MYTHICAL DRAWINGS

I was instantly drawn  to the drawing of the hand with the all seeing eye in the center.   The green character has a very large single eye in the center of the body. The sword or maybe a Star Wars light saber in these interesting drawings caught my eye, and when I told Kyle I liked it he wanted me to have it.   He has a large bulletin board filled with many pieces of his drawings, some pencil and others markers like the one above.

Kyle traced his hand and used markers for this drawing.  I asked him what it represented to him and he said it was a mythical hand from medieval times with the eye in the center of the hand.  His artwork is getting more detailed and he sold a note paper drawing to one of his brother's friends for fifty cents.

Maybe he is a budding artist.  Who knows but I was honored to receive the drawing.

I made a copy and scanned it into my pictures section.

TWENTY FIRST BIRTHDAY

This evening Chelsea will be celebrating her 21st birthday. It doesn't seem possible that she is twenty-one today.
She has grown into a responsible young lady and has her own cute apartment, a white duplex in a small town that she shares with her boyfriend.  She is still a sensitive person as she was as a child who would cry at the least little thing.

She enjoys her work as a beautician and is working today hoping for birthday tips. I was not surprised when she wanted to go to beauty school because she has always loved doing her and her friends hair. I took her a couple of times for a manicure and one time she had each nail painted a different color.  Then in junior high I took her for a manicure because she was going to a school function.  While she was in the salon I went next door to get something to eat and when I returned I was surprised that she had them apply acrylic nails with a french manicure.

Once when she was staying all night with me and as we travelled to my place she told me that she had found a baby rabbit and it was dead.  She then pulled a Kleenex out of her pocket and  carefully separated the two delicate sheets of tissue; with tears in her eyes she held them up and in her little five year old voice proclaimed that one was for blowing and one was for crying.

I am very proud of Chelsea and how she has matured into such a beautiful young woman.  I went to visit her last Wednesday and took her and Tyler to eat.  We had a lovely time together visiting and sharing and am blessed to have them and my other grand kids in my life.

At our candidate meeting for the Associate Franciscians we discussed St. Francis and St. Clare.  At the end of our meeting Sr Renita gave us a copy of two beautiful prayers by Mary Oliver.

Nature speaks to us through silence.

FORGIVING OTHERS

When I wrote a story entitled Life's Lessons on December 16th, 2011 my heart was heavy because someone in my class had been abrupt with me in front of the entire class.  I had hurried to the bathroom to quiet my mind, and returning to class sat and prayed that I could get through the rest of the class.

Last night this individual read her personal bearings letter while she sat next to me.  When she finished her letter she spoke my name and reached her hand towards me and said that she hadn't always been kind to me.  I was speechless and shocked at her statement in front of the class, but I guess that a public apology in light of the fact that the first comment two months ago was in front of the class was what she needed to do.  When the class ended we all hugged and offered peace to one another, and  she asked for forgiveness which of course I said yes and that I don't hold a grudge.  I said forgive me if I have offended you and she said that I had not done anything.

As I sat down to write this story about forgiveness and love and peace I glanced to the right and there was a beautiful large hawk gliding low through our trees as he flew across the back yard.  I felt a sense of peace that all was well in my life.

The photo I used represented to me that we are all a part of the whole in this Divine universe.

SLOWING DOWN

Slow my pace, Lord.  Slow my life.  Come sit by me at the well.  I am exhausted.

Give rest to my heart; bring calm to my feelings.  Come, lead me to the mountain.  I am empty.

Give me these hours the leisure to be still that I savor the quiet of rolling  hills, tasting the presence of the Divine.

Bring me from the running of the day and doing of the duties to the sitting in the evening to know the reward of being.

Set aside the problems of mind; soothe the aches of the heart;give rest to the body that I hear the music of my being and know a quiet that allows the soaring of the soul.

Be gentle, Teacher, teaching the truth of being.  In gentleness, command; "Silence!"

In stillness embrace my spirit and re-enkindle with love...and opening the embrace give freedom to the soul.

Slow my pace, Spirit of Love, breathe into my being, Word... and with a mighty wind blow the incarnate word to the ends of the earth.

Monsignor Bernard Powers

While attending Mass a couple of weeks ago the Priest quoted a verse and had us repeat it, of course I forgot most of it by the time we left church.  The message was basically to 'Slow down...see each person as they are.

