Lent- Unexpected Water

This week in Tucson, it snowed and not just a few flakes, although even that that sends all the residents out into the streets to stare awestruck up to the sky. No, this was a bit of a brief blizzard.  Huge wet flakes came down from the sky- shook loose and blowing around like goose down after a good pillow fight.  Students went outside to make wet, sloppy snow balls.  Businessmen left their desks to just be out in the cold and bluster, so unlike the usual winter in the desert.

And I went out with my camera.  I've been quite sick- a head cold has laid me low and all my plans for art galleries and music concerts were set aside for long naps and pots of tea.  But even a nasty cold couldn't keep me from the beauty being created outside my door.

It begins

The classic saguaro- hard to capture against a white sky

The amazing details of God's creation

Prickly pear with a frosty outline

Weight of winter

Another kind of cactus

Snow softened spikes

Transformed

Desert dwellers look for water in any form but most rain comes to the Sonoran desert in the late summer monsoons.  So this winter snow "storm" was an unexpected provision of water. 

I find myself just looking for God's provision in the usual ways.  The big rains of His presence at yearly retreats, monthly gatherings for prayer or worship, even weekly church services.  These are the places, the times we expect to hear from God.   

But what about the unexpected snows in our personal desert? 

I love the remarkable times when God has poured Himself out.  Sometimes I didn't even know I needed a fresh drink. Sometimes the Glory of God breaks into my life and I am caught off guard.  And I want to be off my guard.  To live a guarded life is to live, well, without a camera in a desert snow storm. Without awareness of the beauty being created in my life. 

This week the water was given- snow drifted to earth from water laden clouds to coat the land and the cacti with a reminder of the gift. The snow provided water for the desert but not in an expected way. 

 As I rushed out to capture the beauty, I was reminded that not only does God  provide water for the desert, He does it in His time and  in His way.

Outlined in white

Mesquite trees frosted with snow

Peace

Lent is a season to contemplate and search ourselves. I'm going to take time and search for the unexpected refreshment, the water of His timing and ways. 

The next day.... snow on the mountains but the mesquite are back to desert green.

Second Sunday of Lent- Transfigured

The lesson of the liturgical church for this week is the Transfiguration.  Jesus takes James and John up on a mountain and they have a glimpse of His glory. Or a big mind-blowing encounter as Elijah and Moses appear with Him in glory!  I love this image....

http://witshadows.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/

...and this blog has a lovely discussion on seeking the transcendent moments of God in every day life.  Enjoy.

First Sunday of Lent- Temptations

As I thought and prayed about writing on Lent, the theme of vulnerability has emerged. There were other factors that brought this idea to my mind but the more I considered it in terms of Lent and Easter, the more it made sense.  What more vulnerable a place than stripped and nailed to a crude cross, a public execution in front of your mother, your followers, the taunting crowd?  Lent is a season to ponder vulnerability.

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The liturgical churches follow a schedule of readings-  entire denominations read the same Scriptures, sermons are preached on the same topic and you can follow weekly and daily readings with the rest of the Body of Christ.  That appeals to me. A sense of unity with His followers across the world.  We are preparing together.

Here are some resources if you are interested in daily Lent readings or prayers. I'll include a few, in no particular order. Remember, these are liturgical faith practices, usually Catholic or Episcopalian.  Perhaps this is a time to peek into what another denomination is doing to anticipate Easter.  I have not read all of these pages but tried to find sites that follow orthodox faith.

http://www.lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Lent/CLent1_RCL.html
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/firstweek.html
http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/february10p9
http://lentreading.wordpress.com/the-meaning-of-lent/ (I want to explore this one more- it has art)

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But how do we practice vulnerability? How can we use this season to be more like Christ, to more fully appreciate His passion and suffering?

Sometimes, it's the small stuff.

This morning I decided to return to the small Anglican church I attended on Ash Wednesday.  Here in Tucson, my sister in law and I are fighting the same cold but her back decided to add to the misery so she wisely stayed home, freeing me to attend any church.


I wanted a liturgical service, I wanted to receive communion.  I liked the Anglican pastor's first sermon and the friendly congregation.  But I wanted beauty- in music and architecture. I wanted to soak in the sensate details that always nourish my soul.  And what I really wanted was to sneak in and be unseen.  I knew at the small church some would remember me and others would not and all would ask me questions.  Not unfriendly questions but still,  the questions that you ask strangers.  I could hide easier in a larger church; I could sidle in, soak up the beauty to my little heart's content and sneak quietly  out the door.  Invisible.

And invulnerable.  

