Count your Blessings, name them one by one

Some of you are singing the words of this old hymn, I can hear you!

 

An exploration into Gratitude and Mindfullness every Wednesday morning for the next 5 weeks.

Today we made our start....

DVD set up, nibbles on the side, coffee mugs cupped in hands, four woman attentive to hear.

Sharing....questioning....life stories.... vulnerability...all in the mix.

"Tell about a moment in your life that was hard and painful and lookd nothing like a gift. until later you began to discover that a gift was wrapped up in the pain of that moment"

DISCUSS....Oh boy.....

So today was all about wounds, what can cause us to close our hands and hearts to God....

Where does thankfullness and gratitude fit into that....

No one  said  "Enough Already!" and walked out, we're all signed up for the next 4 weeks!

Next week it looks as if we will be discussing: "slowing down and living fully in the moment", a little more like this I imagine:

A bit more Vivaldi and a little less Mahler....perhaps!

So today was a good beginning; today I began my Gratitude Journal.

The article below has some interesting suggestions regarding cultivating gratitude habits:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/27/gratitude-habits_n_4343934.html

But for now, I have some "Between Sessions" homework to get to grips with!

Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink!

How I long for one of these!

My water's been turned off and I forgot to fill the kettle! Can't face making coffee with milk, so I will hang on and be patient whilst S, who is redesigning the bathroom, demolishes the contents with gusto, banging and hammering and force feeding the skip with the contents of  his handiwork! I am longing  to peep in the room, which is directly above where I am sitting....but instead I will try and think caffeine-free thoughts and plan a little mind diversion. This is no easy task when the ceiling sounds as if it will come down around my ears!  

Even my chickens have water.....(sound like the prodigal son and the pigs....) 

Thoughts lead to gratitude, what is an hour or so? It is so easy to take water for granted isn't it?  I sit here thinking of all the jobs I could do whilst the water is off, but look at the list that came into my mind:

Washing up....
Handwash some tops...
Clean a camping table which has been in our garage for about 15 years and needs to find a new home.
Go to the loo!
Make some more gooseberry jam, nope needs water at the start....

No brainers....

So instead I practise thankfulness and enjoy watching the thrush, from my armchair, eating the amelanchier berries.  The strains of Radio 2 filter down the stairs whilst S whistles and sings along to the songs. 

I smile to myself, the coffee can wait.

The Christ of the Indian Road

I read a quote by this author whilst reading "Speaking of Jesus" by Carl Medearis and decided to investigate him further. This is the book; it was published in 1925. I am only on Chapter 4, but already I am underlining his words and am challenged by his message and the various conversations he has with people like Gandhi who was a personal friend. He has written other books about following Jesus and some of his lectures can be read online. I shall be interested to hear what he has to say on a number of subjects.  Here is one passage from the above book:

If you are interested in his biography the link below will take you there. There is an interesting comment by Martin Luther King which is worth noting towards the end of the page.
 
http://www.estanleyjonesfoundation.com/about-esj/esj-bigraphy/

 So, with Bible in hand, "church family" support and a variety of books, the "searching for and finding Him" journey continues and as we all know, it is much more fun doing this together!

Now, which one am I, I wonder?!

O Love that will not let me go

Never heard of the Gaither Band from the 1980s  but certainly appreciate this version of an old hymn they sang at a reunion.

http://youtu.be/CAH1HuUqLZo 
 

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be. 

O light that foll’west all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be. 

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be. 

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be. 

Thanks Mavis, for inspiring me to search this out!

A Flourishing weekend with the girlies

Psalm 92:12-15

The Amplified Bible  does these verses total justice in my opinion!


¹² The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible].

¹³ Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God.

¹⁴ [Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment].

¹⁵ [They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
                       
I shall be reading this verses through slowly and thoughtfully again and again....

My reflective soap carving which  is now positioned on the bedside table as a reminder at the start and the end of the day.



and on the back....as if I needed reminding....!

