1 May 2022 Something We Have In Common – Dancing to Music

https://youtu.be/wh3i3vWgPyk ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) All Over The World

Hello to you from here. How are you? I’m still really sore but I am in good spirits. Yesterday I wondered about finding dancing in the Bible. I have always loved to dance and to watch it done in all the various ways we do it. Early people expressed their love for God through dance and simple instruments from what I was able to find out. When I really find a song I like and dance to it, it feels like being connected to a divine energy- being close to God. Everything is warm, there is no time and the only limits are how deep the movements go. I’m not as limber as I once was lol! Especially lately. Do you like to dance or do you tell yourself you can’t? Sometimes I just dance with my hands! Just tapping your hand on your body or an object….sometimes I dance with my little Djembe drum lol.

https://classroom.synonym.com/praise-dance-history-12080860.html – article you might find interesting on the subject:

The history of praise dance dates back to biblical times. The first mention of dance in the Bible is in the book of Exodus when Miriam, sister of Moses, took a tambourine and led the women of Israel into a dance after witnessing the parting of the Red Sea. They expressed joy and celebration in their dance after witnessing God’s great miracle on their behalf.

It was a bit rainy (yay!) yesterday so not so many pictures and that’s ok. On the second walk it was gently raining. Link got so wet and was not thrilled to get such a bath but I loved it. It had been awhile since I walked slowly while it was raining. The messages for me lately has been to slow down – as I keep saying, pain is a teacher. You learn yhd lessons or you continue to suffer!

It’s so much better to dance than to weep
Daffodils
A baby tree being so grown up!
Thinking of all the people in my life and the world that are trying to heal and get well…survive day to day. God shows us in such beings like flowers the cycles of existence…there will be blooming times and times there are just bulbs to be planted – potential stored for better times and conditions.
I had to acknowledge this beauty – I’m seeing a lot more of them.
I wanted to get closer but I try to respect peoples property.
There you are!

Probably my favorite scene from The Chosen:

https://youtu.be/IiStHMNE16Q – The Chosen Jesus Saves Mary Magdalene

30 April 2022 The Flow

This morning as I’m still having back pain my thoughts turned to that special state you can get into where your body, time and existence are all synchronized….nothing hurts, there is no clock and your just completely absorbed in doing something what pleases every part of you. They call it the flow state:

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-flow-2794768

What Is Flow? 

Flow is a state of mind in which a person becomes fully immersed in an activity. Positive psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi describes flow as a state of complete immersion in an activity. Being immersed can be defined as a state of focus in which a person is completely absorbed and engrossed in their work.

While in this mental flow state, people are highly involved and focused on what they are doing.

“The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost,” Csíkszentmihályi said in an interview with Wired magazine.1

————————

I find lately that I’m able to get into this state when I’m out exploring with Link and noticing the world around me. Taking pictures with my phone. What comes to mind again is Kairos time – for a moment operating in God’s time. I’m a car going on the best Sunday drives ever. I’m learning to cherish those moments when it feels like God makes the clock and pain disappear. Last night I found this song playing in my head again and so I decided to listen to it. I got goose bumps all over me. What a perfect song to play walking in the garden:

https://youtu.be/CvFH_6DNRCY – Claude Debussy – Clair De Lune

Each morning when I open my eyes is another day to be more in love with the one who made me.
“I see you seeing me seeing you”
This isn’t the greatest picture as cell phone cameras do have limits but I wanted to take a moment with this young tree as it begins to wake up.
My neighbors up the street have been working so hard and this is some fruits of their labors. I think they did a great job!
Do you remember the picture I took of Smokey all pooped out?! Link is tired but still smiles!
I just love seeing what God is doing with the canvas of sky – ever changing as he stands still
These tulips keep catching my eye. The owner of the yard has been doing some digging but these beauties remain in the seeming chaos around them.
Can’t you almost hear Clair De Lune standing here?
There is such glory in seeing a tree in the sunlight

https://youtu.be/6IL2dAm3ldk – Legend Music Video (Loved by the Sun by Tangerine Dream)

Thinking of actor Chadwick AAron Boseman https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chadwick_Boseman today after finding this song last night, I had never heard it before:

https://youtu.be/XR7Ev14vUh8 – The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar Pray For Me