If no one sees me- 

no one can wound me, irritate me, anger me, annoy me. 

Touch me. 

In the end, I went to the small church. I decided as I wrote a note to my sister in law and wondered myself at my choice.   I couldn't sneak in or out. I was noticed and asked the questions you ask a stranger.  The excellent priest who preached on Wednesday was helping his in-laws move into a new home. Someone else preached on Christ's temptations- the same Scripture all liturgical churches taught on today.  He said, "When Jesus refused bread from satan, he resisted the temptation to put personal needs to the forefront."  Honestly, I don't remember much more. I was busy trying not to blow my  nose too much,  to find the hand santizer in my purse and not choke on my throat logenze.   I wonder if God was really telling me to stay in bed this morning and I missed Him! 

But the small lesson for my small, stuffed-up brain is still...

....being vulnerable means resisting the temptation to put my personal needs to the forefront. 

 Did it make a difference that I was at one church rather than another?  Probably not. But God met me as I knelt and read the responses in a humble place that didn't fill my soul with beauty.  The music was that of several dozen elderly but I could only read the words anyway.  I read slowly and deliberately and was reminded of His time of temptation. 

Forty days and forty nights
Thou wast fasting in the wild;
Forty days and forty nights
Tempted, and yet undefiled.

Sunbeams scorching all the day;
Chilly dew-drops nightly shed;
Prowling beasts about Thy way;
Stones Thy pillow; earth Thy bed.

So shall we have peace divine:
Holier gladness ours shall be;
Round us, too, shall angels shine,
Such as ministered to Thee.

Keep, O keep us, Savior dear,
Ever constant by Thy side;
That with Thee we may appear
At the eternal Eastertide.

  http://www.hymns.me.uk/forty-days-and-forty-nights-hymn-lyrics.htm

It wasn't a familiar service. I felt a bit vulnerable- just a fraction of Christ's terrible vulnerability on the Cross or even in the desert when He was accosted by His enemy and ours.  Sometimes just a little vulnerability is all He asks.

Lent and Ash Wednesday

 When we think Easter, we think resurrection. The victory, the empty tomb, the triumphant “Oh, death where is thy sting?”  But before resurrection there was death, the cross, the stripping away, the agony of the Garden, the betrayal, the Last Supper, the conflicted Palm Sunday.... the preparation.  For the forty days until Easter, I want to think on these things and share my ponderings with you.

Some of us in the Protestant strean of faith aren’t too sure about Lent. It’s Catholic, right?  And some internet discussion are less than helpful.

Lent is a time when some Christians try to overcome their own faults because they believe that it was man's sin which led Jesus to be crucified.
Some Christians try to follow the example of Jesus in the desert by giving up luxuries and practising self-discipline. And they try to put aside more time to prayer and religious acts so that they can really let God into their lives.http://www.projectbritain.com/lent.html


“If you are in a Christian denomination that observes Lent, you know the question. It pops up about this time every year. Say it with me, "What did you give up for Lent?" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-sandlin/dont-get-caught-in-the-lent-trap_b_2658983.html
 

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I want to appreciate the structure of the Christian church calendar this year. I loved Advent - preparing, expecting, anticipating. I want to understand and observe Lent. 




 So this week, I went to a small Anglican church here in Tucson and a Lenten service, their observance of Ash Wednesday.  I knelt at the altar rail and heard the words, “Remember man is dust, and to dust you shall return”. Over and over. Not merely murmured over the faithful. Deliberately spoken to each of us kneeling there.  Thoughtful. Life is short.

The ashes from last year’s Palm Sunday palms were burned and now mark a black sooty cross on my forehead.

We continued to kneel and Communion or the Eucharist was served.  Again words, familiar in an Anglican/Episcopalian service, were proclaimed over us,

“Draw near with faith,

receive the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ which He gave you,

and His Blood which He shed for you.

Eat and drink in remembrance that He died for you.

and feed on Him in your heart by faith with thanksgiving.”  

And they were spoken over each of us as we were given a thin host, dipped into the wine from a silver cup.  Again and again. Not as a dirge, not a cursory and memorized script. It was a holy moment, a deliberate blessing of each of us as we knelt and waited. 

Waiting.  Lent is another waiting.

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Before we  went forward to kneel at the rail, the young priest gave his homily or sermon.  He encouraged us not to focus on our sins, or even on our repentance but on the duty, the obligation, the given of worship because God is owed our total allegiance. His majesty demands it and yet, He allows us to choose, but any time we chose our will over His, we interrupt that worship. Yes, at this season especially, we do examine ourselves and confess our sins,  for Lent is a time to face the obstacles  that hold us back from fully loving God.  

