Morning Prayer -- Merton

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this,
You will lead me by the right road.
Though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me.
And you will never leave me to face my struggles alone.


-- Thomas Merton

Life Rules Inspired by HGTV

• Life rule number 1: Doesn't matter if you are Mid-century simplicity or Late-Victorian clutter, neatness counts. An ordered environment lends itself to serenity and a chaotic environment to anxiety.
• Life rule number 2: It's important to have a good solid well coordinated color palette and to stick to it.
• Life rule number 3: Your environment should always lend itself to expressions of creativity. Intentionally have a place you can make messy but messy artistically. A sink nearby is a plus.
• Life rule number 4: A place for everything and everything in it's place is wonderful when you live alone. In shared spaces, the places for everything should be a joint decision or you will be totally frustrated, all the time.
• Life rule number 5: If your laundry ends up in the same corner instead of the laundry hamper every single day, you have your hamper in the wrong place. It's easier to move the hamper than to break someone's ingrained habits.
• Life rule number 6: Unless your house is really really empty, adapt a rule of one thing in, one thing out. Except for maybe groceries and other things you "use up" regularly.
• Life rule number 7: There are some things in life that are worth the fuss and bother: kids and pets, especially. Large parties that take 4 days to clean for and 4 days to clean up after. Finger painting with toddlers, baking with your teen. Vacuuming pet fur and cleaning cat boxes. Video game clutter that is used by the husband and kids.
• Life rule number 8: If it's been in your closet or garage or basement, untouched in 5 years, you probably don't need it. Give it away, throw it away, recycle it or sell it to make room in your life for new blessings.
• Life rule number 9: Everyone (even the momma) needs space that is totally their own. Even if it's just a chair by the fireplace or a corner of a garden. A place to read, pray and dream.
• Life rule number 10: Don't sweat the small stuff. And life is mostly small stuff.

Morning Prayer

Come, let your voice be one with theirs
shout with the shout of praise
See how the giant sun soars up
God's gift for all your days!
So let the love of Jesus come
and set your soul ablaze.

The LORD is King;
let the earth rejoice;
let the multitude of the isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.
A fire goes before him
and burns up his enemies on every side.
His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees it and is afraid.
The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD,
at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
The heavens declare his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.

God, you are indeed King -- ruler of the Universe. Thank you for you goodness and the goodness of your creation.

Lord, there are those who mourn today. Shelter them and protect them from the storms of life. Hold them in the palm of your hand. Ease their pain. There are those who are alone, there are those who are anxious, there are those who are dying. God, you are giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve the sick, and give your power of healing to those who minister to their needs, that they may be strengthened in their weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray all these things. Amen.

New Diet, or rather, New Lifestyle

The Loving Husband and I are trying to change our lifestyle -- to eschew processed food of any sort and to use meat and dairy as a condiment. The bulk (ha!) of the diet is plant material, in particular green vegetables and fruit. For breakfast we have two pieces of fruit topped with a little whole grain cereal (about half the suggested portion size) with a little milk. For lunch, a green salad with a hint of dressing, plenty of vegetables, a cup of some sort of beans and a piece of fruit. Dinner consists of a green salad or cooked green vegetables, other vegetables including corn, carrots, squash, potatoes and so forth, a cup of beans, perhaps a small piece of lean meat and fruit. I have been eating more dairy than the LH in that I am eating some organic yogurt, a little more milk and some cheese with whole grain crackers for a snack.

Of course, I'm not horribly strict with this. That's part of the plan. You can have a little of anything -- a little, a bite, a smidge. The purpose is to increase nutrients and decrease calories. We are basing our new diet off the book "Eat to Live" by Dr. Furhman, but the diet has really been around for a while. There is another author who gives three simple rules (Michael Pollan):

• Eat Food
• Not Too Much
• Mostly Plants

Yep, that about sums it up.