Hello to you. How are you today? I’m feeling better than yesterday or the day before. Today is a new day and I’m grateful for it. Something happened this morning that hasn’t happened for quite awhile – I cried. I was listening to the song I shared with you, Pray for Me by The Weeknd and I just felt the song really deep inside. There is a part of the song that made me think of Black Panther’s Wakanda – tribal. It made me think of sitting with Kyle and our friend Billy who had brought over the Black Panther movie so we could watch it together. I remember getting goosebumps watching it! Finally a new story being told with people of color starring in it! It’s one of my favorite Marvel movies. My thoughts touched on how sad it is Chadwick is not going to be in the next Black Panther movie….I suspect there will be a new king.
After all these thoughts and tears I found I felt less pain everywhere. I’ve been noticing how the pains in my body keep moving around. I’ll get relief in one part of my body only for a new part to start hurting! When I was doing Quantum Touch energy healing that phenomenon happened a lot. We would have to chase the pain around the body like it was a actual entity – a ghost needing to be sent to the light. Pain is a stubborn energy that like a bad renter can be difficult to evict! One of the ways to expel pain is through tears. Sometimes I think pain is a way for our body to seek attention from us. In our busy lives it’s really easy to take our bodies and the amazing….sometimes extremely complex things we ask of them for granted! I have been guilty of this at many points in my life.
Researchers have established that crying releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, also known as endorphins.These feel-good chemicals help ease both physical and emotional pain.Mar 1, 2021
It doesn’t make you any less or weak when you let yourself feel things and shed tears
The walks yesterday:
I made myself go to church yesterday even though it hurt. There was an elderly woman there in a wheelchair…how then can I complain when I can walk? I was imagining my Aunt and Uncle filling these chairs. They are going through their own body stuff too! Leaving church….next it was going to get groceries! When you live alone everything is up to you. It won’t get done if you don’t do it. People offer to help but ultimately it ends up being your responsibility. Everybody has “stuff” going on! I love you This tree just captivated me every time I see it! Such a vibrant personality! One of the yard ornaments in a neighbors yard – it’s a spinning one Hello sun My eyes turned to the various wild grasses growing in the neighborhood. I had to touch them, so soft! Spring isn’t just about blooms! Yet another tree in the neighborhood being cut down. It always makes me sad as so many lives depend on just one tree. But I understand sometimes trees die or are causing a homeowner trouble like with the foundation. Some day….right now there are a lot of little Eden’s
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.
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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….
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!
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
1 I cried out to God(A) for help; I cried out to God to hear me. 2 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)
3 I remembered(F) you, God, and I groaned;(G) I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.[b](H) 4 You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.(I) 5 I thought about the former days,(J) the years of long ago; 6 I remembered my songs in the night. My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
7 “Will the Lord reject forever?(K) Will he never show his favor(L) again? 8 Has his unfailing love(M) vanished forever? Has his promise(N) failed for all time? 9 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)
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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.
Hello to you. How are you? My thoughts this morning are all over the place to be honest! There is just so much going on in this world. The news isn’t good but I am trying to remain conscious that good things are happening. There are so many good people. For all of the awful we are being bombarded with at every turn, there is good. I remind myself that even though I am powerless to stop and change so much of what is going on, God is not. There will be justice….there is justice we can’t see with our eyes but know with our spirits. My request is God’s justice for atrocities such as this:
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Todays message from A Woman’s Spirit is a great reminder about the power of time….it passes. Whatever the trial or tribulation we are experiencing we can trust it won’t last. We wish we could hold on to the good stuff that happens as much as we want to let go and forget the bad stuff….the length either stays is where we are empowered outside the rules of time:
Everything passes, as I flow with this river of highs and lows, I become calm. I trust my experience and the life force guiding me. – Ruthie Albert
Everything passes. There is perhaps no greater comfort when we’re caught in the throes of trauma than the knowledge that this too shall pass. We lived many years without this knowledge as we struggled to change the i changeable. Unfortunately, the only thing that changed was our level of frustration: it got higher. Now we know that we can patiently wait for a situation to pass. Nothing lasts forever.
The good times pass too, of course. We hope to hold on to them, but the same principle applies. The minutes tick by, carrying is to new experiences. What we need to learn will become known to us through both the good times and the struggles. They all will pass, having prepared us for the high and lows that wait to serve us.
I am at peace with the knowledge that everything passes. My needs will be met today.
