The Bus

This past week I saw a sign on a church board for a Sunday sermon titled "When you drive the bus". September has been a very busy month for me and there have been times that I have been "driving my own bus"; of course, things have gone haywire.  People, places and situations have been derailed because of my own driving!  My road has had many treacherous places, hairpin curves and lots of areas close to the edge of the road with overlooking deep valleys and ravines!  Ever have a month like that? 

Picture
 by Pixabay

Well, I have been thinking about this "bus".  A few years ago my husband and I went to the Black Hills and drove the Needles Highway. If you have ever been there you know what I mean!  It was such a hair-raising drive sometimes I thought walking may be too fast a means of travel on it!  It offered many sights and experiences but not the first place I'd want to repeat too often! 

Life is often like the Needles Highway! But what do we do when we find ourselves on a road like this? We knew the road could not handle "big rigs" that were too long or fast speeds. Often the slowest speed felt too fast and we needed to stay focused on the driving! 

Today, I still would rather drive my own bus but daily I try to let God do the driving. I have to consciously move over and ask Him to take the wheel. On the Needles Highway, I did the driving and that worked but life otherwise can be even worse than the Needles so I would rather let Someone else be in the driver's seat; I must trust that Driver, though!  It's still scarey, nerve-wracking, but still offers exciting scenery and views of life! 

It's nice to have others to share this journey with: family, friends, spiritual director, God and others. There are many who are there to share our journey with, if they know you want them along! This support helps everything go better. 
So, who is driving your bus? How is the trip when you drive the bus?  How is it when Someone else drives?  

I am a spiritual director and can offer appointments in either Two Rivers or Crivitz, WI.  If you would like to share how your "bus ride" of life has been going, call me at: 920.793.3530.  To subscribe to this blog, scroll all the way down and put in your email address to you can be notified when I enter a new post. You may view my blog at: MollyLaFond.com

A Cup of Coffee

Have you ever had plans for your day or week and when you got up in the morning planned to head "north" but other situations, not able to be controlled, turned your life and your plans "south" instead? Well, that happened to me recently.  The weather was the best it has been all summer and I was heading to stain our deck which was half done...but I sat in the hospital with a relative for four days instead!

Wondering whether I would accomplish my staining task was almost like watching to see which path hurricane Irma would take: east or west.  And there was not a darned thing I could do about it but wait the situation out.  So, I sat, prayed, and waited...and waited, while I watched the weather channel and at the end of the four days, the prediction was a continuation of wonderful weather!  So, as soon as the hospital discharge occurred, we went north to finish the task of staining!

There was no way it would do me any good to fret, get excited or bent out of shape; there was absolutely nothing I could do about my circumstances but I did have a choice about my inner peace and whether or not I would maintain it or lose it over stuff that was beyond me. Oh, I prayed alright.  I had several heart to heart "talks" with God and other folks were praying, too.  I knew others were concerned, obvious by phone calls from family and friends. 

You know, we always have "options".  Some of the options in life are not easy but I ask myself, "what kind of a person do I want to be as I make my decisions?"  Patience, kindness, compassion, etc. etc. What will it be?  It's up to each of us in our trials and tribulations. It's like a cup of coffee; do I want to become bitter or better with time? 


So, if you find your circumstances, whatever they may be, have gone "south" instead of "north" will you be proud of the person you were at the end of the day?  We each have that choice. Oh, yes we do!

Like making a good cup of coffee, how long are we going to "brew" over things we have no control over? Brew too long, all heated up, our cup turns bitter, it  loses its tasty qualities.  Others around us will certainly experience that bitterness in us too! Yes, we do have a choice of becoming a better person, rather than a bitter one!  I don't want to be like that cup of  coffee. Do you?

If you would like to make an appointment with me to discuss your ups and downs in life in spiritual direction, contact me at: 920.793.3530. Or to contact me, see my Webpage at MollyLaFond.com

The Eye

This past couple of weeks hurricanes Harvey and Irma have mesmerized me and has monopolized the air waves with warnings, one after another. I find myself glued to the TV and of course, very concerned for those friends and relatives who live in those affected areas of Texas and Florida. 

The eye of hurricanes has intrigued me for some years now. The calm of this "eye" is often misread because the winds around the "eye" become a grave threat, a big problem to those in the path...sustained winds, water surges, tornadoes, followed by massive destruction to everything in its path.  All is in peril. The eye of the hurricane can be deceiving.

Bringing this to a personal level, what do each of us do when we are caught in our own "hurricanes" of life--those situations that could knock us off our trolley, that threaten us emotionally, physically and spiritually?  It certainly takes personal work to not "lose it", including succumbing to despair and suicide.

What practices do we resort to to help keep us centered. Positive self-talk helps, staying in the present moment, staying calm, a sense of humor,  having contingency plans and prayer helps. Spiritual practices are very beneficial. 

How can each of us have our hurricanes of life, be in the midst of them, yet find our "eye" of calm, without getting destroyed by the situation?  It is possible. This is an inside job, not something another person can "fix" for us.

We must look within ourselves for that resolve. Finding our personal center, our "eye" can get us through our storms if we depend on a deeper force, a divine strength to assist us. Things may change, even death, but facing them can be much easier when we live in the eye of our storms rather in the winds! Think about it!

I am a spiritual director and if you would like to make an appointment with me to talk about your struggle in finding the "eye" of your hurricanes of life, call me at 920.793.3530. If you would like to subscribe to my blog, scroll down and fill in the bottom area. To contact me see: MollyLaFond.com

The Starfish

The other day, while watching more news on the devastation of hurricane Harvey my heart was so saddened that I had such limited resources, wishing I could do more. My cousin's family is in Houston and they had to evacuate to higher ground.  I know there are many places accepting donations; there is no amount too small!  

After  hurricane Katrina hit the Biloxi/Guilfport area some years ago I did go on two mission trips there to help. I saw the aftermath, physically and emotionally, first hand. My heart still aches with memories of what I heard and saw. 

Starfish

I think of the story of the young man who was tossing stranded starfish back into the ocean, when a passerby asked why, when there were so many. He replied, "It made a difference for that one." So, now my thinking is changing.  I ask myself, how can just one act of kindness help the cause? 

There are so many ways.  I found myself calling my cousin's sister in law inquiring about the family's safety, since their phone service was knocked out.  I encouraged my cousin's daughter on Facebook of all the hard work she was doing. And yes, monetary donations are being sent too!

We are never helpless, even in disasters.  I think of all the individuals who got their own boats out, assisting the stranded folks, rather than just waiting for the government to come and then there is J.J. Watt who has raised millions to help. Lots of good in small and huge ways! 

I hope YOU will help in whatever way you can.  There is a lot of good in this world, no matter the color of skin, creed or nationality.  Prayers are wonderful, but then we must put our love into action.  If each one of us tossed a stranded starfish back into the ocean like the story went, we could "make a difference" to someone! What act of kindness will each of us act upon? Think about it!

I am a spiritual director. If you would like a companion to share how hurricane Harvey has impacted your life, call for an appointment at: 920.793.3530 or to visit my web site see: MollyLaFond.com