Stories in Faith - Book Review

This past week I read Stories in Faith - Exploring Our Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources through Wisdom Tales by Gail Forsyth-Vail.

This book focuses on sharing 19 stories from various cultures and traditions to help people develop their faith and create meaning in their lives. The stories illustrate the UU's seven Principles and six Sources as framework for the reader to reflect upon and then act on in their congregations and/or at home.

Some of the stories I was familiar with already - like The Brementown Musicians that illustrated the first Principle: the inherent worth and dignity of every person; the creation story (from the Bible) for the second Principle: justice, equity, and compassion.

There were other stories that I had not heard that I enjoyed reading like The Lion's Whisker which illustrated the fourth Principle: a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; and We Are All One which showed the seventh Principle: respect for the interdependent web of all existence.

What I learned from reading this book is that there are six sources that Unitarian Universalists draw upon:
- Direct experience of transcending mystery and wonder
- Words and deeds of prophetic women and men
- Wisdom from the world's religions
- Jewish and Christian teachings
- Humanist teachings and the guidance of reason and science
- Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions

I particularly enjoyed reading the following stories:
- The Christmas Truce
- Rosa Park's life
- The Mustard Seed Medicine
- Abu Kassim's Shoes
- Sand
- The Green Man

Stories in Faith chose to use stories because "we are collectors and tellers of stories - about our own lives, our world, and those who came before. We find new meaning in creating and sharing stories."

What I liked about this book is that were reflections at the end of each story to think about. For example, at the end of The Brementown Musicians, the author writes, "This story is a wonderful, fun reminder of our first Principle, which affirms the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Four animal characters are discarded for having outlived their usefulness, but they find new life with companions who value them and celebrate their uniqueness. Each is able to make a contribution to the group. And the song they sing together is just the right one to sing."

In the story "The Lion's Whisker," the author writes, " We do not always take the time necessary to nurture and support our family relationships. We can be quick to blame those we love for not responding to us as we would like them to. This story calls us to look inside ourselves for qualities that heal and nurture relationships: patience, kindness, and a willingness to truly notice and appreciate others. It affirms these qualities are present in all of us."

Another story I liked, "The Mustard Seed," shares about how "one of the bonds that unite us as human beings is the experience of mourning....The story reminds us to be intentional about learning how to respond with compassion to the grief of others."

"Abu Kassim's Shoes" shows that "when we are weighted down with self-centered behavior, not engaged with our families, communities, and the world, we suffer."

The story about Charles Darwin shared about his calling "to make his contribution to the world through his gift for the natural sciences and his love for observation and experimentation." It went on to say that the "Unitarian Universalist faith calls upon each of us to figure out how our own gifts and skills can help make the world a better place."

In the story called "Sand," the author said that "it invites us to a renewed commitment to care for our shared home on this planet and deepens our respect for that which we often take for granted. It calls us to gratitude for the independent web to which we belong."

Spiritual Practices A to Z: Joy

In 2015, I began "Spiritual Practices from A to Z" in which I explored for two weeks a different spiritual practice. I made it from A to H (January through April) and then stopped.

I began working with Olivia on the Washington County Barn Quilt Trail along with having more projects with 4-H and homeschooling Sophia and Olivia.

Then my mother died in August 2015; and my sister, brother, and I had to go through the home and possessions that belonged to she and my father (who died in January 2012). Between dividing them among ourselves, donating a lot, and inevitably having to throw a lot away - that was my focus from mid-August 2015 to February 2016.

So, I picked off where I left off and did one more spiritual practice: Imagination in February 2016. I didn't do anything beyond that.

So, now I'm picking up where I left off: with the spiritual practice of Joy. The ideas come from the website Spirituality and Practice. I've noted what I've done and what I would liked to do below.

Spiritual Practices:Joy
Enhances: Happiness
Balances/Counters: Sadness, Sorrow

The Basic Practice

Joy is an essential spiritual practice growing out of faith, grace, gratitude, hope, and love. It is the pure and simple delight in being alive. Joy is the elated response to feelings of happiness, experiences of pleasure, and awareness of abundance. It is also the deep satisfaction we know when we are able to serve others and be glad for their good fortune.

