A Photo Experience of the Resurrection
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A Photo Experience of the ResurrectionSaturday, 30 March 2013
Friday, 29 March 2013
ARTICLES ON LENT
http://clipzine.me/motherofnine9/clipzine/78372350325256890232/Lenthttp://clipzine.me/motherofnine9/clipzine/78372350325256890232/Lent
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Sunday, 17 March 2013
For those who are still here: Write and Story and Change the World With Me
One billion. What could you do with one billion of something? Of anything? Partners of the Heart (POTH) wants to collect this many happy stories and share them with the world! Look around you, in your home, at your neighbors and friends, and on your block. Is there a happy story?
Think about what you would do with that dollar. Perhaps you could buy a burger from a dollar menu at the fast food restaurant. Maybe it could buy a candy bar. You could trade it in for one hundred pennies and hope people pick them up after you drop them. Or you could support this compassionate drive to collect happiness and share joy.
Here's how it works. Go to the site www.1billionlovestories.com. Read about their mission and get to know them. Think about the happy stories you have in your heart. Write one. Keep it to at most of 450 words. Submit it, and donate a dollar. They use Paypal to collect these funds. You can give more if your wallet needs to shed a bit of weight.
Feel a glow building inside you? That's happiness! After completing the simple process, you'll collect a heartbeat. Each time you repeat these steps, you'll get a new heartbeat. These grow and fill you with love. Your support of the non-profits they help also benefit. How much better can this be? Do it today! Submit your story to me. I'll find you a spot so the world can bask in the warmth of your happiness!
- www.marvelousmommy.com
Here's how it works. Go to the site www.1billionlovestories.com. Read about their mission and get to know them. Think about the happy stories you have in your heart. Write one. Keep it to at most of 450 words. Submit it, and donate a dollar. They use Paypal to collect these funds. You can give more if your wallet needs to shed a bit of weight.
Feel a glow building inside you? That's happiness! After completing the simple process, you'll collect a heartbeat. Each time you repeat these steps, you'll get a new heartbeat. These grow and fill you with love. Your support of the non-profits they help also benefit. How much better can this be? Do it today! Submit your story to me. I'll find you a spot so the world can bask in the warmth of your happiness!
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Spring- Time for New Beginnings
I spotted a robin the other day, hoping between patches of snow. Of course the childhood verse sprang to mind the next day as the temperature dropped and March winds started to blow once again:
“The March winds do blow and we shall have snow/and what will poor robin do then, poor thing? He’ll hide in the barn/to keep himself warm/and hide his head under his wing, poor thing.”
Spring also the time for change so hop over to my other two sites, where I am posting all the new stories and articles.
motherofnine9
JOY of nine9
Thursday, 28 February 2013
The Joy Of Mothering Welcomes You To 1 Billion Happy Love Stories
The Joy Of Mothering Welcomes You To 1 Billion Happy Love Stories
Where happy stories are abundant as thankful hugs and smiles that are recorded forever!
Come tell your story now! Click on www.1billionlovestories.com then register or login, pay for your story, tell your story and select us in support of our Mission Statement.
To visit Our Happy Story click on www.1billionlovestories.com/node/2267
Imagine Sharing and Cherishing the LOVE of 9 children raised on a Hobby Farm in southern Ontario, Canada!
Click to read The Joy of Mothering | motherofnine9 story at www.1billionlovestories.com/node/2267
Why I write: I do not want all my family's loveable stories to die with me
I have mothered nine children and helped run a hobby farm for 30 years without actually sitting down and producing anything besides editing high school or university essays for my kids. No that is not a typo; it had been 30 years not months since I had the time to actually sit with the intention of writing. Naturally when I did stare at a modern keyboard, I froze. For one thing it was not my old manual typewriter that I had pounded on as a poor student but something modern and completely foreign.
I considered writing to be a solitary craft but looking at a blank screen or talking into thin air was a sterile exercise in futility for me. I could not translate the same creative energy that I experienced telling a story verbally to the keyboard. My intuitive, imaginative side stayed buried and my logical intellect wrote boring drivel at the beginning.
