Author: Carissa A. Kane

Carissa A. Kanehttps://hopethatfloats.wordpress.comI am passionate about spirituality and the journey to deepen and grow in relationship with God. My desire to live a life rooted in the Divine, and to journey with others who wish to do so, has grown, as have I, through the joys and sorrows, the struggles, victories and challenges of life. I feel blessed to be a child of God, wife, mother, writer, spiritual director, and retreat director.
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Many Hearts, One Body

The wind blew steady, silencing the sound of the waves. In some spots, it blew sand across the beach and in others it simply blew. All in all, though, as we journeyed along the coastline, it consistently nudged us ahead or slowed us down depending on the direction in which we walked.

At times the constancy of the wind was so harsh it conjured thoughts of stopping and turning back. However, as we walked together, the elements seemed to meld us together, making us one. We spoke… and we listened as we reminisced, sought advice, remembered loved ones, and shared hopes and dreams. We found gratitude, encouragement, and joy in one another.

In the Spirit of love and companionship we found the wherewithal to keep walking. None of us realized just how far we had come from our starting point until we stopped and looked back in amazement. The wind was still present and very noticeable, but the thoughts of turning back or abandoning the path ahead had vanished completely. Despite all that might seek to work against us, together, we journeyed, and together, we experienced the Glory of God. Alleluia!

And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. – Colossians 3:15

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Emerging Grace…

It is a most joyous occasion for all, when the light one carries within burns brightly, emerging into an outward glow.

At the time of birth, we all shine with a radiance that is unmatched—beautiful and unblemished. Our light, new to those already in the world, is received magnanimously, often with open hearts, steadfast love, and faithful hope. In fact, the thoughts and feelings engendered by even just the announcement of impending birth often stirs hearts and minds to great anticipation and excitement. Perhaps it is because the unblemished Love within us recognizes and longs for the companionship and unblemished Love within others.

We delight in this Love and welcome it as Good News. It is unquestionable and so easy to see and to embrace. When faced with the knowledge of new life, the Spirit of connection… of Oneness and Unity that resides within each of us cries out. As we move about each day, the same Spirit is with us. A constant companion, with a desire to fill each thirst and hunger within, to help us to see the new life that is all around us, waiting to come to life, waiting to be received, with the same openness and joy that we hold at the time of birth. The Spirit abides within us and moves us toward God and one another, as in the moment the infant in Elizabeth’s womb leaped for joy (Luke 1:44). How do we respond?

O God, restore us;
light up your face and we shall be saved. – Psalm 80:4

AFK_In_Womb

What Night Reveals…

Heading steadily toward the longest night (or the shortest day) in the Northern Hemisphere, I am struck by the way this time of year brings with it not only a greater period of darkness in the sky, but also greater opportunities to see and experience things that might otherwise seem minuscule or entirely escape our attention.  Every year when the light of day starts to take its leave at times earlier and earlier in the day, and we move closer toward the Winter Solstice, there is a period of adjustment, and perhaps, even a decrease in the amount of time spent venturing out and operating at “day time” speed.

When day light and the business that accompanies it begin to fade away, it can seem like time is running out. In the midst of the challenges that may come with that, the darkness also tends to bring with it the perfect backdrop. It can seem like there is less time to accomplish the things we need to do. However, these days of darkness can actually help to create more time for things of greater importance… for that which is truly beneficial to us, and the world around us.

“If a man wishes to be sure of the road he’s traveling on, then he must close his eyes and travel in the dark.” – St. John of the Cross

Night and darkness, in a sense, slow time down, providing space and calling us into the quiet. Deep within this space, there awaits a gift to be seen or sensed.  Grace waits to show us the way. It is of no coincidence that it seems the stars shine their brightest during the shortest days of the year.  Gently, they remind us, that even in the darkest hours, “The Lord will be your light forever” (Isaiah 60).

Moon

The Spirit of…

Throughout the year, all around the world, people of all backgrounds prepare for various holidays, Holy days, and the festivities associated with them. There are many cultural as well as familial traditions. Among the countless possibilities, the fact remains that most people have their own ideas and preferences for what a holiday “should” be. Whether inherited and passed along as they were from their beginnings—with no change, put into practice with some variation of what came before, or created in an entirely new and different way, oftentimes we establish routines and even deadlines for the tasks that have become part of our preparation for a special day.