Invite joy into your life by staging celebrations. Host festivities to mark transitions and changes in your life. Toast moments of happiness you notice as you go through your day. Dance — jump for joy — as often as possible. Life is not meant to be endured; it is to be enjoyed.

One of my favorite photos representing joy is of Olivia on the swingset.

She has her head back laughing with pure joy. 

(Taken September 29, 2007.)

Why This Practice May Be For You

We often talk about this spiritual practice in the same breath with its companions. We say joy and sorrow, happiness and sadness, smiles and tears, the ecstasy and the agony. The experience of one intensifies our awareness of the other. Sorrow, for example, may be the price we pay for joy; when we have known great happiness in a relationship, we feel its loss more deeply. Or think of those times when you laugh so hard you cry.

Joy will usually be part of a set of symptoms presenting in your life. The best protocol is to be thankful for the intensity of these feelings. When you are experiencing sorrow and sadness, when the tears are flowing, remember they can be stepping stones to joy.

Top photo: Sorrow and sadness. Mom receiving the flag that covered Dad's casket.

Bottom photo: Mom and Dad together...joyfully celebrating Mom's 80th birthday 

after a delicious lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

Quotes

To find joy in another's joy

that is the secret of happiness.

— George Bernanos quoted in Joy by Beverly Elaine Eanes

A life of joy is not in seeking happiness.

But in experiencing and simply being

the circumstances of our life as they are.

— Charlotte Joko Beck quoted in Open Mind by Diane Mariechild

I have merged, like the bird, with the bright air,

And my thought flies to the place by the bo-tree.

Being, not doing, is my first joy.

— Theodore Roethke quoted in Finding Deep Joy by Robert Ellwood

Pelican we saw flying overhead at Lake Shetek State Park.

(Taken on June 9, 2012)

Books

I read Finding Deep Joy by Robert Elwood. Some things that I found interesting were:
- Joy lies hidden deep down at the heart of all things...dolphins, zebras, and ourselves.
- In some people and places it may be near the surface, in others deeply buried.
- Joy is not only your right, your heritage; joy is you at the deepest level....Yet so often we block deep joy. We get caught up in our routines, our little fears and goals. We merely skim the surface of little puddles of joy as we run by.
- After going through a great personal joy or sorrow...you come to a point where you just don't feel it so strongly anymore. You may even feel emotionally numb.
- Ways that others have experienced deep joy: when I am in nature and feel at one with a leaf or blade of grass; listening to the  birds or the laughter of my children; sitting outside and watching the sunset.
***Think aback over your life and record the moments when you have felt the most joy. Perhaps they have to do with the smell of autumn or the satisfaction of having helped someone. Consider keeping a journal for this purpose.***

I remember seeing these bleeding hearts in May,

not too long after the fire at our farm.

It brought such joy to see them blooming.

I needed to spend some time taking a close look at them, and 

noticing their form and color.

***Pain, disappointment, suffering, and death are realities in everyone's life. Think about your own greatest heartaches and hardships. What can you affirm of value beyond these painful experiences? What can you affirm of value in them? Whatever your present circumstances, list ten things for which you are grateful today.***
- Joy represents a state of equilibrium, one that is tension free.
- In spring, hundreds of flowers; in autumn, a harvest moon; in summer, a refreshing breeze; in winter, snow will accompany you. If useless things do not hang in your mind, any season is a good season for you. The Gateless Gate (Zen text)
- Find an image of your favorite saint. Look deeply into his or her eyes until you catch a little of that saint's joy - real sanctity is caught, not taught!
- What the joyous person has is a radiance, a smiling serenity accented by a twinkle. That person may be of any religion or none.
- You should abstain from harming others, falsehood, theft, and greed; you should observe purity, contentment, study, and religious devotion.
- When you set foot on the spiritual path to deep joy, you must give up all that is untrue to yourself and all that harms others, all that caters to the self-centered appetites of passions, and all forms of excess, while taking on a simple lifestyle, an even-tempered frame of mind, and emphasizing higher things.
- Live in a manner that is congruent with your spiritual practice.
- Your lifestyle and surroundings should be calming, tend toward joy, and foster a sense of living.
- Everything should support the deep unity of life. Work and leisure, friendships and family relations, spiritual and secular activities ought not be split off from each other with different values operative in each; rather, they should blend together as much as possible.
- If you want to find and keep joy, it helps to live in reasonable simplicity, neither in abject poverty nor choked with material goods.
- If you move toward simplicity - living in a clean and neat but unostentatious home, earning an honest living and spending within your means, eating wholesome food and keeping regular hours, you will set the physical conditions for joy.
- Cultivate creativity in your own way. If you enjoy cooking, prepare your wholesome food as creatively as possible. Ornament your house with art or furnishings made by yourself or your friends. Spend part of your free time writing or painting. It doesn't matter so much what you do, but find something creative that you like and feel good at, and spend time with it.

