My Rule

Finally!  I share my Rule of Life.  As a quick intro, to clarify the organization, I started with my life vision because that's the most important portion.  Next, the intentions, and finally the means.  The means can change. They might flex in order to remain faithful to the vision. The rhythm of my particular journey is meant to help me fulfill the vision.  This isn't about goals. Bill says vision draws while goals drive.  I don't want to be driven.  I want my vision to draw me to Jesus.  

Vision:  I desire to be a woman who pursues Jesus for eternity, adores Him, is filled with awe, and serves Him.

Intentions:

To worship God

To KNOW His love for me

To open myself up to God

To relinquish the false self

To relinquish the idols in my heart

To share my life

To hear God’s Word

To incarnate the love of Christ

To pray my life

Means/disciplines

Daily:

·      ~ say the Lord’s Prayer before I get out of bed (if I find myself doing this thoughtlessly, write it down)

·      ~ green chair time with Bill/coffee and prayer

·      ~ Bible reading (including a Proverb per day)/morning pages (journaling)/written prayers/confession, listening quietly and writing, memorize scripture

·      ~ House blessing (cleaning, arranging, preparing)

·      Noon (Divine Office)

·      3:00 pm walk or read something soul nourishing

·      4:00 Midday Office

·      5:00 Examen

·      7:00 say the Lord’s Prayer/Read the Divine Office in bed

Throughout the day:  pray for people when they come to mind, text or call the kids, go outside and interact with nature, pray before eating, move around, dedicate meetings with women to the Lord, asking Him to bathe the time in His Spirit, write letters of encouragement (1 per week), pray for Bill’s staff and donors, say the Jesus Prayer, read my Statements of Faith cards

Weekly:

Worship

Fast breakfast and lunch on Mondays

Mondays:  Use the Book of Common Prayer or The Paraclete Psalter for morning/afternoon readings in place of meals

Wednesday:  SING!  (Lutheran hymnal, praise and worship songs)

Thursdays:  Write a psalm-like prayer in the morning

Monthly:

Read one of the gospels straight through (first Friday of the month)

Write a lament (last Friday of the month)

Walk the neighborhood and pray for our community (last Saturday of the month)

Make a list of the people that I want to protect/love/know in the here and now

Now that I'm finished and have been looking at my ROL for a while, I am trying to figure out a way to put this right in front of me (a big board, notecards, phone reminders).  I'd like to say I have the rhythms well established but it is early days.   

 Honestly, I'll let you know how I do with my ROL. I'm a beginner.  

Sam's baptism was wonderful!  The kids were troopers and the parents and grandparents loved the time.

 We were able to line the wonder bugs up by age!  Yay!

 We're so thankful for family.  I'm so grateful that God gives us such hope for the future, such tender love for the grands, discernment and reflection in our own journey toward eternity.  

If you have any questions (I'll try to answer!) about a ROL include them in your comment.

Happy June!  

Flowers and Dresses

 What am I doing that prevents me from knitting more?  I have no idea.  I may be doing a little too much viewing.  I watched the entire season 5 of Stella (a woman who lives in a fictitious village in Wales), so I guess I could have been knitting then (I was watching on my iPad and that's too much multitasking!)
I'm drawn to blue lately.  I was so happy that Heather at Blackberry Rambles could custom make me a blue rose.  I've worn it a lot! 

We're feeling so flowery.  Samantha Rose wants Grampy to baptize her in the back yard so tomorrow we'll have a house and garden full of family for the baptism and lunch.  FUN!  I thought of dear little Sam as I festooned the entry way with flowers and tulle.  

 Here's the Gudrun dress.  It's like a tent, but it's pretty!  I'll try it on when I figure out what to wear with it.  It's cold in the Northwest where the family wedding will be (outside on lovely Guemus Island).  

 Granny Marigold has this tea cup, too!  Tea tastes extra good in fine cups, don't you think so?

 So, because the wedding is on the beach I am going to wear these blue sensible shoes.  I have had miserable shoe wearing mishaps at previous weddings.  I hate grown up lady shoes.  

