Meditation Monday

Good Morning Everyone and Happy Monday

The day to begin our week and a day of newness, a fresh start so to speak. I wonder what you all have planned to do for the week or for the day. When I was younger I existed on plans. I've always been organized but I used to cram in the activities and projects and could rattle them off one by one. Thank God, I am not under that type of pressure now. I still am organized with lists and such but try not to make a lot of real plans. It just happens that there are three or four things I've made plans to do this weekend and I am feeling those old feelings again, like wish I had not planned to do that!

I am working on several things at once now but the needlework is my evening activity and one project is a huge crossstitch pillow, another is crocheting grannies for a Crochet Along on line and the third and fourth are re-acquainting myself with knitting and crocheting those little bits and bobs for my Freeform Crochet soon to be made into something I hope. And I'm making some adorable rag dolls this week during the day.

I must make the time and I say that not at all grudgingly to meditate and pray. Just sit quietly and reflect and listen for God to speak. I did that last night instead of the needlework and God spoke to me about all of you.

You see for almost three years I had a Website where I posted all the things I made in art and posted stories and family photos, recipes, etc. And it was big and I did enjoy it and learned a lot from it. But I had begun blog hopping and had met many people I was learning from and wanted to be friends with and would leave comments and participate in swaps with but they could not comment back to me. The main difference between a website and a blog is that a blog is interactive giving everyone chances to comment thus leading to communication with whereas a website is for the artist or writer to post her art or writings, a place to store things like a big online scrapbook and for others to perhaps find and look at without the ability or means of establishing some sort of connection with; like a oneway street. With my website I could hop on over to your blog and tell you "hi" but when you visited me, you couldn't tell me "hi" . So with that in mind I began this blog in July and Yep it is work, trying to stay on top of the game with new posts and new subject matter, and I have to remember what my purpose for this blog is. I think Tara Frey's new book Blogging For Bliss explains every form of blogging and our reasons for blogging so well that the benefits of choosing my blog over my website have outnumbered the inconveniences for me. I am so blessed to have met the new friends I have and for most of you I've grown so close to that I feel if I was in the area where you live I could call and you would be there for me and the same in reverse. I pray for you and your families and become connected to your lives as if we actually knew each other and in reality WE DO. I'd like to share a little something I found in this Prayer Book and although I didn't write it, it none the less speaks to my heart in relation to my new blogger friends. You!

A Worthy Friend

I thank You for the relationships I have with other women. Some have already walked through the experiences I am having. Their shared wisdom encourages me to keep going. To take a new look at my situation. To be thankful for the process of living. My kinship with younger women is also very fulfilling. I understand the role I can play as mentor, friend, confidante, and prayer partner.

Lord, in all my relationships with women, help me to be a good friend who reflects grace, not judgement; who offers support, not competition; who gives hope, not anxiety.

Amen

And that sweet sisters is how I feel about each and every one of you. I am older than most of you so maybe I have a bit of wisdom, but I feel that we can continually learn from the very youngest one, so I still have much to learn and that is what keeps me young at heart. I love seeing what you have done, admire your talents and am encouraged to experiment with the things I really am enchanted with while still putting my own spin on it, and never feel as if I am competing with any of you and I feel honored when you like something I've done even though I do not create for the reader. And last but not least, in my storywriting, I feel good knowing someone relates to what I've written about, just as I do in reading what was first the voice of your heart before you put ink to the paper. We give of ourselves in this way. And this spirit of Friendship has warmed my heart. I thank you for visiting and want you to believe you must never feel compelled to comment each time you visit just to make me feel the love:)

Hope you have a beautiful day and a good, productive week filled with grace and peace! Mollye