Hello to you. It’s been a couple of days since I’ve written to you. I just haven’t had much going on. That’s not a bad thing I guess. I made it to church today and got to see and hug my church fam. These people always make it worth my while to go! Jeannie and I arrived at the same time and got a short visit in before she went to the kids church. Today was Pastor Jason’s 50th birthday. I signed the card they had for him.
We were in John today and the message of God being the vine and all of us being the branches. There is no life without being connected to the source. The goal isn’t the fruit. The goal is Gods glory.
Hello to you. I hope this finds you well. I’m doing better after having a visit with my Aunt and Uncle today. I was having some anxiety and just needed to see some loving faces. My cousins Heidi and Laura were on the phone and prayed with us. Sometimes it’s hard to be alone. My Aunt and I prayed with my cousins and the relief was almost instant. Such a beautiful prayer and gift my Idaho family is. My Auntie spoiled me with a breakfast sandwich and coffee. We watched the first four of eight episodes of the Little House on the Prairie on Netflix. It was good but can’t really compare to the original! Big shoes to fill!
Wanted to mention this – so fun to watch people dancing and having fun. NYCThrasher and Dave the pizza guy were there streaming live: at Pier 76:
What is Dance Is Life?
Dance Is Life is a communitarian dance party that celebrates the tradition of Latin Hustle being danced in the streets, parks, and clubs of NYC. We welcome all other street and club dance styles igniting a diverse space for exchange and creativity. Free and accessible to the public, Dance Is Life encourages freedom of self-expression and human connection through shared joy and movement.
Spin of the World Prayer Wheel:
Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all Your creatures – I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul; I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence,
I was going to go to the Sunrise after church but decided to go straight home instead. I had trouble sleeping the whole night through again. My bed isn’t very comfortable and I was up and down several times in the night.
Spin of the World Prayer Wheel for today:
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.
Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.
This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.
Hello to you. It’s early evening as I am writing to you from bed – feeling tired. Today I went to Thursdays prayer meeting and got groceries. I almost didn’t go as I was feeling really out of it in my balance. We had a good turnout:
White flowers from yesterday evenings walkA white variation of HibiscusMy doodles today
Spin of the world prayer wheel for today;
Dance as though no one is watching you, Love as though you have never been hurt before, Sing as though no one can hear you, Live as though heaven is on earth.
It’s about the love of the shepherd not the worthiness of the sheep. This funny video was shared that illustrates very well what being a good shepherd must be like:
After church I went and breakfast at the Sunrise Cafe. Got my Emma fix. She is so kind and always remembers my order!
Spin of the World Prayer Wheel:
Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord
i’ve been to the mountaintop – martin luther king jr. – 1968
Hello to you. It’s morning as I write to you. This morning was our Thursday prayer and praise meeting. We had a good turnout to include Jeannie before she heads back to school, We had a lot to pray about in addition to our prayer sheet that Lois prepared for us:
Little doodle I did
My back was hurting when I went but after prayers it’s feeling better.
Last night I had a couple dreams that woke me up. The first one was so brief but vivid. It was anticipating the arrival of my stepmom and then all the sudden the room went black. I made my scary dream noise that woke both Link and I. Link hates it when I have scary dreams. The next dream was of me turning off several bedside lights and then something putting pressure on my chest to hold me down. I cried out for help – specifically for my first husband Ken but he didn’t come. I got away and kept crying out for Ken til I woke up. It’s been awhile since I’ve had vivid scary dreams like these.
Spin of the World Prayer Wheel:
God,
Please put a guard at my mouth, love in my heart and calm in my mind.
Hello to you. As I write to you many parts of my country and places abroad are on fire and or are suffering from heat waves. All are in my prayers! I can only imagine how hard it must be for all those who have lost their homes. I have been keeping Venezuela and their earthquake losses and places suffering war in my prayers too. I almost feel guilty that I have it so good! We had a water main leak today and the water was off so they can do the repair. Such a minor inconvenience in the scheme of things!
I wonder how many people are turning to God, finding solace in God in these times. It’s easy to love God when life is going your way. I wonder if you asked any of these poor souls if they believed in Jesus would they still say yes?
Some would ask why does God allow bad things to happen. I would say bad things are a catalyst to change. Many actions go into one thing happening. Many choices and moves have to occur for anything to happen good or bad. Life is a series of choices – the outcome of some of those choices can be bad – or seem bad at the time. If we put God first in our choices things can be manageable. It’s when we don’t figure God into our plans that things go astray. Standing in the ashes of a home without God I can imagine how alone and lost one might feel. I pray that those struggling like that will be comforted.
Spin of the World Prayer Wheel for today:
Oh, children, don’t you weep, If the road is long. All of us are prayers of action, On our way to God, On our way to God.
Some of us are long and rambling, Sometimes lost for years, Some of us are small and holy, Beautiful and clear.
Oh, children, don’t you weep, If the road is long. All of us are prayers of action, On our way to God, On our way to God.
Hello to you. I hope this finds you well and if not I hope you know you are unconditionally loved. People are praying for you! We had woman’s coffee today at Grace House and we did just that! A gal named Kathy was there and she shared about her Choctaw history. So many stories! They are changing the meeting to once a month at 1:00. Hopefully we will still have a good turnout.
There is strength in numbers!
My favorite quote is one from my Dad. He only had a 8th grade education and didn’t talk much but when he did it was meaningful. He told me once that “life is school and we are in it our entire life.” I think he’s so right. At every turn there is something to learn. We are constantly faced with new challenges and opportunities.
Spin of the World Prayer Wheel for today:
With your feet I walk I walk with your limbs I carry forth your body For me your mind thinks Your voice speaks for me Beauty is before me And beauty is behind me Above and below me hovers the beautiful I am surrounded by it I am immersed in it In my youth I am aware of it And in old age I shall walk quietly The beautiful trail.
Hello to you. It’s Sunday again and it’s been a good one. I didn’t sleep but a couple hours last night but still made it to church. Today’s service was lead by Pastor Munger. Jesus connects himself to God through the Old Testament. He tells us who he is so we can trust him. We were in John 8:22-20:
Hello to you. It’s another smoky and hazy day as I write to you. I’m getting a bit of cabin fever staying inside so much. We stay inside for the winter and stay inside for the summer! it feels like the whole earth is burning.
Do I think everything happens for a reason? The way I’ve come to understand how things work is this existence is like a chess match. Every move of a piece is carefully thought out. Our Lord knows where every single fragment of this existence is going to go. Each move carefully thought out. To answer a single prayer requires the movement of so many pieces. The Lord has all the time in world – he operates in infinity. One day in our time is forever in his. He exists outside of time whereas our mortal coil is limited by time and circumstances.
I can remember sitting out in my back yard in Texas and I would point at a dead leaf or a blade of grass. I would ask “what are you going to do with this,” and then a breeze would come and move the leaf or blade of grass. Sometimes an insect would land on it. I came to understand that God had a plan for everything in creation – even things that seemed to not be of use anymore.
Sometimes things happen in this shared existence that seem to make no sense at the moment. It’s only when enough time passes that we see the purpose. We can often look back and see Gods plan and have an “aha” moment. We are able to see what happened that seemed horrible while we were living in it was actually for our greater good. If my second husband had not divorced me, I would not have the relationship I have with God, my family and church. At the time I was going through the divorce I wasn’t sure I would make it!
I would say to young people a number of things, and I have only one minute.
I would say — let them remember that there is a meaning beyond absurdity.
Let them be sure that every little deed counts, that every word has power, and that we do — everyone — our share to redeem the world, in spite of all absurdities, and all the frustrations, and all the disappointment
And above all, remember that the meaning of life is to live life as if it were a work of art.
To be 