If you're happy and you know it clap your hands....If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.....
Just can't get this song out of my head this morning and started wondering why.
My next thought was about tasks. I have so many tasks to accomplish. I seem to be so focused on what I need to do next. The next big project at work to get the next pat on the back, the next pile of laundry that I have to do, the next day's traffic that I'll be sitting in, the next meal I have to cook, the weight I need to lose.........................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................and on and on. Where is happiness in these thoughts?
Wait a minute, why am I thinking about those things? Happiness for me generally bubbles up when I live in the now and not in the next moment. I need to take the time to sink into my feelings and into the moment and to allow happiness and not block it.
What is happiness? For me it is watching the birds in my yard, it is sitting on the back porch with my husband having a beer, it is talking with my children, it is going to Mass, it is walking on the beach without shoes, it is swimming (or really floating) in the pool after an afternoon of working in the yard, it is having a party and cooking until I can't stand up anymore, it is my time in prayer when I truly listen to what the Lord is saying to me, it is ACTS retreat, it is knowing that I have such a strong network of family and friends that love and think about me, it is the hope that I can experience all these things again tomorow. It is the understanding that I can have any and all of these things in every day if I remember to.
I'm clapping my hands right now!!!!!!! If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.............
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Today
Life and death and war and peace. How do these connect in my mind? Does the order that these came into my mind have any meaning?. Is it that life is war and death is peace? I have this so in front of my thoughts today as the realization that my pastor is nearing the gates of heaven and nearing the end of his life on earth. What does it mean to live? What does it mean to die?
How many days I've felt at war with such simple things and these things feel so big to me when I let them consume me. The times I've struggled with not knowing what will come next. Like when I had the ultrasound to see if the lump in my breast was more than just another lump. Like the time when I saw the car trying to brake behind me that was going 70 miles per hour. I knew it would hit me hard, but would it ram me into the car in front of me and injure me or just hit me and cause another inconvenience. Does it matter what will come next? Won't I just deal with it as it comes? Does knowing make it any different?
Can I really change something because I know it will happen? Can I really prepare myself for something better because I know it will happen? I think of this in terms of a tragedy. Won't I just have the same reaction as I would have once it really happens? Is it that I want to feel in control of the situation? Is it the control that makes it better? I don't think so now that I think about it. Control comes with responsibility and can I accept the responsibility of controlling things as strong as the things that I don't know?
Do I want to control when people will die? Do I want to control when people will be at war? Do I want to control when people will have life and death and war and peace? The peace one seems like one I would want to control, but do I really? How is that I can control peace? Is it that I could somehow line everyone up and state that it is time for peace and it would be so? I don't think so. I would have to allow all the people that have free will to exercise that will and come to peace on their own. So I haven't really controlled anything.
So does it mean to live when I really accept life and death when it comes without trying to control it or trying to know what will happen in the next breath? Does it mean anything to worry or is it just another distraction to acceptance of what comes to me as the minutes of my life unfold?
Life and death and war and peace. All of these are parts of my time on earth. Life can be both war and peace and death can be both war and peace. I can worry through these moments or live and pray through these moments. I must live my life using the free will God granted me with the best intentions, and accept life and death and war and peace, but can't really control any of these things.
P.S. My family loves Fr. Hubert Kealy.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
How many days I've felt at war with such simple things and these things feel so big to me when I let them consume me. The times I've struggled with not knowing what will come next. Like when I had the ultrasound to see if the lump in my breast was more than just another lump. Like the time when I saw the car trying to brake behind me that was going 70 miles per hour. I knew it would hit me hard, but would it ram me into the car in front of me and injure me or just hit me and cause another inconvenience. Does it matter what will come next? Won't I just deal with it as it comes? Does knowing make it any different?
Can I really change something because I know it will happen? Can I really prepare myself for something better because I know it will happen? I think of this in terms of a tragedy. Won't I just have the same reaction as I would have once it really happens? Is it that I want to feel in control of the situation? Is it the control that makes it better? I don't think so now that I think about it. Control comes with responsibility and can I accept the responsibility of controlling things as strong as the things that I don't know?
Do I want to control when people will die? Do I want to control when people will be at war? Do I want to control when people will have life and death and war and peace? The peace one seems like one I would want to control, but do I really? How is that I can control peace? Is it that I could somehow line everyone up and state that it is time for peace and it would be so? I don't think so. I would have to allow all the people that have free will to exercise that will and come to peace on their own. So I haven't really controlled anything.
So does it mean to live when I really accept life and death when it comes without trying to control it or trying to know what will happen in the next breath? Does it mean anything to worry or is it just another distraction to acceptance of what comes to me as the minutes of my life unfold?
Life and death and war and peace. All of these are parts of my time on earth. Life can be both war and peace and death can be both war and peace. I can worry through these moments or live and pray through these moments. I must live my life using the free will God granted me with the best intentions, and accept life and death and war and peace, but can't really control any of these things.
P.S. My family loves Fr. Hubert Kealy.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Liquid Love
The movement of water always intrigues me to want to be in it or to watch it flow past me. I always feel the coolness of the water in my mind as I watch it move by me. I am intrigued to always be near it. I want to drink it when I am thirsty. I want to be in it when I am hot. I want to pour it onto my plants to bring them back to life. I want to use it to cook a meal. I want to share it with someone else to make them feel comfortable. I want to run my finger through it when I walk past a stream. I want to skip a rock it in when I stand on the bank of a body of water. I always seem to want to interact with it when possible.
What makes me want to be so attached to the water? Is it the color or the lack of color? Is it the feel of it? Is it the comfort of it? It does feel so comfortable in so many ways. It feels so fresh to bath in it. It feels so nice to wash my hands in the warmth of it, and nothing feels better when I am thirsty than to drink a big glass of water. I don't even need it to be cool to be refreshed by it. I can drink it in hot tea on the warmest days and be comforted by it. I can let it wash up on my feet on the beach and be drawn into it and continue to walk in it for hours.
I can see through it and I can see myself in it. I can be in it, around it, near it or seeing a picture of it and I am always moved by it. It captures my thoughts even when I think of it without seeing it. I think of the days of summer when I can be close to it on the beach or in my swimming pool even as it freezes outside. I can be captured by its power when it comes down as hail. I can be stopped in my tracks when I see it blanketing the ground after a snow fall.
I can also be afraid of it during a hurricane, but I know it is not the water that brings the fear but the power of the storm that makes it fierce. The water is the center of the calm. It is what draws me in and what connects me to others. It is the waterway of life that allows me to move from season to season to grow and to know what it is that I am to do with the moments of my life. It draws me to prayers of thanksgiving. It quenches my thirst. It warms me and cools me. It makes me feel. Isn't that what love is? The chance to feel? The chance to sink into my thoughts and to share them as I move through the water before me and around me and in me? Isn't it the acceptance of the color or lack of color or life? Isn't that sharing of thoughts and moments and movements as reflected in my relationship with water the source of love? I need love, I need to be around it and in it. I need to be cooled by it and warmed by it. I need to feel it and see it. I need to be frozen by it and captured by its power. I need to be blanketed by it, and I need to let the love take the bumps of a rock skip and acknowledge the calm before and after the skip.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
What makes me want to be so attached to the water? Is it the color or the lack of color? Is it the feel of it? Is it the comfort of it? It does feel so comfortable in so many ways. It feels so fresh to bath in it. It feels so nice to wash my hands in the warmth of it, and nothing feels better when I am thirsty than to drink a big glass of water. I don't even need it to be cool to be refreshed by it. I can drink it in hot tea on the warmest days and be comforted by it. I can let it wash up on my feet on the beach and be drawn into it and continue to walk in it for hours.
