Day 31: 1/31/13 - Celebrate National Soup Month

Day 31: 1/31/13 - Celebrate National Soup Month                 
New Thing- Make "Fresno Fog Split Pea Soup"                   
Inspiration: National Soup Month               
Time: About an hour                
Bottom Line: With a bowl of soup, all is right in the world.

Reflection: Today marks another silly holiday that I would have never known about without this blog--National Soup Month. I love soup, so I say, let's celebrate. This evening's menus includes Fresno Fog Split Pea Soup which is like normal split pea soup but with south west spices. It gives it a nice kick. Yum.

Day 30: 1/30/13 - Lovely Lunch at New Restaurant with All New Dishes

Day 30: 1/30/13 - Lovely Lunch at New Restaurant with All New Dishes                
New Thing- Tons of new food at a new restaurant with Callie!                  
Inspiration: Callie, Lunch               
Time: Lunch Time               
Bottom Line: Delicious food and conversation.

Reflection: Today I made my way to Chestnut Hill to have lunch with the delightful Callie. She took me to a great Thai restaurant and I tried all new dishes, including:

• Gyoza- Chicken dumpling
• Thai Spicy Fresh Lettuce Wraps- Stir-fried ground chicken & bell peppers in house special sauce served with fresh lettuce leave w/ sriracha sauce on the side. 
• Tom Kha- This one was my favorite. Light broth herbal soup with coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, mushroom & scallion
• Duke Ginger Stir-Fried- Stir-fried fresh ginger with oyster sauce, bell peppers, onions, celergy & mushrooms. 

Don't worry, we definitely didn't finish this all. It was such a great time and I am looking forward to many more, Callie!

Day 29: 1/29/13 - New Clergy Shirt!

Day 29: 1/29/13 - New Clergy Shirt!               
New Thing- Wear a new clergy shirt                 
Inspiration: Clergy Image & Kim              
Time: All day              
Bottom Line: Nice fit and feel but could use a little higher quality material. Still, I like it! Score!

Reflection: My newly ordained sister-in-law, Kim, put me on to a great new clergy shirt company for women started by a seamstress who has an ordained daughter. Her daughter--like myself and ALL OTHER CLERGY WOMEN I KNOW (sigh....deep breath)--had had a very hard time finding clergy shirts so she started making them herself. While most clergy shirt companies have just taken their patterns for male and shrunk them down to "fit" women's bodies, these shirts are custom made to fit and are very comfortable. I was really happy with it all day and never felt like it need the constant adjustment that my "Janie" or my other clergy shirts require. My only critique would be that the material is a little low quality. But I will still order from then again.

A shoot of the front of collar for my fellow clergy ladies who are interested in the thickness. It laid very comfortably under the clergy collar. 

Day 28: 1/28/13 - Homemade Makeup Brush Cleaner

Day 28: 1/28/13 - Homemade Makeup Brush Cleaner              
New Thing- Make and use my own makeup brush cleaner.                
Inspiration: Pinterest             
Time: About 20 mins.             
Bottom Line: Fresh and very clean.

Reflection: Today, I made my very own makeup brush cleaner. This was great for two reasons: One, the store made version of this stuff is so expensive and is laced with chemicals. Secondly, the homemade version worked MUCH better than any other kind I have tried. All you need is a tablespoon of white vinegar and a tablespoon of dish washing soap in a cup of hot water. Then a 20 minute soak, followed by a hot, then cold rinse and pat dry will do it. Disinfects, dissolves grease/makeup, leaves no film, and inexpensive all at once!

Day 27: 1/27/13 - Celebrate National Tea Month

Day 27: 1/27/13 - Celebrate National Hot Tea Month             
New Thing- Make my own ginger, mint honey tea and use a new App.                
Inspiration: National Hot Tea Month            
Time: About 20 mins.             
Bottom Line: Tasty and warm on a cold winters night.

Reflection: January is National Hot Tea Month! As you may know, I love hot decaffeinated lose-leaf tea (and if you didn't know, now you do ;) But I have never made my own tea from my own herbs. So, I deiced to try out a new app. called "Snapguide" (which has tons of free tutorials at your finger-tips) to find a tea recipe. I found a delicious fresh ginger, mint & honey tea which was both delicious and healthy. Enjoy!

• Heat up your water as you slice up a little piece of fresh ginger into thin sections.   
• Taking a larger piece of ginger, make some slices into it without cutting it all the way through and crush it with you knife so the juice comes out. 
• Put some mint leaves and smaller ginger slices into the water as it boils and some into your mug. (I used dried organic mint from my garden).  Let it simmer for 10 minuets.
• Then put smaller pieces of ginger into your mug.
• Let it steep for a bit and then add honey to taste. 