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Here are pictures from yesterday’s adventures:
Morning light trying to happen- “dwell in me Lord, be strong when I am weak…” Setting up for Good Friday service at Millcreek Elementary SchoolI took this going in to help set up. In the evening one of our parishioners children handed me a flower just like this from the same tree. Children and trees…….Lots of extra chairs in anticipation of Easter. The Good Friday service really meant a lot to me. There was a good turn out.Something that reminds us of the pain Jesus enduredMemories new and old in a moment When I saw this moment I wanted to capture it for their Mom. I also thought of my Grandpa and what it must have been like for my Mom and her family to help Grandpa prepare for such occasions. These moments are so fleeting, thank goodness for cameras! Gorgeous flower on our walk that I hadn’t seen beforeSweet beautiful boy we encountered on the walk. He wanted to come to me so bad but Link wasn’t having it! I hope he is home safe and loved. My little bear Link getting my attention! Found out yesterday that my brother Jerry is a Grandpa again! This is one of the red tulips I shared the other day. More of them have appeared and I was able to get a closer look! I love the fringes on the edges! Vanity….you would laugh at how many tries it took me to get this! Sometimes it’s nice to see a face that goes with words. I hope the best for you – no matter what things seem like now it’s all going to keep moving on. Stay focused on the helpers….do what you can to be a helper. Remember that no act of kindness is too small for God.
Hello to you. How are you today? In a little bit I will be going to join some others to help set up church for tonight’s Good Friday observance. In light of what is being remembered, I’ve always had a hard time thinking of this day as good. A good man was tortured, he suffered and died on a cross with criminals. What could possibly be good about that?’ What I’m reminded is good about today is he went through all that for us….so we wouldn’t have to. He took all of the world on himself out of love for both his father and each of us. It’s truly a beautiful thing to think about someone loving me that much to go through everything he did.
the Friday before Easter Sunday, on which the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ is commemorated in the Christian Church. It is traditionally a day of fasting and penance.
Last night I was restless and wanted to watch something. I was pleased to find and watch (finally! My cousin and his wife recommended this to me over a year ago!) The Case For Christ. It was the story of author Lee Strobel an atheist who after a journey of discovery and love found his way to believing in Jesus Christ. The movie did a really good job of showing what having a believer and an unbeliever living in the same house with children can really cause disruption….division. Test a marriage. My ex-husband and I went through some of that strife. If you haven’t seen it and are curious, I saw it on You tube.
As you can see by my note and the date I’ve struggled with sleep for a long time. This is another scripture of comfort. You can talk to God about anything you need help with!
Todays message from A Woman’s Spirit is a good one for what we are remembering today….forgiveness:
Work for justice. Struggle for forgiveness. Choose love. -Patricia Benson
Justice, forgiveness, and love sound far loftier than they are. Developing these qualities requires only that we live as we think God wants us to live. It’s as simple as that. Admittedly, when we have wanted to punish a significant person in our lives, we have often preferred “justifiable” anger or resentment over love. However, the emotional hangover that has followed the expression of our outrage has diminished any pleasure we might have gained.
Our inclination to forgive other people and ourselves, coupled with our decision to love rather than punish those who irritate us, seems to grow daily. Our changed perspective comes from our willingness to grow in recovery. We can be as peace-filled and as loving as we want. We’re in charge!
I will stay in control of who I am today. I can fulfill God’s wishes.
In all the mysteries of mysteries there is light both seen and unseen. Matthew 5:16 New International Version
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others,(A) that they may see your good deeds(B)and glorify(C) your Father in heaven.
Was this the mother of the baby I found? She was climbing all over the Willow tree like she was looking for something. This passage helped me after my encounter with the squirrel. Tomorrow is Good Friday…I think of Jesus’s mother Mary – where is my son? Can you imagine her torment seeing what happened to Jesus? I think of Parents all over the world who have lost their children for one reason or another – especially suicide. I think at the core of what ails our children and us is how disconnected so many are from Spirit. It’s not just going to church or scripture…words! It’s action – intangible things as simple as a smile or hugs! There are alot of starving spirits in our world!
