Tuesday 18 October 2022

I'll pause, till more's... in view.. And you?


Well, in this last week or two, two big things have happened which mean I am putting my walk through Australia on pause: one sad thing, one glad thing:


  1. my good woman has had medical issues that make life for her difficult, & after visiting a head neurosurgeon in Westmead to look at next-steps, they are less resolved, and more unknown. I think I need to hang around a bit more.


  1. our newest granddaughter was born (in Bendigo). Her parents are thriving and are starting the enormous, amazing responsibility of raising a human child (in this case a daughter), in this "dog eat dog" day within the history of the Earth which is undergoing its own "birth pangs" [as they were called by that 1st Century Rabbi, who was probably the only Jewish Rabbi to ever set his sights on seriously incorporating the "goi-im" (gentiles, non-Jews) into those who would be his loyal disciples]. We hope to visit this little bubba and her parents in a couple of weeks, for up to a week.




Despite the pausing (it has happened before), I am still hopeful that maybe, if the Eastern Australian floods subside, I will be able to continue after summer next year (2023C.E.) from St. George (Qld) where I left off. 


Who knows, I might even have a more visible support crew &/or some more journeying companions by then. Maybe. Maybe not. 


Thanks to all the friendly folk I met along the way. I'll be looking back at this blog around March of next year, and will keep you posted about any advancements. 


Was thinking of looking for useful work to contribute to our hometown of Orange, and came up with these reflections, considering an applique bed spread kept within our family, and keeping true to the principles and motives, or the culture of creative love while taking a break from walking.


Cheers, big ears!



Thursday 15 September 2022

Week Five .. of break in the walk:




A visit to our new grandson in Dubbo Monday am. Monday arvo/ evening, labour starts, back in Orange, and the couple go to the hospital around midnight. Tuesday morning with our granddaughter while her mum & dad focus on helping her baby brother come out, and be revealed to the world. 


Ended up being an emergency Cesarean Section birth around 1pm on Tuesday 13 Sept. A boy, Hamish. Mother and babe are well.

We might get to see him on Wednesday, before he is even "1 day old".


We'll see.



Yes! We did! He might have some infection in the lungs so had some IV lines in. That's when I found out they've decided to call him Hamish Paul Lewis McLean. [What an honour (like his Uncle Samuel Lewis Paul…, and his Grand-dad, and two of his grand-dad's mentors: Yeshua's ambassador Paul, & C.S.Lewis.]

Started an audio course on mindfulness, which turns out to be substantially Buddhist, yet which opened up some things I have been wondering about in a very helpful way. Creative love is no "respecter of persons" (which as I understand the phrase, means "doesn't care much about the tags people wear"), because it really is simply a "respector of persons", as baby gods, needing to learn from the only wise God, how to grow up to be in fact worthy of such an amazing title. Led to me continuing considering connections


Had the opportunity to reconsider the beauty and grace, humility and power of the message of Jesus that changed the Roman world in the First Century CE. Still relevant today?



Tuesday 13 September 2022

ways of connecting...

 



Considering my friends, met on this walk.

Some keep in touch, & some hardly reply. 

A bit like me, at different times I baulk,

at how to word things, when I'm low, or high.


The thing about a poem (or a prair*),

is somehow wings gain access to this world

of words and mechanisms, 'coz time shared

with the creative love can make folk bold.


And so, not being in control at all,

deploying conduits of creative love,

we function as an umbilical cord

within this womb-world strengthened from above,


or else beyond, somehow we're sheltered, fed;

we didn't delve designs or make the plans,

but simply benefitting, we're  not dead,

unless we do decide to join the dance,


and help some others, as we have been helped

ourselves, along the way, as things work out

according to creative love's own shelt-

er and provision, which we will not doubt


but just decide, assume, or more, "entrust"

ourselves to who is bigger, more robust,

and has authority to judge with just-

ice, since he's motivated not by lust, 


but by creative love, a higher call,

which can not be appreciated if

to join in we use some, but not our all.

Unless a God would teach me, I'm just miffed!



prair: just spelled this way to help the reader to pronounce it that way, instead of the occasional variant pray-er.


