration to me in every way.
I am thankful for citizenship not only in one country with opportunities but two...I speak this as one person living illegally in California, who we care deeply about, has run into some difficulties this week and another living in Sweden is about to be deported.
May gratitude fill our hearts as we consider things greater than ourselves.

The New Backyard

Since we bought the house two years ago, each time we've come to California we've added something new to the property.  This time around it was landscaping the backyard.  I was admittedly loathe to landscape the backyard since for most of the year no one looks at it.  But at the same time, it will help with weed control and my book club had given me a tree in memory of my mom for the yard so it seemed appropriate to go ahead and spend the money.  I have to admit, between Doug's really good sense of design and the skilled hands of our landscaper, it turned out great.  The light colored rock is called Palm Springs gold and is very popular out here.  The reddish rock that borders the yard matches the stripe on the patio and is the same red we have as accent colors in the front.  We left the fire pit in the center as there's nothing quite like a live fire under the starlit sky in the desert.  Easy maintenance as well...just rake!  Perfect for not being here much.
The patio space doubles the living square footage of our house as we are out there much more than we are in the house so having a beautifully landscaped yard to look at is nice.  We put in some barrel cactus, a yucca tree, the Mexican fan palm that my book club game me as the memorial tree for my mom, and a few more lantana.  Doug also put solar yard lights in so it even looks very beautiful at night.

At this moment I am sitting on the patio looking at the yard basking in the morning sunshine.  I will miss my mornings here where the peaceful breaking of the day has been my companion over these weeks.  I remain thankful for the gift of this place, the memory of Doug's sister Debbie whose gift upon dying helped us to purchase it and the joy of knowing my mom's spirit lurks around us as well, knowing how much she loved this area.  Peace to their memories which are ever present in this lovely spot.

Joshua Tree National Park

It is really hard to believe that after all these years of living in California, especially during these "desert" years, I had never been to Joshua Tree National Park. We have driven past the entrances time and again and always said, "We gotta get out here sometime." Finally, on a windy day with Doug's parents, we ventured to the park. Once again, like the Tram, this National Park does not disappoint.

You feel as though you are driving to the hinterlands with vast desert landscapes surrounding you. Then suddenly large towering rock structures begin shooting up around you and the distinctive Joshua Tree begins to appear on the landscape.  The combination is breathtaking and a bit unlike other landscapes.  

We were there on a driving tour so barely got out of the car which was fine because the temperature was in the low 60's and the wind was whipping around us at breakneck speed.  The roads are really good and allow excellent access to the park.  The trailheads for hikers are clearly marked and we even saw some rock climbers.

The landscape was mesmerizing for me.  I found the raw beauty of the rock formations and desert vegetation to be a fantastic combination. And with names like Lost Horse Mine surrounding you, you felt that you were being transported to the wild west.

The high point of our journey was Keys View, a perch that overlooks the Coachella Valley from the opposite side of what we saw from Mt. San Jacinto. The wind was really whipping when we got up there so I just ran out, climbed the stairs to the top of the lookout and tried to snap a couple of shots. The park is well marked with great information about the vegetation and where the famed San Andreas fault line runs.  We were pleased to learn that the fault line runs right through our property at Mission Lakes! (We knew that but still...weird to see it on a map!)

Joshua Tree is about 30-40 minute drive from our house.  Doug and I said that we'd definitely like to return to the park to do some hiking and exploring on foot.  It is a national treasure and once again, if you are in the area, it's worth taking a little time to wander through the park.

From Below Sea Level to 8500 Feet Above

Since Doug's folks were visiting last week, we decided to do some touristy things that we have not done in a very long time, one thing being the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.  It had been well over 20 years since I had last gone on the Tram so was excited to experience it once it again.  The new cars are circular and they turn as you ascend and we had picked the most perfect day to go up.  It was warm and sunny in the desert and mild and sunny in the mountains.  Because of the dry winter California has been experiencing, there was no snow on top of the mountain.  The forecast said clear, sunny and 50° on top!  The Tram station at the base of the ride is quite a climb in the car taking you to 2,000 feet.  From there, without even going on the tram you can hike many great trails and there are lovely waterfalls that gush a lot more than this when there's been snow.
From there however, the tram gets you to 8500 feet in about 10 minutes!
The cars are quite stable but it's standing room only so you have to be careful.  When the cars ride through the cable towers they sway a little adding to the excitement!  But the views are breathtaking in every direction and it's oh so cool to ascend high above the desert floor through the pine trees, surrounded by towering rock.  The Coachella Valley stretches out to the east and on a clear day, like the one we got, you can almost see the Salton Sea. The crisp air thins as we land at Mountain Station.  Once off, you are hit by fresh, cool, clean mountain air.  Beautiful and refreshing. I can see where this would be a fantastic getaway in the summer heat with temperatures reaching 110° in the desert but only 70° or so in the mountains.
The views really are spectacular and the opportunities for hiking are endless.  We were just there for the views on this day and they did not disappoint.  From one of the viewing platforms you could see our housing complex out in the distance, with the green from the golf course highlighted.  
After tooling around for a bit we decided to make our way down.  The tram descends at what felt like a much faster speed because the car does not turn on the way down.  Your ears pop a bit and your stomach drops a little but it's a great ride down as well.
It was wonderful to share this with Doug's sister and his parents.  We will definitely make our way back up here again one day when we can spend the day hiking around.  One of the many treasures of California is the unique ability to be in the desert, high in the mountains or at the coast all in the same day.  Quite a treat to leave the desert and land at the top of Mt San Jacinto in just a few minutes.