Love everyone as God loves us.  The only line I remember and that I say to myself at times is; Slow me down Lord, Slow me down.  It helps to bring my self back to the present moment, and that is really all there is. Everything I need is inside me.  I just have to be still and listen.

CHOOSE LOVE FOR HAPPINESS

With every single person you come into contact, you are either giving love or you're not. And based on what you give, that is what you receive.

Give love to others through kindness, encouragement, support,  gratitude, or any good feeling, and it comes back to you  multiplied in every of your life.

Look for the things you love in a relationship more than you notice negative things and it will appear as if something incredible has happened to the other person.

You have to be Happy to receive the happy versions of other people!

The force of love presents you with a whole array of Personal Emotional Trainers, disguised as everyday people, but they are all training you to choose love!

Life is presenting every person and circumstance to you so you can choose what you love and what you don't love.  When you react to anything you are reacting with your feelings, and as you do , you are choosing it!

Changing the way you feel is easy compared to running around trying to change the circumstances of the outside world.  Change your feelings and the outside circumstances will change!

by Ronda Byrne

You have to be happy to receive the happy versions of other people!

SPRINGTIME OF THE HEART

I was reading a short story on the life of St. Francis of Assisi and he stated that it was spring, of all the seasons it was his favorite, and the birds sang in every tree.  The flowers were in full bloom and yet he felt only winter in his heart.  He went into a cave for solitude and prayer and facing of self and discovered he was to give away all his worldly goods.  It was living in poverty of body and soul that he found joy in not having but in giving. It was in doing what he was called to do that changed his life.

When I am doing what I enjoy whether it is quilting or attending my class or reading a good book that  I  am most content .  When I am with my grand kids I definitely feel the Spring time in my heart.  Meditation and contemplative prayer helps to quiet my monkey brain.

Yesterday was the 100th day of school and the first graders were so full of life and happiness.  As they each had their turn to read they all made me happy.   One little girl was struggling with some of the words in the story so I read the sentence back to her, and as she turned her head towards me with her beaded braids flying and eyes wide said 'you make the words come alive for me'.  This remark from a six year old made my heart leap with joy.

And then there was the light brown skinned boy who over the last several weeks had approached me, and said he wanted to read to me.  As I was talking to the teacher at our tiny desk in the hallway I was telling her about the student that wanted to read to me.  He came out of the bathroom and almost ran to me and the teacher.  He grabbed me and hugged me and laid his little head on my shoulder.  After the teacher witnessed this she added his name to my list and he was so happy and he reminded me of his turn when I went to get the next student.  They were making necklaces with one hundred fruit loops to represent their one hundred of school.  They had crown shaped hats with math problems, glitter and anything they wanted on it.  They also had big paper glasses and the frame and  openings looked like the number one hundred.  But the most exciting part of his day was getting to read to me, and the best part of my day was the three hugs he gave me that day.  

The students are to call me Miss Kathy or Grandma Kathy.  I asked him which he preferred and with eyes wide said Grandma Kathy.  I wonder why this this little six year old wanted to read to me.  Did he somehow know I needed his hugs as much as he wanted my hugs?

Red or yellow, black or white....they are precious in His sight.  And each any everyone of them bring me blessings of spring to my heart.

A DOGS LIFE

Yesterday I was told that Sunny was going to have stomach problems or health issues if I didn't stop telling him 'no barking'.  My comment was that I had been having stomach problems and some health issues also, maybe because I don't have any to talk to, and that I needed a vacation.So later in the afternoon we selected  seven vacation sites selected plus a seminar in Vegas sometime in May.

I now have these vacations to look forward starting with Branson the end of April. 

The more things change the more the more they remain the same.

STAYING CENTERED

A couple of weeks ago as I made my deposit at Carrollton Bank and was leaving I happened to glance in my rear view mirror and saw this pine tree that was no longer firmly rooted and was off center.  I thought of myself and how I have felt at times when I have not been firmly rooted and grounded in Mother Earth.  Then I saw the other two pine trees nearby as friends who would help me find my center and be aligned in an upright position.

Without my dear friends and one in particular who understands my heart and soul I would not be firmly planted to grow and mature into the person I am meant to be in this Universe.  To stay connected to friends that are caring and compassionate is what life is about for me.