Monday 12 September 2022

Week Four of break:



Thought of some friends I met on the walk who were possibly doing it tough, of having to handle some big changes in the course of life. I could come out of isolation on Monday 5 Sept, but still had to wear a mask when near other people at home or elsewhere, so I chose to stay at my friend's house where I didn't have to wear a mask, untill Thursday morning when I was free to take of the mask unless with people of special susceptibility. Lovely to be able to move home then and have family and friends visit and visit them too, again. A friend's birthday celebration on Saturday. At my friend's place found an interesting book, that was small and seemed an easy read, and thought to ask if others wanted to read it with me. Started a bookclub with first f2f (face-to-face) meeting on Sat. 


Lovely time looking at and listening to practitioners of reality, even (or specially) when from a different background or tradition to one'self. One or two people I met on the walk are joining in. You are welcome too.

This is the book. You might enjoy reading it through with some friends,

https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/witness/reckless-way-of-love 

Free download from Plough publishing (Bruderhof, definitely NOT Catholic) , above.


Dorothy Day, a catholic activist from 40 or 50 yrs ago, focusses on 5 WAYs: The Way of 

.  faith,

.  love

.  prayer,

.  life

.  community.   


I'm proposing that we go through ONE A WEEK, starting today.

. Read it, 

. underline, 

. check with scriptures . and life in God's world,,

. discuss over a cuppa/ meal/ zoom/ or just here in this WhattsApp thread

. do what creative love opens up to us (individually, and/or together) as we 

. start the next WAY, etc


Let me know if you want to try out the WhatsApp "discussion" thread... (not sure if it will, or even can, work. The f2f(face2face) meet was amazingly good, for me.


I just put into the bookclub conversation this post:

.........................

"A thing that I appreciate about some people (like Dorothy Day) that seems like it allows us to connect across canyons, is the twin practices of 1) practising (i.e. being not a theoretician, so much as a practicioner. As a friend just put into words for me: "practise is perfect!") & 2) tuning in to the core, or spirit of things instead of being caught up in the surface or appearance of things."



Saturday 3 September 2022

Week Three of break..




In COVID 19 isolation. See last blog for more.


Some good times with friends on the phone still occurred. 


Some friends who were also COVID positive let me isolate with them in their house, to save everyone in my house, including a very pregnant mum & 1 yr old grand-daughter, from having to be an infected household that can't have guests etc. How beautiful. I felt pretty miserable the night I got here, but my wife's panadol, & their friendship, cuppas, toast, icecream, flipped that on its head. What a beautiful gift.


Some thoughts on moving forward, this week as I sit and lie down, plunging into (& hopefully recovering from) COVID 19. 


No grandson revealed to the world in Orange, by Saturday evening. …


Monday 29 August 2022

COVID?!



Got a few dry coughs last night, then more on a car trip this morning. PCR this arvo says I'm RSV negative, and Flue negative. But COVID 19 POSITIVE.


RATS!


Just working out who else in the household might have it, and where I can be isolated...




Creative love might seem to have left, but I don't believe that for one second!


Apparently, some of the most important causal elements in the world can be, for various reasons, invisible to people at any  given time, but can still be present, effective, and affective e.g. 

  • Parents to a human being en utero.

  • Our own brains (before scans were developed)

  • Friendship,  jealousy …

  • Hatred, vengeance …

  • Unconditional positive regard

  • Civic duty

  • Treason etc.


Why not the same for creative love within a Universe where adventure, and choice can occur as well? In fact that makes the most sense to me!



Some reflections on this…



Sunday 28 August 2022

Week Two of break

 

Week Two:


Then back at home with a very pregnant daughter and son-in-law (& their daughter), blessing us with their presence, as they await the birth of their new son (or brother).

Back in my old stomping ground … without my high-viz shirt/ coat on… can't stop (and don't want to, really) cogitating on what takes human life to the next level or dimension of experience. So, the pilgrimage is continuing, while I'm in a break. How good.


Some sad news about neighbours spreading gossip about their near neigbours, simply because they are trying to build a different culture to the secretive, self-satisfied, fearful culture around them. Learning from creative love to bless instead of curse, those who "despitefully use you". Learning how to bless and be a blessingfrom Yeshua and his ambassadors, who could pray for his (and their)  powerful jealous murderers, "Father, forgive them, for they don't really know what they are doing". Oh, God, i have so far to go, to grow - like that!


Tomorrow is the due date for the next grandson's birth. God's speed (which sometimes appears to humanity to be very, very slow) little one!