Scrambled egg bake in croissants 

that I baked for Easter 2018.

- Have a collection of books, tapes, and videos on topics consonant with your spiritual quest. Related pictures and symbols might be on the walls.
- You must not try to push anyone else in the household into a lifestyle they have not freely chosen. If they choose to live around different values, you must accept this cheerfully and not let it become a source of contention, just as they must accept your way. All this is part of the love and wise moderation of the path to joy.
- Bad things do happen to good people.
- We must make time to find deep joy no matter what. In times of great suffering, poverty, sorrow, or anxiety - above all, of sadness - it is even more important.
- No obligations imposed by troubles are so great that they preclude all recourse to deep joy, even if for only a few minutes saved for prayer or meditation.
- In real engagement with life, the seeds of joy are always there, for engagement means looking outward rather than toward the self.
- Live here and now, in the present moment. Remember that dep joy is now; pain is mostly past and future.
- Difficulties are opportunities. A stormy passage with another person, a parent, or spouse, may be a chance to build a new and deeper relationship based on better understanding. Or, if this relationship is genuinely hopeless...it may be an occasion for you to grow by realizing that you do not have to b e bound forever to a hopeless relationship. You can make the decision to take charge of your life, cut what chains have to be cut, and open yourself up to new relationships and new centers of meaning.
- The bad times can aid you in learning compassion.

Sophia playing the piano for a resident at the nursing home.

We began volunteering at the nursing home 

shortly after my dad died in January 2012.

- It is the nature of compassion and caring to do all that is humanly possible to  change the situation so that happiness rather than suffering is what is shared.
- We can look at life's ordeals as initiations moving us ahead, teaching us, opening us to wisdom and compassion, helping us explore unexplored worlds, inner and outer. Then we will engage life as it must be engaged, with joy.
*** Think about the major transitions in your life (adolescence, marriage, children, loss of a job, loss of a friend, loved one's death). At each stage, what part of you had to "die" in order for you to become a new person? Beyond the loss, what have you gained? Can you, in retrospect, see an opportunity in the ordeal that was not apparent at the time? Are you in a difficult transition now? If so, what might the opportunity be in it?

Looking at one of the many books that was 

lost in the fire at our farm on May 5, 2018.

I skimmed through Happiness - How to Find It and Keep It by Joan Duncan Oliver since I didn't have enough time to read it before it had to be returned to the library. Some key ideas that I liked:
- Express appreciation, love, and gratitude, even for simple things.
- True wealth isn't measured in assets or cash flower but in how abundant we feel.
- Make sure you're really living now so that later in your life you can say, "I regret nothing."
- Life is nothing but memory. We only know our experience in recollection. What we think, say, and do become the memories that make up our ongoing life story.
- Our life is frittered away by detail...simplify, simplify! (Henry David Thoreau)

Olivia and Sophia at the rest area overlooking Duluth.

Our floors were being redone because of 

water damage from the bathroom on the second level.

So, we got to take a family vacation together which insurance monies paid for 

since we had to be out of the house. 

How quickly these almost-ten years have gone.

(Taken on September 1, 2008.)

I read Jesus Laughed an Other Reflections on Being Human by Jean Maalaouf. Some points that I found interesting were:
- Jesus was fully human - he laughed; and was a radical and rebel.
- He was a catalysis.
- He practiced the art of letting go.
- He enjoyed life: he ate, rested, and celebrated with friends. He must have loved life. He lived with all his heart and out of his depth of being. He enjoyed all the things in life - even the smallest.
- He extended love to the poor, the rich, his friends, foreigners, strangers, "enemies"...to everyone.
- He wasn't well-connected. He didn't have wealth, fame, respect, or anything that the world finds impressive. He was simple and free.