The lyrics to this song speak of generations coming up behind me. Where is God in all this chaos every day? Do all I have is myself? From my own experience I know God is everywhere in my life but I can understand how young people can lose hope – think they have to get through all by themselves. This song also speaks of the fight Chadwick put up with his battle with colon cancer. Such a light extinguished way too soon:

I’m always ready for a war again (a war again)
Go down that road again (that road again)
It’s all the same (it’s all the same)
I’m always ready to take a life again
You know I’ll ride again
It’s all the same (ooh, ooh, ooh)

Tell me who’s gon’ save me from myself
When this life is all I know
Tell me who’s gon’ save me from this hell
Without you, I’m all alone

Who gon’ pray for me? (Who gon’ pray for me?)
Take my pain for me? (Take my pain for me?)
Save my soul for me? (Save my soul for me?)
‘Cause I’m alone, you see (I’m alone, you see)
If I’m gon’ die for you (if I’m gon’ die for you )
If I’m gon’ kill for you (if I’m gon’ kill for you)
Then I’ll spill this blood for you, hey

I fight the world, I fight you, I fight myself
I fight God, just tell me how many burdens left
I fight pain and hurricanes, today I wept
I’m tryna fight back tears, flood on my doorsteps
Life a livin’ hell, puddles of blood in the streets
Shooters on top of the building, government aid ain’t relief 
Earthquake, the body drop, the ground breaks
The poor run with smoke lungs and Scarface
Who need a hero? (Hero)
You need a hero, look in the mirror, there go your hero
Who on the front lines at ground zero? (Hero)
My heart don’t skip a beat, even when hard times bumps the needle
Mass destruction and mass corruption
The souls are sufferin’ men
Clutchin’ on deaf ears again, rapture is comin’
It’s all prophecy and if I gotta be sacrificed for the greater good
Then that’s what it gotta be

Who gon’ pray for me? (Who gon’ pray for me?)
Take my pain for me? (Take my pain for me?)
Save my soul for me? (Save my soul for me?)
‘Cause I’m alone, you see (I’m alone, you see)
If I’m gon’ die for you (if I’m gon’ die for you )
If I’m gon’ kill for you (if I’m gon’ kill for you)
Then I’ll spill this blood for you, hey

Hey, hey
Hey, hey
Hey, hey
Hey, hey

Who gon’ pray for me? (Who gon’ pray for me?)
Take my pain for me? (Take my pain for me?)
Save my soul for me? (Save my soul for me?)
‘Cause I’m alone, you see (I’m alone, you see)
If I’m gon’ die for you (if I’m gon’ die for you )
If I’m gon’ kill for you (if I’m gon’ kill for you)
Then I’ll spill this blood for you, hey

Just in case my faith go
I live by my own law
I live by my own law
I live by my own
Just in case my faith go
I live by my own law
I live by my own law
I live by my own

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Abel Tesfaye / Adam King Feeney / Kendrick Lamar / Martin McKinney

Pray for Me lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc

29 April 2022 Understanding

Hello to you. How are you? It’s Friday as I write to you. Almost the end of the month already! I’m still really sore but trying to work with God and my body about it. This morning I thought about my understanding of healing from an energetic perspective. I thought about how pain in the body can be a manifestation of stored unresolved emotional pain. Laying in my bed it was like hearing God remind me of all I’ve been through emotionally the past few years and how I haven’t really grieved fully about it. That pain has to go somewhere if you don’t face it fully. In all the particles that make me a solid being there are many particles of pain. What came to me is to imagine all the places the pain is being stored in my body as doors that have to open so what is living there will be evicted. Hopefully what I’m sharing makes sense to you.

Yesterday I was thinking about a scene in The Chosen where Jesus mentions that not all of his parables will be understood by everyone. I thought about communication and understanding in our world today. There are all kinds of people and devices but even still there is much misunderstanding. The translation of the message from who receives and shares it doesn’t always reach who needs to hear it. Sometimes it’s the wrong language. Sometimes it’s the wrong person or just a message the intended that are not ready to hear – it’s the “wrong” time in their mind even in Kairos time it’s exactly the time….so a seed is planted even without very good soil or water. Seeds can wait for Kairos – God’s time. Ultimately a message will be delivered and received….understanding will follow. The seed will grow if we are only willing to receive it.

