Posts Tagged: life and death

On January 22, 2021 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

DTEB, “Normal? No Such Thing!”

I no longer believe in normal. Therefore, I have no desire to get back to it. In point of fact, normal never existed. What we call “normal” is usually just our faulty memory of the good bits and bobs that we think we experienced in the past.

Do you think I’m being pessimistic? It may sound so, I admit. However, I find this rejection of the fiction of normality as being positive and liberating. When I lust for normality, I tend to get up-tight, to worry, to overlook the joys of the moment.

Did you notice that yesterday was full of sunshine, and that it was unseasonably warm? It was a spring day in January. What a gift! Today is going to be a lot colder. So? The sun is still supposed to shine.

Have you noticed that on very cold nights, there are exquisite diamonds on the ground, sprinkled around by the extravagant anonymous Giver called Nighttime? They are gone in the morning, but man, are they ever lovely before they vanish!

Have you noticed that you can read this post? That you can read a book? Your Facebook friends’ posts? What is normal about reading, may I ask? You and I were not born knowing how to read.

Most of you can get out of bed, reach for a cup of coffee or a glass of water. What a privilege! But it isn’t normal.

Life and death are normal. They are also extraordinary blessings. Quite appropriately, I try to take good care of myself and others. I want to put off death as long as possible. That really is normal.

But death is normal too. And while I will be careful—for my own sake and the sake of others—I will choose not to fear death or the process of dying. Rumor has it that when I close my eyes in death, the next face I see will be the Face I’ve longed to see all my life: the Face of Jesus.

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“Lively and Lovely Stubbornness”

On November 20, 2020 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil. 4:8, English Standard Version)

Ugliness and death are stubborn and hard to eradicate.  Indeed, unless your name is God, ugliness and death probably can’t be eradicated.  But then, beauty and life are stubborn too.

This morning I was doing my “3-Minute Retreat” from Loyola Press.  Their retreats are free, daily, and excellent.  They have a pictorial background, some meditative music, a brief scripture, a couple of short, thought-provoking questions, and a closing suggested prayer.  And yes, you really can do them in about three minutes.  I usually take longer, but then that’s me.

The background picture this morning was as helpful to me as the words and music.  Maybe that’s because I paid attention to the picture.

It showed a tightly louvered, metallic-looking fence with a couple of flowers growing through a very narrow crack in the fence.  “Beauty and life are stubborn!” I said out loud.

And as a matter of fact, beauty and life are stubborn.  Good thing!  Because obviously so are ugliness and death.

We need to acknowledge the ugliness and death.  It won’t go away if we simply ignore it.

But we also need to focus on the beauty and the life.  As I am writing this post, the sun is coming up.  There is a lovely breeze, and it is already 50.  It is supposed to get up into the mid sixties today.  I will rake leaves and take them to the compost pile.  Then, I’m going to go for a ride on the Little Miami Bike Trail.

Beauty and life will be one of my mantras for the day.  You can use it too.  It’s not copyrighted!

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