How wonderful how marvellous
You surprise us
You touch us with your presence
Clean our hearts
And prepare us again
Mercy in the morning
Brand new
Light in the Dark
Your word is a lamp unto our feet
Your word is our daily delight
Fills us up
And counsels
Testimonials to remind us of your Love
It’s all apart of your plan
To allow us to choose Love and not death
To reunite us with our first love
You teach us
And we want more
More experience
More Love
Each life is clothed in raiment of spirit
that secretly links it to everything else.
~John O’Donohue
There is a quiet light that shines in every heart. It draws no attention to itself though it is always secretly there. It is what illuminates our minds to see beauty, our desire to seek possibility and our hearts to love life. Without this subtle quickening our days would be empty and wearisome, and no horizon would ever awaken our longing. Our passion for life is quietly sustained from somewhere in us that is wedded to the energy and excitement of life. This shy inner light is what enables us to recognize and receive our very presence here as blessing. ~John O’Donohue
You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. ~Psalm 128:2 ✝
**All quotes via TO BLESS THE SPACE BETWEEN US, A Book of Blessings, by John O’Donohue; photo of Moonflower taken by Natalie
Courage brings to life
what can be imagined
Courage lifts its head
above what’s familiar.
Courage speaks up to fear
and it listens humbly
Courage always rides
on the back of peace.
At the height of laughter, the universe is flung
into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.
~Jean Houston
Heavy
That time
I thought I could not
go any closer to grief
without dying
I went closer,
and I did not die.
Surely God
had his hand in this,
as well as friends.
Still, I was bent,
and my laughter,
as the poet said,
was nowhere to be found.
Then said my friend Daniel,
(brave even among lions),
“It’s not the weight you carry
but how you carry it –
books, bricks, grief –
it’s all in the way
you embrace it, balance it, carry it
when you cannot, and would not,
put it down.”
So I went practicing.
Have you noticed?
Have you heard
the laughter
that comes, now and again,
out of my startled mouth?
How I linger
to admire, admire, admire
the things of this world
that are kind, and maybe
also troubled –
roses in the rain,
the sea geese on the steep waves,
a love
to which there is no reply?
~Adapted poem by Mary Oliver
He(God) will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. ~Job 8:21 ✝
**Photo by Natalie
“God’s heart is never limited in its sphere of action”
Eberhard Arnold
(the lone little wild flowers hanging on in the woods / Julie Cook / 2016)
“Everything depends on seeing the mystery of the risen Christ as unconditional love.
There is only one thing that knows no conditions:
that is love.
There is only one absolute:
That is God’s rulership.
There is only one direct way: that is the experience of God’s love in Jesus Christ.
In Christ, his love is put into practice.”
Eberhard Arnold
Spirit of Fire
**Image found on Pinterest; text box added by Natalie; collage by Natalie;
border and clip art done on PicFont; special effects done on iPiccy
Despite what they have told you, it’s a gift. Emotional: a word used often nowadays to insult someone for their sensitivity towards a multitude of things. If you cry happy tears, you’re emotional. If you express (even if it’s in a healthy way) that something is bothering you, you’re sensitive. If your hormones are in a funk and you just happen to be sad one day, you’re emotional AND sensitive.
Let me tell you something that goes against everything people have probably ever told you. Being emotional and being sensitive are very, very good things. It’s a gift. Your ability to empathize, sympathize and sensitize yourself to your own situation and to others’ situations is a true gift that many people don’t possess, therefore many people do not understand.
Never let someone’s negativity towards this gift of yours get you down. We are all guilty of bashing something that is unfamiliar to us: something that is different. But take pride in knowing God granted this special gift to you because He believes you will use it to make a difference someday, somehow.
This gift of yours was meant to be utilized. It would not be a part of you, if you were not meant to use it. Because of this gift, you will change someone’s life someday. You might be the only person that takes a little extra time to listen to someone’s struggle when the rest of the world turns their backs. In a world where a six figure income is a significant determinant in the career someone pursues, you might be one of the few who decides to donate your time for no income at all. You might be the first friend someone thinks to call when they get good news, simply because they know you will be happy for them. You might be an incredible mother who takes too much time to nurture and raise beautiful children who will one day change the world.
To feel everything with every single part of your being is a truly wonderful thing. You love harder. You smile bigger. You feel more. What a beautiful thing! Could you imagine being the opposite of these things? Insensitive and emotionless?? Both are unhealthy, both aren’t nearly as satisfying, and neither will get you anywhere worth going in life.
Imagine how much richer your life is because you love other’s so hard. It might mean more heartache, but the reward is always worth the risk. Imagine how much richer your life is because you are overly appreciative of the beauty a simple sunset brings. Imagine how much richer your life is because you can be moved to tears by the lessons of someone else’s story.
Embrace every part of who you are and be just that 100%. There will be people who criticize you for the size of your heart. Feel sorry for them. There are people who are dishonest. There are people who are manipulative. There are people who are downright malicious. And the one thing people say to put you down is “you feel too much.” Hmm…
Sounds like more of a compliment to me. Just sayin’. ~Jennifer VerMeulen https://www.theodysseyonline.com/if-youve-ever-been-called-overly-emotional-or-too-sensitive-this-is-for-you
‘tis almost mid-autumn and the last day of this month!
And as of today we’ve set a record here for having
the warmest October ever! The wind yet blows from
the south so I’m still wearing tank tops and shorts!
Yay! Yippie! Hooray! NOT!!! Where oh where
is our cool autumn for goodness sakes!
O wind, rend open the heat,
cut apart the heat,
rend it to tatters.
Fruit cannot drop
through this thick air–
fruit cannot fall into heat
that presses up and blunts
the points of pears
and rounds the grapes.
Cut the heat–
plough through it,
turning it on either side
of your path.
~Hilda Doolittle
And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. ~Luke 12:55 ✝
**Images found on Pinterest; collage by Natalie; special effects done on iPiccy
Sacred Touches 