Today's "Observing Beauty" photo challenge

This week's challenge is "TREES". And to me, one of the times trees are most glorious is autumn, when they put on their fancy colors. I'll look forward to seeing your "trees", too!

A prayer for today

Dear Jesus,

Help me to spread your fragrance wherever I go.Flood my soul with your Spirit and life.Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that my life may only be a radiance of yours. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel your presence in my soul. Let them look up, and see no longer me, but only Jesus!

Stay with me and then I will begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others. The light, O Jesus, will be all from you; none of it will be mine. It will be you, shining on others through me.

Let me thus praise you in the way which you love me best, by shining on those around me. Let me preach you without preaching, not by words but by example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what I do, the evident fullness of the love my heart bears for you.

Amen. 

– John Cardinal Newman

 

Don't fly "Evil Airlines"

Wordless (almost) Wednesday!

Why go to Church?

If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this!
If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it.
If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope!

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday."I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"

When you are DOWN to nothing..... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

Observing Beauty photo challenge: GREEN

I've banded together with 3 of my fellow bloggers to start a weekly photo challenge, Observing Beauty. This week's challenge is "GREEN", and here's my green photo, along with the Observing Beauty button and the rules for the challenge.

Warming up before the game - LOOKS PAINFUL!!!

PHOTO CHALLENGE GUIDELINES:

• Photo must be taken by you.
• Specify which photo you are linking (if more than one photo is in your post).
• All photos must be G rated. We can delete any entries that we find inappropriate.
• Link up with the link to your post, not your main blog url.
• Leave our button or link back to one of our blogs in your post.
• If your photo is the winner of the challenge, we can post it on our blogs.
• Comment on other participant's photos.
• Have fun!

<center><a href="http://pullingmymaskoff.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z416/geckopickle/2012-04-183.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></center>

to Yolanda, me, Beth

It's not St. Patty's Day, but this is clever!

Are you a reformed Martha?

If so, what's your secret?

I'm referring to the Gospel story found in Luke 10:38-42:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Of the two women, I most identify with Martha. I can see myself being so absorbed in the preparations that I missed the opportunity to listen to what Jesus had to say. And I can certainly see myself "copping a resentment" at Mary. Ask my husband - he's seen me in a frenzy when company's a-comin'!

How about you? Are you a Martha or a Mary? Or are you a reformed Martha who can now "choose what is better"? And if you are a reformed Martha, how did you go about making the transition?

Wordless but musical in New Orleans

Kids' little instructions on life

Never trust a dog to watch your food.
       Patrick, age 10

When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?", don't answer him.
       Heather, age 16

Never tell your mom her diet's not working.
       Michael, age 14

Don't pull dad's finger when he tells you to.
       Emily, age 10

When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair.
       Taylia, age 11

Never allow your three-year old brother in the same room as your school assignment.
       Traci, age 14

Don't sneeze in front of your mom when you're eating crackers.
       Michelle, age 12

You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
       Armir, age 9

If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse.
       Naomi, age 15

Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick.
       Lauren, age 9

Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat.
       Joel, age 10

Never try to baptize a cat.
       Eileen, age 8

Never smart off to a teacher whose eyes and ears are twitching.
       Andrew, age 9

Wear a hat when feeding seagulls.
       Rocky, age 9

Don't flush the john when your dad's in the shower.
       Lamar, age 10

Never ask for anything that costs more than $5 when your parents are doing taxes.
       Carrol, age 9

Never bug a pregnant mom.
       Nicholas, age 11

Don't ever be too full for dessert.
       Kelly, age 10

When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your mom when she's on the phone.
       Alyesha, age 13

Never spit when on a roller coaster.
       Scott, age 11

Never do pranks at a police station.
       Sam, age 10

Beware of cafeteria food when it looks like it's moving.
       Rob, age 10

Never tell your little brother that you're not going to do what your mom told you to do.
       Hank, age 12

Remember you're never too old to hold your father's hand.
       Molly, age 11

Stay away from prunes.
       Randy, age 9

Remember the two places you are always welcome - church and Grandma's house.
       Joanne, age 11

When you want something expensive, ask your grandparents.
       Matthew, age 12

Being Green

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."

The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags, that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribbling's. Then we were able to personalize aour books on the brown paper bags.

But too bad we didn't do the green thing back then.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that young lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

The death penalty: a last look

I mentioned at the start of this series that I write to several inmates on death row. I started writing to one of them in 1998, and have gradually come to consider him to be a friend. I'm not excusing what he did; he committed a robbery in which a woman lost her life. But he has taken responsibility for his crime and has shown what seems to be genuine remorse. In fact, when he sobered up and realized what he had done, he immediately went to the sheriff and confessed. He did not have legal counsel; perhaps if he had, he wouldn't be sitting on death row. As it is, his only desire is that his sentence be reduced to life in prison without parole. I truly believe he's a changed man, and of all the men I've written to, he's the only one I feel could live honestly and well "on the outside".

I'd like to include some excerpts from a few of the letters we exchanged this past summer:

7/21/10 - I have been thinking that I would like to have you come and be with Mom and I on that last day if it comes to that… I am mainly thinking about Mom having someone there to support her and I think that would be You or B****. I guess that I came out of left field with that but I think about it often and I sort of want to have things made up in my mind way before the time might come. Lots of guys up here seem to be scared to talk about it but I somehow find it a bit comforting just to put it out there like that.

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8/7/10 - I guess that now I will jump on the topic of your last letter and the one that seems to trouble folks the most… It is something that I have come to accept and in some ways to even embrace, so to speak. I am not seeking it out but I will not fear it either.

The one thing that I am finding out is that maybe the dying part of all of this is really the easy part and that the folks out there have a harder part to play in it. I figured that since I was the one going to die, that if I was taking it well that everyone else would follow suit. I just wanted it to be a time of peaceful acceptance, I guess. I would like to make it as easy as possible for everyone involved. Even down to the person that actually does the executing.

I think I sort of hit you out of left field with all of this… To me, it was the greatest compliment that I could bestow on you. That I would want to spend my last day on earth visiting with You, along with my Mom. I want to spend the time with people that I truly enjoy being around and not just what seems right.

…As strange as it might seem, you are included in a list of some 4 people who will be close to me at that time. There is a lot more to this than you might see at first glance. It is not just that last day but the few days following it that I have to think about. I need people around my mom that I can not only depend on but trust to be there and that list is far shorter than you might think. Blood relation has nothing to do with it. You are family to me.. So whether you actually spend the last day with me or B**** does, I would definitely want you to come and stay with mom for a few days. I need to know that there is someone that does not have to go to work or take care of the family but can stay and not only be sympathetic to her needs but strong at the same time.

Regardless of whether you believe in the death penalty or not or are a Christian, really is not even relevant in this instance. Whether it is administered fairly or not or whether I did or did not commit a worse crime than the next person and they do not get the death penalty. As it stands now, the state of **** has voted it in and as long as it is the law, I have to live or die with the fact that it could happen, that I will be executed some time in the future. Whether it actually happens or not, I just want to be cool with it and let God work with it as He sees fit and I want you to ride along with me.

I truly hope that I have not made this even worse by saying any of this or in the way I said it. Just know that as negative as it may sound, it was meant in a most positive way.

I feel the same responsibility towards my pen-friends as many of them feel towards the guys they begin to write. I realized early on that folks write us for a number of reasons and I can usually tell what it is within just a short while. When I decided to reach out there to you all, I made it a point to be someone probably completely different than they had probably ever come in contact with. I took it as an opportunity to begin anew and do things better than I did the first time around… If I had it to do over again, I do not think that I would do it but that would mean that I would have missed out on your friendship and that would be a terrible loss…

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8/10/10 - I can imagine that this little note was a surprise for you. I have to say that I felt that my large letter which you would have already received was not my best piece of work. So I decided to drop this little note to apologize, if it fell short of where I was going or if it went too far.

Even though my intent was that purest that I can reach, I still felt that I might have come across a bit if not a lot pushy. I have to say that when it comes to things that run on the emotional side of life, that I struggle with expressing them in the appropriate manner. I always mean well but many times I feel that I come up short.

I probably put a lot of pressure on you by being so dependent on you or, at the least, feeling that I can depend on you, in all aspects of life... In all honesty, there are only two people on this earth that I feel that I can truly depend on and that is My Mom and You. I am learning to trust God more and more but there are still moments when I do trust the physical over the spiritual and when that is the case, it means you two…

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I must admit, the thought of being present at the deliberate killing of another human being is something I can't imagine. Especially when I've developed a friendship with this person over the years. Do you think you could do it?

Over the past few days, I've discussed some aspects of the death penalty that you may not have considered before. I've talked about innocence and guilt, repentance and forgiveness, vengeance and justice. I've talked about the effects of executions on those who carry them out and on family members who survive them. And I've shared some correspondence from a man who is on death row today. Now I'd like you to share. What is your position on the death penalty?