Lucky Charms anyone???

17 MARCH
Today is St. Patrick’s
Day. Have a green beer
if you absolutely must,
but not till after you
find out why Patrick
was sainted.What can
his life teach you about
how to be Christian?

Any one out there know with out looking it up? Besides on of the patron saint of Ireland and green beer that is?  Oh and free kisses!

In the early part of the fifth century C.E., the Roman Catholic Church sent Patrick as a missionary bishop to Ireland. His main objective was to convert the Irish to Christianity, and during his years of preaching and working among the people, Patrick is credited with having laid the foundation for the Catholic Church there. I find this very interesting and shows a strong man of faith considering he was captured by Irish slavers when he was about 16. He escaped 6 years later to return to Wales and priestly training.

Over the years many legends have developed about his exploits. One of the most famous is that while on that mountain, Patrick banished all the snakes from Ireland. Often is often said that very few snakes were seen before hand so this was a pretty simple job!

Tradition has it that he built a small church on the summit. Although that building is long since gone, the original foundation still exists, and the site as well as the mountain has been a place of pilgrimage through the years.

Another very interesting fact. For most of Christianity's first thousand years, canonizations were done on the diocesan or regional level. Relatively soon after the death of people considered to be very holy people, the local Church affirmed that they could be liturgically celebrated as saints. As a result, St. Patrick has never been formally canonized by a Pope; nevertheless, various Christian churches declare that he is a Saint in Heaven (he is in the List of Saints). He is still widely venerated in Ireland and elsewhere today, including the American Episcopal Church that honors today as a Feast day.

OK I know boring and dry for some and interesting as heck for others of us. So on to some other St. Patty's day spiritual fun!!!

 So what of the shamrock? What spiritual meaning could it have???

Legend (dating to 1726) also credits St. Patrick with teaching the Irish about the doctrine of the Holy Trinity by showing people the Shamrock, a three-leafed plant, using it to illustrate the Christian teaching of three persons in one God. For this reason, shamrocks are a central symbol for St Patrick's Day.

The shamrock had been seen as sacred in the pre-Christian days in Ireland.(mmmm something else Christians have "borrowed") Due to its green color and overall shape, many viewed it as representing rebirth and eternal life. Three was a sacred number in the pagan religion and there were a number of "Triple Goddesses) in ancient Ireland, including Brigid,'Eriu, and the Morrigan . (FYI it still sacred in earth and pagan religions)

Many other religions and spiritualities celebrate a trinity. Can I get any of you to be brave enough to share some you know?

What is the religious meaning with green beer????

You're on your own on this one folks!! If you know it, you tell me!!

“May God grant you always...A sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you, a sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you. Laughter to cheer you. Faithful friends near you. And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you.”

 18 MARCH
Sunday is your little
Easter, your day to
abandon whatever
discipline you have
taken up for Lent. But
if you are reading this
calendar today, does
that mean you gave up
our calendar for Lent?
Wow. Let's all give up
being too literal.

Why hate at all? Hate the sin love the sinner just is just HATE

 

Good morning friends!!!

Today you get a bonus blog, partly because I fee the need to get this out and share and partly because if I follow the challenge for today in the Lenten calendar and go to bed early I may not write!!! 

 

 

 dis·crim·i·na·tion

Pronunciation: dis-krim--n-shn
Function: noun
1 : the act of perceiving distinctions
2 : the ability to make fine distinctions
3 : the treating of some people better or worse than others without any fair or proper reason <laws to end racial discrimination>

 

 hate
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): hat·ed; hat·ing
1 : to feel strong dislike toward <hates his country's enemies>
2 a : to have a strong feeling of disgust for <hate hyprocrisy> b : to find distasteful 

 

 love
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): loved; lov·ing
1 : to hold dear : CHERISH
2 a : to feel a lover's passion, devotion, or tenderness for b : to touch or stroke lightly
3 : to like or desire actively : take pleasure in <loved to play the violin>
4 : to grow well in <the rose loves sunlight> 

 

I used the children's version of the definitions for Merriam-Webster's dictionary to keep it SIMPLE!!!!

How simple is following Jesus, the New Testament God/dess?

 

 For there are these three things that endure: Faith, Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is Love. 

 ! Corinthians 13:13

'An it harm none, do what ye will'

Wiccan Rede

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive".
Dalai Lama

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.
Mahatma Gandhi

So again I'm going on about love vs hate and tossing in a little compassion and understanding.

 

I'm diagnosed as having autism....so much of the world thinks besides not being able to communicate well (not true most of the time it's just DIFFERENT) and that I don't feel as much or deeply. What if the real problem is that the two tie together but differently then people want to acknowledge? What if "we" feel so deeply and passionately and it comes so fast and in such an onslaught that with our sometimes difficulty communicating the way the world wants us to we just have trouble getting it out? 

