Getting Purposely Lost…

image: from the heart of j

image: from the heart of j

Who gave permission for the “should be’s” and the “should have beens” to rule my life? The “should be’s” propel one into the future and the “should have beens” chain one to the past. Hushing the holler is key to living in the present…in the here and now…in the wonder of the moment…within the Great I Am.

Recently I had an appointment in a nearby, small town. I had had a week of the “should be” “should have been” sing song. Straddling between the past and the present is exhausting! And in the noise, I had misread my planner and arrived an hour early. And so I thought…what would it be like if I got lost for an hour…purposely lost?

And so I did.

I noticed the humorous names of stores, observed whole flocks of birds flying overhead, learned about the town’s large but friendly squirrels, smiled at all the dogs lounging as if it was Saturday, read interesting historical markers, and marveled at all the people walking about.

The more lost I got…the din of the “should be’s” and “should have beens” lessened.

Purposely getting lost ushered me into the wow of what’s  happening and the simplicity of the scene before me.

There is power in the present…It is there we find true peace. Getting purposely lost from time to time must make God smile…getting purposely lost was just what the Divine Physician ordered.

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Leaving Ourselves Behind…

image via from the heart of j

image via from the heart of j

“We must leave ourselves behind if we hope to have even a glimpse of our true potentialities. But this surrender of self is the thing we find most difficult and so rarely succeed in. To the modern mind it makes no sense…Only by voluntary unreserved surrender to God can we find our home…” Fr. Alfred Delp

*Please stop by my professional blog where I post on Wednesdays…”Sticks and Stones and Names that Hurt us” at http://www.lifelinesmobile.org/blog

Becoming the Treasure…

image via from the heart of j

image via from the heart of j

“The gift which we received from Christ Jesus in Holy Baptism is not destroyed, but is only buried as a treasure in the ground.  And both common sense and gratitude demand that we should take good care to unearth this treasure and bring it to light. Therefore, my friends, I urge you,

Become what you already are…

Find Him who is already yours…

Listen to Him who never ceases speaking to you…

Own Him who already owns you.

(St. Gregory of Sinai)

Do you know/remember the date of your Baptism? Do you celebrate this “birth”day? Do you pass this tradition on to your children, family and friends? Certainly we should celebrate intensely the day we became children of God and celebrate this day with all our family in Christ.

Today is the remembrance of the Baptism of the Lord…may we offer thanks for the gift given, although not deserved, and let this treasure be a light to all those who are still searching.

‘Lil Bits Become Lotta’ Bits…

image credit: from the heart of j

image credit: from the heart of j

Our ‘lil bits become lotta’ bits…

United with Him.

He magnifies…He amplifies…He maximizes…He expands…

That ‘lil bit smile, that ‘lil bit hello, that ‘lil bit prayer, that ‘lil bit way…

You magnify…You amplify…You maximize…You expand…

and our ‘lil bits become lotta’ bits…

United with You.

May I be generous with my ‘lil bits, so they become lotta’ bits for others.

These Boots are Made for Walking…

image via from the heart of j

image via from the heart of j

These boots are made for walking…right into the New Year 2016. How will you enter into the New Year? We are hearing a lot about resolutions, but as a positive psychology practitioner, I would like to point out…

Resolutions focus on changing something we perceive as wrong in our lives. Beginning with the negative often ends in the negative.  How about starting 2016 with the positive? With ONE WORD. ONE WORD that represents a new focus, a new outlook, a special quality that marks the way ahead.  Words are powerful…a single word can inspire, motivate, connect, build up and forge a path forward when that ONE WORD becomes a signpost on our journey.  I challenge each of you to prayerfully ask God to reveal to you ONE WORD, YOUR ONE WORD, for the path ahead this year. Then post this word somewhere you frequent, ponder it, chew on it, allow it to transform your faith filled, journey ahead!  (partially re-posted from New Year 2015, because I know how powerful this New Year’s tradition can become in your life and the lives of your loved ones. Listen to their words as well and let that guide your prayers for them for the upcoming year)

Your boots will walk right into the New Year with a positive, faith filled stride!

