Tag: nature

Posted in Family, Faith and Fitness

Look Beyond Yourself…

Posted on by Lucretia Cahill

Lenten Reflections #40 – HAPPY EASTER!

Yesterday at Holy Saturday mass, Monsignor spoke to the newly baptized and confirmed and urged them to Look Beyond. Look beyond the bread they eat and the wine they drink. Look beyond themselves and toward God.

Growing up in New Mexico surrounded by long vistas gave me a powerful perspective on what lies beyond my own reflection. Mountains stood majestically, and the 360-degree view of beautiful, unrestricted space was like knowing a pinky swear secret about how things are so much bigger and grander than us.

When I moved to Washington, DC, my environmental views narrowed, and I could only see what was right in front of me. Fellow staffers, government buildings, and marble floors dominated the space. However, when I peered over the desk, struck up a conversation with the person next to me on the metro, and took in all the history around me as I ran through the city, I developed a new, internal long view of life. In DC, the beauty of the city lies in the people- the diversity in languages, culture, food, religion, and perspectives.

Naturally, neither view was better than the other; both inspired me to see the potential positive mark I can make on the world.

What I learned:

Now that Lent has come to a close, it is the perfect time to move beyond any confines you have and open your eyes to the vista ahead. Avert your gaze from the monotony and look around you; tell the old woman at the ice cream shop that you love her dress, get up early to see the sunrise, and marvel at the moon.

Sometimes, it’s easy to find your vision by simply looking up… seek the light and move toward it. I’ve heard that if you capture bees in the bottom of a lidless Mason jar, they will find themselves trapped, bumping into the walls because they don’t look up to find the light that will lead them to freedom. I pray we all discover our perfect vistas, filled with light that helps us look beyond…

Here’s to Another Good Day.

Thanks for joining me,

Lucretia

Posted in Family, Faith and Fitness

We lost a lizard…

Posted on by Lucretia Cahill

40 Reflections – #8: 40 days of raw recollections during the Lenten Season

THROWBACK THURSDAY!

Today we lost a lizard.

We’re taking care of our neighbor’s pets and somehow, the lid of the terrarium came off, and this morning the gecko was gone. We looked in all the dark places we thought he would hide. Behind the curtains, along the molding, under beds. But the little guy just wouldn’t show his face, plus the cats weren’t talking (suspicious), so we had to stop looking for the moment.

That’s the challenge with anything…the moment you realize you have no control over a situation. If a dog is lost there are signs to post, and numbers to call, but a lizard is a lone warrior. He has to be strong, stealthy, and smart in that little body with no one to hold a leash or place a chip inside. We paused our search and prayed to St. Anthony to help us find the lizard and of course St. Francis. After all, whether someone’s pet is a three-inch gecko or a 150-pound Great Dane, it still brings joy and unconditional love to our lives.

As I pushed aside socks under the bed looking for this little guy, I thought about the days when all we wanted to do was climb into the quietest, sun-filled spot in our world and just sit. Free from the buzz of the phone, the worry in our hearts, and the stress each day potentially brings. Perhaps that’s what our gecko friend is doing now.

Tomorrow we’ll look again. Up on ceilings, under couches, and on window sills. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll be back home – after all, home should always be the safe place we share with those we love. Faith always leads us home.

What I learned – 2025 Update:

Faith almost always leads us home, but not with this lizard.

Please pray for the Pope and pray to St. Francis for all the lost pets and their owners searching for them.

Thanks for joining me,

Lucretia

Posted in Family, Faith and Fitness

Empty nest, empty yard

Posted on by Lucretia Cahill

Hanging onto the memories

Lenten Reflections #4 – Raw recollections during the Lenten Season

While weeding in the yard today I walked over to our kid-size picnic table, purchased at a yard sale years ago. We had just moved from DC to Georgia and the little gem was the perfect addition to our new yard. Blue paint on the table peeked through the two layers of a glossy red shade we used to cover it over the years. It sat there tired as an old oak tree – enduring, yet vulnerable to heat and the many visitors who had rested on its wood. It needed some love, so plank by plank, I scraped off the old paint and tightened all of the rusty screws. I thought back to the sunny lunches at the table with the kids, the obstacle courses they’d create jumping over the table to the finish line. Easter eggs were found tucked in a bottom corner, our dogs slept in its shade, and freshly carved pumpkins perched on it every Halloween. Our own version of the Giving Tree. I brushed it off, convincing myself I’d get back to its restoration sooner than later. It held a zillion memories and I felt like just maybe I could preserve them with some sandpaper and more paint.