Sometimes the best way to reach people and make something hard to understand easier is by telling a story – telling our personal stories in recovery programs is very powerful

Not every person is every persons “messenger.” What I say and write may make sense to some and to others seem like rubbish. Who are the people you listen to about matters in your life and this world? Do you even know why?

Some people have trouble with their own children listening and understanding them and they get frustrated. So then as a responsible parent you must find a way to reach them. Find someone they will listen to and understand. My Uncle John is involved in the Big Brother program for example. He gets to be someone outside of a child’s normal life that spends time with him. Sharing messages by not only his words but by the example he shows the child. A lot of understanding, and I learned this from my dogs, doesn’t come from what we say. It’s how we speak and what we do. A lot of language and understanding as people like the Dog Whisperer Cesar Milan will tell you is founded in our energy. Everything we do to include our thoughts is ultimately about energy:

https://youtu.be/KLD9h548Ofw -what is energy in the dog world by Cesar Milan

Let’s go for a walk:

A wild space in my neighborhood
A different color bloom to enjoy
Sometimes the sun masquerades as the moon
Late afternoon
I had to see if this trees blooms had s scent – very subtle
You gotta get real close. So soft!
Link and I were delighted to see some wonderful chalk art!
Pretty balloons
Seeing this brought me so much joy inside – kids are amazing. Just the smallest thing can become so awesome. Such a pure thing the gratitude of a child’s heart.
They always say hello when we go by! Sometimes I feel bad that I can’t take dogs like this for a walk with me. So many dogs would really benefit from a walk at least once a day.
Last nights walk was just magical! The light just made everything I saw look beautiful.
A place with messages to be heard and hopefully understood.

28 April 2022 Kairos Time

Hello to you. I hope this finds you well. I’m sitting here with you with Link cuddled beside me, a hot cup of coffee and the aroma of icy hot cream I put on my back. I am excited as I get to share something I learned about yesterday in my ponderings with God. You all are probably familiar with “divine timing” but did you know there is actually a Greek word for what is considered God’s time? The word is Kairos:

Kairos is an ancient Greek word meaning ‘the right, critical, or opportune moment’. In modern Greek, kairos also means ‘weather’. It is one of two words that the ancient Greeks had for ‘time’; the other being chronos.Wikipedia

The world we live in is governed by chronos – a chronological existence. We have clocks, calendars, charts, graphs, simulations, watching people be born and age marking the beginning of the journey with a birthday…a touchstone to come back to each year of being on earth. As modern science is exploring now, time is just a concept…a bookmark in the unfolding of existence. When your God time is pretty meaningless. God operates in Kairos time. There is no beginning and there is no end there just is. Learning about this further helps me understand why answers to questions I ask and prayers I say take so long sometimes to get answered or why sometimes I’m so surprised how quickly an answer comes. It all happens at the appointed time, when and how it’s supposed to happen. One of the best personal examples I have is begging God for three years to bring my dog Sam back to me and feeling like he wasn’t listening. Then there was Dutch, TJ and Link. In Kairos it took all that time and sequence of events for God to show me his love….that he heard me.

As I’ve talked about before, what is what we call a day in our existence to a God not bound by any of our understanding of time. How many moments, decisions….actions have to occur for a single prayer to be answered? I think of variables in an experiment….baking a cake! You have to have all the ingredients and like with baking bread, even the room temperature matters – everything has to go just right or the desired outcome doesn’t happen. When things get forced or rushed to happen that’s when we are not always pleased with the result.

There is lots of information about Kairos. Here are a couple things I found if your curious:

https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-does-the-greek-word-kairos-mean-in-the-bible.html
https://www.theologyofwork.org/the-high-calling/blog/living-kairos-life-chronos-world
A passage from the Bible that is great for thinking of Kairos, what time is like for God in relation to us.

