Folk Tales From the Russian: Baba Yaga

Folk Tales From the Russian: Baba Yaga

I remembered reading variations of these stories when I was younger.

The Cortland Review - An Online Literary Magazine in streaming audio

The Cortland Review - An Online Literary Magazine in streaming audioPublish Post

A great site for people who enjoy good literaature.

Advent Highlight

I was at the farm very early one morning several weeks ago putting feed out for the cattle who would be coming to be milked. It was dark and mostly silent. I was enjoying the solitude when it was interrupted by the sound of a calf calling for its mama. This was a wonderfully  unexpected event to experience during this advent season. I felt connected to the shepherds visited by the angels so many years before. “I am taking care of these animals and I too will soon be visited by the Herald Angels. Glory to God in the highest.” 

A Very Nice Web Site

never mind.

The Weather

The weather is what one talks about when one has nothing more to say.

Notes To Myself

Self, please be careful with how you spend your money.

Sometimes it is important to go through difficult times in order to see one's life as it really is.

Today is the last day of the first of your life. Get ready for a change.

Attitude of Gratitude

 1. Thanks-thinking
 2. Thanks-giving
 3. Thanks-living

I have so much to be thankful for. I must stop every so often and think about these things. When I have realized the gifts that I have received, I must give expression to the gratitude that I have to those who have given me the gifts. As my sense of gratitude grows greater, I must share these gifts with others.

To Rabindranath Tagore's Prayer

Let me not pray...

Wisdom from the Past

Everyone, it is true, wishes to do as he pleases and is attracted to those who agree with him. But if God be among us, we must at times give up our opinions for the blessings of peace.

Furthermore, who is so wise that he can have full knowledge of everything?

Do not trust too much in your own opinions, but be willing to listen to those of others.

If, though your own be good, you accept another's opinion for love of God, you will gain much more merit; for I have often heard that it is safer to listen to advice and take it than to give it.

It may happen, too, that while one's own opinion may be good, refusal to agree with others when reason and occasion demand it, is a sign of pride and obstinacy.

            -Thomas à Kempis

Thoughts Inspired by my Garden

I have a beautiful little vegetable garden growing right now. The collards are growing beautifully and should have some leaves of eating size before much longer.  The carrots that I seeded a month ago are being so slow about growing. I am getting impatient with them though I know that carrots are naturally slow growers. I am probably not giving them enough water either. The beets and the chard are doing well but are still quite small, just seedling stage.

I have not been writing or reading much poetry lately.

 Maybe “spiritual” does not lend itself to words.

            Silence

– hearing the still small voice

– the public pulling in every direction

– Retreat Richard. Retreat.

Do not waste your energy mourning your losses.

Use that energy to celebrate the life that you have and all of the gifts that remain.

Yesterday

A cool day
but sunny

nice day
to be
outside

finding something to do
or sitting still
enjoying life.

My Creed

1. I believe that the seed of good and evil resides in each of us.
2. I believe that each of us is capable of committing acts of good and evil depending on which seeds we nourish. It is for us to choose.
3. I must work diligently to identify the acts of violence that I participate in knowingly or unknowingly and take action to make things right with the victims of said violence.
4. I believe that I should not stand in judgment of anyone.
5. I must never believe that violence can serve righteousness.
6. I must never believe that I am incapable of violence.
7. I must never believe that good is good if it is only for me and mine.
8. I believe that I will know peace only when I find it at the center of my being.
9. I believe that I will be an effective peacemaker in the world only to the degree that I know the peace that is at my center.
10. I believe in silliness.
11. I believe in taking “ME” lightly.
12. I believe in the spirit of play that is holy.
13. I believe in the holy human spirit.

I believe that this is the spirit of “LIFE”.

pax

Which Way

"We have places of fear inside of us, but we have other places as well - places with names like trust and hope and faith. We can choose to lead from one of those places, to stand on ground that is not riddled with the fault lines of fear, to move toward others from a place of promise instead of anxiety."

            -Parker Palmer

At Summer's End

Summer will soon be over. This summer a lot happened to me and because of me to others. All of that is now over and after a time of rest, recuperation, and relaxation, we will see what we can get into. I was visited by an angel who had no wings, harp, or halo. As he visited with me, it became clear to me that God was letting me know that I was and am forgiven. Thank you God. 

