Author Archives: Patricia Ann

Some Pointers for the Blackboard of Life

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Get your chalk brushes ready…you may want to brush me off today as I offer up some pointers for the blackboard of life.

1. The Golden Rule – do to others as you would have them do to you.

2. Love your enemy – it`s healthier than hating.

3. Don`t spend a thousand dollars worth of emotion on a five cent irritation.

4. Don`t worry – it is a totally unproductive pastime

5. Don`t procrastinate – it is the thief of time.

6. Smile often – it increases your face value.

7. Stop and smell the roses – before their fragrance fades.

8. Laughing and crying are comfort for the soul – they each soothe in a different way.

9. Grieve when necessary – but remember to continue to live.

10. God runs a beauty parlor – have a regular faith lift.

11. Live, love and be happy – advice to be given and taken in heaping doses.

12. It is never too late to be baptized – Jesus wasn`t baptized until he was thirty years old.

13. You are never too old to do something new – just begin.

14. Try to have twelve hugs a day – even if you have to hug yourself.

15. Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at     all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can. (John Wesley)

And now, put away the pointer, the brushes, the chalk…tomorrow the slate will be clean again for you to chalk up some lessons of your own.

If It`s Good Enough for God…

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A Catholic couple were guests in a protestant church once, and asked me what I thought of dancing in the church…this after watching a liturgical dance, of which they disapproved. I knew it was in scripture somewhere, and said so. (Let them praise his name with dancing…) Psalm 149:3.  (NIV) Where else do we praise his name if not in church?

All these years later it brings to mind other things which are sometimes frowned upon in a church…not all churches, but some. For instance some people raise their hands, or exclaim, “Praise the Lord!” when some hymns or anthems move them to emote their joy in the moment. (Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the lord) Psalm 134:2 (NIV)

Applause is another thing which is not welcome in some religious institutions. But you know what…sometimes we can’t help applauding a perfectly performed rendition of The Lord’s Prayer. Sure, we may be applauding the singer but the song or hymn is what stirs us to take such action, because that performer is elevating our level of worship. (Clap your hands, all you nations…) Psalm 47:1 (NIV)

In my book, and it’s the “Good Book”, if it’s good enough for God, it’s good enough for me. So, shall we lift up our hands, even clap our hands, bring on the liturgical dancers…enjoy praising the Lord…it`s what he tells us to do. (Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.) James 1:22 (NIV)

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Psalm 100:1 (KJV)

The Golden Rule

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Thinking about the random acts of kindness that have come to my attention lately, somehow brought to mind The Golden Rule. In its simplicity this fundamental rule of living means that we don’t treat others in a way that we would not want to be treated. In other words, it is good to stop and think before we speak or act in a way that would hurt another person. Yet we don’t always do that…maybe because it is not so easy in the heat of the moment…maybe because we feel vindicated by putting someone “in their place”.

I remember being at a social function many years ago, and met a man who was constantly putting his wife down. He didn’t have a good thing to say about her; and this in front of a group of people. I couldn’t imagine what he would be like in private! He turned to me and asked, “Well, don’t you think I’m right to want to make her be a better person?” My response was simply, “Do to her as you would have her do to you…talk to her as you would have her talk to you. Would you really want to be treated as you are treating your wife?” And then I left the table before I was tempted to renege on my own advice.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:7 …do to others what you would have them do to you…and also in Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

This great advice would not have made it into the Bible if it was not to be life lesson.

Sometimes a random act of kindness may be to simply apply the Golden Rule.

 

 

Another Random Act of Kindness

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Last week, one of my granddaughters, her mother, and five friends went to the Air Canada Center here in Toronto to see Shania Twain. Courtney and her long-time friend had been adoring fans of Shania since they were eight years old, and are now in their mid-twenties. When they heard their hero was coming to perform in Toronto, they immediately ordered tickets. Top choice tickets were out of their price range and so they purchased balcony seats, but were not able to get all seven seats together.

The long awaited night arrived and the two girls were beside themselves with excitement…the rest of the group…a little less so, but excited all the same.

As the escalator ascended, a uniformed usher stopped them on their way to their balcony seats and asked if they knew where they were going. When they confirmed that they were on their way to the balcony, he said, “No, I am giving you tickets to the main floor.” Courtney couldn’t believe her ears but then said, “Oh, except there are seven of us.” With that the usher handed her seven tickets to the top choice area…seven seats in a row.

Needless to say, the group of seven was ecstatic with this change of events, and were totally taken with Shania Twain’s performance.

This is the second random act of kindness which has come to my attention within a short period of time…once again, doesn’t it make you want to pay it forward?

