Savvy Thinker » Blessing http://savvythinker.com thinking about life, playing with makeup Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:15:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Clouds http://savvythinker.com/clouds/ http://savvythinker.com/clouds/#comments Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:09:23 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/06/30/clouds/

I happen to like clouds, how about you?

As a child, I would lay in the grass face up looking at clouds and find pictures in them. Today, I'm more apt to just appreciate them as I drive along.

I like a cloudy day as it cuts the heat by 10 degrees, and it's rare to have a day that is entirely cloudy. In Michigan, it would be cloudy for days, so we welcomed the sun. Now that I don't sit out in the sun, the clouds are just fine by me.

I had a friend call about a week ago and ask me if it being overcast bothered me. Nope, I like it. (It was bothering her.) (We've needed rain, and it is such a blessing to have it.)

I know I've said before that I like storms. I don't even mind hurricanes so much except for the aftermath with no electricity. (Obviously I take that back for the huge storms that cause loss of life or homes.) (And I don't like wind-swept fire, as a result of lightening strikes on dry flora.)

One of my children was very afraid of storms, the thunder especially. I doubt she'd ever been outside her orphanage until I adopted her. I don't know what kind of storms they had there, if many, but her sense of hearing was acute, so she noticed all the sounds that we know to filter out, because she had never heard them before. Once in a while, even today, she'll say, what is that sound, or look startled, and I'll say, that's the refrigerator, for example.

We would sit on either our front porch or our back porch, where I would rock her and we would watch the rain. I'd make a game of it so she knew I liked the storm and that it would not hurt us.

Today, there was a line of black clouds lying low. At mid point there were some fluffs of white. Peaking at 12 o'clock was a tiny sliver of blue. It's never rained, so far, but it sprinkled.

One time I saw a striking line of clouds, like a V pointed to the earth, but not a tornado.

If you've ever been around tornadoes (thanks to Michigan I have) you know there is a peculiar color to the clouds when one is near. One time I was struck by it here, and I said, there's a tornado close by. Sure enough, there was. But I'm glad we don't have as many as we had in Michigan. There we had a basement; here, we do not.

And one time I saw a fist above the road. It kind of went along with the news that day, which was interesting. I wasn't looking for it, but you couldn't miss it.

I can't say I appreciate the darker clouds of life, when used in a metaphorical sense, but I do appreciate them in the sky.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-06-30 12:27:30.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/clouds/feed/ 2 Mixed Blessings http://savvythinker.com/mixed-blessings/ http://savvythinker.com/mixed-blessings/#comments Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:37:40 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=4686

Somehow when I think of the phrase mixed blessings, I think of what I can remember from the movie Tender Mercies. Even the expressions seem to go together.

Perhaps mixed blessings are evidence of tender mercies.

Or perhaps it is that blessings come in the midst of life, where the whole package deal is not necessarily only blessings. We can have blessings in the midst of difficult times or difficult circumstances. When that happens, I always feel a sort of angel's wing on my shoulder, an encouragement to keep on going.

Recently I heard an older man speak about the importance of doing something or doing something good, even if we can't do it perfectly. Because, presumably, if we wait until we can do it perfectly, it would never be done. Even doing something half way or partially completed may be better than doing nothing.

It reminds me of doing errands. They are never finished.

John Updike's stories of a troubled marriage are gathered for the first time in hardback, The Maples Stories. I doubt I will read them.

I have a hard time getting into Updike's writing style. I also found them difficult to read for their, I think, negativity, and I suppose when they first came out, I was too young to appreciate them. I found them dated and misogynistic even them. But:

They are as true today as when they were written. Heller McAlpin 8-23-09 Christian Science Monitor p 43

The moral of these stories is that all blessings are mixed. Also, that people are incorrigibly themselves. John Updike

That last sentence made me laugh -- people are incorrigibly themselves. Best not to try to change them, that is a place only for the divine, unless you are moved by an angel.

Here's a quote I like about angel's doing our errands:

And how is man, seen through the lens of Spirit, enlarged, and how counterpoised his origin from dust, and how he presses to his original, never severed from Spirit! ...Then will angels administer grace, do thy errands, and be thy dearest allies. The divine law gives to man health and life everlasting — gives a soul to Soul, a present harmony wherein the good man's heart takes hold on heaven, and whose feet can never be moved. These are His green pastures beside still waters, where faith mounts upward, expatiates, strengthens, and exults. Mary Baker Eddy

Do you like Updike's works?
If so, what should I try to read?

And how about blessings?
Do you make them count? Do you gather them up in a journal perhaps so you don't forget them? Try to find a few blessings every day in your days -- and make them count! Don't forget some of these blessings are how you bless someone else.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com
don't steal my posts -- you know who you are!

