Thursday, February 29
Sunday, February 25
Tuesday, July 25
It meets my need for connecting, expressing, celebrating life, and enjoying community.
There has been a prolonged absence of the innkeeper, me. I've had a tumble physically. I'm not who I once was, mentally, physically.
Due to medications, I'm taking for blood pressure issues, my memory, reactions, and vision have been damaged. I'm trusting with time my body will adapt. On occasion, I "forget" to take my meds, and I am the old, Pablo, mentally vigorous, with an encyclopedic memory.But only sometimes do I find myself there.
Writing at this moment is like pulling up the piano bench and playing away on a sturdy instrument that provided hours of musical reverie while growing up in a less-than-ideal home, my experience as a child and youth
Then, delightful, calm, relaxing music soothed my mind, that did not know better, a mind that relied upon thinking, not feeling, to comfort me.Thank you, for being faithful and connecting with me.
I miss you who live sin the Netherlands, with whom I once knew well. In the halls of my mind, I remember past energetic and wide-ranging conversations. I value the poetry we created for one another, the moments shared are cherished and especially valued.
I am aware each time you drop by.
"God gave us memories so that we can
remember roses in December."
James Barrie
********************
I am not who I was a year ago. I wasn't much reactive then. Now, even less so. But I continue to enjoy life richly.
I remain grateful.
I am leaving my thanks and will come back to this later. My bed is calling me. I'm bushed.
1. I continue to value poetry. Last week, I celebrated a good friend's birthday. I treated him at a nearby restaurant.
From my slender, black carrying bag I pulled out a large book of poetry, reading an entry about old friends, of which he was.
How often do we do that, nowadays?
2. I wrote in the birthday card I had for him, using a fountain pen, scribing in the Italic script. Each letter I wrote gave my mind and eyes 2-3 second vacations.When I was done, I was more relaxed than before I started.
I am thankful for calligraphy, flat-edged fountain pens that create thick and thin lines and making time to connect with someone dear.
3. I am thankful for sharing this time with you. Please pray I will resume my old practice of tending to this inn of praise and thankfulness more frequently.
Friday, June 23
Thursday, April 27
A Lifechanging Month ............... 4/27/23
You drop by, taking in the of-ferings of this inn of gratitude. I imagine your attendance informs me you enjoy this positive place in cyberspace. This posting is the 1,470th
That number surprises me,
Friday, March 31
A Special and Grateful Month 3/31/23
Please celebrate with me. This month marks 12 years since this posi-tive place in cyber-space opened its doors. I like we are connecting today.
Tuesday, February 28
Great Time With a Friend: Balance Required........... 2/28/23
Part of the view as we traveled along the Marshall Petaluma Road |
Saturday, December 31
Expressing Our Feelings, Not Judgment............ 12/31/22
Constructive communicating takes place when we do. Supportive and affirming dialog makes it likely others will listen. Ongoing practice develops our fluency with Nonviolent Communication, a language that does a world of good.
Sunday, December 25
My Second Favorite Christmas Story
How are things going for you? I leave a Christmas story. Tomorrow, I'll leave my favorite while we are still in the holiday season.
Gather around the fireplace warming the inn. We may be frazzled by the call of Madison Avenue. QVC and the Home Shopping Network may be as-saulting us with gift options for loved ones. Commercials from Kohls, Best Buy, Macy's, and other department stores bombard our sanity. The craziness endured during the whirly bur-ly of frenzied shopping may overwhelm.
Please slow down.
This post shares a story of the noncommercial kind. My favorite Christmas Story continues to be, well, the Christmas Story. What follows counts as my second favorite. I heard this story when I was fourteen. My rendering of it lies before you.
A pleasant, reasonable man named James Olivus didn't care for Christmas.
His personality did not reflect that of a Grinch nor a Scrooge. He didn't want to have anything to do with Christ. A hard heart, he did not have.
If God existed, James reasoned, the Almighty could open up the heavens. He could speak directly to mankind, as a celestial star, if He liked. The whole “Jesus thing” appeared ridiculous.
Christmas Eve approached. James followed his holiday routine. He partied at a friend’s house, enjoying good company along with holiday cheer of the liquid kind.
Thirty minutes into his reading, he heard a strong, "Thump!" His curiosity peaked when he heard it again: "Thump!"
His eyes widened. Like an attentive dog, his ears were attuned to the source of this irreg-ular percussive noise. It pounded louder than the crackling fire before him.
Mr. Olivus heard it a third time: "Thump!" Routinely, something regularly struck the twelve-foot-wide living room window facing the front yard. "Teenagers throwing snowballs at my home!" he thought.
He rushed outside. No children in sight. He encircled his house, looking for the cause of the mysterious noise.
Approaching the front yard, James saw them. A flock of birds. At that mo-ment, James witnessed two birds dart away from the group.
These feathered cre-atures smashed into the window like the planes flying into the World Trade Center Twin Towers on that fateful day. Their bodies did not penetrate the home but fell to the ground.
The birds were confused. They were frightened by the swirling snow. The flock huddled under the extended branches of an ash tree.
They could still peer inside James' house. Shelter from the bitter cold of this Christmas Eve evening they sought. No success.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!" Three more birds dove into the glass, crumpling to the white-covered ground. A good heart, James had. A frown contorted his face as he observed the plight of the birds.
He raced into his home. Inside, all of the lights in his living room he shut off.
He thought, "If they can't see inside, they will stop their attempts." The birds no longer saw inside his house. The darkened window created a cave-like appearance.
The man ran to the garage 30 feet away. He threw open the seven-teen-foot wide door to provide the birds shelter. They continued slam-ming against the window.
The birds’ focus on the window prevented that possi-bility. "Thump! Thump!" More birds dashed into the window.
Finally, he rushed into the flock. He yelled, waving his arms. If the birds had been confused, their hearts now raced with fear.
As he thought, the church bells from the town began pealing. The clock struck midnight. The rings ushered in Christmas morning, the day celebrating Christ's birth.
It drifted upon the fences. It alighted upon the rooftops of the homes in the community. It lay upon the nearby hills, frosting the landscape.
“Now I understand why you became a man,” he whispered. His head drooped. James' chin lay on his chest.
My Third Favorite Christmas Story 12/25/22
I hope you enjoy a delightful time with your family and dear ones as we celebrate this Christmas season. That's been my situa-tion as the year 2022 comes to a close. I have deep gratitude
Quotes from the Posts
From "My Character Determines My Destiny." To read it, please click here.
"Progress not perfection, is better than no progress at all, especially when we're trying to rid ourselves from unwelcome dragons that dwell within the closets of our soul."
From, "Still Learning" which, within four days, became the most popular post written. To read it, please click here.
"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, but it does empty today of its strength"
"Nope, being busy isn't exciting. Boring is good. Because boring is not boring; boring is being healthy, living a balanced life that has serenity"
From: "Do You Know What It Means If You Are Too Busy?" For more, please click here.
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