Spreading love, joy, peace, faith & unity

Archive for May, 2012

Sunshine Award

The Sunshine Award

I am honored that this blog has been nominated by a dear blogging friend, GinaV at http://professionsforpeace.com  for The Sunshine Award.  She acknowledged this site and nine others   for bringing sunshine into her blogging world.  Many thanks to Gina. She brings sunshine into my world with her inspiring insights.  She encourage me to keep on writing and  sharing sunshine with others, just as she does!

To accept the award, here are the steps to take – with joy and appreciation:
1.  Include the award logo somewhere in your blog.
2.  Answer the 10 questions, below, for fun  – if you want to.
3.  Nominate 10 to 12 blogs you enjoy… or you pick the number…   (I choose to nominate 5 sites initially … and will add more as they shine into my world).
4.  Pay the love forward:  Provide your nominee’s link in your post and comment on their blog to let them know they’ve been included and invited to participate.
5.  Pay the love back with gratitude and a link to the blogger(s) who nominated you.

The Nominees ~ I am not adding a note about each blog, but I encourage you to visit and discover on your own how they deserve The Sunshine Award.  They all positively and creatively inspired me. Even if some of these writers choose not to participate in this award process, I still want this chance to help you, dear reader,  find these blogs and perhaps be inspired by what they contain, if you haven’t found them already.

My Nominees for the Sunshine Award:

1)  http://thesubterraneanworld.wordpress.com
2) http://courtingmadness.wordpress.com/
3)  http://oldsunbird.wordpress.com
4)  http://silverpoetry.wordpress.com
5)  http://theeffstop.wordpress.com
Oh, and one more bright and shining tender hearted blog:
6)  http://justspokenthoughts.wordpress.com

The Questions:

What is your favorite color?  
~ Red depicts images of love and strength and the flames of the Holy Spirit. Shades of red, orange, and yellow cheer me.  Shades of green inspire me.  Shades of blue calm me. My favorite depends on my mood or my needs on any given day!

What is your favorite animal?  
~ TazE, my Boston Terrier, is my favorite animal right now. Bob & I have had Boston Terriers most of our married life. They are such fun!! But, we have antelope who come into our yard regularly, and deer and bunnies. I do love wildlife!

What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink?  
~I am with Gina on this one = Cool water. So necessary – and so good for me.

Do you prefer Facebook or Twitter?  
~Facebook. It helps me stay connected to my daughter in Switzerland and her three teen sons. Also, it connects me to beloved family in other states and to dear, dear former students and colleagues.

What’s your passion? 
~Sharing the love of God through service to others, making a difference in others’ lives, and being honest and genuine while living a life of integrity – those are my passions.

What’s your favorite pattern? 
~Plaids

Do you prefer giving or getting presents?  
~I always prefer giving, but I’d never turn down a present! I love finding just the right thing for someone and giving it “just because” instead of waiting for a birthday or Christmas.

What’s your favorite number?  
~My favorite number is seven (7). It symbolizes completeness. I have seven grandchildren. My birthday is in the 7th month. My phone number and mailbox number both end in 77. Our house number is 7.We are living in our “Last Best Place.”

Favorite day of the week? 
~Sunday – the Lord’s Day – the day He said something like, “It is complete. Rest!” It is the day my husband and I go to see our extended family in the church and worship our Maker and thank Him for all our many blessings and express our appreciation for the many answered prayers.

Favorite flower?
~A single red rose cut from the bush and delivered with a smile from my sweetheart … a stem of orchids on a plant from my friend, a plant that reproduces every year in greater abundance than the year before… the first daffodils in springtime… I could go on and on… I love flowers!

There, I have answered the questions and fulfilled the requirements of the award. Thank you for reading, dear bloggers… and thank you for visiting those nominated sunshine spots. You’ll be glad you did!

Category:

Love, Serving One Another

Tagged with:

Pentecost Sunday

If I were creating human beings as God did in the beginning of time, I’d add a part that I think God forgot to include. He put a belly button on our abdomen, but I’d have a button on each person’s chest. The button would be like Siri on my new iPhone. Press it and “Presto!” I could ask my brain to speak in whatever language I needed at the moment. I could ask it to translate what I am hearing. I could ask it questions and the button would activate a response! Isn’t that what God did for the people in the temple on that first Pentecost Sunday around AD70? With the help of the Holy Spirit, the people spoke in languages previously unknown to them.

This coming Sunday, May 27,2012, is known on the Christian calendar as Pentecost Sunday. Catholics and Protestants alike celebrate this Holy Day.  On the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox calendars, the date for Pentecost Sunday is June 3rd. Historically it is the day the Holy Spirit descended with tongues of fire on the apostles and other followers of Jesus. Pentecost is celebrated seven weeks (50 days) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the “Birthday of the Church.”  Red is the ceremonial color of Pentecost, depicting the color of the flame – and the movement of the Holy Spirit. The ways in which churches celebrate this event in its liturgical calendar are as rich and varied as the churches are themselves. Red flowers might adorn the alters, symbolizing the renewal of life, the coming of the warmth of summer, and the growth of the church at and from the first Pentecost. Music that is especially composed for Pentecost often is performed on this special day. I will sing with a small group of friends. Our song is an example of a Pentecostal message. The words are beautiful:

(Refrain) Send down the fire of your justice,
Send down the rains of your love;
Come send down the Spirit, breathe life in your people,
and we shall be the people of God.

