Savvy Thinker » Hope 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 A little crochet story from Italy’s earthquake http://savvythinker.com/a-little-crochet-story-from-italys-earthquake/ http://savvythinker.com/a-little-crochet-story-from-italys-earthquake/#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:24:23 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=2897

Have you read the story of the 98 year old woman rescued under the rubble of her house after Italy's recent terrible earthquake?

When asked what she did alone in the dark for 30 hours? She crocheted! What a gal! I'd love to see what she crocheted.

I don't think it is possible to keep a woman like this down.

My dear grandmother was quite a crocheter but she stopped long before age 98. She made one beautiful bedspread out of the equivalent of string, the thread was so tiny.

Do you crochet?

I like to crochet, but lately I've been knitting.

Karin

Originally posted 2009-04-10 00:31:23.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/a-little-crochet-story-from-italys-earthquake/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 Seeing the present moment as a sacrament http://savvythinker.com/seeing-the-present-moment-as-a-sacrament/ http://savvythinker.com/seeing-the-present-moment-as-a-sacrament/#comments Sun, 02 Oct 2011 21:41:22 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/2007/09/06/seeing-the-present-moment-as-a-sacrament/

Maybe, I put blinkers on, but I can't remember any miserable times in my life. I see the present moment as a sacrament. It's all about sacrament -- eating, conversing, being with friends, telling a good joke and making people laugh. Sister Immaculata Knox

Seeing the human and divine coincidence in the particular, individual, mundane, even normal moments of our lives is a way of recognizing and appreciating the sacred in our days. Maybe if we connect the dots of these moments it is a help when we are going through rough waters.

Because you will forget your misery and remember it as waters that pass away [water under the bridge.] KJV Job 11:16 and commentary on NKJV

It is certainly something to hold onto and claim when things are tough. And when they are easy, it multiples the good in it to recognize it and to see God as the source of it.

Sometimes we go in the strength of our reserves. It's a truism then that we better have some. Every time we see the present moment as a sacrament, I think we are adding to our reserves, then we have something to draw upon when needed. Other things that build reserves are getting enough rest; taking care of ourselves, not putting ourselves last; making sure we eat at regular times; being with those we love and who love us; laughter; growing spiritually; a little inspiration; reading a good book; listening to a mentor...

One pathway to hope is to choose your memories very carefully....put a frame around them. So many hopeful things happen day in and day out, but we lose them if we don't stop for a moment, think about them, and consciously frame them. Arthur P Ciaramicoli

How do you build your reserves? Make it a priority.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-09-06 15:31:01.

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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 Hand feeding hummingbirds (and finances) http://savvythinker.com/hand-feeding-hummingbirds-and-finances/ http://savvythinker.com/hand-feeding-hummingbirds-and-finances/#comments Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:10:57 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=1114

Just when it seems like a bit of good news would be exceedingly welcomed, comes this true story (I've checked it with Snopes) about a woman hand feeding hummingbirds.

Isn't it great that with the Internet we have a way to easily share these experiences that we might never hear about otherwise?!

Thanks to Cathy for sharing with me in the first place!

It's a reminder to me that "God's in his heaven; all's right with the world."

from "Pippa Passes"

The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's dew-pearled
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his Heaven -
All's right with the world!

Robert Browning (1812-1889)

Is it possible that in these difficult times we could trust more deeply that God will feed and clothe us, as he does the birds and the lilies? Whether we are literally in need of food, shelter, clothing, water, health, employment or any of a myriad of other needs, the most basic need is for the ideas that will lead us in the right direction and out of limitation.

Ideas are always limitless! (This goes along with the short movie I posted earlier.)

Not too long ago while pondering how I should schedule my day, though my first inclination the night before had been to get on down the road and back home, I felt it was all right to meander a bit. In doing so, I had a number of interesting conversations with strangers, some welcome time with a friend, and a bit of fashion enjoyment, including some time with perfumes.

After I'd been back on the highway for a while, an electronic sign informed me of an accident 26 miles down the road. One lane was closed. (I learned later that it had only cleared about an hour before I got there.) If I had hurried my way home, I would have been stuck for hours while they cleared the road. I was able to get past it without any lost time.

Sometimes we do not know what we or others are protected from, but this time it was apparent. And it could have been far worse, but thankfully wasn't. On this busy stretch of road, many more could have been involved in this accident but were not.

That's just a small example of how ideas will clear our day for us. Expect ideas today and always that will help you!

