serendipi-TEA "Heads Up"

6/1/13 "Deer on the Hill!" the biker called out as he passed Ellen and me on our morning Wolf River Greenway walk. 

As we rounded the corner, we looked up.

"Majestic," was Ellen's comment as we saw the doe on the hill, soon joined by another.

I was grateful for the "heads up" given by the biker. Too often, as I walk (as in other areas of my life), I look down or straight ahead toward my self-imposed goal. I can only imagine the beauty (deer, roses or whatever) I have missed in those moments of my journey.

My study of simplici-TEA is so-o-o teaching me to savor those moments!
Sometimes I get a really big sip of sereni-TEA or serendipt-TEA when God gives me a "heads up."

Thankful Thursday

Blessed beyond measure.

5/31/13 Glancing at the calendar on my beside table jogged my memory. 

I often forget what day it is and even confuse months sometimes. 

Lately, I think I have let Thankful Thursdays slip by me. Which is obvious since this is Friday. 

Actually I did ponder those blessings yesterday. 

So many blessings noted--a thankful heart begins to see God's hand in every aspect of life and is grateful. 

I'm grateful. Are you? 

Look for Him even in the little things & thankfulness will flow, even if it's NOT Thursday. 

In training.....

5/29/13 My morning walk started off briskly and then faded into meandering rather quickly as my mind wandered. Good thing I'm not in training for a 5K or any other kind of athletic endeavor. Yet, the meandering allowed me to reflect on the "training" that has been part of my schedule these last few weeks. As I've studied for my upcoming simplici-TEA sessions, I've seen the importance of "training" for life----the life I want!. An "in Him, I live and move and have my being " type of life. (Acts 17:28)

I like the way John Ortberg encourages "practice" in living. He suggests that one should train in order to be able to "celebrate and to seek out joy, live in the moment, reflect on God’s attributes. Such training according to him might require one to unplug from TV and technology, and to train one’s mind to think on things from a biblical perspective."

Spiritual transformation takes wise spiritual training. 

So....I'm in training. Join me???

MONDAY OOPS

5/27/13 Today has been a "puddling" kind of day for me as the sadness of missing Daddy continued throughout the day. Daddy didn't die on the battlefield but he was severely wounded on the island of Leyte in the Philippines. The day after his wounding his entire platoon was wiped out while on patrol under the soldier who took Daddy's place. A big part of him died that day in a trauma that stayed with him throughout his life.

But God.......reminded me that today is Monday and on this blog Monday means meditating on scripture. 

A gift bag was the prompted meditation .....
the gift bag had the needed verse to free me from the oops of sadness.

It is for freedom God has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do no commit again to a yoke of slavery.

(Galatians 5:1)

MISSING "MY" VET

5/27/13 A few days ago, grandson Owen sobbed. Inconsolable was the word his mommy used. He could only tell her that he was sad. When his heaving sobs finally lessened, she asked why he was sad. His response made me sad as well.

"I miss my old great grandaddy,"

"Which one?" Mommy asked.

"You know---the one I pushed down the hall in his "stroller."

"Grandaddy Brud," his mommy knowingly replied.

My response today is, "I miss him too, Owen. This is my 2nd "Memorial Day" without him."

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: s...l...o...w...i...n...g

5/26/13

In  Living the Life You’ve Always Wanted, John Ortberg states, "One of the greatest illusions of our day is that "hurrying" will buy us more time.” (Ortberg, p.84) He proclaims “slowing” as a sensible approach to our harried, often overwhelming life. To me, "slowing" sounds like a component of simplicity.

Slowing for someone with a type A, multi-tasker, goal- oriented nature requires "big sips of intentionali-TEA." Slowing doesn't just happen. 

A semi-traditional Memorial Day weekend trek for hubby and me is a l-o-n-g drive out Hwy. 14 for the annual Herb Festival. (#24, this year) Not sure when we first started going but nothing much seems to have changed out on narrow two-laned Brighton Compton Road.