Day 26: 1/26/13 - Visit the Historic Sugar Carriage Museum

Day 26: 1/26/13 - Visit the Historic Sugar Town Carriage Museum            
New Thing- Check out some cool 18th century modes of transportation               
Inspiration: Stephen Minister Training           
Time: A few hours for training            
Bottom Line: The glass carriage hearse was the best.

Reflection: Today the Stephen Ministers in training all gathered at the Historic Sugar Town Carriage Museum in Malvern for their retreat. The building we were in had a ton of old-thyme carriages and a cool glass carriage hearse. I was SO tempted to try and ride one of of those bikes that has the giant front wheel, but no one would help me on. :(I didn't have time to go into the country store, but I will be bringing D. here later for the historic day they have in April.

Day 25: 1/25/13 - Celebrate Spouses Day

Day 25: 1/25/13 - Celebrate Spouses Day          
New Thing- Give Ken a Heart-Attack              
Inspiration: Spouses Day, Pinterest          
Time: 30 minutes           
Bottom Line: Yeah for my spouse!

Reflection: Today is national "Spouses Day." Here is the description from this site:

Spouse's Day is a time to enjoy and appreciate your better half. You can use this day as a prelude or warm up to Valentine's Day, perhaps. But, its not as much of a gift giving event. Rather, use it as a time to show your spouse that you care and appreciate all of the things that he/she does for you and for the household. Over the long years of a relationship, its easy to take for granted the many things your spouse does. He/she's always there. They do so many big and little things as a routine event. So, take today to notice and to say thanks.

For today's new thing, I decided to give Ken a "heart attack"--an idea I found on Pinterest. I made dozens of hearts for Ken and wrote things that I appreciate about him on them--everything from the profound to the silly. And then I dumped them on his head from the staircase as he walked in the door (hence the "attack' part.) I love you, Ken!

Day 24: 1/24/13 - Make Hard Boiled Eggs in the Oven

Day 24: 1/24/13 - Make Hard Boiled Eggs in the Oven          
New Thing- Find a new way to make eggs             
Inspiration: Pinterest          
Time: 30 minutes           
Bottom Line: I will never make eggs the same way again.

Reflection: Since it is so very cool outside, I have found myself being draw to these warm "crafty" sorts of new things these last few days. Like today's new thing: cooking hard boiled eggs in muffin tins. I have to say that this was really easy and the eggs were much easier to peel then normal boiled eggs. It did take longer than making them on the stove-top, but there was less to clean up. All you do is put your eggs in the muffin tin, place them in an oven at around 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, and then put the eggs in ice water for 10 minutes to cool down. Done!

Day 23: 1/23/13 - Make a Salt Dough Hand-print Keepsake

Day 23: 1/23/13 - Make a Salt Dough Hand-print Keepsake          
New Thing- Make a Salt Dough Hand-print Keepsake             
Inspiration: Pinterest          
Time: 3 hours to bake         
Bottom Line: Cute!

Reflection: Tonight, D. and I made a little keepsake out of salt dough. It is still baking at the time of this writing, since it take 3 hours. But it is very cute and is of D.'s little hand-print! Here is how you make it:

Salt dough keepsake:

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

cold water. 

Mix until has consistency of play dough. bake at 200 for 3 hours

Day 22: 1/22/13 - Wear Glasses

Day 22: 1/22/13 - Wear Glasses        
New Thing- Wear Glasses            
Inspiration: Ali         
Time: All day         
Bottom Line: Four-Eyes

Reflection: Apparently, its accessory week here at 365 since we started with a tie and are now moving onto eye-wear. My little sis, Ali, has always been our family's fashion plate. Ever since she was a little girl, she would try new things to shake up her look, including wearing fake glasses. She actually still does this and she swears that when she wears them, she gets more respect. So, I borrowed a pair of her fake glasses to try it out for myself today. Since I have better than 20/20 vision (brag) I have never tried glasses at all. I don't know if I received anymore respect, but I did get mixed reviews and a headache. If I do ever need glasses, this style of frame wouldn't be to bad I think.

Day 21: 1/21/13 - Celebrate MLK Day & President Obama

Day 21: 1/21/13 - Celebrate MLK Day & President Obama       
New Thing- Watch the Inaugural Address and MLK's "I have a Dream" Speech with Little D. and Sign the President's Gun Control Petition           
Inspiration: MLK Day, The Inaugural Address         
Time: About 40 mins. all together.         
Bottom Line: Amazingly Inspirational

Reflection: Tonight, Little D. and I watched two very inspirational speeches from two of the finest orators in modern history. We started with President Obama's inaugural address. D. was way to little to remember watching his first one, but she was actually very interested in today's speech. I though it was excellent and very motivational. So motivational, in fact, that I signed his gun-control petition right afterward. (You can find the petition here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/preventing-gun-violence). I loved the way he gave homage to the past, but called us to live responsibly and honorably in our time as our duty to our nation's future.

