Author Archives: Patricia Ann

His Name is Jason

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“His name is Jason. He is fifteen years old and has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.”

This came through our prayer chain last night.

He is someone’s son, grandson, brother, nephew, friend…someone who needs our prayers. Jason.

I don’t know this boy, nor do most of you, but I do know that most of the people I do know, and the many bloggers I have met in the past few months are empathetic, compassionate, praying people.

His name is Jason. Please pray for him.

Thank you for reading and caring. Thank you for praying. His name is Jason.

 

 

It’s Called Alzheimer’s

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Being in a pastoral care environment, dementia is one of the major issues we see. It has also touched my life personally, and inspired the following poem.

IT’S CALLED ALZHEIMER’S

My love, where did you go?

How many times were you warned

that you would make yourself sick with worry?

And you did.

Not that worry robbed you of memory,

but it left little room for enjoying your life

before it was claimed by dementia.

I look at the shell that is left of you and my heart hurts.

Your eyes are still sky blue,

but the twinkle is gone…replaced by a vacant stare.

When a hint of recognition breaks through,

my heart soars, only to plummet

as the flash of memory disappears once again

into the distance of the disease.

It’s called Alzheimer’s.

It has robbed you of your life, and me of my life partner.

©2006

To all whose partners have succumbed to this disease, and to those who are caring for loved ones while watching them disappear little by little, my heart and prayers go out to you.

A Wonderful Analogy

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The following is a Face Book post sent to me by one of my granddaughters. It is attributed to Utmutato A Leleknek and is definitely worth sharing as others who have read it have pointed out. One of the Face Book posts shows the photo copied at the bottom of this page.  Enjoy the read.

In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?” The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”
“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”

The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”

The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”

The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”

The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one has ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”

“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”

The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”

The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist.”

Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”

To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and you really listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.” – Útmutató a Léleknek

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

The Great I AM

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Many years ago,1977 to be exact, while on vacation in Trinidad, I was introduced to a Pastor who gave me this very short but powerful prayer for use in times of need; any kind of need; spiritual, physical, emotional, to name a few.

“Jesus Christ, the Great I AM, have mercy on me.”

It is a prayer to be repeated over and over until the peace of Christ is felt in body and soul.

The prayer has been a huge blessing to me and several others over the years. Following are a few scriptures introducing “I AM”:

I am the Bread of Life (John 6:35)

I am the Light of the World (John 8:12)

I am the Door (John 10:9)

I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14)

I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)

I am the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)

I am the Vine (John 15:1,5)

I am the First and I am the Last (Isaiah 44:6)

I Am who I Am (Exodus 3:14)

I am the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:8)

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 21:6)

My prayer is that this prayer will be valuable to all who use the Lord’s name not in vain.

PRAYING FOR OTHERS

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This was reblogged by Osarobohenry and is worth another reblog. It surely is food for thought.

YoursTruly's avatarYoursTrulySays

The following parable about prayer comes from an unknown author:

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert-like island.  The two survivors,  not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God.  However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.  The first thing they prayed for was food.

The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit.  The other man’s parcel of land remained barren.

After some days, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife.  The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor…

View original post 350 more words

“Laughter is the Best Medicine”

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It is said that laughter is the best medicine, and it goes without saying that laughing does make one feel good. Two days ago while in serious conversation with a friend, some words fell out of my mouth that were completely inappropriate for a Christian elder. The fact that these words aptly fitted a particular part of the conversation made us both laugh at the same time. Between gales of laughter I tried to apologize for being offensive, but it only made us laugh all the more, to the point where we could no longer carry on a conversation. My friend called me yesterday to tell me she was still laughing (as was I), and that she had relayed the conversation to her husband, sending him into fits of laughter.

Please don’t ask me to repeat what was so funny because it might risk being banned from WordPress, or possibly from Session. However, I am still chuckling at this writing, and am so glad my friend is open-minded enough to appreciate the difference between a bad joke and a good laugh.

It is a wonderful feeling to share laughter…it really is good medicine.

“When You Remember Me”

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This man, Frederick Buechner, writes some insightful messages. I love them. And so do the people who read yesterday’s quote about carrying our loved ones in our hearts, minds and stomachs. Two bloggers sent me hugs! Thank you SO much! Today I am posting a quote and giving Buechner’s direct link so whoever is so inclined, may help themselves to his writings.

“When you remember me, it means you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that if we meet again, you will know me. It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart.”

― Frederick Buechner

How encouraging are these words; how poignant the message.

Our World Within

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I have discovered Frederick Buechner, author of Telling the Truth and many other inspiring books. Today I want to share one of my favorite quotes of his:

You can kiss your family and friends goodbye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.

This has profound meaning for me as some of my family live in other parts of the world. After every visit, when we kiss goodbye, they are still with me; in my heart, my mind, my stomach, because they are a large part of my world.

Those we love will always be a part of us no matter where they are.

 

Rx….Hugs

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The time has come to recognize the fact that just as a band-aid is needed for a cut, a cold-pack for a bump, a heating pad for an ache, a lozenge for a cough…a hug is needed for a bruised spirit. “I need a hug!” It is a prescription asking to be filled; a cry for compassion; a soul seeking to be soothed; a human need waiting to be met. Whether you are the one in need or the one to meet the need, just know that that hug will benefit all who embrace it. And you don’t need money or a drug plan; just a caring heart and two willing arms.

Shadows in the Wind

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I haven’t posted a poem in a long while, and while reading other bloggers’ poetry, am sensing a struggle with love. Let me share one of my love poems:

SHADOWS IN THE WIND

Perfect love is fulfillment

in perpetual motion,

seeing with the heart’s eye

that which the mind cannot grasp,

acknowledging the human need

for closeness under all conditions,

realizing that aloofness is a

suit of armor worn by those

who fear perfect love

is beyond their realm,

understanding the merest

reaching out of a heart’s desire,

passion and compassion hand in hand,

longing and belonging heart to heart.

Will it ever be reality

or are we pursuing shadows in the wind?

©1982

This was originally posted on July 25/14. Sometimes a second helping can be a good thing.