The sun was setting so we took the dogs for a walk. On the way, we stopped to visit with a few neighbors who were out piddling in their yards. Around the corner was “the big candy house” duly named because the sweet couple always gave the kids full-size candy bars on Halloween. We chatted with the dad about a few trees he had to have taken down. “They were childhood trees,” he said. The kids even named one Blossom, it stood right there. He swept his arm toward an empty spot in the yard as if he were painting a quick replica of Blossom in his mind. He continued, “But, we had to take it down, then came the basketball hoop. It was sad, but, it was time.” He stood a little taller, “Well, we’re all getting older, so it’s okay. It’s what happens”. On the way home we saw one of our dearest friends who jokingly asked us if we wanted the truck in her driveway. She just wanted to get rid of it but her husband has an emotional attachment to it…and all his boys’ baseball gear filling the garage. It all sounded so familiar. The lessening was all around us.

What I learned:

I’ve always pondered the kids’ memorabilia within the four walls of our home, the old uniforms, the artwork, and the trophies. Then that darn picnic table stirred up my emotions, followed by Blossom the tree, and the truck. Nostalgia is triggering. But time scoots off like a chuckling cheetah and we have a choice – to sink into the quicksand of loss or relish the memories, plant new trees, and repaint that cute picnic table.

Please pray for the Pope and thanks for joining me,

Lucretia

Posted in Family, Faith and Fitness

A Fine Balance

Posted on by Lucretia Cahill

#39 Lenten Reflections

Our kids played a game named Alligator Swamp around the house where they tossed pillows (lily pads) one by one in front of one another as they stepped on them making a trail of safety for themselves. They had to keep one foot on the lily pad before they stepped on the next and would coach each other to be careful not to fall into the dark marsh of chomping alligators. If they toppled into the swamp they lost one of the lily pads and the trek was harder. They would play this all over the house as a team, helping each other stay balanced and buoyant. 

Sounds crazy, but I thought of this while in church, mesmerized by the Stations of the Cross. Jesus falling, getting up, taking more steps forward. Someone stops to wipe his face, give him water, help him carry the load, and stay sure-footed. Of course, unlike in the Alligator Swamp game, there is unrelenting humiliation, pressure, and exaltation, yet Jesus finds grace and calm through all of it. Classic Jesus. He prays, He forgives, He loves. 

My mom always says Good Friday is the one day we attend “services”, not “Mass”. Because today there are no miracles of water turning into wine, or blind finding their sight. There are no sermons or parables, no abundance of loathes and fishes. 

This weekend, reflect on all the hardships and loneliness you are experiencing. Know that deep in your soul, a rock will be pushed aside and reveal the strength you need to persevere and rise again.

Thanks for joining me,

❤️Lucretia

Posted in Family, Faith and Fitness

We need each other

Posted on by Lucretia Cahill

#29 Lenten Reflections – Endless Lessons from Geese…

Last week I visited with a friend who was having a tough day, or rather week.

I knew the look on her face too well.

The helpless one.

The moment your child is struggling or a doctor calls with tragic test results, or your own mother’s Alzheimer’s robs her from getting herself out of bed independently. The things that cause a seismic rattle in your head and heart telling you to TRY to control everything yet everything is just out of reach and the tide keeps pulling you away.

She began to cry, so I suggested we step outside for air. I immediately looked up to the sky, because that upward glance always feels like I’m dipping my hand in holy water. Blessed by a blue sky or baptized by a shower. It’s a reminder we are not alone. Rain or shine, this wild celestial sphere tells me no matter how far away my parents, our kids, or friends are, we all share the same sky.

A pair of geese passed overhead, “Ahh, Look.”

She exhaled, “Yes. So beautiful”.

I went on, “Geese mate for life, you know.” Stating the fact as if I were some sort of ornithologist/goose marriage counselor.

“…and”…I continued, “If one goose is injured or hurt while flying in formation, two other geese will zoom out of formation with it, to ensure it is cared for and it is never left alone. Geez, if only we had the sense of geese, we would always be there for each other.” I sighed.

“You’re right.” she agreed.

We talked. I listened hard, a lot was going on in her life. Too much. God gave her a heavy serving of worry. I wondered if He does “give us only as much as we can handle” and when he accidentally adds too much to our plate, He places someone with us to hold our hand through it all. Someone to sit on the edge of their seat for us and hear and feel what we are going through and care about something that isn’t even ours. Someone who can be our “Plus One” through the tough times. So that’s what I did. I was simply there for her.

