Reading Blogs

I have been reading and started following more blogs, every time I have sat down to write a blog post. So here are some interesting places that I have gone to on the internets, the web, and all the other goofy ways that people say when they go surfing on a computer......online.......linking up.....

Thought provoking

Inspiring

Heartwarming

Interesting

Again and Again, I find myself here so someone in this family can go here or there and everywhere.

And if you want to remember not to take yourself too seriously then I suggest you visit the following blog by one of my favorite authors.

Signing off.........Pax Vobiscum, CM

Spilt

My grammar is not perfect.

I am spell-chek dependant (check dependent).

Sometime I change persons in the middle of a paragraph.

Life is messy.

Words are powerful.

Expression is necessary.

Setting the scene in such a way that you are carried off to another place and time is an art form.

To create an atmosphere that would bring you to tears or cause you to draw the shades and make sure all the doors in the house were locked.

Enlightens

Inspires

Enrages

Stimulates

Crushes

Resurrects

Delights

Delivers

Transforms

Criticizes

Concentrates

Informs

And yet I can't help myself. I must write.

Wake Up O Sleepy Head

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 4;8

This week I had the opportunity to meet up with a couple of friends and visit with a couple more in Upstate NY. Different people, coming from different places and a similar message. One coming from a book of prayers and one coming from a small but vibrant pulpit: It is the LORD GOD who carried me through the night and it HE who has woken me from my slumber. It was said it very different ways. The morning prayer from the book was something like this

Arising from sleep, I thank You, O Most Holy Trinity, that, for the sake of Your great kindness and longsuffering, You have not had indignation against me, for I am slothful and sinful. Neither have You destroyed me in my transgressions, but You have shown Your customary love toward mankind, and have raised me up as I lay in heedlessness, that I might sing my morning hymn and glorify Your sovereignty. Now enlighten the eyes of my understanding, open my ears to receive Your words, and teach me Your commandments. Help me to do Your will, to sing to You, to confess You from my heart, and to praise Your All-Holy Name: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

And what came from the pulpit was something like:

Did I get myself up to come to church this mornin'? No. It was the LORD who woke me from my sleep. Who watched over while I was sleepin'? Was it me? I don't think so, how could I be sleepin' and watchin' at the same time? It was the LORD watchin' over me and I want to thank Him for bringin' me safely through the night! Can I get an AMEN? Did you wake yourself this mornin'? NO, It was the LORD who brought you through the night watchin' over you and then woke you this mornin' Amen? AMEN.

So on my solo ride home, I was meditating on these things: how the GOD of the Universe is interested in the everyday details of our lives and how often I don't even give it a glancing thought. When Grace was a newborn, sometime I would just watch her sleeping. Sometimes just to admire this new little person who came from me and other times because I was a new mother and wanted to make sure she was all right and at moments the watching of this sleeping baby was a sheer joy and delight, what a precious gift from God. (Yes, I do know how to receive a child, who is a tremendous responsibility and still enjoy her, even to this day.) Parenting is a watchfulness.

The gift of making it through the night is not something that I consciously think about and it is a simple thing for me to be grateful for especially after a restful night's sleep. There have been times in my life that I have been very grateful, daily expressing my thanks to God and I need to get back to being grateful even for simple things like a good night of shut eye.

created on Wordle.net

Yesterday I saw ceramic sign in Target that said "Be Wise Be Kind Be True" and it reminded me of another sign we had in our kitchen when we lived on Mechanic Street in Marlborough, MA. It read: "Before you open your mouth ask yourself: Is it kind? Is it true? Is it necessary?" then I texted a friend to tell her and I followed up with, "I think I need that sign." So, here I am reminding myself and anyone who may be reading that stopping and thinking before you speak is a good thing and it is worth trying to master throughout our lifetime.

I am aware that there are people out there who "engage brain before opening mouth" naturally and the Author of Proverbs says, "even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue." Then there are those of us that are a bit harder to train. Until well into my twenties, I regularly stuck not only my foot but practically my whole leg in my mouth. At the age of 27, I was hit over the head with a 2x4 and since then I have reduced my diet to toes, an occasional foot or two and a time or two of great indiscretion a calf muscle.

In the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions it states, "Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen." I would have to agree because once the words are out of your mouth: you can't really take them back no matter how sorry you are. There is the verbal diarrhea. It can be forgiven but it is much harder for it to be forgotten. Fortunately for me, for the most part, I have been granted much mercy from most people that I have a relationship with as we practice forgiveness, mercy and grace with one another.

"Pause when you are thinking too quickly or feeling too passionately" is another good principle. If we take a moment to breathe, ask for wisdom, ask the three questions I have listed above, then I believe we can grow and become wiser. There are times I find myself hurting people unnecessarily with my reckless words. I never want to do it, but I do still falter.

Indirectly, this is one way to be seeking wisdom and most thoughtful people desire to get wisdom in order to live well. Perhaps if I keep on seeking to become wise it will help to keep me young at heart and in my mind and help me from putting my foot in my mouth. Wisdom tells me to respect the fact that words are powerful.

Another good question to ask might be: Are these words life-giving or death-blows?

Connecting

I went looking for you in my inbox and you were not there,

So I moved onto my Facebook account you face was not seen even though I went to your profile

Opening ichat and your avatar could not be found.

Finally, I picked up the phone and there you were just in from town,

and by the sound of your voice I could tell you were happy I called.

Let's meet in the park and swing on the swings like little kids who are carefree.

Not necessarily a return to childhood but a visit to simplicity.