MAKE ME A CHANNEL OF YOUR PEACE

By Lori Carmody

In our families, neighborhoods, schools, cities, states, nation, and world ~

MAKE ME A CHANNEL OF YOUR PEACE
Where there is hatred, let me bring love
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord
And where there's doubt, true faith in you.

MAKE ME A CHANNEL OF YOUR PEACE
Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there's sadness, ever joy. 

MAKE ME A CHANNEL OF YOUR PEACE
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
In giving to all that we receive
And in dying that we're born to eternal life.

IN MEMORIAM:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/15/586095587/17-people-died-in-the-parkland-shooting-here-are-their-names

Thanks for reading,

Lori

#Florida  #ChannelOfPeace  #Day12

VALENTINES FOR LENT

By Lori Carmody 

It makes perfect sense to me that yesterday, the start of the Lenten season for Christians, was also St. Valentine’s Day.  What if both being on the same day wasn’t just happenstance?  What if our celebration of love on Ash Wednesday was pointing us in the direction of observing Lent with love being in the for front of our minds over the next 40 days (especially in light of the Florida High School shooting)?

As we know, God asks unusual things of His people.  He asked Noah to build an ark in the middle of the desert.  He asked a virgin to have a baby.  You get my point.   So, yesterday He may have asked us to hold love (valentines) together with Ash Wednesday (you are dust and to dust you shall return).  Unusual to say the least.  Or not?

In my mind, this translates:  Act in love towards all while holding in the back of your mind that life is short.

Let me share with you a prayer written by Joyce Rupp that I have adapted.

Faithful God, in these Lenten days we pray:

to live deeply, with purpose, 
to live freely, with detachment, 
to live wisely, with humility, 
to live justly, with compassion, 
to live lovingly, with awareness, 
to live gratefully, with generosity, 
to live fully, with enthusiasm.

Help me to hold this vision and to daily renew it in my heart, 
becoming ever more one with you.
Amen

From time to time we all forget we are meant to be Valentines to one another.  Yet life is short.  Perhaps we need to remember from Ash Wednesday that we are dust and to dust we shall return.  We were given a gift yesterday; a reminder that we are created to do both; love with a BIG VALENTINES LOVE and to remember that we won’t have forever to share our love with others.  God is counting on us to live the next 40 days with both in mind.

Thanks for reading.

Lori

#BIGLOVE  #LENT  #DAY11

I WONDER

By Lori Carmody 

With St. Valentine’s Day in mind, this poem by Derek Tasker touches my heart and moves my will.

I WONDER

I wonder what would happen 
If I treated everyone like I was in love with them,
Whether I like them or not and whether they respond or not
And no matter what they say or do to me
And even if I see things in them which are ugly twisted petty cruel vain deceitful and indifferent,
Just accept all that and turn my attention to some small weak tender hidden part
And keep my eyes on that until it shines like a beam of light
Like a bonfire I can warm my hands by
And trust it to burn away all the waste which is not
Never was
My business to meddle with.

May the business of living the fullness of St. Valentine’s Day begin with us all.

Thanks for reading.

With wholehearted love,

Lori

#ValentinesDay  #BigLove  #Wonder  #Day10

A HUMMINGBIRD SHARING LIGHT

By Lori Carmody

I was doing some gardening and saw this hummingbird in one of the bushes tucked away in her nest.  

How often do I slow down enough to notice what is right in my path but hidden just below the surface?

Marveling at the beauty in this moment of discovery, I asked myself …..

~  Do I need to take a break in my “nest” for a bit and simply savor the beauty surrounding me today?

~  Hummingbirds are physically light.  Do I need to lighten up?  Am I weighted down with doubt, anxiety, fear, agitation? 

~  Hummingbirds move their wings in a figure eight pattern which is a symbol of infinity.  Do I need to pause before moving forward with something?

~  Hummingbirds are adaptable.  Is there something I need to step back from, notice, discern, and then see from a new perspective?

In Native American cultures, hummingbirds are symbolic of good luck, joy and love.  How might I better embrace these gifts today?   Is this, perhaps, an invitation for you as well?

Thanks for reading.

Lori

#Hummingbird  #SelfReflection  #Symbols  #Day9

MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING

By Lori Carmody

The classic best seller, Man’s Search For Meaning by author-psychiatrist Viktor E Frankl, speaks of the meaning of life through his experiences of being in the Nazi concentration camps (Dachau and Auschwitz) for three years and his private logotherapy practice following World War II. 

