Freedom

Fourth of July =  freedom and independence. 

Fourth of July morning was very peaceful outside. Inside the storms uprooted much of my self independence, and desires to want to control EVERYTHING.I was thinking about how we become slaves to foolishness: vices, jobs, desires, roles, relationships etc. We become slaves to almost anything, yet we do not give ourselves to the one and only who can set us free: God. 

I was also thinking about the term slave, and what constituted one. I asked myself whether one can be a slave and still love the one who has the keys to our shackles . If one relinquishes everything voluntarily, and with love, can one technically be enslaved then?

I think of our relationship with the Lord as one that truly sets us free. We learn to accept the things we cannot change. We learn to live for him and not merely on what we are feeling or how we are doing that day. We start asking questions such as: what is the bigger picture? Shattered dreams are never random, they are always a piece in a larger puzzle- Larry Crabb

It is time to move on, I need to let go of the reigns, and my whole trust in him I bury. New adventures await me.

Salt of the Earth

Happy 2012! I hope we have begun the year with many blessings. I've been away from my writing for too long. Last new years eve I wrote myself a letter addressed to the future. As I read over the letter, I felt a sense of accomplishment, maybe a prayer answered or a sudden burst of joy; the kind of joy you get when you feel the mighty Lords hand on your shoulder. The push of encouragement you get from the beyond. One of the things I hoped to accomplish this last year, was to grow in the Lord. There are several things I have done to bring this about. I have begun to pray during my meals, thanking the Lord more often for the blessings received. I have also said more selfless prayers this year, ones that are more in tune with his divine plan. Lastly, I have started praying before I read his word.

That nudge of encouragement however, calls for more. The blessings are more abundant, but so is the responsibility. We must become beacons of truth. We must not shut our light from the rest of the world, nor should we loose our saltiness.

• You are the salt of the Earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:13-16

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What does salt do? It adds flavor to our food, among other things. Similarly, we are the ones who spice up the world, or give it flavor. What this means is that we have the ability to affect the world. Therefore if we are like salt, and we loose our saltiness, then we are of little value to God. We mustn’t blend in with everyone else and become bland. Just as seasoning brings out the best flavor in food, we also must bring out the best in others.

I have read and heard preaching done on these passages before. I have come to understand it in different ways. My first understanding, could not grasp how the Bible could tell us that we must let others see our good deeds, while at the same time it advises doing good quietly, not for others to see, but for the Lord to see. I didn't understand how these two things could both be true at the same time. I didn't understand why we needed to let our good deeds shine. When we shine our light for others, we are not boasting about our good deeds. Letting our light shine for others, simply means that our good can transcend the darkness found in this world. We give aid to those who cannot by themselves see the truth. We can show others what Christ is like. 

And so like salt and light, we must affect others positively, and may we season this world with love and truth. I have come to know the Lord and have begun to understand his word. It is now time for me to grow as a Christian and help others see the light. its time for me to preach! Just kidding, but I do have to learn to share my faith with others. Has any one converted anyone, and if so what are some good pointers for sharing your faith with others?

Changing the world with banana bread

I have perfected a banana bread recipe. I love making banana bread, it is so moist, yummy, sweet and nutritious. Makes a great snack, or lunch. The browner the bananas are, the yummier it is.

I have been doing a lot of growing these last few days. Or at least I hope so. I have had several realizations. I can now understand why God loves children, it is because of their faith, sometimes they have more faith than adults do.

I saw this movie, and it was just a tear jerker. I cried like 5 times in that movie. Now you see, I don't like to cry, but I sure am good at it. God gave us emotions so we could feel them, but it is when these emotions take control of you that you are trouble. So any way, about this movie, it didn't help that it was based on a true story. The movie is called "Letters to God," I really enjoyed watching this movie, another in the same vein is "The Encounter."

I had been feeling down lately, I am a very impatient person, if one thing I know I have to learn to master is patience. You see I am waiting for something big from God, so I have to make sure my dreams don't die. Sometimes its hard to dream because we are placed in situations that make us think that our dream is not possible any more, or we may feel as if it will take forever to reach our goals. But if we ask for the right things, do God's will, then he will give us our hearts desires.

  God blessed me with a husband with big patience, and a great heart, I love him and am glad to be married to him. But you see, God has blessed me in so many ways, it has made we want to reach out to the world and help heal it from its wounds. Previously I had just been waiting anxiously, and it made me blind to all my other blessings, and answered prayers. So I have prayed for creativity, so that I can recruit people for Jesus. I figured, that while I wait and look forward to more blessings, and to living the purpose the Lord has set for me, I might as well do what I love doing: banana bread. So If you read my blog, and you would like me to send you some of my delicious Banana Bread, please feel free to e-mail me your name and address. Until next time.