Originally posted 2009-09-05 15:12:54.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/mixed-blessings/feed/ 0 The Third/or Fourth Man Factor http://savvythinker.com/the-thirdor-fourth-man-factor/ http://savvythinker.com/the-thirdor-fourth-man-factor/#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:20:29 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=5178

The Third Man Factor is an interesting concept. Evidently it should be The Fourth Man Factor, but

It was [Sir Ernest] Shackleton’s experience that inspired the term “Third Man factor” (although for his group it was actually a “fourth man” — T.S. Eliot misremembered the number when he wrote his poem The Waste Land, which popularized the idea). Geiger

The new book out by John Geiger sounds like a fascinating read.

Plus you can get this book for your Kindle.

The Third Man Factor is an extraordinary account of how people at the very edge of death experience the sense of an unseen presence beside them who encourages them to make one final effort to survive. This incorporeal being offered them a feeling of hope, protection, and guidance, and left the person convinced he or she was not alone. There is a name for this phenomenon: It's called the Third Man Factor.

If only a handful of people had ever encountered the Third Man, it might be dismissed as an unusual delusion shared by a few overstressed minds. But over the years, the experience has occurred again and again, to 9/11 survivors, mountaineers, divers, polar explorers, prisoners of war, sailors, shipwreck survivors, aviators, and astronauts. All have escaped traumatic events only to tell strikingly similar stories of having sensed the close presence of a helper or guardian. The force has been explained as everything from hallucination to divine intervention. Recent neurological research suggests something else. Amazon

You can read a long excerpt from his book here. One of the stories he relates is of Ron DiFrancesco who was the last person to make it out of the South Tower alive. He felt such a presence. It came to him as a voice, telling him what to do, encouraging him to survive, changing the direction in which he headed.

One of the interesting things to me was to learn this phenomena has existed in many places. I suppose I would prefer to think of the man as an angel or of Christ. It reminds me of the Biblical story of the three men thrown in the fiery furnace, but witnesses saw a fourth man walking.

He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Dan 3:25

Do you find this interesting?
Do you find it as interesting as I do to have a kind of substantiation of the Bible story by modern day experiences? I take things on faith, but it is good to have proofs of a sort anyway, not that all the proofs in the world would change someone's mind that is already made up.

I can't say I've ever felt a presence per se, but I have had words come to me as thoughts. I have never been in any extreme survival situation.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2009-10-19 21:31:14.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/the-thirdor-fourth-man-factor/feed/ 2 Alphabet for life http://savvythinker.com/alphabet-for-life/ http://savvythinker.com/alphabet-for-life/#comments Fri, 23 Sep 2011 06:12:25 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/06/26/alphabet-for-life/

I like each of these. It's a toss up which one is more appropriate for any given day.

Nurture hope, pack lightly, quell rumors... all speak to Chinese adoption at the moment, and to other things as well.

Be ready for the things life has to offer. Wait patiently, doing what you can today.

Until I no longer had a source for them, I used to give silver rings engraved with 'hope' to people, if they were going through deep waters. It was a visible way for them to know that someone cared. I wish I could find them again.

Master something made me laugh. Something! how difficult is that. It could be anything, no matter how small. Master anything. Find something that interests you and go with it.

Which of these speak to you today?

Karin

Accept differences
Be kind
Count your blessings
Dream
Express thanks
Forgive
Give freely
Harm no one
Imagine more
Jettison anger
Keep confidences
Love truly
Master something
Nurture hope
Open your mind
Pack lightly
Quell rumors
Reciprocate
Seek wisdom
Touch hearts
Understand
Value truth
Win graciously
Xeriscape
Yearn for peace
Zealously support a worthy cause
Renee Stewart

Alphabet for life can be purchased at signals.com.

Originally posted 2007-06-26 09:31:58.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/alphabet-for-life/feed/ 0 The Thank You Campaign http://savvythinker.com/the-thank-you-campaign/ http://savvythinker.com/the-thank-you-campaign/#comments Sat, 20 Aug 2011 19:02:15 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=5844

A friend sent me this youtube video today. It seems appropriate to post at this time of year, Thanksgiving in America where I live, and while it is directed at thanking the military men and women who serve us, it is not political, for as the video states, it is about service. It made me think also of firefighters, policemen, and emergency medical services and of those who help after disasters. The average person can hardly envision some of what they face every day.