I realize now that I really am a story-teller. My oral skills have always been excellent, even as a small child. I delight in the energy and flow of words, dramatic gestures and the relationship with even one listener when I tell one of our legendary stories about the exploits of nine kids on a farm. Yes, my Irish side is alive and well.
I am now starting to feel legitimate, an equal to other so-called writers. I am writing better, well most of the time, because I have given my creative side the permission to rise up and speak. Of course I know that I am a long way from authorship but it is nice to ask for a connection on Linkedin from a writer or editor of an albeit small company without cringing with embarrassment.
There are many articles and posts written about why people write but honestly, in my opinion, people who write are want be read, to be heard. Blogs or articles submitted to Broowaha are not personal diaries or self-indulgent introspection. We write to engage with other people, to contribute our voice to the issues in our society or to share an insight that might help a fellow human being. We write because no one has the same experiences or the same opinions as we do. We write because we have discovered a voice that is unique, a voice that simply must communicate.
For me the joy mothering has been my call, my vocation and my silent witness to the world for 32 years. Now writing has become the method of expressing that vocation to a world that has largely forgotten the loving wisdom of mothers and more importantly, the treasured wisdom of children. I do not want alll my famillies stories to die with me!
REMEMBER OUR HAPPY LOVE STORY ARCHIVE www.1billionlovestories.com/most-recent
Where happy stories are abundant as thankful hugs and smiles that are recorded forever!
Come tell your story now! Click on www.1billionlovestories.com then register or login, pay for your story, tell your story and select us in support of our Mission Statement.
To visit Our Happy Story click on www.1billionlovestories.com/node/2267
Imagine Sharing and Cherishing the LOVE of 9 children raised on a Hobby Farm in southern Ontario, Canada!
Click to read The Joy of Mothering | motherofnine9 story at www.1billionlovestories.com/node/2267
Why I write: I do not want all my family's loveable stories to die with me
I have mothered nine children and helped run a hobby farm for 30 years without actually sitting down and producing anything besides editing high school or university essays for my kids. No that is not a typo; it had been 30 years not months since I had the time to actually sit with the intention of writing. Naturally when I did stare at a modern keyboard, I froze. For one thing it was not my old manual typewriter that I had pounded on as a poor student but something modern and completely foreign.
I considered writing to be a solitary craft but looking at a blank screen or talking into thin air was a sterile exercise in futility for me. I could not translate the same creative energy that I experienced telling a story verbally to the keyboard. My intuitive, imaginative side stayed buried and my logical intellect wrote boring drivel at the beginning.
I realize now that I really am a story-teller. My oral skills have always been excellent, even as a small child. I delight in the energy and flow of words, dramatic gestures and the relationship with even one listener when I tell one of our legendary stories about the exploits of nine kids on a farm. Yes, my Irish side is alive and well.
I am now starting to feel legitimate, an equal to other so-called writers. I am writing better, well most of the time, because I have given my creative side the permission to rise up and speak. Of course I know that I am a long way from authorship but it is nice to ask for a connection on Linkedin from a writer or editor of an albeit small company without cringing with embarrassment.
There are many articles and posts written about why people write but honestly, in my opinion, people who write are want be read, to be heard. Blogs or articles submitted to Broowaha are not personal diaries or self-indulgent introspection. We write to engage with other people, to contribute our voice to the issues in our society or to share an insight that might help a fellow human being. We write because no one has the same experiences or the same opinions as we do. We write because we have discovered a voice that is unique, a voice that simply must communicate.
For me the joy mothering has been my call, my vocation and my silent witness to the world for 32 years. Now writing has become the method of expressing that vocation to a world that has largely forgotten the loving wisdom of mothers and more importantly, the treasured wisdom of children. I do not want alll my famillies stories to die with me!