I can see through it and I can see myself in it. I can be in it, around it, near it or seeing a picture of it and I am always moved by it. It captures my thoughts even when I think of it without seeing it. I think of the days of summer when I can be close to it on the beach or in my swimming pool even as it freezes outside. I can be captured by its power when it comes down as hail. I can be stopped in my tracks when I see it blanketing the ground after a snow fall.
I can also be afraid of it during a hurricane, but I know it is not the water that brings the fear but the power of the storm that makes it fierce. The water is the center of the calm. It is what draws me in and what connects me to others. It is the waterway of life that allows me to move from season to season to grow and to know what it is that I am to do with the moments of my life. It draws me to prayers of thanksgiving. It quenches my thirst. It warms me and cools me. It makes me feel. Isn't that what love is? The chance to feel? The chance to sink into my thoughts and to share them as I move through the water before me and around me and in me? Isn't it the acceptance of the color or lack of color or life? Isn't that sharing of thoughts and moments and movements as reflected in my relationship with water the source of love? I need love, I need to be around it and in it. I need to be cooled by it and warmed by it. I need to feel it and see it. I need to be frozen by it and captured by its power. I need to be blanketed by it, and I need to let the love take the bumps of a rock skip and acknowledge the calm before and after the skip.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Morning
Oh how I love the morning. All is new again. The dew is on the ground refreshing the stress of the day before. The birds are singing and capture the happiness of the moment in the cords of their voice. The various sounds draw me in every day. I so want to listen to every detail of every note that comes from the new beginning of the morning.
The bird’s voice draws me in most especially. The tone and the tune are always perfect. Each chirp is filled with perfection and filled the perfect note. I listen to the note and consider what the note means. Is it a message to me or a message to God or probably both? I need to hear the tune and the bird needs to send the tune to God. Both are important and one without the other is lacking something. God wants me to fill my heart with the sounds of the earth so that I may fall more deeply in love with Him, but he never wants me to think His love is defined by the earth.
It is greater than and complete without the earth, but definitely shines through the gifts of the earth. Through the food that is cultivated on the earth and the animals that live off of the earth. I think of the lamb’s ear and its softness in the animal and in the plant. God shows me the connection to softness in many forms and guides me to understand that I too can be who I am in different forms. I can always bring myself to the world in softness and also accept the world in softness. I can bring fruit to the world in the plant of my life and bring blood to the world in the animal in my life.
Isn’t that what I need to learn that there are so many differences in me that are reflected in the world and so many commonalities in my life that are reflected in nature? Doesn’t it unveil itself to the world in the healing power of the morning and in the closure of the evening? Both morning and evening aren’t complete without the other just as nature and man aren’t complete without the other with God’s love for us laying a blanket over both like dew in the morning.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
The bird’s voice draws me in most especially. The tone and the tune are always perfect. Each chirp is filled with perfection and filled the perfect note. I listen to the note and consider what the note means. Is it a message to me or a message to God or probably both? I need to hear the tune and the bird needs to send the tune to God. Both are important and one without the other is lacking something. God wants me to fill my heart with the sounds of the earth so that I may fall more deeply in love with Him, but he never wants me to think His love is defined by the earth.
It is greater than and complete without the earth, but definitely shines through the gifts of the earth. Through the food that is cultivated on the earth and the animals that live off of the earth. I think of the lamb’s ear and its softness in the animal and in the plant. God shows me the connection to softness in many forms and guides me to understand that I too can be who I am in different forms. I can always bring myself to the world in softness and also accept the world in softness. I can bring fruit to the world in the plant of my life and bring blood to the world in the animal in my life.
Isn’t that what I need to learn that there are so many differences in me that are reflected in the world and so many commonalities in my life that are reflected in nature? Doesn’t it unveil itself to the world in the healing power of the morning and in the closure of the evening? Both morning and evening aren’t complete without the other just as nature and man aren’t complete without the other with God’s love for us laying a blanket over both like dew in the morning.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Numbers
What is a number? What does it mean? Does it matter that I have numbers in my life or can I live without numbers? Does it matter that I have a dozen eggs, or 5 minutes of peace, or $10, or that I work 8 (or maybe 10) hours per day? Sometimes I think that numbers seem to determine the choices I make.
I make decisions about when I need to buy gasoline when I have less than 5 gallons. That seems like a good choice. I wouldn’t want to run out when I’m running errands or driving to work. I always fill up, because I don’t want to have to fill up again before I absolutely have to. Do I really need a full tank? Can I live with less than 5 gallons of gas in my tank? Probably!
So many people in the world live without any gasoline at all. Maybe I should just slow down and stay home today and not worry about filling my tank again today. Maybe God wants me to stop and spend some time with Him and refill my spiritual tank rather than filling my car tank.
Maybe the number zero is what I am supposed to focus on instead of 5, 10, 12 or 50. Maybe I need to empty myself of the numbers in my life and spend that time filling my mind and my heart instead of my bank account or my gas tank.
Shouldn’t I be counting the time I had in the day to say hello to my neighbor instead of counting the minutes I’m spending on the freeway on my way to some task I “need” to complete, or how old I am? Maybe I should be reflecting on the time I spend with and caring for my family and the time I spend reading scripture or the time I spend just enjoying a sunrise or an apple. It doesn’t matter what. I just need to remember to enjoy it rather than counting how long it takes to complete it and what time it will be when I’m finished.
Choices are valuable and there are a great number of them to make in life, and pray that I make the right number of choices today and everyday and that these choices bring me closer to bringing light into the world rather than feeling that I need to accomplish so much. If I do that I can accomplish so much more. Probably more things than I can count.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
I make decisions about when I need to buy gasoline when I have less than 5 gallons. That seems like a good choice. I wouldn’t want to run out when I’m running errands or driving to work. I always fill up, because I don’t want to have to fill up again before I absolutely have to. Do I really need a full tank? Can I live with less than 5 gallons of gas in my tank? Probably!
So many people in the world live without any gasoline at all. Maybe I should just slow down and stay home today and not worry about filling my tank again today. Maybe God wants me to stop and spend some time with Him and refill my spiritual tank rather than filling my car tank.
Maybe the number zero is what I am supposed to focus on instead of 5, 10, 12 or 50. Maybe I need to empty myself of the numbers in my life and spend that time filling my mind and my heart instead of my bank account or my gas tank.
Shouldn’t I be counting the time I had in the day to say hello to my neighbor instead of counting the minutes I’m spending on the freeway on my way to some task I “need” to complete, or how old I am? Maybe I should be reflecting on the time I spend with and caring for my family and the time I spend reading scripture or the time I spend just enjoying a sunrise or an apple. It doesn’t matter what. I just need to remember to enjoy it rather than counting how long it takes to complete it and what time it will be when I’m finished.
Choices are valuable and there are a great number of them to make in life, and pray that I make the right number of choices today and everyday and that these choices bring me closer to bringing light into the world rather than feeling that I need to accomplish so much. If I do that I can accomplish so much more. Probably more things than I can count.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The List
So many people I meet have a list. I also have many lists. Lists of things I want to accomplish, a list of groceries that need to be picked up at the store, a list of items that need to be disposed of in life and the list goes on and on. I have a list, but it’s not a very long one, and I never know what is on it until the day ends.
What did my lists include today? I had to wake up this morning and conduct a conference all with someone in another part of the world, India. I had to look at a list to help someone find a doctor on their health plan. I had to make a list of all the things that I needed to do today at home and at work. I had to make a list of things that need to be done for upcoming events. I had to make a list in my head of what to cook for dinner. I also forgot to add something to my list, and writing this blog helped me remember. Thank God. It is amazing how the list goes on and on about what I need to list out to take care of my day.