 

My Precious Life – Book and Blog

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Product DetailsYesterday, My Precious Life, the blog, realized ten-thousand views. That is something I never dreamed of when I started blogging in April of last year. This is blog number two-hundred-and-ninety-nine, and let me take this opportunity to thank all who have followed My Precious Life and thereby contributed to its success.

As happy as I am with this accomplishment, it would bring even more happiness to have these numbers translate into book sales.

Here is a brief overview of the book for those who have not read it yet:

Pain and poverty paved the way to peace and spiritual prosperity in the life of the author, Patricia Ann Boyes, ordinary person.

In this memoir she takes us from a three-year-old child witnessing her mother’s brutal beatings, to a seventeen-year-old suffering the throes of childbirth; through a bitter marriage breakdown, and on to new love, entrepreneurship, and a battle with cancer. 

This memoir will not compare with that of the rich and famous or with the extraordinary drama of the Malalas of the world, but it may compare in some ways with the lives of other ordinary people who also have a story to tell, lessons to learn, and obstacles to overcome.

It’s a story of believing God’s promises and learning life’s lessons.

Someone once said, “Don’t die with your words or your music still in you.”

The author has taken this advice.

I also took the advice of Jeremiah 30:2 “Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.”

The book may be purchased online or by ordering from a local book store. It is available in soft or hard cover and e-book.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_5?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A3048891%2Ck%3AMy+Precious+Life&keywords=My+Precious+Life&ie=UTF8&qid=1435275694&rnid=2941120011

http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D934986&field-keywords=my+precious+life&rh=n%3A934986%2Ck%3Amy+precious+life

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D67&field-keywords=my+precious+life

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/my-precious-life?keyword=my+precious+life&store=book

Thank you and happy reading.

Nature’s Energy

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Have you ever watched a pair of squirrels chasing each other up and down trees, across telephone cables, or simply in circles on a lush lawn? Such energy! I’d love to clock their speed.

Our days may not be filled with that kind of energetic behaviour, but just watching those fluffy-tail rodents is enough to make me get up and get moving.

And then there’s the lowly caterpillar inching its way along a blade of grass, expending the least amount of energy. (Or maybe not.)

Nature’s energy is all around us: growing grass and flowers, a gentle breeze, a gusty wind, rustling leaves, thunder, lightning, and bird song.

It’s good to remember that when we feel depleted, we can plug into nature’s energy. Run, squirrel, run!

My Heart Will Go On

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“My Heart Will Go On” is the song from the movie, Titanic, that won James Horner an Oscar. And now he is gone…killed in a plane crash on June 22nd, at age sixty-one. But his heart will go on in all the music this brilliant composer has left behind.

On the weekend we were saddened by the deaths of two more of our church members. But I have no doubt that their hearts will go on in the memories of the loved ones they have left behind…hearts that knew and shared love…hearts that measured countless beats over a lifetime.

I remember being at a funeral years ago for a young woman who died too early in life from a brain tumor. She had requested that a song be dedicated to her family at the end of the service. The words were from the song “You’ve Got a Friend” and were heard softly in the hushed room. “Just call out my name, and you know where ever I am I’ll come running to see you again…”

You can be sure that that young woman’s heart will go on forever in the hearts of her family and friends.

So, if you are grieving, whether from a past or recent loss, I hope you can hear your loved one’s words…”my heart will go on”…and take heart.

 

 

Pay It Forward

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Here’s a happening that made my day when I heard about it. Eight ladies of the church bridge group had their year-end lunch last week. They chose a restaurant of good standing in the East Scarborough area, and didn’t skimp on their meals which included appetizers, main fare, desserts, and tea and coffee.

They were preparing to pay the bill, which was close to the two-hundred dollar mark, when their server informed them that it had been looked after.

It appeared that a well-to-do, pleasant, forty-something-year-old man had been observing these seventy-something-year-old church ladies enjoying their camaraderie, and chose them for his good deed for the day.

Apparently the server knew of the gentleman’s philanthropy from previous occasions and explained his kindness to these incredulous ladies.

It is one of the best random acts of kindness I have heard in a long time, and my cheeks still hurt from the smile that it brought to my face.

Doesn’t it make you want to pay it forward?

 

 

 

 

 

And Life Goes On

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Yesterday a friend and member of our congregation celebrated her birthday. I’m sure she enjoyed her day as those of us who look forward to our birthdays usually do.

It was also Father’s Day, and a very sad day for another member of our congregation whose elderly father slipped out of this life and into the next.

I had the opportunity to be with each of these people just before their special day; a day they shared in such different ways; and I was glad for that opportunity.

Once again we are reminded of the intertwining of life events. Birthdays and death days are allotted to each of us, and both are a reminder that life does go on.