When is the last time you thanked anyone?
I had a recent occasion when I went back to express my gratitude for service that was exemplary. I don't think many people return to give thanks, and my family member was puzzled by my desire to do so. Yet the service I had received had been exceptional. Later the same day, while I was out, there was a follow up call from the individual who had helped me. He had not known that I had been in to express my gratitude, even though I had specified that it be passed along. I so appreciated the call, even if I wasn't there to take it. It's rare in this life to get a follow up call!

I don't hesitate to tell someone I appreciate what they are doing
And at the same time, I will gently complain (register comments) if there is need for improvement. I figure they'd rather know why you might never come back, rather than just lose your business.

Our gratitude is riches, complaint is poverty. Vivian Burnett

Oh boy, I so dislike it, when I get in complaint-mode. I try to turn it around pretty fast.

And when I'm with someone who is a constant complainer, I have to fight not to be dragged down by their attitude. Complaint only accentuates the negative, unless it is used to ask for a solution.

For example, bitching about traffic to those in your car, accomplishes nothing but complaint. The other drivers don't know you are cussing them out. But everyone in your car is tied up in knots.

We really are richer for our gratitude. Appreciation goes a long way to lifting other people's burdens that we might not even realize are there.

An on-going gratitude list
I keep a couple of on-going gratitude lists. I don't add to them daily, just whenever there is something significant or different. I decided to update my main list last night, reorganizing it by topic ideas, after reading a few lists others had written -- and I even added some of their ideas to mine. It's surprising how much there is to be grateful for, once you get started thinking about it.

Right at the top are relationships and friendships; family; health; spirituality; love and kindness; supportive people; prayer; the Bible; the online community; nature (trees and sunsets; rain and wind; sunrise; birds...) -- and so much more.

If you get in a funk, what do you do to get out of it?
Does it bother you if you feel like you are constantly complaining, even if you don't express it aloud?

How do you deal with difficult or irregular people in your life? Or are you the difficult person? (ouch) And if you are, how can you change?

Do you try to dwell on the positives of life? What is the latest thing you are grateful for?

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2009-11-29 12:57:16.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/the-thank-you-campaign/feed/ 2 Nicholas Winton, an admirable man http://savvythinker.com/nicholas-winton-an-admirable-man/ http://savvythinker.com/nicholas-winton-an-admirable-man/#comments Thu, 11 Aug 2011 03:38:05 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=4681

In the presence of good

Nicholas Winton, now 100 years old, was a 29 year old London stockbroker who traveled to Czechoslovakia in 1938, where he rescued hundreds of Jewish children from likely or certain death. Winton's parents were of German Jewish descent.

Even his wife didn't know about it until 40 years after they were married, he remarked in 1999.

Everything that happened before the war actually didn't feel important in the light of the war itself.

Winton, alarmed at the time -- and rightly -- that Czechoslovakia would be invaded by the Nazis and Jewish residents sent to concentration camps, persuaded British officials to accept the children as long as foster homes were found and a 50 pound guarantee was paid for each child. He set about raising funds and organizing passage.

Eight trains carried the children to Britain in the months before the war. A few went to Sweden. Many never saw their parents again, because of the Holocaust.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the rescue, a vintage train carrying about two dozen survivors and their families pulled into London's Liverpool Street Station this past Friday after three days journey by rail and ferry from Prague. They greeted Nicholas, frail though he was.

It's wonderful to see you all after 70 years. Don't leave it quite so long until we meet here again. Nicholas Winton

I never heard about him until today when the story of the kindertransports was retold in our paper.

It's quite remarkable that someone in the heat of confusing times would be led to act decisively in a timely fashion without regard to himself to save others and give them life. It looks easy in retrospect, but I bet we don't know the half of it or the persuading that needed to take place. And I don't suppose that 50 pounds each was a small sum in those days, not to mention the cost of passage.

To me, he is a righteous man. The world would have been poorer without him. He's another man I'd like to know. I was glad he lived long enough to be recognized for his part. And not to forget the part of all those who aided in giving funds, some of whom might have been their own families. May their memories be for a blessing.

Had you heard of him before?

Don't be prepared in your life only to do no wrong; Be prepared every day to try to do some good. Sir Nicholas Winton

Karin
www.savvythinker.com
don't steal my posts -- you know who you are!

Originally posted 2009-09-05 11:23:59.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/nicholas-winton-an-admirable-man/feed/ 2 Recognizing a blessing when you see one http://savvythinker.com/recognizing-a-blessing-when-you-see-one/ http://savvythinker.com/recognizing-a-blessing-when-you-see-one/#comments Tue, 05 Jul 2011 01:37:30 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/04/19/recognizing-a-blessing-when-you-see-one/

Take the time to notice, to hear, to smell, to see, to appreciate, to acknowledge, despite the packaging. We can never recapture a moment, but we can expand our moments by being more aware.

