Category: Spiritual Direction/Religion
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The Benefits of Silent Retreats
“All the wonders of life are already here. They’re calling you. If you can listen to them, you will be able to stop running. What you need, what we all need, is silence. Stop the noise in your mind in order for the wondrous sounds of life to be heard. Then you can begin to…
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Everyday Saints
“…Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor.Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to discover in life a bit of joy,and to be able to share it with others.” Prayer for Good Humorby St. Thomas More I found myself falling down an internet rabbit hole. I was Googling information…
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Create a Yearly Reading Plan
“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” Charles W. Eliot There is a myriad of reading challenges out there. As I have previously mentioned, my favorite is the Goodreads challenge which allows me to pick the number of…
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The Fruit of Spirit Within Us
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23, NIV We had a tiny strip of a vineyard on the farm where I grew up. My dad and I were much better at farming vegetables than tending a vineyard. The birds or other…
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From Darkness to the Dawn
“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.” Anne Lamott, Bird By Bird. This story was so personal to me, I was afraid to share it, but felt the call to do so. Years ago, I felt as…
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
A devotional poem for Christmas. “A Hymn on the Nativity of My Saviour” by Ben Jonson I sing the birth was born tonight,The Author both of life and light; The angels so did sound it,And like the ravished shepherds said,Who saw the light, and were afraid, Yet searched, and true they found it. The Son of God,…
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Imitating Mary
Scripture readings: The Angel Gabriel Appears to Zechariah, Luke 1:5-2:20 The Angel Gabriel Comes to Mary, Luke 1:26-38 In my writing group, I was introduced to vocabulary flash cards which made the word nerd heart of mine shout with glee. Words such as “discombobulate” (confused), “flummox” (to confuse) or “salubrious” (healthful) made the writer in…
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God Knows Our Stories
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 I don’t often reread books as there are so many that I desire to read. I know I won’t have time to read all the books I want to in my one lifetime, but I will occasionally reread a…
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Walking Through Fear to Joy
I Worried I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the riversflow in the right direction, will the earth turnas it was taught, and if not how shallI correct it?Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,can I do better?Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrowscan do it and…
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Befriending Silence
“Speech is silver, silence is golden.” Proverb “What on earth are you searching for?” A close family member asked this question of me and, I have to admit, the question took me by surprise. I didn’t realize I was searching for something. I guess it’s a personality trait. The Enneagram test shows me as a…
