Halloween

Now before you tell me about all the evil around Halloween, let me tell you that my birthday is the next day! As a child this was a magical holiday, especially when I learned that TELLING people "My birthday is tomorrow" got me even more candy!!

So here is a little video to celebrate our trip to Yellowstone and that wonderful witch filled classic, Macbeth! Enjoy your candy!

 

 

 

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

They were glad when it grew calm

 

Psalm 107:29-30

He stilled the storm to a whisper;

the waves of the sea were hushed.

They were glad when it grew calm,

and He guided them to their desired haven.

 

We tend to be more glad when things are calm, but what is that tempest roiling under the surface?

 

 

Are we willing to go deeper and find the source of the unrest?

Or do we rest on the surface hoping it will just go away?

 

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Moments when I feel like ....

I get a daily quote from Gratefulness.org. From time to time I save the quote for the blog. This one struck home recently when I was getting to know a gal who is older than me. She was battling a round of depression.

"There are moments when I feel like giving up or giving in, but I soon rally again and do my duty as I see it: to keep the spark of life inside me ablaze."

Etty Hillesum An Interrupted Life

In the words of Benedict XVI, in his first general audience on Wednesday after his resignation:

“...I am also thinking of Etty Hillesum, a young Dutch girl of Jewish origin who died in Auschwitz. At first far from God, she discovered him looking deep within her and she wrote: “There is a really deep well inside me. And in it dwells God. Sometimes I am there, too. But more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then he must be dug out again” (Diaries, 97). In her disrupted, restless life she found God in the very midst of the great tragedy of the 20th century: the Shoah. This frail and dissatisfied young woman, transfigured by faith, became a woman full of love and inner peace who was able to declare: “I live in constant intimacy with God"...”

—Benedict XVI, 13 February 2013

How is your really deep well fairing? Is it clogged and in need of unblocking?

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Wonderful Grace

I was delilghted to find a video of this I can share with you!

This song cheers me when nothing else can.

Harmony and singing has been a lifelong enjoyment.

These guys, young and old, do a bang up job!

Enjoy as you ponder what Jesus has bestowed upon us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Joy unspeakable and full of glory!

Amazing how the child seems to be enjoying prayer and the adults look so gloomy! I love this kid!!

 

Mother Eva Mary, who formed the Convent of the Transfiguration, is quoted as saying,

"Ah! If by understanding only we could enter into the Kingdom of Heaven then its doors would be closed to the simple and unlearned, the foolish and the little chidlren. Thank God it is by faith we enter there."

 

Joan Chittister wrote, "The spiritually mature person does not rely on God for miracles. They rely on God for strength and courage, for insight and hope, for vision and endurance. They know that God is with them; they do not believe that God is an instrument for the comfort of human beings."

 

Do we entertain the idea of a Santa Claus God?

 

How hard it is to find images for

strength and courage

insight and hope

vision and endurance!

 

NASB 1 Peter 1:8 "and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory."

 

Rejoice and be glad!

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Hurrier

My mother used to say, "The hurrier I go the behinder I get!" And isn't that so! At times it is hard for me to get quiet and actually sit still for morning prayer and meditation, yet when I give myself to that pursuit, I wind up with more time somehow to get the day's chores done. It is a mystery of God's economy.

Love this photo!

Then there is the airport. Another common saying is "We hurry up and wait!" This cartoon with horses sums that one up!

Wind Farms

Though the weather during our visit to Idaho continued to be gloomy, we did see interesting things on our vacation.

We have seen windfarms in California and the blades being transported, one per huge flatbed 18-plus wheeler, along the highways in Ohio, but I have never seen a horizon like this!

As far as the eye could see windmills or a "wind farm." Of course, it was controversial whether this is a good thing for Idaho or not. To me it was simply amazing.

 

"Wind development has taken off in Idaho. In four years, 30 wind projects were approved in the state. Before then, Idaho had just one wind farm. Now, legislators and the state’s utilities are pumping the brakes."

As with any project in America, there is controversy over the wind farms. Seems there is money to be made and funds to be lost and just general chaos.

 

 

 

So, they can stop the incentives, make power companies buy the extra power, or not, but thank goodness no one can stop the wind itself!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Our Heart, or Hidden Self

There are many quotes here that reflect my world recently.

A new friend at the Convent told me she likes Eckhart. I looked up some of his quotes on-line and found:

"A human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the heart. We know so many thnigs, but we don't know ouselves! Why, thirty of forty skins or hides, as thick and hard as an ox's or bear's, cover the soul. Go into your own ground and learn to know yourself there."

-Meister Eckhart

Remember how the Native Americans value this hide? How many might be covering your heart?