Karin

The man whispered, "God, speak to me."
And a meadowlark sang. But the man did not hear.

So the man yelled "God, speak to me."
And the thunder rolled across the sky. But the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said, "God let me see you."
And a star shined brightly. But the man did not notice.

And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle."
And a life was born. But the man did not know.

So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here."
Whereupon God reached down and touched the man.
But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.

Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect.
Unknown author

Originally posted 2007-04-19 10:28:46.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/recognizing-a-blessing-when-you-see-one/feed/ 0 Review: Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore http://savvythinker.com/review-same-kind-of-different-as-me-by-ron-hall-and-denver-moore/ http://savvythinker.com/review-same-kind-of-different-as-me-by-ron-hall-and-denver-moore/#comments Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:46:39 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=7614

I forget now where I heard of this book in the last few days, but it sounded intriguing to me, and the library had it, so I picked it up. The book is written with Lynn Vincent.

Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together I expected the slavery to be in other countries, not my own, the USA, until I read the description.

A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together
Denver Moore was a sharecropper in Louisiana, picking cotton for the Man. No education, couldn't read or write. One day walks off, jumps a train into his new life, which wasn't a whole lot better than his old one. Prison time -- 10 years -- homeless; scary persona so he would be left alone. Sometimes not speaking to anyone for months, purposefully. No animosity to the Man.

But Denver is a man who is quietly, without fanfare, already ministering to another homeless man, curmudgeonly, full of hate for Christians, who calls him a nigger.

Enter Debbie Hall, a woman in a relationship with God, devout, but not a do-gooder. For various reasons she is led to begin volunteering at the local Mission for the homeless. She brings along her husband who has become a very wealthy man through selling art internationally. He isn't too sure about it all.

What starts out as a Tuesday, ends up being more complex. She sees the area ultimately with flowers and picket fences and in a dream she sees the face of a poor man who will save the city. When she spots his face at the Mission, she encourages her husband to become friends with Denver.

Now Denver, he is a man with caution -- for a lot of good reasons, including losses of his own -- and he says he will think over the offer of friendship, as he thinks over everything.

And the next day he asks Ron a profound question: will he catch and release? Will he catch Denver as a friend, then release him? (And this is sort of what Ron had been thinking, that it was a friendship for a time, not for a lifetime. That he would be a kind of Henry Higgins to Denver, not thinking that Denver had anything to offer him, only that he could do a lot for Denver.) (Ron does not skirt over his own faults, including being unfaithful to his wife. But they are seen through the lens of love and forgiveness and the power of a changed life.)

If you is lookin for a real friend, then I'll be one. Forever.

And it is sum kinda friendship, let me tell you. If you want to know what real friendship is, this book is for you. And don't underestimate the power of faith, in belief in God, even if it isn't your particular brand.

This book is the story of their unlikely friendship and of how it changes them both. You will have tears of joy for the sweetness of this book, told in pretty much alternating chapters. The homespun (and Christian and godly) wisdom of Denver -- and his faithfulness in praying for Debbie when she is dying -- will touch your heart. Everyone should have such a friend.

This book will likely increase your faith, even if you feel you haven't any.

I rate it 5***** out of 5. It is easy to read, full of gentle wisdom. One real lesson: learn to see the inward man.

Here's one quote I liked:

And I told [God] I didn't like it. That's the good thing 'bout God. Since He can see right through your heart anyway, you can go on and tell him what you really think.

Yes, you can.

The book deals honestly and realistically with Debbie's illness and dying, something that was completely unexpected. But it is shown filled with prayer, questions, answers, spirituality, visions and angels, which tempers the grief and pain.

Have you read this book? Will you read it?
I believe it will change and deepen your own faith.

If you'd like to see Denver speak (the last few minutes are well worth listening to):

All of the net profits (at least of Ron Hall's, I don't know about Denver) of the book go to help fund the mission.

Buy: Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together

Buy: Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together (Kindle Edition)

There are also

Buy Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall | Summary & Study Guide (Kindle Edition) | BookRags.com

Buy: Faith Lessons From Same Kind of Different As Me: A DVD-Based Study, Participant's Guide

Buy: What Difference Do It Make?: Stories of Hope and Healing

Buy: What Difference Do It Make?: Stories of Hope and Healing (Kindle Edition)

Karin
www.savvythinker.com





Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-same-kind-of-different-as-me-by-ron-hall-and-denver-moore/feed/ 2 Blessed to be a blessing http://savvythinker.com/blessed-to-be-a-blessing/ http://savvythinker.com/blessed-to-be-a-blessing/#comments Sat, 12 Feb 2011 07:44:28 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=4810

One of my favorite Bible passages is when God speaks to Abram, calling him out of Ur of the Chaldees to a place he yet does not know.