Colorful edge of a quilt that was at a quilt show 

in St. Cloud in June 2018.

Looks like the shape of a cross in this photo.

Films

I've watched both of these films in the past and enjoyed both:

Patch Adams - an unconventional healer dares to raise up joy as a way of life. He demonstrates that often the best medicine for patients is laughter, love, compassion, and play.

Awakenings - a doctor and his patient discover the deep down joy of life when caring rather than curing is the main emphasis in treatment.

Music

One of the best ways to feel in your heart and soul the spiritual dimensions of joy is to listen to the finale of Beethoven's masterful Symphony No. 9, in D Minor, Op. 125. This choral piece is based on Schiller's poem "Ode to Joy."

This piece celebrates freedom by incorporating different musical elements — fugue, march, choral, and recitative — to create an unconventional whole. According to Spirituality and Practice website, "To ride wave after wave of this surging sound is to experience the exhilaration of true spiritual joy and freedom!"

I enjoyed listening to this piece one day, and it did, indeed, make me very happy as I listened to different parts of it. It's worth taking the time to listen to it...even if it is used as background music.

Art

An image of abundant joy is Henri Matisse's Dance. In the first, a girl leans backwards, arms outstretched, as if to embrace the moonlight around her; her blissful look conveys her surrendering to joy. And in Matisse's famous painting, according to Spirituality and Practice website, "...five female nudes dance in a circle on a green mound set into a rich blue sky. Hands joined and limbs fully stretched, they are exemplars of exuberant joy."

I'm not sure I'm seeing exuberant joy in this picture, but maybe others do.

Daily Cue, Reminder, Vow, Blessing

• Passing a smiling person on the street is my cue to practice joy.

• Knowing how much pleasure there is in making others happy, I vow to practice joy.

Practice of the Day

Laughter is the jam on the toast of life. It adds flavor, keeps it from being too dry, and makes it easier to swallow.
— Diane Johnson quoted in Zen Soup by Laurence G. Boldt

To Practice This Thought: Make sure laughter is part of your breakfast menu.

Sophia laughing on Christmas 2010.

Both she and Olivia said it was the best Christmas.

Journal Exercises

• Some of your most pleasurable times with your journal will be when you are re-reading entries about joys. So don't let special events pass without recording what happened and how you felt. Every party deserves a journal entry; even if you only capture one happy moment.

• Occasionally, perhaps quarterly on the solstices and equinoxes, make a list of "What Brings Me Joy." Notice when the sources of your joy change, and add reflections on what this tells you.

Discussion Questions, Storytelling, Sharing

• When in your life have you been filled with great joy? Were you alone or with others?

• Who has been the patron saint of joy in your life? Who has stifled or spoiled your joy?

• Share the story of a time when an act of service gave you great joy.

• What can be done to create a greater atmosphere of joy in your home and community? What will be your legacy of joy to the next generations?

Household, Group, and Community Projects

• Come up with a strategy which will help you "dance the day" rather than succumb to a "been there/done that" attitude. For example, play bouncy music while you scrub the bathroom floor.

• Add a happiness ritual to your celebration of one of the annual holidays. Have members of your group recall three of the most joyous moments you have experienced together during the past year. Write brief descriptions of some of them in a "Moments of Happiness" book that you review as part of this ritual next year.

Prayer Beads - ABC of Summer Fun (Letter P)

One of the activities that I wanted to do this summer was take a class at White Bear Center for the Arts. It's been on my list of things to do, and finally went there to take a class about making and using prayer beads with Sophia and Olivia.

The instructor had many examples of how prayer beads  have been used for thousands of years. Originally beads were used for praying. It wasn't until the Renaissance period that beads were used for ornamentation.

She shared information about African trade beads...

how shells and coral are/were used for beads (the coral ones she got a very long time ago when it was okay to harvest coral)...

She showed different ways that beads are used. For example, in the Catholic church, rosaries are used.