The interesting thing is that the list at the beginning of each day only includes one thing, to live my life every day as a gift that won’t be repeated tomorrow. It doesn’t matter what things end up on my list only that I lived the day.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
What did my lists include today? I had to wake up this morning and conduct a conference all with someone in another part of the world, India. I had to look at a list to help someone find a doctor on their health plan. I had to make a list of all the things that I needed to do today at home and at work. I had to make a list of things that need to be done for upcoming events. I had to make a list in my head of what to cook for dinner. I also forgot to add something to my list, and writing this blog helped me remember. Thank God. It is amazing how the list goes on and on about what I need to list out to take care of my day.
The interesting thing is that the list at the beginning of each day only includes one thing, to live my life every day as a gift that won’t be repeated tomorrow. It doesn’t matter what things end up on my list only that I lived the day.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Today
I lived today and it felt so good. It always feels good to live my life. So many times I think I let the day go by without truly allowing myself to live it. I so many times am worried about what I am doing instead of just allowing myself to go through the minutes instead stalling and allowing that stall to stop me from being who I am supposed to be today.
What holds me back from living the day as I should? It seems it is the desire to control life instead of allowing it to just happen. I sometimes worry about things that might happen, but that never really happen. I try to interject my thoughts into the minute instead of letting the minute interject itself into me.
I so many times want to know the next minute instead of savoring the things that I never anticipated that have been so wonderful. So many times I never expect what is coming, and trying to control it would cause me to miss what has defined my life in such a positive way. It has defined my life in a way that I could have never imagined or anticipated.
What is it that makes me not want to allow the minutes to unfold as the minutes should? Isn’t it when control is absorbing me, that I don’t allow the real things in life to surprise me? I miss so many things when I don’t let the free will of life unfold.
The good things in life only happen when I allow myself to see the truth and gifts of other people’s lives to enter into mine. I so experience the best of life when the thoughts of yours enter into the thoughts of mine, when the moments of yours enter into the moments of mine, when the touch of your hand touches mine. I so need the interaction of people to have a good day, but so many times I try to control the actions of others through the actions I allow others to see and experience of me. Shouldn’t I really just allow myself to stop controlling and going through moments instead of around moments and enjoy the stops along the way?
Shouldn’t I allow myself to live the life that has been given to me today? I did today and it felt really good.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
What holds me back from living the day as I should? It seems it is the desire to control life instead of allowing it to just happen. I sometimes worry about things that might happen, but that never really happen. I try to interject my thoughts into the minute instead of letting the minute interject itself into me.
I so many times want to know the next minute instead of savoring the things that I never anticipated that have been so wonderful. So many times I never expect what is coming, and trying to control it would cause me to miss what has defined my life in such a positive way. It has defined my life in a way that I could have never imagined or anticipated.
What is it that makes me not want to allow the minutes to unfold as the minutes should? Isn’t it when control is absorbing me, that I don’t allow the real things in life to surprise me? I miss so many things when I don’t let the free will of life unfold.
The good things in life only happen when I allow myself to see the truth and gifts of other people’s lives to enter into mine. I so experience the best of life when the thoughts of yours enter into the thoughts of mine, when the moments of yours enter into the moments of mine, when the touch of your hand touches mine. I so need the interaction of people to have a good day, but so many times I try to control the actions of others through the actions I allow others to see and experience of me. Shouldn’t I really just allow myself to stop controlling and going through moments instead of around moments and enjoy the stops along the way?
Shouldn’t I allow myself to live the life that has been given to me today? I did today and it felt really good.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Friday, December 25, 2009
The Tree I Never Climbed
I look outside and see so many trees. Some are so small, but so twisted and unapproachable. Some are large, but seem to be nothing to be concerned about. My mind keeps wondering what it is about each of the trees that makes me describe it in that particular way.
What is it about the small tree that makes it unapproachable? It seems that my life has given me the gifts that I need to approach both of the trees with confidence, but the small one seems to always give me pause. The big one that seems to give so many others pause is the easy one for me.
That thought is so confusing to me. Certainly I can approach the day to day with such ease. What is it that makes me not want to approach the small tree? Is it the twisted branches? Is it the location of the tree? Is it the desire to stay with what is familiar?
I am comfortable approaching the big tree. I know the rules. I know what is expected. I can plan my day around the big tree. I can always approach it in the same manner and get the same result, and to many the big result is the important result. I am good at approaching the big tree. I like being good at something.
It seems though that my mind is always turning toward the small tree and its twisted branches. I want the challenge, but seem to be avoiding it. Why is that? It is so inviting and so interesting. It is all that is not familiar. It is so small. It requires attention to great detail to truly understand it. The detail is what makes it different from the big tree.
When I look at the big tree I can only see the tree not the branches or the roots or the leaves. I can’t get close enough to it to truly become interested in the details. I can only see the big project, not the people that make up the project.
How do I get caught in the forest and not see the trees? Isn’t it that people are always chastised for not being able to see the forest for seeing the trees? It seems that seeing the trees is the real purpose.
I guess I just climbed the tree I never wanted to climbed before.
Peace and talk to you again soon,
Eileen
What is it about the small tree that makes it unapproachable? It seems that my life has given me the gifts that I need to approach both of the trees with confidence, but the small one seems to always give me pause. The big one that seems to give so many others pause is the easy one for me.
That thought is so confusing to me. Certainly I can approach the day to day with such ease. What is it that makes me not want to approach the small tree? Is it the twisted branches? Is it the location of the tree? Is it the desire to stay with what is familiar?
I am comfortable approaching the big tree. I know the rules. I know what is expected. I can plan my day around the big tree. I can always approach it in the same manner and get the same result, and to many the big result is the important result. I am good at approaching the big tree. I like being good at something.
It seems though that my mind is always turning toward the small tree and its twisted branches. I want the challenge, but seem to be avoiding it. Why is that? It is so inviting and so interesting. It is all that is not familiar. It is so small. It requires attention to great detail to truly understand it. The detail is what makes it different from the big tree.
When I look at the big tree I can only see the tree not the branches or the roots or the leaves. I can’t get close enough to it to truly become interested in the details. I can only see the big project, not the people that make up the project.
How do I get caught in the forest and not see the trees? Isn’t it that people are always chastised for not being able to see the forest for seeing the trees? It seems that seeing the trees is the real purpose.
I guess I just climbed the tree I never wanted to climbed before.
Peace and talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Saturday, December 5, 2009
My Angel
I have so many decisions to make in life and sometimes the decision itself seems to take on a life of its own. It seems to dominate the day rather than letting the life I have dominate the day. I seem to think that I have to do it all alone. That I am alone. I know that not to be true in my intellect, but sometimes my heart doesn't believe the truth that exists. I know that I have a husband, children, mother and other family that are there for me in my life. However, I keep thinking of the times when I am struggling on the interior and don't share the struggle with the world.
Who is there for me in those moments to make sure I'm not alone? Today, I am overwhelmed with the answer. The obvious answer is God, and I know that He is always there, but today I seem to most certainly feel the prescense of my guardian angel. How often do I think of my guardian angel? Not very often it seems, but when I do I feel so protected and at peace. Why don't I reflect on this more often? It seems that I should.
I long ago named my guardian angel, but have forgotten the name as I seem to keep this part of my existance tucked away in my mind. I think I will again name my guardian angel. His name shall be Peter. I think of this name, because I think of Peter as a rock, as the foundation of the church. I know that each of us has a piece of the church inside and needs the strength of Peter to keep moving in the right direction. The path to holiness is through accepting the rocks in my life and in allowing the rock of my heart to be molded and chipped into the perfection of myself that God wants for me.
