Hairy Scary

                                        Yes, hairy vines are poison ivy.  Stay away, far away.

 

Inexhaustible

 This is cute.

Someone describes packing his suitcase for a trip.  Just before closing it, he observes a small corner not yet filled.  He thinks, "Into this little corner I put a guide book, a lamp, a mirror, a microscope, a telescope, a volume of choice poems, several well-written biographies, a package of old letters, a book of songs, a sharp sword and a small library of more than sixty volumes; yet, strange enough to say, all these did not occupy a space of more than three inches long by two inches wide."  "But how could you do it?" "Well, it was all in the packing, I put in my Bible."

Accompaniment

 The September 2021 issue of The Word Among Us, daily meditations for Catholics had an interesting response by Archbishop Joseph Kurtz.  The question a little girl asked was, "Why was my brother born with autism?".  The archbishop replied that he couldn't really answer; he didn't know.

That's a good answer.  Who knows why one is tall or short, or American or whatever?  God's plans are a mystery to us.  No one knows the mind of God.

The archbishop asked the little girl a question.  "Do you love your brother?"  She answered "yes."  Then he explained how much better both their lives were because of their love for each other.  Life doesn't consist of solving problems.  Life is meant to be lived and life is better when shared with others.  Even Adam needed someone to love.  We were made that way.  

We were made to love others.  Life is better when shared with someone.

Angelica NOT

 

Last spring, actually two springs ago, I planted angelica seeds.  They never came up.  This spring I thought I'd try one more time.  Nothing happened.

Picking up after the growing season, I was surprised by a tiny growth.  Could it be my angelica plant?  I treated it with TLC.  It grew.  But not a beautiful angelica flower. But rather a mushroom.

Reform School from Hell

 "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead reminded me of Lisa Wingate's "Before We Were Yours." Both are southern horror stories concerning children and the horrendous events that altered their lives.

The Nickel boys were the boys who were in a reform school named Nickels. The major character, Ellwood was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. and read just about every speech he wrote. Ellwood was hitchhiking to college when he was picked up in a stolen car. Ellwood got involved as an accessory and was sent to Nickels. The boys were tortured, raped, mutilated, and even killed. Bodies were hidden in unmarked graves.
But these boys are black. Racial injustice put Ellwood there. Racial injustice was the norm at Nickels. And racial injustice hid the atrocities that were committed there. As Colson Whitehead says, "It doesn't stop when you get out."
I hope we are better than that, now. Let's keep vigilance to never let racial injustice appear on our watch.

Guess Again

 

This book is made for the movies.  It will make a great action-packed film. The President is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton is fun to read. It is definitely action-packed. I can picture this in a movie. It is so fast-moving that I can't tell you the literary quality of it because I was turning the pages too fast to see what was next and to judge.

The story begins with President Duncan in front of Congress answering their questions like we see people do for Congressional hearings. The representatives want the president to explain why he's telephoning jihadists. President Duncan won't answer. Then come to find out, what we've been reading wasn't real. It was a practice before the president goes before the representatives.

That's a taste for what you think is coming, it doesn't. What happened to the president? Is he hiding so he doesn't have to testify? Was he kidnapped? Did his blood disease render him incapacitated and he's in the hospital? Where did he go?

There's an assassin. Is she after the president? Will the assassin get caught?

There's a traitor. It's one of six people. Whom do you think it is?

I'm not spoiling this fun, fast-paced novel. Enjoy.

A Walk With Faith

 Facebook Photo

Billy took up my challenge!!!!  Here's his offering.

A Walk with Faith (In My Heart)
by William Wyllie

To Beaver Pond we will stroll. 
I have not been there sing long ago.
     Chilson Beach, a beautiful place.
In my mind I travel through time and space,
      To a time long ago, when I was a lad.
To this same place with brother and sister.
      What a time we had.

Today I walk with Faith.
     And photos I take.
Lots of trees by the pond, grow wild,
    In the past very few, when I was a child.

We walk to a clearing, a boar ramp looks fine.
    I walk to the edge, should I step one more time?
As I get closer to the water, one more step I may go.
     A thick black snake, pops out of a hole.
With a startled surprise, right back I did jump.
    I did it so fast, I heard a loud thump.
In a blink of an eye the snake popped back in its hole.
    And that is when real fast I did stroll.
Faith said with concern, "I would have jumped just the same."
    With a twinkle in her eye, good friends we remain.

Near Death Experience

 It is hard to categorize this book.  DYING TO BE ME, by Anita Moorjani is non-fiction, a memoir, and a self-help book. I also didn't know how many stars to give this type of book.  If it were a thriller and a page-turner, it would be a 5 star.  But non-fiction isn't page-turning.  That being said, Moorjani's book is about her near-death experience--NDE.

          I'm not an expert on NDE.  The few that I've read, tell us about the peace and love the people felt.  Moorjani was no exception.  The unconditional, all-encompassing love she experienced was life-changing.

         Of course, the fact that she was cured of cancer, almost instantaneously, was a component, too.  She medically was dead from her cancer-ridden body when she experienced her NDE.  She rose above her body and saw not only her hospital room, doctors, etc., but also her brother in an airplane coming to see his dying sister.  She saw the beauty of the light, peace, calmness, and indescribable love that characterizes what we think of heaven.  I think a factor in what impressed her so much was that being a Hindu she expected reincarnation and this experience was so very different.  

       The experience changed her attitude, temperament, and lifestyle

.  She felt her previous goals, ideas, and life were just not important.  Life is precious.  We are all precious and the energy of being unites us into one.  She was shocked into being was God intended her to be. 

A Laudate Si Garden

My garden shames me when I see this garden.  I need an army of nuns to help me.  This video is from Vatican News.

The nuns attract visitors to their garden with its beauty but the garden preaches of the glory of God.  The plants are aromatic, medicinal, and eatable.  The garden itself is a visible, concrete example of the pope's encyclical Laudate Si.

Religion Based on Rape

 A priest was telling me that he was asked to talk to some Hebrew students.  This was a seventh/eighth grade.  One boy challenged the priest with the statement, "How can you follow a religion based on rape?"

He was blindsided by this question and couldn't think and finally muttered something.

This story has been echoing in my mind ever since.  How would I have responded?

I would have said that the Blessed Virgin Mary was predicted.  Scriptures prove the virgin birth and it certainly wasn't rape.  The angel Gabriel asked Mary if she would consent to the conception of the Son of the Most High.  

Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.

Mary's consent is called her FIAT.  

Back to the prophesies that this would happen:

But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathat least among the clans of Judah, from you, shall come forth for me, one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times.  There the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne...  Micah 5: 2

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel.  Isaiah 7: 14

Open to argument is Psalm 45. This psalm is a song for a royal wedding.  When I read Psalm 45 I see the praise for Mary.  How do you read it?

Walking With Bill

 

                          Yesterday, I posted Billy's poem where he mentions me.  Today, I pay him back!

A quick jump, Bill does make,
Seeing a striking pose by a snake.
Pain and fright, upon his face,
Away from that place, he did race.

Fumbling for phone, take a picture.
But the serpent's gone in a flicker.
It all happened so quickly,
Things do when Billy's with me.

"I wasn't scared," yet he squirmed.
"I was just surprised," Bill affirmed.
"He was a black, huge, thick circle--"
Bill's hand mimicked a huge pickle.

This happened as I saw it,
Bill's version may differ a bit.
I challenge him to respond in rhyme.
A new poem would suit me just fine.

Name That Tune

 Another guest blogger, William Wyllie.  Bill always rhymes.

Name That Tune

          To the Senior Center we do go

to play "Name that Tune."  It'll be fun I know.

          Faith and myself go lunch for there.

Never attended something like this anywhere.

          They play some tunes, sometimes I miss.

Other times it's easy, I say "Let's Twist".

          This is fun, music from the 60's, 70's play.

I eat my lunch, and enjoy my stay.

          Ariel, the announcer plays a bonus tune.

They think it's hard, but the title come soon.

         The title is "Ariel," a favorite of mine.

I win the bonus, it makes me feel fine.

         This brings me joy.  I'm happy to be here.

"Name the tune", is music to my ears.

          Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop till you get enough"

A tune I didn't get.

          "Disco Inferno" another I miss.  Can't get upset.

It's only a game, nevermind if I did not remember.

          Just being here is the best surrender.

"Come together" a Beatles tune I got.  A big hit.

          "Eleanor Rigby" too many people were too quick.

"Don't Bring Me Down" by ELO song, that was an easy one.

I build up points, I may just have won.

The Power of Prayer and Self-Control

 

Praying in a Labyrinth

 The labyrinth is a metaphor for a spiritual journey, with the entrance representing birth and the center symbolizing God or enlightenment. 

 Prayer, whether directed toward a specific deity or more freeform, has been shown to have the power to positively affect our physical and mental health. Prayer has been linked to reduced stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and even brain chemistry changes that can make a person more empathetic, amicable, and altruistic. Studies into how and why prayer works as a mechanism for overall health improvement have found numerous reasons for its success.

 

One interesting way in which prayer has recently been found to help us is through self-control. A recent study asked participants to watch a funny video and do all they could to suppress their emotions - something that requires a decent amount of self-discipline. After that, the subjects were tasked with a cognitive test - in this case identifying colors and text. The question these researchers wanted to explore was whether prayer could help people replenish their reserves of self-control.

 

Here’s what they found, via Scientific American:

 

“Indeed it did. Participants who were asked to pray about a topic of their choosing for five minutes showed significantly better performance on the task after emotion suppression, compared to participants who were simply asked to think about a topic of their choosing. And this effect held regardless of whether participants identified as religious (70 percent) or not.

 

Why? The authors tested several possible explanations, but found statistical support for only one: people interpret prayer as a social interaction with God, and social interactions are what give us the cognitive resources necessary to avoid temptation. Past research has found that even brief social interactions with others can promote cognitive functioning, and the same seems to hold true for brief social interactions with deities.”

 

It appears that prayer serves as a type of social interaction - only with God. This is what helps people overcome impulses. This is exciting, as it means that the reason prayer can help people with self-control - to overcome temptation and struggle - doesn’t necessarily have to do with religious guilt. The actual act of prayer is what provides the positive benefit.

 

Prayer has also been shown to elicit physical responses in the brain and body, such as slowed breathing and heart rate and lowered blood pressure. Along with committing to a healthy lifestyle, this can have a calming effect, one which allows those who practice prayer to feel decreased stress and anxiety.

 

When you couple a reduction in stress with an ability to heighten one’s self-control, it’s easy to see why prayer can be a powerful tool in helping us regulate our hectic lives.

 

One of the myths about prayer is that you have to be incredibly religious to reap its benefits. This is false. Studies have shown that prayer acts as a form of meditation, and its effects can be traced to the participants’ emotions and feelings concerning their prayer. As the above study showed, even those that didn’t identify as religious saw the cognitive benefits as those who did.

 

One doesn’t have to take religion out of prayer to say that the less religious can still benefit from the practice. In terms of calming oneself, finding strength to persist through a challenging task, and reducing overall anxiety, prayer is another free activity that can have tremendous positive effects. Prayer helps us feel connected to our world - on both an earthly and spiritual plane. Through focusing on prayer, we can improve our overall health and well-being. 

This post was written by guest blogger, Rhonda Underhill.

How to Study the Bible

 Laura's blog, Craving Graces explains several different methods of studying the Bible.  They are all excellent.  But what works for me is simply reading the verses and then reading commentary on them.  And not just one commentary.  I read several and then compare them.  Sometimes, I google the verses and read different commentaries that are referenced.  My favorite commentators are Alice Camille, Roger Karban, John Pilch, and the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament.

Pray for our Earth

 The heads of the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican Churches are directing their congregations to pray for the upcoming UN summit, October 12-November.

For the first time in history , the three most influential Christian leaders in the world have released a joint statement. “A Joint Message for the Protection of Creation,” was signed by Pope Francis, Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Together, the trio are responsible for the religious guidance of about 1.6 billion Christians.

According to Reuters, the message asked Christians of all three churches to pray for those attending the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. The Christian leaders urged world leaders to “listen to the cry of the earth,” when determining what actions to take. The appeal stated:

We are all in this together and need to work together to save our world.

Not Enough Sense to Come In Out of the Rain

 My conservative-libertarian friend sent me a video called Biden Says Everyone Wear A Raincoat to Keep Others Dry.  Peggy Hall argues for individual choice.  

As my mother would say, SOME PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ENOUGH TO COME IN OUT OF THE RAIN.

Church is a Healthy Activity

 My guest blogger, Rhonda Underhill, wrote an article, For Seniors Wanting to Stay Physically Active.  In it, she suggested going to church.

• You physically have to go to church.  You meet people who think like you.  You feel comfortable with the people.  There may be extra church activities, picnics, discussions, book clubs, Bible classes, etc.
• Attending church may lead to non-church activities that friends told you about: bowling leagues, walking groups, etc.
• The church community offers church support.  Everyone needs a support group.  Helping each other is what community is all about.
• You do get some more exercise, if you're Catholic.  During Mass, there are different postures of praying.  When you first enter a pew, people genuflect, like when you would meeting Queen Elizabeth.  You are meeting a King!
       You bow as you pass the altar to reverence the altar.  You may bow for the Kiss of Peace.  You bow when certain words are said during prayers.
       You kneel during words of supplication, e.i., "O Lord I am not worthy."
        You stand during the procession, recession, singing, and the Gospel, as a gesture of respect.
        Finally, you sit for readings and the homily.

Maybe if all people went to church more often, they'd reap the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits.  Going to church is a definite positive outlet.

From No Responsibility to Head of a Household

 

Crow Lake by Mary Lawson is a good book about a Canadian family struggling to stay a family after both parents are killed in an accident. The oldest child of the four is about eighteen. The two oldest have to change their plans for their future because of the lack of daycare. The youngest in the family is a baby.
The neighbors are incredibly supportive. They help wherever and when they were allowed. The story is about how this family survives.

The strongest part of the novel for me was the characterization. Mary Lawson draws her characters so well, I can see them. I loved them all. Since I can identify with the situation and some of the situations, I was engrossed in the story. I read it in a weekend.

Taking Care of the Grands

 

How to Safely Check on Senior Church Members During the Pandemic

Seniors have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic: Though many are now vaccinated, they may still be worried about leaving the house and the consequences of self-isolating can compromise their mental health. As a church member, you can help seniors in your community by following some of these resources and tips presented by our guest blogger, Rhonda for The One True Faith blog.

Q1. What’s the best way to check in on seniors from my church?

A1. Call seniors at home and ask them about their health and offer resources where needed.

• 5 Expert Tips on How to Help Seniors During the Pandemic

• Phone Friends for Seniors Program

Q2. What sort of food assistance can I provide to seniors from church?

A2. You could offer help with meal planning or help provide resources for grocery delivery.

• Costco Delivery Online Near Me

• Coronavirus Causes Surge in Demand for Senior Meal Delivery

• 18 Quick, Easy, and Healthy Meals for Seniors

Q3. What assistance around the home can I provide to seniors from church?

A3. You can help connect them with the resources or services they need.

• Help Finding a Real Estate Agent, If They're Considering Selling Their Home to Downsize

• Covid Safe Home Cleaning Services

• How to Find and Hire a Great Landscape Contractor

Q4. How can I help my senior friends and loved ones keep up with their health during the pandemic?

A4. You can provide information about ways to self-care and monitor their daily mental health.

• Promoting Mental Health for Seniors During a Pandemic

• 10 Healthy Habits for Seniors to Feel More Fantastic

By following the above advice, your senior friends from church will feel more connected and less lonely during the pandemic. 

Thanks to Rhonda Underhill for this helpful post. It contains useful advice for all times, not just during this current COVID-19 pandemic. I hope everyone enjoyed it, as well as I did. Let's hope for more from Rhonda.

Jesus is Alive

 LECTIO: Job 19: 25-27

I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
with my own eyes--I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!:

STUDIUM:

After all Job has been through, he still believes everything will turn out for the good, because he believes that's God's plan.  What faith!  And without knowing about the resurrection of the body, Job believes he will see God face to face.

MEDITATIO:

I am reading these verses from the Office of the Dead, which I am praying for my brother in community, Gary.  He was once a "cloistered brother," but he served his time and was released, many years ago.  

Gary was a believer.  I'd love to know what he said when he met the Redeemer.  
"I'm sorry.", for sure, but what else?

ORATIO:

Lord, have mercy on Gary.  He did change his life around.  Yes, he was a sinner, but he loved You, Lord.  Have mercy on him.

CONTEMPLATIO:

Lord, give me more faith, like Job's.

Once You Were Lost...

 This is a picture of the ottoman in our living room.  The missing robot vacuum cleaner was under it.  There's a little skirt on the bottom of the ottoman, so I didn't see it.  That was until today when I went to move the ottoman and found where the robot was hiding.  

You can run, but you can't hide.

An Addendum

Ever since I read this book, I haven't stopped thinking about it.  There's so much more than the report I gave it on August 14, 2021.  What I wrote is true, but the novel is so much more.   

What I couldn't get out of my head was the title, Their Eyes Were Watching God.  What did the title mean?  

I finally resolved my conundrum when I remembered an old joke.  

A flood was predicted and authorities told the people to leave.  Everyone was to abandon their homes and go to assigned shelters.  But one misguided person said he trusted God would save him so he wasn't leaving.

       The rain came and flooded the first floor of the house. The man moved up to the second floor. The police came and tried to talk the man into coming with them.  He refused saying, "He trusted that God would save him."

       The water level rose to the second floor. This time the fire department came in a rowboat and tried to talk the man into coming with them.  He refused saying, "He trusted that God would save him."

        Now the man was on the roof watching the water threatening to wash his entire house away.  The National Guard came in a helicopter and through a bullhorn told the man to come with them.  Once again the man refused saying that he trust God would save him.

         Finally, the man drowned.

         When the man arrived in heaven, the first thing he did was ask God, "Where were You?"  God calmly responded, "Who do you think sent the police, the firemen, and the National Guard"?

In Their Eyes Were Watching God there is a terrible hurricaine.  It is the climax of the story.  The major characters, Janie and Tea-Cake watched the birds flea.  The animals leave too. The Seminoles left en masse, too.  When Janie asked them where they were going, they said they were seeking higher ground because a hurricaine was coming.

Tea-Cake and Janie stayed, along with a few others because they trusted that God would save them.  That's the explanation for the title, Their Eyes Were Watching God, not heeding all the hints God gave them to move out.