REMEMBER OUR HAPPY LOVE STORY ARCHIVE www.1billionlovestories.com/most-recent
Remember to Click on The Joy Of Mothering (photo of Daniel on the horse) when asked when they Share their Happy Story.Always use your Node Link http://www.1billionlovestories.com/node/2323
The Numbers
$18
| pledges |
25
| stories |
999,999,975
| countdown |
Monday, 25 February 2013
Come Move With Me to Wordpress and I Can Say Ta-Ta to Spam
Somehow I ended up with three blogs, I am not really certain why. On the other two, I interact with other writers and here on Blogspot my readership is international but with little or no interaction. My main concern is that my blog here is plagued with spam. The powers that be no sooner get rid of one scam and three more take its place.
Becoming discouraged I found that I neglected this site. To give my readers a better looking blog + a choice of two to choose from I know that you will be pleased with my decsion to direct traffic to Wordpress.
THEMOTHEROFNINE9........https://themotherofnine9.wordpress.com- family stories but often posts
have a wider perspective.
JOY...........................................https://melaniejeanjuneau.wordpress.com- different posts, mostly still on family but also from a Catholic viewpoint.
Thank-you and I hope you come along. My readers have tolerated the fumbles of a beginner. After all I did take a thirty year sabbatical. People still came back for more mummy drivel. I slowly grew in confidenance and skill and it is all because of your encouragement and faithfulness.
Love and Prayers
Melanie
See you in a minute because I am just a click away. And ta-ta to all the spam!! Good riddance!!!
Saturday, 23 February 2013
Delight in the little Ones
Tell us about your Moments of Grace from this past week. Where did you and God finally meet up in your day to day?
Last Sunday, when he was 12 days, all sixteen of us gathered for another daughter's birthday. It was a celebration of joy, laughter and grace. All we did was take turns holding Mary’s new born and laughing with our 18 month old granddaughter.
Both babies were THE centre of attention. We were all enchanted, delighted and happy to simply enjoy these little ones.When parents love and rejoice with every new birth and delight in the antics of their babies, older children are formed to love and respect new life.
Take Eva's Dad, our son, for example.
Just after his daughter’s birth, my son turned to his dad and said,
”Dad, I think that this is the best thing that I have ever done in my life.”
And as his little daughter lay sleeping on his chest, Daniel said,
”Now I know why you and Dad had so many Kids.
Friday, 22 February 2013
Mentor Me
Without the confidence I received from publishing in BrooWaha, discussions on BlogCatalog, and my own personal editor, Isabel Anders, I would probably still be writing nothing more than mummy drivel. In fact I would certainly not be writing a book and I might even have stopped writing a blog.
11 months ago, when I closeted myself in a room to sit down and write, I froze. I considered writing to be a solitary craft but looking at a blank screen or talking into thin air was a sterile exercise in futility for me. I could not translate the same creative energy that I experienced telling a story verbally to the keyboard. My intuitive, imaginative side stayed buried and my logical intellect wrote boring drivel.
Then I started to blog and people started to comment on my writing. They liked my stories. I was shocked. These new online friends helped me gain confidence which it turn helped my writing. The most influential mentor was and still is Isabel. Early on I read that bloggers are supportive and unselfishly helpful, rejoicing in each others success and offering free guidance . Well, I discovered that this statement is true. She encourages, interacts, and gives advice as well as sending me every article she can on writing and publishers.
The following is just the beginning of my proposal which I attempted to write 3 months ago. The task was simply overwhelming I needed a mentor.
11 months ago, when I closeted myself in a room to sit down and write, I froze. I considered writing to be a solitary craft but looking at a blank screen or talking into thin air was a sterile exercise in futility for me. I could not translate the same creative energy that I experienced telling a story verbally to the keyboard. My intuitive, imaginative side stayed buried and my logical intellect wrote boring drivel.
Then I started to blog and people started to comment on my writing. They liked my stories. I was shocked. These new online friends helped me gain confidence which it turn helped my writing. The most influential mentor was and still is Isabel. Early on I read that bloggers are supportive and unselfishly helpful, rejoicing in each others success and offering free guidance . Well, I discovered that this statement is true. She encourages, interacts, and gives advice as well as sending me every article she can on writing and publishers.
