BELIEVE IN PRAYER

http://www.meetmeinthemeadow.com/2013/05/prayer-3/ 

Honestly, I'm a believer in prayer. It's not the traditional kind of prayer others may be expecting but it's one which my God and I share ... akin to a chat... heart to heart, mind to mind, like a child to a father --- a supreme all-knowing merciful forgiving loving Divine Father. Sometimes it may be just a sigh.. a tear.. a whisper.. a silent plea... an ardent please... or simply the stillness of the soul connecting to the Master. I remember long ago as a kid asking God to spank little Stephen because he broke my favorite toy (nagsusumbong). Or a happy simple grateful 'thank you, daddy'.

Try prayer, it works all the time. You can't have a better listener than God our Father. And how He answers!!! It can blow your mind away! Make prayer a habit. God simply waits to hear from you.

May God bless you with peace, joy, love, and faith.

MAKE TODAY COUNT

One day I woke up in the morning with this strange feeling of....    Ohhhh there's so much to do.... What am I doing! I should be doing this (or that) ..... Time flies; gotta hurry or I'll be running out of time ..... Nothing's happening - can you believe that?! Nothing's happening! .... This doesn't seem to work; so what will??!! .....

When I told my best friend about this on the phone, she simply brushed it aside in one clean sweep with this quote...........

"Think not of the amount to be accomplished, the difficulties to be overcome, but set earnestly at the little task near your elbow, letting that be sufficient for the day;  for surely our plain duty is not to see what lies dimly at a distance but to do what lies clearly at hand." ----- Lifted from  'A Way Of Life'. Sir William Osler's speech to the students of Yale University

But what put me back safe and sane on the ground once more was this precious wisdom I remembered from the Book.............

Jesus said...

"So don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough worries of its own."  ----- Matthew 6:34

So, people, the next time you get into this same kind of frenzy look into the mirror, take a deep breath, and say... 'Today is what you have...  tomorrow has yet to come. Make TODAY count.'   And swiftly shall  peace, love, and happiness be restored in your spirit.

Okay, folks, be seeing you around;  got this something to do in a bit. Small stuff but I think it would be great to do it. Bye for now. Blessings!

KNOW YOURSELF

Saw this in a book I was reading recently, to quote..... 

"In ancient Greece, those who sought the advice of the famous oracle at Delphi were greeted by a simple inscription above the entrance:  'Know Yourself'. It was a reminder that as well as seeking the counsel of others we must also look inward at what is going on in our bodies, our feelings, and our minds. By truly understanding ourselves we become our own surest guides."   -- (1001 Pearls of Wisdom, David Ross, published by Chronicle Books)

We go to great lengths in trying to understand people but nary a glance at trying to know ourselves better. Because we think that we already do. But do we really? It's not just about knowing your likes, dislikes, preferences, comfort zones, stuff which you perceive to be you and through which others may see you or interact with too. I believe there is far more than what goes on at the surface of our lives or persons.

The inner self or the core of which we are asked to seek out lies there within us just waiting ... placed there by Someone who meant it for our greater and better good. By God's design. When we find it only then perhaps can we truly say -- " I know me". And the miracles you were wishing for begin to happen.

My own search continues. Good luck to yours.

BE INTERESTED. GET INTERESTED.

I like this from Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) .....  "One thing life has taught me:  if you are interested you never have to look for new interests. They come to you. When you are genuinely interested in one thing,  It will always lead to something else."

Writing is a passion. A passionate interest that has led me to fill up so many notebooks and notepads with so much writing ... some made full and then some left half-empty ... but definitely many. I write long and short, some make good sense and others just ho-hum. But I write. Essays, stories, poems, journals, blogs. Even if it's just a sentence.. a line or two... or a phrase... or an article for a local magazine or e-magazine site. It does not matter. Just to see the words stumble out of my pen on what once was a blank piece of paper or page is enough to get the heavenly stars into my eyes colliding with such ecstatic glee.

Furthermore the plus side of it is to discover that the writing opens other doors of interest which I would usually never have paid much attention to. When writing about creative hobbies one day in the blog my mind took a sudden shift just out of the blue thinking about trying my hand at painting. So I did. Took out a canvass, borrowed my daughter's water colors and paint brushes, and sat down to paint. Happy to say that I have today at least a dozen finished paintings lying around the house somewhere. It was an exhilarating experience that I would truly strongly suggest that you give it a try.

On another day while in the midst of writing, a new thought entered my mind as I gazed at the blue jeans left on the sofa by my daughter (oh yeah, she's a mess hahah...) -- why not sew a bag from an old pair of jeans? Yeah, why not?!! And to make a long story short I have sewn two ladies bags out of two old worn-out pairs of blue jeans. And three more pairs are simply waiting to be transformed by my new-found needlecraft skill. Try it and you just might surprise yourself.