Our invite came via  "snail mail," of course!

As Peter “tarried in Joppa with a tanner," we tarried in Brighton w/ goat cheese makers, potters, canners & gardeners. 

Refurbished sign is a nice touch!

Where else can my "city" grand feed or milk a goat---tho he opted out of milking, we saw what held said milk.

Paper receipts were written out with a snub nosed pencil & "cash" was placed in a semblance of a money box by Mrs. Anthony herself.

Slow walk to the car caps the end of this lady's day.

All involved in the festival do “slowing” well. It’s a great experience. 
Just don’t be in a hurry. 

Saturday Snippets #4

5/25/13 Things tend to come in 3s in order to get my attention. A morning email from my Saturday prayer warrior, Wynellen, was first affirmation that I was tracking with God in my lesson prep for simplici-TEA.

Couldn't help thinking that its really no accident you are so busy and your life is so interrupted because that is the real place to learn and practice simplicity  Yes, we need to get rid of things God has not called us to do,  but real people have interruptions.  The secret is a singleness (simplicity in a way) of mind and heart in the whirlwind. 

Secondly, the NYTimes  listed The One Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan as an advice-type bestseller. The pithy synopsis read, "Narrowing your concentration and becoming more productive." My spiritual take on that would be the same--simplicity requires a narrow focus in order to be productive in the simplicity of "kingdom living."

Then as I reread the familiar scripture of Martha and Mary in Luke chapter 10, one thought jumped off the page. One thing is needful! Maybe the analogy was to reinforce to Martha that one simple dish for the Lord would have sufficed instead of her trying to "serve" Him in an elaborate manner. (She must have lived in "the South" of Bethany, to have such a southern mentality.) But I think He was commending Mary as well for focusing on one thing as she sat at His feet.

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:42, KJV)

Underlining brings that snippet into focus for me---with singleness of mind and heart, I narrow my concentration to focus on the one thing that is needful. Time at His feet. That's simple enough.

reali-TEA

5/23/13 Pursuing info for my simpici-TEA sessions, I have realized that there are some things that people need to let go of in seeking a simple life. Perfection would be at the top of the list. Such a list could be entitled "Unrealistic Expectations." If one is truly seeking a life of spiritual simplici-TEA, adjustments in expectations are one of the beginning steps in order to waylay frustration.

For me, finding a perfect cup of tea is  an unrealistic expectation.
Close, but NOT perfect, so fruitless searching continues.
Not even sure what perfect would look like.
Just too many variables!
Adjustment needed---let go of this "silly" pursuit.
I need to let go and just enjoy the "cuppa" at hand!
What are yours?

Reali-TEA of unrealistic expectations is pretty much the same for all of us and the result is frustration!

Frustration: the difference between expectation and reality. 

Adjust your unrealistic expectations! 

Neccessi-TEAs

5/20/13 Remember the "Bare Necessities" song from the 60s? 

The tune randomly came into my head as I drove home from Mary Flo's today where we had been discussing "simplici-TEA and humili-TEA." In my head Louis Armstrong was singing but I don't know if he was the one who sang it in "The Jungle Book." Regardless, those lyrics had me thinking about choosing today's verse for meditation  from ones that are "neccessities" in my pursuit of simplici-TEA study.

Look for the bare necessities The simple bare necessities Forget about your worries and your strife I mean the bare necessities Old Mother Nature's (Our Lord's own) recipes That brings the bare necessities of life

My "simply necessary" choice for today:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

The Lord's recipe for simplicity is located right between the cover of the Bible, His recipe book for life. It's simply a necessity.

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: ROYAL HUES

5/19/13 Purple has always been associated with royalty or nobility because of the expensive dyes used to produce the color. I just know that I like it for it's velvety richness.

From my house..... 

...to Dixon Gallery and Gardens....

and a grandson who was "king for a day" as he carried his dollar tightly in his hand & walked alone to church entry after declaring, "You don't need to hold my hand, Shug! I'm 5!" Indeed he is---today's his birthday.