UU Lenten Photo Practice - Christine Organ

The following are my photos for the UU Lenten Photo Practice 2015. I don’t observe Lent in the traditional sense, but I appreciate the sense of reflection and contemplation that this time of year provides and I welcome the opportunity for an intentional and daily spiritual practice focused on “paying attention” that this provides. If you’re interested in learning more about the UU Lenten Photo Practice, click here. Or you can follow along with me here.

“What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” ― Kurt Vonnegut, "Palm Sunday: An Autobiographical Collage" Yes, this. My God, THIS! When I think of what I want most for my kids in their lifetimes, it isn't Ivy League educations or high-paying jobs or big, fancy houses. What I want for them is contentment and confidence, adventure and passion, love and friendship. I want them to find welcoming communities that foster a true sense of belonging, not a desire to fit in. And, yes, I also want a world filled with rainbows and glasses-wearing balls of sunshine. (Day 30: ‪#‎community‬) — “What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” ― Kurt Vonnegut, “Palm Sunday: An Autobiographical Collage”

Yes, this. My God, THIS! When I think of what I want most for my kids in their lifetimes, it isn’t Ivy League educations or high-paying jobs or big, fancy houses. What I want for them is contentment and confidence, adventure and passion, love and friendship. I want them to find welcoming communities that foster a true sense of belonging, not a desire to fit in. And, yes, I also want a world filled with rainbows and glasses-wearing balls of sunshine.
(Day 30: ‪#‎community‬)

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I sometimes worry that my writing is a waste of time. And then I remember this little gem: "Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~Howard Thurman Carry on with whatever makes you come alive. Carry on! (Day 29: ‪#‎passion‬) ‪#‎writing‬ — I sometimes worry that my writing is a waste of time. And then I remember this little gem:
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~Howard Thurman
Carry on with whatever makes you come alive. Carry on!
(Day 29: ‪#‎passion‬) ‪#‎writing‬

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"Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift." -- Kate DiCamillo (Day 28: ‪#‎Duty‬) — “Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.” — Kate DiCamillo
(Day 28: ‪#‎Duty‬)

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"And good neighbors make a huge difference in the quality of life. I agree." ― Robert Fulghum (Day 27: Neighbors) — “And good neighbors make a huge difference in the quality of life. I agree.” ― Robert Fulghum
(Day 27: Neighbors)

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"Active Hope is a practice. Like tai chi or gardening, it is something we do rather than have." -- Joanna Macy (from today's church program) (Day 26: ‪#‎Hope‬) — “Active Hope is a practice. Like tai chi or gardening, it is something we do rather than have.” — Joanna Macy (from today’s church program)
(Day 26: ‪#‎Hope‬)

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Getting a little help from the boys with today's word: MERCY. "The world will give you that once in awhile; a brief timeout; the boxing bell rings and you go to your corner, where somebody dabs mercy on your beat-up life." -- Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees (one of my all-time favorite books) (Day 25: ‪#‎mercy‬) — “The world will give you that once in awhile; a brief timeout; the boxing bell rings and you go to your corner, where somebody dabs mercy on your beat-up life.” — Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees (one of my all-time favorite books)

Getting a little help from the boys with today’s word: MERCY. (Day 25: ‪#‎mercy‬)

