Sabbath song for a nation of devout consumers...

By Wendy Francisco c2009 Crack O' Noon Music ASCAP Download "God and DoG" gifts, t -shirts, and free wmv file at www.GoDandDoG.org.

 

The Long Lost Silent Night

 it was a foggy sunrise this morning

by Bill McKibbon...read the rest of the article here and visit my hundred dollar holiday website here...

But that’s not the real culprit. Much more, it’s the way all the noises that we choose to listen to have infiltrated our minds. We’re caffeinated, buzzed, wired, plugged-in. In one recent survey, only 19 percent of Americans said they wanted a "more exciting, faster-paced life." Excitement can’t excite us anymore.

What can excite us – what can make us salivate the way a circus could make some Kansas farm boy salivate – is the prospect of a lull, an interlude. Stillness scares us (that’s why the TV goes on when we walk in the hotel room) but it attracts us, too. If there’s one thing we’d really like from Christmas, I think, it’s a little of that "season of peace" that the greeting card writers are always promising. It’s one of the reasons "Silent Night" is the all-time favorite carol. There’s a moment when we sing it each year at the end of the Christmas Eve service, with the lights out and everyone holding a candle that frames their face with soft light, and that marks for me the absolute height of Christmas.

If there’s one way in which the world has changed more than any other since 1840, one thing that’s truly different about our lives, it’s that we’ve become such devout consumers. That consumption carries with it certain blessings (our lives are long and easy by any historical standard) and certain costs (first and foremost the damage it causes to the rest of creation). But the greatest cost may be the way it’s changed us, the way it has managed to confuse us about what we really want from the world. We weren’t built just for this life we find ourselves leading – we were built for silence and solitude, built for connection with each other and the natural world, built for so much more than we now settle for. Christmas is the moment to sense that, the moment to reach for the real joys.

I am challenging myself and others to create A Hundred Dollar Holiday this year...

A Hundred Dollar Holiday - How To Create a Homemade Christmas

I have updated my Squidoo Lens...click the above link to get tons of information on creating a beautiful holiday celebration for less than $100.

You want to make a memorable Christmas holiday for your family but you have no idea how to do it! We will explore ways to make a beautiful Christmas memory without spending a lot of money.

I have always been a make it, take it kind of person. There will be how-to's, ideas, recipies, videos, and much more. New stuff will be added daily...so chack back often!



angel art by Rebecca E. Parsons (Cre8Tiva)

Please share a favorite homemade idea, your family holiday traditions, or special things you do on Christmas Eve or Christmas day in the guestbook at the bottom of the page!

"So the reason to change Christmas is not because it damages the earth around us, though surely it does. (Visit a landfill the week after Christmas.) The reason to change Christmas is not because it represents shameful excess in a world of poverty, though perhaps it does. The reason to change Christmas - the reason it might be useful to change Christmas - is because it might help us to get at some of the underlying discontent in our lives. Because it might help us see how to change every other day of the year, in ways that really would make our whole lives, and maybe our entire 365-days-a-year culture, healthier in the long run." Bill McKibbon - see his book below...read the rest of the article here...

MERRY  CHRISTMAS  EVERYONE!

Lord, help us find our way back...

My Sabbath Song today is about our world and the economic path we have taken the past few decades... and i pray...Lord, help us find our way back...

as i pursue my dreams i have often asked the Lord to guide me to my deeper purpose...and He has responded by leading, and sometimes dragging me kicking and screaming, into my deeper purpose...

"Most of the companies I admire in the world I think have a deeper purpose. I've met a lot of successful entrepreneurs. They all started their businesses not to maximize shareholder value but to pursue a dream." -John Mackey, CEO and founder of Whole Foods Market, Inc. in a Wall Street Journal interview

looking to increase shareholders gains seems to have enabled a few blinded by greed people to bring our economy and our very lifestyles to the brink of collapse...

"Over the past few years, there clearly has been an erosion in the country's financial values. This erosion has happened at a time when the country's cultural monitors were busy with other things. They were off fighting a cultural war about prayer in schools and the theory of evolution. They were arguing about sex and the separation of church and state, oblivious to the large erosion of economic values happening under their feet." -David Brooks, The New York Times

we can no longer do business as usual..nor should we look to the past to repair the present and the future...we must look for new ideas and new people to be the visionary leaders who will accompany us on our journey out of this darkness and despair...

