Author: bobbiemcgarey

So, Howdy,

I was in the grocery store, cereal aisle, and a woman my age was standing next to me just shaking her head. She had a box of cereal in her hand but seemed to still be looking. ” Excuse me”, she said. I expected her to ask me to reach some on a higher shelf or find some particular sort of cereal. “Why? For Goodness sake does there have to be so many ####ing kinds of Cereal. Three Kinds that all they need! Three kinds!” Figuring from her words she wasn’t looking for help I grabbed the Tony Tiger Frosted Flakes, (breakfast of Champions), and left.

It is really a valid question in some ways. People are going to be buying the cereal even if they don’t have dozens of choices. Seriously is there really a need for four kinds of shredded wheat? Or Oatmeal? Or cheerios?

But we do seem to relish having choices. I know when you are working with small children or older adults the way to get them to agree with something is to offer two things, either of them ok to you, and let them decide. My mom went to a great adult day care and I would pick her up and she’d say, everyday,
“I don’t need to go there tomorrow.” In the morning my husband would as if she wanted to leave at 7:30 or 7:45 and she would choose. She willingly went in and greeted her friends.

I am certain there are economic reasons for having several variations of one brand. No doubt there are homes with four kinds of cheerios that people want. And goodness knows we need maple syrup ones because putting a little maple syrup on plain ones with the milk would not work for most people. Or Cinnamon and Sugar… or… or.. (Fyi you can order one of 29 different flavors of Cheerios on Amazon.)

There are many ways to look at religious beliefs. There are many different religions most of them are basically all about loving God and One Another. (spoiler alert). But the Old Testament Scriptures say..

Joshua 24, “Choose for yourselves whom you will serve. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” John 6:37. So there. For many the choice is simple way to choose Life. I’m just saying.

God Abides With You

Bobbie Giltz McGarey, @ 9/26/23, Easton PA

In the 60’s there was a paperback called, “Why am I afraid to tell you who I am?” That’s basically all I remember of it except we read it in youth group and when we talked about it there were most always tears. Insights can do that for you, release those healing tears. In First Community Church helping youth discover their truest self was a big part of the underlying message of God’s love they shared. The other underlying message was that we had been given gifts and skills and our work was to find out what they were and use them for the good.

We did that by learning to tell truth and not be afraid of our own truth. Many of the youth came from wealthy families. The Church had a camp, Akita (the searcher) and it was at camp that a lot of the ‘work’ was done. I was lucky enough to go from 2 grade thru High School. (When I went in High School I signed on to the kitchen crew. That way I got to be at camp and participate I loved it. My job was to take the hot dishes out of the dishwasher rack and get the empty rack to the dishwasher so it could be loaded. By the third day I was able to grab the plates right as they came out of the rack. I was on KP three weeks. I loved it. ) (Did you figure out I loved camp)

One of the reasons I loved camp is that the facades fell from the teenagers and they became more genuine. When I was a teen camper I remember seeing that. Some of the girls who wouldn’t really hang out with me were welcoming. They were fun. They were open. They were just friends. We were encouraged to hold on to how that felt when we got home. At church, a week after camp their facades were all in place again. They didn’t really speak to anyone outside their group, clique, and several of us noticed. In our discussion time one girl who had been at camp asked them what happened to the fun girls were? One of the girls began to cry. The teacher let her cry a little and comforted her. What is the source of those tears. She said, “At camp I can be who I really am inside. But, when I get home my parents expect me to be fake and like this. They won’t let me change.” Here I’d envied her and her position in the group and I realized really how free I was to be me.

Karl Jung wrote,

the main aim of life is to develop a balanced psyche through individuation: the process of becoming the most complete and authentic version of yourself.

That’s what my church was encouraging us to be. It wasn’t a goal that you could ever finish because we change and mature if we are lucky and we keep aiming to become the most complete and authentic version of ourselves. It’s what we do for each other. We walk each other home as Desmond TuTu is reported to have said. Home to that place of our truest self. To that sense of satisfaction and peaceful of the soul that allows us to walk with others who are also on the journey.

I wish you a good journey. I wish you companions on that journey to your most authentic self. I wish you peacefulness and I wish you joy. I would often close my church services saying as a blessing,

God knows you through and through and loves you even still.

God abides and I thank God. Bobbie Giltz McGarey @2023 Easton PA.

John and I got to see the Full moon from the same window! I like this very much

Maggie Mae and Ian Maurice and I spent almost a week at Virginia Beach with my Cousin Gail and her two grandsons, Niam and Neal. What a good time we had. The kids played so well together and laughed and did projects and it was fun to watch them. This is the third year they’ve seen each other in the Summer.