V–Formation- Teamwork

I thought more about the geese. There was a flock overhead. Their flawless synchronized vee formation held my gaze. The first goose flapped like crazy with each bird behind drafting with the corkscrew of air coming off the leader’s wingtips. A type of aerial tailgating. What’s cool is they just fall in…without planning or thinking about it. I mean, I can’t picture one goose saying, “Hey guys, we’ve got a heck of a flight ahead, let’s form a V and I’ll lead, you guys draft, and we’ll take turns.” Nope, they just form their V, share the load, and get to where they are going. What a team.

How does it work? (Fun Fact)

The updraft, called a tip vortex, helps geese save considerable energy during long flights. It may also enhance birds’ ability to see and hear each other, which helps avoid mid-air collisions. Picture the Tour de France. The peloton (the main group of cyclists) takes on an inverted V shape similar to the V-shape of geese flying through the air. The only difference is the cyclists position themselves where they have the best opportunity to attack or to challenge an attack if other riders try to jump ahead.

What I learned…

Geese are quite the role models. They mate for life, and stay by the other’s side if injured or dying, even if the flock moves on. They raise and protect their young together and take care of each other on the way. In fact, in the 16th Century, the Celtic Christians – those Christians in Brittany, Wales, Ireland, and the Scottish Highlands – the wild goose became a symbol of the Holy Spirit more so than the dove. Makes me think it’s like someone up there is shuffling these geese around to help us all figure out how to be a little more loyal and devoted to God and each other. Brilliant.

Thanks for joining me,

❤️Lucretia

Quotes I love:
“You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly — that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.” – Anne Lamott

Posted in Family, Faith and Fitness

Miraculous Hawks

Posted on by Lucretia Cahill

Before our son left for baseball this morning, a huge hawk landed on the fence (his high school mascot is a Hawk). She sat there calmly as hawks do waiting motionless for a squirrel or maybe the rasckly rabbit that uses our yard as a port-a-potty. I turned away for a second and she was gone. Off to hunt or build or perch.

I thought back to an early summer morning at the ball field where I watched a hawk skillfully carry a large stick to the tippy top of one of the tall baseball lights surrounding the baseball facility. She and Mr. Hawk were building their nest stick by stick carrying pine needles, pieces of bark, and twigs crafting a wide home with an amazing bird’s eye view (pun intended) of four different baseball fields. For the next hour, I watched them work tirelessly as parents do to set up a safe, sturdy home. Apparently, hawks are big fans of fixer upers so it may be that they refurbished the nest – ah…very green, forward thinkers.

I read that once the hatchlings are ready to leave, the whole family picks up and abandons the nest. Wow – I thought – our nest is nearly empty, but given the cost of housing right now, we may not vacate our little home right away. Luckily our brood knows how to find their way back home and to the laundry room. One of Dexter’s favorite facts to proclaim when he comes home is “I’m just a guest!” This is his lame attempt at weaseling his way out of clearing the dish rack or helping with dinner. None of us fall for it.

What does it mean if I see a hawk?

The symbolism of the hawk is vast. Some view the hawk as a symbol of strength and protection. Other theories say seeing a hawk can be a sign from the universe that it’s time for you to grow spiritually, and intellectually and seek your true potential. They can inspire and guide you in decision-making and keep you poised and focused in the process.

I’m going to say it’s like having a bunch of 3-pound, striped-bellied, red-tailed life coaches waiting to help us along our journey. Maybe give us a little nudge towards hope. Let’s be clear, hawks can’t necessarily help you decide whether you should make pasta or use DoorDash for dinner and they won’t guide you to buying Bitcoin or push you into an IRA. They can, however, be a source of connection and joy.

There is a beautiful story in The Catholic Reporter about two brothers who spent hours discussing hawks and love and the soul.

“Raptor guys” they called themselves (sounds like superhero brothers fighting crime).

Turns out, they are all-knowing “Birders” who found joy, solace, and brotherhood in the osprey, Cooper Hawk, and the Red-tailed…they knew them all. They discussed them all. They delighted in them all…up until their last moments together and beyond.

In the article, one brother says:

“We talked about owls and osprey and eagles and kites and falcons and other raptors, too. But mostly we talked about hawks because we knew hawks and saw hawks every day and had always both been addled and thrilled by hawks and we always would be, even after one of us was ashes in a stone box under an oak tree.”

Hawks. Such a miraculous and healing bird. (Go Hawks!)

Thanks for joining me,

~Lucretia

Word of the day:

Addled: adjective- unable to think clearly; confused