Something I had never seen before that I found interesting were "beads" called milagros or "miracles." They are little metal objects representing a wide variety of things such as body parts, animals, or houses.

The milagros usually are given as an offering to a saint after healing a certain ailment, buying a new home, or receiving news of a trip.

Most of the time they are carried until the "miracle" happens and then given to the corresponding saint.

Another interesting bead is created from the nut of the tagua palm tree. According to the informational card, "The nuts are harvested as part of an initiative to help protect endangered South American rainforest."

The tagua nuts help "forest-based gatherers and artisans earn a living by managing the forest instead of cutting it down. In addition, it helps keep real ivory where it belongs - on living animals."

An example of the tagua nut is on the left hand side in the picture above. The turtle is made from obsidian (a type of rock). The artisans use obsidian to rub away the outside of the nut to get to the cream-colored part. By smoothing the inner part, it turns into a beautiful, smooth bead.

The instructor showed us different types of items created with beads that she has made. What we all liked were these little pouches that were created using the peyote stitch. The entire pouch/purse is very soft and flexible even though it is made up of hundreds of beads.

Inside the pouch is a little written prayer. Another pouch had some Irish coins in it.

After the presentation, it was time to make our prayer bracelets. The stringing method she used is simple: a large bead, three small beads, a large bead, three small beads, a large bead, three small beads, a large bead, and three small beads.

All together, there are 4 large beads and 12 small beads. We talked a bit about the symbolism of the numbers 4 and 12; and how they are represented in a variety of ways in the world around us.

When you use a prayer bracelet, there is a different focus when you come to each of the four large beads. At the first one, you pray for yourself. At the second one, you pray for your family. At the third one, your community; and the fourth one, the world.

For each trio of beads, you say a different prayer three times.

The bracelets can be worn or placed somewhere where you would see them regularly and would benefit from focusing or meditating on something. The size - only 16 beads total - lends itself to a quick re-focusing during the day which is beneficial to anyone.

After we learned about the format of the bracelet, we looked at the variety of beads that we could use to make our bracelets.

It took a while because there were quite a few different types of beads and colors.

We chose some colors...decided it wasn't exactly the look we were after...and then chose again.

Sophia was debating between a couple different types of large beads.

She found the ones she liked and began stringing the beads together.

I set my beads up in a row and then dumped out some of the tiny seed beads.

Olivia put her beads in order as well.

After the stringing process, we tied the ends together.

It was important to pull the string out a couple of times before knotting it; and then gluing it.

As we were letting the glue dry for about ten minutes, the instructor shared some more ways that prayer beads are used. The ones below are for a horse blessing and barn blessing.

This is my finished bracelet. The large heart-shaped beads are millefiori beads. According to Wikipedia, "Millefiori is a glasswork technique which produces distinctive decorative patterns on glassware."

"The term millefiori is a combination of the Italian words "mille" (thousand) and "fiori" (flowers)." Before the 1850s, the beads were called mosaic beads. More currently, "the millefiori technique has been applied to polymer clay and other materials. As the polymer clay is quite pliable and does not need to be heated and reheated to fuse it, it is a much easier medium in which to produce millefiori patterns than glass."

Olivia's bracelet has four large center beads. Her bracelet - though using the same pattern as mine - has a completely different look which is neat.

What I like about art is that we all can use the same materials (beads) - yet come up with such completely different results.

The girls and I thoroughly enjoyed our first class at White Bear Center for the Arts. We hope to go back again during the summer for another class.

Unicorns, Unitarian Universalism, and Utopian Society - Blogging from A to Z Challenge

This year for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I'm focusing on going through my homeschooling files that I've created from the time that Sophia and Olivia were in preschool.

Some of the files are still relevant while others I will be decluttering and recycling in the process. Each day during April, I will pick one of the files to focus on - either doing a hands-on activity or sharing some information from one of the files.

For the 21st day - Letter U - I am focusing on Unicorns, Unitarian Universalism, and Utopian Society.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Unicorns

This file brought back memories of when Sophia and Olivia were younger. I didn't have much in it - just an idea for unicorn puppets and a picture of a collector plate with an image of a unicorn being led by a fairy.

Unicorn artist trading card I embroidered.

The image would have delighted them when they were young.