"Select capable men from all the people...men/women who fear God, trustworthy men/women who hate dishonest gain." -Exodus 18:21

if we had not been trying so hard to negate and devalue our "one country under God" founding principle...perhaps we could have elected/followed/believed those capable, trustworthy individuals who hate dishonest gain and not have been led to this place we find ourselves in today...

yet i stand firm in belief that we will find those visionary leaders who are out there for everyone to see...

"My deepest vocation is to be a witness of the glimpses of God I have been allowed to catch." -Henri J.M. Nouwen

and we can catch a glimpse of them if we are open to the possibilities...

"There are people among us who are ethical, responsible and diligent. I hope your story encourages those who toil in obscurity to know that their reward is simple-- they will be ready when the test comes. We need to try to do the right thing every time, to perform our best because we never know what moment in our lives we'll be judged on." -US Airways Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger from a Wall Street Journal article by Jeffrey Zaslow

so i make a call to those of you who read my musings...to be open...and aware of those visionaries who touch your life and whose words resonate within your heart...

"In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teachings show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about you." -Titus 2:7-8

as i follow my path on this journey of my life i struggle to live by the words above...and of an old Irish prayer my Irish grandparents taught me...

"Three wishes I ask of the King when I part from my body: May I have nothing to confess, may I have no enemy, may I own nothing! Three wishes I ask this day of the King, ruler of suns: May I have no dignity or honours that lead me into torment! May I not work without reward before Christ! May God take my soul when it is most pure!"

all photography copyright rebecca e. parsons 2009

off to the pawn shop...

enough said...

*artwork by Married to the Sea

ghosts and panic attacks do not make for a good night's sleep...

ghosts and panic attacks interrupted my sleep last night...yuk!!! at 1:50 am i awoke terrified, with a full-blown panic attack...have not had one for a long time now...then at 5:50 am, i was awake petting the dog, my kitchen light came on and went off...and the motion detector light came on...for some time now the light in my bathroom will turn on when nobody is in there...i joke about there being a ghost...is it a joke? or is it my guardian angel?

so i was on the beach by 6:30 this morning...it was still very dark and i walked in the light of the moon...my reflection on the wet sand beneath my feet...

6:30 am walk

the great blue heron was the only other being on the beach at this moment

i walked on in silent prayer...wanting some comfort...and i remember...when life seems to be 'falling apart' things could actually be 'falling together'...

i keep reminding myself that i am safe, and my situation is under the perfect control of Divine providence and universal order...i try to only infuse loving thoughts and emotions into the situation to ensure that the highest possible outcome flows effortlessly to and through me...adapted from Dorren Virtue

the sunrise

how big you 'perceive' a problem to be may be actually BE the problem...

When fear comes, expect the opposite...faith to rise up. When symptoms attack your body, expect the opposite-God's healing power. When sadness attaches itself to you, expect the opposite-joy to flood your being. When lack comes in, expect the opposite-God's provision. When confusion comes, expect the opposite-God's peace. When darkness covers you, expect the opposite-God's light on you. -Martin Riding

the heron on my way back down the beach...my companion in the first light of day

"In the words of an old Irish prayer: Three wishes I ask of the King when I part from my body: May I have nothing to confess, may I have no enemy, may I own nothing! Three wishes I ask this day of the King, ruler of suns: May I have no dignity or honours that lead me into torment! May I not work without reward before Christ! May God take my soul when it is most pure!" -Sacred Space

a surprise when i looked at my pictures

i had captured a dragonfly purely by Divine accident

a gift to remind me that even when i feel alone...i am not alone...

====================

i am expecting a miracle...

i joined the FUN-ellenge with Heather Picken

join us here:

http://summitforwomen.ning.com/page/i-create-miracles-funellenge

those i call friend...

my life is so richly blessed by many amazing people....my love and spirit is magnified by those i call friend...

