Sue McCullough

 
For many of us, 2009 has been a difficult year. Many of us, including me, are anxious about their investments and their retirement. Millions have lost their homes this year and millions more are unemployed.

It becomes easy to see this as a dark, cold, dreary time. We understand that the Solstice has come and the days will soon get longer, sunnier and warmer. We know that spring is few weeks away. But today is dark. Depression threatens to overwhelm us. We can look at what “is” and worry. And there are reasons to worry; global warming, terrorist attacks, economic instability and even H1N1. Who wouldn’t worry and see only darkness and winter.

But I see the coming of spring. The days are getting longer, it’s a new year with endless possibilities. In the days and weeks ahead, you have a choice to make. You can believe your eyes and ears, and be worried. You can read the papers and listen to the news of gloom and doom. You can look outside and see only darkness and respond accordingly.

Or you can also believe that after the darkness, the sun comes up every morning; whether we see it or not, it still gets light every day. You can believe that after the winter, spring arrives every April or May. You can choose to believe the darkness will pass and things will be brighter in the coming days.

The choice is yours. Believe your eyes and ears, or believe your heart and dreams and wait for spring. Choose wisely. Be prepared. Make 2010 your year!

 If you are like me, once the Winter Solstic has passed, you want the light to arrive NOW. I think we should have at least 30 minutes of light more each day. I know that is unreasonable, but it doesn’t keep me from wanting it. I read in the paper that the sun will continue to rise each morning at 7:23 am until January 11! But each evening we have a few minutes more of light. What a metaphor for life!

It seems to me that there is always a part of my life that is dark and seems to be stuck for a while. I work on it and chip away at the problem. At then same time, other parts of my life are wonderful. The all the work that I have done to rid the darkness pays off and the light begins to return to that corner of my life. Of course, it takes way too long, maybe months or years and I am impatient.

But the light always comes at the right time. Whether it is the sunrise or my life. And it sneaks up on me. Just as I suddenly notice it’s light at 6:00 am, I likewise notice that life is better and all the work I have put in has paid off. It’s always at the right time, always when I’m ready. Good thing I’m not in charge.

For many of us, 2009 has been a difficult year. Many of us, including me, are anxious about their investments and their retirement. Millions have lost their homes this year and millions more are unemployed.

It becomes easy to see this as a dark, cold, dreary time. We understand that the Solstice has come and the days will soon get longer, sunnier and warmer. We know that spring is few weeks away. But today is dark. Depression threatens to overwhelm us. We can look at what “is” and worry. And there are reasons to worry; global warming, terrorist attacks, economic instability and even H1N1. Who wouldn’t worry and see only darkness and winter.

But I see the coming of spring. The days are getting longer, it’s a new year with endless possibilities. In the days and weeks ahead, you have a choice to make. You can believe your eyes and ears, and be worried. You can read the papers and listen to the news of gloom and doom. You can look outside and see only darkness and respond accordingly.

Or you can also believe that after the darkness, the sun comes up every morning; whether we see it or not, it still gets light every day. You can believe that after the winter, spring arrives every April or May. You can choose to believe the darkness will pass and things will be brighter in the coming days.

The choice is yours. Believe your eyes and ears, or believe your heart and dreams and wait for spring. Choose wisely. Be prepared. Make 2010 your year!

If you are like me, once the Winter Solstic has passed, you want the light to arrive NOW. I think we should have at least 30 minutes of light more each day. I know that is unreasonable, but it doesn’t keep me from wanting it. I read in the paper that the sun will continue to rise each morning at 7:23 am until January 11! But each evening we have a few minutes more of light. What a metaphor for life!

It seems to me that there is always a part of my life that is dark and seems to be stuck for a while. I work on it and chip away at the problem. At then same time, other parts of my life are wonderful. The all the work that I have done to rid the darkness pays off and the light begins to return to that corner of my life. Of course, it takes way too long, maybe months or years and I am impatient.

But the light always comes at the right time. Whether it is the sunrise or my life. And it sneaks up on me. Just as I suddenly notice it’s light at 6:00 am, I likewise notice that life is better and all the work I have put in has paid off. It’s always at the right time, always when I’m ready. Good thing I’m not in charge.