Olivia with unicorn face painting

(Taken on July 11, 2009.)

It is described as follows: "What fantasies our imaginations spun to brighten the nights when we were young! Fairy princesses and unicorns would lead us to enchanted realms."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Unitarian Universalism

One of the articles I clipped was by Kathleen Rolenz called "Speaking with Many Voices." She said, in part, "One of the great strengths of Unitarian Universalism...is our belief that spiritual wisdom speaks with many voices....Every new person we encounter has something to teach us. Values such as love, peace, compassion, and justice are expressed in every culture and tradition all over the world, in beautifully and powerfully different ways."

She continued, "Learned from and about each other helps us practice true hospitality."

The girls having a tea party with a Hungarian theme.

(Taken on October 29, 2008.)

Her article challenged the reader to be "...engaged in the perpetual search for truth and meaning. What any one of us knows and has experienced is only one piece of the truth. Let us open ourselves to what we can learn from each other, as well as from those we have yet to meet."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Utopian Society

Utopian societies fascinate me. There was an article in the National Geographic magazine my parents received back in March 1976 about a self-sufficient utopian society known as Padanaram. The village had a million-dollar-a-year sawmill and supported the 140 citizens who lived there.

They grew food in their organic gardens, had their own homes, homeschooled their children, did their own handiwork, and lived without televisions or - essentially - a connection to the outside world. The kids played outdoors and when they turned seven years old, would receive a pony to care for and ride through the 2,000 acre village.

Basket of yarn.

(Taken on September 8, 2011.)

Many years ago, the founder died and things went through period of transition. Padanaram is still operating today, though they have more of a connection to the outside world.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In the process of going through the files that began with "U," I recycled 1/4 of a bag of papers.

Hermit Crabs, Health, and Homeschooling - Blogging from A to Z Challenge - Letter H

This year for the Blogging from A to Z challenge, I'm focusing on going through my homeschooling files that I've created from the time that Sophia and Olivia were in preschool.

Some of the files are still relevant while others I will be decluttering and recycling in the process. Each day during April, I will pick one of the files to focus on - either doing a hands-on activity or sharing some information from one of the files.

For the eighth day - Letter H - I am focusing on Hermit Crabs, Health, and Homeschooling.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hermit Crabs

Most hermit crabs have soft abdomens, which make them vulnerable to predators. To better protect itself, a hermit crab locates and carries with it an empty shell. When danger approaches, the crab pulls its entire body into the shell.
- There are about 500 known species of hermit crabs throughout the world.

Source

- Most hermit crabs are aquatic and can be found in saltwater tidal pools, on shallow coral reefs, and on the bottom of the sea.
- There are a few species of terrestrial (land living) hermit crabs. These types can grow quite large (as big as a coconut) and quite old (up to 30+ years old).

Source

- They are social creatures and usually do best when kept in groups.
- They molt and like to "bury" themselves in dirt or sand during this vulnerable time. After molting, they will search for a larger shell to use for protection.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Health

Health is more than just eating well. Below are some lifestyle suggestions for a healthy, happy life:
- Give generously of yourself and your resources.

Sophia and Olivia visiting John at the nursing home

before a Halloween party.

(Taken on October 28, 2013.)

- View everything and everyone you meet with gratitude.
- Live each day happily without focusing on your problems.
- Treat yourself to regular daily quiet time - study, pray, meditate; recharge yourself.
- Foster a sense of humor.
- Include exercise as part of your daily life.

Heading out to go canoeing on Gunflint Lake.

(Taken on June 5, 2013.)

- Try to keep your home in good order...You are your home.
- Minimize television watching.
- Drink plenty of clean, filtered water each day.
- Offer thanks before and after meals.
- Do your best to be on good terms with people - family, friends, and co-workers.

When a challenging day appears - even a challenging hour - use items that are in a Peacemaker's Basket that you've created. All of the items within it should be meaningful and relaxing.  Possible things to include:
- lavender essential oil
- beeswax candle and matches

Nine candles we burned on Sophia's ninth birthday.

- aromatherapy hand lotion
- poetry book
- journal and pen
- letter writing supplies (including stamps)
- hot chocolate packet and a favorite mug
- photo of you as a child
- favorite inspirational message
- incense
- small piece of dark chocolate
- prayer beads

Prayer beads that I made.

