august break no. 13

finding love in san antonio

- simply jag

in love with lent...

We use the single word "faith" to cover a vast range of human experiences. Faith is, fundamentally, the experience of our being grounded in God, rooted in him with absolute sureness and with a confidence that is always deepening because the depths of God can never be measured. This is the experience of prayer.

It is falling into the depths of love with complete trust, with a complete "letting go".

- John Main OSB, Monastery Without Walls

I've said it before, here, here and again here. I love Lent! I really, really do... And although I don't go to church, Lent continues to be a cherished time of the year for me.

Its timing is perfect, and probably not coincidental. (I don't believe in coincidences anyway.) Committing to this 40-day period of reflection and connection prepares us to be "born anew", to come alive with a renewed confidence that, just as the Earth is preparing to explode with the unstoppable force of spring, we too are ripe and ready to emerge from whatever restraints we have become all-too-comfortable with. The Easter story becomes relevant to us today because it reminds us of our limitless potential for growth & transformation.

The cool thing is, when we become rooted in something greater than ourselves, a something I call "God", we don't need to force growth & transformation. In fact, we don't need to "do" anything. It is there, waiting for us on the wings of our next exhale. All we need is to get out of our own way, or as John Main says so well, to let go and to allow ourselves to fall into the depths of love with God.

For this season of Lent, my hope is that I may be able to do just that.

Happy Lent!

-simply jag

a teacher's final gift...

I looked grace in the eye today.
I looked wisdom in the eye today.
I looked impermanence in the eye today.
I looked love in the eye today.

And although that eye was her only way of communicating, those are the messages I received.

I had the blessing of sitting silently with a friend today.
She is in an end-of-life care facility... in the final stages of her cancer journey.
She has easily had three lifetimes worth of struggles in this one short life, and she has worn them with dignity.

I was nervous about going to see her.
I knew it was to say good-bye ...and thank you.
I was so nervous, I even Googled "what to say to a person who is dying".
(Yes, I actually did that!)
I was reminded that I didn't need to say much.
I could let my presence speak.
I could let my love speak.

As it turned out, that was all I needed.
She is beyond speech now.
Except for that one eye.

My nervousness soon dissipated and I felt...
humbled
by the experience
by her presence
by the gift.

She has been a teacher to me...
a companion on the journey of recovery and discovery
and even in these final days,
probably without even knowing it,
she gives.

Thank you, my friend.
Peace to you..

- simply jag

simply rich...

Well, let's be honest, my focus has been everywhere BUT here this past month! I have been remiss in keeping my blog up-to-date. Life has been full, and rich, and full, and... well... full! :-) A couple of exciting developments to share:

I am now the proud owner of a new DSLR camera! I'd been saving for a while and decided it was time. I purchased a Canon Rebel XSi in early June and haven't really taken it out to play yet. But I will, oh, I certainly will!

The other MOST exciting news is from this past weekend... I had the pleasure of standing by my sister as she said her "I do" to her Love. It was a wonderful day starting off with a morning ceremony, followed by a luncheon then a house party later that night! I felt surrounded by Love, and Joy, and Friendship, and Laughter, and Beauty the entire day. So lovely!! CONGRATS Sis - you deserve every happiness...

sis & bro-in-law: photo by jag

jag & hubby: photo by sean zio

jag & sis: photo by sean zio

simply jag
xox

a simple sunbeam...

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."
- Jane Howard

A late afternoon sunbeam bounced into my office on Friday and drew my attention to these two photos sitting by my desk. In an instant, I stopped what I was doing, looked at these photos, and smiled. My husband. My sister. The two most important people in my Life. My family.

I have a fairly large extended family spread out over several provinces. Whenever we get together for some kind of gathering, I'm always reminded of how much Love there is. Amidst all the dysfunction, always Love.

And these two are extra special to me. The husband I've picked twice. The sister I've loved since the day she was born. I'm grateful to this simple sunbeam for directing my focus - albeit just for a moment - to this family I love.

simply jag xox

a simple wish...

A simple wish for you...

May you recognize Love in all its guises
and when faced with a choice,
always err on the side of Love.

simply jag xox

a simple choice...

“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart...pursue those.”

- Michael Nolan

I found this tiny barrette on the floor of my office building today.

It caught my eye AND my heart!

In choosing "simplify" as my mantra for 2009, I'm hoping to break the pattern of saying YES to every opportunity or interest that comes along. That may seem counterintuitive... Should we not give in to the abundance that comes our way?! I've learned - the hard way... the only way... - that I can easily get over-committed and overwhelmed. Then, my body, mind & spirit simply shut down. I thrive when I remember to focus my energy on that which catches my heart: being an expression of God's perfect Love in an imperfect world. That is my simple choice.

simply jag xox

a simple reminder...

"Let us make a pledge that, if not all day or all night long, at least for a few moments every day, we will make an effort to experience love, love that is free from selfishness, free from desire, free from expectation, love that is complete freedom."

— Swami Chidvilasananda

I hate the amount of junk mail I get. It steals a measure of my serenity pretty much every day. I've been meaning to join the Red Dot Campaign for some time now, but I just haven't made the effort. Yet.

Yesterday, my procrastination worked in my favour... The Universe delivered this beautiful heart as a reminder of the centrality of Love in my life. It's a simple reminder. And now it's time to further simplify my life by reducing the amont of junk mail in it. :-)

simply jag
xox

a simple teaching...

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

- Rumi

I heard the most beautiful - and simple - story ever yesterday.

I was listening to an old Tapestry interview featuring Coleman Barks, a world-reknowned interpreter of the poetry of Rumi. When speaking of his Teacher (whose name escapes me!), Mary Hynes (the host) asked him, "What did he teach you?" His answer imprinted on my heart:

"When I met him, he told me he loved me. And I told him I loved him... and we spent the next nine years unwrapping that gift."

How simple is that?! When we love, and know ourselves to be loved, everything flows from there. When we are rooted in love, we are all students... and we are all teachers.

simply jag
xox