Wednesday, October 21

Saint Theresa's Prayer

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly
where you are meant to be.


May you not forget the infinite
possibilities that are born of faith.


May you use those gifts that you have
received, and pass on the love that has
been given to you.


May you be confident knowing you are a
child of God. Let this presence settle
into your bones, and allow your soul the
freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

On Praying For Our Kiddos

Every part of me is praying...right down to my atoms I am praying.
 
~ Valerie ~

Tuesday, October 13

The Offer

I found Natalie in Geez magazine's (http://www.geezmagazine.org/) latest collection of thoughts on "holy mischief in an age of fast faith". Her gently provocative thoughts moved me to change, to grow, to take the face of a friend in my hands and say, "Look away."

So impacted was I that I hunted her down and asked her permission to re-print her thoughts here:

The Offer

In my house live two cats. In the morning, as I eat breakfast in our solarium, surrounded on three sides by panes of glass, the cats sit on the other side of the table, flicking their tails wildly as they stare out the window. They stare at the birds flitting to and fro amongst the trees and telephone wires, free to do as they please, to do as they were created to do. They sit there; the heart-shaped cat food they've been purring for all morning is left abandoned at the sight of what they really desire. They gaze, poised as if they might strike at any moment, sneaking and hiding amongst the chair legs as if lurking in the shadows of the forest underbrush, though they've never experienced any such thing. Yet they never jump, never even paw at the transparent barrier between them and the object of their longing.

Their ritual of walking away from the cheap, substitute, ridiculously processed product and staring out eagerly, impossibly at the world they long to be a part of pains me. Some mornings it pains me to the point of tears. It pains me for them, and it pains me for humans too. We too are offered our hearts' desires in cheap substitutes, products that claim to offer fulfillment. But what pains me most is that the cats know to look away from the processed promise of fulfillment, even if they remain physically trapped. We do not even know how to look away, let alone walk away, though no panes of glass (except maybe the ad-laden TV screen) stand between us and the experiences that would fulfill us.

Let us help each other look away.
~ Natalie Boustead ~ 

Monday, October 5

I Asked Forty Women

What gives you goose bumps? A thought-provoking question from Trina, right? You puzzled over this, describing goose bumps as "thoughts" and things that pop up when you're inspired, moved, frightened. Most of you struggled to answer in a definitive way, but some of the answers themselves will give you goose bumps, for sure! Here's what some of you had to share:

 when someone tells you they're pregnant - instant goose bumps for them!
 really, really good singers.
 walking in the early morning after a night of rain showers. (It) makes me shiver with delight and (I) imagine that the fresh scent of rain I'm smelling is one more gift from God saying, "I'm here. This is for you."
 when I'm studying and researching, and I find out some well-hidden, oft-overlooked tidbit of information that gives me a glimpse of who someone really was, how they thought and what they dreamed. It's fascinating, and I feel privileged when I'm allowed that peek into the heart of someone who has gone before me.
 hearing the ways God answers prayers. (It) just makes Him seem so real and so close when it's something so tangibly answered.
 stories of strange, unnatural coincidences. You know those stories that can't possibly be true but are? Especially the good stories....they make you BELIEVE!
 a cold wind
 fear
 intimacy
 freedom from everything (the only time I felt this and had goosebumps was when I jumped out of the airplane at 3500 feet).
 the thought of moving out of the city with my family and having a house on a piece of land away from all the people.
 when my son says “I love you mom!” with that big smile on his face.
 seeing the delight in the eyes of my grandson as he relates the details of an adventure he had while camping with his Dad, his brothers and his Grampa.
 listening first hand to everyday, sometimes 'humdrum' living experience come to life (that) propel me forward into a better frame of mind.
 when I'm doing something I know is wrong (more often than not, gossiping). *sigh*

 standing on the beach in the dark, watching the full moon glimmer on a glass top smooth ocean, and realizing again, and again how great our Creator is.
 a kiss from my husband.
 certain emotional, heart touching songs.
 seeing my dad's handwriting since his passing.
 exceptional live music
 Watching someone succeed
 When I hear stories about animals or little kids being tortured for somebody's fun.
 when I sense that God is doing something I never expected and I am watching it unfold.
 when someone speaks a truth or revelation about something they see (God) doing in or through themselves.

And finally, "Watching a CF18 fighter jet fly over my head at close range, and the split second pause of the sound to follow."

Goose bumps!

Adjusting My Listen-er

Two men were walking along a crowded sidewalk in a downtown business area. Suddenly one exclaimed, "Listen to the lovely sound of that cricket!" But the other could not hear. He asked his companion how he could detect the sound of a cricket amidst the din of people and traffic. The first man...had trained himself to listen to the voices of nature, but he did not explain. He simply took a coin out of his pocket and dropped it on the sidewalk, whereupon a dozen people began to look about them.

"We hear," he said, "what we listen for."

~ Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (The Discipline of Transcendence) ~