(Taken on October 12, 2012.)

- special, small crocheting project
- inspirational book
- photo of loved ones
- items from nature

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Homeschooling

Pointers for Avoiding Homeschool Burnout:
- Nurture your spiritual life.
- Articulate your vision for homeschooling. What's your mission? What are your goals for your children and family? Are your current actions and time commitments consistent with your vision?
- Take care of yourself physically.
- Schedule an hour of quiet time every day. Read, crochet, or write letters - anything that helps you unwind.

Crocheted prayer shawl I made for my mom.

(Taken on December 27, 2009.)

- Reevaluate your time commitments.
- Figure out what comforts you, and do it. Take a half-hour for tea in the afternoon to regroup and recharge for the rest of the day.
- Take time to be alone.
- Learn something new.
- Do something creative. Knit, sew, paint, or write.
- Break your routine. Have breakfast for dinner. Let the dishes go until morning.
- Change your teaching approach. Have fun with your kids! Put away the textbooks for a day.
- Take long walks as a family.

Hike to the monument at Lake Shetek State Park.

(Taken on June 10, 2012.)

- Keep a gratitude journal.
- Praise your children for their academic progress and for the good things you see developing in their character.
- Do a service project together as a family.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In the process of going through the files that began with "H," I recycled 1 more bag of papers. I'm up to 9 bags of recycling since April 1st.

Friday Foto Friends + UU Lent - Photo a Day - March 3, 2017

Breathing In Grace

Today I'm joining Deb for Friday Foto Friends. Come join us and share your photos!

This past week I came across the 2017 Photo a Day for Lent. For the 40 days from March 1st until April 16th, the challenge is to "intentionally reflect on a daily word, carry out awareness throughout the day, and capture an image that represents the word for us."

On Sundays, the goal is to not only reflect on the word, but "also embody and enact it in our lives." Words like: partnership. Resilience. Sanctuary. Mercy. Understanding. Hospitality. Rejoice.

What do these words - and 40 others - look like in one's life?

So far this week the two words have been quiet and surrender. To be honest, I didn't focus as much as I could have on the first two days because I'm also doing the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge and trying to write one letter per day for 40 days. This was in addition to getting ready for the 4-H meeting on Thursday, March 2nd.

At any rate, as I looked at the photos I took on March 1st, I actually did take one that represented quiet. It's of three of the four dogs resting in the dining room/living room. Cooper and Scooby are laying on the floor; and Aspen has the couch to herself. Danny is upstairs resting on Sophia's bed.

The four dogs - just six weeks ago - did not know one another. Scooby and Danny joined our family (they were a bonded pair who we adopted from the humane society) in January. At first, each bonded pair needed be kept in separate rooms, let out at different times, and walked on separate sides of the road.

Now, after a slow introduction, they are able to be in the same room together and have quiet times together which is nice.

The second word for the week so far is surrender. When we came home from the 4-H meeting last night, we brought all the bags of supplies into the house. The dogs were so eager to see what was in them.

Scooby, I believe, remembered one of the first times he was here and I came home from shopping and put bags on the floor. Sure enough there was a special toy in one of the bags that he found.

Now he thinks each time I bring bags into the home there's something for him. Well, he indeed found something in one of the bags he liked: a little stuffed dog.

His tail wagged and he carried around the stuffed animal. He found a spot on the rug to relax and chew on the toy...his back legs relaxed behind him.

He happened to put down the stuffed dog for a moment and one of the other dogs quickly grabbed it. Scooby looked up with a look like he surrendered - and lost - something he had come to quickly value. He was needing some help retrieving it....thus, the look up at us.

Eventually, the stuffed animal made its way back to Scooby. The nice thing about Scooby is that at ten years old, he's patient and forgiving of the younger dogs. He's such a good dog, and we are fortunate to have him (as well as Aspen, Cooper, and Danny) in our lives.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 6

I'm half way through The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge. The sixth day asks what are six regrets you have from 2016.

The prompt is not about looking back with negativity, it is about identifying where we went wrong so we can take a more positive route in the future.