God so lovingly created an angel just to watch over me. I will begin to pray for my angel in thanksgiving for all the quiet service provided during the years of my life. I pray that my decision to open my heart again to the guardian angel in my life takes on a life of its own. I pray that the love of my guardian angel dominates my thoughts today so that I never forget to thank God for my guardian angel and live my life knowing that God is there for me in ways that I don't even know or remember. I pray the stone of my life is open to His call and His love.
Thank you God for another birthday and another day to be in communion with you and my guardian angel.
Peace and talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Who is there for me in those moments to make sure I'm not alone? Today, I am overwhelmed with the answer. The obvious answer is God, and I know that He is always there, but today I seem to most certainly feel the prescense of my guardian angel. How often do I think of my guardian angel? Not very often it seems, but when I do I feel so protected and at peace. Why don't I reflect on this more often? It seems that I should.
I long ago named my guardian angel, but have forgotten the name as I seem to keep this part of my existance tucked away in my mind. I think I will again name my guardian angel. His name shall be Peter. I think of this name, because I think of Peter as a rock, as the foundation of the church. I know that each of us has a piece of the church inside and needs the strength of Peter to keep moving in the right direction. The path to holiness is through accepting the rocks in my life and in allowing the rock of my heart to be molded and chipped into the perfection of myself that God wants for me.
God so lovingly created an angel just to watch over me. I will begin to pray for my angel in thanksgiving for all the quiet service provided during the years of my life. I pray that my decision to open my heart again to the guardian angel in my life takes on a life of its own. I pray that the love of my guardian angel dominates my thoughts today so that I never forget to thank God for my guardian angel and live my life knowing that God is there for me in ways that I don't even know or remember. I pray the stone of my life is open to His call and His love.
Thank you God for another birthday and another day to be in communion with you and my guardian angel.
Peace and talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Ornaments
I am now starting to decorate my house for Christmas, and I keep thinking of bubbles. I think of these as I unpack the ornaments. All are so perfectly round and so perfectly the right size. I remember thinking of bubbles as I filled a bathtub full of water this morning and the bubbles moved through the water. Each so perfect but so different. Each having no color, but having the perfect presence. Each one brings me to the next place in its shape. Each one has the continuous fluid nature that draws me in to each one.
It is the clarity of the bubble draws me in. I can see through it and beyond it, but stay fixed on it. I see it move through the water away from the source of the bubble, the faucet. I see so many different shapes. I see some so small and gentle that the bubble doesn’t last very long. I see some medium and big ones that move away from the source that seem to fade at different rates. The big ones that seem so strong, pop when I least expect it. The medium ones seem to feed off of the movement of the faucet and seem to actually acknowledge the need for the water source and seem to grow bigger and more and more full of purpose as they move away from the faucet. However, it seems that some can’t move away from the source without bursting. These bubbles seem to be without purpose.
Can it be that these bubbles are teaching me that I can’t really exist unless I know my purpose? I can be strong, but destroyed if I don’t feed off of the source of life. Leads me to question what is the purpose of my life? Is my life what it should be? What is it that I am supposed to be anyway?
I know at my core that I am supposed to be a wife and a mom. I’ve always known that about myself. I felt called to the vocation. That is the easy part of my journey. The extension of that call is what brings me the most pauses in my day. How do I make the most of that call? I so want to move through the water bringing calmness to the moment rather than bringing a storm to the moment. I want the bubbles to lead me.
I want to know that I can turn to something to lead me. The confusion in my life begins when I stop believing that there is a path. How often I look to the distortions in my life as the path instead of the source of the life in my life. I need to begin to focus on the bubbles that form in my life from the choices and the life of those that are attached to me as I move through my day.
How does this lead to my Christmas decorations? The circles of life always appear on the Christmas tree. Isn’t that what God wants? He seems to want us to focus on circles that never stop rather than lines that have an end point. He called us to a place that exits as a circle. He calls us to a life that begins and ends as best explained as the circle of life. He brings those things into our home most especially this Christmas season in the community I’ve built though the circle of people I invite into my home. He makes me acknowledge the bubbles in my life. He makes me acknowledge that the ornaments in my life define who I am. I can choose the ornaments and whether to display them or keep them hidden.
I pray the ornaments in my life allow me to expand my circle and lead me to true purpose of my life.
Merry Christmas to all. Talk to you again soon.
Eileen
It is the clarity of the bubble draws me in. I can see through it and beyond it, but stay fixed on it. I see it move through the water away from the source of the bubble, the faucet. I see so many different shapes. I see some so small and gentle that the bubble doesn’t last very long. I see some medium and big ones that move away from the source that seem to fade at different rates. The big ones that seem so strong, pop when I least expect it. The medium ones seem to feed off of the movement of the faucet and seem to actually acknowledge the need for the water source and seem to grow bigger and more and more full of purpose as they move away from the faucet. However, it seems that some can’t move away from the source without bursting. These bubbles seem to be without purpose.
Can it be that these bubbles are teaching me that I can’t really exist unless I know my purpose? I can be strong, but destroyed if I don’t feed off of the source of life. Leads me to question what is the purpose of my life? Is my life what it should be? What is it that I am supposed to be anyway?
I know at my core that I am supposed to be a wife and a mom. I’ve always known that about myself. I felt called to the vocation. That is the easy part of my journey. The extension of that call is what brings me the most pauses in my day. How do I make the most of that call? I so want to move through the water bringing calmness to the moment rather than bringing a storm to the moment. I want the bubbles to lead me.
I want to know that I can turn to something to lead me. The confusion in my life begins when I stop believing that there is a path. How often I look to the distortions in my life as the path instead of the source of the life in my life. I need to begin to focus on the bubbles that form in my life from the choices and the life of those that are attached to me as I move through my day.
How does this lead to my Christmas decorations? The circles of life always appear on the Christmas tree. Isn’t that what God wants? He seems to want us to focus on circles that never stop rather than lines that have an end point. He called us to a place that exits as a circle. He calls us to a life that begins and ends as best explained as the circle of life. He brings those things into our home most especially this Christmas season in the community I’ve built though the circle of people I invite into my home. He makes me acknowledge the bubbles in my life. He makes me acknowledge that the ornaments in my life define who I am. I can choose the ornaments and whether to display them or keep them hidden.
I pray the ornaments in my life allow me to expand my circle and lead me to true purpose of my life.
Merry Christmas to all. Talk to you again soon.
Eileen
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Art
The colors on page, the movement of an arm, the style of hair, the tone in a voice, or the words on a page seem to always draw me into the moment. Each of these allows me to see the expression of the moment that is more than the moment. My eye is turned toward these things in a way that is more interesting than if those things were not so significant.
I am thinking of the daring hairstyles of the designers of the dances that we so love. I see this so clearly on the show, So You Think You Can Dance. The styles are so interesting and not so expected. The hair is darker or brighter and more daring than what I am used to seeing in my world. It is like artwork in itself.
I always feel that way about my home. Each item that I display or the arrangement of the furniture is an opportunity to showcase the piece. I always know that each piece is not at its best without the other and its relationship to another piece creates the extra value. I also see this grace in the movement of dance. The dance is always better when there is more than one dancer. The individual dancer is complimented by the movement of the other dancer. The music increases the compliment even more. How can a dance be at its best without each of the components that makes it more than what it is in the head of the designer of the dance?