Then we watched the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I have a Dream Speech" which brought at least one tear to my eye. (You may remember that I listened to King's "The Drum Major Instinct" sermon two years ago which I highly recommend! You can listen to it here.) It gave D. and I a really good chance to talk about the evil of racism, how far we have come in America, and how far we still have to go. I am very proud to be an American tonight! 

Day 20: 1/20/13 - Wear a Tie

Day 20: 1/20/13 - Wear a Tie       
New Thing- Wear a Tie       
Inspiration: Well, I have never worn a tie...so...inspiration!        
Time: Most of the day        
Bottom Line: Lookin' Sharp!

Reflection: Today, I decided to dress up to have Christmas at Ali & Doug's house and wore a tie the whole time. Yep. It was more comfortable then I would have imagined. I tried to make a cool knot called "The Trinity Knot" but I could not manage it. So, normal knot it is thanks to Ken!

Day 19: 1/19/13- St. David's S.P.A. Day, Qigong and Face Mask

Day 19: 1/19/13 - St. David's S.P.A. Day       
New Thing- Qigong and Homemade Face Mask       
Inspiration: Spiritual Practices in Action       
Time: 5 hours       
Bottom Line: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with you bodies." 1 Cor. 6:19-20

Ancient Qigong Moves

Reflection: As you may remember from my post of two days ago, today the women of St. David's gathered together to have a Wellness day devoted to honoring the bodies that God has given us as temples of the Holy Spirit. It was a whole day centered on the Incarnation and learning how to use spiritual practices and bodily prayers to grow closer to God. Since Jesus came to us in bodily form, we know that He cares about bodies and speaks to us through these tangible creations that we live with. We started the day with Morning Prayer and then had Tie Chi and Qigong which I had never tried before. Here is Wikipedia's description of this ancient practice:

Qigong, chi kung, or chi gung is a practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness for exercise, healing, and meditation.With roots in Chinese medicine, martial arts, and philosophy, qigong is traditionally viewed as a practice to cultivate and balance qi (chi) or what has been translated as "intrinsic life energy." Typically a qigong practice involves rhythmic breathing coordinated with slow stylized repetition of fluid movement, a calm mindful state, and visualization of guiding qi through the body. 

 

 It was very relaxing as was the yoga that followed. We then had a presentation on super foods and a guided mindful eating mediation. Finally, we had a discussion and presentation on eco-stewardship and healthy skin practices by using a skin mask (that we took home) made of egg whites, honey and lemon juice. It tightened and softened my face. A wonderful sabbath day of centering.

Day 18: 1/18/13 - Celebrate Winnie the Pooh Day

Day 18: 1/18/13 - Celebrate Winnie the Pooh Day       
New Thing- Create a children's story for D. using her stuffed animals       
Inspiration: Winnie the Pooh Day     
Time: 20 minuets      
Bottom Line: “If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Reflection: Today is Winnie the Pooh Day! Here is the description of this holiday

Winnie the Pooh Day was created to celebrate the birthday of the creator, A.A. Milne. Realistically, Winnie the Pooh (and all his friends) were created from stuffed animals that Milne's son, Christopher Robin Milne, had as a child. Christopher Robin is also a character in the stories himself. Celebrate A.A Milne's birthday and Winnie the Pooh Day on January 18th. 

Winnie the Pooh (along with Kermit the Frog) played a huge part in my childhood as staples of my imagination canon. One of the greatest thrills this year has been that D. has also developed a love for the Pooh books and has been listening to them over-and-over again on CD. So, in honor of this day, the whole Raining family got together to create a Pooh like story where her whole menagerie of beloved stuff animals, led by her dear constant companion, Mimi, marvel at the simple joys of this world. This story is based on a little rainbow that was reflected on our staircase from a prism that D. saw today. Enjoy!


-->

Mimi the Sheep

by the Rainings 

One day, when D. had come home from school, she noticed an amazing thing on the staircase.

“A Rainbow! Right here in my house,” she though with amazement. “I had better get Mimi to show him this,” she said. And off to her room she ran.

She found her dear Mimi-the-Sheep on the floor waiting for her.

“Mimi!” she said. “You have to come and see this. It's a rainbow in our house!”

"I like it!" Mimi said. “Let's try to capture it!”

“How?” D. asked.

“Well, maybe if we used your pink unicorn horn. It's magical just like a rainbow,” suggested Mimi.

D. got the unicorn horn, taking Mimi's advice, and tried in vain to pick up the rainbow from the stairs.

“Well, that didn't work,” said D.