A privilege to enjoy a brilliant weekend with some lovely ladies, all 25 of you!

"You're never fully dressed without a smile!" (Annie)

Walking to work this week, I saw a man walking towards me pushing his little daughter in her buggy. As I passed them, the toddler and I looked at each other, suddenly she smiled broadly and her eyes sparkled! It was one of those special moments, captured in a second, where lives connected, a celebration of being alive, of sharing a moment in time. What a refreshing start to a day!

How easy to just wrap your coat around you and stride forward, head down.....and miss out.

Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love — Mother Teresa

Be still...

Found this verse a helpful way to focus on God during the past few days.

Be still and know that I am God
Be still and know that I am
Be still and know
Be still
Be

Psalm 46 v 10

After this morning at http://www.yeovilcommunitychurch.co.uk/ (Talk is not on line yet, but will be soon, I expect) thought I'd put it on the blog:
Quote of  the week


When we can see the image of God where we don't want to see the image of God, then we see with eyes not our own.  "Everything Belongs" Richard Rohr

Stevie Wonder....

"If Your Love Cannot Be Moved"
(feat. Kim Burrell)

You can't say we shall and not fight through hell
You can't say we will and not dare to deal
You can't shout out peace and then vanish in the crowd
You can't ride the storm without some effect
You can't steal the spoil and not pay the debt
You can't wave a sign that spells "evil" and feel really proud
You can't sing a song with no melody
You can't say we're one without unity
You can't form a line if you're sacred to stand alone
You can't pray for grace and then smack her face
You can't speak of hope and then crack a joke

You can say you're there but time knows how much you've grown
Put a face to your somebody

Can you say your name?
Or would you rather stay unknown?
Can you show your face?
Or are you fearful of it shown?
Can you feel your heart?
Or does it beat for you alone?
Lift your glass up high
Say that your truth will never lie
If your love cannot be moved

You can't look at me and not see yourself
You can't say "for them" and not for who else
You can't truly bless and not bless the good of all
You can't serve the rich and desert the poor
You can't hear their cries and just close the door
You can't say you're down and not take it to the wall
You can't benefit from one's detriment
You can't find the serum and not cure the sick
You can't free the slave to enslave them differently
You can't see the right only from your sight
You can't see the wrong and just go along
Or is that the way you would want your fate to read
Put a face to your somebody

Can you say your name?
Or would you rather stay unknown?
Can you show your face?
Or are you fearful of it shown?
Can you feel your heart?
Or does it beat for you alone?
Lift your glass up high
Say that your truth will never lie
If your love cannot be moved

You can't make a pledge and then slip the script
You can't say the words and not move your lips
You can't be confused and still say you understand
You can't be a friend but not through thin and thick
You can't be a click but in danger split
You can't evenly share and then grab the biggest hand
You can't say you do but then show you don't
You can't say you will and make sure you won't
You can't want for change and not do what you need to do

You can't give up all and then take back all you give
You can't live to die but you can die to live
Or is that too much to ask of the you in you?
Put a face to your somebody

Can you say your name?
Or would you rather stay unknown?
Can you show your face?
Or are you fearful of it shown?
Can you feel your heart?
Or does it beat for you alone?
Lift your glass up high
Say that your truth will never lie
If your love cannot be moved.

If you want to hear him sing it:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWjGkM0nVhQ

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Ave verum Corpus KV 618 - The Vienna Choir Boys

On Sunday my son left home, the final bird to fly the nest (Am I being too dramatic?) That morning I awoke to this music...and the tears flowed.

No matter how excited you feel for your children, how eloquently you talk about it being the right time etc, something rises up that overides reason...It's a mother thing that starts in the womb....at least that's my take on it...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart   - Ave verum Corpus KV 618 - The Vienna Choir Boys

Minor keys are probably not advisable at times like this!

Incidentally, he's having a great time!