"Theology is knowing truth about God. That's important, but not as important as knowing God; just as knowing things about your friend is not as important as knowing your friend." -Peter Kreeft, Prayer: The Great Conversation

my journey this past two years has been challenging, paradoxical and, at times, painful... oftentimes vexing and formidable...when i was flying very low and alone...it took a Herculean effort to remain my friend...to watch the path on which i walked each day...

and those who chose to stay and lead me through the fog...who took the head winds when i did not think i had the strength to fly....encouraged me to try when i wanted to retreat into myself...

have come to really know ME...the raw, unabridged, burdened me...not the persona...just me...the authentic me...

i stand today because my friends cared enough to listen when i needed to talk...to comfort me when all i could do was cry...to feed me and care for me when i could not do it for myself...to form a cocoon around me so that i could heal...

and start to soar again with them....

so that someday soon i will be strong enough and sure enough to soar myself once again...

Lord i see you through the love of others....and this is my wish for you my friend:

magnificent sunrises for your eyes to see...warm smiles when sadness intrudes...much comfort on difficult days...rainbows to follow the storms of life...laughter to kiss your lips with joy...sunsets to warm your heart...long hugs when your spirit sags...lasting friendships that brighten your being...faith to believe...confidence when you are in doubt...courage to know yourself...patience to accept the truth...enduring love to complete your life....

the glory that is to be revealed to us...

in times of severe stress and stormy seas, i remember my faith...

"Then the rainstorm came over me; and I felt my spirit break. I had lost all of my belief, you see, and realized my mistake." -Seal, Love's Divine, Seal IV

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. -Romans 8:18

i am rejoicing and in deep gratitude this Sabbath for i believe that the current circumstances of my life are to build my virtue and teach me patience and trust...my life lessons...i told a friend this week that i had become fearless...and for this i am most grateful...

Sabbath Song...almost every Sunday I post about my sacred life, my faith, or my spiritual walk...I invite you to write your own song on your Sabbath...please take the Sabbath Song badge below and use it on your blog...


i am moved to share about my religion this morning as there are many myths about Catholicism...one that always pains me is the misconception that Catholics are not saved...we are baptised as infants and confirmed at the age of 12-14. Confirmation, in the Roman Catholic faith, marks the coming of the Holy Spirit into your heart...the completion of our Baptism. This is the time when we accept Jesus as our Saviour...similar to 'being saved' as in the Protestant faith.


this is what i believe: The Holy Spirit is the bond that links God the Father with his son Jesus...a link of love and communication that never sleeps...each of us is a child of God through Baptism... sisters and brothers of Jesus...i view every human being as my brother or my sister and treat them with the love and respect i have for my siblings..as with my biological siblings, sometimes it is easier to do than others.

when God looks on each of us, he sees in us the image of his son...there is an unbroken stream of love and communication binding us to the Father...and that stream...that bond is the Holy Spirit...even though, at times, we feel like we may have lost that connection...


much of the time i do not feel like a temple of the Holy Spirit...yet it is when i feel unholy and unable to pray that the Holy Spirit speaks for me to the Father “with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).


as i grow older, i realise that prayer is not about finding beautiful words or petitioning for our needs...nor is it about making speeches to our Lord...but rather tuning inward toward the Spirit of Jesus...who is always there, linking me to my heavenly Father...one of my most special memories is the day I realized that my prayer had transformed from a monologue into a dialog...it was an awakening for me...and my prayer life has been richer and more fruitful as a result...

i begin each morning by the sea where "the glory that is to be revealed to us" is revealed to me...one tiny tidbit at a time...i spend almost two hours in meditation and prayer...i am blessed to be able to have this time in this beautiful setting that is revealed in my photographs...life is good...thank you God for giving me the circumstances of my life...

i rarely get political...but i have had no health coverage for over a year and no way to get the medications i need for many months now...but the health care thing has cause much dissension between some of my friends who really believe that we will be pushing their grandmothers into an early grave and that Obama is like hitler because he can energise our youth...all i can say is Lord help us... read this for the best topic i've seen on the whole debacle.... and i beg you don't believe everything you hear on faux news...

Twelve Rules of Spiritual Wisdom...