Karin

Originally posted 2008-09-26 09:26:43.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/hand-feeding-hummingbirds-and-finances/feed/ 0 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 Running at the back of the pack http://savvythinker.com/running-at-the-back-of-the-pack/ http://savvythinker.com/running-at-the-back-of-the-pack/#comments Sun, 24 Jul 2011 21:48:24 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=5483

Do you ever feel that the harder you run, the behinder you get? That running at the back of the pack is a metaphor for your life?

A friend who began running some 10 or more years ago, and keeps up a slow, but steady pace told me that her local race no longer welcomes her, but the more prestigious race a bit farther from home has a place for her. That's the better race anyway!

I've been out with my friend when she was stopped on more than one occasion by someone who admires her pluck and verve, not to mention doggedness. All qualities that translate to life. And they wondered why she was walking. (She was with me!) (I do tell her to be wise in the sleet and snow.)

It seems the elite runners welcome participation by others. Whereas the more average marathoner holds different views.

...legendary gold medalist Frank Shorter says the criticisms of slow runners are “snobbery.” “You never hear that from elite runners,” he told me. “Elite runners admire other people’s performance. I find it much better to welcome slow runners to the club than to vote them out.”

Greg Meyer, who in 1983 was the last American man to win the Boston Marathon, says that when he hears such complaints from average marathoners, he replies, “If it wasn’t for the run-walkers, you wouldn’t be finishing in front of anybody.” The NY Times

Does running last mean we should give up the race?

I love this quote from Isaiah:

...they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Is 40:31

It helps me to know that whether we run through life or walk, our particular pace ensures our place. There are times when we have to slow down due to life getting in the way. There may be a time later when we can once again pick up the pace.

It's not so bad to be at the back of the pack, at least we are in the running!

And then again, if we are a runner through life, do we stop to smell the daisies or to help fellow walkers? Speed isn't everything.

Are you a runner or a walker?
And do you run marathons, literally or figuratively?

Karin

Originally posted 2009-11-03 12:10:18.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/running-at-the-back-of-the-pack/feed/ 0 Review: have a little faith by Mitch Albom http://savvythinker.com/review-have-a-little-faith-by-mitch-albom/ http://savvythinker.com/review-have-a-little-faith-by-mitch-albom/#comments Fri, 22 Jul 2011 20:55:55 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=7151

I thoroughly enjoyed have a little faith ... a true story. A friend loaned me her copy yesterday, saying I would love it. She was right.

Albom also wrote Tuesdays with Morrie and other books.

Albom was raised in the Jewish faith. But he had drifted away, making more and more time for work and less and less for any sense of religion, except he would go back home and sit with his parents in his seat in the synagogue for High Holy days. He never joined a temple where he lived.

During one of his visits, the only rabbi he ever knew as his rabbi, the one from his childhood, asks him if he would write the eulogy for his funeral, not that he is dying, but he is in his 80s.

And so begins the true story of a return to faith.

Albom feels he must get to know the rabbi better, so he begins to fly in on weekends and ask him questions, the large questions of faith, interviewing him. Do you believe? Why do you believe? How did you survive the loss of your 5 year old daughter? How did you reconcile it to your faith? Do you believe in heaven? What about forgiveness? What comes after this life? Will we meet again?

And about the same time he meets a Detroit pastor, ministering to the poorest of the poor, who himself had been a convict, drug user and who-knows-what-all-else. For a long time Albom doesn't trust that the man is real. His before-story seems so beyond belief, to come from that into this.

The book is written not quite in alternating chapters, but close. One chapter will be the story of the rabbi (Albert Lewis) as it unfolds. Then a chapter will be of Henry Covington. And occasionally there will be excerpts from Lewis' sermons.

I felt it was a privilege to walk the path of faith with these three men. After all, each of our faith walks is different, but all of value to God.

Have you read this book?
I give it 4 stars out of 4 stars.

It is also available for Kindle:

Karin

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Originally posted 2010-08-25 15:24:56.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/review-have-a-little-faith-by-mitch-albom/feed/ 0 Finding a way out of disappointment, discouragement, despair http://savvythinker.com/finding-a-way-out-of-disappointment-discouragement-despair/ http://savvythinker.com/finding-a-way-out-of-disappointment-discouragement-despair/#comments Sun, 17 Jul 2011 18:39:57 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=7191

Life can be tough at times, that's for sure.

The adage: Into every life a little rain must fall holds little comfort, and I'd prefer real rain, thank you very much. Or the adage: When life gets tough, the tough get going, may be a whole lot easier said than done, when it comes to battling it out in your own life.