The dance is designed by one, decorated by an other, performed by yet another and each of these steps is what breathes life into the dance. The same is true for my home. I need the designer of each component to give me inspiration. I need the bones of the house to build the personality that exits. The colors of the walls are the finishing touches of the paintbrush given to this house. I need the canvas of the house to in order showcase the life that I have been given and the immediate essence that I need to express.
The change of a location of a chair or the color of a pillow allows me to change my focus and to change the personality of the room isn’t that so in my life? I so need to have the opportunity to take the bones that I have been given and to change the location or the focus of my moments to begin to develop the balance that is right for me to give to the world. I need to rest in those moments for a little or a long while, but also knowing that I can change the focus or the position of the things in my life as my life emerges.
For me it seems that I need each of the locations in my life to build my life to be the life that it is supposed to be while on earth. I have needed the struggles and the joys to truly unlock the truth of my life and to see beyond the dim light that I sometimes focus on to the bright light that leads to the truth. I need the various colors on a page, the fine-tuned tone of the voice in song, the arrangement of a composer of music, the artful arrangement of flowers in a vase. These are the things that make life more than song, more than the practical matters of life, into the life that gives true meaning.
Peace and talk to you again soon,
Eileen Borski
I am thinking of the daring hairstyles of the designers of the dances that we so love. I see this so clearly on the show, So You Think You Can Dance. The styles are so interesting and not so expected. The hair is darker or brighter and more daring than what I am used to seeing in my world. It is like artwork in itself.
I always feel that way about my home. Each item that I display or the arrangement of the furniture is an opportunity to showcase the piece. I always know that each piece is not at its best without the other and its relationship to another piece creates the extra value. I also see this grace in the movement of dance. The dance is always better when there is more than one dancer. The individual dancer is complimented by the movement of the other dancer. The music increases the compliment even more. How can a dance be at its best without each of the components that makes it more than what it is in the head of the designer of the dance?
The dance is designed by one, decorated by an other, performed by yet another and each of these steps is what breathes life into the dance. The same is true for my home. I need the designer of each component to give me inspiration. I need the bones of the house to build the personality that exits. The colors of the walls are the finishing touches of the paintbrush given to this house. I need the canvas of the house to in order showcase the life that I have been given and the immediate essence that I need to express.
The change of a location of a chair or the color of a pillow allows me to change my focus and to change the personality of the room isn’t that so in my life? I so need to have the opportunity to take the bones that I have been given and to change the location or the focus of my moments to begin to develop the balance that is right for me to give to the world. I need to rest in those moments for a little or a long while, but also knowing that I can change the focus or the position of the things in my life as my life emerges.
For me it seems that I need each of the locations in my life to build my life to be the life that it is supposed to be while on earth. I have needed the struggles and the joys to truly unlock the truth of my life and to see beyond the dim light that I sometimes focus on to the bright light that leads to the truth. I need the various colors on a page, the fine-tuned tone of the voice in song, the arrangement of a composer of music, the artful arrangement of flowers in a vase. These are the things that make life more than song, more than the practical matters of life, into the life that gives true meaning.
Peace and talk to you again soon,
Eileen Borski
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Wave In My Hair
I look back on the pictures of my youth and I know there are so many things in the picture, but the only thing I ever see is the wave in my hair. It seems so different from what I ever expected to look like. I always wanted to have thick, straight blond hair. I always wanted to look just like the other people in my family. I wanted to be petite and delicate. But that isn’t how it turned out.
I have a stature about me that isn’t to be compared to what I ever imagined. I have jet black hair (with a little gray I must admit) and amazingly the tiniest hands. I have big teeth and small lips. I have small ears, but big hips. Wow what a picture that paints in my mind. It seems so out of proportion.
It seems that I needed the combination that was given me to be the person that I am supposed to be. I just love leaning down and hugging my mother. It seems that I will break her when my stature reaches into her, but I never do. She seems to fit me just perfectly. It seems that the hug is so much better that I have to lean into it for it to exist
I have the opposite when I lean into hug my husband and my son. I must reach so high. It seems I’ll never get there but I always seem to make it. The hug is such a blessing when I get there. The warmth and calmness always overwhelms me that I can’t describe it.
Right now I’m thinking of the story of Goldilocks. I am looking for just the right match. The girl I am thinking about has thick, blonde hair (or for now brown). I am thinking of a girl that is just my height. The girl is strong-willed just like me. She has round cheeks just like me. She is from me. She is the fruit of my womb. I’m thinking of my beautiful daughter, Elizabeth.
Wow, I am so glad I thought of the wave in my hair today. I am so glad I have the wave in my hair as it makes me who I am. I am the product of my mother, the wife of my husband and the mother of two awesome children. Thank you God for the gift of my life. Happy Thanksgiving to God, and to all of the people of the world.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
I have a stature about me that isn’t to be compared to what I ever imagined. I have jet black hair (with a little gray I must admit) and amazingly the tiniest hands. I have big teeth and small lips. I have small ears, but big hips. Wow what a picture that paints in my mind. It seems so out of proportion.
It seems that I needed the combination that was given me to be the person that I am supposed to be. I just love leaning down and hugging my mother. It seems that I will break her when my stature reaches into her, but I never do. She seems to fit me just perfectly. It seems that the hug is so much better that I have to lean into it for it to exist
I have the opposite when I lean into hug my husband and my son. I must reach so high. It seems I’ll never get there but I always seem to make it. The hug is such a blessing when I get there. The warmth and calmness always overwhelms me that I can’t describe it.
Right now I’m thinking of the story of Goldilocks. I am looking for just the right match. The girl I am thinking about has thick, blonde hair (or for now brown). I am thinking of a girl that is just my height. The girl is strong-willed just like me. She has round cheeks just like me. She is from me. She is the fruit of my womb. I’m thinking of my beautiful daughter, Elizabeth.
Wow, I am so glad I thought of the wave in my hair today. I am so glad I have the wave in my hair as it makes me who I am. I am the product of my mother, the wife of my husband and the mother of two awesome children. Thank you God for the gift of my life. Happy Thanksgiving to God, and to all of the people of the world.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Words
I've been thinking this morning about words and the impact of words on my life. There are so many words in my day. The written word, the word of God, the spoken word, the words on a sign, the words in my head, and the list goes on and on. I've also been thinking how those words when used in different forms or by different people have different meanings. What is it that makes a word have meaning anyway?
I depend on words so much. I need them to feed my body and my soul. What would the grocery store be like without words? How would I know what was inside the can or the box on the shelf? How would I pass along my favorite recipes without writing them down so that the process is duplicated so the same outcome emerges every time? Seems the dependence on the word is what gives it the meaning.
That dependence is something of interest to me. How am I really dependent on the words? Do the words define me or do I define the words? If I define the words, than is it that we all have our own perception of what the words mean? If so, how is it that communication can truly be good if all are defining there own words?
Well, I now think I should turn to the dictionary for clarification of the definition of these words in my head and on this page, but even when I read the dictionary, I carry all the things in my life in my head when I read the meaning. Therefore the meaning for me is never exactly the same as the meaning for someone else that reads the exact same passage in the dictionary. Or is it?
It seems that a simple word, such as book, would be the same for all who read the definition, but is it really? Is the definition of a book the same for book writers as it is for those that read the book. Seems that the writer looks at books as a means for getting something out of their minds onto a page or a screen, but the reader looks at a book as something to take into the mind.
Just some words that have been moving around in my head today, and I had to get them out. Maybe all this will become a book someday! Wonder how that would impact my life.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
I depend on words so much. I need them to feed my body and my soul. What would the grocery store be like without words? How would I know what was inside the can or the box on the shelf? How would I pass along my favorite recipes without writing them down so that the process is duplicated so the same outcome emerges every time? Seems the dependence on the word is what gives it the meaning.
