Dear Me, 2017

This year you want MORE!  

More quality time spent on refreshing or purposeful activities.
More time with God, family, nature, and art.
More gratitude.
More understanding of the differences in others.
More kindness. 

You also want LESS!
Less concern over things outside of your control (which is most things)
Less stress (created by not doing the above)
And you want MORE of LESS!
Last year you reduced clutter and plastic. You want more of less clutter and plastic.

You also want LESS of MORE!
Enough already!  Computers were supposed to reduce paper piles and files. You want much less of paper clutter! Figure it out! Digitize those photos while you are at it!

 
Only 4 things....
That is all. 

Writers Are Thinkers

Have you ever asked someone how they think?

The answer might surprise you.

Long ago I realized that I was a slow reader...waaaaay back in the 1960's. There was a box... a cardboard file box filled with stiff, shiny cards...sitting on the windowsill in my fourth grade classroom. Upon these cards were short, encyclopedia-like blurbs about things like engines and planes and spaceships. The cards were color-coded, and depending upon how FAST you were ~ or how much you comprehended ~ you got to read the better colors. Always somewhat of a rebel, I quickly realized that I didn't want to compete to read. I wanted to read to understand. And that takes time. 

The writer in me was born in fourth grade.

When I read, I hear each word in my head, making it impossible to read fast. Not only that, but I re-read to give me time to think about what I'm reading.

In my teens, I told my sister about hearing words in my head whilst reading.   

"Really? You hear words?" she smirked.  

"Yes, don't you?"
"No." 

My sister is an artist.

This started me thinking...(which I also do in words).

How is it possible NOT to think or read in words? Words are the only medium of thought that I can imagine.

I like to think. And I like to think long and slow. 

Hence writing.  

Writing is the ultimate tool of thought for me. Why? Because a writer is able to probe thought, tweak it, purify it, CREATE with it. A writer can paint on the canvas of someone else's brain, forming pictures of thought in another person's head with her combination of words. She can teach, share, bring forth emotion, explore, document, heal, bless.

A writer is a thinker. 

Stop.

        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taking the opportunity to write (and think) for 5 minutes on the prompt provided by:
lisajobaker.com Five-minute-Friday

Remembering Three ~ How to Write a Pantoum Poem

She is one and she is one hundred.

And stretched out on the ground,

Earth's energy flows freely.

It is effortless, like breathing.

And stretched out on the ground,

She remembers being three,

Effortlessly, breathing.

She remembers carelessness.

She remembers being three.

Were there no worries, then?

She remembers carelessness.

It feels right.

There were no worries then.

Her bare feet feel the earth's pull.

It feels right.

Effortlessly, breathing

Her bare feet feel the earth pull away.

Earth's energy drifts away freely. 

It is effortless, like breathing.

She was one and she was one hundred. 

~

I love how the pattern of this poem helps define its shape. Wanna try?

Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
Line 5 repeats line 2
Line 6
Line 7 repeats line 4
Line 8
Line 9 repeats line 6
Line 10
Line 11 repeats line 8
Line 12
Line 13 repeats line 10
Line 14
Line 15 repeats line 12
Line 16

End the poem this way:

Repeat the 2nd line of the last stanza
Repeat the 4th line of the last stanza
Repeat line one of the poem.

The Center of Our Home

We have a few places in our home that have become galleries. The one that gets rearranged most often stands in CENTER the of the home, a focal point from the side door ~ something visible to all who enter.

The photo above shows a display from the day I wrote about my grandmother's apron. That day, the exhibition included artwork by two of our granddaughters, a copy of a print I ended up using to decorate our office, some homey magnets, and a dry-erase board that we used to keep track of the food items we needed to buy. The central photo is from a calendar, preserved and enjoyed for 13 years under a cheap, Plexiglas cover.

Today all that changed.

I took advantage of a scripture memorization opportunity offered through the ministry of Ann Voskamp.

"Scripture Memorization for the Rest of Us: The Jesus Project...the Soul Sustaining Words of Jesus. From the Gospel of John... rendered artistically, to make us see BEAUTIFUL in the Words of God.."

