Yesterday was Earth Day. How many people noticed amidst the rhetoric surrounding the Covid19 epidemic along with all of its political implications? I saw few posts or mentions of it. It was also my grandson’s birthday. He was supposed to be visiting us for the first time this month but now that is not possible.
We have to pay attention now. We are stewards of God’s Earth which is suffering at this time with the threat of every protection put into place being revoked.
Do you enjoy the sunshine, the cool breeze on a Spring day, the blooming flowers and the bounty of the Earth? Then pay attention! We are all responsible.
Check out my post On Blogger for some of the things we might miss should we continue to ignore our responsibility.
Staying alive is primary but will do us no good without a home to live on.
In these times of uncertainty, connection and expression are what sustains the soul. I shared one of my favorite songs on the new blog. Follow me to Dreaming Existence to listen.
Salvation: preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin or loss.
When we think of salvation our minds often turn to religious connotation and the idea that something outside of ourselves is the only means of such a gift. If we remember that Spirit gifted us with salvation from the the very beginning of existence, we can more move through the most difficult times in life. Salvation then becomes a treasured memory, a dear friend that we can rely on and find comfort in. It is not something we must work or beg for, but is always there. We only need to accept that it is for each of us, in every moment that we live. How do you find your salvation? I see it in every beautiful moment that brings me peace.
In a moment of appreciationIn a moment of celebrationIn a moment of receptionIn a moment of magnificenceIn a moment of connection
Try not to miss your opportunities. Every one is so precious.
It is with my apologies to Linda Hill and her #SoCS prompt that today’s post is not as fun filled as I normally try to create.. I try to always post things that lift others up or give them a smile.
Sadly, at this particular time, when I hear the word reservation my heart and head are heavy. Since hearing the news about Anthony Bourdain, the word only conjures up memories of watching his great food show Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations with my husband and dreaming of visitng all those wonderful places and having similar experiences as Anthony. He will be missed by so many. That also reminds me of the recent suicide of Kate Spade and not so recently of Robin Williams. All will be missed. So many people lose hope and in a single moment of deepest despair make that decision to abandon the life they were born to live. It breaks my heart for them and for those who love them.
The word reservation also conjures images of the atrocities suffered by the indigenous peoples of this and other countries for decades, a fact that many people still are unaware of or simply don’t care to look at. The issue of our government separating parents from infants has not been confined to illegals over the course of its history. There are still Native Americans seeking their natural families after being taken from them as small children and forced to live in foster homes. These are not myths or justifiable procedures. They are heartbreaking stories of growing up with a sense of lost identity and disconnection.
I have no reservation in speaking from my heart about these things. Life is beautiful in so many ways. I try to always glean the best from every situation and share the perfect moments that I find; however, we must also look at those things which are tragically present in this world and that we can affect with our prayers, with our voices and our votes, and above all else-with our love.
May Peace reign over the dis-ease that is insidiously infecting God’s perfect creation.
1 Peter 3:9-11
9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.
I rarely quote scripture these days; but since many use it as a weapon, I feel it is necessary to bring to light the words of the Christ who is being used to commit many atrocoties against his message. I also do not equate ‘evil’ to the traditional interpretation. In my heart evil is fear. When man fears he wishes to destroy. My mother and father taught me as a child that “There is no fear in perfect love.” It makes perfect sense to me, yet it can be a mighty mountain to climb in this life.
Every living thing has a purposeNature cares not for pride or possessionWe have a responsibilty to care for the planet
Even our thoughts have power, so we must use these thoughts and our words wisely, lovingly and without reservation.
My brave, lovely Jonquil tree made it through the snows, losing only a few blooms who came out to play too early. I think their beauty was worth the wait!
Post Script: It has come to my attention that this is, indeed, not a jonquil-which is really a stemmed flower-but rather a large rhododendron bush. Thank you hubby for researching this for us!
We miss you, John….
If anyone has a favorite video or song of John’s you would like to share, feel free to leave a link in the comments. Thanks Dan for sharing yours below! 😀
In recent days I have been having periods of inexplicable melancholy, a sort of reminiscent nostalgia that is both familiar and unsettling. Life has its ups and downs always; but I am happy to say I have moved beyond carrying old baggage around and have spent years trying to light the dark, dusty, cobweb-filled corners of sorrows past. Still….
Things happen. Like a favorite hymn of my mother’s that fills my head. Like a treasured piece of simple jewelry she gave me as a child, too worn to wear and which usually lies in a keepsake jewelry box, one that my Dad sent home to my sister when she was younger and that I somehow inherited along the way. A religious piece with white beads and tarnished plated gold bangles on which are barely legible etchings of ancient words, words I memorized as soon as I was old enough to recite verse in church Sunday School.
This morning as I opened a drawer in my regular jewelry box to choose a pair of earrings for the day, the white beads caught my eye. The bracelet lay among my other favorite bangles as though it had always been there.
I can’t shake the feeling that it was not there accidentally and I know that even if I absentmindedly moved it from one spot to another at some random moment of rearranging, this moment on this day means something more. I am still working out what it means that she reaches out to me at this time, but I know that she does.
I have been reflecting on things throughout the day. My little bracelet, now an antique, bears the etchings of one of life’s most treasured antiquities, The Ten Commandments. So many of us know them by heart. Some are way overused and even abused for the purposes of manipulation, while some are often overlooked. In my reflection on the state of our country, our world and the destiny of humankind, I thought it might be helpful to take a look at these dictates once again, but with new eyes, open hearts and a deeper understanding.
The Ten Commandments
I am the Lord thy God, thou shall not have any gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, wife, or property.
I have some very personal reasons for not being conventionally religious at this point in my life, but I try to honor and understand the sacred teachings within religions that work to draw all of life together rather than to separate humans into groups. I also believe that a holy man in an uncertain world leading an entire nation across the wilderness to freedom faced the daunting task of trying to keep peace and sanity among those masses of humans who were hungry, tired, afraid, bored and doubtful of their future. Order was necessary. Orders from God were necessary. I wonder how much these commandments helped Moses on his journey as much as I wonder that so many people know these words so well and swear by the ideal that they are direct words from God. And yet….they do not respect nor honor the most basic of them.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
This one has become America’s favorite passtime.
You shall not commit murder
It didn’t say, “unless……”
How does one reconcile the absolute-ness to which certain of these commandments is assigned while others seem to be merely ‘guidelines’?
You shall not covet….
Theft and murder for something as simple as a pair of shoes has become commonplace in our society, all because humans want what someone else has. Covetous hearts cause humans to break half the other commandments. Perhaps it should have been number one on the list.
I will leave you to ponder the others and experience your own understanding anew of one of the world’s great antiquities while I am simply going to try to rework my little antique bracelet for the sake of my Mom who loves me so much she never leaves me alone. I want to wear it again. She believed, she hoped, she loved; but this world was too sad for her.
Happy mid-week my friends.
Most of you know who BJ Thomas is and have heard his famous pop music; but he also went through a very huge spiriual transformation many years ago and has produced some beautiful musical recordings of both traditional and original songs. This song always comes to mind when someone dear to me makes the journey home and awakens from this dream. It brings me peace and comfort.
"I have enough time to rest, but I don't have a minute to waste". Come and catch me with your wise words and we will have some fun with our words of wisdom.
Dreaming Reality 
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