Bless to me this chair
This strong and safe chair
Under which I hide
At the doctor’s office.
Bless to me this chair
And its durable seat
That hides me from the
Giant vet tech who threatens
To pick me up
And put me on the table.
Bless to me this chair
In its little corner
And bless to me the treats
I know are in the cabinet
Come quickly, treats,
Come quickly, come now.
More Jack is at jackthescottie.com.
Bless this day,
All plants and creatures,
All peoples near and far.
Bless the flowers
That sing praise with their beauty,
The grass
That cushions my step.
Bless those who stand
With loved ones who are sick,
With friends or family who are lost.
Bring healing, bring wholeness.
Bless the world,
Its war torn places,
Its broken villages,
Its frightened children.
Bless our bodies,
Our hearts,
Our hands,
That we may be blessings
To all that we meet.
Find more of my prayers in my book Christ Beside Me, Christ Before Me: Celtic Blessings.
I’m still celebrating my saints. Today, Dad would have been 84 years old. I’m grateful for the gifts he gave me:
Dad’s legacy lives on in me. And I am grateful.
God of sunrises and sunsets, God of feeding birds and charcoal pencils, God of music and prayer, thank you the life of Charles H. Richardson. And thank you for his gifts to the world. May we remember Charles and, in remembering, give thanks to you, the Artist, Musician, and Loving Creator of life. Amen.
This is a repost from an article on the Alive Now website.
I had every intention of continuing to nurture my Centering Prayer practice. I started working on it in February in anticipation of a special event in my life: becoming a parent. I had visions of early mornings, peaceful moments in the quiet, anchoring my soul to God’s presence to get me through the day, etc., etc., etc.
So … now, it’s happened. I’ve become a parent to an 11-year-old. And my centering prayer practice has gone out the window, along with most of the quiet and peace. (OK, folks. I can hear you laughing even from here!) I’ll have to take a break on the centering prayer until another time.
But I still need the anchoring … I need it more than ever. And I’m finding it in music. I’ve been listening to “Restless” by Audrey Assad (© 2010 by Sparrow Records). I listen to it in the car, at the gym, sitting in the floor of my closet trying to get a break. It’s saving my life in this time of change and chaos. (If you don’t see the video of the song above, click here to view it on YouTube.)
I’m wondering — what do you use when you hit a rough spot in your life and your usual spiritual tools don’t work?
More on Centering Prayer
Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!
– Charles Wesley
Blessings to all on this holy day.
Beth
My mom (Marty) and grandma both raised African Violets. I particularly remember the little plant stand in the east window of Grandma Ida Mae’s house in Ada, Oklahoma. The stand had shelves of african violets which she fed, watered, and turned with care. When Grandma died in 1981, I took a pink violet home with me. Then, when my mom passed away in 1983, I took home one of her purple violets.
I’ve kept these plants going through the years, starting new plants from the old ones. After a move a couple of years ago, the plants got some kind of fungus and I thought I had lost all the plants from Mom’s violet. But recently, a young plant bloomed and I realized that my “Marty” violet was still alive.
These plants are special — so much more than houseplants — they’re a little bit of presence of Ida Mae and Marty … women who helped make me who I am. I’m grateful for their presence, still with me after all these years.
Do you have heirloom plants in your life?
It was a year ago when Jackson (a Scottish Terrier puppy) came to live with us. He’s brought joy to this household and has taught me a few things about life. Today I celebrate Jack and the things he’s taught me.
Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion;
and to you shall vows be performed,
O you who answer prayer!
By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
By your strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.
You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds
are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning
and the evening shout for joy.
You visit the earth and water it,
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.
– Psalm 65:1-2a, 5-13 (NRSV)
Blessings to you this day.
– Beth
I could say something pious like “I gave up my blog for Lent (and the first few weeks of Easter)” … But the truth is that I broke it and had a bit of trouble getting the blog fixed. Technology failed me this time.
It’s been a beautiful Spring here in Nashville, accompanied by lots and lots of pollen. The blessings of life are full of surprises.
Hope you all are well.
I’m not much of a cook, but I love helping with the baking during the holidays. We had a pie-baking extravaganza on the day before Christmas Eve. The iPod was on “Christmas shuffle” and we spent the day making four pies. The recipe was “Jenni’s Mom’s Dutch Apple Pie.” I am the apple peeler and cutter and the one who cleans. (Oh, and the one who eats pie.)
Thank God for pies and those who bake them. 🙂
All the Wonders 