Inspiring Stories of Love, Healing, & Empowerment

Inspirations! April 2004 Issue Number 21

This is from Inspirations E-Zine...a Global Community For All...the e-zine is filled with short, inspiring stories of love, healing, and empowerment every quarter. They share these wonderfully inspiring stories to encourage and inspire each other to be the best we can be each day of our lives. If you would like to receive Inspirations, click here. May these words inspire you to deepen your commitment to love, heal, and empower; to be open to divine guidance; and to choose what’s best for all. Photos are mine taken in Myrtle Beach, SC last week.

Twelve Rules of Spiritual Wisdom—Author Unknown

1. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

2. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

3. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

4. Dear God, I have a problem, it's me.


5. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging.

6. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.

7. THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN YOUR HOME ARE THE PEOPLE.

8. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home everyday.


9. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

10. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

11. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk taking. Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out it's neck.

12. Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

long night's journey into day..

Let us pray with those who are anxious for the light at the end of the tunnel. "Only those who walk in the dark see the stars."  Mark E. Thibodeaux, God, I Have Issues

long night's journey into day...

this is a powerful post...my Sabbath Song...those of you who follow me know that the past 18 months have been a time of much trial for me...every level of my life has been affected and i have been shoved way out of my comfort zone...

yesterday morning in a coaching session with my Jack Canfield coach Dave...everything was going along fine until he asked me, "Do you believe 100% that you can change the circumstances you find yourself in right now?" 

POW  WHAM   ZAP....a moment of perfect clarity...this is why i find myself struggling right now...i am only about 50-50%...and that, my friends, is exactly what is holding me back...

you know the saying by Napoleon Hill, "What ever the mind can conceive, and believe, the mind can achieve."

well idea generation has never been my problem...i have a BIG imagination and can brainstorm with ease...and i have a seemingly endless supply of clever ideas pouring from me...but the piece i am struggling with is the belief...and belief is what is holding me back from achievement... believing at 50% will get 50% results...DUH!!!!

belief in the idea and my ability to achieve the end result has somehow been damaged during this long dark night of the soul i have been in for 18 months...it must be repaired...

i asked God during my morning meditation for help and guidance...when i looked up i saw the above image i titled "long night's journey into day..."

a few minutes later this image appeared...

i send rays of light to lead you out of the darkness into a new day rebecca

believe...believe...believe

The Beloved Women Before Me...

A Mother's Dat Tribute - first posted in 2005...

"When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be, let it be." -The Beatles, Let it Be.

Let us pray for all of those who have ever undertaken the profession of motherhood and all the women who have come before us who helped shape us into the women we are today.

This is my beautiful and spirited Mother in one of her musicals (circa 1945). She was a singer and a dancer. She loved music. She had a radio show for years. I used to listen as a baby with my beloved Grandmother Annie Niland. A tale from my childhood: When I was about three, I missed my Mother. I was precocious, to say the least. I thought if I could get her out of that radio box, she would come home. I sent Annie to the kitchen to get me some juice. While she was gone, I took the opportunity to knock the radio off the stand and break it. Annie came rushing back in and found me standing amidst the pieces of the radio. Looking up at her with wide-eyed expectancy I announced, "Mommy will come home now." She didn't come home.

Me with the said radio

Mother and I circa 1953

My beloved Grandmother Anna Rebecca Casey Niland 

(she was in a play called The Girl of the Golden West)

My Beloved Grandmother  Emma Constance Bledsoe White

My beloved Great Grandmother "Nana" Casey

My beloved Great- Great Grandmother Penrod

Today's Intention - Tell your Mother how much you love her - in person, by phone, or in a prayer lifted up to her by angels.

U Be Creative Today!

doingness and beingness...

I am taking a Living Your Purpose course with Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations With God. I am a member of his Messenger's Circle. 

Today's Lesson is learning the difference between:

"Doingness" a function of the body

"Beingness" a function of the soul

To become clear on the purpose of your life, you must decide what you wish to BE not what you wish to DO.

This is the foundation for my new business model...working from the place of being - i.e. working from your soul in a way that supports your spirit and expresses who you are by aligning your passions with your purpose...

♥♥♥♥♥ day...My Sabbath Song

it is a 5 heart day here on amelia island...

first i found this heart rock

then this heart in the foam

then this heart

the sun creates colors in the foam

the sun rises in the east

this is my sabbath song...

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