Now it doesn't take much for me to see beauty in the words of God.  But to see the words of God displayed beautifully in the center of our home, and not only see those words, but to meditate on them and let them feed the souls of all who read...this was an opportunity I seized upon!  I printed the larger version of the free download and slipped it into my Plexiglas frame, using the old calendar as a border.

Next to the memorization art on the fridge, is a reminder to pray for Beauty, my little friend across the ocean. 

Can you see a theme, developing? At the center of our home is the Word, the word is God, the Word is beautiful, full of grace and compassion. Compassion that spans the globe.

I found Beauty through the ministry Compassion International. Beauty wants to be a nurse one day.

"Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults."  

If you've ever considered sharing a small portion of your wealth with a child in poverty, then please take this opportunity to click on the link to Compassion, and select a dear little soul to bless.

Here is a link to the free printables: A Holy Experience 

Easy Crock Pot Ham and Potatoes and Moist Hands.

Today I used some of the spiral ham my brother and SIL gave us for Christmas to make crock pot potatoes and ham, Au gratin. (We've already enjoyed the ham with re-fried beans con queso & a salad on the side. And we've snacked on ham, sliced Gouda cheese and gluten-free crackers.)

A gluten-free recipe

Where do the moist hands come in?

While washing potatoes, separating the nicer ones to be baked, and the gnarly ones to be peeled ~ I put a small dollop of coconut oil into my hand and rubbed the skin of each potato. At the end of this process, I rinsed my hands lightly to remove potato debris and rubbed a paper towel vigorously between my palms. Walla ~ moist hands and potatoes ready to bake fora different meal.

Now on to the recipe: 

(Expand to suit the size of your family.)

Easy Crock pot Ham and Potatoes

One smallish crock pot
2 Tablespoons butter
3 potatoes, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 cup ham pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 generous pinch of love (I add this to all my recipes.)

Drop butter into crock and turn to low. Slice onion, chop ham into bite-sized pieces, shred cheese. Peel potatoes onto newspaper (hopefully you are composting). Layer potatoes, onion, ham, cheese to the top of the crock.

Hint: I usually turn my crock on high for one hour, then to low for 4 hours. If you plan to do this, set a timer to remind yourself to turn it down. Using this method, our meal was done in 5 hours and extended another hour, waiting for us to be ready.

I served our dinner with steamed broccoli and my very first batch of homemade sauerkraut.

Use the "Print Friendly" button below to print a copy of the recipe, with or without photos. ~Enjoy!

A Welcome Opportunity

She stands in the shadows, hands clasped behind her back, excitedly awaiting her turn to step onto stage and play her unique role.

Her name is Opportunity. She offers prospects to grow, learn, expose, refine, fix, humble, laugh, redeem, create, bless, cry, sing, run, save, stretch, garden, eat, earn, heal, share, enjoy, spend, pray, hug, listen, master, lean, repair, minimize, expand...

Whether I sit in the audience, anticipating the experience of a lifetime, or work as a stagehand sweeping the crumbs; whether I play a supporting role, securing the wire to the harness of the person who soars across the stage, or perchance it is my time to soar...this year will find me beholding the opportunity in each moment...hoping to discover, glean, observe, and share its distinctive assets.

Each opportunity awaits. Welcome 2014.
_________________________________________

In previous years I have chosen to ponder Open, Step, and Intention.

Have you chosen a word? If so, I'd love to hear about it.

The curtain is opening...Welcome
_________________________________________

Listening : "This Moment"

I was inspired this week by two people:

The first was my yoga teacher, Mary.

Mary delivers a beautiful card to her students at the beginning of each year with a sankalpa, or resolution that is stated as fact (or faith). Interestingly, this concept is also called an "intention."  And since Intention is my word for 2013 I listened,...well, intently. Here is the lovely sankalpa written on her card, which I have placed in the center of my home:

"I listen to my heart's whispers." 