I have only been writing a year but with Isabel's encouragement, guidance and knowledge of the publishing world I just submitted my first proposal to a publishing company. Huffington Post also just published and article in the Religion Section. After editing my first shaky attempts at a proposal she read my third attempt and commented:
Isabel Anders@IsabelAnders
Book author at Isabel Anders' Uncommon Mother-Daughter Wisdom:http://isabelanders.wordpress.com/ http://tinyurl.com/bpypy6l and Miss Marple: Christian Sleuth http://tinyurl.com/cjgf2gt
Tennessee · http://www.IsabelAnders.com
This is wonderful! Very well presented, and a fine sampling of your work. They may want to use some of this material for article(s) too. YOU are worthy and so are these wonderful stories. But with publishers, it all depends on their need for a certain category of book at the time.
Try not to take any decision too personally. This is so hard. It's like trying to hit the bull's eye of an invisible target the first time. I've had many rejections over the years. Every acceptance is pure grace
A good friend at BlogCatalog wrote the following comment about mentors after reading this post.
helenafortissima I've had mentors and have served as a mentor myself. I think most people seek mentorship at some point in life, especially during the educational process or entry into a new field. It takes confidence in oneself--and courage--to ask for help. Mentoring isn't about conforming or micro-managing, it's about catalyzing one's own abilities and insights and honing them into a unique set of skills and knowledge. It's about sharing. For me, those have proven to be meaningful and valuable relationships that have encouraged both personal and professional growth and innovation.
Proposal Information: 1. my contact information
2. BIOGRAPHY
As a tiny English Major,with dreams of becoming a professor, I had never dreamed that God would call me to raise 9 children on a hobby farm. A combination of grace, cups of tea and a sense of humour enabled me to embrace chaos and tragedy. My little ones taught me what is really important in life and where to discover fulfilment and joy.
Qualifications
"Melanie Juneau—motherofnine9—knows that a woman's ground of creativity lies as close as her child's heart. In her delightful stories and memories of mothering nine children, she shows how a Christian mother bathed in love brings all the power and light embodied in her faith to that most important sphere of hope, the family."
—Isabel Anders, author of Blessings and Prayers for Married Couples and Miss Marple: Christian Sleuth.
Publications
167 articles published BrooWaha Your Citizen NewspaperSeptember 22, 2012
Articles published in family life, humour, spirituality, and health. 43,550 page views, on Feb.17/2013
Interviews(Link)BC Staff BlogsDecember 4, 2012
1.An Artistic Military Man Says, "Welcome to My World,"
2.Blogging Opens The Door To Writing
3. Passionate About Learning: From Bonsai Trees to Quantum Physics,
4. A Brainless Nod? Hardly!
Foundationlife Articles(Link)Foundation LifeFebruary 8, 2013
YOU had 9 Kids??
A God Led Life
The Joy of a Large family
A Challenge to Catholic, Pro-Life Men and Women
Horton the Who is Pro-life
Become a Baby Whisperer
3 Facts Our Catholic Kids Need to Know
Finally, A Pro-Life Doctor,
Remembering Life in the Womb,
Enigma to my Obstetrician,
The Call, Transformation,
The Wisdom of Mothers
Protecting Life in a Neonatal Unit,
Choosing Life
Why Did You Have So Many Kids?, Nurturing Your Baby Before Birth(Link)Prolifeblogs.comNovember 21, 2012
59 posts since September 2012(Link)WordcastersFeb. 11, 2013
ranked #6, one of 17 featured writers
Melanie Jean Juneau(Link)DiggMay 19, 2012
54 submissions promoted to the front page in Lifestyles on Digg
till Aug, 2012 when Digg was re-vamped
Mom Blog Society(Link)July 15, 2012
one of 34 featured writers till July 2012
now is re-organized
A page overview of my on-line presence can be found at http://www.twylah.com/mjmjuneau showing articles from broowaha, themotherofnine.wordpress.com, melaniejeanjuneau.wordpress.com,motherofnine9.blogspot.com
motherofnine9- twylah.com/mjmjuneau/
I am a mother who raised nine children on a hobby farm. The stories I write are humourous, thoughtful and thought provoking .
