Dear Reader:

Doesn’t it seem like sometimes in this hectic rush through life (our society seems to have chosen as some kind of national “mantra”) that we need to step back and let our soul choose a mantra…designed just for each of our own unique beings?

Trying to watch the evening news leaves me with a headache. It is like every producer is trying to squeeze in as much news as possible. The result to the viewer is that we just get snippets of (mostly) terrifying or unsettling situations…but are given no time to absorb it until the next segment (when even more stressful news appears) and so on and so on.

I wait desperately for the last five minutes when finally humanity reigns in the form of good news…a little segment that shows the heart and soul of this country is still alive in its people…and after all “We the People” are our country. We must never forget that!

I feel like calling all the television news stations and reminding them that most times less is best…because we all need to wait for our souls to catch up with our bodies…our minds.

Do you remember that famous, true anecdote from years back?  A famed photographer from National Geographic was assigned to follow one of the last nomadic tribes of Africa…I believe this was in the late seventies or eighties.

For the first three mornings….the tribe rose before the dawn broke, packed and walked miles until evening…stopping to just eat and sleep before repeating this grueling repetition the next day. But on the fourth morning no one moved or got up early…slowly…the tribe began fixing communal food for a meal, talking quietly, softly humming to the babies and small children while sitting under the shade of trees.

The photographer, who was anxious to finish up the expedition and send in all his pictures asked why they had stopped and not moved all day. The translator replied: “We have moved quickly the last three days; now it is time to be quiet, be still to listen and wait for our souls to catch up with our bodies.”

*I think if we all practiced this…giving ourselves more time to examine complex situations…we would make more humane decisions…just a thought.

My Guidepost popped up as I was typing this blog post and it talked about “breath prayers.” I had never heard the term and it caught my attention…after reading the definition and explanation behind it…I thought it fit right in with finding time for prayer in our crazy lives.

Breathing is an unconscious thing. Breath prayers remind us that every breath is a gift from God and
God’s Spirit is nearer to us than our own breath. Acts 17: 28 “For in him we live and move and have our being. . .” This is one way to live out the instruction to “pray without ceasing.”

The idea is to think of scripture or just a simple thought that can be mentally repeated in the time it takes to breathe in and then breathe out. All of us have to keep breathing to live…so what better way to think of our Creator as many times a day as we choose.

Guidepost gave some examples such as: “Not my will, but yours.” “Come Lord Jesus.” “Lord Save Me” “Lord Have Mercy” “When I am afraid, I will trust you.” “Here I am.”

The meaning behind the “breath prayer” below caught my interest in its healing story.

“Say the Word”

When a Roman centurion sent word to Jesus asking him to heal a sick servant, he told Jesus that he didn’t even feel worthy for the Lord to come into his house. He simply requested, “Say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Luke 7:7). Jesus commended the centurion’s faith, for his request showed that he knew Jesus could heal with a word. So I will often pray for someone’s healing–from sickness, addiction, emotional pain, depression, etc.–with this breath prayer. “Say the Word.”

So until tomorrow: 

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Lantana is always a staple plant for hot humid summers in the lowcountry…but even this plant prefers cooler days and nights. I bought three small lantana plants and placed them beside the B&B side of the house…where they got plenty of sun.

They all looked healthy and green throughout the summer but absolutely no blooms…then when I got back from being gone last week…one plant had two or three blooms on it, another more, and another covered.

My barrel, which is filled with lantana has grown so much it is reaching the ground (covering the barrel) and then my front yard lantana (around a pine tree) has finally taken off.. Everyone and everything loves fall. *(We will all love it too when it gets here…weather men keep assuring us if we can survive the 90’s for two days more days…this weekend Fall will arrive…meaning it will finally feel like fall!)

*I want to take a moment and thank you, friends, for the donations that keep coming in…I just shake my head in disbelief at the generosity of you all. It means so much to me and our team “Legally Pink”…Blessings to one and all!

Speaking of making time…Vickie has discovered that her precious little dog, Maggie (who is getting on up in age) has started eating dirt. She read where that can be a sign of boredom…she’s mostly deaf and her eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be…so Vickie decided to start walking her in the evenings. I asked Vickie if I could join them since this ole’ gal needs to walk and exercise more too. It worked for Maggie…Vickie texted this picture over earlier this evening.

Hope it works the same for me later…