???

"Why is it
that the churches
that have all
the answers
don't allow
any questions?"

J.S. Spong

Trinity Sunday

Most Blessed Trinity,
the Lover, the Beloved and the Love
that exists between them:
May we so share in your divine dance,
that our lives may be forever entwined with yours.
both now and forever. Amen

St. Augustine, 4th century

I delight in the names listed in Augustine's prayer.
Fred Beuchner gave us: God beyond us, God among us, God between us.*
The New Zealand Prayer Book: Earth Maker, Pain Bearer, Life Giver*
"What words would you use to describe the mystery,
the holy ground where God happens in your life?"*

*these thoughts & the question were taken from

E. Bloch's+ sermon on The Holy Trinity, 6/7/09
St. Paul's, Port Townsend

Hidden Corners

"We need to find the hidden corners of our lives where we have not forgiven ourselves -- for who we are, for who we are not. And it is not always easy. Sometimes we have to dig through tragic emotional wreckage. Sometimes we have to rip open scars we think have long been healed. Sometimes we have to tear down beautifully crafted psychological edifices. But to live with a pure heart and an open spirit, we must have the courage to face these challenges."

Kent Nerburn, Calm Surrender, Walking the Hard Road of Forgiveness

artist: Julia Breckenreid


May we each realize today that the absolute love of our Divine Creator, encompasses all our strengths and weaknesses, all our successes and failures, and that we are called and able to forgive ourselves and move forward, with God's help. Amen

best definition ever

Hood Canal Bridge

Thirty years ago on 2/19/79 the west half of the Hood Canal Bridge sank in a storm. What a shock that was. David and I had visited the Olympic Peninsula in November of '78 to purchase land, so by the time we moved to Sequim after our wedding in June of '79 the bridge was resting in 300 feet of water and it would take almost 4 years to replace. Although there were several other avenues to leave the Peninsula, (fly/drive around/launch your own boat) this bridge was the easiest, quickest and most direct route to ferries, and the 1-5 corridor.

Work was hard to come by in those days and life did indeed seem uncertain. But we survived and when the bridge reopened in '82 everyone in town drove out to just drive across it over and over. That may sound silly but it was so much fun! We felt connected. And it was free for that one day only. (A toll was placed on it the next day in order to pay for the repairs.)

Last year we learned that the bridge would have to be closed for 6 weeks this spring for needed repairs, I wondered if I'd feel like I did all those years ago. I didn't. Sequim has grown so much since then and as I am not a daily commuter, I didn't have to deal with the frustration that many others did. The WSDOT did a great job of providing buses and ferries to keep people moving. David and I only had to make one trip in order to get to the airport & that went smoothly.

I've been checking the Hood Canal blog for the past few days (yes, even a bridge can have a blog) and I'm here to tell you that our wait has come to an early end. (Thank God for monetary incentives.) Commuters will be relieved and local businesses will look forward to more customers.

It's not that I plan to jump into my car and cross the bridge a few times tomorrow but it's good to know it's available should I desire to leave the Peninsula for a bit. (Click here for some great photos.)

Do you remember the scene in The Truman Show where Jim Carrey finally overcomes his fear of water and drives across the bridge in search of the "real world"?

Well this is not like that.

OK, maybe just a little bit.

Leader file photo by Frank Garred.

say what?

"It’s never what people do that makes us angry,
it’s what we tell ourselves about what they did."
Marshall Rosenberg

so don't believe everything you think!

is the spirit ever weary of loving?

"While I write this letter, you are present to me as I am sure I shall be present to you, when you read it. We wear ourselves out with our scribbling to each other, but is the spirit ever weary of loving? We find rest in those we love, and we provide a resting place in ourselves for those who love us."
–Bernard of Clairvaux, Letter No. 90 (1127 CE) in The Letters of St. Bernard of Clairvaux (B.S. James ed. 1953)

Are you finding rest in those you love? Are you able to provide a resting place for those who love you? What does that look like?