Amazing Grace

Nobody Reads My Blog

How many of the blogs that I claim to follow do I actually read? Only a few everyday. It would take twenty-four hours straight to read every word in every blog. I scan them and read what seems relevant to my needs at the time.

I don't know who reads my blog. I know that not every post is inspiring. I know that not everyone who reads them would become a follower. It doesn't really matter because I enjoy posting them and that is worth as much as anything.

Wisdom or Folly?

Be careful what you wish for. You might get it and sometimes what you think you want doesn't feel so comfortable when you get it.

a beautiful concert

--
PAX   PAX   PAX

roller coaster ride

slowly up the incline

gradually to the top

and then   and then

it seems to be straight down

and then we hit bottom

 and

start around a treacherous curve

no chance of catching our breath

as we speed back up another hill 

full of twists and turns 

up and down

adventure at every turn

no tension and then you will enjoy the ride
--
- PAX -   

A Picture

                           My cat amongst the mess in the room that I call office.

One second at the time

Any more than that is looking entirely too far into the future...

What do we do now?

^{John 13:34-35
34}I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

What Do We Do Now?

What do we do between the time that needs arise and the time that programs designed to meet these needs begin to function?

Who is in charge?

As we argue, fuss, and fight, over matters of little consequence we must stop to remember who we are and we must stop and remember who is in charge? No institution of human invention is going to be all that it should be, not even the body of Christ we call church.

This I Believe

1. I believe that the seed of good and evil resides in each of us.
2. I believe that each of us is capable of committing acts of good and evil depending on which seeds we nourish. It is for us to choose.
3. I must work diligently to identify the acts of violence that I participate in knowingly or unknowingly and take action to make things right with the victims of said violence.
4. I believe that I should not stand in judgment of anyone.
5. I must never believe that violence can serve righteousness.
6. I must never believe that I am incapable of violence.
7. I must never believe that good is good if it is only for me and mine.
8. I believe that I will know peace only when I find it at the center of my being.
9. I believe that I will be an effective peacemaker in the world only to the degree that I know the peace that is at my center.
10. I believe in silliness.
11. I believe in taking “ME” lightly.
12. I believe in the spirit of play that is holy.
13. I believe in the holy human spirit that is one with God.


I believe that this is the spirit of “LIFE”.


pax

Written 1st part of last century

So bountiful hath been the earth and so securely have we drawn from it our substance, that we have taken it all for granted as if it were only a gift, and with little care or conscious thought of the consequences of our use of it; nor have we very much considered the essential relation that we bear to it as living parts in the vast creation.
-Liberty Hyde Bailey

Old Saw?

Today is the last day of the first part of your life.
Enjoy it and then get ready for what comes next.

More Wisdom

Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever.
-Isak Dinesen

A New Revelation

So many times life does not turn out as I had planned. Usually it turns out better. When I try to control my life, nothing that happens seems to satisfy me. Only when I let go and live with the life that I am given do I feel satisfied and at peace.

Wisdom for this Day.

If you always look for snakes, you will sooner or later find them. If you feed your soul on nothing but the evil of this world, your soul will die and fear will have killed it.

Why do the Judeo-Christian scriptures take so much space to encourage us to live without fear?

Doubting

When things don't seem to be going as you planned, know that events are in the hands of one who sees the big picture and the smallest details. God will see you through.

No one seems to be able to see the correctnesss of what I am doing. I am not sure that I do but until I have a clear indication to do otherwise, I will continue doing what I am doing. - I must be true to who I am and that is all there is to it. It doesn't seem to matter whether any one agrees or not.

We couldn't say no...

We could not say "no"
And now we must. 
BUT
Is it all too large to fail? 
What will the impact be?

Doing The Right Thing

Doing the right thing is not always easy but it is made easier when it is the right thing to do.

I wheeled with the stars,
my heart broke loose on the wind.