Eleanor Roosevelt is right...  when interest gets hold of you your whole world is transformed by wonderful discoveries one after the other.  Truly wonderful opportunities unfold and present themselves to you.

Be interested. Get interested. With life, with living.

SHARED THOUGHTS - SHARED HUMANITY

Who cares to listen to another's tale of woes and more woes?! Because I have learned that the only tales of woe which we are truly interested in are our own. So I'm not telling mine. LOLS :-)  Sufficient to say that it was a miserable two weeks of being unwell and finally recovery that it still leaves me reeling from it all today. Yet I am going to admit that the week that passed was indeed such a welcome respite which I realize now was one that I needed.

But I'm hellbent on shaking the accumulated cobwebs away and get the Muses back into the writing groove again. Thoughts are wrestling and scrambling to get down into print that I can't decide now which should come first. Actually, all are worthy for the writing. Whenever or every time an experience or an event or an encounter comes into play and gets 'processed' in the mind the end-result that comes out is always worthy. Insights - perceptions  - views - wisdom are born this way. And that is good.

I write about such things knowing full well that it will pull on a familiar string or strings in the hearts of many. After all in spite of our valid differences we are still all basically the same. But what interests me most is your individual authentic original version of your self. We may be looking at the same things, but I would like to know your own thoughts about it. The external trappings of the self serve only to distract attention away from what truly matters. That which lies within is far more essential -- in the core of your being is who you truly are. It's not the gift-wrapping but the gift that brings the sparkle to one's eyes.

Here on my blog page I welcome with pleasure your sharing of your thoughts. Unleash the power of your mind. Because you are far more than you give yourself credit for. That, by the way, interests me hugely. And so with everybody else I believe.  :-)

Blessings to you and your families.

A WOMAN IS LIKE A TEA BAG

Woke up with the sun way up gleefully heating up the face of the earth! But it took a back seat this time when I saw this in my inbox. Thank you, Mr. Quote Man, this one takes the prize. I'm bringing it here in memory of my mom ... a strong person, woman, daughter, wife, and mother.

To quote:

A woman is like a tea bag -- 

you never know how strong she is 

until she gets in hot water.' 

 

--  Eleanor Roosevelt

Unquote.

True, isn't it? And she is right here in our homes, our family circles, our close friends, and even out there on the streets of our big cities or in the far-flung areas of our rural landscape. But it's not always in the huge life drama or battles thrown their way that they shine. It's also in the silent struggles of their mundane battles of life and living day after day... disappointments, frustrations, heartbreaks, broken dreams.... We have a lot of them around us. You will know them when you see them because something within will resonate with that felt or shared in the heart.

 

 

THE POWER OF E-COMMUNICATION

                             

Just here for a bit. I was reading this book in bed ... Well, you have to think of something to take your mind off your helpless self ... and there's nothing better than a good book to do that. Here is one I would like to share with you. Found good stuff in it but I was struck particularly by these lines which I quote. Maybe because I have written something about it months ago. The book is 'The Power of Kindness' (the same editors of Random Acts Of Kindness) ..... Chapter 5 - The Transformative Nature of Community ... an excerpt from page 158, to quote:

" ..... Maybe because of vast number people you can communicate with, most e-communications are just dabbling. A little chit-chat, back-and-forth questions and answers about incredibly superficial and meaningless things and then Poof!, people disappear.

It amazes me how often and suddenly people just drop out of sight. You think there is something real going on and then complete silence, like it never even existed. No explanations, no goodbyes, just silence. The more I checked in with friends, the more I had to conclude this was the main mode of e-communications ----- a brief flurry of e-mails and I-mails going back and forth, the illusion of connection, and the trickling away. "     -- Unquote.

I am sure that many of us have thought about this 'disappearance' ... have observed it on your fb or blog page, respectively. As much as the article above is true, one cannot simply brush off this explanation that people (that's you and me and others more) have lives to live and that life more often than not does take them in other directions too. Sometimes too fast-too soon leaving no room for goodbyes or simple courtesies. Life I think behaves often in that seemingly heartless manner -- you may want to do the right thing but it won't let you thus affecting your life and the people around you in some great or greater manner.

If some people perceive the online community lacks depth, I'll say maybe yes and maybe not. The realities of e-communication are there for one to understand both personally and impersonally. The thing is you can make a difference with your online community in a way which reflects you as a person in real life, in real time. The idea is be yourself.... your best good self the one which God meant you to be by Divine Design. Whatever it is that you do, you can't be anything less than that Divine Plan. The blueprint of our earthly lives, with or without e-communication.

