Give Me Joy

My prayer for this season ... give me a joy full, joy filled life.  

In the midst of my oldest child growing up and spending a summer doing missions- staying in college dorms and flying across the ocean to Sri Lanka ... in the midst of the many details involved in getting not just her, but 2  family members prepared for a trip to the other side of the world (passports and visas, and travel arrangements, and, and, and ... oh my) ... in the midst of learning to live with 3 teenagers in the house (oh the drama some days, but oh the absolute fun they are on other days) ... in the midst of a lot, lot, lot of changes in ministry (some good, some necessary, some painful) ... in the midst of a simple everyday life ... God give me Joy.  

Mother Teresa once said that joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.  

Give me that kind of Joy, Lord!

What are you praying for these days?  I  would be honored to pray for and with you, please leave your requests in the comments below.  

Love,

Catherine Ann

Gratitude

“Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.” 
~ Alphonse Karr, A Tour Round My Garden

I'm grateful today for:
flowers blooming in the garden
bees buzzing in those blooms
the promise of seeds sprouting
pathways strewn with straw
a shady spot under the oak tree to sit and enjoy a cup of tea
words of encouragement from unexpected places

Thou that has given so much to me, Give one thing more--a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleases me, As if Thy blessings had spare days;
But such a heart, whose pulse may be Thy praise.
~George Herbert

What are you grateful for today?

Love,
Catherine Ann

Pondering the Power of Words

 "Everything we do is infused with the energy with which we do it."  
~Marianne Williamson

Printing this as a reminder to be mindful of what type of energy I am spreading these days.

Pondering these timely words from Study in Brown today (which  is also where I read the above words of wisdom).  

Our words are very powerful.  
Tools for building up, or sadly, when ill used- for tearing down.

I am learning that what one says and what another hears are often polar opposites.   And that I must remember to do all I can to be certain others really hear the message I am speaking and not some twisted version of it.  That very thing happened recently.  In this instance, it wasn't even spoken words, but written ones; and I learned all too well that to some people, beginning a note with please, ending with thank you, and even  including a :) in effort to convey a friendly request,  can still  be perceived otherwise.    Unfortunately, this  led to a lot of other words being shared- texts, emails, talks, and more drama than this peace-seeking mama can tolerate with grace.  
And after all my efforts to communicate with this person seem to be falling flat, I have to wonder if in this instance, it is my issue at all? 

What do you do when someone simply can't (or won't) hear what you are saying?  
I think perhaps the best thing to do now is to  offer the gift of silence and much prayer.   
And perhaps see if I can send some positive energy their way :) .  

Seedtime

Dreaming of spring on a wintry March morning
Coffee in my cup
Seed catalogs stacked
Pen and paper ready

Perfect way to spend a cold Saturday morning

“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”  Robert Louis Stevenson

Favorite Garden Catalogs:
Seed Savers
Seeds of Change
Bountiful Gardens
Botanical Interests

 Do you have a favorite seed/garden catalog to add to my list?  Please share it if you do!


While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.  Genesis 8:22



Weekend Blessings,
Catherine

Grace Note

Be satisfied with what you can do, since this satisfies God, but do not spare yourself in what you can do with the help of grace. 

Be convinced that, provided you are willing, you can do more with the help of God's grace than you imagine. 
~St. John Baptist de La Salle

Pondering Peacefulness

First, have peace in thy own breast, then thou wilt be qualified to restore peace to others. Peacefulness is a more useful acquisition than learning. 
~ Thomas a Kempis 

These words today (here) ... yes.  Peacefulness is so very needed these days.  It is something I am seeking to bring to my home, my little part of the world, a quiet peace.  Not reactionary, not jumping at the latest whatever that is vying for attention, not always having to put in my own opinion or even defend myself.  Sometimes just remaining silent and praying to be that person of peace (even when my flesh desires quite the opposite) is the very best I can offer.  

Blessed are the peacemakers ...

How do you pursue peace?

Within Your Reach

This spoke to me today-


Mend the parts of the world that are "within your reach".  ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Lovely.  And so wise.  If we each mend what is in our reach, we can indeed change the world, one life, one home, one community at a time.
I'm thinking of roses today- of planting a few  to grow along the fence, bringing beauty and healing herbs to my own place in this world.  Of making a sanctuary of sorts right here ... where I live, where I am, working with what is within my reach. 

What is within your reach that you can mend, that you can bring beauty to today?  

Happy New Year

A happy New Year! Grant that I

May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
~Edgar Guest

Brightest Blessings to you and yours this New Year's Day!  

New Year's Blessings

HAPPY NEW YEAR!


I pray that 2012 is filled with bountiful blessings for you and yours!




We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. 
 ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

On Being Rich

A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.
~Henry David Thoreau
I am slowly learning that there are more and more things that I should let alone.  They may be good things, the new, "in"  things, tempting and very useful  things; just not for me things.  


Knowing what to embrace and what to let alone frees me to focus on those things that truly make one rich- treasures in heaven.  


What do you need to let alone these days?  Pondering that question more and more as the new year approaches ...


I wish you simple blessings and eternal treasures in 2012!


(and I will get this template issue ironed out sometime soon .. i hope!) 

On Gratitude

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.  ~Johannes A. Gaertner

A Simple Cup of Tea

There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea. ~Bernard-Paul Heroux

Thinking about tea these days ... the teapots are ready and waiting, tea infusers are on the shopping list, and an online shopping trip to Mountain Rose Herbs for organic, fair-trade tea is at hand!  