“Oh bother,” said Mimi. “If I understand how magic unicorn horns work--that should have worked. Maybe this one is on the fritz...unless of course I don't know how magical unicorn horns work. That hardly seems likely. We'll have to try something else. I know, we should try your net!”

So D. went up to get her net and while where was there she asked Pink Puppy and Lambino, and Uni the Unicorn to help.

“If you had bother to ask me first,” said Uni, “I would have been happy to inform you that though the unicorn horn is among the most magical of all objects on earth, it cannot pick up a rainbow.”

“Oh, here we go!” said Pink Puppy rolling his eyes. “Another speech on the importance of unicorn horns.”

"All I am saying is if you want to know about the most incredible powers that the illustrious unicorn horn holds, you would do well to ask the unicorn in your midst,” argued Uni.  

“Why don't we sing a song,” suggested Mimi. “For one, it will change the subject. And for another, music is magical in its own right.”

And he began to make a little song:

“Oh the trouble with rainbows

is that they cannot be caught.

Their beauty majestic,

yet cannot be bought.

A strange mix of sun

and of rain

and of light

you just simply may not seize one

not with all of your might.” 

When the song was done, Mimi said with confidence, “I know how to catch it.”

“How?” said Pink Puppy. “Should we lock it in a box?”

“No,” said Mimim.

“Shall we grab it with our mouths or try to pin them with their beautiful horns? (Those of us who are lucky enough to have one that is. And that is just me.),” said Uni

“No,” said Mimi.

“Should we roll around in it so it gets caught in our wool?” said Lambino

“No,” said Mimi. “Take me into the kitchen and I will show you what we need to catch the rainbow.”

When D. went into the kitchen and saw what Mimi was pointing to, she knew it would work. She took the device off the counter and took it to the stairs.

She switched the device on and pointed and clicked.

“There,” she said. “We may not be able to catch the rainbow, but now, which the help of our camera, we will be able to enjoy it together for ever. “

“Well, that wasn't very magical at all,” said Uni.

“Oh, I think the memory of this rainbow that we all caught together will magically live in our hearts for ever,” said D.

“Indeed,” Mimi wisely agreed.

And it did.  

“Wait, what ever happened to the net?” Asked Pink Puppy.

“Hush,” said Uni. “You'll ruin the magical moment.”  

Day 17: 1/17/13 - Homemade Shower Vapor Tabs

Day 17: 1/17/13 - Homemade Shower Vapor Tabs       
New Thing- Make and use a homemade shower vapor tab      
Inspiration: St. David's S.P.A. Wellness and Spirit Day    
Time: 10 minuets for the mixing and 15 minuets for the shower      
Bottom Line: My sinuses are clear and my shower is clean!

Reflection: This Saturday, St. David's Pastoral Care Committee and Women's Ministry will be hosting the first ever "S.P.A. (Spiritual Practices in Actions)" Day. The whole day will be dedicated to reflecting on incarnational ways to pray and take care of the Temple of the Spirit that are our bodies.  We will be enjoying a morning of refreshment for the mind, body and spirit that will include Morning Prayer, Tai Chi, yoga, a guided mindful eating meditation, nutrition and even eco friendly skin care as a method of eco-stewardship. We are even having some great homemade and organic give-aways that we began working on today.

So, this morning, we gathered in the kitchen today to make homemade shower vapor tabs. These things are great to put in your shower and let the vapors that are released as it dissolves clear your sinuses. The baking soda also help clean your shower-bonus! I tried out one that had been made previously by a member of our committee tonight and it was really refreshing. Here is the formula:

•  2-3 cups baking soda
• water
• 15 drops each, lavender, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential organic oil

       Slowly add water to the baking soda, stirring until smooth to make a thick paste. Add the essential oils. Scoop into muffin liners and let dry for 12-18 hours. You can also leave out the oils and bake at 350 for 20 minuets, then add a few drops of the oil to the cooked tabs. Awesome!

By the way, if you are interested in coming to the S.P.A. Day, you can register here: http://www.stdavidschurch.org/our-community/events_registration

Day 16: 1/16/13- National Do Nothing Day

Day 16: 1/16/13 - National Do Nothing Day       
New Thing- Try to learn how to be idle        
Inspiration: National Do Nothing Day   
Time: 30 Minuets     
Bottom Line: It's not super great that I need instruction on this.

 
Reflection: Today is national "Do Nothing Day" but I could not just sit back and do nothing since I did that for two minuets on this day in 2011 (seen here)...and not again since. So, I thought I would use this day as an opportunity to learn a little about the art of doing nothing from the book, How to be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto where Tom Hodgkinson helps people like me learn this important art form as a call to an imaginative life. Here is a part of his argument:

The idea that idleness is good goes against everything we have ever been taught. Industry, hard work, duty, self-sacrifice, toil: surely these are virtues that will lead to success in life? Well, no. In the West, we have become addicted to work. Americans now work the longest hours in the world. And the result is not health, wealth and wisdom, but rather a lot of anxiety, a lot of ill health and a lot of debt.