As Mark Sanlin’s Lent post continues, “Assess what is getting between you and your relationship with God. (Here's a hint: it is much less likely to be your desire for sweets and much more likely to be your desire to keep up with the Joneses. It is much less likely to be the glass of red wine you have at dinner and much more likely to be the attitude you have towards those who are not like you or disagree with you). Give up something that really gets in the way of your relationship with God.”

He is our Creator, our Lover.  

In this season of Lent, we come to Him,

we focus on Him because He is worthy.

He is very Life itself.  

I left the small church with a smudged  cross of ashes on my forehead. In the weeks to come, I want to remember “From dust to dust” and chose to draw near to Him, the only Eternity. To be aware of those attitudes of my heart that create walls against intimacy and worship. Repenting or turning from those walls.   Preparing to fully respond to the Passion of the Cross.  Waiting espectantly for the Resurrection.  



Would you join me? 

Drawing near, fully aware;

repenting,

preparing, waiting.  

Lent

"Home" to Tucson and on to another season

I've been in Tucson for almost a week- times flies when you're fixing computers, finding thrift stores and generally enjoying life. Tucson has art galleries everywhere and the annual and amazing rock show was well, amazing. I first went with my father years ago and have wanted to return since .  Thought of you, Daddy.                                                                                          http://emol.org/tucson/gemshow/

But before I got to Arizona, I left the lovely pools of Faywood Springs 

and drove to the town of Silver City, New Mexico, in a valley between the Burros and Elk Mountains. It's good for this girl to get back up in some hills.

Interesting factoid- the town has a lovely but very deep park running through the middle with a couple of bridges spanning it- both for pedestrians and vehicles.  Why?

"The town had originally been designed with the streets running north to south. The town was also built in the path of normal water runoff. Businesses sprang up and people learned to deal with the inconveniences of the summer rain. Silver City was built with high sidewalks in the downtown area to accommodate high flood waters. Meanwhile, uncontrolled grazing thinned down plant life on hills surrounding the town. During the night of July 21, 1895, a heavy wall of water rushed through the downtown business district, leaving a trail of destruction. A ditch 55 feet ! (17 m) lower than the original street level was created in what was once known as Main Street.^[2] Businesses on Main Street began using their back doors on Bullard Street as main entrances and eventually, were permanently used as the new front entrances. To this day, the incorrect odd/even addressing conventions on the east side of Bullard Street are a reminder that the buildings were addressed on Main Street originally, not Bullard Street. Main Street now ends near the back of the Silver City Police Station, where the Big Ditch Park begins." 
Now you know. Clever. And saved from the horrible 1970's when someone wanted to fill it in, pave it and "put up a parking lot".  What were we thinking back then?

Silver City was chosen by one author as one of America's best small art towns. So it has lots of galleries and of course, Monday is a typical day for art galleries to be closed.  Some were open and it was just fun to wander the streets and check out a great local restaurant. I ate in the outside courtyard and forgot the sun at that altitude. Remember the sunscreen!
http://www.silvercity.org/arts_list.php

Just a great Southwest look- rustic wood and vibrant colors. 

A "main street" find- I think it was on Bullard Street.

They cemented random tiles in designs on the front of this old building.
 I loved this art deco piece.

Hmm... where can I do that in my house? 

Life's a banquet. Love it. 

Ok- its a bit messy but those were awesome fish tacos. 

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And now I'm here in Tucson, there's been frost on the cars and snow on the nearby mountains.

The view from my brother's patio!

I didn't get a great picture of the moutains but this blogger did. Fun post about "snow on the mountain" http://gregstucson.com/post/2645531/snow-on-the-mountains-exactly-where-it-should-be-



And it's Ash Wednesday as I write this. I'm not from a liturgical background but this year, I'm going to be more mindful of the season leading up to Easter. So I've enjoyed writing the travel posts and now, settled in Tucson for a bit.

 I'm on to a new season.  Blessings!

Faywood Hot Springs. Clothing optional

What you can do with concrete and lots of hot water. 

I heard about Faywood Springs in New Mexico and decided that would be my destination after leaving El Paso.  Soaking in hot thermal, therapeutic pools sounded fabulous.  Always read the small print. http://www.faywood.com/




Some of the soaking pools here at the resort and even the camping areas around them are "clothing optional".  But- what does that mean?  It means others have the option of taking off their clothes in those areas. It does not mean I am obligated to remove mine.  Or go into that section.  Easy solution.

