Dear Family of Love,
Happy Sabbath and Self Care Sunday! It still has been overly warm, okay, it is hot here in Santa Maria and that has prevented me from prayer walking. Keeping cool and hydrating has become a real challenge and frankly, I'm getting tired of it. Wherever you live please pray for rain in California and other drought parched areas of the world. We need the rain to cleanse and heal the land. Maybe if we did have rain it would turn all of our family members who are hot heads into cooler ones with common sense. Enough said. Today I kept cool and enjoyed a day of Self Care and Sabbath rest following church this morning! It was wonderful to be able to be home early so that I could rest a little and try to find the right cooling strategy which is impossible for my body at the moment. No need to go into great detail of what I did to find the cool. I'm hoping all of you dear family managed to keep cool, practice your Sabbath resting and Self - Care Skills and enjoy Sunday! I am amazed that I'm finally able to rest even when it is warm but I am. All it takes is a trip into what I call the OM zone and relax and not get all tangled up in life's minutia.
Some thoughts keep visiting my mind about Jesus and how he kept from getting all worked up about what is to come? How He could rest when He knew that family members (that is everyone) were on their way to him asking for healing?
Many and other questions, I ponder from time to time. I suspect that Jesus knew that Self and Sabbath Care were essential even when you are fully human and fully divine. God and Jesus were masters at what to do as beings. The eons of time put them ahead of us mere mortals. I guess we all are works in progress and we need to keep practicing our Sabbath and Self Care Skills. When I was diagnosed with Cancer and started my chemo I hadn't any idea that I would have to learn resting skills and make every day holy, a Sabbath day, Spa day, and rest day going through this odyssey. It takes time to go from 90 mph to zero and find a common medium to do this. What I do know is this and I believe it strongly.: we are all capable of finding peace and rest at the center when we realize that sometimes we just have to be patient and wait. Patience and waiting is what we do in the season of Advent
We need to add these things to our self care and Sabbath rest tool kit.
For tonight's meditation I would like everyone to put a timer on for 5 minutes to start and not do anything. Just sit! Starting as soon as you can put a timer on for 5 minutes. Every day add 5 more minutes. This Mindfulness 5 Plus is just sitting without doing breathing exercises.
Our next stillness and rest exercise is this old familiar one. Do 3 sets of 3: Do this slowly with intention.
Take a few deep and cleansing breaths to start and at the pauses. Inhale deeply and exhale fully. Then begin:
Be Still and Know that I am God
Be Still and Know
Be Still
Be
Be Still and Know that I am God
Be Still and Know
Be Still
Be
Be Still and Know that I am God
Be Still and Know
Be Still
Be
Pause
Be Still and Know that I am God
Be Still and Know
Be Still
Be
Be Still and Know that I am God
Be Still and Know
Be Still
Be
Be Still and Know that I am God
Be Still and Know
Be Still
Be
Pause
Be Still and Know that I am God
Be Still and Know
Be Still
Be
Be Still and Know that I am God
Be Still and Know
Be Still
Be
Be Still and Know that I am God
Be Still and Know
Be Still
Be
Those are today's rest and meditation exercises. You may add the breathing exercises if you so desire.
Here is our music to pray along with: Taize
Prayers from :The Beginning of Autumn and time to yet again to face changes in our lives
Gracious and loving God we welcome the season of Autumn with its beautiful hues and cool crisp air. May we see this as a time where we change our hues and lives positively for the good of others and in service to you.
Tonight we again lay down our burdens, worries, and all else that keep us from connecting with you and our Family Members.
Give us courage to meet the week ahead and look forward to what ever adventure you have called us to be on.
We pray for all of our family members near and far and especially those with whom we find unlovable and we don't understand. Help us to become united as the beautiful and loving family you made us to be. May walk the walk and talk the talk and never lose sight of the fact that you made us each uniquely in Your Image and Likeness. God help us to know that all that you have made is Good and Holy.
We pray this night for peace and an end to violence and terror. We pray for all the many war torn areas around your broken and fragile world.
We pray for all of our family members who are the least of these and that we may step up to love and care for them without reservation and that we do this gladly in humble service to God.
We pray for all who are ill and seek your healing grace Lord Jesus. May we seek to be compassionate and loving to them.
We pray for all who mourn and especially the newly grieving. Help us to step up and care with love and mercy.
Gracious and Loving God enfold the dying and welcome those who have died and have entered into Joy with a loving embrace and a heavenly "Hello!"and welcome them at the table and mansion prepared for them.
God instill in each of us an attitude of gratitude and may we always be thankful and thoughtful.
We offer our prayers and those on behalf of others to you and place them in your loving arms and in you most Holy Name Lord Jesus. Amen.
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Good Night Dear Family of Love. I love you. May you rest and remember that tomorrow is You Matter Monday. Take time to give yourself some slack and be kind to yourself and others. Remember God tells us whatever we to the least of these, we do it to Him and that we are to Love God, Ourselves, and I'm changing the last from neighbor to Beloved Family Members. I challenge each of us to do this without reservation but freely and without fear.
Love, joy, and peace be always yours,
Sara
Last year's photos!
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