Be still, my soul
within the confines
of this space
I call my home;
amid the myriad of
vein and muscle,
sinew, bone…rest.
Awake, my soul,
arise and soar
with wings of love
to claim the home
from whence you came:
the realm of God…
and take me there
when I no longer need
this tent which
bears my name.
Until then all is well;
be still, my soul.
Patricia Ann Boyes
May 12, 2015
Yesterday I encountered both joy and sorrow, not personally, but via social media.
The first story was about the death, on Mother’s Day, of Lauren Davis, the beautiful twenty-four old daughter of a well known media personality, Erin Davis, co-host of the Toronto radio station CHFI morning show. The tragic details are unknown at this time but the news is definitely one of sorrow…deep, deep sorrow.
The second story is about love. It’s about a couple who lived in Ottawa, dated for four years in their teenage years, drifted apart, each married other people, and became widowed in recent years. Happenstance caused them to reunite in Ottawa and rekindle the old flame. Today they are eighty-two and eighty-four years of age and planning to marry in June of this year. This is a story of joy…deep, deep joy.
These stories touch me deeply. I feel the sorrow of a mother losing her daughter to death; it breaks my heart. I also feel the bliss of the couple reunited after sixty-five years; it fills my heart with joy.
Joy and sorrow…each capable of filling the soul with heartfelt emotions…each capable of holding the heart captive…each a part of life…joy and sorrow.
A couple of thoughts on right and wrong:
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
You can’t do wrong by doing right.
If it’s not right it’s wrong.
It’s right to admit when you’re wrong.
Right or wrong, that’s the way I see it.
God can sometimes be found speaking to us in the most unusual places. On Sunday, while lunching with friends in one of my favourite tea rooms, I read this sign posted over the sink in the ladies room:
Good Morning,
This is God. I will be handling all your problems today and I don’t need your help.
Have a great day.
And do you know what? My usual digestive problems were non-existent that day! TYG!
Have a heavenly Sunday.
I’m on a C S Lewis kick because I get a kick out of C S Lewis quotes! I dreamed a dream and set a goal in my old age.
This tidbit came my way this morning…not only did I learn a new word, but its meaning.
Paraprosdokians are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently humorous. (Winston Churchill loved them). Here are a few examples:
Where’s there’s a will, I want to be in it.
If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.
War does not determine who is right – only who is left.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit…wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not so sure.
Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
In filling out an application, where it says, ‘In case of emergency, Notify:’ I put DOCTOR.
And my own paraprosdokian is this…living is for learning; I want to learn how to live.
What a wonderful Wednesday was spent with my cousin Bill and his wife, Arlene. We had a delicious lunch at The Pickle Barrel in North Toronto, a popular restaurant since 1971; friendly ambience, good food, great conversation, and delightful company.
Our server was pleasant and attentive, but somehow my cousin, Bill, detected a note of sadness about her and engaged her in conversation. (He’s so good at that!) After a few minutes he blurted out, “I think you need a hug!”
“Bill, don’t embarrass her,” admonished his wife.
With that, the young lady reached down and accepted my cousin’s hug.
“Thank you for realizing I need a hug,” she said. “I may seem sunny on the outside but I’m raining inside.”
Wow, thought I to myself, what a beautiful blog this will be.
Whether living or dying…be blessed
Whether laughing or crying…be blessed
Whether happy or sad, whether saintly or bad…be blessed.
Whether young or old…be blessed
Whether meek or bold…be blessed
Whether idle or active, aggressive or passive…be blessed.
Whether loving or hating…be blessed
Whether lonely or mating…be blessed
Whether wealthy or nil, healthy or ill…be blessed.
At the end of the day…be blessed
As you go on your way…be blessed
Waking or sleeping, safe in God’s keeping…be blessed.
Be blessed, be blessed, be blessed.
Have you read that verse in Jeremiah? Have you believed the promise of it? To me it is one of the most exciting verses in the Bible.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13
In my case I had called upon Him and prayed to Him before I knew anything about this verse. Although His plans were in place for me before I was born, they only became apparent to me in hindsight. But now that I know there are plans for my life it is exciting to live in the expectation of them.
It is a sure thing that my book, My Precious Life, was one of those plans. Another verse, Jeremiah 30:2 “Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you” was the message that prompted the book.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord…what a promise!
My Precious Life 