—from "Poetry" by Pablo Neruda

ups and downs, twists and turns

roller coaster ride
relax and enjoy the trip
up down all around
adventures unlimited

Tough Times

We are all going through tough times. It will serve us well to remember that the Lotus Blossom, as beautiful as it is, grows only in muck and mud. One will never find the Lotus Blossom growing in beautiful Granite or Marble. We must know suffering and hardship if we are to know joy and peace.
(The words are mine. The thought comes from Thich Nhat Hanh, a wise and wonderful teacher.)

Matthew 25:34-40

Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” ⁴⁰And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,^* you did it to me.” ⁴¹

Taking Risk

Here is the choice: I have a small hand full of seed. Do I eat the seed now or do I sow it in the hopes of having much seed later on? Every time we plant a plant or sow a seed, we are participating in a act of hope that is inherently risky. This is the way life is. This is faith. We sow the seed, believing that the harvest will come.

Maybe it would be wise to save some of the seed for sowing so we can have more food but we should satisfy the NEEDS of the present moment before considering what to do with the remainder of the seed. Plant them. Seed will not remain usable forever. Put them in the ground and risk crop failure.

I Wonder...

I do not know why I have been given the life that I have been given. I just know that I have been given this life and I must be a good steward of it.- It is so easy for us to live our lives believing that our lives are not worth much when the truth of the matter is that we do not know and maybe shouldn't know what kind of impact our lives have on others. I must not have an overly inflated opinion of myself nor should I sell myself short.

PAX

--
PAX

Comfort in Times of Trouble

"The lovely lotus blossom
does not grow on
beautiful granite or
any other beautiful stone.
The lovely lotus blossom grows
in muck and mire
that might not be so pretty
if not for the lotus blossoms growing there."
-Thich Nhat Hanh and just a bit of embellishment by me...

A Plea

Do not sell yourself short. You never know what kind of impact your simple gift might have on another.

A Wonderful Day

Today is one of those days that I consider a turning point Because I will be turning 62 next month I have become eligible to receive a Social Security Retirement check from the United States Government. Adding that check to the University retirement check that I am already receiving will seem to be a significant raise. When the payments start, I can make more charitable donations and do more for myself as well. I am very excited.

A Turn Around

It may be better to give than to receive but sometimes the only thing that we have left to give is the ability to receive.

Today

This has been a blessed spring for me. Today life is good.

I am learning how to enjoy "riding the roller coaster" and I am having great fun doing it. I have learned how to relax and how to focus on the curve or the drop that is right in front of me, leaving the rest of the ride until I get to it. This is an important lesson and one that should serve me well in the future.

Take time to enjoy life.

Richard

a scrub oak?

Provider of wonderful shade for me and food for the squirrels.

ADVICE

Enjoy the journey because you may never reach your destination.
-Richard Burton

What have I given up...?

the need to try to have a meaningful Lent.I realized that it might be a better Lenten season if I could put aside the need to plan out all of my sacrifices in advance. I am taking life as it is given to me and I am giving life up when it is asked of me. To date, I have had a blessed Lent.
(03-16 2010)

I See

Light
Love
Fearlessness

The Lord is my shepherd.
I will have no need that the Lord will not provide.

from Psalm 23
(my version)

from Julian of Norwich

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.

A New Experience for Fusion

This was new experience for my automobile. It was much thicker than this before it was over.

February 12, 2010 in South Georgia USA

This is what my neighborhood in Tifton, Georgia looked like last night. It started to melt just as quickly as it quit coming down. It did give me an opportunity to take some nice pictures.

Yesterday's Nap

I thought that I needed a nap but there was a lot of uncertainty weighing on my mind and I couldn't sleep. I could not even relax so I got up and I dealt with the uncertainty and saw that there was nothing to worry about.

"Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but gets you no where."

TIRED

I am tired.
Leaving all responsibility behind for now
I will take a nap.

Doors and. . . Shut doors ...

I was asked by a person who works with youngsters at the church I attend if I would like to teach some of them some things about plants and gardening. I agreed to do it and gathered things to use in the class. When I got to the place where we were to meet, I found out that only one person had signed up. I won't be teaching them gardening but I will work with some of them on knot tying. This means that I will have to refresh my memory on knot tying and that will be a good thing.

The simple point in relating this is that it shows how as one door closed another one has opened.

Happy New Year

I Am the New Year . . . Bible Illustrator

I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.

I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.

All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.

All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.

All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have—these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.

I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."