Even easier?  There was no one else there!  A nice caretaker opened the gate, handed me a key to a cute cabin and gave me his phone number. "Call if you need anything." And... I had cell coverage!

Nice room with small fridge, microwave and a sink. Table and cool chairs.
Plus bath and a loft- explains the ladder. It's for the loft, not the bath.

Later that afternoon, I heard  a couple of people talking while they soaked in the other pools but never saw anyone. The whole place was like wandering around your own fabulous backyard.  There were some RVs but the cabins were just waiting for some lucky traveler. 

Amazing  soaks- hot, not so hot, mild and a small cool foot bath by each one-great idea. The water is full of minerals and have been used for centuries, at least, as medicinal baths. 

Here is a link to the fascinating history of the springs. 

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/faywoodhotsprings.html 

The sun was setting.... quick, run down to the soaking pools. And enjoy this light. 

I had time for about 30 minutes in the hot water.
Heaven

So as the sky sunk into in a blaze of color, 

I set off down the path,  totally relaxed by my fabulous, really long, all-by-myself soak.

As the the light faded,  I wandered back to my cabin.  And I mean wandered. Honestly, I can get lost in a ... well, yes, a parking lot.  A shopping center. A dark bedroom can confuse me.   A dear friend gave me the plaque, "Not all who wander are lost" to honor my wanderlust.  But sometimes, well often, I'm just lost.

 On this same road trip I got "lost" in a canyon- sorta, that time I wasn't lost but I lost something valuable. And if you put a camera in my hand, I'll  have no idea what my path has been. I do know it was probably pretty.  Like the wonderful light on the fence line. Where am I? Who cares.

Love the final burst of the sun against the fence.

 Hmm... don't remember that bathhouse there. And it's getting dark.

 Luckily, the only little cabin that was lit up was - mine! Home sweet home.



The next morning as the sun rose, I went back to the pools to greet the day.  And to soak. With a book this time. Bliss

Ahhh....

I'm standing on a ledge. I hate figuring out how to get myself in a photo but for those who care, this is for you 

Fabulous way to start the day, any day. I'd love to have this at my house!

Here's the geothermal info- which is clearly not like my part of the world

http://geoheat.oit.edu/bulletin/bull23-4/art11.pdf

Faywood Springs, New Mexico

Wonderful place to soak.
The "no-clothing" thing?

It's totally optional! 

The last view of Texas

Another post on the road trip....we're almost done.
 I left Alpine, Texas and headed north.

 First stop? Fort Davis- Army post in the Wild West and now, home to an observatory.

On the Road... again? Still.  Love the big open spaces. 

 


I do love this land.

 And the skies- it's so awesome to see the clouds forming- not quite like the summer thunderheads but still beautiful.

Another Texan... public library.
It looks like a bit like an old jail.

But someone loved it- sorry it was closed when I was there.

 9/27/2012 8 photos

This historic building houses one of the most unique and character filled libraries I've ever seen!   Every nook & cranny is interesting and filled with over 100 years of West Texas / Ft. Davis History.  There's so much to look at & explore in this amazing library!  

We were greeted by a sweet librarian by the name of Pat.  She was happy to tell us all about the library, past & present.  The library houses 31,281 volumes & circulates 35,618 items a year.  It  serves a population of 2,253 residents.  The creaky old wood floors & the old tin ceilings added so much charm and character to the experience.   There are hidden nooks with nice Comfy chairs to plop down in and enjoy a full day of reading & exploring.....it'll take ya back & take ya away!  I wanted to spend the whole day with Pat & read & learn more........=(.       I CAN NOT Wait to check into the Limpia Hotel and walk across the way to spend a day at The AMAZING Jeff Davis Library!   See ya next time!

http://ttpls.tsl.state.t…

Looks  like a hundred years ago...
just take away the FedEx machine! 

And of course,
the stunning  courthouse.
They are everywhere.

It is Texas.

Headed up the mountain to the observatory.

Best thing I observed all day.

I love old trucks and I think my daddy drove one like this.
Or should have.

 1966, if the license plate is right.

Heading up higher, unfortunately into the clouds.

Check out the sky.


Back on the road.
We'll do the observatory another day.

The Guadalupe Mountains on the way to El Paso.
Magnificent. 

The road to El Paso.
Not so magnificent. 

Just to give you a perspective of the ninety miles between the Guadalupe Mountains and El Paso.
. Sand flats, and they were flat.

To be honest, this was the bleakest part

 The solo traveler's best friend?
Books on tape

I've been counseled to find good things to say about all the wonderful and varied places I've been. 