However,

Ian Maurice and I had an Ocean Adventure. The day we went to the ocean the waves weren’t really very big but they came rather forcefully. Maggie Mae and I had gone out past the break point, though they were braking about at my hip. We had a good time. Ian Maurice asked for a turn and so we went out. I’m not certain how the ocean changed in the 10 minutes or so between them but it did. Ian Maurice wanted me to hold both hands which was a good idea. We started out waiting till there wasn’t a set coming in. Somehow we didn’t make it in time and we got hit, I had tried to lift him over, next thing I know we are on the sand, not deep at all people standing not far from us, but waves crashing on us. I know we made it through two but the third one twisted Ian Maurice out of my grasp and he was apart from me and I’m just rolling in the waves. When I came up after he had been pulled away I shouted for him and the people all said he’s fine and I saw him on the shore before the next three waves washed me. It was like a spin cycle in the waves with enough back tow to keep me from being able to stand. Since my hip I’ve had to stand harder but there were three folks reaching out to pull me up. (I flashed on the YouTube videos of someone getting hit by waves and hoped no one was filming.). Finally I turned enough that I could stand and they pulled me the rest of the way. I kept saying I’m ok I’m not hurt I just can’t get up on my feet. Which was true. I got out and walked up to the umbrella where Gail was standing. Maggie Mae came up and asked if we could go out again and I said I had used most of my energy in the tossing. We had to keep our eyes on Niam and Neil too.

Let’s say I’m glad that’s over. I am thankful I didn’t hurt either hip or my back. I had been in waves like that before so that wasn’t as new as it might seem but that was many many many Moons ago. We have been doing most of our beach swimming at Clearwater on the Gulf where even if they have waves there is no power behind them.

I will however remember the helpless terror I felt when the wave snatched Ian Maurice out of my hands. I will however remember the look of terror on this face between us getting hit by a third wave.

I will remember the relief I felt when I saw him standing up on the beach long before we got out of the water. The whole episode must have lasted no more than 5 minutes from start to finish.

Deep sigh.

We also were very near a lifeguard stand so if there had been more trouble then they could have intervened.

Still. Ian Maurice still trusts me. He wants to “determine himself” when he goes back into the ocean. And we he had a great time swimming in a pool the next day.

Yea, what an adventure!

Thank you God for the people who immediately came to our aid.

God abides, this I know!

Bobbie Giltz McGarey @July 31, 2023, Easton PA

There are times when a book I haven’t read in a long time comes to me. My youngest Grandchild, James, brought me the book, from my bookshelf, by Ted Foote Jr. “Being Presbyterian in the Bible Belt”. It is a copy that my husband John had. How do I know this? Name in front? Nope.

It’s the Yellow highlighter… John’s way. Mine is to put a dot in the margin. Anyway I’ve copied most of a page…Yellow included. (Once when we were both in Seminary I was taking a required class that John had taken the year before. Great, I’ll just use his book. Uh Nope..his underlining drove me to distraction.)

Anyway. I can see why this line is highlighted.

“God’s love and forgiveness come to us simply out of the boundless mercy of God’s laughter.”

Pause…Deep inhale…Deep Exhale. Smile!

Can you see God laughing. An etherial smile covering the you. Not a mock laughter but a real compassionate love.

(I am not fan of the clips on Facebook or other that shows someone doing a stunt and failing and everyone around laughs.) Somehow that kind of laugh is often mocking. You…silly!

But I am fond of a deep belly laugh. Or even better a child’s giggle. I remember a child giggling that saved me one day. I was having a rough time at work and some folk were not being nice and I hadn’t seen a way through… I was in the grocery store. Suddenly there is was…one aisle over… I hurried round the corner to see a wee one just laughing…and laughing… her mother was laughing along with her…and contagious as it was I started laughing too and then happy tears made their way down my cheeks. Somehow a sign that it was going to be ok. I thanked the mom and the child and the day went on. Deep sigh, smile.

I have often called my life, God’s Comedy Channel. You know stuff is happening in the world so God Dials up my life and says, “It’s a rough day, let’s see what Bobbie is planning.” And God laughs!

I guess what I’ll end saying is if you need this today…here it is.

God’s love and forgiveness come to us simply out of the boundless mercy of God’s laughter.

God abide

Bobbie Giltz McGarey Easton, PA @2023

Tradwife influencers market a lifestyle and an ideology to young people online that happens to align with right-wing political efforts to erode women’s rights.
— Read on www.teenvogue.com/story/tradwife-influencers-politics

Oh How I Wish … I could just write Summer memories…and trust me there is a mountain of them…and laugh as I did so. Beach, Camp, Camp, Golf, School, Swimming pool, Sprinkler, Golf, Golf, Camp, Travel…

Add a Deep Sigh

Or a needed Cleansing BREATH

This summer with some of the above also carries with it a deep sadness and a touch of fear. The numbers of mass seemingly random shootings across this country make me angry/sad and feeling helpless. I have written my Representatives! I have read theories. I have tried in some way to make sense of it. BUT there IS NO SENSE. Pick up a g** and find a crowd.