Reading a novel I came across this:

"Whether (she) chose to admit it or not, she had an overwhelming depth of strength. (She might be a twig), but made of willow - able to bend and twist and give way, rather than break."

It is not always comforting to be told that one is strong, yet The Lord challenges us in the Word to be strong in The Lord and in the power of His might!

 

 

The passing of Bob's Aunt had me reflecting upon the early death of my parents. In the same novel I found this thought:

 

"I'm sorry. I thought I was ready for this. I mean, I knew that it was coming, but when you get right down to it, preparing doesn't make it hurt any less."

 

Yep, had my Mom lived she would have been 100 this year. Yep, I still miss her. Strange to be turning 63 and still miss your Mom. This, too, is part of the human condition.

 

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes I wonder ...

why it takes me so much longer than Bob to process a vacation. He gets home, chooses photos to print, writes in his v=travel journal and poof! he is all caught up. I am just now finding things like the list of animals I tried to keep when we traveled out West.

Here it is:

Coutless horses

Countless cows

Stopping counting at 4 Magpies becuase we saw them everyday after that, though this photo does not do that majestic tail justice!

(on-line photo)

There was one hawk with rings in its wings that I have nto identified.. of course, the bird books were at home.

6 mountain bluebirds (it really helped that the National Park newspaper directed us what to look for!)

(on-line photo)

At least 4 Bald Eagles, 2 in flight

21 wild Bison, not counting the large herds we saw at least twice

11 Elk and one family of male, female and baby. This one was right inside the park boundary hanging out by the camp ground.

 

 

Canada Geese

2 Trumpeter Swans in a small lake (on-line photo)

1 coyote with black tipped tail and yellow/white fur (too far away for the photo to come out well)

 

2 White Pelicans! Go figure! Who knew? Not me.

 

Prong horn sheep herd,

 

This nice close-up from on-line

Then a group of 4 on Antelope Island in Utah

 

We also saw 4 cowboys driving a herd of Balck Angus. Though we could not hear the "Yippe-Yippe" calls that Cowboy Small assures us they make (in Rowan's book).

 

We drank "Moose Drool Beer." It was actually good and contained no genuine drool. Sadly, we never saw a moose. They are like Corgis and make me laugh.

 

I still need to investigate facts about the wind farms..

Vacation brings all sorts of data to my little mind!

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Impossible

Impossible? Nothing is impossible with God.

 

I have a friend who was married twice. Neither was a happy union. Before her second husband died he told her, in writing, that she deserved happiness and he was sorry for all the unhappiness he had brought her. That letter is precious today!

 

Then recently her first husband let her know that he has been going to church.. He said he did not know how to love or how to receive love when he was married to her. Wow! It seemed as if that was an impossible statement she would never hear in her lifetime! Yet, here is The Lord sending her messages of love and understanding after years and years of hoping for a sign that she was "doing" life right.

 

"One can't believe impossible things," Alice said.

"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Lewis Carroll Through the Looking Glass, Chptr. V

One of my first memories of Cinderella was the Rodgers and Hammerstein verison - not Disney. That version was made with new actors recently. Surely it takes faith to sing this song!

Our God is the God of the Impossibles. I pray you will look to Him to see you through every situation.

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Giant Oarfish Found Off California Coast

Heard this on the radio. Could not wait to look it up! Enjoy! Click on the link below to see 18 foot long oar fish! Wowsers!

Giant Oarfish Found Off California Coast: ABCNEWS.COM - Marine science instructor spotted the 18-foot-long sea creature's carcass while snorkeling.

A Hollywood stop

or a rolling stop, i.e., you do not come to a full stop at a stop sign and proceed on your way.

 

Too often I live my life with pauses and many a "Hollywood stop" but not genuine silence and rest where I can find restoration and wholeness. I come to the Convent of the Trasfiguration semi-annually for the Associates retreat to do just that - Come To A Stop.

 

As of Saturday afternoon (2:40 PM) I have not yet come to a full stop on this retreat. Too many distractions, sources of confusion, just unrest. But as of the next fifteen minutes, I am checking out of this world to check into my Lord's place.

 

More at another time! Enjoy your Sunday and try to get some Sabbath rest (my hope for you)!

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Idaho Falls

As you will read from this selection from WIkipedia, Idaho Falls used to be called Eagle Rock.

 

"In 1891 the town voted to change its name to Idaho Falls, in reference to the rapids that existed below the bridge. Some years later, the construction of a retaining wall for a hydroelectric power plant enhanced the rapids into falls. In 1969 the largest irrigation canal in the world, the Great Feeder, began diverting water from the Snake River and aided in converting tens of thousands of acres of desert into green farmland in the vicinity of Idaho Falls. The area grew sugar beets, potatoes, peas, grains, and alfalfa and became one of the most productive regions of the United States."

