Let me interrupt this blog reading for a very important announcement: Which way did you vote?
*** The baby is a : BOY!
weighing in at 9 pounds 13 ounces and 22 1/4 inches…a BIG little brother for Rutledge!
He missed most of the St. Paddy’s celebration (arriving around 10:30 last night) but he is the celebration himself to all of us! Walsh and Mollie are narrowing down names and the baby’s name will be announced soon.
The voting contest ran 31 votes for a BOY- 13 for a GIRL (Johnny…you get a 1/2 vote for being right half the time) You blog readers are equally as good as predicting genders as you are with prayer results….thank everyone who participated…you “done” good!
Anne Peterson is the real psychic, however, as she told me two weeks ago she had no doubt the baby was Irish and waiting for St. Patrick’s Day to arrive…Way to go Anne…you nailed it on the head!
Yesterday the blog talked about the “afterglow” of life and I mentioned the special moments after birth …that sacred, beautiful time between mother and child is probably the most special afterglow of all. Look at the following picture of Mollie and baby… it proves the point.
Dear Reader:
A good portion of the Unity of Charleston’s service last Sunday dealt with (what we Presbyterians would call “silent prayer”)…quiet times of reflection after each reading or discussion. Instead of just one time to pause and reflect in prayer or meditation…this ritual was done in intervals throughout the service.
“Be Still and Know that I am God” becomes an important part of the daily life of each congregational member of this church.
It reminded me of a demonstration I used to do in workshops on student retention and achievement. Some teachers were trying to “cram” the standards into a classroom period of so many restricted minutes…and sigh in relief when the dismissal bell rang…congratulating themselves that they had gotten all the material and standards “covered.”
What they didn’t realize was that the fast-fed information was “covered” so shallowly that a slight wind could blow the covering away… leaving an (exposed) empty brain.
To demonstrate this…I took a pitcher of water and a drinking glass and started pouring….the object was to get the entire pitcher of water into the glass. Impossible, you say? Yes…if you did it the way some teachers were trying to force-feed the students so much material into one little “glass” period.
It always ended disastrously …like Donald Davis felt when he asked his teacher, Miss Daisy…”May I go to the bathroom? My head is hurting. It is overflowing with all those names of countries and capitals and rivers…I can’t take any more in without something going out…if you know what I mean?”
But if the “pour-er” (teacher) stopped intermittently and gave the students time (a pause) to ingest/drink the information covered up to that point…and then resume teaching…the knowledge was retained longer and the goal was still accomplished.
Shouldn’t we all have time set aside each day…to drink from the “Pitcher of Life?” To ingest God’s Word…question Him, talk to Him, and give praise to our Creator?
One phrase at the church service kept coming back to me after we left….”Remember…God resides in the Now.” “Don’t put off spending time with Him each day in the present moment.”
In an editorial review from The Toronto Star Week about this book…two suggestions are shared with readers that I really liked…
“Life Lesson #21: You must remember: You are here now . . . no, no, now . . . NO, NOW! You are a human being and not a human was or a human will be.
Life Lesson #22: It doesn’t matter how fast you get there if you’re heading in the wrong direction.” —From HOW TO BE HAPPY, DAMMIT” – Offers tasty mood food. . . .a fascinating read.” —The Toronto Star Week
Haven’t we all gone through stages of life when we were a “human was” or a “human will be” but not a “human now?” The major problem with living this kind of life, besides letting life pass us by, is that God lives in the Now…and if we don’t…communication is (obviously) seriously hampered.
When Eva Cate spent the night with me a couple of weeks ago…she started playing with the coasters on the table in the “Happy Room.” Several of them had pictures of St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope on them…some came from Honey and some from the Summerville MS group… for sharing a Christmas story with the group last year.
Eva Cate wanted to know where the chapel was and if I would take her to the mountains…she hadn’t ever seen them. She wanted to know if God lived in the chapel and if that was why I loved to go there. (She takes after her Boo Boo…she’s an “asker”!)
In my “busyness” I almost answered and stopped short with “Yes…God lives there and I love going to talk with Him in this special place to me.”
Instead I started showing Eva Cate the old finger rhyme with hand movements…
Here’s the church, and here’s the steeple
Open the door and see all the people.