Another deep breath.

So, right now, I write.

The morning haze from a humid night put the dawn in pastels

The singing birds woke me in a perfect way to join the day

A small wonder (my grandson) woke without the fever from yesterday

I began with prayer… O God Open My Lips and My Mouth Will Declare Thy Praise

I realized it’s been 45 years since I graduated from Divinity School

42 years spent in active ministry.

I live in peacefulness

I live in grace

I trip over mercy

Deep Sigh

Time for Action! Now!

God Abides

Bobbie Giltz McGarey @2023 Easton PA

When our daughter Martha Elizabeth was born I had a tape player in my hospital room and played a recording of song/album by this name. Over and over and over.

Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stone)

Song by John Denver

When you asked how I’ve been here without you
I’d like to say I’ve been fine and I do
But we both know the truth is hard to come by
And if I told the truth that’s not quite true

Some days are diamonds, some days are stones
Sometimes the hard times won’t leave me alone
Sometimes a cold wind blows a chill in my bones
Some days are diamonds, some days are stones

Now the face that I see in my mirror
More and more is a stranger to me
More and more I can see there’s a danger
In becoming what I never thought I’d be

Some days are diamonds, some days are stones
Sometimes the hard times won’t leave me alone
Sometimes a cold wind blows a chill in my bones
Some days are diamonds, some days are stones

Some days are diamonds, some days are stones
Sometimes the hard times won’t leave me alone

I still love all the songs on that album . Today seems a little like a stone day Sigh. Just a lot of things unsettled and unsettling. Sigh …. This too shall pass. But I don’t have to like it anyway. Do I? Truly how am I not celebrating a day where my 2.5 year old grandson came in my room about 6:15, with his Companion Pluto, and crawls up in the bed and snuggles me both of us falling back to sleep. Sigh again. I didn’t even turn on Morning Joe. I listened to the birds.

So what is it about these LONG days? What is it that turns us around and stirs up memories and dreams? What is it in our genes that calls us to dance or weep when those bone deep memories surface? Is it unusual to do both?

The long days of the summer— fill our hearts with hope —dread can’t survive in the light

God Abides Bobbie GiltzMcGarey, @June 20,2023 Easton,PA

There are times when the year flies by. When events or actions speed the time and suddenly it’s the middle of June. Maggie Mae’s bus came at 8:35. The driver was very regular. Getting ready to go out for the bus it often seemed to me that I’d look at the clock and it would 8:08 and then I’d glance back and it was 8:28. Only moments had passed it seemed.

Then there are time times when time passing is painfully slow. I recall my Mother having surgery and the waiting room was full so we waited in chairs in the hall. I really didn’t mind all the people going by. There was no way I could concentrate enough to read anywhere worried and wondering about how things were going. I started to do a non scientific trial of the different kinds of shoes. I had fun in a way I’d look at some shoes and try and guess what the wearer actually looked like. I got fairly good. That took 3 minutes. I had a prayer bracelet on and would pray a prayer on each notch on the bracelet. That actually took longer and kept my focus. After several days, or about 5 hours, the doctor came out and said all had gone well but they had to work with her to get her breathing ok. He said she took very little sedative and they were pleased about that with her lung problems that were not involved in the surgery.

He asked if he could get me anything. Yes, Versed. or whatever the drug is that makes you forget the last few hours. He laughed and I said, “I’m not joking.” I thanked him and he went on his way. It was another hour before we could say hello to her and we got to pat her look into her eyes and tell her she was going to be fine.

But that was one of the longest days.

I guess what I’m saying is enjoy the day … however long it is and however you spend it. Find ways to Be. To Be present to the day.

And may your length of days…be just right.

God abides

Bobbie Giltz McGarey @2023, Easton, PA

I did remember this :

So Friends-what do we know today? Or perhaps what did we learn yesterday? Or perhaps what new experiences are lessons in our future? Some days — I Got Nuthin’

Years ago my NPR morning edition had an Interview with Red Barber

He was a legendary Sports Reporter. But when i listened he was doing about 10 minute commentary on everything including baseball. I think his gentle southern accent was a reason for listening too. Morning Edition with Bob Edwards on Friday Mornings.

I remember him talking about the nature of sport. He’d critiqued the games of the week and he’d give advice to the teams.

But one of the main things I remember is that I would have completed a week and was surprised that a week Was Gone. Red Barber was on! Again! A whole week gone. How could that be? What had I done all week? I knew i had to find a way to be truly “mindful” “conscious” all the time. I am still working in that.

Baba Ram Das taught it best…

Be Here Now. God Abide with you.

Bobbie Giltz McGarey. May 24, 2023.