(Verse One) Call us to be your compassion,
Teach us the song of your love;
Give us hearts that sing,
Give us deeds that ring,
Make us ring with the song of your love.

(Verse Two) Call us to learn of your mercy,
Teach us the way of your peace;
Give us hearts that feel,
Give us hands that heal,
Make us walk in the way of your peace.

There are two other verses, each as beautiful as these. If you Google “Send Down the Fire,” you will discover other songs with that title, but the one with these words that I appreciated most is found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wai-9zpmXQY.  The students are listed as LOMC Swing Choir Tour — 2009. Their motions add to the meaning of the lyrics. I have asked what LOMC stands for and am awaiting an answer. Meantime, I encourage you to go and celebrate this Pentecost Sunday with the true meaning of the day. Join these YouTube singers with “hearts that sing” and “hearts that feel.” Move into the world with “deeds that ring” and “hands that heal” as  you walk in the way of Christ’s peace. Be His compassion!

You may not have a Siri button built into your chest. You may not be able to speak in tongues and be understood in all kinds of languages, but you have a love button built into your chest. It was planted there by the Holy Spirit. Go out this Pentecost Sunday and use your love to teach others of God’s mercy and His desire for us  to live together as one people throughout the world – working for peace on earth.

I am only one person and I can’t do everything, but I am one who can make a difference to one. Maybe the one will be you. Happy Pentecost Sunday. Use your love button! God Bless You.

red heart pinback button

Category:

Living in Christ's Family, Living in Harmony, Love, Serving One Another

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Can You Love Life And Be Fit and Healthy?

Can You Love Life And Be Fit and Healthy?.  This blog from goss-coaching.com really hit home with me this morning. If I could double-like it, I would! So, here is my affirmation of the wisdom shared here. Together we CAN do it! Thanks for being part of the sharing and caring community of those who love life AND strive to be fit and healthy!! Click on the link above, read, and BEE INSPIRED!!

Category:

Love

Tagged with:

Reaching Out

Loving one another requires reaching out. That seems pretty obvious, but it really hit home with me when my niece jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge at age 19. That was more than two decades ago, but it is a lesson I carry in my heart every day. Suicide is such a sad way to leave this earth. It leaves behind so many unanswered questions. It leaves behind so many broken hearts and guilty consciences. The sadness never leaves those of us who loved the victim. The sadness never stops making us wonder what we might have done. The sadness brings with it a sense of helplessness. We can’t go back and redo what was left undone or say now what was left unsaid then. Sometimes the sadness lessens as we put the suicide behind us and look out toward the fair future. The gloomy skies of glaring grace-gaps can be filled with the sunny skies of serenity only if we allow the retrospective regrets to turn into current compassion. The reasons for my niece’s suicide can be speculated, but never resolved, never fixed in her brief lifetime. All I can do now is use the heartbreak of her despair to drive my compassion to new heights. Who needs my smile today? Who needs a sincere hug or a friendly phone call? How can I help dissipate someone’s loneliness? Reaching out via the internet – blogging, e-mailing, posting photos – can go just so far. But a touch goes so much farther. I’m shutting off this computer for the rest of today. I’m headed out to reach out. How about you?

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Category:

Love

Tagged with:

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

GinaV at ProfessionsforPeace.com nominated my blog site for the “Very Inspiring Blogger Award.” I was inspired by the intent of the award, which is to “Keep the [Blogosphere] a Beautiful Place.” Helping to make the blog world (whatever that word was on the award) or our whole big, wide world a more loving place to live – whether in cyberspace or in the inches of space right around me – is a wonderful life goal. Thank you, Gina, for the inspiration to keep on writing. I gratefully accept.

Dear readers, if you click on the award in the right hand margin, it will link you to Gina’s blog. Do visit her site!

Here are the steps for accepting this Award:
1) Display the award logo somewhere on your blog. (Check!)
2) Link back to the blog of the person who nominated you. (Check!)
3) Share seven things about yourself that people may not already know. (See below.)
4) Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award and provide links to their blogs. (I’ll work on this one, since like Gina, I want to try to avoid redundancy.)
5) Notify those bloggers that they have been nominated and of the award’s requirements.(Will do that as I find the ones I wish to nominate… and I will begin with my inspiration, Lilie, at WordPress “underthewisdomtree”)

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Seven Things You May Not Know About Me:
1) I love houseplants – I have about three dozen of them!
2) I enjoy early morning coffee in the peace and quiet of my very own sanctuary – my favorite place in my house.
3) I play the accordion and the clarinet.
4) I love Boston Terrors (pun intended).
5) I wish I had a cat.
6) Writing is my connection to myself and others.
7) The Triune God is my constant companion and best friend!