His first chapter, dedicated to the art of sleeping in, suggests that we all get rid of our alarm clocks and let ourselves wake up calmly thus enabling us to start the day with vision and peace. He feels that our bodies will get us up around the time that we need to. Well, I tried that today and I missed yoga. So, that wasn't great. But I did feel a little more well rested and did have more time in that great "in-between-being-awake-and-dreaming" stage. Maybe chapter 2 will be more yoga friendly.

Day 15: 1/15/13 National Dress Up Your Pet Day

Day 15: 1/15/13 - National Dress Up Your Pet Day       
New Thing- Try to dress up the cats         
Inspiration: National Dress Up Your Pet Day   
Time: We could only keep the "costumes" on for mere seconds.    
Bottom Line: No cats were harmed in the celebration of this holiday.

"Hererrrrrrr Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!" This picture is a metaphor for our entire relationship. 

 Reflection: Today the cats and I celebrated "National Dress Up Your Pet" day (which is actually celebrated on the 14th, but since I had to transfer the Feast of St. Hilary because of J.C.'s baptism we are now rolling this holiday over a day as well). Our two cats, Horatio and Jezebel, are definitely NOT the kinds of pet who go in for this kind of thing. I think the pictures paint tell the story:

Since Horatio is a boy, we tried to give him a doctor mask so he could pretend to have a promising career.

I turn to bribery.  I'm not proud.

Another player enters the game.

Success! For Jezebel, we chose a pretty little flower band.

Day 14: 1/14/13- Celebrate the Feast of St. Hilary of Poitiers

Day 14: 1/14/13

New Thing:  Celebrate the Feast of St. Hilary of Poitiers by praying Evening Prayer in Latin 

Inspiration: St. Hilary—Bishop of Poitiers, Teacher of the Faith, and Doctor of the Church
Time: About a half an hour
Bottom Line: It was a delight to celebrate this most beautifully designated Saint who is a credit to the name! 

Reflection: Today is the most illustrious of all Saint's Day's--The Feast of St. Hilary of Poitiers! Well, technically, the 13th was his feast day, but since it was the Baptism of our Lord fell on that day (how rude, Jesus!) his feast is transferred to today. Here is the a little introduction from the first time I celebrated my Patronal Feast here on 365 in 2011 (as found in this post):

Even though I was not exactly named after St. Hilary (you will notice, I am sure that he spells his name with but one “L”), he has been one of my favorites for years, and not just because of his awesome name (although I think we can all agree, it is indeed magnificent). There was a point in my childhood when I kept asking my parish priest week after week if there was a St. Hill. Finally, out of what I assume was exasperation for this precocious little would-be-hagiographer, he loaned me his “Big Book of Saints” and advised me to “look it up!” What I found delighted me.

First of all, Hilary was a theologian and a scholar of the highest degree. However, he did not simply use his scholarly wisdom to write tomes. Instead his studies changed his life and the life of the Church Catholic. Celebrating the Saints has this to say about Hilary’s life (I have linked to topics of note that are very interesting but to lengthy for this post):

Hilary was born at Poitier in about the year 313; his family, though pagan, gave him an excellent education and he was proficient in Latin and Greek. After extensive personal study, he tells us that he was baptized at the age of thirty. He was elected bishop of the city in the year 350 and immediately became caught up in the Arian controversy, himself asserting that mortals of this world were created to practice moral virtues, thus reflecting the One in whose image they are made, the eternal and creative first cause, God; and that Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God is of one substance with the Father. His learning and oratory lead to his title of “Athanasius of the West”. He was known as a gentile, kind friend to all, even though his writings seemed sever at times. He dies in the year 367. 

So, not only did Hilary come to know and believe in God through his reason and study, he also helped to defend the church through his knowledge of the Trinity! His dedication to using his intellect to know and serve Christ has lead me to pursue Doctoral work. 

The second reason that I love Hilary is that he was not only a scholar, but also a gifted musician and poet. He wrote hundreds of hymns and we have two of them in our Episcopal Hymnal 1982. For 2011, I learned one of his hymns (#224). Last year, I learned a new musical setting of a Psalm while at Drew doing Doctoral work which, as I mentioned above, is partially inspired by his witness. 

