Friday, April 24, 2009

Comforting Words and Children' Prayers

I found Fiddler's post on meditation very comforting. Times are stressful and we need encouraging words to survive. I remember when we were kids we had a book of children's prayers that Mom would read to us. Today I found some of those prayers on the web. I think they are sweet and comforting. Fiddler's post reminded us to be thankful each day. Here is a prayer of thanksgiving that Mom shared with us.

Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you, God, for everything.

Of course Mom taught us to say Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. I remember kneeling down by the side of my bed to pray. I was just a little girl. Ellen was not very old either. We had not yet been introduced to the Catholic faith.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
God bless -------------

I do not remember praying with my kids very much when they were small. I regret that. We usually said a table grace. Beth and I did sing children's hymns in the car.

Of course Jesus taught the world to say The Lord's Prayer in the Book of Matthew Chapter six. That chapter is a good one to read when we are worried because it reassures us that God knows our needs and that He cares for us.

If God can clothe in such splendor the grass of the field, which blooms today and is thrown on the fire tomorrow, will he not provide much more for you... Stop worrying....Your heavenly Father knows all that you need. Then we are told, Seek first His Kingship over you, his way of holiness, and all these things will be given.... Enough, then, of worrying about tomorrow. Let tomorrow take care of itself. Today has troubles enough of its own. Matthew 6: 30-34

Kingship Prayer: We tell God that we believe in Him and in the saving power of His Son. We also tell God that we seek forgiveness and offer forgiveness to those who have hurt us. Then we do our best everyday to know, love and serve God. If we make a mistake we apologize and make amends.

I am looking forward to seeing all my sisters soon. I think I will have a good time with my family in KC. Thanks in advance for all the generous hospitality that my family always showers upon me.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Mini Garth

I like Garth Brooks, one song in particular called "Wrapped Up In You". It's a fun little song & I have been playing it in the car. Jacob really likes the song also & often will sing along. One evening he was walking around the house singing it so I decided to find the video on youtube. This is the link if anyone is interested. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJx3g1_cOiU.
As you can see, it's a simple little video of Garth & friends sitting around with guitars, etc. Jacob watched this video a couple of times. A little bit after watching I found him in the spare bedroom trying to get into the closet. I asked him what he was doing. He said he wanted the guitar so I got it out for him. He then proceeded to start strumming it & sing the song. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. He repeated this the next evening as well. I think Peter was able to record it a little bit. Maybe we have a little musician, which would be interesting since we are not musical at all. I just wanted to share my sweet little story.

words for thought


To Meditate/Contemplate:
Whatever arises, let me dwell in the secret place of the most high.
Let there be a place of stillness in the midst of turmoil.
Let there be a place of order in the chaos.
Let there be a place of love and beauty in the midst of fear and ugliness.
Let my presence be a beacon of enfolding radiance in every circumstance.
--Martin Exeter

Principles of Reiki
Just for today I will live the attitude of gratitude
Just for today I will not worry
Just for today I will not anger
Just for today I will do my work honestly
Just for today I will show love and respect for every living thing


Saturday, April 11, 2009

Dandy Andy

I helped Andy and his friend, Jeff, pack up Andy's apartment today. (Trent had to work a Braves game.) I had the pleasure of cleaning Andy's bathroom. I won't go into any details here. (Have fun, Mom and Dad!)

I also "escorted" Andy out of Atlanta. I drove behind him down I-85, west on 285, and north on I-75 to my exit. I have to admit I felt a little nostalgic (and, perhaps, envious) as I watched his Budget truck with the green Mazda on a trailer toodle north on I-75 toward Kansas.

Andy was a great source of support for me while Trent was in New Mexico, and he was my weekend biking and hiking buddy, particularly since Trent has to work most weekends. I'll miss my little brother, but I know he's looking forward to getting back to Kansas. Georgia won't be the same without him.

I wonder if he'll lose his southern accent once he's acclimated to Kansas again ... you guys will have to let me know.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Belly Breath

The healing belly breath comforts and restores. It is an eastern meditation tradition that anyone can perform anywhere. Calming, soothing, slow inhalations and exhalations involve the entire abdomen. As the breath moves into the body the chest expands...but go further and allow the abdomen, including the very low abdomen, to rise and expand. Slowly exhale allowing the air to leave the body. YOur mind tells your body to breathe, relax, and smile. The abdomen should be soft and round like a smiling Buddha belly.

At night I deep breath before I sleep and I coach myself to relax...I coach my entire body, through affirmations, to heal mentally, spiritually, and physically. I tell myself that I will rest well and awaken refreshed and energetic. Through the day I use these slow breaths to calm myself so I can relax and enjoy the experience of what is going on around me. A few breaths can make a huge difference in the physical and mental state. Try it....just breathe, relax, smile!

Ellen

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

farm dogs

In keeping with the outdoor theme let me share with you the tale of Farmer Tom and Farmer Rebecca. They decided to get a dog to guard the crops from raccoons, now these two farmers really aren't dog people per se, but what the heck every farm needs a good dog right? Well they were led down the puppy path to acquire a great pyrennese/anatolian shepherd , also known as a minature horse to be their farm/guardian of the corn dog, no 40 pound heinz 57 for these farmers. This is a magnificant dog weighing in now at about 120 pounds. Now said dog, who was named Rocky, partly as a tribute to Tom's father who I guess had the nickname Rocky and partly for the cartoon Rocky Raccoon, has taken to roaming. I guess his breed is known for this trait and has something like a 15 square mile radius that they can consider their territory. Now the farm, about 300 acres is of course too big to fence, at least the kind of fence to keep a dog in, so the farmers decided to get a couple of sheep to keep Rocky on the farm, although you know that saying "how you gonna keep them on the farm once they've seen Paris?" or in Rocky's case all surrounding roads. But when said sheep farmer came out to offer advice on where to put the sheep, he told them they would need an emergency area to corral them if need be, so now the farmers have to get cattle panels. So you see where I am going with this? You decide to become farmers, you plant some crops, then you get a dog to protect the crops, then you need sheep to keep the dog at home and fencing and cattle panels to keep the sheep in. This has become a pretty expensive dog, not to mention dog food. Rebecca and Tom had never read The Dogs of Bedlam Farm. The author got a border collie, then decided he needed a farm so the dog could be a country dog, then decided the dogs needed some sheep and with the sheep came a donkey, again see a pattern? Well I just thought I would share this little story of whimsy with you all.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

a little goes a long long way

Do not, no never ever , stop immediately, don' do it ever, build a pond in your backyard! What a job. water water everywhere and no place for it to go. Who would have believed that this stupid little pond could have more water in it then it could hold. We tried to drain it but it keeps coming we have managed to make a pond on the field to the south us, not that they didn't have one already, we just made it bigger. The problem is the city has not provided an adequate drainage system so it doesn't have any flow to it that's worth a hoot. So I guess we need professional help or our heads examined. I hope we don't get in to trouble with anybody because of this. We aren't spring chickens. This pond is zapping us physically. The ditch from the pond to the street is about 300 feet. We did OK until we got into tree roots, Matthew snap his shovel in two, plus laying the pipe is about 10.00 per 10 feet. yiks! And now it's rainning. I'm sure the neighbors are having a good laugh. We were out trying finish this trench we dug but the last 10ft have been horrible. Our shoes are so weight down with mud you can hardly move and that wet clay dirt weights a ton to try and shovel. God help us. That's all I can say.