A couple videos I found yesterday that might interest you:

https://youtu.be/HGPeL0tNz8Y – Kairos Living in a Chronos World -Donna Marie Duffy TedxWilmington

https://youtu.be/OWlv7SQY12s – About Time (the difference between chronos time and Kairos time in Christianity)

The messages for today in A Woman’s Spirit really kind of connect well with Kairos. One aspect of our time on earth is the concept of change. No matter how much we want some things to stay the same….they don’t. For us time is always passing and things are always changing. We are not powerless in all of the unceasing movement of people, places and things and that is important to remember! What you think – how you think about changes is your choice:

God is the only constant. – Ruth Casey

Change is happening to us every minute. Scientists tell us that all our body’s cells are replaced every few months. We are losing old hair and growing new hair every day. The plant world participated in a cycle of death and renewal every minute. We are surrounded by change. And when it’s change that doesn’t affect our egos, we accept it without comment, or in many cases, without notice.

Change in our personal lives is not so easily accepted. Losing a job can be devastating. Ending a relationship might feel unsurvivable. Moving to a new community, away from friends, can be profoundly lonely and disorientating. We haven’t been promised unchanging lives. But we have been promised an unchanging, always -loving Higher Power. The most fruitful lessons we can learn that God is with us throughout every experience and that change is introduced in our lives only when it helps us fulfill our greater purpose.

I will trust the experiences in store for me today and have faith they are part of God’s plan. (In pencil I had written cyst—2004? In August of 2005 I had a hysterectomy as I kept getting cysts in my ovaries and uterus)

Let’s go for a walk:

Baby cones!
The dog wasn’t out in this yard so I finally got a picture of these opened up in the sun
A moment
“Are we going back out?”
I think this tree is amazing. It’s the one I showed you had red buds all over which have become white blooms!
This open spot on the walk always gets me to stop and think of what this space could be. A park? A open air interfaith place to pray together? I’m sure the owner of this space has ideas. I hope it won’t just be another house.
Aaaaah…..peace for the eyes
When I saw this tree I just felt happy! A tree with a cheerful energy about it.
“I’m tired! Think I’ll sit with my belly in the cool grass a moment!” Doggy grounding technique!
I had to stop and take a picture of these. Part of the amazing life cycle of dandelions. Their lives are never really over. It’s like Kairos time for them if you think about it.
Last blooms of the journey yesterday – the trees around here have such a beautiful process of waking up

Scientific DefinitionPhysicists define time as the progression of events from the past to the present into the future. Basically, if a system is unchanging, it is timeless. Time can be considered to be the fourth dimension of reality, used to describe events in three-dimensional space.Nov 26, 2019

https://www.thoughtco.com › what-i…

What Is Time? A Simple Explanation – ThoughtCo

27 April 2022 Can We Peek Into Our Own Multiverse Through Dreams?

Hello to you. How are you today? My back and legs are still in pain but better! With the help of a back brace Link and I got a short walk yesterday as you will see in the pictures today. Yesterday I read that Pope Francis has been suffering with pain in his right leg. Seems it doesn’t matter who we are in this life – pain plays a part in the play! I hope he gets relief. Leg pain makes life really challenging! Speaking of that thank you for praying for my Mom and her surgery yesterday – all wet well! Hoping the same for my Aunt and her knee surgery today.

Last night I had a very vivid dream that seemed like I was peaking into the life of an alternate version of me. The dream began by me having sleep paralysis and I was looking at a small apricot colored poodle and trying to speak but I couldn’t so I was thinking to them, with my eyes “please help mommy.” Then I was out of the bed in a room that looks like my actual bedroom but it wasn’t – the light was different. I was adjusting the bottom sheet of the bed and the sheets were the same as I actually have on the bed right now. As I was adjusting the sheet I was startled because at the foot of the bed was what seemed to be a shadow at first. Then the shadow took the form of a man I guess I knew in the world I was in. He waved his hands at me and I woke up.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had a dream like this where I will find myself in a dream and the place I’m in is “like” my real world but not exactly the same. One dream I had was dreaming of being in a house that was slightly different than my actual house and following a man with horn rimmed glasses into a glowing blue television set. Anyhew…..dreams like this make me wonder if I’m not traveling in my own multiverse to other versions of me. Logically being in a dream state would definitely make that kind of journey possible. Consciousness moving without a physical body. Have you had this kind of experience?

