RADIANT

 RADIANT

May the radiant light of our Lord fill your heart with great warmth and joy!

~Marie T. Morrison~

TEA

I love to sip a cup of tea. It is most relaxing. I start my day with a cup of Irish Breakfast tea, using loose tea placed in a small , empty tea bag, made for such a purpose. Mid-morning, I might go for the Earl Grey tea, finding it soothing as I work on a hobby, read or plan a lesson. It can raise my spirits, leaving me calm and good -natured, getting my creative juices flowing.
Remaining in high spirits, it is time to tackle the laundry, clean up the kitchen and perform other mundane household duties. I usually have the house in silence as I work, taking this time to say prayers for those going through rough times and to have my conversations with God. My conversations are as if I was talking to my best friend, which in a way, I am! I may be expressing gratitude for the previous day’s activities, or telling Him how I will need to come up with the right words to use while teaching a class for my Church.
Time goes quickly by. After my lunch, I may finish it off with a cup of red bush tea. This gives me energy to start my afternoon plans. I will likely be venturing out to the Church, to facilitate an adult group of students, sharing what I have learned with them. Often, I bring my thermos cup of brown rice tea with me, to keep my voice from getting hoarse, while at the same time, giving me a bit of nourishment to remain at my high level of excitement as I teach.
The rest of the day zooms by. It may consist of working with one more religious ed. student out of my home, a child unable to make it to Church classes. I offer a cup of peppermint tea to my young lady, while I have apple cinnamon tea. We wrap our hands around our mugs, sipping them as we discuss together different Bible stories, curled up on the couch, facing one another as we converse.
Tea is something I would offer to all my groups of students while I was still teaching full time. They loved it, sipping green tea with honey as I taught. Some had never seen a teabag before, ripping it open to pour into their cups. They quickly learned from their peers how to use the teabag properly. These same young people came to visit me, years after they were in my class, asking for a cup of tea while we visited. What a nice way to reconnect, making a pause in a busy life, to sit and enjoy the company of another.
We tend to forget about the simple things in life, such as enjoying that cup of tea. God wants us to nourish our bodies and our souls, rather than rushing around so. It does not take long to enjoy a cup, but it can bring a long-lasting effect upon one. Others feel the calmness, responding in the same way, letting the tenseness leave the shoulders and neck. This calmness can be passed on to the next individual, and so forth. It is the way God’s world should be, rather than getting angry because of the slow driver in front of us, or the person who takes forever to write a check and post it in the ledger before allowing us to reach the clerk at the counter. Even picturing that cup of tea in a time of tenseness can let the anxiety dissipate.
Spoil yourself. It is actually okay! Go find a favorite mug and purchase some fun flavors of tea. Grab a relaxing book, take off the shoes, cozy up on the couch, sip your tea and enjoy the moment! It is just what God has ordered!

The “Eyes” Have It

To know how another is feeling that day, I look into the eyes. It may be the eyes of a friend, an acquaintance or a stranger, holding stories of how life is right now. I see eyes holding a radiant glow, filled with happiness. Others are showing worry. There is a look of fear, questioning what an outcome will be. Eyes of sadness bring me heartache. I cannot help but reach out to this person to inquire if everything is all right. As if eager to tell someone  their story, I hear what is behind those eyes. I can only listen, place my hands on theirs, and say “I am sorry.” Sometimes, it is all an individual needs to hear. I add that God's eyes are looking down upon this person, sharing His warmth and love. He is always there, listening.  Listen back, I say, and a sense of peace will be felt, as His grace of the Holy Spirit becomes a comfort to the heart, mind and soul.

Radiance

We often say how our heart is filled with warmth at a particular moment, as something special happens in our lives.. But what we forget to say is how our Spirit is also filled with warmth.  This is where the glow is starting from, the fire burning within the Holy Spirit. From there, it radiates out, warming our hearts and our souls, with our eyes radiating, as if, they, too are feeling the fire of the Spirit. May you feel the warm blessings of the Holy Spirit today, letting your sparkling eyes reach out to others, bringing a joy to all of you!

While taking my teen to school this morning, she said she and her dad, who is out of town, now had a different place to let her off in the mornings. I asked her if I should turn left at the light, with her saying yes.  As I was turning left, she called out a big no, I was supposed to be turning right. I was now going the opposite way than planned.  We were laughing. I told her she said to turn left.  She agreed, but that really meant I was to turn right, which made us laugh all the more so.

What a great way to begin the day, with a bit of laughter.  We so often forget to do this, getting wrapped up in the mundane activities we go through each morning to start our day.  Instead of thinking of laughter, we are thinking of how we must hurry, getting frantic. The 'hurry' aspect stays with us throughout the day. We have forgotten to laugh.

Think of memories you have to bring out the laughter. I shared a memory with a group recently. One of my children was in the kitchen, following a recipe for a school project. She was doing her preparations by the open kitchen window. My husband and I were sitting on the porch outside of this window.  Another of my children walks into the kitchen, noticing egg shells are in the mixing bowl. We hear the question being asked of why were there were egg shells in the mix, the response was that the recipe asked for egg whites!  No matter how many times I tell this story, I start laughing before I can get out the final line. On that particular day, my husband and I had to cover our mouths so we wouldn't be heard laughing, offending the cook. Of course, the cook now takes this cooking lesson in stride when the teasing begins.

May you, too, bring some sunshine to your day, thinking of past memories.  May the Blessed Holy Spirit fill you warmth, love and laughter as you think of them!

Spirituality-What It Means To Me

1. First, I would define spirituality as a 'presence' I feel in myself and in others. It appears to have a calmness about it, which radiates from within. As it radiates, it transcends its calmness to the next person. A breath is inhaled, allowing the spirituality to enter, allowing this human being to also feel the calmness.
   
   Spirituality is seen in the eyes of the carrier, as they take on a glow of happiness. As they shine, it cannot be helped but to begin to feel the same luminosity within oneself, shining with the warmness of intense love and caring. It is God's own love and caring being present, as we absorb what those eyes are telling us.
   
   Spirituality is seen in the smile. The smile which is full of blessings, thanking God for the gift of life, for the gift of feeling His presence, no matter where the smile carries us. The smile spreads from one person to the next, as God fulfills each and everyone with His passion for all of His children.
   
   Spirituality is in the way one listens to another. It is taking time to hear what is being said, commenting on what is heard. It is taking the message told and acting upon it, whether it is with a hug, a prayer, or the lighting of a candle. It is being there for someone after knowing what has been told to another.
   
   It is felt within the heart. The heart is strong, filled with warmth, reaching out to others. It is going beyond oneself, to always offer a hand, an ear, a voice, an observance, to those surrounding us.
   
   It is understanding. No judgments are made. It is nodding one's head, in agreement to what is occurring in the lives of our fellow brethren. It is showing one will be there for our brothers and sisters, no matter what.
   
   It is acting upon faith and displaying faith. It is living the way God wants to to live, based upon our strong belief in Him. It is never giving up, to continue to live the faith, how having God in a one's life serves as a continuing inspiration so many can see how wonderful life is, in spite of the downfalls we endure.
   
   It is never feeling alone. It is knowing the Holy Spirit dwells within us, never leaving us, not even for a given moment. It is always feeling His love, warmth, care, attention and thoughts, day and night, throughout our lives, in this Kingdom and in the next.