Friday, December 30, 2016

Hello One Little Word 2017

              My word for 2017 is nurture




nur·ture

[ˈnərCHər]



VERB 

care for and encourage the growth or development of: 

"Jarrett was nurtured by his parents in a close-knit family"



NOUN

the process of caring for and encouraging the growth or development of someone or something: 

"the nurture of ethics and integrity"



SYNONYMS

foster, cradle, nourish, sustain, cultivate







A year to learn the best way to to nurture and be nurtured. 

January-

February-

March-

April-

May-
Nurturing more moderation
May 1- Moderation in What?
May 8- Moderation in Thinking
May 15- I've Moderated Much
May 22- Setting Limits
May 29- Moderating Negative Thoughts

 June-
Nurturing for the wrong reasons
June 5- The Fixer
June 28- Am I Nurturing Idleness? 

 July-
Nurturing My Health
July 3- Positive Self-Talk
July 10- Nurturing Stamina and Energy
July 17- Nurturing S Relationship With health Practitioners
July 24- Nurturing Patience

 August-
Nurturing Patience
August 3- The Anatomy of Patience
August 14- Patience in Waiting
August 21- The Anatomy of Patience Refined
August 28- Patience Rewarded
September- 
Nurturing My Students
September 8- Pacing My Work
September 15- Support Is A Product of Nurturing
September 18- Inviting My Students To Act
September 25- Inviting My Students To Develop Grit





October- 
Nurturing The Wilderness
October 2- Let Me Tell You About The Wilderness
October 9-Beware of Dehumanizing Words and Images
October 16- Nurturing Connection
October 23- Nurturing The Soft Front
October 30- How I Was Nurtured Reading Braving the Wilderness

 November-
Nurturing Thankfulness
November 6- I Am Thankful For My Word Of The Year
November 13- Nurturing My Writing Skills
November 20- Thankful For My Imagination
November 27- The Gift That Lies Beneath The Surface

December-
Nurture As My One Little Word
December 4- A Look At The Facts
December 11- A Ritual To Remember My Word

This is a contents page to be added to each week. Please come back on Nurturing Mondays to explore with me how the word nurture can impact our lives.


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Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Books Read In 2016




Look at a book. A book is the right size to be a book. They're solar-powered. If you drop them, they keep on being a book. You can find your place in microseconds. Books are really good at being books, and no matter what happens, books will survive. 
Douglas Adams



Book List for 2016
   1- Draw Everyday Draw Every by Jennifer Orkin Lewis
   2. A Year Between Friends by Vettese, Maria Alexandra, Barnes, Stephanie Congdon, Wizenberg, Molly
   3. Upstream by Mary Oliver
   4. It's Never To Late To Begin Again by Julia Cameron
   5. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
   6. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
   7. The God Seed by Catherine Thomas
   8. Journey To Munich by Jacqueline Winspear
   9. Light In The Wilderness by Catherine Thomas
  10. Deborah Crombie Mysteries
  11. Into The Magic Shop by Dr. James Doty 

      These are the top eleven which come to mind. Recording the books I've read sounds like a good idea but I get started then forget. Number nine, Light In The Wilderness by Catherine Thomas is one I reread this year. Thomas writes about our spiritual journey through life and in particular about the frontier of the mind. She is a scholar of Ancient Scripture but writes in such a way to invite the most humble learner to yearn for enlightenment. 
   "The mind is there frontier and the tool, and fixing the mind to spiritual awareness and practice is the key to continuing spiritual experience."
  I love books that challenge but find I must take notes to retain the principles I learn. I just finished a workbook for Into The Magic Shop by Dr. James Doty by reclaiming a board book and adding embellishments. I plan on adding elements as I experience more with Dr. Doty's magic tricks. They are not traditional tricks but they worked magic in his life which took him from a poor boy with ailing parents to a Neurosurgeon and entrepreneur. 


Finishing a good book is like leaving a good friend. 

William Feather




 I have been writing with the Five Minute Friday Group for two years and I really enjoy the talented writers who share their thoughts and big ideas.

  
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Monday, December 26, 2016

Mindful Monday- A Year of Mindfulness

"The challenge is simple: lose the long list of changes you want to make this year and instead pick ONE WORD."

On this Mindful Monday, the last one of the year, I choose to write about the impact this word has had on my life. I will freely admit that choosing a word for the year sounded silly at first. That is why I picked Ribbistrate in 2015. It was a word no one knew because my friend made it up. The novelty of playing with a completely unknown word made it fun to use it, write about it, and incorporate it into my life. This year in January I felt an urgency to submit to mindfulness. Unpacking the many ways I needed to be more mindful proved so useful. Each month I picked an area in my life that needed my attention starting with my scattered  mind. Meditation was the foundation of my mindfulness training. Learning to sit and let my mind center on my breath, sounds, physical sensations, has become a long term habit. I may not be good at it but I am and will continue to show up to meditate every morning. 

 
Morning meditation makes it easier to catch myself driving without attention, not listening to someone in front of me, or not acknowledging my body's clues that I need to rest.
On Wednesday I will actively plan out a year with a new word. Another word that seems suited to my needs. These words do not just benefit me but extend to my loved ones, students, and friends. 