The messages from A Woman’s Spirit today may resonate with you:

At times fear grips me and I can concentrate only on the anxiety. Then I realize I am in God’s care and I need only trust and the fear subsides. -Michele Fedderly

Remembering God in the midst of a fearful situation is often extremely difficult and at times impossible. But when we can bring God to the forefront of our minds, we sense immediate relief. Practicing reliance on our Higher Power will strengthen our use of this profoundly powerful tool. Our fears will be much more manageable when the use of this tool becomes second nature to us.

As we grow in our understanding of this program, we can look at fearful moments as opportunities to get closer to our Higher Power. Many of us came into recovery with little understanding of a loving God. More than a few of us felt betrayed by God. We may still be like babies learning to walk. But our walk will grow confident. With time and practice we will join the women who turn to God for guidance throughout their day. And as a result, we will know peace.

I will let God help me in every situation today. If I ask for help, I will get it. This is God’s promise.

———————-

If your experiencing debilitating things right now I want you to know your not alone and lots of people you may never know in this life are praying for you and hoping you will get through whatever your facing today. It may not seem like it when we are facing all the various trials this life throws at us, but God is with us! Much of the time God speaks in a whisper we are just too loud to hear:

“Are we going to go for a walk today?”
Clouds in interesting formations milling about
View from my lawn chair – sitting there felt good for my back
That’s what the clouds were up to! Rain!
Feeling the gift that water is in my own hand
A healing place of rest – the heating blanket my Aunt brought over has been so wonderful on my back. My cousin gave me that pillow when I first got to Idaho! Love the simple message – when your in pain don’t forget to take deep breathes!
Yep, still raining out front!
Still raining out back!
The rain moves on, the clouds part and there is glorious light. That’s a lot like it is when we are going through things in this life.
I put on the back brace my Aunt loaned to me and Link and I hobbled out for a short walk. I was delighted to see these purple beauties that seemed to just appear from one day to the next!
All the sudden this white flower has started to appear! I am amazed at the wild flowers this spring!
Isn’t this a beautiful tree?!
A huge cloud forming off in the distance – things are doing things all the time!
Another lovely passage from the book of Job. If you think you are in the worst of the worst read about Job! No matter what God is with us and knows us by name. I like this part because it talks about God the way I understand him best – through nature.

26 April 2022 Earth Angels and Finding Lasting Happiness

Hello to you. How are you today? Well Link and my day began with a knock on the door!

My Aunt and Uncle being at my door this morning made me think of Hebrew’s 13:2 – about angels
You can’t see his wings but they are there. I love and am so grateful for this man.
My beautiful Auntie making sure I got something to eat. She was worried about me this morning and she’s having surgery on her knee tomorrow!! She is such a blessing in my life! I have always felt like she is one of God’s earth angels! I love her so much!

I have been asking God to heal me and there has been relief from the pain but I think there hasn’t been complete healing because he’s trying to get me to slow down – to accept help!

This small message resonated with me yesterday. With healing there is more than just our physical bodies to be mended!

The message from A Woman’s Spirit seems to speak to what I’ve been reading about with young people of today and the concept of joining the work force. A lot of places that employ entry level people or places that pay low wages are really having trouble getting young people to work for them. I think there is a growing awareness that being happy and fulfilled in life is important! Working in some dead end job with toxic people and employment practices just isn’t worth it:

Many of us think that attaining status and financial success will make us happy. – Helene Lerner-Robbins

May be we have to attain status and material wealth before we realize that it doesn’t fulfill us. If we grew up in unhappy homes, we may have thought that material objects would change our lives. To discover otherwise takes wisdom, and we are only now seeking that.

The attainment of wisdom gives us the happiness we have sought everywhere else in our past. All that we longed for comes to us when we stop the rush to attain things and focus instead on the miracle of our spiritual being. Life is full of wonderful paradoxes; utilizing the tools of this program helps us discover them.

Let’s not mislead ourselves. Having status and financial success doesn’t preclude happiness; it just won’t guarantee it. Finding God and settling for wisdom does.

I don’t need anything special to be happy. My reliance on my Higher Power will give me lasting happiness.

