#AdventWord #Obedience

                                       The #cross entrusted to me when I was admitted to The Order of The Daughters of The King back in August 

Today's word is Obedience. 

As someone who was a hell-raiser and rule-breaker for most of my life, this word is an odd one for me to appreciate. 

One of the blessings with ageing is that one really starts to lean into a more mature, settled life. And one's faith journey usually reflects what happens in one's biography. 

 For those who want to know exactly what The Order of the Daughters of the King is, here is their Web site for more detailed information on our Order. 

https://www.doknational.org/default.aspx

Membership is open to woman and girls in the Episcopal, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Christian traditions.  In a nutshell, here is what we are about. We are an Order, NOT an organization. 

Order vs. Organization

A Christian order is a community of men or women living under a religious rule. Because Daughters of the King accept a Rule of Life, we define ourselves as an order, not an organization. Our community is found primarily in our local chapters, but it extends around the world.

We don’t just enroll as members and attend meetings. After a three-month period of study and discernment, each new member takes vows to uphold the two Rules of The Order, the Rule of Prayer and the Rule of Service. { source DOK National Website }

As a Daughter, I took solemn vows in front of my priests, our congregation, and other Daughters to do my best to follow my Rule of Life, the Order's Rule of Prayer and Rule of Service. 

The cross I wear daily{and is worn by every other active Daughter around the world} reminds me that I took vows that need to be obeyed. Do I mess up in totally fulfilling my Rule of Life every day. No! I'll be the first to tell you that some days it is impossible for me to obey the tenants of my vows.

We cannot do all things. And we cannot do more than we can at any moment. God knows this, and God loves us anyway. 

Praying is hard on some days. I pray every day-- often several times per day. As I've matured I realized that most of the sincere praying I do does not employ words. 

Regarding service to others, I am grateful that my chapter is full of wise, faithful servants who show me daily how to put others' first. 

What I can do, I ought to do. What I ought to do, by the grace of God I will do.

~ parts of The Motto of The Order

Daughters { a.k.a DOK} are called to both pray for/with our priests and help them with whatever they might need. This also means { at least to me} that we trust our priests especially when we might not agree with a decision they might make for the parish. 

Again, we are called to obey our clergy and to trust in their pastoral and administrative wisdom. 

I am thankful for The Order of The Daughters of the King, especially my chapter. I'm grateful for the life of prayer, service and evangelism that my vows lead me towards every day. 

I'm thankful that my vows as a " DOK" came at a time when I was open and ready to think about obedience as part of a faith-full Christian Walk. 

Amen

Sarah Beth McCarren 

Advent 4 2022

 

Piano Playing As Contemplation

                                      My Facebook contacts are probably sick of this photo. But to me it is more than a practice area {our house is too small for a " music room"}, it is a place where I can find peace. Photo by me. 

I'm middle-aged and deal with challenges associated with a birth injury. I was delivered with forceps, a tool they used in the 1970's for ' assisted birth'. Rather order an emergency C-section, the doctors used what look like huge kitchen tongs to pull Newborn Sarah headfirst into the world. 

 Seriously, who decided that pulling a newborn from its mother's body with damn kitchen tongs was safe? 

 I'm one of the more fortunate people who were pulled into the world in this manner, but my birth left me with some deficiencies. 

 I cannot safely ride a bicycle.

Nor can I safely drive, as my right and left feet do not cooperate in a safe way on the floor pedals {and I really do not want to talk about the occupational therapist's report after they did their best to help me drive.} I want to drive, I physically cannot. 

 Learning to type in high school was hellish. Thankfully, I devised my own weird system for typing. It isn't what Mrs. C unsuccessfully tried to make me learn, but I can type. 

At the age of " approaching 50 in a few years" I am learning to play the piano.  

 For this opportunity I am blessed. 

As a clumsy child, I'd always wished for piano lessons.  Sadly, my physical challenges made teachers and other adults in my life mark me as not musically inclined. 

I did sing in choirs from first grade until now, and that experience provided me with a very basic understanding of music theory. I'm starting with the basics of piano, hand placement, finding notes, and running through simple exercises that help me both learn notation and work out the brain-hands pathway. 

The physical aspects of learning piano do not come easy for me. My fingers sometimes slip and play the wrong note. Rather than get frustrated because I made a mistake, I play the same measure again-- slower and with intention. 

All of us could slow down and be intentional for half an hour each day. Piano practice teaches me to really slow down and be present in the moment. 

I've discovered that playing the piano puts me into a contemplative mindset. When I focus on playing music-- playing music for music's sake-- my brain concentrates on the task at hand and leaves all the inner noise outside. At practice-- it is just myself, the music and my Creator. It is a lovely gift that I give to myself every morning. As an added bonus, my electric keyboard has headphones, so Brian does not listen to my mistakes. 

I've no delusions about being a great pianist. Oddly enough, removing that pressure to be " the best" at music leaves room for me to enjoy the learning process. 

At midlife I am learning something that I have wanted to learn. 

I'm finding a contemplative peace in the process. 

I'm doing something people told me I could never do. 

I am making music. 

Sarah Beth:1 Doubters:0 

Namaste....

Sarah Beth McCarren 

12/16/22

Advent 4
 

#AdventWord #Rain

Today's #AdventWord is #Rain. 

Rain is necessary. But to be honest, due to some skeletal problems and some PTSD from surviving a major named storm, I am not a fan of rain. Pressure systems that usually bring rain make my nerve pain worse, and big rains trigger memories of IVAN. 

I do not like rain. 

Yet without rain, Earth could not sustain life. 

Rain is essential. 

As much as I really dislike rain, I am thankful that there is plenty of rain {relatively speaking} where I live. Much of the world suffers from inadequate rainfall, and the results are horrible. 

Creator God, I thank You for rain . I also thank You that I have a safe home in which to stay dry. My prayer is that the parts of the world that are suffering droughts now may see more rain in 2023. 

In Jesus Name... Amen 

Sarah Beth McCarren 
 

#AdventWord #Make

                                             A selfie of my left hand playing some exercises on the keyboard. 

 Today's Advent Word is #Make . 

I started a new adventure in this Liturgical New Years. On Tuesday afternoon I had my first piano lesson as an adult. I'd tried to play the piano as a child-- but that endeavor lasted briefly due to the fact that I'm terrible with fine motor skills. A traumatic brain injury I sustained at birth left me with two halves {hemispheres} of my brain that do not like to " talk" to one another. 

 I've managed to work with my limitations, but there are some parts of life that I simply cannot do with my stubborn brain hemispheres that do not like each other much.  

My piano teacher specializes in helping students who, like me, can benefit physically from playing the piano. The goal for me to be a top-notch pianist-- that just is not literally how I am wired.  But #making music for the sake of healing, and for the making of making beautiful music {no matter how simple} because to do so brings joy. 

I had always wanted to play the piano but felt for 40 years that would never happen due to my brain difference. At age 46, I AM learning to play the piano-- and feeling comfortable with the fact that I will never be good. I'm making music that will help connect some neurons and bring joy to my soul. 

We humans are designed to be co-creators with our Creator. Our brains-- and our souls-- yearn to create beauty. Art is not just for the most gifted among us.  This is why I am such a huge supporter of arts in education-- we are created to create.  People, and especially young people whose brains are still developing, need time, space and places to make art.

Art, including visual, and performance arts, is essential. 

Making art connects us to ourselves, our communities, and our Creator. 

Amen. 

Sarah Beth McCarren