Photos of flowers at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.
-Photos by Renee Roederer
The Joy of What We’re For. ..
Yesterday, I was driving and listening to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and I was reminded of this story again. Enjoy!
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve found myself listening to the 4th Movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony almost every day. I had the wonderful occasion to sing it recently with the UMS Choral Union and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and I reflected upon that incredible experience on this blog. But I’m nowhere near tired of this work. Musically and emotionally, it’s a masterpiece.
And I realize that it draws me back almost daily because of its obvious subject matter: JOY.
Each day, I seem to get some new joy from it — a hope, a feeling, a dream, a memory. A few days ago, a vivid memory popped in my mind while listening. I had not thought of it for many years, but there it was, so clear and wonderful. It was an embodiment of joy. All these years later, it reminds me of something important.
When I was 17 years old, I…
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Making Some Good Memories
A friend and I took a walk, and we asked ourselves these questions:
— Is there anything this summer that we’ve really wanted to do, but we haven’t done it yet, and actually could?
— What will stand out as one of the best memories of this summer so far?
Goodness knows, there’s been a lot of collective stress this summer. Why not also prioritize these too?
–Renee Roederer
Cheap Gas Kinship
In my town, one gas station is consistently much cheaper than the rest. It ebbs and flows like all the others, but relative to the others, it’s always much cheaper.
Last night, I stopped by to fill up my car. I went inside and paid with cash so it would be 10 cents cheaper than the debit/credit option. After filling up, I had to go back inside once more for change because my car didn’t need as much as I paid. Some others around me did the same.
And when we walked back to our respective cars, we were all rejoicing and cheering for ourselves, as if we had been so clever and won a game. We scored gas under $4! There was an instant kinship. Team Petrol Savings.
–Renee Roederer
That Idea You Have
Yesterday, someone told me, “When Christine Blasey Ford testified, that just fired me up. I made a sign in protest, and I went and stood in front of the Lansing Capitol. A lot of people honked in support.”
For some reason, I really needed to hear that little story. Did that action keep Brett Kavanaugh from being confirmed on the Supreme Court? No, it didn’t. But did it matter? Yes.
Did it let people know that they themselves were being supported? Yes.
Does that matter? Yes.
Did it let officials know that they are being watched? Yes.
Does that matter? Yes.
Did it allow someone to express their emotions and resonate with what was happening? Yes.
Does that matter? Yes.
Did perhaps inspire someone else to take action or tell their story? Probably.
Does that matter? Yes.
Act on that idea you have. It matters.
–Renee Roederer
A Reminder
“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”
-Fred Rogers
“It’s Not Stealing My Joy”
A mentor of mine often says this:
“It’s not stealing my joy!”
Whatever the it may be, it certainly could steal joy.
He’s been through many difficult hardships over the span of his life — personally, interpersonally, and socially across the decades. He doesn’t sugar coat any of them. He’d also tell you that he’s had many great gifts and blessings alongside them all.
But this statement of his — “It’s not stealing my joy!” — is about daily delights. It seems he doesn’t want to give an inch of his joy to anything or anyone who would harm or oppress.
I know that for many people, this is much easier said than felt, especially when we’re in the thick of it. All of the other feelings are valid, of course, and he feels those too. And there are days, and maybe even months or years, where we can’t easily flick the switch and turn on joy.
But I so appreciate this perspective and this posture toward living.
“It’s not stealing my joy!”
–Renee Roederer
Today in Nature
My Weird, On Brand Welcome Wagon
I took the elevator up 20 floors, stepped out, and opened the door to the AirBnb where a friend and I would be staying for the next two days. Our host greeted us as he walked toward the door from the kitchen.
“Hi! Glad you’re here,” he said.
“Thanks,” I replied. “Welcome!”
Wait, what? Did I just say, “Welcome,” to our host inside his own apartment? Yes, I did. So weird.
I was embarrassed and laughed. “Why did I say that to you?” We all laughed.
I like the Enneagram. It’s a personality profile that types people according to their primary motivations. In addition to the 9 primary types, there are subtypes too. My subtype is called “The Host.”
So I guess I just went on autopilot. Or my mirror neurons did something strange right as he was welcoming us. Either way, that was a weird, on brand welcome wagon moment from me.
–Renee Roederer
Culmination
While riding a train, Jacob Collier’s rendition of “Here Comes the Sun” emerged as I pushed the shuffle button in my Spotify library. I was close to arriving at home.
“I want less striving,” I thought to myself while listening. “And more resting.”
And I realized that I mean something deeper than getting more sleep, recreation, and unstructured time — though absolutely, yes to all of those. Here Comes the Sun… There’s a sense of relief in the lyrics and the music. Here it comes… Finally.
I want to rest in a sense of culmination. Yes, deep rest and relief into the knowledge that goodness is emerging from all of the previous working, yearning, hoping, building, and dreaming. Even as there are challenges — and so much of it heaped onto us in these days –aren’t the many goodnesses among us and around us culminations of these?
I want that rest. I want those culminations.
–Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 