——————-

I wasn’t able to get on a walk yesterday so I focused on other things that make me feel close to God:

Hallelujah view of the sky
I love his sweet smile
I knew I couldn’t go for a walk but I COULD go and sit on the porch and admire the setting sun
“Not all who wander are lost….”

The phrase is referenced with a reversal of the usual meaning in J.R.R. Tolkien‘s poem, “The Riddle of Strider”, originally written for The Fellowship of the Ring:

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Riddle of Strider, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

It’s hard to believe it’s been about 3 years since I broke my wrist. My wrist is crooked but it is healed and a physical reminder of what happens when our spirit moves faster than our feet!
Have you ever really stopped and looked at your hands? Thought about all we use them for? What an amazing tool!
I was trying to get a picture of his paws and instead he did this – showing me how valuable paws are! My little healer….

25 April 2022 Pain is a Teacher

Hello to you. How are you? Today is another day of learning for me. The past few days I’ve been more active than usual. Yesterday I decided the yard work couldn’t wait and I really hurt my back doing it. I used to be able to take care of a front, back and side yard with weed whacking no problem just a couple of years ago! All I have now is weed whacking a little yard in the front and wore myself out! I’m so frustrated with my body….this getting older and limitations.

This morning I was reminded of a conversation I had with my ex once about being grateful I could do laundry. Some people with various physical and cognitive limitations can’t do it! They would give anything to be able to do it! This morning it was all I could do to get myself dressed! The other thing which is hard for me is asking for and accepting help! Thank God for my Aunt and Uncle this morning. They made sure I had something to eat and help for the pain. My Aunt used a massager on my back and left a cane and heating blanket for me! They helped me when they have their own things going on. My Aunt goes for her knee surgery Wednesday!

Pain is being my teacher. New, old and refresher lessons. I am reminding myself today to focus on what I can do and that my body is not meant to be a prison. What I’m going through will pass and new days will come. Hopefully mostly pain free days!

Please keep my Aunt in your prayers and my Mom. My Mom is having hip replacement surgery Tuesday!

Last night on The Chosen livestream psalm 77 was mentioned. I waited to read it this morning and it’s really perfect for what I’m experiencing with chronic pain. Especially the crying out to God for help part!

Psalm 77New International Version

Psalm 77[a]

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.

I cried out to God(A) for help;
    I cried out to God to hear me.
When I was in distress,(B) I sought the Lord;
    at night(C) I stretched out untiring hands,(D)
    and I would not be comforted.(E)

I remembered(F) you, God, and I groaned;(G)
    I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.[b](H)
You kept my eyes from closing;
    I was too troubled to speak.(I)
I thought about the former days,(J)
    the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night.
    My heart meditated and my spirit asked:

“Will the Lord reject forever?(K)
    Will he never show his favor(L) again?
Has his unfailing love(M) vanished forever?
    Has his promise(N) failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?(O)
    Has he in anger withheld his compassion?(P)

10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
    the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.(Q)
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your miracles(R)of long ago.
12 I will consider(S) all your works
    and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”(T)

13 Your ways, God, are holy.
    What god is as great as our God?(U)
14 You are the God who performs miracles;(V)
    you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,(W)
    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

16 The waters(X) saw you, God,
    the waters saw you and writhed;(Y)
    the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,(Z)
    the heavens resounded with thunder;(AA)
    your arrows(AB) flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,(AC)
    your lightning(AD) lit up the world;
    the earth trembled and quaked.(AE)
19 Your path(AF) led through the sea,(AG)
    your way through the mighty waters,
    though your footprints were not seen.

20 You led your people(AH) like a flock(AI)
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.(AJ)

————————

Some pictures – no second walk yesterday!

Brand new leaves!
Normally these are in the shade. Not sure what this plant is.
Layers of different trees
Sometimes when I pass this house a man is sitting in the chair. A peaceful little spot to meditate on things.
Poor Smokey! He got tuckered out! The way he looks in this picture is how I feel lately!
Linky looking at me with a look that seems to say “I’m sorry your hurting….you overdid it again! “
No clouds and hazy view of the setting sun
A lot of furry and feathered beings visit this tree out back
“It’s not about what you can’t do but what you can do.” Sometimes just playing with the sun has to be enough

A couple timely messages from A Woman’s Spirit today:

Healing is learning to trust my own wisdom, my own intuition. -Mary Zink

I am wise. I’ll know what to do today in every situation if I open my heart to my Higher Power.

