Thursday Thermals - April 4, 2013

I have arrived - at 60 that is.
No anguished cries, no kicking and screaming, just a quiet transition into a new decade.
JohnWesley (1703-1791) asked his friends and fellow believers this question: "How goes it with your soul?" It is a question I often gently ask myself and today the answer is that I am well. I am content. I am at peace. A deep joy bathes my soul. And all is well, all manner of things are well.

I offer two pieces of writing today, neither one of them mine, but each one echoes my truth this day.
First a poem, written by Rev. Melissa Bowers, addressed to the women of my life, past and present. To be fair, there are a couple of men out there who have been of equal importance to me, and the words apply just as well to you guys!


Praise to the Women on my Journey 

To the women on my journey
     Who showed me the ways to go and ways not to go,
     Whose strength and compassion held up a torch of light
        and beckoned me to follow,
     Whose weakness and ignorance darkened the path and
        encouraged me to turn another way.

To the women on my journey
     Who showed me how to live and how not to live,
     Whose grace, success, and gratitude lifted me
        into the fullness of surrender to God,
     Whose bitterness, envy, and wasted gifts warned me
        away from the emptiness of self-will.

To the women on my journey
     Who showed me what I am and what I am not,
     Whose love, encouragement, and confidence held me
        tenderly and nudged me gently,
     Whose judgment, disappointment, and lack of faith called
        me to deeper levels of commitment and resolve.

To the women on my journey who taught me love by
        means of both darkness and light,

To these women I say bless you and thank you from the
        depths of my heart, for I have been healed and set free
          through your joy and through your sacrifice.

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This second piece was written by Katherine Tyler Scott (in “Women’s Uncommon Prayers” ©2000, Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg, PA, pg. 3). I think I'll just let the words speak for themselves...


I am a Woman
born of God
I am a woman
born of love

I am caring and competent
vulnerable and powerful
seeking wholeness
physically, emotionally, and spiritually

I am a woman
reaching out to others
making a difference in myself
my family
community
and the world

I am empowering myself
to empower others

I am struggling to accept my anger
and use it to gain strength, confidence,
courage, and intimacy with others

I am a woman
who sees the interconnectedness of all human beings
who values the unique gifts of all

I am a woman who leads and follows
who accepts responsibility for myself
and the choices I make

Yes, I am a woman
who sees each day as a new beginning
a chance to grow in self, love, and service

I am a woman
born of God
I am a woman
born of love
And I can be
All that I am.