This year, I decided to try something that would honor his knowledge of Latin--something that I have a very limited grasp of and all in ecclesiastical form. I used the form for Vespers found here and read the whole thing outloud to the best of my woeful abilities. While some of it was frustrating, I found myself imagining what it must have been like for all of the church goers who have heard these words (with perhaps equally limited understanding) over the years and how I joined with them through this common tongue. I also had some moments of beauty when I would hear words that I knew! They would help to locate the parts of the service I was in and were touchstones of grace and revelation as I finally saw (or heard) beyond some of the mystery that veiled my understanding. I would say them with stronger convention that I probably would in a normal Evening Prayer service since I could claim them as my own. 

Here is Hilary's Collect: 
 

  O Lord our God, who didst raise up thy servant Hilary to be a champion of the catholic faith: Keep us steadfast in that true faith which we professed at our baptism, that we may rejoice in having thee for our Father, and may abide in thy Son, in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit; thou who livest and reignest for ever and ever. 

 

P.S.  He was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians" which is such a great nick-name. I have been trying for 3 years to find things that I could be "The Hammer" of. Such as, "Hammer Latin" or "The Hammer of Play-dough" (which I made a batch of for Delia). So far, nothing. :(

P.P.S.- Our name comes from the Greek word for happy or cheerful. My Chippewa name is "Laughing Child" so I assume my tribe knew what they were doing.

Day 13 1/13/13- The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord Holy Spirit Art App

Day 13 1/13/13 - The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord Holy Spirit Art App      
New Thing- Meditation with water color app (52 pages)        
Inspiration: The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord Holy Spirit, 52 Pages App    
Time: About 30 minuets   
Bottom Line: Really fun and relaxing

"Beloved"

Reflection: Today is the Feast of Baptism of our Lord when we celebrate Jesus' baptism in the Jordan river. Here is our Gospel reading for today:

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."-

Luke 3:15-17,21-22

  

For today's new thing is an art meditation using a new app called "52 pages" which is REALLY fun! I knew I wanted to make a watercolor painting (for baptism) today as a new form of meditation on the scripture, but I did not have a scanner to post it to the blog. After doing some research, I fond this app that lets you make a painting digitally. The results are above. Though I am no artiest, I do think that is looks like real watercolors. It was also more relaxing and centering than I expected.

Day 12 1/12/13- The Old Guard House Inn

Day 12 1/12/13 - The Old Guard House Inn     
New Thing- Delicious Dinner and Atmosphere        
Inspiration: Date night!   
Time: A few hours  
Bottom Line: Best meal I have had in months.

Reflection: Tonight, following the election of Diocese of Pennsylvania's new provisional Bishop (yeah!), Ken and I went out to a delicious meal at the Old Guard House Inn in Gladwyne. A very good friend of our had given us a gift certificate for this restaurant ages ago and every time we tried to make a reservation they were full or had a private party, so we knew it had to be good. We finally made it in and it was well worth the wait. I had one of my favorites, venison, and we both raised a class to our generous friend, the founder of the feast!

Day 11 1/11/13 Sabbath Epiphany Energy Meditation

Day 11 1/11/13 - Sabbath Epiphany Energy Meditation    
New Thing- Investigating Spiritual Energy Grid        
Inspiration: Paul's Letter to the Romans, Women's Bible Study  
Time: About 30 minuets 
Bottom Line: Investigating Energy Leaks

 
Reflection: In our St. David's Women's Bible Study (which I lead every Thursday morning at 9:00--shameless plug) this year, we have been tackling Paul's letter to the Romans. This week were were discussing chapters 6-7 which contains some of Paul's defense of the law. In this passage, he is making the complex theological argument that although Christ has come and set us free from the law (ie- the Laws of Moses), we do ourselves no favors if we think that it it worthless, or worse, the cause of our sin. He writes in 7:7:

What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’  

In other words, it is not the law that cause us to sin--no, that would just be our own actions. Sorry about that! The good news is that God has written his law on our hearts (Romans 2:15) and so we will desire to live in His ways through our baptism and being raised to new life in Christ.

So, for our reflection this week, we decided to tie in the Epiphany theme of "Christ's Light being manifest to the world" and let the law illumine our own hearts and actions.  Since light is energy, we used the law (a.k.a the 10 Commandments in this meditation) to create a "spiritual energy grid" to see what our energies/lights are going towards and how might they be better spent. We made three columns: The middle one had each of the 10 Commandments listed. The right was labeled "sin/how we are wasting our energy/light on something that is not God" and the right one was "grace/how we can rewire our actions to be in line with God's will." For each of the Commandments, we investigated the ways we might be failing to live up to the law and then prayerfully discerned ways God has called us to live instead. For example, one woman lifted up her reflection on "Thou shalt not commit adultery." She said that the sin in this case might not be as overt as actually having an affair, but could included belittling your spouse as a form of compromising the union. The "rewiring" action could be to covenant to pray with each other everyday. We had a really interesting discussion. So interesting in fact that I did not have time to do this meditation myself. Thus, today's Sabbath practice was dedicated to trying this out.