In case your interested (season 3 is in the works right now): https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen

24 April 2022 Why Do You Help Others?

Hello to you. It’s Sunday morning as I write to you. I’m sitting here with some coffee, two sweet boy doggies and my thoughts….a question for myself and you. Why do you help others? After reading Matthew 6 yesterday I am reminded to not blow my own horn when it comes to service and helping others which is hard to do in a modern world. So much of social media is “see what I did?” I guess it just comes down to making sure our motives are pure when we do things. It’s not about what’s in it for me or what am I going to get by doing things. No strings must be attached and that can be hard with how valuable time is to most people. Like my deciding to help set up church is my way of showing I care about the church I’m going to. It’s a small way I share with God and other people who care too. I’m not looking for praise or thanks:

Matthew 6 as you can see I have been to these messages a few times!

Matthew 6New International Version

Giving to the Needy

6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.(A) If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.(B)

Yesterday I kind of scaled back the walks a bit as I was real sore and grumpy lol. The boys and I did manage to find a few things to share with you. Something beautiful I saw was a woman in a scooter out with her daughter. She couldn’t walk but at least she made an effort to go with her daughter and enjoy the beautiful day! I love seeing parents sharing time with their children like that. I thought of the phrase I say to myself when I saw the woman in the scooter, “it’s not what I can’t do, it’s what I can do.”

Let’s go for a short walk together:

Lots of poofy and healthy clouds yesterday!
Our post office just down the street
Everywhere flowers are peeking out to be noticed
I love seeing all the bees doing bee stuff!
I saw this and had to share it! What a beautiful gift to share with passerby’s like me.
Seeing this made me smile
A furry arborist up on high. This little guy jumped like a flying squirrel from a tree next to it. The woman in the scooter, her daughter and I took notice!
Stay positive even if you are hurting – message for me and may be you too?

23 April 2022 Connecting Now With Then

Hello sun
Hello!
Hi there! It’s the weekend so make sure you don’t work too hard! Did you look outside yet today?

Hello to you. How are you doing today? It’s Saturday as I write to you and looking like it’s going to be a really nice day here. Sometimes I almost feel guilty to be so blessed with the life I have! Even with some of the things I’ve got going on, I’m so grateful for my life.

Yesterday I was curious what scripture there would be about clouds. Lately I’ve been asking questions like that so I will explore the Bible more. So that I can connect my current life and experiences to what is the past. It’s really kind of amazing how such ancient messages can still be relatable to life today. So yes, there are messages about clouds! Clouds have been around a loooong time! One place that I thought was really interesting to read about them was in Job 37:11-13 in particular:

11 He loads the clouds with moisture;(U)
he scatters his lightning(V) through them.(W)
12 At his direction they swirl around
over the face of the whole earth
to do whatever he commands them.(X)
13 He brings the clouds to punish people,(Y)
or to water his earth and show his love.(Z)

Being able to access the Bible online has made finding answers to my inquiries really easy but it’s still nice to hold the words in my own hands.

Connecting my now to the understanding Biblical people of the past had about how God works in nature

Todays messages from A Woman’s Spirit are so good I want to share the whole thing with you:

To show great love for God and our neighbor, we need not do great things. – Mother Teresa

We don’t have to invent a cure for cancer or lift the burdens of a friend to prove our worth to other people. Being considerate of someone’s feelings is quite enough, and it is something any of us can do. It takes only a moment’s thought and the willingness to treat others as we’d like them to treat us. The real blessing is that we feel much better each time our heart guides our actions.

Loving others is perhaps the simplest of all actions we can take in this life. It requires no planning, no money, no muscle power, no problem solving. It’s a simple decision we can make daily or hourly. Every person we encounter, every situation we face, is an opportunity for us to hone the skill. And every loving act or thought makes the world a better place.

It’s human nature to treat others as we are treated. If each of us becomes willing to offer the hand of love to someone else today, we will indeed have done a great thing!

I can make a worthwhile contribution today. I can be kind to a stranger.