"This process provides clarity by taking all your big plans for life change and narrowing them down into a single focus. Just one word that centers on your character and creates a vision for your future."
Mike Ashcroft
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Friday, December 16, 2016

Now

Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones. 
Thich Nhat Hahn



Right now the cold is seeping under my doorways and the warm air is flowing from my heat pump above. My shades are still drawn even though it is daylight. Dishes from yesterday's dinner sit in the sink. Texts from my grown sons are appearing on my phone on the table about how we can get four families together. 
The Christmas season has this aspect to it which causes panic. I fight that by spending some time each morning with scripture and meditation. What happens is fine and what doesn't happen is all right, too. It makes me sad when I sigh a sigh of relief, ready to take down all the decorations. Jesus is not a year older after his birthday passes. He is Alpha and Omega. He is now.








 I have been writing with the Five Minute Friday Group for two years and I really enjoy the talented writers who share their work. Would you like to join us?


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Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Calling Thy Name

Tomorrow begins the waiting in earnest. 

We wait upon the day when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Counting off the twenty-four days becomes more poignant as we draw, in mindfulness, toward the many names given to The Son of God. Twenty-four names, not a complete list, but representative of who he is, what his mission is, and how we may address him.

Join me each day for an advent devotional to place our thoughts on the coming of The Lord.

This is a contents page, linked to each day so that you can come back here and find a post you missed. 





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Monday, November 28, 2016

Mindful Monday- Grateful For Children

If we have a heart to learn and a willingness to follow the example of children, their divine attributes can hold a key to unlocking our own spiritual growth.
Jean A. Stevens

Walking into my classroom at church yesterday I found six excited and ready children. I was not expected to teach that day, as I had a music assignment later, but how could I not gather them around me on the floor and meet their expectant eyes? I was filled with gratitude for their readiness. 



"These children are providing examples of some of the childlike qualities we need to develop or rediscover in ourselves in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven. They are bright spirits who are untarnished by the world—teachable and full of faith. It is no wonder the Savior has a special love and appreciation for little children."

My class of six and seven year olds are full of faith. They believe I will guide them into important paths which will engage and enliven them. I wonder how often I disappoint? If my lesson is a disappointment I am quickly forgiven. If I forget something, they don't look at each other with raised eyebrows assessing my capabilities. They do lose interest but I find it happens when I am not fully engaged. They respond to being "all in".



   I find them to be more teachable than I imagined. If I provide careful instruction, equal to their abilities, with many repetitions so that they can gain proficiency, they come along. They come along with enthusiasm. I am grateful to be among children everyday. I hope to remain teachable and faithful.


Elder M. Russell Ballard has taught us the importance of the Savior’s admonition to “behold your little ones” when he said: “Notice that He didn’t say ‘glance at them’ or ‘casually observe them’ or ‘occasionally take a look in their general direction.’ He said to behold them. To me that means that we should embrace them with our eyes and with our hearts; we should see and appreciate them for who they really are: spirit children of our Heavenly Father, with divine attributes”
(“Behold Your Little Ones,” Tambuli, Oct. 1994, 40; emphasis added; “Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children,” Ensign, Apr. 1994, 59).


 



November is a month for paying attention to my level of gratitude. It is part of my year long exploration of mindfulness. You can read more about my Year of Mindfulness here.
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Friday, November 25, 2016

Surrender



Everyone has noticed how hard it is to turn our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us... While what we call 'our own life' remains agreeable, we will not surrender it to Him. What, then, can God do in our interests but make 'our own life' less agreeable to us, and take away the plausible sources of false happiness? 
C. S. Lewis

Thanksgiving was a day of surrendering. My three grandchildren who wanted to come over and "help" me before dinner came at 9:00am. I surrendered to the idea that I was going to keep them involved for six hours. The pie I wanted to make, gluten free, had a life of it's own and became pumpkin without a true recipe and without a promised outcome. It was eatable and disappeared. I will never be able to make it the same way again because it just evolved.



  The turkey which I bought fresh a week ago and then decided to freeze still had ice chunks inside. My grandson liked rubbing it with coconut oil and spices. He put a ham slice inside because he wanted to see what would happen. I surrendered my expectations and it was really good.
    In the last half hour before eating, my knees needed to rest and I let my husband take over. He finished the mashed potatoes, made the gravy, prepared the food to go into dishes and led us in our giving thanks statements. Usually I do it all with noticeable frustration. I surrendered and others came to my aid. 
  Later I suggested a game called Famous People which is a great crowd game. I noticed how my family participated wholeheartedly. I took time to see each member's ability and humor. In the past, some participants have left the game mad. We had some issues yesterday but the majority of the family stayed engaged and working as a team. 
   Over controlling our lives is really a false happiness. False because we set ourselves expectations which often remain unrealized. Then, as we mourn what could have been we miss the little miracles provided by others in our behalf. I had time to feel truly thankful.




 I have been writing with the Five Minute Friday Group for two years and I really enjoy the talented writers who share their work. Would you like to join us?
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