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My summer adventure

This spring, my local park (Parkview Park) got a grant to install a butterfly enclosure. I started visiting it almost daily.

Inside the enclosure, there is a poster showing the life cycle of Monarch butterflies.

Monarch butterfly life cycle

I enjoyed seeing these stages in real life this summer.

Here is an egg on a milkweed leaf (I hope). I had trouble finding them and sometimes wondered if it was white sap from the plant on it. So, I put them into the plastic bowl and hoped.

The next stage is a caterpillar. They start off very tiny and eat only milkweed. As time goes on, they get bigger.

Monarch butterfly caterpillars

When they are ready, they hang themselves upside down in a J shape.

Monarch butterfly caterpillars

I wanted to see a caterpillar make the chrysalis but never got to.The chrysalises started out light green and slowly developed some gold sparkles as time went by. Then, they become transparent with the butterfly visible inside.

Monarch butterfly in a transparent chrysalis.

When it got this far, I knew that I’d see a butterfly in a day or two.

Monarch butterfly awaiting release

Here is a butterfly that landed in the butterfly garden after release.

Two Monarch butterflies on flowers

The day after I attended my first release gathering, the sound of the girl saying “stretch” every time the butterfly opened its wings ran through my mind for hours at work.

Later in the summer, Lisa Salb began sticking numbered stickers to their wings. If other people find them, they can enter them online and track their path. I hope some fly to Mexico and I hear about it.

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The Lord’s Prayer for Justice

My church says the Lord’s Prayer during each of our worship services. Here is the version that I am used to.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

My pastor shared a few other versions of the prayer. One version was titled “The Lord’s Prayer for Justice.” An American nun and author named Joan Chrittister wrote it.

Our Father who art in heaven…

Remind us that you are not only in heaven but here on earth too,

In the faces of the poor, the hungry, the homeless,

And the forgotten.

Hallowed by thy name…

May the reverence we give your name

Pull us from our petty preoccupations

And focus us on your will for the world.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done…

Help us to build your kingdom here:

A kingdom of peace, justice, and mercy.

Give us this day our daily bread…

So that we may share with others

What we have received from your hand.

Forgive us our trespasses…

As we open our hearts to forgive those

Who have offended us.

Lead us not into temptation…

Especially the temptation to close our eyes

To the injustice around us.

But deliver us from evil…

For our world is fraught with darkness.

Let us be bearers of your light.

For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory,

Forever and ever. Amen.

My pastor gave us a copy of this prayer. I really like it. The first verse reminds me of the Catholic Worker Movement. I have read about Dorothy Day and Mother Theresa and loved their focus on helping the least among us. This prayer is a great guide on how I want to live my life.

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Hope Always Rises

While at Martha Merrel’s bookstore, I found a local author’s book. It was titled Hope Always Rises by Kathie Giorgio.

Hope killed herself with Zinfandel and Zoloft and awoke in heaven. She took up residence in a gated community for people who committed suicide. They have group therapy on Wednesdays. Giorgio shares her experiences in heaven and the suicide stories of the people that Hope meets.

“Hi, Hope,” he said. “I’m God. And welcome to Heaven. I’m going to sit with you for a while, until you’re ready to see where you’re living now.” (PG. 3)

This line made me cry. Offering to sit with someone is one of the best ways to respond to someone who is sad or depressed.

While I know that people don’t want to reward someone for committing suicide, I believe that God will welcome his followers even after suicide. He knows how hard it is to live in this world especially when our brains insult us or lie to us.

I dream of a heaven where I can learn new things, hear the stories of my new neighbors and explore the universe. I can’t imagine myself sitting on a cloud or golfing. I want to find an activity that makes people happy on Earth and in heaven.

What do you want to do in heaven?

Who do you want to meet in heaven?

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A lasting legacy

If you could have something named after you, what would it be?

I have a friend whose father has a medical school  named after him due to a large donation. I have always wanted to leave behind a legacy of saved lives.

I would love to have a well dug in some water deprived community with a small plaque with my name on it. Or maybe, a life saving drug that I discovered.

I want to be remembered as a world changer. Yet, my life is so ordinary that I doubt that people will remember me much after I die.

Here is a quote from The Lost Choice by Andy Andrews.

I made you different from the others.

On the planet Earth, there has never been one like…and there never will be again.

Your spirit,your thoughts and feelings, your ability to reason-all exist in no one else….

Of the multitudes who have come before you and the multitudes who may follow, not one of them duplicates the formula with which I made you. …

I made you different in order that you might make a difference.

You have been created with the ability to change the world. Every single choice you make…every single action you take…matters. But remember, the converse is also true. Every choice you do not make…every action you do not take…matters just as much! …

By your hand, millions of lives will be altered, caught up in a chain of events begun by you this very day. But, the opposite is true as well. Millions of lives are also altered, caught up in an entirely different chain of events-if you choose to weight.

You possess the power of choice. Free will. You have been given everything you need to act, but the choice is yours alone. And beginning this very moment, you will choose wisely.