Thursday, 21 February 2013
about me
People look at me, their eyebrows shoot up, their mouths drop open and they sputter,
”YOU had 9 children??
This is because I am 5’ 1” and weigh 104 lbs. I was pregnant or nursing for 17 years without a break. I have been pregnant 10 times and I am healthy and happy and I have my BBB back. (That would be my Before Babies Body).
My husband and I raised 9 children on a hobby farm and discovered fulfilment and joy. When the words The Joy Of Mothering on a Hobby Farm popped into my head as a subtitle for my short stories it was like an epiphany for me because those few words verbalized my experience living with little people. The very existence of a joyful mother of nine children seems to confound people.
My writing is humourous and heart warming/ thoughtful and thought-provoking with a strong current of spirituality running through it.
Part of my call and my witness is to write the truth about children, family, marriage and the sacredness of life, especially a life lived in God
THE JOY MOTHERING
THIS IS YOUR CALL
THIS IS YOUR VOCATION
THIS IS YOUR WITNESS TO THE WORLD
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Melanie Jean Juneau
A.
motherofnine9 Twitter | motherofnine9 Trending
Discover motherofnine9 (mjmjuneau) Twitter Trending Topics : Broowaha, Joy of mothering, Motherofnine9, Photo, Catholic and more
Saturday, 16 February 2013
A Pierced Heart is a Precursor to Real Love
I could blame romance novels, movies and reality t.v. shows for distorting reality and corrupting us but they simply portray a basic human weakness.
Ah, waiting secretly for your knight in shining armour to whisk you off your feet so you can live happily ever after? Or for a wonderful woman to lift off your depression and sense of aimlessness?
Although we laugh at such ridiculous fantasies as the stuff of naive, lovesick teenagers, we all must face the deep temptation within ourselves to ask our partner to fulfil all of our needs.Most of us are not conscious of this tendency which propels us to seek out our soul mate, someone to complete us and make us whole.
The stark truth is that nothing outside of ourselves will ever fill that hollow place within us, not money, not cars nor beautiful homes nor relaxing vacations. Nothing outside of ourselves can complete us. Depending on someone else to complete or make you happy just doesn't work.
When someone puts unrealistic demands on us, even if we love them and desperately want to fill their emptiness, we will always fail. A natural instinct of survival is to pull back. If we force ourselves to comply, we become suffering victims, scapegoats, resentful and bitter.You cannot save anybody who passively expects you to fulfil the role of saviour. Period. The most loving thing is an AA kind of response to addictive behaviour and let them fall down. Then, there is hope that they will face themselves, take themselves on and begin that inner journey.
I will leave you with this image. One partner is at the bottom of a well, sitting passively. The other partner is leaning down the well as far as they can, dangling a rope in front of their beloved. Only problem is that this particular loved one has Vaseline on their hands.I find that deep spiritual union where a couple becomes one, only happens when the two people who love each other are equal, relaxed, open, trusting and allow love to flow in and out through their special bond.
For me clingy means the one partner is insecure, anxious, does not trust and has not discovered their inner union with God. They are incomplete. They must be healed on their own with God but they want their partner to save them, to be a substitute for God. This is not love. This is co-dependant, selfish and it kills true love.
True love grows after two hearts, pierced with cupid's arrow, love their partner freely, by choice.
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
They are People
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Look back once the baby has grown and discover the seeds of the man within his tiny soul
They are all people:
in utero
newborn
infant
baby
toddler
in utero
newborn
infant
baby
toddler
People
Albeit little people
Still they are people
Albeit little people
Still they are people
With Dignity
Not an it
Not simply an appendix to
mother's body
Not owned by the mother
Not reflections of mum's ego
Not owned by the mother
Not reflections of mum's ego
Not characters
to fulfil unfulfilled dreams
and ambitions.
and ambitions.
Children
Toddlers
Babies
unique
definite personalities and characters
Look back once they have grown
and discover the seeds of the man within the toddler
and discover the seeds of the man within the toddler
a mystery and a delight
to discover each individual personality
encourage
watch
as they grow in a
unique way
to discover each individual personality
encourage
watch
as they grow in a
unique way
Souls cherished
by God Himself.
by God Himself.