God Bless You on this Mother’s Day. May all your days be an inspiration to love. Write on!

Category:

Love

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Mom’s Messages


We all carry messages our mothers gave us.

Here are some of mine:

Eat your spinach
Clean your plate
Mind your manners
Don’t be late

Watch for danger
Stay off streets
Hold your chin up
Limit treats

Smile at strangers
Mind your father
Hold your tongue
Don’t be a bother

Save your pennies
Chase the blues
Never give up
Look for clues

Change your panties
Brush your teeth
Don’t judge others
See the good beneath

Happy Mother’s Day!
What are your Mom’s Messages?

Mother-Daughter

Category:

Love

Tagged with:

JOY!

The question was, “How do we love the swallow?” How do I love the life-sucker, the “neighbor” who seems to want to take, take, take – without offering anything in return? The answer came to me this week:

Just

Open

Yourself

The acronym spells JOY, the WAY we choose to love one another. Be open – with joy – with prayer and help from above – to loving others. My friend, Marcia, commented on my blog, “… love unconditionally, as God loves you!”

But, a friend of mine wrote on her FaceBook page the following confession/question: “I have as acquaintance who is constantly calling me asking if he can ‘crash on my couch’. Here’s the problem: I watch him make one bad decision after the next. He hangs around with complete losers and users… if there are 99 good choices and only 1 bad one, he will make the bad choice. He is sleeping under a bridge. He is 49, perfectly healthy, can work, is smart as a whip… but just lives like a Hobo. 20 years ago, I would have said ‘Sure, come crash at my place.’  Then I would regret it. Now I just say, “Sorry hon…no can do” … and kind of feel guilty.  Am I wrong for not ‘helping’ him?  I have ‘ helped ‘ so many people before… some worked out, most didn’t. I can not help anyone get their life in check… I can only control my own life. Am i being a heartless bitch or a smart person?”

Is the answer to her question a blanket “Just Open Yourself”? I think not! My friend, Marcia, elaborated a little in he response.

Category:

Love

Tagged with:

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Celebrate Love

She is 16 already.
Her sister will be 18.
Only days – not years –
Separate childhood
From adulthood.
Yesterday a baby,
Today a young lady,
Tomorrow an adult
With a family of her own.
Stop the clock!
I want to celebrate.
Celebrate love.
Today.

Written

on May 8, 2012

Love the Swallows?

Our resident bluebirds sit on their box and preen. They flit to a nearby branch and soak in the springtime. His blue feathers are brilliant in the early morning sunshine. Hers are more subdued. Look closely, she has blue plumage tucked in there, too. I love them. It’s wonderful to watch their nest building process and to anticipate their box filled with tiny blue eggs. The promise of new life always excites me.

But the swallows? Why do they dive-bomb the happy couple? Why do they try to steal the box? Go find a home of your own, swallows! We built this one for the bluebirds.

Is my attitude toward the swallows indicative of other phases of my life? It’s easy to love the ones for whom we have prepared a place, the ones we are expecting, the beautiful people in our lives – blue-plumed, graceful, promising new life. But what about life’s swallows? The gray and dismal creatures who are so needy they seem to suck life out of things, take life from others, dive-bomb our tranquility with their uninvited presence, contribute nothing in return – what about them? Can I love the swallows? Should I?

How?

Why?

Category:

Love

Tagged with:

How Do I Love You?

The famous Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem, How Do I Love Thee, counts the ways: ” … to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, … to the level of every day’s most quiet need, … by sun and candlelight…  freely, as men strive for Right; … purely, as they turn from Praise… with passion … and my childhood’s faith… [and with] the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life! — and, if God choose, … better after death.” Ah, such poetry!! How do I begin to approximate such love? To the depth, breadth and height my soul can reach – I don’t judge my silly son-in-law as foolish when he buys for my teen-aged grandson something I am sure he’s not old enough to take care of. To the level of my most quiet need – I love my husband when he stays out fishing with his buddies long past the hour when dinner was still moist and edible. By sun and candlelight – I relight the candle when he walks in after dark and I sit down to enjoy a glass of wine with him, asking sweetly, “So, my dear one, how was your day?”  Freely, as men (and women) strive for Right –  I look beyond the superficial, get my ego out of the way, and avoid passing judgement on motives I cannot possibly read correctly without a crystal ball. Purely, turning from praise – I buy the chicken, debone it,  wash and season it, allow it to rest in its marinade until just the right time, and call you in to light the barbecue and place it on the coals. Then, I smile as you soak up the praise for how delicious it is!  With passion – I touch you tenderly in all the right places – on your skin and in your heart. And with my childhood’s faith – I see beyond the exterior to your very soul, where the depth and breadth and height of you resides – in your relationship with our dog. The breath, smiles, tears of all  my life are not hidden from you – I love you with honest vulnerability and genuine friendship. And, if God choose, better after death – I pray for your eternity and mine to be bound in love as only God can count the ways. I love you eternally!

Category:

Love

Tagged with:

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