Mama Mondays

  Easter 2014  I chose this prayer because you and Dad have put so much into taking care of your yard, the field, and your gardens.... These words are so good!    A LITURGY FOR GARDENING O Creator who calls forth life, m ay this ground, and our labors  here invested, yield good provision for the nourishing of both body and soul. Lord , let our labors in this garden be fruitful. Lord, let our labors in this garden be blessed. As we work the soil of this garden plot, furrowing, planting, watering, and harvesting may such acts become to us a living parable,  a prayer acted out rather than spoken. Lord, let our labors in this garden be fruitful. Lord, let our labors in this garden be blessed. As we co-labor with you and with your creation   to produce a beneficial harvest, may we  find in such toil a kind of rest. May this plot of ground become a hallowed space and these hours a sacred time for ...

for when you need a gentle day God, I need a gentle day,  a respite from the strident voices and the attention economy,  problems I can't solve.  I need a break.  God, shelter me awhile.  Blessed are we who come to you just as we are,  asking to be gathered, hidden,  and held,  shielded for a time from things too hard for us,  too heavy to hold for this long.  God, give us grace for one whole day of gentle turning,  of turning away from worry toward restful action,  of turning from the troubles of yesterday or tomorrow.  Blessed are we,  when the unsolvable problem comes to mind again,  to turn from it, just for now.  When checking the news  one more time seems a good idea,  to let the hands rest and  the computer screen go dark.  When the muscles in the body speak their tight reminders,  to listen to them long enough to give them release,  to gentle up the breathing and lower t...

  I read this last week, and it was just what I needed at one particular moment….  Maybe it’s just what you need today too. O God, empty me of angry judgments, and aching disappointments, and anxious trying, and breathe into me something like quietness and confidence, that the lion and the lamb in me may lie down together and be led by a trust as straightforward as a little child. Catch my pride and doubt off guard that, at least for the moment, I may sense your presence and your caring, and be surprised by a sudden joy rising in me now to sustain me in the coming then. —Ted Loder,  Guerrillas of Grace And then, Veronica and I read this today to begin our meeting, and it too hit the spot:  Psalm 13 For the director of music. A psalm of David. 1  How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?     How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts     and day after day have sorrow in my ...

 Mom, as I was thinking about what to send you today, I thought I'd just send you a few quotes I wrote in my journal over the past week. I always love little windows like this with Anna and Taylor and thought you'd appreciate this little window today...  1) The first is from a post from Diana Butler Bass:  https://dianabutlerbass.substack.com/p/desert-wisdom-and-democracy . Such good words and such great perspective.  2) The second is from a random email I get with various inspirational quotes. This one quote I wrote down really stood out to me from the ones in the article.  https://www.inspiringquotes.com/16-quotes-for-embracing-your-body/YyCWmzFGBwAH5ZEi?liu=381fcd7986596ddaabb6b58a4e4647a2&utm 3) The third is from an email from author Emily Freeman I got yesterday. They are free monthly brief reflections. If you like this below- you could sign up here:  https://emilypfreeman.com/letter/