Why an I writing this today when I have written a similar blog before?

Because in the last....lets say 72 hours I have experienced so much hate and discrimination and ignorance that I am physically ill and can barely function to go to work today. I'm feeling all this hate filled judgment as ooze as if I'm coated in it. Thank goodness I KNOW God/dess is here and will get me through.

I see people called friends picking fun priorities over helping a sick friend. I learn of another teen suicide through JOKE!!!! (are we getting so numb to this we joke? Really???) I've been reading all about who is allowed in a place of worship or even to say the believe in God/dess. I've seen people judged not just for what they have done but things perceived done....and then mistreated. For things that have nothing to do with the other person.I've seen a hard working persons heart break because they are told and made feel as if they never good enough. A trans person feel as if they were kicked in the gut for the way they dressed. Again the list goes on. (fyi I chose gender neutral here to protect the people mentioned)

I read recently that the question is not what would Jesus do but would  Jesus have me to do. Think about it. If your prophet/savior/God/dess were here sitting with you , would you act the way you are? Well if our faith is how most of us say it is......They are here with us, in us, beside us, part of us. Please let's act like it. Simple...we are created in their image....and unless we are created in all the rules from the old world such as Leviticus there is little room for hate.

 

Hate eats your heart and soul little by. little. In the long run it hurts you more then it hurts them .

In honor of my friend .....a rose by any other name still smells so sweet!! If you ever need to change names in my writing to make it work for your heart..DO IT!!!

Love you all. Please try to love today and release the anger and hate before it is to late!!!

 

 

Thank you Granny!!

14 MARCH
Say thank you to the
person who taught
you how to say "I'm
sorry."

How many of us honestly now how to say I'm sorry. Not just to get something over with, or make your self feel better, BUT to help heal the person you have injured?

There are several instances I remember in learning to say "I'm sorry". The first and hardest lesson I earned was from my Granny. My hero. By the time we were came around she was mostly house bound but by no means an invalid. She still cooked, backed sewed, cuddled us, told us stories, all the good Granny stuff.

One afternoon while visiting a sick family friend the visit took longer then our mom and aunt thought so we were allowed to go out side to play. There where several beautiful flowering bushes ( I can't really remember what they were) and we thought they were as beautiful as as Granny so we picked some. OK we picked a a lot!!! Hid them in a bag in the car, I don't think we hid them because we knew it was wrong but because we wanted to have a surprise.

When we got home and gave them to Granny she was thankful and said how how beautiful and sweet. Then asked it we had permission to take them. I guess it was obvious we had used little hands to yank them from the bush instead of the help of an adult with scissors.

Of course we told the truth. She sat down and explained while she loved that we though of her when we saw such beauty, they were not ours to take. She gave us lots of what ifs. What if the family liked looking out the window to see the beautiful bush. What if they were planning on bringing in  the flowers or gifting them. Or, what if we had hurt the bush?

She told us we had to go say "I'm sorry" and make it right. Some how to our little minds she explained it was about making them feel better for taking something of theirs' that we really couldn't fix or replace. I remember it was one of the few times she got in the car and went with us.

The adults stayed in the car, we drug our feet and knocked on the door an apologized. We bought the flowers back in a pretty new vase (from our allowance) and made plans to come weed for two Saturdays. No it was not punishment, it was about fixing to the best of our ability what we had made wrong.

By coincidence, about the next spring about the same time the husband passed away. It was his favorite bush we had picked from and it didn't bloom in full that spring. ( we didn't now that some bushes do that, we were sure it was our fault.) With out any adult prompting we cleaned out all the booms in our personal lilac bush just as the adults were leaving for the funeral home, and asked to give part to his wife and lay part with him.

All simple, all child like but some 35+ years later I still remember you apologize with your heart, with your soul and then with your words and actions.

Thank you Granny.

15 MARCH
Go to bed an hour
early tonight. Give up
being over-tired and
possibly cranky. Your
family and co-workers
will thank you.

money money money!!!!

13 MARCH
Stop stressing about
money. It won’t help.
Plan, don’t panic.

Money makes the world go around!!! Right?? I mean it does doesn't it? We pay for....well every thing it seems. Health care to food.... Rent/Mortgage to heat. Some times we even pay a little for love. No not saying we buy it, but we do pay for dates or even just a cup of coffee to get to know one another. Even people already together talk about "cheap" date nights, or going away to have time alone. None of these are wrong, most are necessary, but money does make the world go round.

