Making Assumptions

Happy Valentines Day and Presidents day! The groundhog says we are in for another six weeks of winter. We’ve been doing a good job with the winter we’ve had. I ‘m ready for spring! Well! I have completed my first resolution for 2010. I used some of my favorite batiks and made two quilts, and gave them away. The recipients were pleased. How are yours coming?
I’m in the middle of having a funny e-mail conversation with a cousin I haven’t seen since childhood and I don’t remember that. But we have connected because he was writing letters to my parents. He wanted to send a book to me, which he read and enjoyed. However, he had the wrong address and it came back to him. So we’ve been having an exchange trying to get the address straight. He was only off by one letter and one number, but that’s enough to stop the mail from going through. To emphasize the wrong number and missing letter, I wrote it in very large, bold type. According to my daughter, this, in texting, is the same as yelling at someone in person. Now my cousin is texting in larger, red, bold type. I replied in even larger, bolder, capitals. Are we having a fight? Are we angry at each other? We probably are not. We’re probably just having fun with each other. Sometimes though, I feel the frustration that is close to anger. How easy it is to make assumptions, which can lead to angry feelings.
I have had friends and family members over the years that have let these angry assumptions fester till they were not speaking to other family members. In one case a wife and husband stopped speaking from the time a child was three till he grew up and left home. What a loss of loving comfort that family had.
This weekend I was uploading some music onto my computer. A couple of the songs got my attention, and touched my spirit. One, “Lord, I Need You Again Today” by the Oakridge Boys, says,
“I don’t say it enough.
I don’t pray enough,
I don’t love my neighbor, as I should enough.
If I try to make it by myself,
I say Lord I need you again today.”
Others were
“It is no Secret What God Can Do”
“You’re Not Alone”
“Each Life That Touches Ours for Good”
I wish I could sing them all to you. But the lessons I got were
1. Whatever happens in our lives, God can help.
2. Other people around us affect our lives for good.
3. We need each other
4. We can help each other
We have seen all the help people around the world have given to the people of Haiti, because of the earthquake. I think it’s too bad that sometimes it takes a catastrophe to reach out and help. There are so many opportunities all around us, every day. How are we going to love our neighbors today?

Well, my cousin and I have figured things out and are writing in small print again, and the book is on its way’

Spring Dreaming

“Meow!” said the cat
To the dog on the step.
I thought for a moment
That I’d overslept.
Violets are blooming in pots
On the shelf
I’m ready for spring I
keep telling myself
Then out of the blue came
Those little white spots
Covering the flowers
With tiny white dots.
I guess it’s still winter
She said with a sigh—
I’m going to sleep.
Wake me up by and by.

Goals and Resolutions

I’m sitting in front of a blank canvas and I’m afraid to paint on it.
I have a couple of yards of a beautiful batik fabric and I can’t decide what to do with it.
I have fifteen empty journals on my shelf and I’m afraid to write anything.
IF I CHANGE MY MIND I’LL HAVE SPOILED THEM!
I read a book once that made a statement that I have never forgotten. I haven’t changed the way I think about things. However, I know what my problem is. The book said that some people can’t make a decision, because having made a choice you have eliminated the chance of doing the other choices.
So for my New Year’s resolution this year, I am going to paint that picture, I am going to choose a journal and start writing in it. I am going to take that fun fabric, make a quilt, and give it away. Also, I’m going to read Bleak House by Charles Dickens because
I’ve only read 49 of the “1001 Books You Should Read Before You Die”

My son has a childhood friend, who is one of my face book friends. Every week he says “I Hate Mondays!” I replied that I loved Mondays because then I have a whole, fresh, new week to mess up. Now, Monday, January 4, 2010, I not only have a whole new day, week, and year to mess up, I have a whole new decade. And if I do, I will go buy a new canvas, pick out a new journal, and forgive myself. I hope you will too. I’ll be reporting my success or failure to you so that we’ll make sure I do it

What are you going to do this year? In our Relief Society lesson yesterday we decided we should make our resolutions or goals, short, quick and doable. In a book I’m reading, GETTING THINGS DONE, the author says, “ Make a list of things you want to do in your life. Then you should make a list of things you want to accomplish in your career. Be specific, and make them short, quick, and doable. Choose three on each list that you really can begin this week and start doing them.

My husband’s lesson at his church talks about Spiritual goals
The lesson encourages us to place our goals and hopes for the New Year on a more spiritual basis. For example to strive to be more loving and thoughtful and less centered on our personal desires. We treat the New Year as a signal for renewed hope and dedication to God’s plan. Two of his chosen scriptures are,

Ps. 33: 1-3 Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise.
Doesn’t this sound like we should increase our God given talents?

Isa. 61:1-3 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified,

“As we live providently and increase our gifts and talents, we become more self-reliant. Self- reliance is taking responsibility for our own spiritual and temporal welfare and for those whom Heavenly Father has entrusted to our care. Only when we are self-reliant can we truly emulate the Savior in serving and blessing others. “It is important to understand that self-reliance is a means to an end. Our ultimate goal is to become like the Savior, and that goal is enhanced by our unselfish service to others. Our ability to serve is increased or diminished by the level of our self- reliance". Elder Robert D. Hales.