A sort of epiphany came over me…I explained to Eva Cate that God doesn’t just live in that one little chapel…waiting for me to come see Him…God is everywhere…because He lives inside all of us. So by just showing up… God has traveled with me /within me to the chapel. And then by being very quiet and listening…I am able to hear God better there than anywhere else.
…That is why the little chapel in the hills is so special to me.
…And that is why every place of worship is so special…not for the building itself, or the beautiful artwork or pews or stained glass windows…but for the people who bring God with them into the sacred place.
So until tomorrow…1 Corinthians: 3-16. (See below) Let us take time daily to “open the door” to the inner sanctuary of our soul and have a heart to heart talk with God….now…not later.
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?”
“Today is my FAVORITE day” Winnie the Pooh
Good morning, Becky!
Congratulations to you (to Mollie, Walsh and Rutledge, too, of course!) on the birth of this new baby boy!!! 9 lbs. 13 oz. is CERTAINLY a big baby – especially for tiny Mollie! Trust all went well – looks it! Aren’t newborns such a wonder!? I know everyone is just thrilled with this new arrival!! So exciting!
Sis
Been thinking of you Sis and your move…how is it going….change is in the air…wonderful change!
Congratulations to all!
Thank you Cindy…we are so happy and grateful!
Congrats Becky! God bless the new grandson, along with warmest wishes to Mollie, Walsh and Rutledge!! 😍😄
Thank you Ambika…soon for you…keep me updated on what is happening…what is the due date…do you know?
My due date is given for mid June… Evrything is absolutely normal by God’s grace Becky! Except for few changes in the body, as you know…. Will definitely keep in touch with u… Till then please uphold me and the baby in your prayers…. And thank you so much for enquiring…😊😊
Congratulations to all of you!! The baby is precious. What a wonderful gift from God!
Sending love and hugs!!
Loving on you Brookie…so glad we could talk for a few minutes this morning!
Yeah, another boy. The Edwards are two for two. Gues what? Paul and Stacy are having another one…#4. Just found out last weekend. Kinda a surprise, but we are excited. They will not find out either. Please give everyone our congrats and love. I loved your entry today. The part about being a human “NOW” was so powerful. And, the verses too. I love “Those that wait upon the Lord will nenew their strenght”….so many wonderful lessons in God’s book.
Love you and hugs to everyone.
Gin-g…I think we are going to need to sign up for some kind of fitness groupies…to stay in shape for all these grandchildren!
Congratulations to all! I am so happy the wait is over, and all are well and healthy. I guarantee you that you are “living in the now” at this moment. St. Patrick’s Day has taken on a new way to celebrate!
Exactly Jo! There will never be another St. Patrick’s Day story without re-telling the night that Lachlan was born! Our precious leprachaun.
Better late than never, here I am sending congrats to Mollie,Walsh, Rutledge and Bo! Mollie has been the perfect picture of motherhood! Love you all, Honey
We are SO HAPPY! Thank you and Mike for the tea room experience Tuesday…think all the good karma there definitely played into a successful birth experience. Please tell Mike that I am loving the stylist…can hear the click and know when to hit space now so my sentence don’t all run together. Loving on ya!
Congratulations to all! My fourth grandchild was also born this week on Wednesday. Jeremy and Heather had a boy, Leo Allen. Aren’t grandkids the best?!!
Oh my goodness…I can’t believe we both our fourth within a day’s time….loving it too much! Congratulations Roz and Ed!!!!! So happy for you….life is so good!
Wow whst a fine looking BIG boy there!!! I changed my prediction when I saw the picture of how she was carrying the baby. I knew it was a boy when I saw her side view in the picture. I was hoping for a girl mainly because I thought Mom and Dad were hoping for a little girl. But judging from his size, oh boy when he reaches 4 – 5 years old he and Rutledge are going to be a handful! I will gladly take 1/2 for pulling for the girl and 1/2 for being right after seeing the picture of how she was carrying the baby. I know there is great joy in the Dingle family right now! And if Irish heritage born on St. Patrick’s Day too!!!
So happy to hear from you…it’s been awhile. I did have to laugh when I realized you were a ‘halfer” …too funny. Please keep commenting…love hearing from you!