1. Spending too much time volunteering with one organization. Although I love volunteering, I overcommitted my time to one organization. What I didn't do was set limits on what was enough.

So, while everyone seemed to be enjoying everything I coordinated, it came at an expense: less time with my family, less time creating memories to look back upon, not enough time with certain homeschooling subjects (particularly the ones that were more difficult and require more teaching time), less time spent doing hobbies I enjoy, and less time spent outside.

In essence, I traded a significant part of this past year for creating experiences and products for other people. I need to create boundaries and limits with my time so I can do the things that I enjoy doing and spending it with people who truly matter in my life. 

2. Not being able to save as much as I had hoped. Although we were able to pay off our debt (except the mortgage) with inheritance money, it still hasn't resulted in the hope I had for saving a significant amount of money for retirement and emergencies. It seems like it is one challenge after another this year.

Perhaps 2017 will be different...or maybe I need to structure things differently so meeting my goals is possible.

3. Not beginning yoga or walking as much as I wanted to during the past year. I have the DVDs and the mat for yoga. I just never started.

I wanted to take the dogs for frequent walks...started in the spring and then Cooper got Lyme's Disease and was sick for quite a while. I was so worried about the deer ticks and it happening again. So, I let fear be my excuse for not taking him and Aspen out.

This fall - once it had cooled down and walking was easier on them (they have a challenging time with high heat and humidity), I took them on some walks. And then it got cold. Both dogs aren't able to walk in the snow or ice without their paws freezing. We've tried the dog boots and they either come off or the dogs won't walk in them.

Poor time management...health issues..fear...weather. It's a lot of excuses. Some legitimate and others that are just that: excuses for an easier/lazier way of life.

4. Not sticking with regular spiritual practices. At one point, I was writing and doing a lot of creative projects as part of my spiritual practices. When I began over-volunteering, the spiritual practices fell to the wayside.

I look at 2012 (the year my Dad died). I did so many creative things and challenged myself to learn new things. There was a feeling of accomplishment and moving forward even though I was grieving.

2016 feels like a year of stagnation and poor decision-making. It was a year of coasting more so than active engagement in life...or at least that's what it feels like to me.

Having regular spiritual practices challenged me to live a more full life. It's time to get some of these practices back in place and make them a priority.

5. Not spending as much time outdoors with Sophia and Olivia; the dogs; and myself. We used to spend a lot of time outdoors exploring the farm and nature. Everything was fascinating and beautiful. We used the Handbook of Nature Study and we would do nature journaling. I have many fond memories of those years.

We used to go on walks at the state park...or even down the road with the dogs. I had actually put in my calendar state parks that I wanted to explore in 2016 - ones that we had never been to that looked like they would be pretty places to visit.

We didn't go to any of them. Not a one. Again, it was because of #1.

I'm going to write down the names of those parks in my calendar again this year. This time we're going to visit them...go hiking with the dogs, camping in a yurt with the girls, and maybe try some new food over a campfire.

6. Trying to please and accommodate everyone's needs. This applies mostly the 4-H club I lead. During the summer, there was considerable interest in the club and 99 people were at the first club meeting this year.  There were way too many people - and some of them simply showed up without letting me know. It was insane.

To effectively handle that size group, we used three different meeting spaces at the community center. Yet, in order for meetings to run well, for safety reasons, and noise control, not everyone could be in one space.  Some people weren't happy with the new arrangement.

Then as the months went on, there was one challenge after another: we couldn't cap the enrollment on the club even though we couldn't handle any more youth; we set up a website for a major event only to be told it had to be redone on the organization's main website; we tried to design a t-shirt for our club, but no one liked the design specs that we had to use; and some families needed another space where their kids could run around indoors and be loud. The community center isn't that place.

As much I tried to accommodate everyone's needs, it's not possible. And, honestly, I have no idea why I felt the need to try to offer something for everyone and meet everyone's needs. It can't always be done.

The original reason why I wanted to lead a 4-H club was to give Sophia and Olivia more opportunities to be leaders with 4-H and build their leadership skills; and have them be able to meet and do things with other homeschoolers. Simple. I need to re-visit those goals and pare down what I do in 2017. It is the healthiest thing to do...and one that would support my overall life goals.