This month I hope you will plan some goals that are short, specific, and doable. I hope you will take a spiritual look at your goals. I hope you will give unselfish service to others.
I hope you will have a very good and blessed New Year.

WOW!2010

Hear the wind blow
Watch out for snow
It’s January
Run through the cold
Dream thoughts so bold
It’s January.
Do something new
That you’ve wanted to do
Since last January!

Winter night

On a cold winter night
Do you cuddle and dream
With that sweet thoughtful
Lad drinking cocoa and cream?
Do you sit with the cat
Warm with fur sparkled purrs
Does the pine-scented candlelight
Make you feel more secure?
On a cold winter night
Does your family feel close?
Or are you away from the ones
You love most?
On a cold winter night do you
Smell mincemeat pie?
So do I

I hope you are going to have a Merry Christmas-Making plan to visit with family, or planning some fun activities. together.

For Thanksgiving each year, I go with my husband to the Christian Science Church for a Thanksgiving service. This year they had a new hymn, which caught my interest
One line in particular inspired me
“All things are mine
Since I am His.
How can I keep from singing?”-Robert Lowery

When we think of all the good and sweet things we have been blessed with, how can we keep from singing? How can we accept the happiness we have without wanting to share?
The December Ensign quotes President Dieter F. Uchtdorf; “Disciples of Christ throughout all ages of the world have been distinguished by their compassion…. In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance. Let us open our eyes and see the heavy hearts, notice the loneliness and despair; let us feel the silent prayers of others around us, and let us be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to answer those prayers. (“Happiness, Your Heritage,” Ensign Nov. 2008)

I have found it interesting since I’ve been on Face Book, how many times, when a comment was made about a person’s health, or family troubles; friends will say “We’ll be praying for you”. “How can I help?” So when my sister told me her daughter had her baby last night and that he needed heart surgery immediately; I asked my face book friends to pray. I asked them if they knew anyone in Philadelphia who might be able to help a young family in need. The replies were quick , loving, and welcome.
A truck hit a young boy getting off the bus in my hometown. The prayers and help for both families were immediate and heart warming.
A local New Mexico teacher needing a bone marrow transplant was an inspiration to many years worth of students to do a fund raising auction to collect money just to register him for a bone marrow search.
There are people in our neighborhoods who could use a hug, a smile , a friend. There are may ways we can all join in “Singing” and sharing our love and good fortune with those around us.
Merry Christmas and
Keep Singing! And Praying! Share your spirit.

Ps. 81: 1
1 Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

Serendipity

Serendipity

Dark.
Light.
Medium.
Triangles, circles, squares
Blend together to make my quilt.
A pattern emerges from my many fabrics—
A pattern different from the one I imagined
When I planned my quilt.
Like my quilt,
My life
Changes patterns as I grow.
Moving from small town
To big city,
To small town,
To bigger city,
I change.
My quilt is the sum of many pieces,
My life of many parts.
Life’s plans,
Heart’s woes,
Experiences
Made me.


Lydia's words

I'm frittering away eternity
And I cannot say why.
I'm sitting eating strawberries
And making pumpkin pie
I think that I should make a plan..
Make earth a better place.
What other dreams can I fulfill?
Besides feeding my face?




SPRING

One, Two,
Dirt on my shoe--
Three, Four,
My thumbs are sore

Five, Six
Pull up dead sticks—
Seven, Eight
Repaint the gate—
Nine, Ten—
It’s Spring again



Cosmos

Somewhere out in the Cosmos
Is someone's mother
Floating
Pondering
Wondering
How's the new program going?
How did your day go?
Frightening?
Exciting?
Enticing?
How many children came?
Did they enjoy the game?
Boring?
Exploring?
Imploring?
I feel I'm out of touch
My poetry's not much
Needs working
Knee jerking
Teacher lurking



Finding Joy Looking Through my Window

I use to be
An independent woman.
I could drive to the store
Or go shopping in another town.
I could walk through the hills,
Or sit in my garden, pulling weeds.
The whole neighborhood seemed to walk by
In the evenings, laughing, chatting, waving hello.

I live in the city now.
I’m afraid to drive.
Familiar places are hard to find,
Too far to go.
Down long empty halls,
Life happens behind closed doors.
Walking down the stairs with fire alarms Blaring
Give a chance to say hello to strangers.

I planted flowers.
I have sixty two boxes on my terrace.
I can still grow weeds to pull.
I ask strangers for ten random words
To write poetry .
I sit on the plaza with a book and discuss
Favorite authors with other readers.
I watch children laughing.

I sit in my room
Looking out my window.
The cats and I watch the birds strutting
Along the terrace, eating my tomatoes.
I watch the construction workers building;
Laying bricks and setting beams,
I am reinventing me.
I am an
Independent woman