Author: bobbiemcgarey

Undisciplined Smiling 

We are a wild bunch of believers, those of us who break the rules for a good cause.  We practice undisciplined smiling when others preach doom and gloom… there is more than a method to our madness of love.  We are not disrespectful of somber predictions for our shared future, but unwilling to let resignation be our best shot.  We are joyfully insistent on the alternative of hope.  We are unapologetically committed to trusting in something bigger than ourselves. 

 Steven Charleston, Ladder to the Light (p. 82)

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So I came across this quote the other day on my Facebook page.   This line stuck out in my mind 

We practice undisciplined smiling when others preach doom and gloom…

I love the idea of undisciplined smiling.  I hope folks remember me smiling. It has been something  I try to do.    

Betsy and I went to a great concert, The Chicks.  We had great seats.  There were no seats in front of us but a railing where we could prop up our feet.  

We had a lot of people on the walkway going up to their seats.  They didn’t block our view. 

We were enjoy the people watching.  

They were answering the question, “what do you wear to a Chicks concert in New Jersey.”. 

Apparently the answer is cowboy boots, or boots, just whatever boots you have.   There were varied applications of that rule, snow boots, fancy heeled boots, boots with bling, boots  from the farm, and some that looked like work boots.  then there was the one had on a kilt and everything that goes with it the origin of that was a mystery. 

What I did notice was —— how few folk were smiling.

  So naturally we started smiling at them as they went by.  I mean “Hey you’ve got ‘Tickets to a  Chicks concert’  you will have fun!”  Well you could have fun.  We decided we would practice —

Undisciplined Smiling.

  We would look the folks in the eye and smile.  Many responded with a smile, alas many did not,

Still,  it was satisfying to us.  

I think the world needs more Undisciplined Smiling!,

  What if we kept a smile on our faces, looked people in the eye and smiled like at the grocery store, or drive through, or even at a traffic light.  

In fact I would like everyone to follow the urging of this writing PRACTICE UNDISCIPLINED SMILING —you can do that’

.

Try it. 

May the curiosity in the world set you on a level path to new peace. 

God Abides

Bobbie Giltz McGAREY

Easton PA

@feb24,2024 

  Have you ever been with someone close to you and an event happens outside of what you are doing and you start giggling, laughing, rofl, or just that warm feeling of being happy and surprised? Well some days it seems it takes more of an effort than others. Some days the weight of the world no doubt has just been laid on your aching stiff shoulders, double owwweee! Some days. even the most simple event can bring you peace. 

  There is a movie on Netflix Mission: Seeking Joy. It is a profound story of the time the Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama meeting. Here’s a link to a trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nlUl5yNgIE

Doug Abrams, whom I presumedly think of as a friend, is part of putting it together and moderating the meeting. It is well worth your time. And if you only watch it once you are missing out on the message not being absorbed as it can be into your heart. (I have stopped counting). It’s not a long movie but it is important. 

What does it take for us to be more filled with the “Light” than pushed down by the throws of lightless-ness. Take for instance the baby photo below. It would make a great screen saver. Imagine opening your day with such a face? It makes me smile. But whatever brings you joy… whatever goodness or gratitude brings you joy. Friends Let’s be light. Lamenting the troubles to be sure…but once lamented —put on the hope filled lenses and go forward. Blessings on your journey.

God Abides

Bobbie Giltz McGarey, Rev.Dr., Freelancing for God. January 24, 2024 Easton PA

It’s that very time of year that we all trust that indeed the light will come again and the days get longer…longer… minute by minute. on the sunrise, on the sun set.. Time

O little town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting light The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight

The sadness of this time screams over the quiet we expect on Holy Night.  The babes crying, the mother’s weeping for their babies.  They cannot be consoled.  We will not be consoled…the pain and aching hearts move beyond boundaries of any nationThe care givers, the poets, the fishermen, the crafts people…targeted… murdered with their families.  The targeted bombing of a poet’s home killing them all..

For Christ is born of Mary And gathered all above

While mortals sleep, the angels keep. Their watch of wondering love

How dare we mortals pretend to sleep?  Have we spoken out enough, have we written enough letters to ‘power’?  Have we fallen on our knees, or our faces, and surrendered to the guilt we feel when we see the shrouded wrapped bodies of babies…and do nothing. Not enough. Not enough.

O morning stars together Proclaim thy holy birth

And praises sing to God the King And peace to men (all)  on earth 

The stars may sing because they know that the One whose birth we celebrate is the very One who demands that we stand, work, pray, hope and act for justice.  Justice that can bring peace.  Justice the only way to peace. Deep sighs are required to go on…to just go on..go on. 

O little town of Bethlehem. How still we see thee lie.

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by.

Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight

There is very little sleep with dreams that bring peace..the dreamlessness of sleep comes because we keep seeing the pictures of tragedy.  We seen neighborhoods and hospitals gone.   We see homes and houses of worship indistinguishable from the rubble of our neighbors.  We see packed hospital halls and rooms with people waiting for medical help, for medicines that will not come. Waiting. 

The HOPES and FEARS of all the years…are Met in Thee Tonight. 

When you sing and light the candles on Christmas Eve, be open to your tears. 

God abide. Bobbie Giltz McGarey @2023 Easton, PA

These words and the numbers that are increasing daily of children and who are wounded and no family survived. Without families.

It is heartbreaking and seemingly unnecessary and cruel. And deeply deeply troubling.

Premature Babies put in incubators with other premature babies hoping they can keep each other warm because there is no electricity for heat. Thousands.

No matter which side you are on of this war, (or any war), The babies and traumatized children will need us all somehow to intervene.

