Sunday Soul Search

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Bible, Christianity, compassion, faith, helping, mother, mr rogers, photography, ponder, quote, verse, wisdom

Philippians 2:4

Do not merely look out for your own personal interests

but also for the interests of others.

Tears

Tags

brokeness, Christianity, compassion, condition, empathy, eric clapton, faith, heart, heartbreak, humanity, loss, sadness, tears

Played a Song for Me

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caring, child, choices, Christianity, compassion, concern, expression, faith, help, humanity, life, local, man, needs, person, pianist, ponder, prayer, resident

 

in conversation

i found out

he is musically inclined

this man child

of parents

perhaps someone’s

brother

i don’t know

but not necessarily meant

for me to know

but what i do

with what i see

i see much more

than what

a picture can portray

easy to see surface stuff

i see a need

for caring, for compassion

for kindness

and going the extra mile

and offering up some prayer

from someone

that is a mother..

yes, i do know their names.. when i see this dog, my heart melts

Thank you for playing a song for me…

Bird Rescue

Tags

caring, cat, compassion, death, encourage, encouragement, faith, photography, safety, words

This frosty morning as I went out to check up on my favorite cat, I discovered that Riley had a bird pinned down in the clutches of her paws. I immediately went into, “ok”, this is not going to happen mode and told her to drop the bird. Well, not quite in that manner, I may have looked like a wild-eyed woman who was not going to see a bird die. I was able to distract her, probably caused Riley to fear for her life and was more than ready to run inside the house. As the little bird sat on the cement patio, I observed a rapid heart-beat.  I bent down to stroke its little head and it continued to sit there paralyzed by fear. I was not sure what was going on. I decided to move it onto a big flat rock and grabbed one of my husbands worn out cotton gloves for it to sit on. When I picked it up there was a little blood and instead of causing it anymore fear I laid it on top of the glove. I prayed for the bird and spoke words of kindness to it and left it alone in hopes of seeing it fly away. When I went back out to check up on it, it remained on the rock and I told it to go, you are strong and it flew towards our fence.

It sat there for a few minutes and again I coaxed it and said you can fly, you are strong, and at that moment it flew off and away. I don’t know the outcome, but I tried my best to protect and make it feel loved and secure.

Sometimes in life, all we need are words like honey, sweet kind words to remind us that we will get through the muck and the turmoil and that we really can fly..

Just a Tinge

Tags

boys, care, compassion, eugene, example, faith, listen, passenger, photography, residential, skills, trains, treatment

As I feel a slight tinge of coolness, it takes me back to this slightly out of focus photo, that I took on our way back home from Eugene. As I have mentioned before, I do like to capture what I can as a passenger. Yesterday evening I was having to hunt for paperwork and I came across some letters from boys that I worked with in a residential treatment center. I admit, I was not well qualified for the position, but my best skill was in listening. I looked forward to the times that I got to sit with the group and let them pour out their concerns. Well, time was limited and there were some that found it easier to open up. That was a very special experience in my life. It was brief, but it taught me the importance of being a good listener. We don’t always have the right answers, or even have to say anything. Sometimes our eyes and expression will say it all. It broke my heart at times to listen to the hurt and disappointment in their voices as they vented. We are all travelers on this earth. We have an opportunity to make a difference in some way, as a parent, as a husband, wife, sister, brother, friend, teacher, acquaintance,employee, volunteer, and neighbor. We all fall short but when we do, we get up again and again and strive to do better, be a better person in this world. As the calamities increase on earth many are wondering where are we going in all of this. For my part I want to be a peacemaker, I want to listen, I want to see the beauty and the decay, as it reminds me of the frailty of human nature on earth. Non of us is exempt from wrong doing, but we all have room to grow and learn.

Come let us all reason together, says the Lord…..

Whose Heart

Tags

compassion, faith, heart, hurt, Loord, photography, ponder, sadness, self, selfishess, sensitivty, sorrow, thoughts, vanity

My heart has been moved after finding out that a young mother whom we have only met one time, lost a child, in a car accident not too long ago. When I heard this my heart has been silently crying for her.  As Mother’s Day approaches and many of us are thinking  of a loved one, I am thinking of the one’s that are grieving for a child that they will see no more. The following are spur of the moment words, from my heart.

let me, put me, on the shelf, Lord

and put pity party aside

put worldly and empty chatter

away, Lord

and walk along your side

take away the vanity

and all of the insanity

thinking I am so entitled

to what, really

does not matter

let me, put me, on the shelf, Lord

and may I walk with those in pain

may I put on Compassion

which often is not the fashion

for these trying and dark days

put me, on the shelf, Lord

and my selfish desires be put away

so I will see with new eyes

who needs a helping hand each day..

So I write with heart-felt words for those that hurt and are in sorrow, for a loss, or for a prodigal child that you are missing.. I weep with you today…

Cuddl Duds

Tags

cold, compassion, faith, family, fragile, heart, ponder

This morning, I am putting my cuddl duds that I purchased last year, to work, along with my big girl boots. The cuddle duds top, feels good, nice and soft and it will be tested today at our very low temperature. The boots were last year’s Christmas gift and I did not put many miles on them.

My dilemma has been resolved and thank you to those that responded to my need. I will go ahead and post smaller images and I will also check out Flickr as was suggested to me. I feel a bit gabby today. It is my sister’s birthday today, and I wish Julie, a Happy Birthday! We have had our home on the market for several months and it looks like we may moving forward, but I won’t count my chickens just yet. In these months we have taken on the care of feral cats (they are not wild) and now their mother has joined in on getting her share of nourishment. She looks a bit ragged but has managed to survive and she might be growing kitties in her belly. Since the kitties in the garage ordeal our neighbor has shown concern for them and speaks as though they are his. They do live primarily on his property and I can’t blame them as he has a lovely large backyard with trees and wood decks to hide under. But he, our neighbor is not here all of the time. I watch them romp and play and they have such a good time chasing each other and for me to think that capturing them and separating them is the answer, does not appeal to me. It is bittersweet for us as we have grown attached but the truth is that we have four cats and we cannot be moving eight cats across California into Oregon.

This is my son’s family that we wish to be closer too. We hope to relocate somewhere between California and Washington. I realize how fragile my heart has become as I ponder on the fact that I will celebrate another birthday in a couple of months. We live our live’s focused on our needs and wants and then all of a sudden the years have flown by. Family ties get strained and sometime the bonds are broken by hurt, offense, disappointment and un-forgiveness. It is silly for me to think that I can be all things to all people and to all animals. I thank God that I have come to not depend on my own strength and that I can do it all…My faith sustains me and when I lose my focus and I am always gently guided back onto my path. It’s for my safety and my peace…as I let go and let God. Mom’s, dad’s, brother’s, sister’s, aunt’s, uncle’s, cousin’s, grandmother’s and grandfather’s…communicate to your family, to your friends, to the person that you do not know but that could use a smile, for his or her heart to be lifted. Give the gift, it is more blessed to give than to receive…