Tea is a wonderful thing, isn't it? 

So many to choose from ... black tea, green tea, white tea, herb tea-

which is your favorite?

Rhonda, at Down to Earth, is also thinking about tea these days.  If you're a tea drinker, do drop by and read her thoughts on a sustainable cup of tea. 

Bread and water can so easily be toast and tea. ~Author Unknown

Beauty in Differences

Would this garden be lovelier if the flowers were all the same?
 I think not. 
Does that not ring true for people as well?
 

Let everyone be himself, and not try to be someone else. 

God, who looked on the world He had made and said it was all good, made each of us to be just what our own gifts and faculties fit us to be.  Be that and do that and so be contented.

Reverence, also, each other's gifts; do not quarrel with me because I am not you, and I will do the same.  God made your brother as well as yourself. ...

Let us not torment each other because we are not all alike, but believe that God knew best what He was doing in making us so different.  So will the best harmony come out of seeming discords, the best affection out of differences, the best life out of struggle, and the best work will be done when each does his own work, and lets everyone else do and be what God made him for.  ~ James Freeman Clarke

Praying and Planning

Four steps to achievement:
Plan purposefully.
Prepare prayerfully.
Proceed positively.
Pursue persistently.
~ William A. Ward


Spending time this week penning down plans for our learning adventures this fall ... so many delightful things to discover, enjoy, create!  Prayerfully seeking His path for this season ... decisions, decisions!

Quiet Thought for Today ...

The eyes of faith are more reliable than eyes of sight. ~ Andree Seu, from this post

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.  Psalm 121:1-2

Open my eyes that I may see ...



Herbal Words of Wisdom

Teeming in the countryside, the world over, are medicinal herbs and edible plants; it shows disbelief in the power of God to pass them by.  ~ Common Herbs for Natural Health, Juliette de Bairacli Levy

Weekend Wishes

To find the universal elements enough;

to find the air and the water exhilarating;

to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter;

to be thrilled by the stars at night;

to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring -

these are some of the rewards of the simple life.
~ John Burroughs

Wherever you may wander this weekend, may you find delight in the simple beauty around you.

Steps and Stops

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Psalm 37:23

The stops of a good man, as well as his steps, are ordered by the Lord. ~ George Mueller


Have you ever had the Lord stop you? Keep you still, perhaps in a place that you wanted to step right on out of?

That is exactly where our family has been for what seems like a very long time to our finite minds. Stopped. Waiting. Hoping, praying, pleading for the Lord to move us on from where we are ... knowing that until He does so, we are at a full stop; no going anywhere from where we are "camped".

It hasn't been a place I would have chosen to stop and tarry for so long. Yet, I know that there are purposes for our God caused stop, some of which I will probably never know until I reach heaven.

We are seeing the cloud lifting and are beginning to prepare for whatever lies ahead. 

Still more questions than answers ...

But, we know that He has the answers, and knows exactly when and where to move us in our journey with Him.
He has said, "Get ready." So we are getting ready and waiting for His call to "Follow Me."
And, off we will go, with great joy, knowing that both our stops and our steps are ordered by Him!

If you are at a place where you feel stopped, stuck, or stalled...
Take heart, it very well could be exactly where the Lord wants you for a season!
I'm not saying it is going to be an easy place to be; but if it is from Him, it is good, because He is good and what He does is good (Psalm 119:68).

Take joy, Trust Him and tarry there as long as He says to do so.

There are many blessings in obedience...something I wish I had learned years ago..

A slightly edited repost from the archives today ... 2 years ago and yet it fits just where we are right now.  The journey indeed has its seemingly endless stops and starts, but we can trust Him to bring us to the final destination all in His good timing!

Do It Anyway

DO IT ANYWAY
By Mother Teresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, It is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Great words of wisdom, don't you think? 

Whatever we attempt will always be met with opposition- sometimes from enemies, often by friends; but the reality is that in the end it is God's opinion that matters ...

Dare to be yourself and do it anyway! 

Please visit Jenny Matlock for more Alphabe-Thursday posts featuring the Letter D!

Tuesday Tip ~ Evaluate and Eliminate

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. ~Hans Hofmann

This is one of my favorite simple living quotes, but one of the hardest for me to follow. 

I find so many good things that I want to read, do, create, and so forth.  It is easy to get bogged down with good things, even in my spiritual life.  Chapter 1 of my newest read, Radical Together, titled Tyranny of the Good, addresses this very issue.  It states, "One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church."  I can so relate to this right now.



Spring is always a busy time of year for my family-
The garden demands daily watering and weeding.
We are working to finish up the year's homeschool stuff (though year-round learning is in the works for us).
There is a seemingly unending schedule of holidays and celebrations to plan for, attend, serve at, etc.

All good things, but after a while I find myself becoming increasingly stressed and ready to hide out in a very quiet cave for a month or so, something that sounds very tempting about now ... which tells me it is time to elminate some good things so I can joyfully enter into those that are best for me and mine. 

This is never an easy task, but a necessary one. 
Over the next few days I will be prayerfully taking an inventory of  all the good things on my family's to-do list, evaluating each one, and asking which need to go so that there will be time and space for us to fully enjoy His best things for us.   

How do you evaluate and elimate even good things in order to simplify your life?

More thoughts on this topic in this post.

For more Letter E Alphabe-Thursday fun, visit Jenny Matlock!