A few reflections before a break :0)

I am planning to take a break from blogging while so I thought I'd leave my dear lovely readers with a nice L.O..N....G ........! post to chew over lol ;0)
By the way the knitted bunny link didn't seem to work on my last post so here it is again in case you missed it! http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/bunny-pattern.shtm

Here's an extract from "Today's Catholic Family"

You are called to discover the Kingdom

The secret of adulthood.

Wordsworth once wrote:

Heaven lies about us in our infancy;

Shades of the prisonhouse begin to close

Upon the growing boy;

But he beholds the light, and whence it flows

He sees it in his joy.

The youth who daily farther from the East

Must travel, still is nature's priest,

And by the vision splendid

Is on his way attended.

At length the man perceives it die away

And fade into the light of common day.

The fading of the " Vision Splendid" into the light of common day is a loss that many adults experience. In his book How to meditate, psychologist Lawrence Leshan speaks of it as something of ourselves we once dimly and unknowingly had and have lost, without knowing what it was or where or how we lost it.

Many adults feel the loss. Once we enter the world of adult and family responsibility, life becomes work, work, work.

Life becomes the joyless burden of Adam and Eve banished from paradise.

Peace of mind and a sense of joy are what many of us really seek. We want to experience life and take pleasure in the simple things. We want to break down artificial barriers and be ourselves. We want to be real with each other. We want to live life in the vision splendid! Is there a way to regain that vision?

The vision regained

In his first letter to corinth, Paul wrote, " When I became a man I gave up childish ways." Paul was addressing a group of adults who were trying to upstage eachother by claiming they had various spiritual gifts. These Christians were so busy with their petty scheming and rivalries that they had lost sight of their original vision. They had fallen into the trap of playing games with each other - a characteristic of the adult world.

What Paul was telling them is that all this adult game playing is really "childish"

Opposed to " childish" is the radically mature vision Jesus revealed. He said: "Change and become like little children".

This strange advice sounds really foolish. And by our adult standards it is. That is the point.

The vision that is offered to us cuts through the adult foolishness that makes us unhappy.

Very simply, in Paul's words, the foolishness of God is wiser than men.

God's foolishness knows what adult wisdom does not know:

That we cannot make ourselves happy.

What the wise child in us wants is unattainable - but we can attain it by entering the world of Gospel simplicity. Kitaro Nishida a philosopher once wrote in his diary " If my heart could become pure and simple like a child. I think there can be no greater happiness than this." We can become like that. WE can experience what Saint Paul called " the glorious freedom of the children of God"

The proposal is utterly serious. Become like little children. Embrace Trust, Wonder, Innocence, Joy in it's fullest.

The family of the kingdom.

Jesus of Nazareth, the travelling preacher, had no property, no children, no steady job. You might not think such a person would be a great family man. But he was exactly that. The difference for him was that everybody was family who wanted to belong.

It all stemmed from the way Jesus saw reality. To him, home was the presence of God. He was aware of God the way you are aware of yourself - always and everywhere. In those days it was considered irreverent to speak the name of God in public. The name was too sacred. But Jesus went much further than saying God; he called God "Abba" - Beloved Father.

His relationship with God was so deep and natural that it was catching. Everyone he influenced was drawn into it.

Jesus was a rabbi, a religious teacher. But because of the way he saw reality he was not like other rabbis.

Jesus' awareness was that the father is preparing a great banquet for us in his kingdom. The strange thing about this banquet is it's time and place. The time of the banquet is now. Jesus was constantly telling people that the banquet has already begun. And the place for the banquet is not somewhere else. it is right here!

Jesus insisted that the kingdom of God is right in the midst of you.

This awareness was so deep and radical that even today people still do not grasp it very well, The banquet for the kingdom is here and now? What does this mean?

John the baptizer was a contemporary of Jesus, a visionary holy man if ever there was one. John was incredibly strict on himself, His clothing was made only of camel hair and his food was locusts and wild honey.

John told people that the kingdom is at hand and told them to repent.

Jesus said something similar, but his awareness of God was vastly different to John's. In Jesus' awareness the banquet had already begun: this was no time for strict fasting. So Jesus made the rounds eating and drinking with all kinds of people respectable and sinful.

The contrast between Jesus and John was so sharp that a saying about it appears in the gospel: " For John came neither eating and drinking and they say he has a demon; the son of man came eating and drinking , and they say Behold a glutton and a drunkard..."