Hello to you. How are you? I hope this finds you well. As you can see from the picture of the squirrel that I had another experience at my favorite willow tree. I feel most certain that a squirrel can experience what we know as loss and grief. I could go home to my Bible but that squirrel has to find her own way to be comforted. There have been times in my life that I couldn’t find comfort or consolation. Nothing of this world….anything of the flesh could fill the void in me. Only time and things of the spirit could give me peace. The “stuff” of this world is meaningless if you don’t have the certainty of a relationship with the Spirit. Any comfort we find in material things is fleeting – it never lasts.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,(B) where moths and vermin destroy,(C) and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,(D) where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.(E)21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
As I see more and more about the mental health crisis going on I have come to believe it’s not just mental….at the core it is a spiritual crisis…..an emotional crisis. The crisis is an “inside crisis.” Start healing at the core of a person and the rest will gradually heal too….at least that’s been my own experience.
The message in A Woman’s Spirit today talks about letting go of our painful pasts to make room for joy:
Letting go of old hurts makes room for new joys. -Sefra Kobrin Pitzele
Dwelling on the painful past gets tiresome eventually, but some of us hang on to it longer than others do. However, seeing women move from the bondage of the past to the freedom of living in the present gives us hope. Once we let go of the pain, we discover far more joy in even ordinary experiences. That’s the real surprise.
We have heard sponsors say that when old doors close, new doors open. Letting go of old hurts in order to appreciate new joys falls into the same category. Why not fill our voids with joys rather than recollections of pain?
None of us know how long a life we’ll be blessed with. Accepting how tentative life is helps us decide to seek more joy and less pain. The decision is only the first step, however. Taking control of how we think is the necessary action.
I will experience more joy if I give less thought to old hurts today. The decision is mine, and I can make it and remake it if necessary.
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Some pictures from the walks yesterday:
I didn’t do this justice but seeing the little tricycle near a sapling just seemed to go together in my mind!
Hello to you today. How are you? I hope this finds you well. Ever since I saw this exchange portrayed on The Chosen I’ve been thinking about it:
John 5:6
6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
Yes I do…..
In the Chosen they added dialogue to the exchange. When the paralytic started to complain, Jesus was like look I asked you a question. I didn’t ask who was or wasn’t helping you. Do you want to be healed? In my Twitch stream today I talk about this. In our world the answer to healing isn’t instantaneous or lasting like it was between Jesus and those he healed. No matter what modality of trying to heal you turn to in our world today healing requires you to do something….to buy something. In our hearts we desire the healing power of someone like Jesus. There have been miracles in our times but for most there is always something they must actively do to get well, to be healed. When I was doing Quantum Touch healing a lot of times it worked but what was interesting is the healing usually wasn’t of what the person wanted healed – at least not right away. The healing usually began inside – it was an emotional healing first. A lot of what ails us does have origins in intangible things that manifest into reality. That’s been my personal experience both as a person trying to help others heal and trying to heal myself.
Some pictures from the walks yesterday:
I found this bee on the pavement and moved it to the grass. I think the cold snap we’ve been having is a shock to everyone’s system! These little flowers are out now – so delicateSign of the coming weather. When Aunt Ruth and I left church yesterday little pellets of snow were falling! Every time I see this on walks I think of a burning bush like with God and Moses. So pretty. I love seeing the creativity people have with their yards
There are many ways to interpret my experiences today. I will be flexible and occasionally look from another’s vantage point. – A Woman’s Spirit
Hello to you. Hope you are well today. Yesterday was a mostly ok good day. My Aunt and I joined some really special women for breakfast at Grace House. It’s the first time I’ve been in there since we did cleaning and setting up inside of it. It felt so good to meet in a place that felt like a home. Going places with my Aunt is like that. She brings home to a house. It was a blessing to share a moment with her and these women who love God. Emily gave a devotional and I think this is the passage she referenced. She was thinking of her Dad and saying this brought tears to her eyes and to ours:
2 Timothy 1:7New King James Version
7 For (A)God has not given us a spirit of fear, (B)but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
On the walk last night I had one of those experiences that you pray you do it right. I had stopped to admire my favorite Willow tree like I usually do. I looked up into her flowing mane of green and then looked down…..I was dismayed at what I saw laying there. It was a dead baby squirrel. I stood there for a moment in sadness and wondering what I should do. Do I leave the body there? Then I saw a little girl in the window watching me. I took one of the bags I use to pick up after Link, and it took forever to get it open, and picked up the little body and put it in the bag. The little one hadn’t been dead long. Then Link and I walked home. I dug a hole in the yard and buried the little one. It made me think of Emily who lost her Dad. It made me wonder if that little squirrels Mom would miss her baby. It made me think of my own life….how one day my body will be a shell….return to the earth. I kept talking to God about it, thinking about that little girl watching what I was doing. My head is usually in the clouds but sometimes you have to look down. Be reminded of some of the hardest lessons God teaches- those about life and death. I hope I got it right.
