Smuggling Grace

Two Scenes:

Last month, a friend had a major repair issue with his apartment, so he and his dog stayed with me for about three weeks. It was fun to have a pupper in the house. And this dog isn’t just any dog. He’s my favorite pup in the whole world. I enjoyed playing with him and receiving snuggles.

Early in his time here, I was going to let him out, and before I could open the screen door, he just ran into it headlong and bounced back, confused. I mean, he could see outside — what the heck! Poor, buddy. Then for the rest of the time at the house, he had a hard time believing he could walk through the fully open threshold once I did open the screen door. It was super cute. Sometimes, we had to show that our hand could move through the open area, and a few times, we had to step through to coax him. He would walk to the door hesitantly, then start to move through, then hop through the open area so pleased with himself. He did it!

Months before, in June, I went to open my mailbox, a task I do six days a week. And to my great shock, BABY ORB WEAVER SPIDERS fell out. And even more mysterious, they were DEAD. Again, I say, what the heck!

It’s been 4 months since this happened, and still, every day, I open the mailbox so hesitantly. Some part of me still expects the Nopelings.

Touche, pupper friend. I get it.

–Renee Roederer

I was present at a church service yesterday as a guest preacher, and when it came time for the Moment with Children, no children were present. I was not leading this section, but someone had prepared a lesson, so she decided to direct it toward the entire church of adults. And this sweet thing happened. Folks from the choir didn’t want her to feel alone at the bottom of the chancel, so they said, “We’re going!” This group of Boomers sat on the floor around her while she read a book.

It was a darling, funny book, and it had a great message for adults too. It was certainly a more creative sermon than my own.

So today, whatever your age, I would like to present, “The Day the Crayons Quit” by Drew Daywalt.

This weekend, I’ve had the pleasure of being a tour guide. My Mom is in town. Typically, I go visit her, but this weekend, she has visited me. It has given me the chance to show off landmarks, neighborhoods, restaurants, and of course, nature. She couldn’t have picked a better time to come. We are in the peak color week for autumn leaves, and we’ve received a warm front that has led to temperatures in the 70s. Perfection.

The day before she came, a friend sent me this image (above) from @daytohaveaday. “I’m a Wowist!” My friend saw this and thought, “That’s Renee,” which is very sweet.

While walking around outside, I’ve watched my Mom be the same. She, too, is a Wowist. My Mom is a noticer, and occasionally, this has led to me discovering details I didn’t notice were there. I’m often a person to be taken in my a flower, perhaps one that others are passing by, but my Mom noticed things on buildings I’ve walked right by many times.

I noticed that that my Wowist tendencies are in part, a through line from her. And that was a lovely thing to notice.

–Renee Roederer

— Photos by Renee Roederer

Perfect plantation for better growth 🌵 pic.twitter.com/2tzw2zJaS6

— Life Wisdom Wealth (@LifeWisdomWealt) September 27, 2022

Birds are fed by their parents in their infancy. When the time comes to feed themselves, there can be some confusion when the food does not go into their mouth by itself. pic.twitter.com/8kDa1hhRgb

— Fascinating (@fasc1nate) October 18, 2022

I wrote about Mr. Rogers yesterday and his central theme of honoring the unique value of each person. I also shared that post — Your Being You — on Facebook, and I noticed that people of so many different political persuasions liked that post.

It’s almost as if human dignity and worth brings us together.

This might need to be the place of our connection. And it might also need to be the value we hold onto most firmly when anyone begins to argue otherwise.

–Renee Roederer

Mr. Rogers used to finish every episode of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood in the same way:

“You make each day a special day. You know how, by just your being you. There’s only one person in this whole world like you.”

This was a daily mantra for kids to internalize, and I think that the word ‘your’ must have been intentional. Because it would be far less clunky to say,

“You make each day special. You know how, by just being you. There’s only one person in this whole world like you.”

But he chose to say, “By just your being you.”

I think he meant for us to feel a connection to this experience of being ourselves — that our uniqueness was ours, and something to marvel about, take in, internalize, and own.

–Renee Roederer

Just a little more than a week ago, I wrote a piece on this blog, entitled, Forest Bathing. I shared about my experience walking around the Scio Woods Preserve in Michigan and what it is like to be surrounded by trees with all their life-giving connections. I also shared a photo (above) of their green leaves.

I went back yesterday, and those trees are vibrant with varieties of color.

Things can change quickly.

I found myself reflecting on this. Sometimes, we feel this in our bodies too, including in painful ways. Ever feel like you’re just waiting for the next shoe to drop? We’ve all been there.

But also, what about the rapid, beautiful changes? Those happen too. Maybe waiting to put the next shoe on? Sometimes, we are also astounded my turnarounds, new opportunities, expressions of beauty, or a sense of being brought back to the core goodness of things. This can be true in experiences, in relationships, in living.

Things can change quickly.

–Renee Roederer