Gosh, I hope this wasn't very long for you. :-)
By the way, see this photo above? So pretty and refreshing to the eyes and soul. Enjoy it as I did. Take care now and blessings to you and your families. God loves you... you know HE does! 

THE NATURE OF PRAYERS AND SEEDS

Here for a bit but will leave you with this wonderful quote...  sent to me by my good friend Mr. Quote Man as usual. This  one I like very much.............. to quote

Prayers & Seeds are similar in nature.
Both have nothing Within,
but have the potential of creating Everything
-- (Unknown)

Unquote.

The seeds of every good action will bear fruit that's for sure. Sometimes long after when you can't be there to enjoy or relish full satisfaction and glory over a job well done for self or for others. Keep planting the seeds of good anyway. Nothing escapes the watchful eyes and heart of God.

Prayers definitely create that which you with your puny human strength cannot. Prayers bring into play great and greater possibilities and potential you never would have dreamed of in the least. Prayers awesomely make the Divine Power reachable to your feeble tiny human grasp and understanding. Blessed is the man or woman who prays.

Enjoy your vacation but squeeze-in time to remember the reason why we have the Holy Week. Blessings to you all. May the blessings of the Lenten Season be upon you and your loved ones.

(Thanks to Mr. Quote Man for the wonderful quote.)

MIRROR OF YOUR HEART AND SOUL

"The beauty you  see around you is a reflection of the person you are.
The good you find in others is in you too." 

-- (Unknown)   

To a dear friend who thinks that she's good for nothing and yet has this wonderful ability to see beauty in mother nature, in the innocence of a newborn baby's smile, in the soothing sounds of song, in the gentleness of another person's heart....   I say this holds up a mirror to who you are. Be blessed and stay blessed. God sees the beauty in you.


(Thanks to Mr. Quote Man for the quote and picture)

PRECIOUS MOMENTS OF OUR LIVES FOR A LOVELY DAY

Back from my early morning walk I went straight to my tiny patch of a garden. Looking at how the weeds were having a huge holiday camping in and round it I decided to end their pleasure with a pair of garden shears. Straight to the task I went about snipping here and there. I was pretty hard into the chore when a friend from another street who looked like she was also into her routine morning walk came by with a pleasant greeting. Glancing up I nodded with a smile. This led her to stop (Good Lord!) for a chit-chat much to my annoyance, disguised irritation. But it was such a lovely morning to even try to be ‘mean’. Yet looking down at my work I saw that I was only about two-thirds done with my weed-destruction mission and Old Sol was getting hot. I was faced with a dilemma.... be honest with being annoyed... or be kind. Yeah you guessed right... a little bit of kindness won’t hurt. So I turned towards her with ‘Musta?’ (How are you?)

She smiled even bigger with ‘Ganda ng araw noh?’ (Lovely day, isn’t it?)

To which I replied ‘Ay sobra!’ (Indeed it is!)

‘Wag lang umulan’ came her reply. (Hope it doesn’t rain)

She continued....‘Hay naku, maglalaba pa naman ako mamya. Kainis noh kapag ayun may sampay ka tapos biglang bumuhos ang ulan’   (Gosh, I intend to do the laundry later. It would really suck when you have hung up the laundry to dry and then the rain pours.)

I looked up to the clear blue skies with nary a cloud in sight and said.. ‘Maganda ang sikat ng araw, sapat yan para matuyo ang mga nilabhan mo maghapon.’   (The sun’s shining brightly enough to dry your clothes the rest of the day.)

‘Sana...’ she sighed. (I hope so...)

To this I said with a smile ... ‘Naku kung ganyan ang iniisip mo eh di simulan mo na siguro...’ (If that’s how you think about it, why don’t you get started then...)

If that was a disguised push for her to leave, I agree. I simply can’t stand negativity from anyone, especially if it stands to ruin a lovely day for me. And if she can’t appreciate a simple blessing as a wonderful day, there’s nothing much I can do about that but I hope she gets to understand what she’s missing.

When you’re having a lovely moment or day, enjoy it for what it is. Savor it.... the place, the people, the sights and sounds of it, and more. Don’t let anyone or anything take you away from such pleasure or delight. Neither should you allow any hint of negativity ever to douse your precious experience. Negativity is a joy-killer.

We live for the moments of our lives. A brightly shining morning sun, the soothing calm of a clear blue sky, the whirl of the wind, a baby’s angelic smile, the loving look in your lover’s eyes, a promotion at work, an unexpected fortune, a wedding or a baptism of a child, and even the falling of soft rain on your face. Wondrous moments of pure joy, of awesome discoveries, of intense living, of blessed experiences, of eureka moments, and of freeing your light to shine through and out to the world.

Think positive, think life, think blessing. And remember to thank God for it all. Oh yes indeed!!

Blessings, everyone! Have a nice weekend up ahead.