 I took this photo to show my sister my funny Dottie Angel dress.  Remember I didn't take the tucks in the front because I didn't want to emphasize that particular area?  Yes, well it is sort of sacklike, but that's okay.  I COULD wear the toadstool clogs to the wedding.  That might step it up a bit. Welcome to our little bathroom, by the way.  Sorry for the unsightly bathroom tissue!  Ha! 

 Okay, jasmine tea this time.  Same cup.

 The Birkenstocks are the most comfy shoe.  I know they look a big rough.  

 Young people give me complements on my pink Fitbit.  I WAS counting calories on the app but that soon became suffocating.  I found that I eat about the same amount every day anyway.  I've also noticed that I am so hungry all morning and then in the afternoon, not so much.  I wonder why that is. 

 This photo is for Kim at My Field of Dreams because she thinks Minions are funny.  Plum thinks they are HILARIOUS! 

 She picked out this cute hippie skirt.

 She figured out it IS worth it to trade the gift book in the kids meal for an ICE CREAM cone.  Smart! 

 Plum Cake fell in love with a library book and when Jenny looked to see if she could buy a copy she realized that it was out of print and a used copy was priced at $50.00.  YIKES!  I found it on Alibris for .99!  Tillie Lays an Egg is a VERY good book.  Plum Cake said, "You mean I get to keep it FOREVER?"  So cute! 

 Our neighbor's iris are gorgeous!

 The leaves are covering the trees again and I am SO glad to see them back! 

 A snowball tree on my walk!  

 And some peachy colored iris.  We dug up our iris because they were getting so invasive, but I like looking at the neighborhood iris.

 Green grass everywhere!

 And the peonies are getting ready to bloom!  I adore peony season! 

And here is the glorious allium that my neighbor has been adding to every year.  Stunning.

I have cleaning to do.  When I look around our house I see that we also have painting to do.  I always notice the chips when we are having company soon.  I wish the cleaning fairies would stop by and scoot me out the door so they could work a miracle or two, leaving the house sparkling.  I really wish the cleaning mood came upon me a bit more often.  
I'll take photos of Sam's baptism and I'll share my Rule of Life in the next post.  Promise.
Thank you for reading, nice visitor. 

Gardening Thoughts

 My friend Marcie wrote this lovely gardening book.  The only food I am growing this year is cucumbers.  Our Jeff is a pickle maker and I must produce a good crop for him.  Marcie's book is for gardeners who eat their plants and she writes it so well, so direct and also poetic. She instructs in a gentle manner.  You can buy this handbook on Amazon.  I would, so do. 

My friend Nana Go Go recommended this coloring book to me so I ordered it.  It's a different sort of coloring book in that it has less small spaces to fill in.  I like that.  I can't get myself to spend hours over a coloring page.  

When Plum Cake and I go shopping on Thursday mornings (toys) I like to stroll down the crafty aisle.  A few dollars buys cotton yarn for future dishcloths.  A lovely pursuit.

Our planting is almost done (a have a few more seed packets to plant - well, MORE than a few).  I bought way too many plants (6-packs, 8-packs) and planting was very bendy (ouch) and my boots are now called farty boots because as I tromp around in them they make a farty noise, being rubber and all.  Gardening is a lot of work and aches and pains result.  I have realized that I am not a fan of getting dirty so that somewhat limits my garden play.  Oh well.  We do learn about ourselves as we go along, don't we?

We are still smelling the floor finish in our house.  Three coats is stinkier.  Oh well.  I cleared out some of the clutter and when I put things back in different places, all seemed fresher. 

 The farty boots

 I love lobelia.  I have a new Gudrun dress that is the color of lobelia.  It is sort of a hippie dress but I am going to make the most of 57 year old invisibility and wear it A LOT!

This is the last week of school, so Samantha Rose will finish on Thursday.  We went to Millie's preschool graduation yesterday.  Each child shared what they'd like to be when they grow up.  My favorites included a stay-at-home mom, a king, and a mermaid.  Sadly, not one of the children wants to be a teacher.  Maybe they are too young to admire teachers and they see their own preschool teachers as second-string mommies. 
Seed planting today, lunch with Jenny, dinner with Kelli's brood, and some quiet moments in between.  I hope your day holds a few gentle doings.  God be with you, nice visitor.