Morning with my Aunt:
Me seeing my Aunt Big tree outside Grace HouseMy Aunt at Grace House – the mat is a perfect message about the feeling of the place
Pictures from walks yesterday:
Two crows can you see them? A tiny reminder underneath the rocks of how precious and fragile this life is. We all belong to God all creatures great and small.
Hello to you today. I hope this finds you well. To be honest I’m struggling a bit today. The more it seems that I seek what’s good in the world the more the opposite extreme seems to try to get in my view.
I decided to watch The Chosen yesterday and I am enjoying it so far. The scene when Jesus heals “Lilith” real name Mary really touched me. When he puts his hands on her head and brought her peace she could feel I thought of that scene from the Davinci Code when Sophie touches Robert Langdons head. I thought of all the times Kyle used to do that to me when I was thinking too much. A simple and beautiful gesture…..feeling peace….relief from too many mind. If your curious You can get the Chosen app from the Apple Store. Here is a link: http://www.thechosen.tv/app or search “The Chosen”
“Are your cars dirty after the rain? The culprit is strong winds blowing lakebed dust near Summer Lake OR toward the Boise, Nampa, Meridian area,” the NWS wrote on social media.
My cars windshield!
Message from A Woman’s Spirit today:
My life is filled with the evidence that I am lovable. God has not forgotten me. Everywhere I look today, I’ll see a gift.
I know times are ruff right now but it’s going to be ok! Do what I do and be happy right now. Stop worrying about all that stuff you can’t or won’t do anything about. Be good ok?
John 14:15-31New International Version
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, keep my commands.(A)16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate(B) to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth.(C) The world cannot accept him,(D) because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans;(E) I will come to you.(F)19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.(G) Because I live, you also will live.(H)20 On that day(I) you will realize that I am in my Father,(J) and you are in me, and I am in you.(K)21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.(L) The one who loves me will be loved by my Father,(M) and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
I Look To You – just the voice in song I needed to hear today. Beautiful Whitney.
Hello to you. How are you today? I hope this finds you well….rested? Are you getting enough rest? I myself am struggling with that. What’s frustrating is as I am getting older I have to rest more frequently than I used to! I don’t know how it is for you but sometimes it feels like the body betrays us leaving us feeling powerless!
My thoughts today are about the question I ask myself and others, “what do you want?” The context of the question is about the world we live in. Your immediate world that you experience each day. Who and what are you giving your personal power to?
What do you want to see more of in the world you live in? Where do you focus most of your mind, body and souls energy? Who and what gets most of your personal power?
Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of videos on You tube from animal shelters and rescue agencies. They are finding and rescuing dogs that have been shot and left to die. One dog was shot while she was pregnant. Other dogs covered in oil, left in landfills and dumpsters…old dogs abandoned on a street, sick dogs left to wander. For a time I have been wondering if focusing my attention on such things is giving power to that stuff happening in the first place! I have asked God before if there were no rescue agencies and shelters would this horrible stuff still be happening? The answer is most likely yes and these animals would just suffer.
People take their powerlessness out on each other through horrific abuse and they take it out on animals. Where do people learn to be and do such horrible things? A lot of times they themselves were victims….they were taught and learned that acts of violence were the way to deal with difficult emotions and situations. The chain of this behavior has to be broken. Is that possible? Are we like some breeds of dogs born with a predisposition for certain behaviors? Is it in our DNA? If the right things happen that those violent tendencies in our code get activated?
What do I want? I want to see less activation of the genetic codes in people that make some aspects of this existence so horrible. We need to teach people at a very early age how to deal with difficult emotions and situations so that they don’t take all of that ugly out on the world around them…innocent animals and children.
Emotional intelligence (EI) is most often defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. People with high emotional intelligence can recognize their own emotions and those of others, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments.[1] Although the term first appeared in 1964,[2] it gained popularity in the 1995 best-selling book Emotional Intelligence, written by science journalist Daniel Goleman. Goleman defined EI as the array of skills and characteristics that drive leadership performance.[3]
Waiting Trees on our walkPink blooms caught my eyeLooking up through the branchesA succulent trying to survive in my window A gift a couple Christmas’s ago still showing signs of life (Amaryllis)