Saturday, 9 February 2013
Big M, Little m/ All about M
Memories of mum moments / M, M, M.
“Big B, Little b
What begins with B?
Barber, baby, bubbles and a bumble bee
B,B,B”
The rhythm and rhyme are specifically designed to catch the smallest child’s attention, with the power to linger in parent’s and children’s brains for decades. These books form and influence our children far beyond their childhood years because the themes help form the foundation of their world view.The following quotations From Dr. Seuss hardly need an introduction. Any one who is or has been a parent will recognize most of them.This selection focuses on phrases that urge people to look at life with joyful expectation.
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…”“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
Dr. Seuss’s beliefs have not only influenced generations of children by also parents such as myself. People, do you realize that I have read Dr.Seuss for a solid 22 years and now have begun again after a mere ten-year break!!! Such constant exposure to idiotic, brilliant irritating poetry means that I can recite many of his books to this day. A very alarming mental condition!
Seuss understood that education should be subtle because little people learn best when they are relaxed, happy and amused. As Seuss so eloquently explains,
“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.”
Seuss embraced the life of the imagination and detested the type of staid adults who dismissed the whimsical as a waste of time.
“Adults are just obsolete children and the hell with them.”
In the early years, I tried too hard to teach my kids. Religious parents can be especially earnest as they bring their kids up in the faith. Often we turned to heavy-handed, pedantic prose that is preachy. I call this PPP literature. It turned my kids off. So I looked around and I discovered the Christian message of hope, joy, love. truth in the most unexpected places. St Therese said it best,
“Everything is Grace”
When we open our eyes, moments of grace are everywhere, even in the big, bad secular society. Catholic teaching is not only found in Catholic literature but in the most unexpected places. Horton Hears a Who!, by Dr. Seuss is a moment of pure grace, inspired by the Holy Spirit and infused with JOY.
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
Horton is definitely a pro-life elephant.
Thursday, 7 February 2013
The Power of Love
- A loved child can change the world
covenanthousefaithcommunity.wordpress.com
If my children could remember only three things to take with them into their adult life , what would I want them to be? Tony Berkman at BlogCatalog asked me this question.
1.Trust that I love you and believe in you. Let that love be your foundation and your springboard into life.
2. God loves you, just as you are. Relax in that Love, let it sink in , heal you, strengthen you and release you into freedom and joy. Don't try to save yourself and everybody else on your own . Notice that I called God Lord. Let God be God and don't steal His job.
3. Reach out and allow love to flow through you to your partner, children, neighbours and in doing so discover your unique vocation, your work in the world.
A child rooted in love becomes a secure, warm, giving adult who attracts as much light as he reflects. He can live in relative peace with himself and others. With his basic emotional needs fulfilled, he is free to love and serve other people and to develop intellectually as well as creatively.
Baltasar Gracian , a Spanish Jesuit scholar who lived from 1601 till 1658 said:
"Give me the child until he is
seven and I care not who has him thereafter."
or
"Give me the child till the age of seven
and I will show you the man."
seven and I care not who has him thereafter."
or
"Give me the child till the age of seven
and I will show you the man."
A child grounded in his parents' love, who knows that the Lord loves him, is strong and resilient Most of us spend years dealing with love, trust, fear, guilt issues. Imagine a whole generation of young people healed and set free to serve the world in and through Love? It would be heaven on earth. It would be the beginning of a revolution that would change the face of the earth.
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
Don’t bully yourself
Children are free to allow themselves to be loved and to love
Don’t bully yourself
with harsh comments
of how you look,
your past,
or your fears,
because if you are hard on
yourself,
you will be hard on
others…
find the voice of Love
inside you,
listen to it,
own it,
let Eternal Love
sink in,
transform you.
Then love
will flow out
from your every pore
People who are simply standing
beside you
will feel His Love.