For last year’s words belong to last year’s language…And next year’s words await another voice.” T. S. Eliot

Happy New Year 2016

From the Heart of J

Make Some Noise…

image via from the heart of j

image via from the heart of j

Let the weary world rejoice

in spite of threats of terrorism…in spite of financial instability and an unpredictable economy…in spite of violence and health crises…in spite of opposition against the dignity of human life and the war against families…in spite of a rise in the use of illegal drugs and human trafficking…in spite of the apathy of many.

Let the weary world rejoice

Let us lay down our burdens in surrender to God..

As we struggle to walk forward in the heaviness of our burdens…we soon find…

His Grace is weightless!

Let the weary world rejoice…

 For God’s Love is unwearied…

Let the weary world rejoice…

For Our Savior has been born.

The Gift that Compels…

image via from the heart of j

image via from the heart of j

The angel said to the shepherds, ” I proclaim to you a great joy… today the Savior of the world is born for you, alleluia.”

For you…for me…for all.

The Greatest Gift ever given.

No other gift given or received today makes sense without first receiving this Greatest Gift given.

Are we entranced by the pretty wrap and bow and have yet to open The Gift?…Have we put it on a shelf at a comfortable distance from our lives? …How are we certain we have opened The Gift?…

When the love of Christ compels us to share  The Gift with others…in that often quiet, but unique way, that God intends for our lives to become through His grace perfect acts of love that give witness to Him.

Merry Christmas to all my readers…may the love of Christ compel you to share The Gift with all on your life’s path,

Joyfully, From the Heart of J

Are You the Tootsie in the Tootsie Roll Pop…the Prize in the Cracker Jack?

image by heart of j

image by heart of j

Recently when making a sandwich (yes, that’s gluten free bread)…I pulled out a slice of bread that looked like this…

and in the funny way this from the heart of j’s mind works I thought of a line from a TS Eliot poem, “We are the hollow men. We are the stuffed men leaning together headpiece filled with straw. Alas!”

And I thought of Christmas…

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season has begun. With  the secularization of Christmas so many are going through the motions in an almost robotic fashion. By this date I have to have a tree up – CHECK- , my shopping list is almost complete – CHECK- , holiday baking done -CHECK-, -CHECK-, -CHECK-, -CHECK-!

Have we become the hollow men?

In the secular shallowness, we need to be the tootsie in the tootsie roll pop, the prize in the Cracker Jack, the crème filling in the Twinkie to others…you know, the modern day salt in the Earth and leaven in the dough.

By our actions and our words, reminding people of the true meaning of Christmas. Drawing others into the truth that we are all extravagantly loved by “The Word who became Flesh and dwelled among us”

No longer hollow…our lives are forever changed!

Live the Rising…

original artwork from the heart of j

original artwork from the heart of j

Praise God…each in his own way…throughout this holy day…

With song or dance or silent prayer…arms and heart lifted up in the air…

Celebrating the freedom He has gifted to you…

Through the death of His Son and a love so true.

Live thanksgiving…live the Rising!

In the Gooey, Gummy, Messy, Marvelous…

image via from the heart of j

image via from the heart of j

Find God in the everyday…

In the midst…in the muck..in the ups…in the downs…

Believing in Him is not some form of escapism that takes us away from the richness of the everyday.

It is here, alleluia, we find Him…

In the now of today…in the all of life with us.

Yes, find God today in the everyday…in the midst…

In the gooey, gummy, messy, marvelous of the day…

For it is through Him, with Him, in Him in the unity of the Holy Spirit…

All glory and honor be yours almighty Father forever and ever…

In the everyday…in the midst…in the gooey, gummy, messy, marvelous of THIS day.