Well, I am here to show there there really are falls in Idaho Falls, right downtown, too!

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

My Man Has a Birthday!

Have I told you how much I love this man?

My dear husband of forty-three years has a birthday today! I am so proud of him. It has been a hectic couple of years and we are still smiling together. He has gotten into the Social Security System without a major meltdown. He is the same guy I fell in love with in California. (Imagine me marrying a California Lifeguard!)

I never would have gotten to visit Idaho if he had not had a longing to see where his family did NOT choose to go when he was 16. But then, if they had gone to Idaho I probably would not have met him!

 

So here's to you, my Love, and all the joy and happiness you have brought to me and others who know you.

May you live very, very long and always prosper!

 

 

 

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

More Than a Conqueror - Overcomer

Amy Carmichael wrote

"There is no sudden triumph, no spiritual maturity that is the work of a moment.

So let us all take courage; not one of us is too weak to be made more than a conqueror."

 

Have you seen this video by Mandisa?

 

 

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

A River Glorious, Is God's Perfect Peace

Much of my love for church music came through from my Grandmother and Mother. I awoke this morning with this hymn rolling through my soul Had to go look up the lyrics. This is the sort of thing I think of when I see sights like the Yellowstone River Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. One Ranger spoke of it as almost more glorious than the Grand Canyon of the Southwest because you can see the depth and width more easily than the deep gorge of that other National Park.

 

It was not until I went online to find the lyrics that I realized Frances was a woman!

"Daughter of hymnist William Havergal, Frances was a bright but short lived candle in English hymnody. She was baptized by hymnist John Cawood. She was reading by age four, and began writing verse at age seven. She learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew, and memorized the Psalms, the book of Isaiah, and most of the New Testament. " She wrote at least 80 hymns! So here si Chris Rice playing the hymn. Lyrics are below. Enjoy and enter into "His Perfect Peace and Rest."

 

 

 

Like a river glorious, is God’s perfect peace,
Over all victorious, in its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth, fuller every day,
Perfect, yet it groweth, deeper all the way.

Refrain

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,
Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.

Refrain

Every joy or trial falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
We may trust Him fully all for us to do.
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

Refrain

 

 

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

enter gates tree of life

There was a praise chorus based on Psalm 100:4 that went:

 

" We will enter His gates with thanksgiving in our hearts,

We will enter His courts with praise;

We will say this is the day The Lord has made,

We will rejoice for He has made us glad."

 

In Idaho we went to an area called Thousand Springs.

 

When I saw this I could only think of Revelation!

 

 

 

Revelation 22:1-5 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal,

flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city.

On each side of the river stood the tree of life,

bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.

And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

No longer will there be any curse.

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

There will be no more night.

They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun,

for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

 

And then we also have a promise of the blessing for those who TRUST in The Lord!

 

Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him.

They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

 

 

So enter with thanksgiving, rejoice and be glad in the promises and blessings from our Lord!

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Eagle and the Fisherwoman

While at Yellowstone we saw several eagles. Usually they were too far away to photograph, but I tried!

We learned the trick while in Alaska to look for that white head!

 

While taking this picture another tourist got out of her car and asked, "What are you looking at?" I told her an eagle. She guffawed and said, "Oh, my Grandma has one in her yard. We fight with it all the time!" I've wondered since then what they fight about? Maybe she had a fish pond or something?

 

I also snapped this fisherwoman. She was undisturbed by the throng of tourists as she cast her line into the same river the eagle was watching.

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

"Lines Making the Map of our Furrowed Tongue"

Got this through Gratefulness. org. Love it!

 

 

INVOCATION

Let us try what it is to be true to gravity,

to grace, to the given, faithful to our own voices,

to lines making the map of our furrowed tongue.

Turned toward the root of a single word, refusing

solemnity and slogans, let us honor what hides

and does not come easy to speech. The pebbles

we hold in our mouths help us to practice song,

and we sing to the sea. May the things of this world

be preserved to us, their beautiful secret

vocabularies. We are dreaming it over and new,

the language of our tribe, music we hear

we can only acknowledge. May the naming powers

be granted. Our words are feathers that fly

on our breath. Let them go in a holy direction.

-- Jeanne Lohmann

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Forty Three Years Accomplished!

If someone had asked me on my wedding day what it would be like to be married for forty-three years, I would have had no idea how to answer. Well, as of September 26th we were married forty-three years and it has been quite an adventure! I accidentally left my iPad at home while we were on vacation, so I could not post this sooner.

 

Many years, many joys!

 

 

 

And so, forty three years and fifteen days and still loving this adventure!

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.