Thursday, May 22, 2008

Once around the park and sex still sells...

It is Thursday morning and I am up and preparing for work.

Yesterday I started off towards 2nd Beach and somewhere along the way made the decision to continue first to Siwash Walk (a prayer and a talk with mom) and then onwards right around the seawall, my first complete tour in over 2 years since the devastating wind storm.

The tide was way out when I started and had a deep reddish tinge but even at low tide with the eastern base of Siwash Rock exposed to the sun and wind, the western side was still taking the direct hit of surf, which smacked the base of the rock in a slamming boom, white fingers of spray hurtling skyward.

I was bareheaded but carrying a cap for backup as the sun was quite intense although the air was cool enough for me to keep my jacket on.

By the time I got to the concession stand at the water park just past the bridge I decided I had best fuel up as the walk was taking its toll and I hadn’t eaten and so I ordered a small fries and polished that off quickly, before making a pit stop in the washroom and then continuing on.

I passed HMCS Discovery, the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and the Vancouver Rowing Club before heading under the overpass to Lost Lagoon. At this point with the sun directly in my face, I opted to put on my cap shielding my face with its brim.

I meandered around the eastern side of the lagoon loitering with the ducks and swans and then made my way directly across the park to 2nd Beach where I checked the time. It was now approaching 5 and I had started my walk about 1:30 p.m.

As I looked out at the water, I saw that the tide was now mostly in and that the reddish tinge to the water had been replaced by a cloudy ochre.

I was walking pretty slowly by this time and decided that I would avoid the trip to Safeway and go straight home.

A young man his back against a log was strumming his guitar at English Bay. Two young girls who had just braved the surf sat giggling and shivering on a bench, wrapped in their towels. They were the only ones brave enough to attempt a swim. It was still quite cool, and I still had my jacket on.

Once home, I fought off the urge to lie down and repaired to my computer where I checked emails and caught up on my journal. I watched a bit of news on TV and made myself something to eat.

I was looking forward to the final episode of American Idol which I have been following closely this year. Last night the judges all agreed that David Archuleta with his masterful performance of all three songs had delivered a knockout blow and that David Cook didn’t stand a chance. I thought the same.

We were all wrong. Sex still sells in pop music and despite David Cook’s tears of sure defeat the night before and his weak delivery of a song chosen by mogul Clive Davis that seemed to be a swan song and kiss of death, the girls in my office were right.

David Cook won by 12 million votes!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Thank You for these gifts...

It is Tuesday morning and it is a cold and wet one, perfect for introspection, writing and chores.

This week I have been dealing with some difficult and intimate issues that have taken my mind away from blogging, but due to the help and wisdom of family and friends I have been able to work my way through much of it.

Before I get into the subject of this post, I should preface my post with the comment that my blood tests (thankfully) have come back stable and that I don't have to return to the hematologist until August.

This Sunday I was watching The Hour of Power on TV which I enjoy doing from time to time, given my Catholic background and the absence of church on Sunday in my adult life. I especially enjoy watching Reverend Robert H. Schuller's son speak, and admire the way he has carried on his father’s ministry with such grace and elegance.

He was talking about prayer and our relationship with God.

In the beginning of learning how to pray he suggested, it is kind of like a child asking Santa Claus for gifts. Please give me this and give me that, etc.

But as we grow in faith, we begin to realize that everything that happens to us in life whether pleasant or unpleasant at first, is there to help us grow and develop as human and spiritual beings. And when we start to get this, our prayers change from prayers of supplication to prayers of thankfulness.

When things are hurting us, this element of thankfulness is very hard to get. So the beginnings of faith are an instruction to help us learn this difficult lesson.

When we were children and practicing Roman Catholics, we sat around the table as a family for meals and began each meal or almost every meal with a grace before meals:

Bless us O Lord and these Thy gifts,
which we are about to receive
from Thy Bounty through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

As children we didn’t always want to do this but it was rule of the home.

When my girls were young and especially after returning from India, where my Sufi teacher told me that I should return to the habit of attending Church on Sundays, I decided that it would be a good habit to adopt grace before meals.

I couldn’t bring myself to going back to the old habit of church on Sundays and putting my own children through a formal Christian education with all the dogma surrounding it but I realized the importance of faith and the giving of thanks. So I invented my own version:

Thank You for these gifts of earth,
Heaven sent and brought to birth,
keep us healthy in Your sight,
and sharing in Your Living Light, Amen.

We started most meals with this blessing, including meals with friends.

As the children grew older, began attending school and learning from their peers, they became more and more reluctant to participate in this family ritual which (especially if friends were present) became an embarrassment.

But as far as I was concerned and although I wished we could continue on in the innocence of our early family togetherness, the seed had been planted and must be allowed to grow in its own way and its own time.

Over the years I have continued this prayer though I have shortened it to the single line…

Thank You for these gifts...

And today I am reciting it with a deep and profound gratefulness and thanks for the support of my family and friends in helping me through this difficult week.

Along with all at work who have given me support this week I especially need to thank my sister Marilyn and all of my children who are turning out far wiser than their dad.