Jesus was not a glutton or a drunkard, but he was very serious about the banquet. The time is now, he would say. The kingdom is in our midst and the banquet has already begun.

The Kingdom Here and Now.

No one can tell us what the banquet really is. It cannot be explained, it can only be discovered. But we do know this: God is involved in it. God is Beloved Father, and you are his Beloved Family. Your family is part of God's family. Every person in your family, respectable or otherwise, has a place in the kingdom.

No one can define the kingdom. It has no boundaries of time and place. But this much is known: for you, it is here and now in your family. The nature of the kingdom is such that you experience it through others - especially those who meant he most to you.

The kingdom is not something you can make happen. Only God can do that. It lies in your future with God. The kingdom appears in your midst to lead you forward into that future. You and your family are pilgrims traveling to a kingdom that is not of this world.

The banquet you are called to is not literally a meal.

As Paul wrote, " the kingdom of god does not mean food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit"

You cannot create this peace and joy,

But you can discover it and experience in your spouse, your parents, your children, your brothers and sisters. Through obedience, kindness, compassion and giving of self and through all the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Whenever you make each other happy, the peace and joy of the banquet are a reality you actually experience.

Whenever you forgive each other or do something to heal a wound. God is at work within you.

When you look at each other and realize that the Father is calling this person to communion with himself, the kingdom is in your midst.

The person who called us to the kingdom is very family minded. To him, his Father mans everything. Bringing people together to experience the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit was the whole point of his life. His family is everybody who wants to belong to it and his invitation to the banquet is especially for you.

You must believe that.

Otherwise, it does not mean much to say: "

The kingdom of God is in the midst of you."

Family exercise.

1) The most kingdom like quality each member of our family possesses is ( Write each person's name and personal quality)

2)The thing about our family that means the most to me is...

( Describe how you feel, and how different your life would be without his reality.)

3)The last time I experienced the peace and joy of God's kingdom here at home was when.... ( Describe what happened and how you felt about it.)

4)The happiest memories I have experienced in our family.....

5)When has my family (or a family member) really supported me, forgiven me or helped me when I needed it most........

6)When I stop and think that the kingdom of God is right here in our family, I realize that ......

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I have also been thinking about the transformative powers of praise, thankfulness and gratitude

recently. Since starting my own gift list many aspects of the everyday have been "transfigured" transformed.

The bible is strewn with thankfulness, praise and gratitude...

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord,and to sing praises unto thy name, O most high:To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night— Psalms 92.1-2

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness there

of. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice— Psalms 96.11-12

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us,and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:be thankful unto him, and bless his name.For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;and his truth endureth to all generations.— Psalms 100.1-5

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of Lords: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.— Psalms 136.1-9

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God.— I. Thessalonians 5.16-18

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually,that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.— Hebrews 3.15 (65 AD)

Visit this link below for mte about the gratitude community :)

http://aholyexperience.com/2006/11/gift-list-thousand-things.html

"but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise." Isaiah 60:18

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And here is a lovley prayer I found over at Christ's Rose

God, make me brave for life: oh, braver than this.

Let me straighten after pain, as a tree straightens after the rain,

Shining and lovely again.

God, make me brave for life; much braver than this.

As the blown grass lifts, let me rise

From sorrow with quiet eyes,

Knowing Thy way is wise.

God, make me brave, life brings

Such blinding things.

Help me to keep my sight;

Help me to see aright

That out of dark comes light.

~Author Unknown~

This is something I am embracing. The fact that I am broken and that is okay. So long as I hand all the pieces over to God, he can make me anew................................ :0)

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And to finish up..... some words from John Wooley

The almost instinctive speaking of My Name when life is dark and uncertain ...
the cry of a child for the One who can draw close; the cry of a child when reasoning ceases to function, when all is threatening, when human help is absent, when confidence is lost. The speaking of My Name brings into the foreground of your situation the one vital factor. My name can be said in helplessness... but said in joy and thankfulness only seconds later! Thankfulness at being brought through that state of helplessness.
The speaking of My Name ensures, immediately, the retreat of evil forces . . . acknowledging that they are defeated in their aim for your life.
My child, the whispering of My Name ... On waking ... On surrendering to sleep ... And very frequently during each day!

