Good Evening Dear Family of Love!
Happy Self-Care Saturday! Well dear ones it is time to become childlike and have a time of Play. #Play is our #AdventWord of the day! How does this fit in with the matters of faith, meditation,etc?
Well it is simply this when we are baptized using the BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER the priest uses this prayer and I think you'll see what I mean:
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you that by water and the Holy
Spirit you have bestowed upon these your servants the
forgiveness of sin, and have raised them to the new life of
grace. Sustain them, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit. Give them
an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to
persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy
and wonder in all your works. Amen
Joy and wonder are parts that make up playtime. Our curiosity, seeking, and all those things that make us want to know more engage us in play. Play is what we as adults may have forgotten how to do on a regular basis. If we do not remember how, I'm suggesting that we learn again. When was the last time you slid down a slide, tossed a ball, rode a merry-go-round, played tag, dressed up, played games, and yes even got on the swings and swung so high you'd get that famous tickle in your tummy? I have a feeling not often enough. This season and beyond I hope we can take time to play and go out to the park and feed the ducks and become children again and not take life so seriously.
Take time tonight to write down your playlist for being at play and being playful.
Here is my joy -filled and uplifting list!
Loving family and friends that I can be myself with.
Special and dear family members (That is all of you!)
THURBER CARNIVAL
Music
Walking
Sunday comics
Writing this blog
Romance when I can get it
Spending time with .........?
Singing and dancing
Swinging on the swings
Taking drives to the beach
Attending Concerts, Plays, Going to art Galleries
Sunday worship
Being a Daughter of the King
Social events
Prayer and a peaceful heart.
My sense of humor
Nostalgic and happy memories
Hugs and kisses!
So what did you come up with? If this challenges you, keep working and if you need to take time and maybe a break if you need to and then go back to it.
Now let's make a list of things that you like to do for fun they may be the same as the list above or they may be different. Tonight let's take time to meditate on what brings us joy and ask God to help us to have and up lifting heart.
Here is tonight's meditation music Peaceful, Joyful music Mix
Let us light an array of rainbow colored candles to remind ourselves that we must be childlike and be at play and take time to pray. Take time to spend in quiet contemplation with the images below.
God of joy, lighten our hearts this night and may we wake up joyfully and enlivened to do what you are calling us to do and to be.
God of joy, help us to be bringers of hope, peace, love, and joy to your broken and fragile world.
God of joy, take our hands and join them with one another in a prayer and circle of unity. May we hold these hands lovingly and with purpose.
God of joy, help us to give of ourselves without fear but with a joyful and light heart.
God of joy, help us not to take ourselves so seriously that we lose sight of all that is good and joyful in the world and sparkling in your Cathedral of Life.
God of joy, help us to be loving to the least of these our family members and may we always see you in them.
God of Joy, heal all those who have any kind of illness. God we pray for the continued healing of our bodies, minds, and spirits.
God of joy and love, wrap all of us your children who are grieving the loss of loved ones and special people in our lives.
God of Joy, we pray for all those who are dying and who have died today. Let your perpetual light shine upon them and show them your gentle and loving light and to those who are transitioning into the Thin Places.
God of joy, we pray for those who have requested our prayers and those who are afraid to ask us for prayers. We remember especially ____________________
God of joy, we pray for all the faith communities, leaders, and members who are preparing for worship this night and as they worship tomorrow.
God of Joy, we lift up these our prayers in the name of your Son Jesus the Christ who by His birth brought joy, healing, and salvation to the world. Amen.
Here is additional material from another blog!
Dear fellow children of God-
I hope everyone has been enjoying Self Care Saturday. Today and for the past few days I have been thinking about many things and not as in ALICE IN WONDERLAND," To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--Of cabbages--and kings--" that we should be teaching our children and we ourselves need to be reminded of. Here is my list and maybe you have your own list.
We all need to instill in our children empathy and sympathy and teach them compassion. This starts early.
We must teach them how to be compassionate, learn to forgive, learn how to say they are sorry with sincerity.
We must teach them not to fear others who are different than themselves.
We all need to teach our children attitudes of gratitude and not be given to a sense of entitlement/
We all need to teach and show our children how to care and be gentle to all of God's living creatures.
We must teach our children to be helpers and compassionate and caring givers.
We all need to teach our children how to look on the least of the these as family members.
We need to teach them how to be kind and gentle.
We need to give them courage to have curiosity.
We need to teach them and show them to appreciate God's Cathedral of Life and play outdoors.
We need to show them that they don't need to rely solely on technology and to think for themselves and give them as in the Episcopal Baptismal Rite in one of the prayers found on page 308 of the BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER " Give them
an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to
persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy
and wonder in all your works. Amen."
We all must care for every child as if they are our own and protect them from harm for we were children too.
We all must recapture imagination and dreaming and yes find our way back into childhood.
We must teach our children and ourselves to see and treat everyone with dignity, respect, inclusion, and acceptance. No Need to Teach and instill fear, hate, mistrust, and prejudice.
We all must give into whimsy, play, and fun. Live, Love, Laugh!
We all must practice being thankful and giving thankfully. Give from the heart !
We all must respect each other from a place of where we are, and who we are, and that we are the beautiful children God created us to be.
We must take time to re-unite and re-connect with our loved ones who have fallen through the cracks.
We all must not be self-focused and teach our children the same by speaking not I but We and We not they.
We must teach ourselves and our children to learn how to ask for help, companionship, and courage to speak up for themselves and others.
If we are in a faith community we need to tell our young ones about how our faith sustains us and live by example.
We must show our children and all our family members how to love, receive love, and love themselves as we love them with a heart that is joyful, loving, hopeful, peaceful, generous, and most of all compassionate and accepting.
What is on your "Teach the Children Well" List? Here is a reminder from the musical "South Pacific"
Mandy Patinkin- You've got to be carefully taught
++++
Good Night Dear Family of Love! I love you! You all make my life more joyful and happy each and everyday. You are precious treasures and blessings in my life and in the lives of others. Take time for more self-care tonight and prepare for Sabbath Care tomorrow. I give thanks to God for you this night and always.
Love, blessings, prayers, and joy,
Sara
Need some extras? Here they are!
Happy Birthday Winnie the Pooh!
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