I just realized that i am breathing slowly and shallow…Almost like there is no air… deep breath ! Again! We need the best of our brains to work on this. 11 thousand

have died. 2/3 of them women and children. Is this Ethnic cleansing? Women and Children hostages? What else can we think? Or anticipate. I heard one Jewish doctor who was killed in a bombing leaving wife and two young children. He was interviewed the day before he died talking about the conditions at his hospital.

Who really believes Gaza will be rebuilt? . Who believes Palestine will recover or any one will be permitted to return or will try?

O God Help ! O God Help. O God show me how to help!

God abides. Bobbie Giltz McGarey @2023 Easton PA .

Howdy Buckaroos!

Oh Dinnos look fog

Martina McBride sings…

Love’s the only house big enough for all the pain in the world
Love’s the only house big enough for all the pain.

You can watch it on YouTube ” http://martinamcbride.com/videos/loves-the-only-house

I think this is what the church ought to be… known for.. Love is in this place and there is enough in this house to hold all the pain. ” Pain has to go somewhere come on down to my house.”

Surely in a world like we live in now today in the uncertainty of war across the ocean and the pain here of shootings over 500 this year. We need to create more houses of Love. When we watch the most visible “news-makers” taking turns to slur one another…We need to create more houses of Love. When we feel like our best efforts only make us stumble and fall…We need to BE more houses of Love.

If we learn nothing else from our faith journey but God’s love for each of us-that is enough

If we learn nothing else from our faith journey but God’s love can bring peace-that is enough

If we learn nothing else from our faith journey but God’s compassion and mercy- that is enough

Love’s the only house big enough for all the pain in the world…

God Abides

Bobbie Giltz McGarey, November 4, @2023, Easton PA

Last night after a really busy day I was going to get my jammies on and get in bed and read a bit. It was dark and then my grandson James (almost 3) came and snuggled in bed with me. This time instead of reading “I am a Bunny” several times, (again), I looked over and he had fallen asleep on my arm. Well that was fine with me. Then I checked the clock. It was 7:17 pm All I could think of was the possibility of his having a 2-3 hour nap and wake up ready for more play time or whatever. Nope, he slept all night.

I on the other hand did fall asleep about 9 and woke up feeling refreshed, checked the clock. 11:44 pm. No no no no. Not morning, don’t wake yourself up. Go back to sleep… I did about 2 hours later.

This early dark that has seemingly swept in stealing minutes from the bottom and top of the day is no surprise. Seriously I’m 75 it’s done this every year! But it is still an adjustment. Throw in the DST shift and my clock isn’t doing so great. Oh It will reset the first Sunday in November. But that will just shift the darkness a little. Whaaa whaaa whaaa. I know. Get over it. Ok. I will

I will just have to reset my clock. Maybe I won’t be time disoriented.

When I lived in the West, UT, AZ, NM, I had the mountains to tell me which way was North. Orienting directions was easy with the mountains jutting up to be seen from everywhere. You just knew. I loved that. I remember visiting Austin one week and I couldn’t tell which way I was going because the roads wound around the hills. (It’s the same now in this Eastern part of PA. ).

So friends, slow down, enjoy, get a clock with a sunrise light, Remember your dreams.

God abides, Bobbie Giltz McGarey, @2023, Easton, PA

I was doing Doctoral work at Austin Seminary and would walk by a store on the way to dinner almost every evening. I saw in the window a small, probably 10″ tall a Dancing Shiva statue such like the one above. It was very simple, brass and it was fascinating. (this is even before I went to India). The day before I left I saw it again and I determined I would set a mental price and if it was less than that I would get it to reward myself for the work I had completed. Alas, the store had closed 30 minutes before.

Classes on Saturday were over at noon and even though I wanted to be on the road from Austin to Phoenix, I decided to stop by and see how much it cost. I walked up, passed the window and it was gone. It was not in the window where I’d seen it the whole week. I thought it had sold or they had moved it. I asked the woman in the store if it had been moved? She said, “I don’t think we’ve ever had a Shiva here.” I said I had been looking at it each day- it was sitting just there. Actually there was a space where it had been. Nothing else was there. There were other items and there was the space. She asked the other sales person who said with a smile, “No, We’ve never had one of those.” Thinking perhaps they knew the statue as something else I found a photo and showed them. They both shook their heads.

I laughed. Well then, I guess that I’m not supposed to have it just now. It was puzzling. Don’t think I saw another one right away, or if I doubted myself, or I’d hallucinated it, or that I pursued getting one for myself. Years later, when I did go to India, I found it. Just like the one above pictured. Just like the one from the store. It has always brought a smile remembering this story as a prelude to my actually having one.

There is no deep, Why. There is no mystery. There is curiosity…see it made me smile again.

Do things come to us when we are supposed to have them? Do we acquire wisdom or insights at the right time? Is there such a thing as God’s good time?

Then I remembered the line, “If you really want something badly enough let it go free, If it comes back to you it’s yours, if it doesn’t you never really had it in the first place.” Sorry, I don’t remember the quotes origin.

I do remember someone quoting it to me — I don’t know the situation.

But it does seem that things do come to us when we need them. My father was an Ornithologist at Ohio State University and studied Migratory patterns in Red-Winged Blackbirds. Often for me at a time in my life when I am looking for an affirmation or an assurance…I see a Red-wing. This has happened to me on more than one occasion. For me, it is a sign. Be alert. Be aware the universe can send signs, or dreams, or people to us at just the right time.

God Abide, Bobbie Giltz McGarey, 10.16.23, Easton PA

I stumbled upon a video of Jeff Goldblum on Steven Colbert. He was quoting GBShaw. Here is the quote. See the YouTube version if you want to hear him phrase it.

Read it over. I think it is enough for one post. Deep sigh

God abides

Bobbie Giltz McGarey, @2023, October 5, 2023, Easton PA