Terrapin Station

The Real Thing

In my body work session yesterday we discussed some evening prayer/centering techniques. 
I am praying and hoping for help with The Thing that causes me to want to rise and eat in the evening after dinner, kitchen cleaning, husband asleep. 

This line from the Compline service rose to meet me: 

Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith.  1 Peter 5:8-9a

"The devil," interesting language...but that is sure enough what it feels like.  I know that I pursue these behaviors because I am seeking nurture and comfort; and when I allow myself to be devoured, I am not getting the REAL thing.   

My mind and body are certainly not connected, nor do I feel real, when it happens.  I want to be conscious.  I want to be real. 

Some things

1) Please, will you pray for Mary?  She is the RNP who manages my meds for depression, and I see her about every 3 months for that.  She has been horribly sick with lupus and on chemo (!)...today I went in for my appointment and she was not there, so I saw her supervising MD instead.  It turns out she has been in the hospital for 3 weeks this time.  She is a very special person, to me and to many others.   

2) Please also pray for Sue...most of you who read this blog know just who I mean and are already doing so.  She has suffered from Chronic Daily Headache for the last 3 years and, apparently, CONSTANT TERRIBLE HEADACHE for the last few months.  I am just furious about this.  Aren't doctors supposed to fix it!?  What is up with that!?  Anyway, anyone who isn't already praying for Sue...please join in. 

3) Had an awesome dinner meetup last night with some of the DFW area RG's (5 of us) and SpookyRach!  She chose Indian food (out of the many options we offered her) and I am so grateful.  I love Indian and rarely get it.   Hey, anyone else in the DFW area who wants to meet up next time we get together...holler at me!  Erin?  Katherine E?  We are trying to make this a semi-regular thing.

AAAAANNNNNNDDDDD...

4) I'm off to Portland, Maine tomorrow, for a long weekend!  I'm kind of liking this "long weekend far, far away" thing, think I might make it a habit.  (Oh, well, school duties kick in the next weekend, so maybe not...)

I will be staying with Songbird, and meetups are planned with Ruby, Auntie Knickers, God_gurrl, and RevDrMom as well.  I am insanely excited about it!  really cannot believe it is true in fact. 

Bean supper, here I come!  :)  Y'all have fun while I'm gone!

What did Jesus really say?

An online prayer community (RevGalPrayerPals) had this post yesterday, shared by Juniper:

Lord's Prayer, from the original Aramaic 
Translation by Neil Douglas-Klotz in Prayers of the Cosmos

O Birther! Father- Mother of the Cosmos

Focus your light within us - make it useful.

Create your reign of unity now-

through our fiery hearts and willing hands

Help us love beyond our ideals

and sprout acts of compassion for all creatures.

Animate the earth within us: we then

feel the Wisdom underneath supporting all.

Untangle the knots within

so that we can mend our hearts' simple ties to each other.

Don't let surface things delude us,

But free us from what holds us back from our true purpose.

Out of you, the astonishing fire,

Returning light and sound to the cosmos.

      Amen.

The site also has several other versions of what Jesus might have said, and a historic progression of how it became the prayer we use today.  Click the link to view them...a wonderful thing to ponder.

Ave Maria - Bono and Pavarotti

U2 Lyrics - Ave Maria

(Pavarotti & Friends 2003)

(Bono singing)

Ave Maria

Where is the justice in this world?

The wicked make so much noise, mother

The righteous stay oddly still

With no wisdom,

all of the riches in the world

leave us poor tonight

And strength is not without humility

It's weakness, an untreatable disease

And war is always the choice

Of the chosen who will not have to fight

Ave Maria

(Pavarotti sings in Latin)

Ave Maria

Gratia plena Maria,

gratia plena Maria,

gratia plena Ave,

ave dominus tecum

(Bono singing)

And strength is not without humility

It's weakness, an untreatable disease

And war is always the choice

Of the chosen who will not have to fight

(both singing)

Ave Maria

Birds in the Thinking Place today

Here is the Blue Heron:

and the cattle egret (there were at least two dozen of these, huddled together):

plus others I can't name

working on it...

Birds in the Thinking Place

Went to the thinking place by the pond this morning.  It was starting to rain, but the birds were flying around busily over the trees.  Catching bugs, I would guess. 

When I was little, my mother told me that if the birds were calling during a rainstorm, it meant the rain was not going to let up any time soon...that the birds knew it and knew they had to get out and get their food, and that it wouldn't do for them to wait. 

I listened and what I heard was that I need to do some work first, and take some rest afterward.  Okay, got it:  Not all the work...not all the rest.  Went home, cleaned out one shelf of the laundry room. 

As Brandon would say:  Boo Ya. 

Please pray for Elastigirl

Elastigirl is on a Tres Dias weekend!  Would you please keep her in your prayers?

Here is my Flylady Water Bottle, which says, "Love Your Body, Love Yourself."  As a reminder to myself, I have added the sticker. 

It's a nice little three-part mantra for the day.

Love Your Body

Love Yourself

Pray for Elastigirl

Y'all be sure to drink plenty of water, OK?

Prayers, please

My mom emailed a few weeks ago to say, she did NOT have a heart attack. 

Well, now that she's had all the horrible followup tests, it looks like she did have a severe heart attack with significant damage to the heart muscle. 

Will you please keep us in your prayers?  And if you think about it, pop on over to her blog and say howdy...

And, if you have chest pain, arm pain, etc. (see this site for women's heart attack symptoms), PLEASE call 911 (or its equivalent in your country) RIGHT AWAY!

Prayer for today

My soul waits for the Lord
More than those who watch for the morning
More than those who watch for the morning

Lord, you have always given
Bread for the coming day
And though I am poor,
  Today I believe

Lord, you have always given
Strength for the coming day
And though I am weak,
Today I believe

Lord, you have always given
Peace for the coming day
And though I am of anxious heart,
  Today I believe

Lord, you have always given
Me safe in trials
And now tried as I am ,
  Today I believe

Lord, you have always marked
The road for the coming day
And though it may be hidden,
  Today I believe

Lord, you have always lightened
This darkness of mine
And though the night is here,
  Today I believe

Lord, you have always spoken
When the time is ripe
And though You be silent now,
  Today I believe

(Celtic Daily Office)

thanks to Lorna for this one today.  How I needed it.

The Boudreaux and the Janet

Last night at about 2 am Ken heard Boudreaux whimpering in the office.  He wouldn't come when called, so Ken went to get him...

he has something wrong with his left leg or hip and won't put any weight on it at all.  He has been verystill on the bed since then.  This is not normal.  The earliest we can get him in to the vet is 11 am.

Trying not to panic, have to get ready to go out of town this afternoon to give a workshop in Austin this weekend.  Ken is supposed to be going with me for a little R&R around the workshop. 

And:  Janet's transplant is happening at 10:00 a.m. CST.  Go, stem cells, Go! 

Please pray.  Thanks.

EDITED TO ADD: 

Boudreaux's knee joint had slipped out of the socket but was back in by the time they went to the vet.  He is favoring it, but doing much better.  He has an anti inflammatory med to take daily. 

By the time Ken called to tell me, I had worked myself into an absolute lather about it.  Thanks for your thoughts for him. 

Janet...The stem cells are in there!  Let's have lots of meiosis!