Inspiration on a Tuesday - Redeemed.

Redeemed. I looked up the meaning, and redeemed means “to restore the honor, worth, or reputation of.”
Also, it means “to recover ownership of by paying a specified sum.” Not, to own by paying a specific sum, to RE-own by paying a specified sum. It’s reclaiming something that is already yours by paying for it again.

The word “redeemed” has been bogarted by Christianity in some sense, but haven’t we all been redeemed?

Good news Monday! (kleenex alert)

I'm pretty sure there's nothing more special than the love between siblings. Today, I'm thankful for my brothers, and I'm thankful for these two guys below who love each other unconditionally!!

"When I see him smiling and laughing, that means he's having a good time" 
-Connor Long, 9 years old.

For the Full Story, click here!

Fairport NY, would you please step forward??

The beautiful village of Fairport (Source)

I have a habit of obsessively reviewing my blog viewer history. 


Mostly because I want to know (without asking them) if someone has looked at the post today that may or may not have been controversial… and for which I may or may not have to later eat crow (or otherwise apologize). 


I’m interested to see regulars on my blog: Allen, TX = my friend Janie Oyakawa (whose blog I read regularly as well). Bedford, TX = either my mother in law or my friend Dawn. ((Or I might just be delusional in thinking either one of them read my blog)). Tiskilwa, IL = my BFF Angela. (Who ELSE lives in Tiskilwa, anyway!) 


So when I see people from Cairo or Budapest, I have a little fantasy in my head

needing hope

Source

Sometimes Mark makes me change the channel. The news is too gloomy, my heart is broken again for the pain I see in the world. I stare with silent tears running down my cheeks, he looks at me, then sighs and takes the remote away. “Your heart cannot break for everyone,” he says, “Let’s watch something uplifting.” 

And it’s true, my heart needs hope.

Faith Inspires

"It all goes back to Jesus. 

He spent time with folks who were marginalized."

-Rev. Sue Ringler

From the Huffington Post:

This week’s Faith Inspires highlights the work of Guardian Angels Catholic Community, an LGBT-friendly independent Catholic Church focused on social justice located in Tempe, AZ. An eight-year-old parish, Guardian Angels Catholic Community is part of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. The ECC was formed in 2003 in Orange, CA and traces its history to the “Old Catholics,” a group of Catholics who came together in 1870 in opposition to the Pope’s declaration of infallibility. Today the ECC, which is independent of papal jurisdiction, has parishes all over the world.

A little good news on a Monday!

I love good news, and I love reading about people who are making good things happen. This article made me happy today, and I declare Mondays from here on out as "Good News Mondays". So let it be said, so let it be done. Amen! :)

 Good news Monday story of the day:

9 Nanas 

Somewhere in West Tennessee, not far from Graceland, nine women -- or "The 9 Nanas," as they prefer to be called -- gather in the darkness of night. At 4am they begin their daily routine --

Personal Post

My not-wedding was held last week - July 12, 2012.
I meet people all the time, sometimes in person, sometimes on the internet. Katelyn and I met on the internet and she lives in Southern Louisiana, so she volunteered, when I told her about my not-wedding, to come and photograph it!! Some of the pictures are on her beautiful blog, Gypsy Moth Sol.

What kind of world do you want?

Got a package full of Wishes, a Time machine, a Magic Wand, a Globe made out of Gold
No Instructions or Commandments,
Laws of Gravity or indecisions to uphold
Printed on the box I see "A.C.M.E.'s Build-a-World-to-be,"
Take a chance - Grab a piece, help me to believe it.  

16 Precepts - a prologue to Buddhism

Today I read an article on Huffington Post that reminded me to finish Buddhism on my religious journey. To be honest, I hadn't actually forgotten about the journey, I just became distracted by shiny objects (like my new pretty ring)!

Coming up in a few weeks, I will be beginning my journey as a Buddhist for 30 days, and sharing the stories of Buddhist women and men I meet along the way. Part of that journey will be observing the sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts, consisting of: