What's the first thing that You say?

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast? said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.

- A.A. Milne

So however you start your day, have a good one........

A Taize Prayer

Jesus our joy, when we realize that you love us,

something in us is soothed and even transformed.

We ask you: what do you want from me?

And by the Holy Spirit you reply:

let nothing trouble you,

I am praying in you,

dare to give your life.
from Taize

Take Heart Daughter

Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well." Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well.
-Matthew 9: 20-22

I really can't recall where I found this picture - I've been saving it for when this story came around in the Lectionary......would love to know the artist...does anyone know?

As for me - I get chills just looking at this woman crawling through the crowd on the ground - an outcast from her society - but determined to reach this man she has heard about - willing to risk her life to do so. And God's love being so immense that it could not help but flow forth.... Just who does Jesus exclude from His love? Is there anyone? I don't believe so......

More Sequim News.....

Once again the Sequim Weekly has a couple of wonderful entries under their "Disturbances/Suspicious" section of the paper. It seems someone has reported a "Skinny cow tied up in front yard, Sherbourne Rd." Were they concerned about a poor, malnourished cow that had been left unattended? Or were they referring to the logo for the low fat ice cream sandwich known as Skinny Cow?

I've never really looked too closely at this logo until now - does that cow with the narrow waistline, false eyelashes and the red lipstick look a bit "sultry" to you? It's beginning to creep me out! To me, "sexy" and "cow" just don't go together.....however, in the land of my birth "stupid" and "cow" is a very common saying....but back to the subject at hand...i'm guessing that sexy cows sell ice cream?

The other entry that made my day was the following: "Pit bulls barking nonstop for the last two years." Wow! Now that's a lot of barking! I think I would have reported it after 2 hours but hey, I'm not as patient as these people apparently have been....

Having a Wee Chat with Mary

My sister Rebecca sent me this via email last week. I'm sure it's made the rounds since it was from 2002 but there is something quite magical about this picture. I think it's her hands. She's holding them out in a similar fashion to the way the statue of Mary is holding hers - palms open.

I like to think this little girl is having a real conversation with Mary. Perhaps talking about what she recalls of Heaven, or inquiring about how Mary's garden is growing.....The Celts would definitely call this a "thin place" - a place where Heaven meets Earth - for just a moment.....or am I just being silly?

What do you think they are conversing about?

To be Yourself....that is the Question

To be ourselves causes us to be exiled by many others,
and yet to comply with what others want causes us

to be exiled from ourselves.--Unknown

Well this is definitely my struggle these days. Like Noah building his ark in the face of his stunned and confused friends and family, I am in the same boat (pun intended) with my family. What to do , what to do....as painful as it is I know I must move forward toward the call......hand me that hammer, would ya?

Loving Creation

It is not allowable to love the Creation according to the purposes one has for it,

any more than it is allowable to love one's neighbor in order to borrow his tools.

- Wendell Berry
Source: The Gift of Good Land

what can I say? the man has a way with words!