One of my favorite TV shows is JAG, which stand for Judge Advocate General Corps, the Navy’s legal branch. I have nine of the ten seasons, and that’s only because Season Ten doesn’t come out until next May. While I was wrapping presents I decided to watch all the Christmas episodes. My favorite one is called All Ye Faithful. What I like most about it is that it takes all the stories about Christmas and rolls them into one; Santa and Rudolph, Scrooge, Mary and Joseph and even the Wise Men. In the episode, when the “wise men” found the baby, one of them said “Those who rest in peace, rest peacefully.”

That phrase really struck me because I am beginning to find my way out of my personal darkness and into the light. As I find more peace in myself and in my world, I rest more peacefully. I feel lighter, I get more things done, I smile more. Life is so much better when I feel peaceful.

My prayer for you is that you rest in peace and rest peacefully.

Wishing great joy and peace.

I love, therefore I am. Not I think, therefore I am. Or maybe both are true. But what good is thinking if we don’t love ourselves or each other? And what good is loving if you don’t have thoughts to put that love into action.

As some of you know the past few months have been some of the worst of my life. At times I have been overwhelmed by darkness and fear. Fear which has done its best to control me, lock me away from life and beat my body down. As the day have grown shorter, I have been keenly aware of the darkness outside as well as inside and the feeling of dormancy in my heart.

And yet, I wait for the light to come again. I hope, as does the earth, that the sun will come back and life will begin anew, with small shoots which grow bigger each day. I still know deep within my being that there is wonder in each day, if only I look for it. And I am reminded that words are light too, words of peace and joy and hope.

No matter what the problem, the darkness never wins. The light will always return.

I don’t know about you, but a list helps me get things done and stay on task. But your list can say many things about you.

Do you scrawl your list on paper napkins or tuck it into your purse or a drawer? That could mean you are spontaneous and creative. Do you write your lists on post -it-notes? You’re probably flexible and able to go with the flow. If yours is on the computer and synched with your phone, you are far more organized than I am!

Research shows that list makers are healthier and happier. Here are some of the ways lists help you:

• Lists help us gain control and reach our goals, even if we don’t get everything done.
• Lists help us maximize our brainpower. You can only keep 7 to 9 things in your working memory, so by making a list you can spend your brainpower on analyzing, delegating and prioritizing.
• Lists help you make tough decisions. The simple act of tackling a problem on paper can help you find ideas for solving the problem and help you handle it better.
• Lists can help you beat a slump. So make a list of your happiest moments and relive the event as though you were really there. You will feel better.
• Need motivation? A list can help motivate you; to get things done, take better care of yourself, and even be grateful.
• Lists can help you achieve balance. Let’s face it; life is crazy! When you feel overwhelmed, prioritize the things that are most important to you and act on them.
• But most importantly, feel the joy every day. Make a list of 100 personal pleasures, then pursue one a week. What will you have enjoyed in a year or two?

The poetry of the earth is never dead.
-John Keats

After Malaika and I left Dubuque, we traveled to Dyersville, where you can visit the Field of Dreams movie site. Why, you ask? Because I needed to go there because it’s a place of hope for me. I had been there one August when the corn is so high you don’t know where you are. But this time the corn was down and it was cold and empty. Malaika stayed in the car and I was by myself, which was what I needed. I sat on the bleachers and walked the bases, just thinking and meditating. It was late when we left, about 4 PM. I knew I’d be driving a long way in the dark.

The sun was setting as we got onto I-80 headed to Lincoln. The sunset was beautiful. All the flat land in the Midwest allows for the most incredible sunsets. First the sky was a light pink and orange. Then it slowly faded to deep hues of red and purple, splayed across the horizon. Since I was driving 80 miles an hour, we stayed with the sunset for a long time.

As I watched the colors change and the sky slowly get dark, I was struck by the beauty of the earth; how it is just there for us to enjoy if we only look. I was blessed with the beauty of the sunset and felt myself at peace. Just because I took the time to look. The earth is indeed poetry; full of beauty and inspiration that never dies. This week make it a point to find comfort in the beauty of the earth.