I really did see things that I didn't even know were there--but also could see how there could be changes with God's help. The law, in this case, was like a flashlight shining in corners that I hadn't looked at for a while.

Day 10 1/10/13 Full-Fledge Assult On the Flu!

Day 10 1/10/13 - Full-Fledged Assault On the Flu!  
New Thing- New Vitamins, New Probiotic, New Detox Bath!       
Inspiration: Little D., The plague that has seemingly hit town  
Time: 40 minutes for the bath as prescribed
Bottom Line: Take that germs!

Reflection: Little D. has been sick for a few days now with whatever this plague is that seems to be spreading all over the place and I do NOT want to get it. So, I am going on the offensive and am taking today's new thing challenge to do a little preemptive strike on this epidemic. Here are my new health initiatives for today:  

1.) I am starting to take a multivitamin and fish oil for the first time in five years.
2.) I tried a little all natural probiotic milk shot called "siggi's" which was totally new for me. It was pretty good. Strawberry flavor.

3. After this I am going try a detox bath (as found here) which uses baking soda, lavender oil, and Epsom salts. I'm off to soak! 

Good Night!

Day 9 1/9/13 Celebrate National Play God Day

Day 9 1/9/13 - Celebrate National Play God Day
New Thing- Blessing Everyone I Meet     
Inspiration: National Play God Day, Laura 
Time: All Day
Bottom Line: Thank God I am not Him

I don't have this in my hands.

Reflection: Devotees of 365 Alive will remember that in search of finding inspiration for 365 new things, I often turn to weird or little-known holidays and observances. Well, I am continuing that tradition with today's new thing: celebrating National Play God Day. Holidayinsights.com has this to say on this day:

Our research did not discover any information on the meaning or purpose of this day. What we do know is that God is good. Therefore, we believe that Play God Day is a day to do something good and extra special. To mark this day, we suggest that you do something good that will make a difference. Anything that fits this definition is appropriate. You do not have to make it something miraculous. It can be something simple, like visiting someone who is ill, or helping someone in need. Giving God thanks or a prayer is also appropriate for this day. 

My observance idea for this day comes from Laura who suggested that I bless each person I laid eyes on (if only in spirit). (She also suggested that I act like a cat all day which was truly inspired.) Since "God's chief property is to always have mercy" and since it is from God "from whom all blessings flow", this idea seemed perfect. 

I began the day very early (in fact it seemed more like I never ended the night before) since Little D. was up with a stomach bug all night. So, I started my day of blessing with a prayer over her for health and well-being and followed it was a prayer of thanks giving and grace for Ken. Then I made my way to the office where I started blessing people in my head in the name of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. However, I noticed right away how hard it was to remember to do this for everyone. In fact, it made me remember how awe-inspiring God's ability is to hold each one of us fully in his mind and heart at every second and how he never forgets us. Unlike us who all to often fail to remember his goodness and mercy. I then celebrated at the Healing Eucharist where I blessed and anointed all those gathered. Then I handed the oil over and was blessed as well. Before heading home to take care of D., I headed over to the market to get her some ginger ale and crackers and was blessing almost non-stop in my head. Again, it was hard not to get distracted and stay fully present in the exercise. But, I was impressed by how much more loving I was to everyone. It is hard to not honor the sanctity of a person as you are blessing them. Perhaps that is how God can continue to love us and have mercy for us non-stop. His blessings on us lead to his mercy. I spent the rest of the day with Little D. giving her mommy blessings as God cares for his children. All-in-all, playing God seems to be a very peaceful game. Maybe I needed to add more wrath. ;)

Day 8 1/8/13 Read "The Dead" by James Joyce

Day 8 1/8/13 - Read The Dead by James Joyce 
New Thing- Read the Short Story The Dead in honor of the Epiphany    
Inspiration: Rob and Marcella 
Time: About an Hour
Bottom Line: Epiphany in season and in revelation.

Joyce as created by Rob

Reflection: When were were in Philly last weekend, our friend Rob told us that he and his wife Marcella were planning on reading "The Dead" to each-other as a Epiphany tradition as it is set on that Feast Day. I loved the idea and decided to do the same today. It is fantastic and I am so glad I followed their lead. I was so impressed with the way Joyce describes the revelation that Gabriel comes to. It really brings home the fact that not all knowledge is easy to hold, just as the the truth of this season (that this Christ child is born to die) is not a comfortable knowledge. Here is Wikipedia's synopsis:

The Dead is the final short story in the 1914 collection Dubliners by James Joyce. It is the longest story in the collection and is often considered the best of Joyce's shorter works. The story centers on Gabriel Conroy on the night of the Morkan sisters' annual dance and dinner in the first week of January 1904, perhaps the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6). Typical of the stories in Dubliners, "The Dead" develops toward a moment of painful self-awareness; Joyce described this as an epiphany. The narrative generally concentrates on Gabriel's insecurities, his social awkwardness, and the defensive way he copes with his discomfort. The story culminates at the point when Gabriel discovers that, through years of marriage, there was much he never knew of his wife's past.

