mantra (per Merriam-Webster):
Etymology: Sanskrit, sacred counsel, formula, from manyate he thinks; akin to Latin mens mind — more at mind
Date: 1795
: a mystical formula of invocation or incantation (as in Hinduism)
2010 could probably use some sacred counsel, thought and incantation. In fact, writer/blogger Seth Godin says two of the most prominent themes [...]
In my last post, I mentioned mindfulness. It’s a buzzword these days. Just be mindful, and all will be well. That would be like me saying to live every day simply. In an unapologetically Buddhist way, mindfulness is that easy and that difficult, just as living life simply is. Read that as you will.
Only you [...]
I cannot express the comfort I feel sitting beside the fireplace at the end of day. Whether it’s with a book, my knitting, or a cup of something warm, my heart melts, and I’m warm all over. A dear friend told me that a fire is just like any relationship, especially marriage. It needs tending, [...]
Have you had that moment when you catch up with a grade-school or high school pal, one who truly knew you well, and after a brief catching-up they ask you if you’ve done any of that thing you truly love? For me, the question is something like, “So have you been writing much lately?” For [...]
I cannot remember the last time we truly took a holiday weekend, or, rather, that I took a holiday. There is something seemingly appropriate about a mom taking Labor Day as an excuse to kick back.
Truthfully, it started Friday when my daughter and I played our pajama day card. The fact that I’m reading the [...]
After a busy day, a fulfilling, worthwhile day, I truly love to get the kids to bed and kick back and relax. Cue the DVD player, escape to another reality, and vicariously experience a range of emotions. I consider it my down time, time when I don’t really have to think about anything. I unplug [...]
It’s about that time. The school supplies are purchased. The laundry is clean. Summer vacation is wrapped up in memories as early bedtime has resumed. The kids are sleeping soundly, though I’m sure the anxiety for the first day of school (coming on Wednesday) is coursing through their veins.
I am quite certain I’m not the [...]
Is it mere coincidence that when I water the garden and plants with water from the rain barrel, it rains? Yesterday we were blessed with a delightful summer storm . . . delightful if you don’t think too badly of the hail accompanying it. When I think that my barrel will surely dry up, it [...]
There is a charm in planning out a week, having a shopping day, a wash day, cleaning day, etc. Somehow, though, it seems like that system would just not work at all for my family. Do many still have such a method? How, I wonder, could it work for this family of six?
Then I realize, [...]
Yesterday, our sermon at church focused on Paul admitting his weaknesses. We were reminded that it is most often in our weakest moments that we are gifted with an unforeseeable strength, a great wisdom beyond our own being.
Mass media doesn’t follow this line of thinking. If people are weak, it’s usually because they’re ignorant or [...]