Frankl asserts that we discover our meaning in life in three unique ways:

1. By creating a work or doing a deed of achievement or accomplishment
2.  By experiencing a goodness, truth or beauty in nature and/or culture or by deeply loving someone
3. By the attitude we take towards unavoidable suffering in so far as transforming our unavoidable suffering into something that has meaning for ourselves, someone else or for the world

This book is so powerful that, rather than writing my own synopsis of the greater points, I would prefer to give you several quotes from the book in hopes that they will whet your thirst to pick up the book and read it yourselves.

• Love is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire.  (pg 49)
• He who has a “why” to live can bear with almost any “how”.  (pgs 9, 84, 109) (Written with moving examples from the death camps)
• There are two races of men in the world but only these two – the “race” of the decent man and the “race” of the indecent man.  Both are found everywhere; they penetrate into all groups of society.  (pg 94)
• Freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness.  That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.  (pg 134)
• If one cannot change the situation that causes suffering, he can still change his attitude. (pg 148)  (Written with examples from his logotherapy practice treating depression, suffering of all types and guilt)
• Public opinion pollsters recently reported that those held in highest esteem by most of the people interviewed are neither the great artists nor the great scientist, neither the great statesmen nor the great sports figures but those who master a hard lot with their heads held high.  (pg 149)
• So, let us be alert – alert in a twofold sense.  Since Auschwitz, we know what man is capable of.  And since Hiroshima, we know what is at stake.  (pg 154)

Originally written in 1959, these words continue to speak today.

Thanks for reading.

Lori

#MansSearchForMeaning  #BookLover  #2Races  #Day8   

STRIVING FOR GREATNESS

By Lori Carmody

This wonderful boy was having breakfast with his Pa and Grandma when I met him.  He was building tabletop towers of jam & honey, playing sugar packet football, teasing his little sister unmercifully and generally making my morning!

I thought the shirt he was wearing was perfect for his infectious smile and the scene I was observing. He was definitely “striving to be a great” protagonist as a big brother, football star, and overall 10 year old boy.

Our culture tells us every day what greatness “should” look like.  

Should we believe what we hear?

I invite us to define it for ourselves – be it greatness in living life, loving well, forgiving, employment goals, practicing mindfulness, gratitude, health, faith, joy, finances, or even victories at sugar packet football!

And for those of us striving for excellence, perhaps The Beatitudes could be our guide ~ blessed are those who are meek, who hunger for righteousness, who are merciful, are peacemakers and pure in heart (Matthew 5:1-11).  

What are you striving for today?

Run after it with all the gusto you have.  

Wear it like a motto on your shirt for all the world to see because others just may be watching!

Thanks for reading.

Lori

#StriveForGreatness   #Beatitudes  #YouAreTheExample  #Day7   

COLD NOSES & WAGGING TAILS

By Lori Carmody 

Our first dogs taught me about complete acceptance and love beyond all bounds.  Rhody and Dandy were the constant joy factors in our lives…ALWAYS happy to see us, ALWAYS by our side, ALWAYS there to remind us we had a friend.  I miss them.

Our next little guy, Tucker, taught me about comfort.  He was there when Matt left for college and our family went from 4 to 3 living under our roof.  Tucker was still with us when Kaitie went to college and we became empty nesters at home.  Although he barked a lot and that got on our nerves, his barking was something I treasured when Tom traveled and I was in the house alone at night.  Tucker was my consummate guard dog and sofa lapdog.  I miss him.

Donald Hicks writes, “Those who teach the most about humanity aren’t always humans”.  I agree.  Dogs bring hope, loyalty, companionship and unbridled love to the world.

It has been said that the day God made dogs, He just sat down and smiled.   

I think that is just about right.

Thanks for reading. 

Lori

NOTE:   A friend of mine, Diane Odegard Gockel, is a children’s book author.  She has two books that are “written” by rescued dogs.

Check these out:

IS RANGER IN DANGER?   https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Is+ranger+in+danger

BELLA SAVES THE FARM   https://www.amazon.com/Bella-Saves-Diane-Odegard-Gockel/dp/0989631710

#DogLover  #DogFanClub  #Day6