I highly recommend it. 

Day 7 1/7/13- Insanity Workout

Day 7 1/7/13 - Insanity Workout 
New Thing- Try Out the "Insanity" Workout System   
Inspiration: Working Out 
Time: 30ish minuets for the Fit Test
Bottom Line: Started Sweating at the Fit Test Alone

Reflection: I found a cheap copy of the "Insanity" workout online and decided to try it out for the next 60 days. It claims to be the "most difficult workout ever put on DVD." I started with the fit test which was hard enough to make me sweat--and it wasn't even an actually workout routine. I do love an intense workout, so I am hoping this will be as good as the hype!

Day 6 1/6/13 Epiphany Bonanza: Blessings, Bonfire & Beautiful Poetry!

Day 6 1/6/13 - Epiphany Bonanza: Blessing, Bonfire & Beautiful Poetry!  
New Thing- Chalking Our Door, Searching for Christ, Listening to Poetry, and Burning Christmas Trees..for Jesus!   
Inspiration: The Feast of the Epiphany, Bishop Paul, St. David's, Anne Kitch, Matt  
Time: All Day
Bottom Line: The light of Christ has shone brightly in our life today!

Reflection: Today was the Feast of the Epiphany! You may remember that we have some fun ways of cerebrating this Feast in our family (as see in this post, this post, and this post). Well, today was another spectacular day of witnessing Christ's Light in being revealed to the world. 

Here is the description of this Holy Day from my previous posts by James Kiefer:

"Epiphany" is a word of Greek origin, related to such English words as "theophany," "phenotype," and "phenomenon." It means an appearance, a displaying, a showing forth, a making clear or public or obvious. On this day, Christians have traditionally celebrated the making known of Jesus Christ to the world.Several events have been thought of as special instances of the making known of Our Lord, such as: His birth; the coming of the Magi; His Baptism; His first miracle at Cana. Current majority usage, at least in the West, celebrates His birth on 25 December, the coming of the Magi on 6 January, and His Baptism on the next Sunday. On the following Sundays up to the beginning of Lent, we remember Our Lord's public preaching of the kingdom, particularly the earlier stages of that preaching when opposition had not yet crystallized. On the Last Sunday after Epiphany (the Sunday before Lent), we commemorate the Transfiguration, the climax of this first phase of our Lord's public ministry. Today, then, we commemorate the visit of the Magi, a token of the day when all the peoples of the earth will acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, God, and Savior. The visit of the Magi is recorded in the second chapter of Matthew.

To begin with, we chalked the doors both at church and at home. Epiphany is a traditional time for house blessings. Normally, it is a blessing that is done as an annual renewal for dwellings or places of worship and an inscription is written in chalk over the main door. (You can find the liturgy that we used at my previous blog post linked above.) Along with our blessing you may remember our little wise-men tradition (with thanks to Anne Kitch and family) that involves dressing up as the wise men (in crazy costumes) and going in search of the Christ Child by following a set of clues. We hid all of the pieces of D.'s plush Nativity in different places of the house and then the three of us got dressed up to go on the hunt after I read the story. Jesus was found on the cross in our upstairs prayer-room.  We all said prayers together to thank God for coming into our midst--even in the form of a young child found in a manger or a crazy little family.

The Wise Men

Reading the blessing and holding the chalk at the ready.

Later in the day, we all took part in the second annual St. David's Christmas Green Burn!!! You may remember from my previous posts that one of the oldest Epiphany traditions is to burn all of the Christmas greenery in a large bonfire. It symbolizes the coming of the light of Christ into the world and being manifest in our lives and the star that led the three wise men to Jesus. This year it was even bigger and we had over 100 people there, burned almost 70 tress in a huge pyre and feasted on chili and smores. It even ended with a marshmallow fight. This might be my favorite event all year!

"Dear God...what have they they wrought?!"

Last tree- look at the flames behind us!

Last tree thrown on by Matt and Hillary

Finally, the newest tradition came to the clergy as a suggestion from Bishop Paul. It was to listen to T.S. Eliot reading his poem "The Journey of the Magi". It was beautiful and as the Bishop writes, "the last stanza takes us from the tinsel to the coming journey, as we now move from tree to cross." Here it is for you to enjoy: