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,
Share a photo of your pet and tell us one thing that makes them uniquely them.
My sunbeam boy
Hello to you. Hope this finds you well. It’s Saturday as I write to you.
Today’s prompt asks me to point out a unique thing that makes my dog Link who he is. Something that comes to mind is when he hides his favorite toys – babies- in plain sight:
One of his favorite babies he recently “hid”
The other thing that is unique is his weak or nervous bowels. When he gets nervous he poops wherever he is. He has a booty butt! The vet always brings that up when we visit. One other thing he does is nips at the back of the heels of men he doesn’t know. He’s very protective of his domain! Most of all he is a good boy and my best buddy.
Spin of the World Prayer Wheel:
My True Father, I set my hopes upon You alone, And I only ask You, God, For my Soul salvation.
Let Your Holy Will Be my strengthening on this way, For my life without You is a mere empty moment, And only serving You leads to Eternal life.
Amen!
prayer for the soul – st. agapit of pechersk – 11th century
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 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.
Hello to you. It’s another hazy smoky day here today. I haven’t been out walking the past couple of days. I feel bad for all the countries of this world suffering from fires, earthquakes and floods. Mother Earth is speaking and we better start listening!
Today’s prompt is pretty easy for me. One word describes my decoration style. – eclectic. I don’t have a particular style or genre. When I was with Kyle we collected dragon figurines and stuff like McFarland plastic dragons. For awhile we also collected My Little Ponies and stuffed owls. After the divorce and me leaving Texas I gave a bunch of stuffed animals like my bears, to my cousin for the children to play with. When we divorced I kept only one dragon figurine and a couple stuffed dragons we had bought on our first date at Universal Studios in Orlando Florida. The only other collection I have is crystals. Living in a tiny house you have to be careful with accumulating stuff!
These came from Universal Studios This dragon we picked out at a flea market
I rewatched this yesterday – it’s been posted for 17 years now and it’s still relevant. Its a very good explanation about our current stuff system:
Hello to you. Today has been a good day. The morning began with church. I had never really read John 17 before. It was a great prayer from Jesus for his followers then and his followers now. I got to sit next to my friend Jeannie. She brought me something special – colored pencils! She likes my drawings and wanted to encourage me. I did a little drawing – I’m so out of practice!
Wonderful gift Me trying to put into a drawing my feelings for my friend
Do you think we’re shaped more by our experiences or by who we are?
Hello to you on this hot Thursday. We gathered a little later than normal for prayer today. It was so we could participate in the 21 days of prayer. There weren’t any new petitions but more of us to go over the ones we had. Afterwards Jeannie and I went to the Sunrise for a late breakfast. We had a wonderful visit and delicious breakfast. I got a hug from the manager Emma – I just love her! With Jeannie’s schedule it was the last day we could do this for her summer break. I was going to get groceries afterwards but decided to go tomorrow morning when it’s cooler. I really don’t like doing it!
Today’s prompt made me reflect on my own life and all that I’ve been through. I believe I have been put through Gods forge that has shaped and molded me into who I am. If I haven’t gone through what I have I think I would be a much weaker person. I have quite a laundry list! I have been divorced twice both times my being bipolar was a main cause, anorexic, bulemic, alcoholic, abused, an abuser, suicide attempt, obese, unjustly arrested, an adulterer, had fibroid cysts which resulted in me choosing to have a hysterectomy without ever being a mother, survived storms, been in and out of mental health institutions, dealt with the grief of loss of many people and pets I’ve loved to include losing my mother when I was just 10 months old to suicide. These are just a few of the things I’ve been through! Just about every tragedy you can come up with I have gone through either directly or indirectly. The way I look at it is Gods forge has shaped me into who I am today. Sometimes I have felt a bit like Job from the Bible!
Spin of the Prayer Wheel for today:
I see no stranger, I see no enemy Wherever I look, God is all I see
I don’t think of us and them No one do I hate or condemn I see God’s image – each one a friend.
Of any religion, caste or race All I see is God’s shining face His smiling face, His gracious face.
Accept as beautiful all His design I learnt this truth in sangat divine
One Word resounds in me and you Waheguru … Waheguru … In him, in her, in me and you Waheguru … Waheguru …
Beholding in every being His light I bloom like a flower in joy and delight.
I feel so bad for his little girl who is only 3 years old! Her dad was shot right in front of her. When is enough enough?!! My prayers go out to her and her mother.
Changing gears…..
Todays prompt is so true of me. All my life so far I’ve been in school – life school. I have experienced both the good and bad lessons life has to teach. I believe we don’t go through things for no reason – especially difficult things. When we approach difficult things as learning opportunities we grow as people. We become the sort of person that can then turn around and use what we’ve learned to help other people facing similar challenges. When we face difficulties we can choose to shut down and become bitter or we can bloom where we are planted.
Turning to God during trials makes the load lighter. There has been so many times when I turned my trials over to God that doors previously closed flew open! The way was made smoother than it would be on my own. These past couple of years I have really been using the power of prayer to help me and others get through difficult times.
Spin of the Prayer Wheel today:
God, help me to be a pure vehicle for your love, and light, and wisdom.
To be 