Sunday, 3 February 2013
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
St Therese said it best
“Everything is Grace”
When we open our eyes, moments of grace are everywhere, even in secular society. Catholic teaching is not only found in Catholic literature but in the most unexpected places. Horton Hears a Who!, by Dr. Seuss is a moment of pure grace, inspired by the Holy Spirit and infused with JOY . In fact I would call Dr. Seuss a Pro-Life Author.
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
― Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who!
― Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who!
Horton teaches even toddlers the value of a hidden, unseen life just like life in the womb, imaginatively. The catchy, funny rhythms and rhymes will captivate your little people and soon they will be chanting phrases and embedding truth into their minds
Thursday, 31 January 2013
My Heart is Not in Stuff
Remember yesterday, when your home was on fire and you got to save five items? That means you left a lot of stuff behind. What are the things you wish you could have taken, but had to leave behind?
I did not write yesterdays post because the only objects that I would run into a burning house for are photos of family, my computer, an overnight bag with toiletries and a few changes of clothes , a bible crocheting to help any tension and nerves. That's it.
As for regrets, I really do not think that my heart is in things. Since I was a little girl, I have felt content with what I have materially. Even now when my nine kids ask me what I want for Christmas, I pause for a moment with a blank mind. I have to search to come up with a list.
Rather a strange state to be in because this is not the result of spiritual striving, fasting, prayer, it is just how I am. Living with little people has only strengthened an innate tendency to enjoy the little things, to be grateful to be alive and in communion with the Spirit.
Little kids have been my teachers and taught me that the key to happiness and joy is thankfulness and appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us and especially that is just above our heads.
There is much to be grateful for if we will simply stop for a moment and really see the details which surround us every day.
Children delight in the plethora of tiny details all around them. They are born with a sense of wonder and the ability to enjoy little things.
Children love to peer closely at tiny objects. Perhaps it is because they are closer to the ground but they stop at every flower and bug, especially a bug on a flower. As they look, touch, smell, even lick each wonderful new discovery, all their attention is riveted on that one thing. At first it was difficult to slow down during our walks and let the toddlers set the pace but it was a wonderful instruction in relaxing and becoming fully present to the moment.
At first I was only capable of enjoying whatever captured my children's notice but now I realize that they were experiencing so much more than I initially thought. In their silent, non-verbal attention to nature, they were in deep communion with God Himself as He is present in His creation. Adults struggle for years to merely glimpse the intimacy that little children have naturally with God. They do not need to strive or work for this state of contemplation because they are without guile, prior opinions or expectations; they are open and look with trust, ready to absorb the love, joy and peace that envelopes them. Children are grateful for everything.
To live in a constant state of gratitude and thankfulness. Even if I were to live in the midst of a concrete jungle, I could at least stop for a moment, look up and give thanks. I simply need to remind myself to glance upwards, above my little busy world and enjoy the sky. The sky alone is an extravagant present that continually fills me with the joy if I remember to take a break from my "important" business.
Children love to peer closely at tiny objects. Perhaps it is because they are closer to the ground but they stop at every flower and bug, especially a bug on a flower. As they look, touch, smell, even lick each wonderful new discovery, all their attention is riveted on that one thing. At first it was difficult to slow down during our walks and let the toddlers set the pace but it was a wonderful instruction in relaxing and becoming fully present to the moment.
At first I was only capable of enjoying whatever captured my children's notice but now I realize that they were experiencing so much more than I initially thought. In their silent, non-verbal attention to nature, they were in deep communion with God Himself as He is present in His creation. Adults struggle for years to merely glimpse the intimacy that little children have naturally with God. They do not need to strive or work for this state of contemplation because they are without guile, prior opinions or expectations; they are open and look with trust, ready to absorb the love, joy and peace that envelopes them. Children are grateful for everything.
To live in a constant state of gratitude and thankfulness. Even if I were to live in the midst of a concrete jungle, I could at least stop for a moment, look up and give thanks. I simply need to remind myself to glance upwards, above my little busy world and enjoy the sky. The sky alone is an extravagant present that continually fills me with the joy if I remember to take a break from my "important" business.
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