Now go. And never feel inadequate again. Do not dwell on thoughts of insignificance or wander aimlessly, lost, like a sheep.

You are powerful. You matter. And you have been found

You are my choice.

Your Father

I believe that God gave us talents and passions that are unique to each individual. He wants us to discover our abilities and desires and use them to make our communities, families and work places better.

My dream is to use this blog to encourage other Christians with a mental illness. I am better at writing than talking to people.

My prayer is for you all to find your calling or vocation. A vocation is not limited to religious jobs. It can be anything that is ethical.

What do you love to do?

Where do you feel the most empathy for others?

What are you good at? If you can’t think of anything, ask a friend?

What are you doing to improve your talents and skills?

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Jill Jackson Miller: Peace

Here is a quote from Wikipedia.

In an archival interview aired on David Freudberg’s National Public Radio program Humankind, Jill Jackson talked about her background and the context of the song.

“When I attempted suicide [in 1944] and I didn’t succeed,” she said, “I knew for the first time unconditional love—which God is. You are totally loved, totally accepted, just the way you are. In that moment I was not allowed to die, and something happened to me, which is very difficult to explain. I had an eternal moment of truth, in which I knew I was loved, and I knew I was here for a purpose.”

I have not checked the accuracy of this quote but suspect it to be true because other websites mentioned her trying to commit suicide.

She wrote the song titled Let there be Peace on Earth in 1955 with her husband Seymour Miller.

Here are the lyrics.

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me
Let There Be Peace on Earth
The peace that was meant to be
With God as our Father
Brothers all are we
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With ev’ry step I take
Let this be my solemn vow
To take each moment and live
Each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.

I want to be a peacemaker but I am unsure how to do that in a nation that is as divided as ours is.

God, help me to know how to serve You, my community and fellow citizens in the midst of this chaotic world. I feel so lost and overwhelmed by the constant barrage of news. Yet, I know that You are by my side which gives me hope. Thank You for loving me. Amen.

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My new favorite place

When I lived in downtown Waukesha, my favorite place to walk, relax and exercise was Frame Park. This page is full of pictures from there.

Last month, I moved closer to the hospital. So, I was hoping to find a new favorite place. It is Woodfield Park and Ascension Lutheran Church’s memorial gardens.

Woodfield Park which is right next to the church has a fishing pond with a path around it.

Iced over pond

I am excited to see what it will look like when summer comes. Nearby is a creek.

Rocks in creek

Ascension Lutheran Church has a small pathway of their own.

Ascension Lutheran Church Memorial Gardens

The pathway is wide and easy to walk in order to make it available to all. At the end, a bench sits facing the creek.

It was very peaceful as I sat there listening to the creek gurgling and birds chirping.

Where is your favorite place?

If you don’t have one, I challenge you to wander around your neighborhood and see if you can find one.

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Quotes on learning continually

“He explained that once a person stops searching for information and knowledge, ignorance sets in. That struggle is a moment-to-moment decision–to learn to open or close one’s mind.” Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” Henry Ford

“The capacity to learn is a gift. The ability to learn is a skill. The willingness to learn is a choice.” Brian Herbert

“So when does your quest to improve yourself end? When you stop breathing. Between now and then, you should consider yourself to be an ongoing project. A work in process. Always improving. Never stagnant.” God is in the Small Stuff by by Bruce Bickel and Stan Juantz

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Isaiah 431-7

I will be reading these verses at church in about a half hour. I joke that reading the Bible at church is as close as I will ever get to being a prophet. I pray that my fellow members will take these verses to heart.

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel.”

It begins with a reminder of who God is and what He has done for us. I have noticed that God does this often when He speaks.

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by my name, you are mine.”

God changed Jacob’s name to Israel in Genesis. For us, He called us into His church. By this, I mean the universal church that includes all of the redeemed.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

This verse is often quoted on inspirational images and calendars. It reminds us that God will walk beside us in the midst of our worst trials. Yet, I can’t help but think of the California fires and the many people who have lost their homes and most of their possessions. I think they are overwhelmed with all that has happened to them. I pray that God is lavishing His loving presence on them and encouraging the people around them to help in a large variety of ways.

“I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you.”

Normally, I am cautious about applying scripture that was spoken to a specific audience to myself. However, the Bible states that God loves us  in many other areas. Jesus died for us. God loved us so much that He gave his only Son so that we may be saved and live with Him forever.

The verses continue on the promise that God would bring the Israelites back from all corners of the world.

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Prayer for people involved in California wildfires

I have been hearing about fires on the radio. I have not even watched any video (well, I did watch one but it was satellite images) or looked at pictures because the descriptions are already touching my heart. So many people have lost their homes while others desperately seek pictures of their streets. I have no idea what these people are feeling right now. But, God knows their struggles.

May God be with them in a special way. May others treat them with loving kindness and compassion.

Thank You for the first responders and many others who are fighting the fires or helping the survivors. Please protect them and guide them as they work to help others.

In the name of Jesus who loved us enough to die for us. Amen.