GOALS

Ben and grandpa Larry had a goal to make a bird house and they did.  It is good to have goals that challenge us at times.  Yesterday was one of those days that I did not make my goal of a complete walk but after coming home and resting felt much better and was able to do my visiting at the Nursing Home.  I am getting to know the smokers who are sitting outside the front door when I arrive.  They are a cheerful group.

One of my goals is to stop and appreciate each moment of the day.  Often I find my mind full of worries about the past or about the future.  Prayer can help me to achieve moments of timelessness when a verse of scripture like this one "As thy days, so shall thy strength be" help me to relax and be content.  Also as you pray for others you become aware of how small your problems are compared to others.  I have so much to be thankful for and all I have to do is to be more trusting.

Every morning I am awake when it is still dark but I am amazed how quickly the light appears.  I am amazed also how  the time flies by as I sit at my computer.  The only sound is the soft hum of the computer and the occasional car starting up outside.

I glance at the paper as I pick it up and see the grieving picture of a mom and dad pleading for help to find the one who murdered their daughter.  Is human cruelty an acquired trait?  Good and evil will always be a part of the human existence.  I believe that a good thing about Christianity is the goal of being ethical.  We use reason and faith to help us choose and act upon what we believe.

Science and religion need not be incompatible but two different ways of looking at life.  Science wants to know and gather facts while faith that flows from the religious soul is open to trusting there is a connection between us and the presence of goodness.

 Like the gentle wind that blows freshness into a stuffy room God is real.
 Children take delight in every small bug and stone, puddles of water and all the things of nature that we         soon  take for granted.  I am reminded to nurture this wonder and connectedness to the natural.

This helps us to reconnect to the spiritual life.
And to disconnect to the "circling thoughts", the unremitting flow of thoughts that distract us. 

We are a part of the natural world and have a responsibility to try to preserve it.  It has become so easy to waste and throw good things away because it is just apart of our lifestyle.  We always want bigger and better,A pre-Columbian myth holds that two peoples inhabit the North and the South of our continent.  The people of the eagle, in the north are very cerebral, inventive, and materialistic; while to the south, the people of the Condor live on the level of the spirit and the heart.  I think that we all battle these two opposites within us and maybe the goal is to strengthen the side of you that is weaker.