Yet, plan as we may, preparing the way can end up looking very different from what one may have set out to do, may have pictured, or expected from the image of years passed. Frequently though the places where there seems to be missteps, no time, no room, or where we may least expect something good, are exactly the places where we are apt encounter the gift of God’s grace. That is often the beauty and the blessing of holidays, Holy days, and the events that surround them. In our attempts to make them special and meaningful in our own ways, we often look up and around a little more, changing our ordinary routines just enough that we also, perhaps unknowingly, open ourselves and our environment up to more of the Extraordinary—the Divine.

When it is all said and done, it is not so much what we do that makes these days special, but rather what is behind our words and actions and the ways in which we are inspired to say and do them. As the holidays, Holy days, and festivities continue to arrive, embrace the “the splendor of glory from God” (Baruch 5:1). Live from it, allowing it to flow through you into the moments of each and every day, spreading peace, love, and joy wherever you may go; providing comfort, strength, restoration and healing wherever it is needed; and building and bridging relationships all around. In this Spirit, may we receive whomever and whatever may come as we are, that is blessed with the splendor of God’s glory.

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Waiting to Arrive…

Looking out at the thin ice in the quiet stillness of early morning, I think, “How fragile life is.” As I sit and watch, I feel tired… stretched thin. Until this moment, it has been so busy… too busy.

I survey the area. It seems motionless. I think, “The time is now.” Everyone…everything must wait.

While time continues to tick, I linger, allowing more than just a chance to be still and listen. With each minute that passes, I feel a calm and steady strength growing from deep within. How resilient Life is.

ThinIce

My eyes are ever upon the LORD, who frees my feet from the snare. – Psalm 25:15

Alpha to Omega Design on a Communion Pix

Gifts from Alpha to Omega…

Many of the tasks that come this time of year can be all encompassing. It can be tough trying to escape the frenzied pace and increased traffic volume, by both road and wire, created by the “shop until you drop” atmosphere that often rises to a peak and can easily over take one. A constant stream of advertisements, promotions, discounts, etc. seem to be blasted from just about every possible direction. Finding gifts, and if not gifts, even the words, that capture or convey one’s sentiment, can be challenging at any time of year, never mind what seems the busiest time of year. Perhaps because there is so much that can pull or push us to distraction. So much that can lead us to remain fixed on the questions of what, when, and how, rather than pondering that which begs our attention—why.

While there is nothing wrong with planning, strategizing, and taking steps to get a bargain, societal conditioning toward getting the best deal one can get and toward a mindset that more is better can lead one further and further away from the gift that is already there. Underneath the façade of all the hype synonymous with this time of year, deep down, there is a universal need… a need to cherish and to be cherished… a desire for Love; best served not from the wallet, but from the heart.

“The only gift is a portion of thyself. Thou must bleed for me. Therefore the poet brings his poem; the shepherd, his lamb; the farmer, corn; the miner, a gem; the sailor, coral and shells; the painter, his picture; the girl, a handkerchief of her own sewing…” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays, Second Series: “Gifts”

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“I am the Alpha and the Omega, ” says the Lord God,
“the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.”
– Revelation 1:8

Lady Luck…

As I proceeded toward the steps and the front door, I could see something… a bug, moving on the frame around the door. With each step, I could see it more clearly. I was thinking, “It couldn’t be, it’s too cold,” but as I got closer to the front door, I saw that in fact it was a ladybug. What a pleasant surprise, in stark contrast to the spotting of the brown stink bugs that are common this time of year.

As I watched the ladybug crawling around for a few moments, I could not help but smile. Although it was a small thing, on a rather chilly day, this friendlier, more palpable kind of bug brought a sense of wonder and joy to me as the weather progresses toward winter where I live.

What a great way to prepare to enter the house. What a great way to prepare to enter any place for that matter. To go forth thinking… feeling… remembering the truth of what it means to be begotten by God. That is blessed!