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"The miracle is this: the more we share, the more we have." -- Leonard Nimoy I have realized that oftentimes the word "share" is used to mean a division of something. I tell my kids to share their toys, to share the last cookie, and most recently to share a bedroom. We might share the blankets at night or share an office during the day or share a cab to get where we need to go. And in each of these instances, the sharing seems to imply a division, with each share-er somehow getting less than the whole. But what about sharing as the great MULTIPLIER? What if when we share, we actually get more? We can share dreams and smiles and love. We can share homes and lives and families. We can share hopes and fears and friendship. We can share good books and cups of coffee and bottles of wine. Sharing anything - whether a bedroom, the last piece of pie, a favorite toy, or a life - is not without its discomforts, of course. But maybe, with a generous heart and a little patience, sharing always builds up, multiplies, creates more.(Day 24: Share) Christine Organ Like · · Share · 1811 Christine Organ March 4 at 8:25am · Edited · I'm skyping into a friend's classroom today to read my favorite children's book to her students as part of ‪#‎WorldReadAloudDay‬. The big question is: Which book will not make me teary when I read it? Since just about all of my favorites get me teary. "The Giving Tree" is definitely out of the question. Sobbing. "Oh, the Places You Will Go" is also out. "Ferdinand the Bull" is questionable. One of my faves, but it has a high tear potential. I think I'm going to go with "The Letter" from the Frog and Toad series. Please tell me I'm not the only one who gets choked up reading kids' books. 441 people reached Christine Organ Like · · Share · 136 Christine Organ March 3 at 6:16pm · It isn't often that I use the word "self-flagellation" in a blog post. But here you go. NEW POST on busyness and productivity and what it means to be "enough." "For some reason, doing something for the sake of doing it, for the pleasure or satisfaction that it brings, doesn’t seem like enough anymore. It’s not enough to write a blog post; it needs to get a response, preferably in the form of hundreds of likes and comments and shares. It wasn’t enough to write and publish a bo... See More One Extra Hour And this results-driven, comparison-heavy, outsider-looking-in attitude isn’t just a writing thing, either; it’s become a lifestyle thing. In my mind, busyness equals value and productive equals worth. christineorgan.com|By Christie 254 people reached Christine Organ Like · — “The miracle is this: the more we share, the more we have.”
— Leonard Nimoy

I have realized that oftentimes the word “share” is used to mean a division of something. I tell my kids to share their toys, to share the last cookie, and most recently to share a bedroom. We might share the blankets at night or share an office during the day or share a cab to get where we need to go. And in each of these instances, the sharing seems to imply a division, with each share-er somehow getting less than the whole.
But what about sharing as the great MULTIPLIER? What if when we share, we actually get more? We can share dreams and smiles and love. We can share homes and lives and families. We can share hopes and fears and friendship. We can share good books and cups of coffee and bottles of wine.
Sharing anything – whether a bedroom, the last piece of pie, a favorite toy, or a life – is not without its discomforts, of course. But maybe, with a generous heart and a little patience, sharing always builds up, multiplies, creates more.(Day 24: Share)

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Play ball!! A little before-school batting practice. (Day 23: ‪#‎play‬) — Play ball!!
A little before-school batting practice.
(Day 23: ‪#‎play‬)

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“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.” — Joseph Campbell Candles + writing + quiet house (+ Yoda?) = my sacred space, where I find myself. (Day 22: ‪#‎sacred‬) — “Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.”
— Joseph Campbell

Candles + writing + quiet house (+ Yoda?) = my sacred space, where I find myself.
(Day 22: ‪#‎sacred‬)

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"Things do not change; we change." --Henry David Thoreau Lots of people talk about their childhood dreams and say things like "I always knew I wanted to be a writer/teacher/lawyer/photographer/painter/etc." Well, not me. Not in a million years, did I ever think that I would be a writer. Not for one second. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would write a book. I didn't even keep a journal, for heavens sake! Isn't a journal the prerequisite for every writer? As a little girl, I thought I was going to be a teacher and live at home forever and raise horses in my parents' (not big) backyard. But people change. I also never thought I would have pink streaks in my hair, like I did for a short period of time. I never thought I would have as many tattoos as I have. I never thought I would own a lizard. I never thought I would be so happy to go to bed at 8:00 on a Friday night. I never thought I would drink coffee, let alone a pot a day. In some ways, I have changed so much that I hardly recognize my younger self. But people change. We change. (Day 21: ‪#‎Change‬) — “Things do not change; we change.”
–Henry David Thoreau

Lots of people talk about their childhood dreams and say things like “I always knew I wanted to be a writer/teacher/lawyer/photographer/painter/etc.” Well, not me.
Not in a million years, did I ever think that I would be a writer. Not for one second. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would write a book. I didn’t even keep a journal, for heavens sake! Isn’t a journal the prerequisite for every writer? As a little girl, I thought I was going to be a teacher and live at home forever and raise horses in my parents’ (not big) backyard.
But people change.
I also never thought I would have pink streaks in my hair, like I did for a short period of time. I never thought I would have as many tattoos as I have. I never thought I would own a lizard. I never thought I would be so happy to go to bed at 8:00 on a Friday night. I never thought I would drink coffee, let alone a pot a day. In some ways, I have changed so much that I hardly recognize my younger self.
But people change. We change.
(Day 21: ‪#‎Change‬)