—————-

Now let’s go for a walk together……

This is that tree I was talking about that has leaves but as made these tiny red buds all over! It must take so much energy to do this!
Doesn’t the sun look amazing? I guess I got the angle just right so we can see the rays of light spoking out around it.
A street with my Grandma Becker’s name! I think of her whenever I see it!
A beautiful view of Carol street. Grandma would love this tree!
As you can see the street names are all ladies lol
Something interesting here. I was lucky to get this little one out and about and then later something weird – in my news feed were all kinds of articles about lady bugs! Coincidence or an algorithm picking up on the image on my phone?!
I loved seeing those two big trees by the waters edge….my eyes go aaaah when I see scenes like this one!
There have been lots of poofy healthy clouds lately. It’s interesting to see the layers of clouds. Sometimes I imagine angels traveling in a cloud ship sight seeing when I see hallelujah clouds like these.

https://nypost.com/2022/04/18/i-lost-92k-in-an-internet-dating-scam/amp/ – another cautionary tale about the hazards of online dating! I’ve pretty much given up on it. So many scammers online! I’m trying to let God be my dating coordinator!!

22 April 2022 Earth Day

Hello! How are you today? It’s Friday here and Earth Day. I kind of think about holidays of this sort like this: “Why just a day?” For me every day belongs to the earth….without the earth there are no days. This morning I am thinking about the first garden and the first trees:

In Genesis 2:9 we learn about the tree of life and it’s purpose

Genesis 2:9New International Version

9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees(A) that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life(B) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.(C)

When I’m out walking around, as I’ve mentioned, I feel like I’m in a garden. Each tree is doing unique things to make it’s leaves. There is a tree that captured my attention and I shared with you that is now making tiny little red buds all over it even after making leaves. Some trees are still in the process of waking up of have no leaf buds at all yet. The purple flowers I’ve shared with you have spread to several yards….the two little wild pansies have become a whole cluster of them! In ever nook of earth “things are doing things!”

Last night before bed I was talking with God and as I spoke I realized I sound a lot like my Grandma Schmidt! I began to remember and think of her with so much love. She and my Grandpa taught me early on about nature and the connection of nature to knowing and loving God. She loved her garden and grew such amazing flowers! Big white Kennedy roses. I loved going camping with them. My Grandma Becker and I shared a love of trees. When we walked together she would show me her favorite trees who she thought of as friends. Each one expressing itself in a unique special way. I’m so grateful that the early people in my life taught me what a precious gift this earth is.

Everywhere I look I see intelligence….the wisdom of the master gardener of all creation. For me, each day I get to draw breath is earths day:

Tulips
Isn’t this one a pretty color?
Every time I see these I think of the blue bonnets in Texas….I think of Sam. He was my little bumblebee. One time after he walked through a yard of blue bonnets, I later found one in our backyard!
I counted the rings, this one was about 8 years old before it was cut down….a baby in tree years
I mentioned to God that we hadn’t seen any blue flowers yet and the next day….blue!
This is howGod works with me lol – I thought there were just two wild pansies and God will say how about a whole bunch of them?!
Lots of tulips right now in various yards growing in many different spots
We got a little bit of rain again – I love seeing the sun peeking through the clouds
Smokey getting some time out on a walk – he goes a lot faster than Link does so not much time for pictures lol!
A Eden in our times – all the elements to life here
This part of our walk makes me think of where I used to go play as a child
Link is so patient with me and I with him. He likes to stroll which is great for when I want to get pictures
Link is so excited Smokey is visiting

A couple messages from todays A Woman’s Spirit book:

In celebrating the good in me that was always there, I will continue to flourish. – Jill Clark

Improving a small part of me at a time isn’t too much work. Cultivating my assets in this way promises that today will be good.

Did you know:

The oldest LIVING tree is called “Methuselah” and is 4,765 years old. This tree is nearly 1,000 years older than any other bristlecone alive today. It lives in a secret location in the White Mountain range of eastern California. The oldest known tree named “Prometheus” was cut down in 1964 by a doctoral student.Feb 24, 2015

https://www.nps.gov › learn › nature

Great Basin Bristlecone Pine – Bryce Canyon – National Park Service