Kathleen Botsford

A Living Part of the Infinite Story

 

It seems life has become a constant

struggle of to-do lists and schedules

swallowing our waking hours

and haunting our

dream times.

As if a great bookeeper in the sky

is keeping track of our days

and judging them with constant busy-ness

the holy goal.

 

What if we set out every morning with curiosity,

with the intention to notice

as many opportunities as possible?

Would it not be like reading the world

as a holy book~a Lectio Divina of sorts,

that ancient practice of spiritual reading?

Every day we could be pouring over

the unfolding of new and possible worlds.

 

There are innumerable, small opportunities

to be helpful, attentive or kind.

Taking up these opportunities,

would we not come to know that we are

a living part of the infinite story?

Gunilla Norris

 

 

Love Thee Notre Dame

Victoria has spent this summer in LA

working for one of her dream companies.

As she returns this week to the midwest

and begins packing for her senior year at ND

there will be tears.....

many tears.

We are so very lucky when our children love their

lives and choices so much that the thought of it ending

is bittersweet and sad.

We are not allowed to talk about

Tori's senior year or graduation.

Maybe if we stay very, very vigilant

and focused in each and every moment,

we can capture a bit of the magic

and keep it with us

close to our hearts.

And our hearts forever

Love thee Notre Dame

 

 

 

Good Friday

Over the course of the years

I have moved from an obsessive church lady

to a more contemplative loner.

On Good Friday

I spend time alone listening to

 Jesus Christ Superstar

It never fails to bring me to tears.

 

 

New Year Resolution

I am trying a "new" kind of resolution this year. 

It's not about doing or losing

Not about accomplishing or goals.

 

It is about gently cultivating tenderness,

Within and for myself as well as for others.

It is about seeing with reverence,

eyes soft and non-judging.

"When you regain a sense of your life as a journey

of discovery,

you return to rhythm within yourself.

When you take the time to travel with reverence
a richer life unfolds before you.

Moments of beauty begin to braid your days.

 

When your mind becomes more acquainted with reverence,

the light, grace and elegance of beauty

find you more frequently."

John O'Donohue

Happy New Year to us all.

 

 

 

 

Endless Grief

Words cannot help

Or begin to touch

the raw and ragged

grief of these heartbroken parents.

Oh Divine Beloved

we ask for your sweet mercy

and steadfast embrace

to somehow comfort the

families involved in this

senselessly tragic event

As we their neighbors

stand by helplessly

praying, praying, praying.

The Alphabet vs The Goddess

When I was younger, I had an incredible appetite for knowledge.  I read everything I could find on any and all subjects that caught my fancy.  If I was into trees, I had to "know" the names of each, the shape of their leaves and attributes along with their habitat and history.  When I became a jewelry designer, each stone was a new world unto itself.  I could sit for hours fondling and gazing into the depth of each new obsession.  The crystals and stones became my personal project.  I researched constantly as books have always been my mainstay in life. 

As I have grown older I have noticed I no longer have the urge to know everything about anything.   Does my knowing the name of a tree make it any more or less magnificent?  Does it matter if I hold a rose quartz in my hand or a pink opal?  Words and labels have their place indeed but of late I am animated by something deeper, more intimate.   This very sentiment jumped out of a poem this morning.

The world does not need words. It articulates itself
in sunlight, leaves, and shadows. The stones on the path
are no less real for lying uncatalogued and uncounted.
The fluent leaves speak only the dialect of pure being.
The kiss is still fully itself though no words were spoken.

Dana Gioia

Peace in the World

O Holy Virgin
When you said 'Yes'
To housing God in your womb
You asked, as its price,
For peace in the world
Redemption for all the lost
Eternal life for the dead.
May I always pray with you
That your sublime prayer be granted.

Peter Chrysostom

 

Reprinted from DailyOm 365 Days of Prayers with Andrew Harvey

A Perfect Day

It is a gray and rainy day in Chicago.  The house is full of workers and tarps.  The perfect excuse to put off any further Christmas decorating.  I do NOT want to fall down the stairs with my ankles tangled in painters cloths and broken family treasures strewn about.  A perfect day for a cup of tea cozied up by the fire with candles flickering and piles and piles of favorite books.  Thank you God!

An Autumn Prayer

This is the last home game of the 2011 football season at Notre Dame.   I took a stroll through the campus and soaked in the tranquil beauty of the autumn afternoon.  While we have lots of historical landmarks that are well known and visited by many each weekend, I needed the road less traveled, the contemplative side of the University.  Even our wonderful Grotto was already filled with pilgrims lighting candles and offering prayers.  With some of our boys injured and unsure of their futures, I needed time alone to pray, dry my tears and come back to peace.  It was espeicially hard this week given the terrible tragedy involving the Penn State football program.  Those broken little boys with grief filled eyes haunt me and I have not even seen an actual photo.  But they are there, in their silence, breaking my heart and causing tears to well in pain and confusion.

Our Blessed Lady of the Lake

Look down on all of your young warriors this weekend

from each and every University.

Protect them with your Grace,

guide their actions on and off the field of battle.

Heal their young hearts

as we move through these dark days tainted with grief.

Holy Mother,

as you gather all the innocent victims of child abuse

to your womb,

grant them and their families

the Divine and ever healing love

of your Son

the Christ

now and always.

amen

 

Escape and Empty

Escape and Empty

Endure.  Explore.  Express.  Experience.

Emerge Empowered.