Cheers
Wild Flower

Gibberish and random thoughts

What makes us human? Is it the need to be understood, listened to, acknowledged? Is it to have a sense of purpose and accomplishment, curiosity? Does being more than physical matter, something much more that can't be measured, or quantified: soul and spirit, the distinguishing factor that makes us human? Or maybe it is the mere vastness of emotions that a human being can feel. Could it be the complexity of our entire being what qualifies us as human?

To know that no one else can ever know exactly what you are thinking, observe what you are seeing, feel what you are feeling, except yourself, and the holy spirit. But if the Lord lives within us, then technically aren't we the only observers of what is going on? Aren't we all just searching, for a commonality, for a common origin, for something that just IS.

Life is smoother, when we remain in unity, when we stop differentiating, and categorizing and labeling things.

Have you ever gone to that place, the loneliest place ever, you have your hand stretched out to the heavens, and you feel so tiny, no one can see you, hear you, understand you, but you take comfort in the vastness of the sky. In the vastness of IT ALL. You remember, that this too shall pass, for the Earth, and the physical body is but a temporary state, a temporary place, we are just passing by. This feeling, too shall pass, this event, this day, will pass.

One day we will know it all. All our questions, the ones asked and the ones to be asked, will be answered. We will long no more, for we will just BE. We will no longer pass, but we will just BE.

The Human DYSFUNCTION

I don't wish to discredit our advancement in so many areas of life, nonetheless what has brought about this advancement has also caused the perpetuation of the ego. This in turn has brought about much evil; destruction to this Earth, ourselves, animals , other human beings, etc . We have traded personal attention for efficiency. This land we live in is riddled with crime and disease. Surely we have found a cure for many diseases,; we have created antibiotics. We have also created, stronger strands, and other possible diseases, excessive drug use, among many things. We have disrupted the Earth's flow.

I often find myself, living in ways of the past. Surely I live in 2011, but my spirit is in earlier times. I sometimes like doing things the old fashioned way. I like being able to make my own bread, in mixing things by hand. I take joy in planting my own vegetables, in making things from scratch. Its as if trying to remain as pure and as close as we can to rawness. finding the nature in things. I don't want to say that I don't enjoy today's commodities, I do, but I have also taken an appreciation of what used to be good, I have taken an appreciation for the unity of things, and feeling the soul in everything that surrounds us. These feelings have been brought about with, 25 years of living, the many people I have met, and the many books I have read. One such book that has especially made me reflect on these type of idea is A New Earth, awakening to your life's purpose, by Eckhart Tolle. Tolle believes that transcendence of our egos can bring about great personal happiness, and a major ingredient in ending conflict through out of the world. Based on these ideas and inspired by this book, i have written the following poem.

Ego

No you are not one of these or many of these.

Not thoughts of who you are,a description of yourself,

nor a list of abilities, make YOU.

Thoughts, forms, roles, abilities and disabilities,

doctrines, ideologies, political systems, and institutions do not make YOU.

It is merely the ego's claim for power and identity.

It is justification of being right, and a separation from everything that IS.

All the things that you believe to make you who you are,

have no form, no presence.

Having presence can only be had in the present, in the NOW.

War and conflict are caused by the ego's search for power.

In judging others, the ego is glorified, and given applause.

We believe to be right, morally superior, and somehow,

in the right to feel this way.

Only recognition of the ego and self awareness can unite us all.

Feeling the COMMON HUMANITY,

Unity with everything animate and non living,

feeling omnipotence with God.

The cure for this collective human dysfunction, is awareness.

Eliminate those boundaries that the ego creates.

My, mine, attachment and identification with material things, labels, and ideas,

causes separation from others, and a downward spiral,

into perpetuation, and retribution, action and reaction.

It is the rejection of something greater , something inherent in us all

a common humanity.

The ABSOLUTE TRUTH.

giving soul to our everyday work

When we care for our soul we consider all aspects of life, including ordinary, mundane house work. In doing work whether it be at the office, at the home, cooking or doing laundry, taking care of the kids, or giving the dog a bath, they all mount up to the cultivation of ordinary things by nurturing the soul. Jean Hall, and astrologer and therapist from Baltimore lectures on the soul of housework. She believes that if we denigrate the work that is to be done around the house everyday , we lose our attachment to our immediate world. Give housework a place of dignity in your life (Care of the Soul, by Thomas Moore).

