I was sitting quietly reading friendly posts When my dog, TazE, jumped like she heard a ghost. The FedEx truck had just left our house – The driver crept in our entry as quiet as a mouse. Before I could get to the door, he was gone. He left a box with a basket – no name upon.
Inside a note said “Thank you, Bob & Jan” But no greeting or signature of woman or man. The return address was Jorge Garcia of Amigo Foods. A clue might be Florida – It’s where I know a couple of dudes. So, Sofia, might this have been from you? The place where Vanessa & Federico live is a little clue.
Sofia in Palisades
If it is you, then here’s a return of Thanks… But, I hope you let us know so we can fill in the blanks! The card should have acknowledged who The box was from – so I could appropriate thank you!
Loving elephants
It’s a beautiful Wednesday here, Blogging friends. I hope your day is going well, too, and transcends All your expectations. Pen on… read on… live and play! Wrap your arms around someone and hang tight today.
Listen for the FedEx truck or mailman He/She may deliver a basket to you from a fan!
If you are blessed with good health
You have more riches than all earth’s wealth
You have life and opportunities untold
You have a better chance of growing old
But health is more than what you eat
It is more than the quality of people you meet
It is what you think and what you say
It is what you choose to do every single day
Begin your day with prayer and gratitude
Remember health has a lot to do with attitude
Decide to be helpful; decide to walk in His will
Decide to take time occasionally to just be still
Whether you are under a cloud suffering pain
Or you are standing out in a pouring rain
You have control over your ability to smile
You can choose to exude God’s grace with style
Your mental health affects your physical being
You can choose happiness and be agreeing
Disagreeable people find their own misery
Be the kind of person who is cheerful company
To stay healthy, we must never stop looking up
We must never be stingy with our overflowing cup
Count your blessings; look at others with sympathy
Good health is contagious; Spread it gleefully!
There is a name
for 5-7 5-7 5-7 5-7 5-7-7 poetry.
I just saw it on a blogger’s post
And now I can’t find it.
But I said I would try it.
So, here goes:
TENACITY
Montana in August
In the heat of day, A day under August’s sun, Stood fields of flowers – Springtime flowers so alive – Spreading colored joy. It’s highly unusual To see such a sight. Generally summer’s sun Scorches them early. But this year they testify: God shows us TENACITY!
What’s the name of that poetic form?
Try it… it’s fun!
The Willow trees in our back yard were only saplings when we moved here
nine years ago. They are extremely fast-growing trees which are now at
least thirty feet tall. As I sat in their shade, I observed the wide
splits in the bark. The old years growth sheds away as the tree expands.
Eventually it falls away back into the soil. We are like trees. Those
who grow the most continue to shed things they no longer need; negative
attitudes, hurts, ideas, stereotypes, resentment, and bitterness, etc.
Some are trapped in their own bark unwilling to let go and change for
the better. How are you at shedding your bark?
Growth brings expansion
Stretching us //sometimes to our limit
Breaking us out of our comfort zone.
Growth causes cracks in our perception
Finding, perhaps there are other ways
Of thinking or feeling that may be different.
Growth brings change
Change is often painful
Forcing us to cast off old ways of thinking;
To have growth, we will have to change.
With change comes new strength;
New strength moves us beyond the present;
Fulfills our dreams for today…
Knowing tomorrow, we will again
Expand, stretch, and shed our bark.
Today at church our guest minister was Dan Hollard, a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Bozeman, Montana. Our pastor for the past 25+ years has been Rev. Jean Johnson. Jean is on disability leave right now … in a rehab facility in Great Falls, MT.
Pray for Jean
Join me in prayer for Rev. Jean Johnson’s release from pain and ability to enjoy a well-deserved retirement.
Sunday Surprises
Meantime, it’s a surprise each Sunday to see who is in the pulpit and to hear a different kind of message. Today’s message was titled, “Spirit of Peace.” I think Dan Hollard must have spent some time in Africa, because he put on an authentic African accent and told us the story of Ubuntu (Oooo-boon-too).
He based his message on the scripture of Matthew 25:35 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.”
Here’s what I heard through my filter and took away this morning:
There was a woman in Africa named Dorothy
Who embodied the spirit of Ubuntu
She was all about community and humanity.
Her kitchen was open to all … she’d welcome you.
She lived the spirit of Matthew 25:
If you see someone naked, clothe them.
If you see someone hungry, feed them.
We’re all one; you should never loathe them!
Dorothy was like a mother to all
Who entered her village; she’d invite
The hungry and poor to dine in her kitchen.
The sense of community was pure delight.
Like Nelson Mandela who invited his captors
To enjoy his inauguration feast,
Dorothy welcomed one and all –
Didn’t label anyone as one of the “least.”
Instead she lived a life that demonstrated
“I am who I am because of who we are.”
She knew “We are all connected.”
Her love lifted all people to “par.”
Everywhere in the world what we need
Is more Dorothys who live out Matthew 25.
Regardless of religion or color or creed,
We need Ubuntu to spread far and wide.
We must fill our world with love and joy.
We must fill the world with God’s peace.
We must feed the hungry and show respect
And love to all. Come and join my feast!
Shalom!
Ubuntu! Have a Matthew 25 Sunday. “I am because we are.” We are all connected. See you tomorrow.
Every first and third Friday our Madison County Writers’ Group meets in Ennis, Montana. We may have just two participants, or we could have eight or ten. Last February during our third Friday meeting, there were just two of us. I recently came across my notes from that meeting.
We begin our meeting each time with a prompt we draw from a bag. Anyone can add prompts to the bag at any time. On this particular Friday, Steve drew the prompt, “Writer’s Block.” We had ten or fifteen minutes to write on that prompt and then share with one another what we had written.
I decided to write a Haiku. It ended up as a 5 stanza poem… each stanza a syllabic count of 5-7-5 syllables. What would you have written with the prompt “Writer’s Block”?
Let me share mine with you.
Writer’s Block can trap You and me in wordless haze Floating in nothing
Nothingness can hold You and me in dilemma Pen in hand stands still
Stillness can reveal Treasures in the quietness You just can’t force it
Forcefulness is great If you adamantly feel Thoughts begin to swirl
Swirling thoughts spin out With contemplation and ease The Block disappears
We had so much fun sharing our ideas on Writer’s Block that we decided to draw another prompt. This one was “Words.” We gave ourselves another ten minutes.
This time since I was on a roll with the Haiku rhythm, I wrote a 3 stanza poem. Sharing it later with my husband, Bob, he asked, “What determines if your Haiku is going to be one stanza or 3 or 5?”
“You write what you have to say,” I told him. “When you have said it, you stop. The thoughts dictate the length.”
Here’s what I wrote to the prompt, WORDS:
When words just fail me, I sit back and dream awhile. Dreams don’t have to speak.
When dreams are wordless, My imagination spins – Motivating scenes.
Let pictures emerge. Print them on your mind and soul. Eventually: WORDS!
These kinds of dreams come to us as writers, but they come to painters and potters and musicians as well. It’s a capacity of the human brain that needs to be cultivated.
A productive life is one that can get beyond writers block, can use words to express inner feelings, and can listen with heart to the unspoken words of those around them.
I hope you are a proponent of the kind of arts education that promotes such critical thinking. Let your curious mind fly free.
Be a wise consumer of words and thoughts and dreams! Do you have a Writers’ Group? If so, tell me about it. If not, think about forming one. It’s such fun to share your creative thoughts with others face to face, not just on WordPress.
See ya later!
