Words to think about

This weekend I was trying to catch up on some of my reading.  I had ordered Readers Digest a month or so ago and had been waiting for them to come in.  Oh they came in alright, 4 of them within days of each other.  In the first one I read I came across this:

Book me A Room in Upstarted

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots.  Apparently, you can't go alone- you have to be in Cahoots with someone.  I've also never been in Cognito.  I hear no one recognizes you there.  I have, however been in Sane. You have to be driven there and I've made several trips, thanks to friends, family and work.  I'd like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not much into physical activity anymore.  I have also been in Doubt.  That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.  I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.  Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I get older.  One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenaline flowing and the old heart pumping!  And sometimes I think I am in Vincible, but life shows me I am not.  I have been in Deepdoodoo frequently.  And the more adventurous I get, the easier it is to end up there.Source: plantproctor.com

It gave me such a chuckle that I just had to share it with all of you. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in life that we  need to stop and laugh. We need stop and remind ourselves that God is in charge and that he has a sense of humor.  So we must continue to also have one.  Good days, bad days sometimes the first thing we forget about is to laugh...Laugh to our hearts content. Laugh like there is no tomorrow.  Laugh so much that others will wonder what your up to. Laugh Laugh Laugh!

God Bless~

Jen

To the world you may only be one person, to one person you may be the world

Mandala

Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning "circle." Have you ever looked at things in life that are "circled".   Many societies have used them in different ways.  From the Mayans using one for their calendar, the Buddhism, the Hindus, Christians.  Did you know that the crown of thorns is considered one of the most sacred Mandalas? I had no idea how many  are used in both religion or personal.  God has put so many things in our world that we tend to forget should be sacred. 

Well on my retreat several weeks ago we talked about sacred mandala's.  We had to draw our own. Then explain to the group what made it "ours" what made it sacred to us? Here is mine...

 

The pink ring is my life as a daughter, the purple ring is my life as a sister, the yellow is my life as a wife, the blue ring is my life as a mother, the vines represent the many roads both good and bad I have traveled in my life, all these things blend together and end at the cross and heart where I am FORGIVEN!

I have decided I have a new found love for mandalas in every aspect of my life.  Nature has some beautiful ones, my spiritual life has them.  I have photographed some in nature. For example:

These are just a few of the pictures I have taken of mandala's.  My eyes look for them all over the place all of the time.  Sometimes I ache for my camera to just be attached to my hip because I just never know when I find one and want have to take a picture of one!

I have even inspired to draw several that are still in the sketching stage, and found one on the internet that I have colored. That is below

I have  never really thought of myself as a photographer or that great of an artist. However God has revealed in my that I am.  I have several pictures I will be printing off to frame for my hallway.  I am going to wrap myself in the the sacred circle.  One wall I will have my crosses and one wall I will have my circles.

So what does really mean? For me its to help me stay focused.  To live inside my circle where God has surrounded my heart and my soul.  To allow others to see inside my circle so they can want  what I have. That I can become a beacon in Spirituality and in my closeness to God, and remind them its not about "Religion" its about your personal relationship with God.

God Bless, Jen

To the world you may only be one person, to one person you may be the world

 

 

What does the word butterfly mean? Dictionary.com says

butterfly

   [buht-er-flahy] Show IPA noun, plural but·ter·flies, verb, but·ter·flied, but·ter·fly·ing, adjective

noun

1.

any of numerous diurnal insects of the order Lepidoptera, characterized by clubbed antennae, a slender body, and large, broad, often conspicuously marked wings.

 

What it doesn't say is that is comes from a caterpillar that makes a cocoon and when it hatches its now a butterfly.

 

I know you are reading this wondering what I am going to talk about.  I will get there just bear with me :)

 

I went to retreat this weekend.  At this retreat I hear God speak very clearly to me.  That this weekend was my weekend as a butterfly.  I started out as a small ugly caterpillar and when I awoke from my slumber in the desert I was a beautiful butterfly. After I awoke any time I was questioning what I was dealing with a butterfly would come into my sight. 

A butterfly is thought to be the sign of a new beginning.   I feel I have a new beginning now.  As place that will take me deeper in my spiritual life than I have ever been before.

 

I am ready to spread my new wings and fly.  I cant wait to see what the Lord has planned for me. Is it a new relationship with my family/my friends? Is it a new relationship with anyone? Or is it just a new loving relationship with God? While I do think its that I am pretty sure that is both of these things. 

I just know that I will sit with my mouth closed, my ears opened, and my heart opened to receive what he has to tell me.

How about you? Are you ready to take the next BIG step in your life??

I know I am ready and this past retreat has taken me to a deeper level than ANY other retreat I have gone on.  This was not ACTS, this was not Highland Lakes.  This was a Pathway.   A pathway that He has had planned for me before I was born. I just haven't wanted to listen in the quietness of my heart to hear until now.

 

Lord, make me what you want me to be.  Let your Love shine through me to others so they may see you and your love in me. Help me be a better daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend.  Help me remember that I will be taken take of, that I can ask for help, and that there is no other place I need to be than where I am right now! Amen...