That dependence is something of interest to me. How am I really dependent on the words? Do the words define me or do I define the words? If I define the words, than is it that we all have our own perception of what the words mean? If so, how is it that communication can truly be good if all are defining there own words?
Well, I now think I should turn to the dictionary for clarification of the definition of these words in my head and on this page, but even when I read the dictionary, I carry all the things in my life in my head when I read the meaning. Therefore the meaning for me is never exactly the same as the meaning for someone else that reads the exact same passage in the dictionary. Or is it?
It seems that a simple word, such as book, would be the same for all who read the definition, but is it really? Is the definition of a book the same for book writers as it is for those that read the book. Seems that the writer looks at books as a means for getting something out of their minds onto a page or a screen, but the reader looks at a book as something to take into the mind.
Just some words that have been moving around in my head today, and I had to get them out. Maybe all this will become a book someday! Wonder how that would impact my life.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Saturday, November 14, 2009
A Compliment
How many times a day do we compliment others? I am always telling someone their hair, outfit, their home, or mood are so pleasing to me. It comes so naturally to see the beauty in others and in the world around me. The struggle I have is in complimenting myself, or in accepting myself for who I am right at that moment. I need not worry that I used to be skinny or that I want to more prayerful. While my health and my prayer life are important, I should never not love myself just as I am at the very moment I am living. God loves and accepts me just as I am in that minute.
I am challenging myself to compliment myself every day for the wonderful woman that God has created. I will call to mind a characteristic that is special about me. Today I am wondering if it is my laugh. I have a really good one. When one of the kids or my husband touches my funny bone I just can't stop. My laugh is loud and it is infectious. Actually, I can really deliver a funny line too. Just ask my daughter. She loves my stories about my day and the people I encounter. I can always bring laughter to her. I guess today I will compliment myself on my sense of humor, and thank God for giving me the gift of joy.
I also challenge myself after accepting the compliment to say a prayer that I not hide the gift, and that I share it with others. I pray that I continue to look at myself not in comparison to others, but as an individual gift from God with special gifts and talents that are unique to me and not like the ones that others have.
I look forward to discovering another compliment tomorrow. I'll close by saying, "You look marvelous darling..."
Peace and talk to you again soon,
Eileen
I am challenging myself to compliment myself every day for the wonderful woman that God has created. I will call to mind a characteristic that is special about me. Today I am wondering if it is my laugh. I have a really good one. When one of the kids or my husband touches my funny bone I just can't stop. My laugh is loud and it is infectious. Actually, I can really deliver a funny line too. Just ask my daughter. She loves my stories about my day and the people I encounter. I can always bring laughter to her. I guess today I will compliment myself on my sense of humor, and thank God for giving me the gift of joy.
I also challenge myself after accepting the compliment to say a prayer that I not hide the gift, and that I share it with others. I pray that I continue to look at myself not in comparison to others, but as an individual gift from God with special gifts and talents that are unique to me and not like the ones that others have.
I look forward to discovering another compliment tomorrow. I'll close by saying, "You look marvelous darling..."
Peace and talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Flower
I am sitting here thinking about every flower I’ve ever seen and the thought overwhelms me with the many colors I have experienced in my life. I am mostly thinking about the structure of a flower and how perfectly each is made. It makes me think about what type of flower I would be if I were a flower, or even what part of the flower I would be.
Would I be rose, a lily, a bird of paradise, a mum, a carnation, a daisy? Each of these flowers has a different character. The rose is so elegant and smells so sweet, but it is prone to disease and is easily beaten down by the rain. The lily is so beautiful, comes in so many colors with petals that open themselves up in a way that welcomes the world into there arms but the lily doesn’t last very long. The bird of paradise is so vibrant, has a strong stem, strives in a crowded spot, but only grows in a certain climate. The mum is so amazing. It is so consistent. It blooms so beautifully, but depends on us to remove the beautiful flowers from its crown immediately in order to provide a color show again. A carnation is not particularly beautiful, but it is dependable and allows itself to be filled with the colors of the world that are required at any given moment. The daisy is so beautiful, and withstands the test of time. The daisy has so many petals on each flower and the petals all look the same. Each petal is flat and the color is evenly distributed throughout each petal. The daisy is like the comfort food of flowers.
My mind now flows to the structure of a flower and the importance of each part. The roots are so important because the roots provide access to nutrients for the flower and are the basis for life for a flower. However, the stem is equally as important since it is the channel for the nutrients from the roots to be distributed to the entire flower. I think of the leaves as my hands extending themselves open to the Lord as I pray the Lord’s prayer every day. I mostly love the petals, or the color of the flower, as these to me are the true expression of its purpose in life.
I see the gifts I am given in the petals. The roots are required, because I always need food. The stem is required, as I always need the food to be delivered. I always need the leaves, because I always need to praise God through prayer. But I mostly see the petals or the color of a flower when I look at a flower. The petals are the fruit of life. Life can exist without the bloom because the plant will have purpose and will give off life without the bloom, but the bloom is required to add life to the flower.
The petals of a rose are most interesting to me, and the bloom of a bird of paradise never ceases to amaze me in its complexity and simplicity. Each component is expected, but always amazing. The blue stamen of bird of paradise is perfect. The blue takes my breath away each time I see it. It is so simple, but so complex. But I am mostly drawn to the perfection of the rose. Each rose petal has a gentleness to it that draws me in, but I can’t get to the petal unless I deal with the thorns of the rose stem. I am also entranced with the smell of a rose. It draws me in every time. The sweetness, the individuality, the perfection is so complete when I allow myself to walk past the roses in my yard without being distracted by the environment outside of the rose garden.
Again I am sitting here thinking of the flowers in my yard,and I am overwhelmed with the simple beauty of each petal that emerges as the day emerges and as I emerge into the woman I am to become. I like to think of myself as a blooming rose.
Talk to you again soon,
YSIC, Eileen
Would I be rose, a lily, a bird of paradise, a mum, a carnation, a daisy? Each of these flowers has a different character. The rose is so elegant and smells so sweet, but it is prone to disease and is easily beaten down by the rain. The lily is so beautiful, comes in so many colors with petals that open themselves up in a way that welcomes the world into there arms but the lily doesn’t last very long. The bird of paradise is so vibrant, has a strong stem, strives in a crowded spot, but only grows in a certain climate. The mum is so amazing. It is so consistent. It blooms so beautifully, but depends on us to remove the beautiful flowers from its crown immediately in order to provide a color show again. A carnation is not particularly beautiful, but it is dependable and allows itself to be filled with the colors of the world that are required at any given moment. The daisy is so beautiful, and withstands the test of time. The daisy has so many petals on each flower and the petals all look the same. Each petal is flat and the color is evenly distributed throughout each petal. The daisy is like the comfort food of flowers.
My mind now flows to the structure of a flower and the importance of each part. The roots are so important because the roots provide access to nutrients for the flower and are the basis for life for a flower. However, the stem is equally as important since it is the channel for the nutrients from the roots to be distributed to the entire flower. I think of the leaves as my hands extending themselves open to the Lord as I pray the Lord’s prayer every day. I mostly love the petals, or the color of the flower, as these to me are the true expression of its purpose in life.
I see the gifts I am given in the petals. The roots are required, because I always need food. The stem is required, as I always need the food to be delivered. I always need the leaves, because I always need to praise God through prayer. But I mostly see the petals or the color of a flower when I look at a flower. The petals are the fruit of life. Life can exist without the bloom because the plant will have purpose and will give off life without the bloom, but the bloom is required to add life to the flower.