This quote came across my computer, and it started me thinking:

In every life there is some disappointment, but discouragement is a choice. In every life there is some disappointment. To become discouraged means it’s the way we think about disappointment that keeps us discouraged or encouraged. Mary Morrissey

Anybody who's ever fought a battle with discouragement, knows how difficult it can be. But it's the only way up and out of that black hole.

As I thought about this quote, it seemed to me that discouragement settles in when disappointments stick around for the long haul. Momentary disappointments are small blips on consciousness, but if they pile up, or if we see that there will be no changes, discouragement slides in the door and takes up residence.

And if discouragement settles in for very long, its companion despair shows up to sit alongside and whisper into consciousness. Also, serious grief skips the disappointment stage altogether and moves right into discouragement and despair.

I find it easier to catch at the disappointment stage than I do at the discouragement or despair stages.

Sometimes if I feel I could have done better than I did, I find myself disappointed in myself. That gives me two things to handle! And if I don't catch myself, I spiral downward.

Here are some things that work at times for me:

*It sometimes helps to have someone you can truly share with.
*I try to be good to myself, to be as accepting of my own humanness as I am of others'.
*I try to build up some strength in the easy moments.
*I try not to think about things, when I am overtired or need to eat or if life is crazy-busy (which I try to keep to a minimum.) (I'm laughing a bit at that right now, since I have to check my hall calendar to see what each day requires of me for the family.)
*I choose an activity that makes me happy: see a movie, read a book, do something with a friend or loved one, have some tea, take a walk, admire things that are beautiful, have a quiet time to myself...
*I try to make changes or ask for changes, if at all possible, not that they always happen. In fact, if I'm honest, they rarely do. The only change I can affect is within myself -- and that's not too easy all the time either.
*I try not to keep a tally of disappointments, but rather of the good things that occur.
*I look for hope and express some gratitude.
*I pray for the ability to accept the things that just are and for a way out of the hole, if I am in it.

This prayer is a good reminder to me:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr

Knowing the difference can be a huge key.

What works for you?
If it's not raining in your life right now, you can be happy about that!

Karin
www.savvythinker.com

Originally posted 2010-09-21 14:12:26.

Online Stores ]]> http://savvythinker.com/finding-a-way-out-of-disappointment-discouragement-despair/feed/ 0 Review Thor (no spoiler) http://savvythinker.com/review-thor-no-spoiler/ http://savvythinker.com/review-thor-no-spoiler/#comments Sun, 29 May 2011 23:35:33 +0000 Karin http://savvythinker.com/?p=7818

I thoroughly enjoyed Thor when I went to see it. It is a guy's movie that gals will appreciate too. (Chris Hemsworth!) (actually the storyline too.) It got a good review in our paper, but I wasn't sure if I would necessarily like it or not.

It pretty much had a winning combo with Kenneth Branagh directing Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman, not to mention Chris Hemsworth playing Thor (whoo hooo.) I was pleasantly surprised that Hemsworth's acting was not one-dimensional like so many comic characters might be and have been. Tom Hiddleston plays Loki, Thor's brother. I loved Idris Elba as Heimdall, the keeper of the pathway.

The story
Thor and his hammer can win most any war, but war is not always the wisest course of action. He feels he is invincible and leads his friends into a situation that could have tipped the balance of power against his father and his reign. Thor is set to be crowned the next king, but his father realizes he is not ready. Surprise! (for Thor.)

In the background is a traitor whose identity will be revealed and his motivation and his background which isn't as it seems. If you've read the comic book, you probably know who this is. Otherwise, no spoiler.

As a result of the near fiasco, Thor's father, played by Hopkins, banishes him to earth along with his hammer, which has been separated from him. Only the person worthy of the hammer will be able to use it.

Of course, then the hammer is investigated (and protected) by certain US agents. And Thor must find his way back to it and be able to use it.

How this is accomplished, which you know it will be, is the essence of the movie. Portman helps him in this endeavor, as does her colleague (Stellan Skarsgård) (I always like him.) And his friends stick with him, against the traitor, even as he sticks with them. Through the process, Thor learns to lead and to protect.

There is a good moral, or more than one, in the story. It is a kind of parable. Among them: Watch your back! Protect yourself. Don't go into situations unwisely.

Do not leave before the end of the credits!
If you do, you will miss an important scene/preview -- and the credits roll and roll and roll, but do not give up! It is worth it.

Have you seen it?
I give it 3*** out of 4****, as did our paper.

In Norse mythology, Thor (from Old Norse Þórr) is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, destruction, fertility, healing, and the protection of mankind. wikipedia

I love the Trollbead Thor's Hammer bead -- there may be a link to it lower on the page.

Karin
www.savvythinker.com


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