Gifts and blessings come in packages of all types and sizes. Look for and welcome the unexpected. Receive all that each moment brings. Strive to remain faithful regardless of circumstances. Trust that what God has in store is always the best.

You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever. – Psalm 16:11

LadyBug

The Point of Letting Go…

“The jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry…” (1 Kings 17:16). Why? Because the Lord ordained it to be so.

In those days, Elijah the prophet went to Zarephath.
As he arrived at the entrance of the city,
a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her,
“Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink.”
She left to get it, and he called out after her,
“Please bring along a bit of bread.”
She answered, “As the LORD, your God, lives,
I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar
and a little oil in my jug.
Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,
to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;
when we have eaten it, we shall die.”
Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid.
Go and do as you propose.
But first make me a little cake and bring it to me.
Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son.
For the LORD, the God of Israel, says,
‘The jar of flour shall not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'”
She left and did as Elijah had said.
She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well;
the jar of flour did not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
as the LORD had foretold through Elijah.

– 1 Kings 17:10-16

God sent Elijah to the widow and her son during a period of famine. God’s plan, always, is to provide sustenance for those who are receptive to it. Oftentimes in order to receive the grace that God has in store, one must let go of something that is “other.” More often than not, it involves changing; adjusting, fine-tuning, or altogether shedding that which we may have resigned ourselves to holding onto.

Certainly, it would have been easy as well as justifiable for the widow at Zarephath to hold onto the last of her flour and oil rather than to share any portion of it with Elijah, the stranger in her midst. At first, it seems to be her intention to do just that. However, she listens to the prophet’s words and trusts the way in which they resonate with her.

Although the prophet, and the widow and her son are different, the same God leads each of them. It is in cooperation with God that they recognize this in each other, and in doing so, become one with the grace waiting to be bestowed upon them.

God calls and sends Elijah to a new place. The same God helps the widow to let go of what little she has, instead of clinging to it, and to trust that it will be enough for all… and it is.

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Tapestry…

Just a few months ago it would have been hard to imagine such a pattern or striking array of color replacing the multitude of green leaves that seemed to be all around. And while the scene seemed so rich back then, it seems even more so now. Though the leaves will be falling soon, with the addition of greater diversity, they paint a splendid picture that brings a sense of joy along with hope and promise.

It is amazing how it can be so easy to appreciate the contrast, depth, and value provided by the many differences found in and among nature. That same beauty exists in a wide array through the variety found in humanity, yet oftentimes it is not seen as such. Whether it be difference in appearance, opinion, or fact, there is always a pearl to be discovered, something of great value to be learned.

Sometimes we can work together and other times we need to work apart, going in different directions. What we end up becoming or what we feel moved to do may look very different. When it is all said and done though, like the leaves on the trees, our uniqueness brought together creates the picture that is priceless, but only when we remain rooted in the Source.

Love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength. – Deuteronomy 6:5

AutumnLeaves

In the Way…

In the end, it is usually only one thing that gets in the way, time, and time again.

Throughout chapter ten of the Gospel according to Mark, one thing after another seems to be in the way. There are the Pharisees who see Jesus as being in the way and the disciples who see the people trying to bring the children to Jesus as being in the way. Then, the rich man’s possessions are in the way and the status of the disciples is in the way (when James and John ask to sit at the right and left of Jesus). Finally, there is Bartimaeus, the blind man, seen as being in the way by many in the crowd.

So what is the one thing that in the end is really in the way?

The answer starts, like many things, back at the beginning. In the first section of chapter ten, Jesus speaks about hardness of heart. To varying degrees, whether or not we are able to see and acknowledge it, none of us has a heart that is exempt from hardness. We all have moments, where our words, actions, or inclinations can be rigid and cold rather than pliable and warm.

Throughout the Bible, there are countless times when hardness of a heart(s) in one way or another prevents choices that are in union with God and one another. It can be difficult to recognize when hardness of heart is present or starts to build. However, like Bartimaeus, whether or not we may be in the way of others, we need not be afraid to set our hearts on the Lord, and let our guard down to cry out and say, “Master, I want to see.”

Mercy

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more,
“Son of David, have pity on me.”
Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”
Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way.

– Mark 10:46-52