So..... I arrived in El Paso, home of Fort Bliss Army Post, at night and eventually overcame the construction project that blocked the road to the Fort Bliss YMCA.

 It had decent rooms with a fridge and a microwave. .  And a secure parking lot. A bonus for a solo traveler. 

Fort Bliss Army Post is big.
Huge.
1.2 million acres.


Good things to say about Fort Bliss


Trees don't mess up the views across the vast desert that surrounds it.
Looks like a great place to get a tan.

Snow shovels aren't necessary.  
Or lawn mowers- no pesky grass to cut here.

And it has a really nice Exchange and Commissary.

OK... now I can move on to the my favorite part of  El Paso- it's a quick trip to the New Mexican mountains.  Desert is beautiful, the mountains are home.

Off down, well actually up the road to Silver City, New Mexico.

Texas beauty... or "It's all on your perspective."

I don't usually tag my blogs but I want to link all the travel ones since they are so different from my usual writing.  Well, the tags did something and a bunch of people read the blog on Marfa.  And a couple of them chewed me out.  It was a bit snarky in tone and I do apologize for that.

I remember walking on the sidewalk of my own little-town-in-the-middle-of-nowhere. A tourist was complaining about how the one "decent" restaurant was closed on Sundays.  "What?  Why? What a terrible place, who would live here," etc.   I'd love to say that I stopped and directed her to another restaurant and gave her a tour of my really cool artsy town where I know everyone and where there's lots to do.

I didn't. I just kept walking and thought, "With that attitude, you don't need to stick around anyway."


So- for those of you who love Marfa and know I missed a cool place, I am sorry. I wish I had met you there and had a tour of your home town.  But I didn't.

I went back to Alpine, Texas to the Maverick Inn where I had booked a room.  I read how people hated that place, too- not the town but the inn. Well, a busy railroad does run through the middle of Alpine.... but they have earplugs in the rooms. And trains don't bother me. The inn management was very gracious and generous with me- full kitchen and a big space. So I cooked, wrote and wondered if it would be worth the effort to figure out the tv. Nope.



The next morning, the sun turned the sky that fabulous, just before sunrise light of pinks with promises of gold.   I raced down the road toward the light  (turns out there was a wonderful view ... the other way, up on a hill overlooking the desert and the distant mountains.)  It didn't matter- I had left the memory card for the camera in the room.  But later I did take some more pictures and there's some lessons here- for photography, for perspective, for finding beauty anywhere.  Probably it was in Marfa, Texas, if only I had looked harder.

Pink with promise of gold....

The promised gold.
And the end of my camera memory.

So I decided there would be more sunrises and it wasn't worth the stress of racing around for a memory card and a decent place to view it.

The lesson?

  Don't sweat the small stuff. 

The sun will rise tomorrow, and if it doesn't? 

- a whole new adventure awaits. 

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Light on railroad tracks

The big picture.

And a train on the tracks.

Up close and personal with a train. 

What happened to the light? 

The lesson?

If you hang around, if you just show up- stuff happens. 

Trains come and get closer and closer. 

Cool light makes everything look better- even railroad tracks. 

Step back and look at the big picture.

And if the light isn't fabulous, mess with your photos.

Find beauty or make beauty. 

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The lesson?

Light is life.

 It makes cool silhouettes,

 it makes bare branches stand out like a burning bush.

And sometimes getting closer,

in photography and  in life, 

gives you a whole new perspective.

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A empty street, an abandoned church or... an opportunity.

A grim scene, a sad church. With a dumpster. 

And broken windows.

But there is the light.
Transforming light. 

Golden windows.
Texture.
Story.

A new look.




The lesson?

Beauty is where you look for it.
The church wasn't appealing until I looked for the light on the eastern wall.
The sky wasn't great but the empty bell frame is the focus now.

There's a story in that church.

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So when you run out of memory or patience or time or even money, breathe.  Know that there will be another sunrise.  Relax. Rest.  THIS is the day the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in IT. 

When there seems there's nothing to do- just show up, expect, wait. A train's coming, there's a new way to look at your world.

Look for the big picture and the up close and personal details.  The structure of the far tree and the tangle of the near branches. 

When you are frustrated with the results, play with your tools!  My camera isn't fancy and I don't use Photoshop but I have found some fun features of my computer that I didn't know I had.  

We usually have more resources than we think.

And, last but not least- it's all about the light. 

God gives light to each new day. 

Beauty is everywhere you choose to look.  

Look closely,

 find it. 

Or be a part of creating it.