The second inspiration came from Sheila, a fellow blogger and new friend who has purposed to post, (in her words) : "...a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember." farmhousewife

Sheila also inspired me to think harder about self acceptance.  If God accepts me as I am, why don't I?  Hmmmm....I'm thnking about that one.

In honor of these two women and their ideas, I've decided to post a photograph each Saturday that depicts one single moment that spoke to my heart, or my intention, causing me to think, to feel blessed, or to change.  Unless noted, "This Moment" will be seen through my camera lens.

If you're inspired to do the same, tell me about your "intention', or leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see."

~Blessings to you,
Becky

A Word for 2013

Since 2011, I've begun each new year with a word choice -- a word that would become a point of meditation and even decision throughout the year ahead.

My first word, 'OPEN,' became a password, causing hinges on closed vaults to budge, inviting me to consider, probe and try things I would have ignored before "open" presided over my decisions.

The logo for 2012 was 'STEP,' a logical word to follow open. Step invited more adventuresome decisions and even ended up in the title for another blog: Step into Our Garden.

However, with 'step' and 'open' as influence peddlers, I noticed that life became cluttered with a few chotchkies with no clear purpose.  Thus, my word for 2013: Intention.

The mantra for 2013 reflects my desire to become more aware of what lies behind my choices.  I plan to study my intent and I intend to pay close attention to how it lines up with my desire to be time-wise and purpose-wise.

I'm certain 'intention' will inspire editing of the hubbub created by the previous words.  But more importantly, I hope this word will rejuvenate the connection between the intentions of my Father-God and my own, as His indwelling Spirit gives me the wisdom and power to choose and do his will, performing His intention in my life.

I'm linking this post with the lovely Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop at Deborah Jean's Dandelion House.

Step

In 2011 I was challenged to choose a word to focus on for an entire year.  Having recently entered a new phase of life, I chose the word OPEN.  It is amazing how many times I thought of this word before making a decision. As it turned out, "Open" was operative!

This year's word is STEP...as in step out, step in, take a step.

The first step...

I didn't choose this word, actually, it chose me.  But I accepted it -- which reminds me how I came to God.  He chose me, but I accepted.  It is fascinating, isn't it, when we look back at all the events in our lives that happened because we took the first step?

I look forward to this year's steps, admittedly, with some trepidation.  It is my MO to wait until I'm sure before I take steps --  not entirely a bad thing:

"The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps." Proverbs 14:15

With wisdom from above, enabled by a loving Lord, my steps are firm. I look forward to the walk, and I wonder where the path will lead.

One thing I do know; I know who is walking beside me. And, as evidenced by this chart, where the foot goes, the whole body goes!

"Father, walk with me as I step out, step in.  Make my steps firm.  Make them count.  Help me bring peace wherever I trod."

Love, Becky

If you liked this post, please click the following link to step over to a place I love to go; and read about other word choices.

http://theletteredcottage.net/word-of-the-year-link-party-2012/

  

Open Please

Last night we opened the door and walked into Kelly's warm and cozy home.  It was filled with our peeps.  The first to greet -- with a swoop -- was the ever-smiling, Daniel.  As Jim and I rounded the dividing wall, I looked into the sweet faces of my little women (and my little women's little girls) sitting around the table.  Could anyone be more blessed?  Apparently so, for out on the porch were all their men -- two strong and silent types, a mover and shaker, and the one who has our back! 

When the men came in, the two groups merged and there was a discussion about some of the implications of the tragic shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and several other people.  This kind of event can not help but cause people to think.  It jerks us out of our everyday lives and the plans we have made, to think about how fragile life is and how suddenly all can change, and what is really important.

Then Kelly shared an idea she'd discovered.  Choose a word and focus on it for a year, perhaps blogging about the results.  Emily immediately blurted "Patience!" Then the discussion moved on.

For some reason, the word I think I'll choose is "open."  There are other contenders  ( trust, explore ) but OPEN seems to cover those as well. 

Open to God's will for my life.
Open to Jim's business ideas.
Open to new experiences.
Open to hear others.
Open heart.

What's your word?