House of the Rising Sun: Amazing Grace

Blind Boys From Alabama. Amazing Grace to the tune of House of the Rising Sun.

Peace
Keren

What's it all about Alfie?

Sin. Sin does not keep us from right relationship with God, it keeps us from right relationship with each other - which results in keeping us from feeling our "rightness" with God.

Hearts. Our hearts are like babies. They need attention, they need nurturing. They cry when they need something. They are trusting, but cautious with anything unfamiliar. They need protection but they also need to be allowed to reach out and experiment and make mistakes as well as be successful in learning and doing new things. They are scared when they are all alone. They feel good when they feel loved. Their nature is sweet and fresh.

Change: True change occurs when something happens to us that strongly affects our hearts. This may not make sense to you, but this is what made the above thought occur to me....it sounds strange and uncomfortable for me to put this here, but I had a dream the other night about the Eucharist. It was so vivid and powerful that I can no longer wear lipstick. I have tried and I just cant do it for some reason. Not that it is wrong to wear lipstick - the dream just affected me in that way. It spoke something to my heart.

Perfection. I dont expect perfection out of my friends, if I did I wouldnt have any friends. I hope they dont expect perfection out of me either.

Peace
Keren

Painting is Alfie - Pit Bull Terrier Mix. Oiloncanvas

Peace comes dropping slow - in the deep heart's core

Last spring, Ekhart Tolle and Oprah teamed up on a multi-week webinar featuring his book, The New Earth. I signed up for it and was planning to attend until a friend asked me what the purpose was, and I said "Peace - how to live a peaceful life" She responded "Keren if you become any more peaceful, you will just be all mush"

She was joking, but I thought about it and she was right. I have a lot of peace. I cherish it and protect it and revel in it even. I can usually access it at will, particularly if everyone else around me is falling apart. "Calm in the storm" is my favorite role. So I blew Ekart and Oprah off.

My friend was right. I'd rather have my peace balanced with some healthy tension from time to time anyway. WHo wants to be a zombie. You cant grow without tension.

However...there are times like the last few weeks when I start to feel the hard pangs of angst, extreme frustration of life not going the way I want it to, when I want it to, winding its way inside me, slowly tying me in knots.. then, before I know it...wham - anxiety.

I went to my weekly Eucharistic Adoration hour last night. If you dont know what it is, just consider it as meditating in silence for an hour in the presence of Jesus.

I usually offer the hour for the intentions of someone who is sick or in trouble or something else, but last night I asked for me to be filled with peace. During the hour, it occured to me it wouldnt just wash over me this time, but for me to feel the tiniest bits and build on that. The same thing I "preach" about Love - nurture the little bit that is there and it will grow. I suppose the same thing would go for "truth"

I went home renewed. I am patiently watching for signs of more, feeling the drops of peace as I write...

Just some musings..

Peace and Love
Keren

Here is the Yeats poem where I got the title

THE LAKE ISLE OF INNISFREE
By William Butler Yeats
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a-glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear the water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

Prayer for Freedom

Dear Heavenly Love,

Help us to break free from the situations that keep us in one place, stymie our growth or hold us down.

Help us be free of the things that tie us up so we can help untie the knots of others.


Amen
Peace
Keren

This Just In From God: People are Good, I Love Them All

Love is for everyone. For the little bitty baby, for the corporate giant. For the fat cat, for the skinny paper boy. For the democrats, and for the republicans. For the homeless and those who live in mansions. There is a place for everyone.

What you do for the least bit of love you can recognise in another person or situation, you do for God. If you only see bad and no good..you may not be looking close enough.

There is some good in each of us.. Seek that, build your opinions on that.

Politics attempt to divide us. For as long as I can remember, during presidential election times, people say "If so and so wins, I am moving my family to Australia"

If you plan to move to Australia, do so because you want to be a responsible participating citizen there, not because you are running away from something somewhere else.

People are resourceful and pitch-in when jobs need to be done, in this country for sure. There is no reason to give in to fear tactics, we can handle whatever is put to us! Really.

Peace and Love
Keren

Happy Anniversary!

My Him and I celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary today. We lived together 7 years prior to that and dated 5 years prior to that, so all in all it has been over 25 years that we have been sharing our lives together.

One of the best parts about our relationship is that we really want the other to be happy. We take care of eachother.
Early in the relationship it was more "my way or no way" on both our parts. Now we pretty much find a way to give in to eachother on most matters. Why not? Life can be hard enough without us being hard on eachother.

Fortunately neither of us want too much from the other. Just love.

Have a great week.
Peace and Love
Keren

Love spreads through our touch and the touch of other people

Why don’t people ask when they need help? To me, one of the most important skills one can have in the work world is knowing when to ask for help - before you start drowning is usually a good time.

Maybe people are afraid of being turned down, or thought of as incapable themselves if they ask for help.

I wouldn’t be posting here if Jim and Anne hadn’t asked me to. My posts don’t seem to generate much in the way of comments anymore, but from time to time people let me know that Love/God spoke to them through something they read here.

People in charge of ministries at churches that need help, should do like Jim and Anne did over a year ago, and just email and personally invite a person to serve, simply say “will you serve in our ministry” …that will get the ball rolling.

Frankly I am overwhelmed with all the choices – there are so many I couldn’t possibly help them all…sort of like a priest or minister who has so many people in their community he/she doesn’t have time to personally get to them all.

I have asked for help in this regard before. Twice I think. The Jewish custom of asking three times before an answer comes may be in order here...

The Spirit of Love can and does work spontaneously, but Love/Spirt really wants people who are open-hearted so It can work through them to heal and love and spread itself. Peter didnt heal on his own. The Spirit that made the healings didnt just make it happen (even tho It could have) the Spirit used Peter to get the job done. Peter had received a personal appointment from Love.