We tend to overlook the way that soulfulness can be observed in ordinary housework, and the gifts it provides the soul. We miss out when we do our daily housework without care or contemplation or let others do it for us. In addition it can give us a sense of loneliness or homelessness.

Creativity can take on many forms, in making our homes, raising the children or at work, by fabricating a culture we are all being creative. By giving soul to our work, we see a reflection of ourselves in the world. “The whole point of life is the fabrication of soul. Work is an extension or reflection of yourself. Nicholas Cusa and Coleridge after him describes human creativity as “a participation in the act of God creating the cosmos, we create the micro-cosmos- the human world.” “Not only do we view most work as ordinary, repetitious and democratic, but we also tend to dismiss its creativity.” Bringing soul into our work is not reserved only to the brilliant minds, or who we tend to call the artist.” “In ordinary life creativity means making something for the soul out of every experience.” When we create things we can step back and contemplate our work. We can feel a surge of pride. “Where there is no artfulness about life, there is a weakening of soul.” “The problem with modern manufacturing is not lack of efficiency, but a loss of soul.” For those who are religious, we can worship God by doing the dishes or cleaning or cooking. When I’m not in the mood for cleaning or doing work, I sometimes tell myself, do it as an act of worship and reflect on the Lord. 

I understand that sometimes we tend to confine ourselves into the male/female roles, or the breadwinner and the homemaker. Both men and women participate in both roles, but usually we tend to  dominant in one role. I would recommend however that one person in a relationship should NOT always assume the same role. Both partners should have the opportunity to participate in both roles because we can miss out on opportunities in nurturing the soul and creating art if we always assume the same role.

I understand the feeling of the ordinariness of everyday work especially in the household, we tend to see this kind of work as chores. If you can take a step back however and contemplate the work you do, put some love or creativity into your work, I bet you would lose some of the feeling of that associated with doing work. Rather than seeing it as just work, see it as a way to be creative, as a way to reflect yourself through objects and actions.

The reason why I write about this topic is that I have come to appreciate womanhood and the making of the home. Lately I have been doing a lot of cooking, as I mentioned before I enjoy cooking, and seeing others enjoy my food gives me some pride. Doing laundry, or washing the dishes, gives me a sense of satisfaction. I read in a 1892 everyday cook book, that no woman should be getting married if they do not know how to cook. In Spanish there is a similar saying women will often say to younger women, “oh you can now get married” after they have cooked a nice big meal. In that same book I also read that unselfish mothers or wives make selfish partners or children. It is important that we also give ourselves some time, the we also treat ourselves to good things. A mother for example may go on wearing the same old dress just so she can buy her daughter a new dress. That is fine, however , we should reserve some selfishness.

  Sometimes I do not like being a woman, having to go through a period every month, and then the idea of bearing children, its all very painful, but with it also brings great joy. Having the ability to create life, and being able to carry life in the womb, just reminds me of the strength of woman, and the gifts that God gave us. I am developing my creativity as a woman, taking part in activities such as cooking, baking, sewing, doing laundry, doing dishes, painting among many things. I remember growing up as a child and my mom always made me grocery shop with her, always had me help her with dinner. As an adult I can now appreciate all these things she made me do, it gives me satisfaction that I can make a home, take care of dinner, or things around the house. I try not to see these things as just work, but a medium through which I can express myself. 

 For those of you that don't know, my husband and I moved to Missouri. We are staying with one of his friends, who also happens to be a trucker. In the short amount of time that I have been here, I have come to appreciate the importance of everyday work. His friend's wife's kitchen is like a playroom for a kid. She has so many gadgets and tool and fun machines, that make cooking fun. She has a collection of older gadgets used in the kitchen, she has a great selection of books, that range in anything from cleaning, to cooking, and anything one can imagine a homemaker doing. These books are awesome they give you tips and advice how to take care of the home, and the family, things that books now a days don't really include. Such things include, how to dress, how to remove stains, how to be a lady, how to raise your kids etc. I have learned several things from her, and I have created a bond with a female. I know I have trouble keeping in touch with people, and sometimes I feel distanced from my friends, but when you have roommates, especially of the same sex, it allows you to open up and trust, get advice, and learn. I thankful for the way my mom raised me and all that she taught me. I am thankful for my new friend as well, being away from my parents and family gets to me sometimes, but having someone there to act as a mother, or father figure or just a good friend can help you relieve the feeling of homelessness, and being far away from your family. 

