« December 2006 | Main | February 2007 »
I have been reflecting on this, today:
"Know thou that God is with thee under all conditions, and that He guardeth thee from the changes and chances of this world and hath made thee a handmaid in His mighty vineyard...." ('Abdu'l-Bahá)
I am so comforted by the knowledge that God is always with me. And I am intrigued by the idea of being a handmaid in His mighty vineyard. Whatever could that mean?
Something for me to ponder on. Perhaps for a long while...
I generally try to avoid superlatives, but really... toddlers are the BEST! Here's what a dear friend's son "wrote" to me (via his mommy) in an email message today. I can't stop smiling!!
"Dear Khaleh Delara,
...Right now I am learning about nipples. I asked Mommy if birds have nipples and if elephants have nipples. I know that dogs and puppies and Daddies and Mommies and I have them, but today I wanted to find out if trucks and soap have nipples, too. They don’t.
Just to let you know."
I LOVE IT!!! Seriously. Yeah, yeah, yeah - I know my friend wrote it. (And that means I love her sense of humor and way of looking at the world.) But really, I can just HEAR him saying this to me. Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhh! Too cute.
And now I know - trucks and soap do not have nipples.
Seriously. I have lost my brain somewhere this week, and I am not sure where it is. If someone finds it, please return it to me. As soon as possible.
Wow. Well, yeah. I am not even really sure what to say. I have been through some awesome things during the past couple of months, and it has left me, well, tired. Yeah! Tired! Good stuff can be tiring. That would be life lesson #356 for me. Thank you very much.
As this is my first post in the new calendar year, I would like to share that I have made some new commitments to myself in the spirit of the MAJOR commitment I am about to make to that divinely ordained institution we call marriage. It would mean a lot for me to give these commitments voice. Maybe it will hold me accountable to have witnesses for my commitments - kind of like the way we have witnesses in a Bahá'í marriage ceremony. So, here are some of my new commitments:
1. I commit myself to my relationship with God. First and foremost, I recognize the joy and power that is borne of a divine connection, fed daily through prayer, meditation and relationship with the Word of God. I give myself the gift of that connection on a daily basis.
2. I commit myself to my relationship with my creative spirit. I promise myself to engage in a creative act every day - whether it's taking a photo, writing a poem or journal entry, posting a blog entry, designing a card, or learning how to program CSS. I know that my creative spirit will express its truest voice through this commitment, and this too is a gift.
3. I commit myself to going with the flow in all things, trusting that God will guide me, protect me and help me "catch the perfect wave" if I just let Him. I know that forcing something to happen on "my" terms is not in my best interest. I will remind myself daily that FLOW creates organic energy and attracts to us possibility.
4. I commit myself to my health and well-being. Within my means, I will make choices about food, sleep and exercise that support my overall health and goals in life. I know that the more I care for my body, the more my body will help me do whatever I dream of doing in this world.
5. I commit myself to living with joy, grace and truth. I will have FUN as I travel my journey!
So, I invite you (and you know who you are) to hold me accountable, I humbly ask you to pray for my steadfastness in these commitments, and I welcome you to encourage and cheer me on. I thank you in advance.
And really - if you find my brain, just let me know. Thanks.