The petals of a rose are most interesting to me, and the bloom of a bird of paradise never ceases to amaze me in its complexity and simplicity. Each component is expected, but always amazing. The blue stamen of bird of paradise is perfect. The blue takes my breath away each time I see it. It is so simple, but so complex. But I am mostly drawn to the perfection of the rose. Each rose petal has a gentleness to it that draws me in, but I can’t get to the petal unless I deal with the thorns of the rose stem. I am also entranced with the smell of a rose. It draws me in every time. The sweetness, the individuality, the perfection is so complete when I allow myself to walk past the roses in my yard without being distracted by the environment outside of the rose garden.
Again I am sitting here thinking of the flowers in my yard,and I am overwhelmed with the simple beauty of each petal that emerges as the day emerges and as I emerge into the woman I am to become. I like to think of myself as a blooming rose.
Talk to you again soon,
YSIC, Eileen
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Stress
Stress! It seems to consume me some times, and I wonder what makes it such an intense experience. I think if only it weren't so....[name it!], all would be OK. But is that really the answer? My life experience has proved otherwise. When [name it] happens it is not that it is happening that causes the stress, but how I respond to the [name it] that causes the stress. Holy acceptance of [name it] seems the real answer. I pray for that holy acceptance now. Peace and talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Eileen
Monday, November 9, 2009
Water
I am now thinking of water and its impact on life. Water is nothing and everything at the same time. It is without color and without flavor, but it is the description of life. It appers in so many different forms. It appears in the swimming pool outside my back door. It appears in the faucet in my kitchen. It appears in the clouds above me and it appears in the lakes, rivers and oceans surrounding me.
The first moment I thought to write about water today, I was holding a glass of water in my hand and I felt compelled to write about it, but quickly felt compelled to also write about glass. The glass I held in my hand was so clear it represented truth in my thoughts. I can see through it and nothing can be hidden by it. The next thought I had was that of strength. Glass is so strong to my grip and to the forces of nature such as wind and heat and moisture. Things can be so near to it, but can't penetrate it. That is an interesting thought. How many things in my life can be so close to me, but I don't allow them to truly permeate my existance? I build a wall around me. Perhaps I build a wall of glass!
My next thought is also connected to the strength of glass. It is so very strong, but also so weak at the same time. While I know that the glass can hold up against the wind, heat, moisture or even my grip, I also know that if I were to throw my glass to the ground it would shatter. Isn't that what I do in life so many times? I have a great gift. A gift that is clear, true and strong, and I throw it to the ground and shatter it when I allow my will to interfere with the true purpose of the gift?
I also think about the true purpose of water and of glass and see the its relationship to my life. Water gives life and takes it away. I need water to survive and enjoy it so much when I've worked so hard on a hot, summer day. It is so refreshing. It renews my body when I drink it in. On the opposite side, I also think of the destruction of water. I think of how storms emerge and send the city around us into turmoil. I see the results of flooding from the rainfall and the destruction to my city and of life when it takes control.
The same holds true of glass. Glass has so many uses. Some true and clear and some destructive. I can see glass in its most pure in a clear drinking glass, but also know that broken glass can be menacing. It can destroy the body when I step on it or pick it up with my bare hands. Isn't that also true when I turn back to things in my life that are broken instead of moving forward to the clarity and truth of the moment and to using the gifts that are given to me in the truest form instead of the broken form I may feel most comfortable with in life?
Water and glass are both so beautiful. The purpose of each is clear and true. These items hold the truth inside and represent a simple example of the truth I am to live in my life. The gifts I have are strong, but when handled with force I can break them. Sometimes the turmoil comes in a way that is the result of things outside of my control, such as rainfall, but I can choose to accept the rainfall and allow what emerges to be an extension of the gifts given to me or I can oppose the rainfall and throw my glass to the ground and deal with the many broken pieces around me.
Water is so refreshing, and glass is so clear. I pray that I stay focused on the refreshment and clarity in my life, but accept the rainfall and stay focused on the brokenness and my ability to allow it to consume me or to allow my life to emerge with an improved perspective resulting from the the storms and broken glass.
Boy that drink of water this morning was good. I can't wait to have another in a nice tall, clear glass.
Peace and talk to you again soon,
Eileen
The first moment I thought to write about water today, I was holding a glass of water in my hand and I felt compelled to write about it, but quickly felt compelled to also write about glass. The glass I held in my hand was so clear it represented truth in my thoughts. I can see through it and nothing can be hidden by it. The next thought I had was that of strength. Glass is so strong to my grip and to the forces of nature such as wind and heat and moisture. Things can be so near to it, but can't penetrate it. That is an interesting thought. How many things in my life can be so close to me, but I don't allow them to truly permeate my existance? I build a wall around me. Perhaps I build a wall of glass!
My next thought is also connected to the strength of glass. It is so very strong, but also so weak at the same time. While I know that the glass can hold up against the wind, heat, moisture or even my grip, I also know that if I were to throw my glass to the ground it would shatter. Isn't that what I do in life so many times? I have a great gift. A gift that is clear, true and strong, and I throw it to the ground and shatter it when I allow my will to interfere with the true purpose of the gift?
I also think about the true purpose of water and of glass and see the its relationship to my life. Water gives life and takes it away. I need water to survive and enjoy it so much when I've worked so hard on a hot, summer day. It is so refreshing. It renews my body when I drink it in. On the opposite side, I also think of the destruction of water. I think of how storms emerge and send the city around us into turmoil. I see the results of flooding from the rainfall and the destruction to my city and of life when it takes control.
The same holds true of glass. Glass has so many uses. Some true and clear and some destructive. I can see glass in its most pure in a clear drinking glass, but also know that broken glass can be menacing. It can destroy the body when I step on it or pick it up with my bare hands. Isn't that also true when I turn back to things in my life that are broken instead of moving forward to the clarity and truth of the moment and to using the gifts that are given to me in the truest form instead of the broken form I may feel most comfortable with in life?
Water and glass are both so beautiful. The purpose of each is clear and true. These items hold the truth inside and represent a simple example of the truth I am to live in my life. The gifts I have are strong, but when handled with force I can break them. Sometimes the turmoil comes in a way that is the result of things outside of my control, such as rainfall, but I can choose to accept the rainfall and allow what emerges to be an extension of the gifts given to me or I can oppose the rainfall and throw my glass to the ground and deal with the many broken pieces around me.
Water is so refreshing, and glass is so clear. I pray that I stay focused on the refreshment and clarity in my life, but accept the rainfall and stay focused on the brokenness and my ability to allow it to consume me or to allow my life to emerge with an improved perspective resulting from the the storms and broken glass.
Boy that drink of water this morning was good. I can't wait to have another in a nice tall, clear glass.
Peace and talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Air
Breathe in, breathe out. It seems such a simple task. We all do it. Even those of us that need help with it do it so that we can live. I am so focused on it right now I can feel every breath I am taking, and now I am thinking how many times I never even notice my breath. I never even seem to realize the miracle of breathing.
Wow I am now thinking about what miracles I’ve seen today. At first the miracles are not so clear, but when I start to focus on the day the miracles emerge. I begin to see the connection to others and how that blooms into so many miracles. Isn’t it that I can only truly experience a day if I allow myself to settle into the day and breathe in all the moments and all the people that I meet during each day?
Isn’t it that I can only see the miracles if I allow myself to respect and honor those around me? I so many times am impressed with the results of the human person’s actions, but not impressed with the person. I can’t see beyond the object of beauty to understand that the person that created it is the real beauty. How detached I am from what is right in life.