Platitudes such as the above stop stressing, don't panic , plan are another easier said then done. Almost makes me angry and feel like a semi- well off person in a comfortable house with a big yard, full refrigerator, good insurance, etc. wrote this one. (Remember...one of my prejudices is wealthy people. I'm still working on it.) It makes me upset because it seems to imply that I've made no plans in my life, that I haven't worked for every penny I've earned since I was about 14. Maybe I should have planed better and been born into a wealthy family so I could have some kind of head start. I should have planned better so I could hang out in a nice dorm while getting my education rather then working my tail off to survive while getting it. Planned to not be gay so I could be a pastor right out of school/college/seminary like my "plan" was and follow what I felt and still feel as my calling.

I wish I had planned not to be born mostly deaf and then continue to get ear infections my whole life so no it takes expensive hearing aids and and a not cheap surgery and recovery. Planned to not have a seizure and wreck my car and lose my license. My list goes on and on.....if you think I'm whining, go ahead and make yours , start casual and see where it goes.

Sense some anger and resentment about money?? You bet ya!!! There is plenty there.

Then I take a deep breath....maybe meditate a few minutes....take a walk out side and think of what I have. It's cliche' , but even tough I may not be "young" I have the world at my feet. This beautiful gift that God/dess as given each of us. Yes some times I feel my road is a little harder then some others....but is it the hardest?? Nope!!! IS it as harder or harder than even some of those I see every day? NO!!! Emphatically NO!

I do have love in my life. I have shoes on my feet, clothes on my back, covers on my bed, contacts in my eyes, and hearing aids behind my hears. I'm blessed to have these and a much bigger list.  Yes they are God/dess given. I was in a spot this year that I really couldn't afford any of this and thanks to Jamie's family and some pretty amazing friends in our lives we never went with out. There were times that we found out who our true friends were (no not just the ones that gave money.....but the ones that also gave love and support) and we lost a few "friends" along the way.

 "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'" Matthew 19:23-24 

"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26 



Do I think Jesus or any other prophet is saying you can't go to heaven if you are rich? No I don't, but I think it has something to do with learning to share, and helping others.  You know...the don't be greedy and do unto others stuff just about every religion/spirituality has.


 “And ye harm none, do what ye will”.
From the Wiccan  Rede (kinda like Christian 10 Commandments but I'm still learning, Please be patient and learn with me...if you know more please feel free to share!!!)

That one is pretty simple, an example...and if you hoard money when others are starving and dying, how can you look in the mirror and believe you are harming none?

I may have gone of track, since what I really think what the writer of today's challenge  is really trying to say along with the planning and "God/dess helps those who help themselves" is faith faith faith. Faith in God/dess, faith in the world, faith in each other.

Matthew 6:30
"And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?"


How do we reach this sense of faith, when we struggle, we see others with so much more and it feels like that have it easier? For one we don't know what any one goes home to. We don't know God/dess's pans for us. For example if I had lived my life as I thought I was going to I wouldn't be here where I am today....and I know beyond a shadow of doubt I'm in the right place.

I went to Al-anon for awhile, one of the slogans is " Keep coming back, it works if you work it."   Turns out it didn't really work for me, but some of the ideas I still carry with me today. As far as keep coming back....so much of life is like this......it can be hard...but keep coming back, get up get dressed and live it!!!  Have faith...plan...ask for help when needed...pray, meditate, center yourself. Try to remove toxins or yourself from toxic situations and live! (Wait did we just tie a lot of this Lenten calender back on itself....mmmmm interesting.)

OK today I did a lot of  Christian biblical quotes....trying to get more well rounded, so any one that has education or resources for me feel free to jump in!!!

Peace out my friends, take a chill pill, don't panic

(and yes I know I'm still learning this like every other lesson in this Lenten list!)

14 MARCH
Say thank you to the
person who taught
you how to say "I'm
sorry."

Tick Tock

 

 

12 MARCH
Show other people
that you value their
time. Today, plan to
arrive 15 minutes
early for everything.
Give up being late.

Random bit first, I'm always early...like for work, a few minutes early, set up my station...go clock in and then back to get to my first dog in plenty of time. Then today of all days, considering the challenge, I found out we are not allowed to be behind the counter to set up early. Bummer, dude!

 

Time is a very precious thing. Do you take other people's time into consideration when arranging your day? For example, if you are meeting a group of people, do you arrive a few minutes early so you don't waste their time in waiting on you, or do you find your time more important and valuable and arrive late as to never have to waste your time?

In my opinion, time is an extremely valuable commodity. Yet it is often and easy commodity to waste. We waste our own by, well, just doing nothing (yes I know there are many definitions of "nothing" including facebook/tv/fiction books, etc.)

We often waste friends and employers time. We waste friend's time by making them wait on us or not showing up for plans or promises unkept. The list of how we waste employers time could go on and on. Anything from personal phone calls and text messaging to pretending to be busy when the boss comes by. 

 

Bottom line, time is something we all have the same amount of. Respect mine, respect your employers, respect your own and accept nothing less in return. 

