Giant Turtle at CNC

Look what we found! A monster compared to the painted turtles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Rowan Keeps me Going!

If you want to have a sweet turn to the day, spend a few hours with a 2-1/2 year old. Peppered constantly with "What's that?" not knowing what he is looking at, makes us say, "What do you think?" and the other favorite saying right now is "Oh, YEAH!" I am reminded of the wonders of life.

Be it planes, trains, paving equipment or any old truck, it spells fun! Sitting by the side of the road watching the men reconfigure the Eastgate Rt. 32 interchanges is terrific fun.

At naptime when I asked him if he wanted a blankie his reply was, "Got robots?" Well no, I had sent all the robots to his house. So of course, Pop and I needed to hit the fabric store for robot fabric. WHen he came over next time and saw the fabric he said, "I get two."

Sometimes the 35 pounds of boy wears me out. He can run around the outside of the house faster than I can. But all in all, he is pure joy.

So here is our excursion to the play area at the Cincinnati Nature Center. Enjoy!

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Streams of Living Water

"Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 
John 7:38

I recently took the grandgirls and another time, Rowan and his sisters, to the Cincinnati Nature Center. There is a play area there for the children with a recirculating "creek" where they can move stones, build dams, chase toys down the flow of water, generally be kids with a stream no worries about disturbing wildlife or the ecosystem as it as all man made.

Meeting others fascinated by the water...

 Making a dam ...

 Tossing a rock ...

As a child I had a real stream to play in. It made me discover that there were snail shells to found right in Ohio, not just shells from Florida that Grandma Rush brought me. I played with dynamics of water flow and how difficult an engineering challenge that can be. It was icy in early spring and I was glad for my pull-on Totes rubber boots to keep my feet dry.

When I came across the verse in John I was fascinated. I have been on a discovery journey most of my Christian life asking and finding ways to open the flow of that promised Living Water within. We can obstruct or open the flow through our attitudes, choices, habits and yielding to or resisting the Holy Spirit's flow in our lives. Have you checked your stream lately? Is it clogged with logs of unforgiveness or flowing freely with fresh, pure Living Water? Have you asked the Lord to be your Holy Engineer and open that stream within you? I pray for all things joyous and splashy in your inmost being.

House of the Groanies

Sometimes it seems we now live in the House of the Groanies. Stand up, groan. Sit down, knees creaking, groan. 

Go to the basement again, careful not to groan or to complain of the aches in ankles, feet, knees, hips. Careful to hit every step in the center.

Whew! Made it.

Later it is time to return upstairs. Yikes, some days that is tough and I am grateful for the open staircase and balusters to grab onto to encourage upwards momentum.

Going to the potty at night becomes a symphony of aging; knees cracking, feet popping, trying not to groan as we lower and raise our bodies on and off the 'throne.'

But we must remember the prayer, "Thank You, Lord, that You woke me up this morning!" He is able to keep us, even when we enter the Geezer Zone. Sure beats the alternative of not waking up in the morning! Help us do it joyfully, Lord!

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Resting

The dictionary defines quiescent as being quiet, or at rest.

 

[Latin quiscns, quiscent-, present participle of quiscere, to rest, from quis, quiet; see quiet]

Been using "Daily Readings with John Main."

 

In his book The Way of Unknowing he wrote: "We need to put aside about half an hour every morning and half an hour every evening, to be still, to be simple, and in the language of the very early monastic fathers, to rest in The Lord. An honoured word they used to describe their meditation was quies, rest, being quiet, being still. At that moment of quies you are not concerned about what you will do; you are wholly concerned about being.

"Meditation will teach you that living fully means expanding, crossing the frontiers of your own limitations. Crossing the frontier of your own being you find yourself in God. So do not think that stillness is static or that quies is passive. In peace we find the God who conceives and sustains a cosmos.

"Remember, meditation is not about making something happen. Each day every one of us has the potential within ourselves, along with the means, to become fully the person we are called to be. That potential and the means is nothing less than the presence of Jesus Christ in our hearts. Meditation is simply being open to that.

 

Sadly, the only time I have ever seen quies used in contemporary American society was to describe a "Quiescently Frozen Dessert."

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

It's that time of year!

I was going to take a picture, but first it is pitch black outside at 10:30 PM and second, this is a great one I found on Google!

The roads are lined with Corn Flowers and Queen Anne's Lace.If I'm lucky I can find some sweet pink clover that always reminds me of the dairy cows in Wisconsin. Sweet Summertime.

 

Before you know it we'll be walking in the winter breezes and wishing for ripe tomatotes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Testing again

If I want to share a You Tube video, will it show and post? testing, testing,....

There was a lovely breeze and a not too hot morning when I was at the Convent. The wifi in one building had gone out, so I sat on the porch at Bethanna to use the wifi there until I could get hold of Faith the reconnect me. The wind in the daisies made a wonderful moment to pause and reflect on the goodness all around me.

Summer morning on the porch at Bethanna.

Radical acceptance requires Total Surrender to the Holy Spirit.