Laurie Klein, Scribe

immerse in God, emerge refreshed

Sometimes We Need to Dwell on the Ledge

by 10 Chiming In

Dwell . . . on the LEDGE? That can’t be right.

I want off!

Worry has me on robo-call.

It knows my address.

What am I dwelling on? Upcoming (and unnerving) opportunities to present my book, House of 49 Doors: Entries in a Life. How do I “rest in the Lord” while also braving the little dog-and-pony show (read, generating publicity), which authors must face?

The learning curve feels like Everest! There’s a lot one can DO to promote a new title.

And I have questions: First, there’s this:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord” (Col. 3:23) …

BUT ALSO, THIS …

“God said, ‘This is the resting place, let the weary rest’ [as in, simply be] …
BUT they would not listen.
So then, the word of the LORD to them will become: ‘Do and do and do, here a little, there a little . . . ’” (Is. 28:12, 13).

Even more alarming, Isaiah’s warning continues, declaring those who refuse to rest will be “broken, ensnared, and captured by enemies.”

Do. Be. Two verbs. A dynamic duo. Like Martha and Mary of old, we alternate between them.

For me, lurching between these differing energies rekindles that foot-buzz friction point while engaging the clutch during driver’s ed.

What’s a person to do?

Homonyms to the rescue!

Rainlight

Did you know “dew” is also a verb? Fleeting, organic, refreshing — natural condensation (morning and evening) bejewels, or “dews,” everything in its path. Magnifying what’s real. Reflecting the light.

Dew beads on fallen leaf on my path

Sometimes, we need to dwell on the ledge. For a while. Next time I rev up to DO something, I’m going to picture tranquil, shimmering dew.

Meanwhile, I came up with this — D.W.E.L.L. — (acrostic self-talk) — to help me rest in God’s presence. With each slow inhale and exhale I silently hold in mind the following word(s) or syllable(s). Then I repeat, as needed.

Dwell on the Ledge:

Deep … breath  /  Deeper … still

Wait … now   /  Re- … fill

Em … brace   /  each ex- … hale

Let … go  /  Let … God lead

Love … is all!

Friends, what eases YOU on (or off ) the ledge?

Thank you for your prayers and thank you to those who ordered a book. Should you feel in-Kleined, a (sentence-or-two) reader review on Amazon would be of great help in getting word out about the book.

May I read you some of it? . . . See opportunities below:

Dwell on the ledge ... make it a party!

Boot on ledge: Photo by Arūnas Naujokas on Unsplash

Confetti: erik-brolin-sp7ir7Xrs9U-unsplash

Klein photo: leaf with dew

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Benediction in Blue

by 15 Chiming In

Just like that, I am swept
into the bluebird’s orbit,
captivated by color
that suggests fibers
raveled from heaven’s hem.

It feels like a benediction. Memory leaps to internalize this feathered streak that signals spring.

In response, I drape a shawl the changing colors of sky around my shoulders and throat. Even sing a little, heart lifting. The moment feels Oz-like—minus any pressure to soar over somewhere’s elusive rainbow.

My mother knit the shawl lavishly; I enwrap myself, twice. When events sap my spirits, when someone I’ve trusted fails someone I love, when anxiety rises, I envelop myself in the blues that love wrought.

Is it misguided to reach for peace through a tangible semblance of nature’s garments?

. . . blue of the sea or distant hills
. . . skeins of mist, overhanging a pond
. . . quirky nests strewn with blue plastic foraged by Satin Bowerbirds

In his sermon on the mount, Jesus urged us to notice the birds in his father’s care, reminding us worry takes us nowhere.

Benediction in Blue

So, is donning the shawl a small act of faith? I hope I’m expressing wonder over the bluebird; I also wonder if I’m just playing dress up.

Or worse, giving in to a gimmick: Accessorize, to distract the mind and resist dismay.

When I read about the dusk-to-dawn eyesight of deer, who perceive blue 20 times better than we do, wonder reclaims me.

“It is an amazing thing,”
a Puritan wrote, addressing God,
“to see that thy many gifts and creatures
are but thy hands taking hold of me.”

Through the natural world the Infinite downsizes and then distills itself. It beckons us closer, inviting personal contact. Enfolding us.

Perhaps our response resizes the wild to suit our domestic realm. Human hands seek things scaled to their grasp—like the bent-over woman who reached for the Savior’s hem, then rose, standing erect for the first time in years, arrayed in wholeness.

A robe, a shawl, a bluebird — perhaps these are placeholders: stand-ins, until the next occasion we sense God’s touch.

“Existence has greater depths of beauty, mystery, and benediction than the wildest visionary has ever dared to dream.” 
—Frederick Buechner, The Magnificent Defeat

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Have you experienced a nature-based benediction you might consider sharing here?

You might also enjoy this: Blues Apprentice: True-blue Confessions

Photo: Photo by Noah Rosenfield on Unsplash

First quote from In The Valley of Vision