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A photo for the day

by | Oct 20, 2014 | Uncategorized

This is a picture of our Columbia River, between the state of Oregon and the state of Washington.
Beautiful and majestic.
My friend Maxine took it and gave me permission to borrow  it.
Enjoy…  this beautiful view.

Play Dates with God by Laura Boggess

by | Oct 14, 2014 | Uncategorized

I have an online friend who just wrote a book.
It is challenging. Beautiful. Thought provoking and I want to share it with you so you can have your own copy to enjoy.
When I first began the process of recovery it was very clear to me
that I did not know how to relax or play.
Children who come from broken homes learn to become very responsible.
It was very difficult for me to learn to be free and spontaneous.
To not listen to the must do’s inside my head.
I could not allow myself the down time to do nothing.
The rules robbed me of times of joy and freedom to play.

Playdates with God

Having a child like Faith in a grown up world.

Have you have ever watched children in a natural play setting?

There are no agenda’s or must do’s or have to’s or worrisome thoughts on what needs to get done right now. By nature they run, they play, they are free to swing and laugh and find joy in the simple.

Have you ever had a child bring you a bug or a leaf?
As adults we shy away from that sort of wondering and amazement.
I remember going for a walk with a little one and when she stopped to watch a snail
 at first it was very annoying to me. 
Then I paused and breathed in and slowed down and realized
the snail and the unique ‘look’ of the way it was moving slowly and we watched in amazement how it was in no big hurry to get to the other side of the sidewalk.
We need to make time to slow down and playdates are good for us.
Sometimes my husband and I take time away from this busy life to just play and walk at the beach.

It is good to get away and walk and talk and enjoy each other.
This book is a very good challenge and a wonderful read. 
http://lauraboggess.com/2014/10/playdates-with-god-having-a-childlike-faith-in-a-grown-up-world-its-launch-day.html
I encourage you to watch the video in the link provided and get your book https://www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/

Friday word prompt: Care

by | Oct 12, 2014 | Uncategorized

Dictionary.com says to care is to give serious attention to,
to protect, to have grief or suffering.
To make provision or look out for, to be concerned with
and give special attention to, to watch over
and be responsible for, to be alert and protective over,
to have a state of mind where anxiety, worry or concern makes one troubled. To act on, attend to or deal with.
To Care:
It is putting your heart out there to be hurt.
To be walked on not of course in a literal way but in a emotional ‘spiritual’ kind of way.
If we care, we give something of ourselves to another.
If we say to someone, “I care for you.”
We are saying to them there is connection, there is closeness and hope in the relationship.
Leo Buscaglia said:
“Too often we underestimate the power of touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential
to turn a life around.”
It takes effort and responsibility to care for something.
We cannot be selfish in this kind of ‘process’.
If someone falls down and seems to be struggling or they are going down the wrong path, if we care for them,
we can say to them, “I care enough to not let you continue
this path you are on, you can do better and you have more potential.”
Richard Paul Evans said:
“Sometimes it’s not the strength
but the gentleness that cracks the hardest shells.”
When I first began the therapy process with the last therapist who I worked with, he told me he sensed I needed gentleness and time, kindness and patience and because he ‘cared’ that was what we would work on in order for the therapy process to begin.
He knew it would take effort on his part to ‘care enough’ to earn my trust in him and let him help me.
When we care for someone, we choose the direction the relationship is going in a positive and healthy direction.
To care:
To have the state of mind where, if they are hurting, we hurt with them, and we hope for them to be safe and surrounded by people who will help them.
Wanting the best for others is all about the process of caring.
Let us challenge ourselves to do that process more often.

Good Bye old girl

by | Oct 9, 2014 | Uncategorized

On October 7th at 11:00 am we took our old Emma Rose in to the vet’s office for an assessment and for her to pass on and be in peace.
Her arthritis was very bad and she was becoming more uncomfortable when walking and laying down.
The pain pills were helping but we didn’t want to increase the dosage given to her.
Her teeth were gone she had small nubs in her mouth so her food was moistened in order for her to eat.
Both of her eyes had cataract’s in them she could only see things with ‘blurred vision’.
Her heart was failing and she was breathing hard most of the time unless she fell into a deep sleep.
Then sometimes she would wet on herself because of the sleep or because she couldn’t get up quick enough.
It was becoming more clear to us her dignity and quality of life was leaving and she was not in peace.
I had worked through the deep grief for a few months now.
Knowing this was coming I felt a deep inner peace.
I had given her the last ‘bowl’ of dog food with warm water.

 Then we let her walk around the yard and do her duties.

She then came over to the patio and laid down.
She seemed to know something or at least it felt like that to me.
She made it to a good age of 15 in fact the vet had her birthday as 11/98 I am not sure if that was accurate but we do know she was old and it was her time to go.
It was hard to say good-bye but I knew it was the right thing to do.
I felt many mixed feelings.
In the vets office at one point she crawled over and laid her head on my foot.
I struggle with ‘knowing’ we put her down.
Usually when an animal of ours needs that done they are very near death so it was just a ‘little help’ for them.
She might have had a few more months and she would have died at home in the yard if we had not ‘taken her in.’
The vet said to us, “she is leaving with dignity”.
That is all we wanted to hear.

Emma Rose you were our beautiful red Australian cattle dog, a grand queensland heeler.

 We will always love and miss you. 

The word: Hope

by | Oct 5, 2014 | Uncategorized

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12
You shall be secure and feel confident because there is hope; yes,
you shall search about you, and you shall take your rest in safety.
Job 11:8
Hope: dictionary.com says to look forward to with desire,
to believe and to trust, the feeling that what is wanted can be had
or that events will turn out for the best.
Hope… just the sound of it brings about a thought of new change.
It is anticipation. It is belief. It is trust. It is waiting for something.
I like the concept of hope.
It is a positive thought.
It brings about peace and expectant feelings.
Hope is the thing with feathers 
that perches in the soul
and sings the tune without the words
and never stops at all. Emily Dickinson
It is my belief as we get older if we do not cling to a hope within us
we lose the capacity to believe in a faith and a truth and a life that is so beyond our imagination.
Have you ever hoped for something?
A child at Christmas time will hope for that ‘special gift’ requested.
Sometimes disappointment comes but that doesn’t remove our hope.
It just shows us that maybe perhaps what we wanted wasn’t good for us after all and something better will come to us.
Hope is powerful.
‘Love ~ it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.’
1 Corinthians 13:7
Hope brings renewing and restoring and change.
It is a continual positive reinforcement.
I used to know a lady whose name was Hope: Esperanza in Spanish.
When she would come into the pharmacy where I worked.
I often told her it was pretty, and positive and I really liked it.
She would leave through the doors walking taller and more proud.
Hope… it is such a good word.
“Hope is the the sun, which, as we journey toward it,
casts the shadow of our burdens behind.” Samuel Smiles
It is all about change, and movement and restoration.

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