Until I get my immigration situation fixed and can get a professional job, I am going to enjoy being a homemaker, and making the most of my time, for when work and children come along, it makes taking care of things more difficult. I might as well learn to do those daily things, cooking, cleaning, and learn to make it effortless, so that when the job and the children come along, I can overcome the challenge of all those different roles; bringing in money, being a wife, being a mom and taking care of my home. I have come to take pride in the work I do, not only as a woman but as an artist, as a wife and as a student of life, home and the family. The next step is learning the role of the mother, but that wont be for a while now.To all the mothers, homemakers, maids, and people who care for their homes and family may you be blessed.
[sources- Care of the soul by Thomas Moore , The Everyday Cook book by Miss E. Neal copyright year 1892]

No preaching

Before I post any further blogs, I would like to remind my readers of the purpose of my blog. Sometimes I feel a sense of arrogance or even righteousness in what I am expressing, my thoughts ideas or beliefs, this however is not intentional. I apologize for any haughty overtones that may be interpreted in my writing. My message is sometimes presented as an imperative, or even as urging advice. I would ask my readers that in reading my posts they keep their minds open, read with imagination but also with a discerning eye. Sometimes I try to convey more than one thing in my writing, sometimes it is layered. I also noticed that my posts lately have been religion or faith based. I am not here for the purpose of proselytizing, if in my writing it incites one to delve into their religion or Christianity, then good for them. As a Christian I know that we must share the word of the Lord and in a sense be missionaries. I am a growing Christian, and I have much to learn. I am not prepared yet to proselytize. I am here however to share my journey with you as a person who is is cultivating the soul. I post things that are important to me, things that stir me, things I wonder about, things that are beautiful. I try and share my love of learning, and this world with others. Right now this blog is my choice of medium for my art. I would hope that my writing not only helps me reflect on my thoughts and the world, but that it may also give something back to the reader. I realized that I felt a sense of pretense or a feeling as if I was preaching when I started thinking about the things I write about. It is easy to talk the talk but can I walk the walk? I can post my ideas and how I believe things should be approached, my only concern is that I must practice what I proclaim. In a sense I sometimes get scared that one day I may fail when the Lord puts me to the test. This feeling can be understood in reading Job. The reason for my mentioning of Job is that Job, is a person in the Bible, who was blameless and upright in the Lords eye. Job was blessed. Satan however went to the Lord and said, if the Lord were to instill fear in him and take all he has, that he would surely curse God. The Lord then said to Satan, everything is in your hands but do not lay a finger on the man himself. “Naked I cam from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (Job, 1:20). Job endured yet a second test, the angels and Satan came to God. God spoke to Satan you incited me to ruin him without reason, yet he is still blameless and upright and shuns evil. Satan then replied, “a man will give all he has for his own life. But Stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones , and he will surely curse you to your face.” Job 2:4 the Lord then replied to Satan, “very well then he is in your hands, but you must spare his life.” So Satan went on and caused Job all sorts of pain. Still he did not curse the Lord, but the day he was born. Jobs friends tried to reason with him and make him confess his sin. They believed that there had to be reason why he had been such misfortune. They failed to acknowledge that suffering does not always serve the purpose of punishment, and therefore upright people, innocent people too suffer. Where Job did sin however is in his self righteousness, in refusing to accept that harm happens even to good people, and challenging God for doing what he did. God is almighty and powerful. A creation, cannot be more pure than its creator. For reasons unknown to us, for reasons we cannot understand, things are done for a reason, and our comprehension cannot encompass Gods reasoning in his actions. What is to be taken from this then is that I hope that the day I am put to the test, I hope my faith will be strong. That I may remember that I am blessed, because “blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.... blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, blessed are the meek, blessed are the merciful (Matthew 5:1-13). So as a reader I only ask of you one thing, to read, reflect, and if anything moves you, whether you agree or disagree, to please share with me your thoughts. I have an appreciation for dialogue, and when people express their ideas or beliefs and back them up with reason, logic, a story or even the heart, it allows us all to learn a bit more about this world. I am not here to preach, even thought I have considered ministry, I am not here to advise you on things; as I said I am on a spiritual journey and taking time to care for the soul, I merely share my thoughts and ideas with the audience for the sake of self refection, dialogue and that if a reader can ever relate, may they find some comfort in my words.