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing [my emphasis]: 3 ...and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Genesis 12

I realize that this was a divine message to Abram, but I feel God says something similar to each of us every moment, that we can use our moments to be a blessing, not simply to give one. Perhaps we need to learn to listen to the extent that Abram did.

If we believe that all life is interconnected, then when we are being a blessing in some way it does bless the whole world. (I don't like to think about the converse. Ouch.)

It pays to be mindful of our moments, rather than rushing through them to get to the next place or moment. And maybe that gives a small insight into the popular phrase pay it forward.

I came across a lovely blog this morning, Jake's World. He brings out the importance in music, as in life, of not hurrying to the last note, but savoring the entire piece. (I am guilty sometimes of moving the cursor in youtubes, are you?)

But in “the waiting game,” we can be so focused on what will be (the final note of music) that we miss what is. Within the waiting game is a subtle (or not-so-subtle) belief that tomorrow will be better than today. Now, that may be true. But today is the time and place to make a difference. It’s the only time and place we have any influence over. Jake

And he was listening to this, as I am thanks to him, as he wrote:

Gerald Finzi - Eclogue for Piano and Strings

He goes on to say:

Benjamin Zander, author of “The Art of Possibility” and conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, has a phrase that fits for me. He encourages people to be a contribution. Not to “make” a contribution, but to “be” one. Putting this idea into practice is as simple as throwing yourself into life as someone who makes a difference, accepting that you may not understand how or why. And, by being a contribution, you are one—not tomorrow, not when the waiting ends, but during the waiting! Now. Jake

Try to recognize today the places where you are making a difference, because you are and you do. We are more than a place-holder, we are ourselves the place God shines through.

Here's something I wrote a while ago:

The Lord is my secret place of calm
written for one whose life is unraveling
Order my steps in your word. Ps 119:133
Psalm 23 and Psalm 91
karin@savvythinker.com

The Lord is my sense of calm; I will not be frenzied.
Calm me down, Lord, and let me hear Your peaceful thoughts.

Today was a rush from the word ‘go.’
Too many things, too many demands –
some for work, some for fun –
(even the fun seems a demand when worked in at top speed)
writing this as I drive – trying to hold the thoughts –
working it in – getting it done – more than I thought –
still it’s a race – calm me down, Lord, –
let me feel Your presence in my walk today.

Let me show forth Your face to all I see:
peace that includes all, that lets You order my day.
Calm me down Lord, so I can pray.

This is a prayer, for all that I meet,
for all that I talk to or see today,
that all they will find, or all they will see,
is Your peace in mine: deep peace of Mind.

Limits drop off, constraints fall away.
I can do three things at once today.
All will get done –
the accomplishment’s Yours.
I feel Your presence opening doors.

Lines were not long.
Traffic was light.
I prayed through it all
that it would not be just flight.
And running an errand (and running it was)
I heard myself paged before I was gone:
my credit card was returned without any muss
or having to retrace my steps while I fussed.
Your calm was there to quiet me down:
I never hurried, I just got it done.

Surely Your peace and calm have followed me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell (never hurried) in Your secret place of calm forever.
Thanks be to God for His wonderful sense of calm!

Karin
www.savvythinker.com
don't steal my posts you know who you are

Originally posted 2009-09-17 08:46:10.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/blessed-to-be-a-blessing/feed/ 2 Receiving good things http://savvythinker.com/receiving-good-things/ http://savvythinker.com/receiving-good-things/#comments Sat, 22 Jan 2011 00:42:49 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/05/21/receiving-good-things/

If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come. Unknown author

I particularly love this quote. How can we expect good things to light upon us, if we do not have a place or space prepared to receive them?

...prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Mal 3:7 KJV

I've found myself thinking over the past couple of days that we need to be grateful for the life we already have in order to have more of life -- and it makes our current moments more pleasant.

My youngest daughter asked me tonight at supper if her heart was the size of mine yet, if it were full grown. My other daughter and I both thought she was asking about the physical size of her heart. Instead she was asking if she was going to get more spots in her heart for people she loves or if she had all the room in her heart she'd ever have. I told her, as I've told her before, that our heart makes room for everyone we love. There is always a spot. She would have a boyfriend, children, nieces and nephews, friends... I've told her before, there is a place in her heart for me and also for her birth mother. She can love us both. None of us takes anyone else's place; we each have our own place in the hearts of those who love us.

And our heart makes room for every good thing. There is a place in our heart already prepared. It becomes apparent as it is filled.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-05-21 19:01:04.

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