 

“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

-H Jackson Brown

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 3

New Life Version (NLV)

A Time for Everything

 ¹ There is a special time for everything. There is a time for everything that happens under heaven. ² There is a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pick what is planted. ³ There is a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up. ⁴ There is a time to cry, and a time to laugh; a time to have sorrow, and a time to dance. ⁵ There is a time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to kiss, and a time to turn from kissing. ⁶ There is a time to try to find, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away. ⁷ There is a time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; a time to be quiet, and a time to speak. ⁸ There is a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

13 MARCH
Stop stressing about
money. It won’t help.
Plan, don’t panic.

Count your many blessings.....like Resse Cups!!!

9 MARCH
Write down ten things
you are thankful for.
And then write down
ten things more

Life is so full of choices....sometimes rather simple ones:

Be thankful.....be envious
Be grateful.....be greedy
Glass half-full....glass half empty
Satisfied.... grass is greener
Live life...sit on the bench

Sometimes life bogs us down and its hard to remember the good...the odd thing is that the people I see in the most pain...living from pay check to paycheck to get by....deciding to eat or pay rent....the ones with a terminal disease, or some little known illness seem to be so thankful for the little things, so my first list of 10 is the little things list.

1) reese cup Easter eggs
2) cool flip side of my pillow
3) that at lest one of my co-workers will give me bows that I just can't make
4) sleeping in with my wubby and the puppies, especially when Teddy sleeps on my back
5) chatting with wubbie's family (now mine) on the phone every day
6) the sound of "Hey Carrie" every time I walk into work no matter what part of the store
7) silly and or sweet responses to my post on face book
8) puppy breath
9) buds in spring
10) snow flakes

Ok so I could do my 10 and 10 more  probably 10 x 10  things I'm thankful for just on my little things list. These are the first that popped in my head.

So we move on to bigger things. When we are really blessed, those things that so out weigh the pain and hurt of life. The things that make you happy you wake up each morning on Mother Earth

So here goes my BIG thankful list:

1) My fiance/wubby/Jamie
2) My adopted family
3) My birth family that grounded me and also gave me such a sense of unshakable faith
4) The miracle that are my hearing aids....which leads to a whole new list of thankfulness
5) Friends that I have gathered along the journey of regaining my hearing that have been a major support
6) A job with amazing insurance (even if we must pester them)
7) Jamie's job that makes her happy and pays good money!!!
8) Living where I can enjoy nature right out my back door/having a HOME
9) Friends that love me for me
10) Knowing God/dess watches over me....something I never doubt

Finally one of the challenges that really wasn't that hard to do. But who knows when the day will come (and I now it will) that the day week or week are so rough that I will have to come back and read this list. For this reason alone, I challenge you to make a couple of your own. Just so they are there for you.

Is life always a bed of roses...nope that's why we always have to strive to see the good AND when the good is extra good to savory the memory.

Remember too, no mater the relation ship.......its not all roses...but we do our best by each other!!!

I wish for you my friends, many rose gardens free of thorns.!!

 10 MARCH
Only God is perfect.
You don’t have to be.
Forgive yourself for
mistakes. There are
plenty of things worth
doing that don’t have
to be done “right.”
Give up thinking
there’s only one
right way.

This is a very good, yet hard one for me. I love having the permission to do so , how bout you??

Spring into your life!!!

8 MARCH

Give up the Internet.

Just for the day. Or

even the afternoon.

Look past the screen.

Look up, look around,

look out the window,

look for signs of

spring.

It's interesting for me to thing of doing this for the day tomorrow as I feel this blog and web site are my ministry. Also honestly with my autism I often feel this is a very comfortable way to socialize . I also have several friends with disabilities that the Internet is their main window to the world.

I know a lot of people how ever DO hide behind the screen. What's your thoughts? Do you think the Internet can become a substitute for living life or a life enhancer?

Personally, I met my partner on the Internet and many good friends that are just as real to me as those I see every day.

I've seen love,heart break and friendship. I've seen education and miss-education. So basically I've seen the internet be a normal life, and I've seen it be part of a wasted life.

“I’ve learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."”
 Maya Angelou

"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice."

~ Cherokee Expression 

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

~ Mohandas Gandhi

 There are many ways to hide from life, living the life others choose for you/through the TV/ books/drugs/over zealous religion.....so many ways to miss out.... do you live yours??

"It is never too late to become what you might have been."

~ George Eliot

Statue of St Francis in early spring

 I've have many wishes for you my friends tonight my best wish is  from Jonathan Swift

"May you live all the days of your life."

So tomorrow I will be off here until night time for my blog... also I will being giving some thought and meditation to  how to more fully live my life.

9 MARCH
Write down ten things
you are thankful for.
And then write down
ten things more