I will be with you when you go through deep waters.(Isaiah 43.2)

*

Everything can speak to you of My love, if only you will listen with the Spirit’s ear.
My presence with you, My love for you, are the things in which you rest…… they encircle your life. Think much of the indivisibility of the trusting child and its Maker. My gift to you is the sense of My nearness. This sense must touch every aspect of your life…..Always see, in Me, the One who has promised what no-one else could, able to convert those promises into a wonderful reality; they are not too good to be true! My promises are not lost by human failings, provided that, in sorrow over failure, My path is resolutely taken again, with a reaching-out to Me for renewal.
Tell Me at the start of each day of your intention to keep in the way which I have shown you. My way, applied to the details of that day, will then be increasingly clear to you. Make use of all that I have given you. Are you trusting My promises? It is that or nothing.

I will never forget you- your image Is on the palms of My hands

(Isaiah 49:16)

A few resolutions, ideas, links and random thoughts :0)

I love this picture. It seems to bring the overwhelming reality and truth of the time of Jesus's birth into such a simple scene of sheperds amoungst their flock at dusk.
I've been thinking about the manger and the simple stable that welcomed our saviour into the world all those years ago and how Christmas time reflects this most amzing, yet humble of births.

This Christmas ( and maybe even from now on Every Christmas)

We, as a family have decided to celebrate "Jesus's Birthday" as Bujana says ) a little differently. A way that will help us to better find the child in the manger in Bethlehem. Even though it may take us to a place far away from what may seem to be the Christmas we recognise. Far from the crowds on the high street and the TV movies and the turkey and trimmings of today. Too a simple stable in a small little unknown town amoungst sloping hillsides flanked with a the sheep belonging to the first visitors of the baby.

It all starts humbly enough with the idea that we'll pretty much make all our of our presents and cards.

It's actually been a really fun and creative experience this last few weeks, for the children and I think it will help them ( and us) really enjoy the true meaning of Christmas.

We hope to buy supplies for an orphange with the money we save so that the children can understand that children far away from us somewhere in the world will know that someone cares about them and is thinking of them on Christmas Day.

The only presents and cards we have agreed to buy will either be from the World Vision
Gift Catalog
Fair Trade Apparel stores or Charity Shops in our home town. There are some wonderful ideas in the World Vision Gift Catalog and the Fair Trade sites have some really one of a kind things here are a few more links :
Fair Trade Scarves
Fair Trade Bags & Purses
Fair Trade Gifts
Fair Trade Jewelry
Fair Trade Home
From Africa
From Burma
From Tibet
Save Darfur Products .

And of course I totally love Charity Shops too and have found some amazing bargains from them. Including some great clothes toys yarn for knitting and fabric for sewing!

I thought I might share with you some of the things we have already made and/ are thinking of making as Christmas presents this year.

Pink DAisy Knitted hair slides

Knitted shoe bunnyShoe BearShoe baby!Saint Therese of the Little Flower's "Good Deed Beads" How to Make Sacrifice Beads

Mini Art works made from recycled aliminium cans!!!Hand stiched scrap book for journalling, doodling sketching or writing epic romantic poetry in :0) Lil' Shortbread hearts ( a firm favourite in this house)Lavender and Rose soap cup cakes.

Sceanted Lavender bags made with lavender from our own garden.Handmade cards using recycled aliminium.Prints and photographs for framing, making into cards, and gift tags :0)green tomato chutney made with our own home grown tomatoes chillis and red onionsMy own favoutie Plum and Pear Jam yummy spread thickly with butter on warm Irish soad bread!And of course, homemade chocolate truffles mmmmmmm! Heres a link to a great recipe for these :http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/chocolatetruffles_1807.shtml

And for a really quick and super easy knitting pattern to make your own little knitted rabbits as presents click no further than this link http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/bunny-pattern.shtm ( the correct link this time sorry ) I have already knitted a Mama rabbit for my eldest and have finished the squares for three little baby rabbits for the ounger girls. The Mama Rabbit and her litter of babies only took me two evenings to complete! It's the easiest and cutest pattern!

Making things for eachother and thsoe we love is really a special experience. I want the girls to really experience the beauty of Christmas tide with simple but lovingly prepared food, candle light, singing and music, family friends, a sense of giving and wonderment, long walks in the woods, our church masses and a feeling of thankfulness pervading all.