I now think of the day and all that it brought to me and hopefully all that I brought to the day. I think of the artisans and the merchants I encountered today at a craft fair. Each brought something different to the event. Each had a different smile and a different laugh. Some had handicrafts of their own to sell and others had crafts made by the hands of another but had the gift of representing that artist in selling the crafts. One is not better than the other, but a complement of the other.
One if my favorite phrases these days is “Don’t forget we all have a different bag of tricks to share.” One is not better than the other, but neither is at its fullest with out the other bag of tricks. One is never complete unless the others in our lives are acknowledged and accepted for their individual gifts.
How simple it is to acknowledge other’s bag of tricks as a wonderful gift from God. How simple it is to acknowledge our own bag of tricks as a wonderful gift of God, but I sometimes forget to honor God and to thank God for such beautiful gifts. I sometimes get caught up in the things that “I think” are missing from my bag of tricks. I tend to forget to breathe in the life that is around me and I sometimes hold my breathe waiting for different gifts to land in my bag because I want the contents of the bag to change according to my will rather than God’s will.
I forget to breathe in and breathe out accepting each moment for what it is. I forget that the air around me is what keeps me alive. I pray that I continue to grow in my acceptance and understanding of living the moment that I am in right now and that I just breathe the air around me every minute that God gives to me and that I never forget the miracle of breathing in and breathing out.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Wow I am now thinking about what miracles I’ve seen today. At first the miracles are not so clear, but when I start to focus on the day the miracles emerge. I begin to see the connection to others and how that blooms into so many miracles. Isn’t it that I can only truly experience a day if I allow myself to settle into the day and breathe in all the moments and all the people that I meet during each day?
Isn’t it that I can only see the miracles if I allow myself to respect and honor those around me? I so many times am impressed with the results of the human person’s actions, but not impressed with the person. I can’t see beyond the object of beauty to understand that the person that created it is the real beauty. How detached I am from what is right in life.
I now think of the day and all that it brought to me and hopefully all that I brought to the day. I think of the artisans and the merchants I encountered today at a craft fair. Each brought something different to the event. Each had a different smile and a different laugh. Some had handicrafts of their own to sell and others had crafts made by the hands of another but had the gift of representing that artist in selling the crafts. One is not better than the other, but a complement of the other.
One if my favorite phrases these days is “Don’t forget we all have a different bag of tricks to share.” One is not better than the other, but neither is at its fullest with out the other bag of tricks. One is never complete unless the others in our lives are acknowledged and accepted for their individual gifts.
How simple it is to acknowledge other’s bag of tricks as a wonderful gift from God. How simple it is to acknowledge our own bag of tricks as a wonderful gift of God, but I sometimes forget to honor God and to thank God for such beautiful gifts. I sometimes get caught up in the things that “I think” are missing from my bag of tricks. I tend to forget to breathe in the life that is around me and I sometimes hold my breathe waiting for different gifts to land in my bag because I want the contents of the bag to change according to my will rather than God’s will.
I forget to breathe in and breathe out accepting each moment for what it is. I forget that the air around me is what keeps me alive. I pray that I continue to grow in my acceptance and understanding of living the moment that I am in right now and that I just breathe the air around me every minute that God gives to me and that I never forget the miracle of breathing in and breathing out.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
Values
Every day is a series of choices that make me a better person (I hope.). I always try to acknowledge the other person, but so many times I focus on myself and the relationship with the other person rather than the other person and the relationship to me. It is in this relationship that I can start to understand what my life should be. Or at least that is what my fingers are telling me as I type these words.
Do I really get that it is the other person that makes me who I am supposed to be in this life? I am never complete without relationship, and a relationship is never complete without others in the mix that are fully in the relationship. It can’t be that someone is partially in a relationship and still be fully committed to the relationship.
I think of this in the context of my relationship with the Lord. Can I truly be in the relationship if I am holding something back from the relationship? It seems a confusing point to me. I can always be in a relationship, but never fully receiving the grace that God intended if I continually place a barrier between me and the wall of choices in front of me.
I need to focus on the choice of living life with God at the center of my life or with God as only a part of my life. The choice is mine to make. I need to only make it so that my values lead me in life rather than control my life.
Talk to you again soon.
Eileen
Do I really get that it is the other person that makes me who I am supposed to be in this life? I am never complete without relationship, and a relationship is never complete without others in the mix that are fully in the relationship. It can’t be that someone is partially in a relationship and still be fully committed to the relationship.
I think of this in the context of my relationship with the Lord. Can I truly be in the relationship if I am holding something back from the relationship? It seems a confusing point to me. I can always be in a relationship, but never fully receiving the grace that God intended if I continually place a barrier between me and the wall of choices in front of me.
I need to focus on the choice of living life with God at the center of my life or with God as only a part of my life. The choice is mine to make. I need to only make it so that my values lead me in life rather than control my life.
Talk to you again soon.
Eileen
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is such a strong emotion. It leads us down so many paths. It leads me away from good and it leads me to good. It can be granted and it can be withheld. It can be ignored and it can be acknowledged. It is powerful and it is nothing.
I always wonder how many times I let forgiveness rule my life. I think of the times that I spend in my life not fully experiencing it because I was holding on to some hurt in my life that should be released through forgiveness. I think of the times that I’ve burdened someone by not accepting forgiveness or mostly by not even thinking that I needed to be forgiven for some action that hurt another.
Oh how many times I’ve been so caught up in myself that I don’t even see the other person’s need. How does that happen? There is always another perspective to the reality I am living. There is always someone else’s reality. The reality always consists of how the situation affected the other and how I don’t see that reality because I am clouded by the reality I am experiencing.
Am I doing it right now? Am I writing about the reality of my thoughts without acknowledging the thoughts of those reading this blog? Hopefully not, but I know in my intellect that I can only acknowledge that the thoughts of others exist, but know that I can’t truly consider the thoughts as I can’t ever really know them in total because I can’t experience them in the truest form. The thoughts can only be fully experienced by the one thinking the thoughts.
How does that relate to forgiveness? Forgiveness is taken in the perspective of the others participating in the forgiveness. My thoughts play a role in that forgiveness. Forgiveness can rule one’s life for good or bad. Forgiveness takes action on my part in acknowledging I need to give it and I need to accept it. Forgiveness if withheld or blocked leads me away from good and forgiveness if accepted and given leads me toward good.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
I always wonder how many times I let forgiveness rule my life. I think of the times that I spend in my life not fully experiencing it because I was holding on to some hurt in my life that should be released through forgiveness. I think of the times that I’ve burdened someone by not accepting forgiveness or mostly by not even thinking that I needed to be forgiven for some action that hurt another.
Oh how many times I’ve been so caught up in myself that I don’t even see the other person’s need. How does that happen? There is always another perspective to the reality I am living. There is always someone else’s reality. The reality always consists of how the situation affected the other and how I don’t see that reality because I am clouded by the reality I am experiencing.
Am I doing it right now? Am I writing about the reality of my thoughts without acknowledging the thoughts of those reading this blog? Hopefully not, but I know in my intellect that I can only acknowledge that the thoughts of others exist, but know that I can’t truly consider the thoughts as I can’t ever really know them in total because I can’t experience them in the truest form. The thoughts can only be fully experienced by the one thinking the thoughts.
How does that relate to forgiveness? Forgiveness is taken in the perspective of the others participating in the forgiveness. My thoughts play a role in that forgiveness. Forgiveness can rule one’s life for good or bad. Forgiveness takes action on my part in acknowledging I need to give it and I need to accept it. Forgiveness if withheld or blocked leads me away from good and forgiveness if accepted and given leads me toward good.
Talk to you again soon,
Eileen
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