Thank you, Teachers!

 
C. J. Stegall-Evans in her blog, Writing As A Sacred Art ,has written the following about the teaching profession:

I wanted to become a teacher because teachers do this amazing thing; you know the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, well, teachers just give it away. Teachers stand in their classrooms every day and dispense the keys to success

 In Praise of Teachers

As a parent and someone who has taught non-professionally (homeschooling, Sunday School, etc), I can relate to Ms. Stegall-Evans article.  I would encourage the reader to reach out and show your appreciation to a teacher(s) in the next few days and let him/her know what a difference (s)he has made in your life. 

I also invite the reader to read the rest of this brief article and others found at her site.  See, for example, her post, Words on a Page about writing!  Excellent and insightful.

Writing as a Sacred Art

Seniors on a Mission

Went on a wonderful, short term mission trip yesterday with Seniors on a Mission!!! 

The Lord has given Joanne Hickox an awesome vision/ministry which blesses our seniors and blesses the non-profit organizations in our community. 

You can read more about it at their website and on Facebook.

http://www.seniorsonamission.org/
http://www.s...eniorsonamission.org/site_content/attachments/0000/5019/Case_Statement.pdf
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seniors-on-a-Mission/285184471265?ref=ts

By the way ... one of the ladies on the Seniors on a Mission trip yesterday was Nina Johnson - 105 years old! (Her birthday is next month). Here's a great/inspiring video of Nina from the Westminster Woods site:
(Click on the Nina Johnson link)

http://www.westminsterretirement.com/html/youtube_videos.html

 

 

One Restless Night ... Twenty Years Ago ...

The following are some "free verse" poems that came to mind while searching and weighing my life and the blessings and trials I had been facing.  Wow - that was almost twenty years ago!  I have been tempted to tweak them, but then that would make them reflect the present, rather than what was on my heart at the time.

I hope there is something here that will either minister to you directly or serve as a wisp to  kindle anew the pondering of your own present path and journey.    Love and Blessings!   Woody 

SEEING CLEARLY

Looking down
Into a watery
Abyss --
Unfathomable ...
Clouded by
Churning water
Bubbling away the view ...
So our hearts
Most clearly see
Life
When at
Peace

TONIGHT
Night has fallen
And left a trail
Of sparkling gems
In her wake
Countless
Specks of light
Humble me

SHARP WORDS

If I must wound
Another
Please let it be
As a surgeon
To heal ...
To renew ...
Not merely to expose
To restore ...
In love
Not in reckless speech
Merely to win a debate
But to see ...
A soul set free!

MY LORD - PEACE CHILD

Some write of peace

And seldom walk in it

He walked and lived it

And others wrote of Him

MY FRIEND
Your friendship
Shined so brightly
When
In the hardest of times
When others
Walked away
You remained behind
And gave me a shelter
In your arms
And a shoulder
On which to cry
Thank you
For being
My friend


LOVE
To open one’s heart
Like a passage
A corridor to another
Two roads become
A single path
Towards each other
With each other
Words, kisses, a touch
Tears and laughter
Blending into ...
One life share
A love given
A world rediscovered
(like a child again)
Expanding into
Joyful mystery!

SOMEBODY
Dear Lord
I felt quite
Worthless
Measured by others
Or in my own eyes
Then I remembered
The words of an old song
"You're nobody
‘til
Somebody
loves you"
Looking around
For that love
My heart fell
And fainted
Until I realized
When Looking
Above
The King of all
Loves even me!
And that day
I became...
Somebody