R's rue

"H is for Hawk" by Helen Macdonald was published to much acclaim in 2014. Though there are many side-tracks, it is essentially the true story of how the author acquired and trained a young goshawk, learning to live with it, feed it and gain its trust.  This is a very emotional journey for each of them. Helen doubts herself and the tactics she  employs - often based upon her  extensive research  into the history of falconry but she gets there in the end. She calls her hawk Mabel. Evolution over millennia has made Mabel an expert predator. Everything about her - from her mighty  talons to the various kinds of feathers on her back to her eyesight and her curved beak - they are all about killing her prey and surviving. Such  a bird cannot be tamed but a patient falconer might succeed in building a workable  partnership. In the spaces between the lines, the book is hau...

 These are my thoughts for today Lord, You are using physical therapy as a way to excise the mental demons that invade my soul. As my body strengthens, my soul releases the agony of what it cannot do. I’m looking squarely at the problem. The one between the ears. For all I can do, my focus is on what I cannot. And that has to change. I will never truly be happy if I don’t come to acceptance. Every time I think I’ve come to acceptance, life comes to show me how wrong I am. I’m starting to accept that acceptance is a daily practice in surrender. Acceptance right now is surrendering my need to have it all figured out. Not every issue can be fixed on my timetable. I’m chewing on that right now. It might be a long swallow. I’m also realizing that my issues are deeply rooted. As long as I’m living I will come in daily contact with them. That is okay. Maybe the problem is that I’m fighting the wrong thing.  God hasn’t got rid of the problem. Maybe it’s because this lifelong issue d...