This is a start! :0)

ILLUMINATED

"Simply whisper the name of Jesus, all throughout the day, remind Him of how much you love Him, thank Him for the day, no matter what kind of day that your having. Rediscover that bond of love and joy and peace that comes simply by being in His presence. When you do this brothers and sisters, your prayer life will change dramatically, but not only your prayer life, your life itself. For when we walk in continual prayer we begin to see the beauty of the Lord everywhere. If it rains, we see His beauty in the raindrops, if the sun shines we see His beauty as the flowers turn themselves around to face the glory of the Son. If it is cloudy we see his beauty break through the clouds in beams of light that remind us that despite the momentary darkness, He is not finished with us and that His light is ready to break through."
Frank McEleny

Little Pearls

"The details make life holy. If you want a little happiness in life don’t forget to look at the little things. It is a poet’s work to see the incidental, pluck it, place an appropriate silence around both sides and see the profound in what passes for a passing moment. It is an artist’s job to as much discover art as create it. Prayer is a way of making the common profound by pausing, tying knots around a moment, turning our life into a string of pearls."

Noah Ben Shea

Here are a few little pearls from today... "Tilly" our new pet dog! (According to Bujana ;0)

Candle light at sunrise. A big sister helping a little one play twinkle star on the piano.

Homemade lavender oil with the lavender from our very own garden. Perfect for after bathtime, relaxing little bodies ready for sleep.

Playing "Peek - a - boo" behind the curtain:0) I just can't get enough of that cheeky grin :0)

Our Weekend!

A few pieces to share from our weekend.

Emmy found this beautiful, transparent leaf in the garden and brought it in to take a picture of it.

Time for Piano practise girls!
Hey you missed your timing sis!

Move over here comes the professional! One of my great joys is listening to Emmy play the piano.

Here are my beautiful three "big" girls! There were just to many other exciting things to do in the garden for Seraphina other than have her picture taken ( like dig out my red onion plants for instance ;0)

The dresses they are wearing come from charity shops and in total their outfits in total probably came to around £8. We have stopped buying new clothes completly now. Apart from underwear, swim suits and school uniforms, we either sew our own, buy from a fair trade store or from a charity shop. Besides saving lot's of money it feels good to know that charities are being helped out. REcycling of course helps the environment too! And of course aids the fair trade cause.

One of the things I love most is watching Matilda and Bujana using their imaginations in the garden. This weekend they made a bird nest, became nature detectives ( looking for signs of Autumn! Dug out and planted their own pretend garden, made a pretend camp fire, became bears in a bear cave (under the kitchen table covered with a blanket) and were pirates in their very own pirate ship with wooden swords and a gangplank and everything!Here is their pirate ship! THe umbella is a sail. Or as Bujana rather pragmatically remarked it may also come in useful if it should rain out at sea!


THey love creepy crawlies of all kinds! Here is Bujana catching ahem... (rescuing) a spider in a spoon!

We had a wonderful weekend!

On Satuarday morning we welcomed the arrival of 5 little baby bunnies! The proud parents are Peter and Poppy our black and white dwarf lops. The babies have been named, so I am informed, Pixie, Digger, Beau, Wiggles and Flopsy. They are totally blind, almost naked and adorably cute. The funniest thing is the little grunting sound they make as they snuffle about in their nest.This is the nest that Poppy built for her babies. Isn't it snug! She used plently of fur so she is now quite patchy and lots and lots of warm, sweet smelling hay.

Even though it is September the Dahlia's and Sunflowers are at their peak. I just love the way the crisp Autumn sunlight brings out the details and colours in the flowers.
Sunflowers just make you smile don't they.
All the little ones love to play in the sandpit. It is a goldmine for inventive play. They pretend to plant, they dig for treasure, they build castles, they sieve, they make sand pies and sand cakes, they bury their little hands and toes, they make tracks for their toy cars and trains to run on...

We used up the last of the plums from my parents garden and made lots of plum and pear jam!

I never use a recipe to make jam ( or anything else) but somehow it always turns out really nice. I like jam that has a rich fruity taste, sweet but not over sweet and full of pulpy pieces of soft fruit! Plum and Pear jam is probably my favourite of all.No my draining board is never clear lol ;0)Emmy doing her favourite thing in the world. Read one of her beloved books!

By Sunday afternoon... Well this is how you'll find me lol ;0)
Emmy preparing for evening bible reading and prayer time. Peace in His Friendship as the day find's it's rest.