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Michael Fox CPCC,
founder of m�agine!,
is a professional
coach and trainer,
author and creative artist, whose work has been featured throughout
the world.
Do you know someone
who might benefit
from our weekly email?
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"There are two cities in the United States,
San Francisco and New Orleans.
Everything else is just Cleveland."
American playright Tennessee Williams
I first visited New Orleans when I was a young boy, perhaps thirteen years old, in the early 1970s. The Louisiana Superdome was nearing completion; helicopters were putting in place, a plate at a time, the building's ribbed steel roof deck. My family traveled to New Orleans to visit my grandfather's aunt, Blanche Horton. At the time of our visit Aunt Blanche was 102 years old. She had given up driving the year before. Her daughter Nona--widowed after more than fifty years of marriage--had returned home to live with "momma."
You just can't get rid of the kids.
Aunt Blanche owned Felton Arms, a beautiful courtyard residence at 1127-29 Chartres in the heart of the French Quarter. Felton Arms is immediately next door to the Beauregard-Keyes mansion, former residence of the renowned confederate general and, later, my grandmother's favorite author, Frances Parkinson Keyes, who penned Dinner at Antoine's. Aunt Blanche's husband was born in Santa Rosa, California in March of 1865; they were married in 1888. Imagine. An aunt with whom I was acquainted was married to a man born at the outset of the Civil War, or--as it is known in the Deep South--the War of Northern Aggression.
I happily recall a lovely visit with my gracious Aunt Blanche and her eighty-year old daughter.
So what's the point?
It's about time.
Looking backward, the Civil War--what we might perceive as "ancient history"--is but the distance spanned by the life of my Aunt Blanche and my own life. Looking forward, tomorrow's deadline we so anxiously anticipate will quickly pass and be replaced by another.
It's difficult to get our arms around the hands of the clock. Time is an oppressive taskmaster. When we look to yesterday, it is often with regret; when we look to tomorrow, it is often with fear.
In contrast, when the God of creation and covenant introduced himself to Moses with a flare in the wilderness--well, actually, it was with a burning bush--he used the name, "I Am." A rather unconventional name. "I Am" is the expression of God's eternal, timeless nature. "I neither was nor will be, I Am." Ever, fully, present.
How much of our regret and fear, no kidding, is actually bound up in our perspective of time?
What impact might a shift in perspective around time have upon our lives?
What would it look like--if it's at all possible--to reflect the timelessness of God?
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Michael Fox
m�agine!
530/613.2774
P.O. Box 9144
Auburn, CA, USA 95604
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In addition to personal and professional coaching,
m�agine! specializes in spiritual transformation coaching,
employing its proprietary models: Values, Vision, Voice and Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength.
Michael's books include Complete in Christ,
Complete in Christ Spiritual Transformation Workbook, and Biblio�files.
Coaching fees are based upon a sliding scale. Contact us for details.
Limited scholarships are available for spiritual transformation coaching.
On the flip side, if you are able, please inquire about opportunities
to fund scholarships for those who cannot afford coaching fees.
View our archives!
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