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Lego Master (with some help) Day 20: ‪#‎imagination‬ — Lego Master (with some help)
Day 20: ‪#‎imagination‬

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"If every moment is sacred, and If you are amazed and in awe most of the time when you find yourself breathing and not crazy, then you are in a state of constant thankfulness, worship and humility." -- Bernice Johnson Reagon Creating a little corner of reverence at home with some of the things that we picked up at our church's Art Faire a few weeks ago...a chalice that Jackson' class made and a ceramic LOVE ornament that Teddy picked out. I especially like the fact that out of all the other options, Teddy chose the ornament that is a little broken. (Day 19: ‪#‎worship‬) Countryside Church Unitarian Universalist — “If every moment is sacred, and If you are amazed and in awe most of the time when you find yourself breathing and not crazy, then you are in a state of constant thankfulness, worship and humility.” — Bernice Johnson Reagon

Creating a little corner of reverence at home with some of the things that we picked up at our church’s Art Faire a few weeks ago…a chalice that Jackson’ class made and a ceramic LOVE ornament that Teddy picked out. I especially like the fact that out of all the other options, Teddy chose the ornament that is a little broken.
(Day 19: ‪#‎worship‬)

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"We all have a hungry heart, and one of the things we hunger for is happiness." -- Mary Oliver And cookie dough. Then again, cookie dough is pretty much little balls of happiness. (Day 18: ‪#‎Hunger‬) — “We all have a hungry heart, and one of the things we hunger for is happiness.” — Mary Oliver

And cookie dough. Then again, cookie dough is pretty much little balls of happiness.
(Day 18: ‪#‎Hunger‬)

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Joy is seeing that the people you love are happy, doing what they enjoy with people they enjoy. "Joy is not in things; it is in us." -- Richard Wagner (Day 17: ‪#‎Joy‬) — “Joy is not in things; it is in us.” — Richard Wagner

Joy is seeing that the people you love are happy, doing what they enjoy with people they enjoy.
(Day 17: ‪#‎Joy‬)

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What do YOU see? "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." -- Henry David Thoreau (Day 16: ‪#‎see‬) — “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” — Henry David Thoreau

What do YOU see? (Day 16: ‪#‎see‬)

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Tomorrow. Again tomorrow. "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometime courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow." -- Mary Anne Radmacher (Day 15: ‪#‎courage‬) — “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometime courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” — Mary Anne Radmacher

Tomorrow. Again tomorrow. (Day 15: ‪#‎courage‬)

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Talking to a group of 2nd graders about reading and writing. Few things capture the meaning of wonder like a group of curious and eager kids. (Day 14: Wonder) — Skyping into a 2nd grade classroom to talk about reading and writing. Few things capture the meaning of wonder like a group of curious and eager kids. (Day 14: Wonder)

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Connection = Togetherness. Yes. Of course. Togetherness is the very foundation of connection, I think. But real connection becomes that much stronger when that sense of togetherness is EXPRESSED. Connection sometimes comes in tiniest packages, the smallest gestures, and the briefest of moments. (Day 13: Connection)

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"It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibrations you have radiated in life that matters..." -- Amit Ray So many positive vibrations from this lovely lady in her 85 years. (Day 12: Purpose) — “It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibrations you have radiated in life that matters…” — Amit Ray

So many positive vibrations from this lovely lady in her 85 years. (Day 12: Purpose)

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I’m reading all about Cheryl Strayed’s struggles (both on the PCT and before her adventure) in “Wild” right now. This much is quite clear: I am a big wimp. (Day 11: Struggle)

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I have an odd relationship with this thing right here, my computer. But if you’re really lucky some of that kindness in the “online” world seeps into your “IRL” world. (Day 10: Kindness)

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