The Blessing of the Animals

Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi 

   

I wish I could have taken time off today to take Po to church to get blessed. 

As autumn arrives, people in various places may notice something odd.

A procession of animals, everything from dogs and cats to hamsters and even horses, is led to churches for a special ceremony called the Blessing of Pets.

This custom is conducted in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures.

Francis, whose feast day is October 4th, loved the larks flying about his hilltop town. He and his early brothers, staying in a small hovel, allowed themselves to be displaced by a donkey.

Francis wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, an ode to God’s living things. “All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures.” And there was testimony in the cause for St. Clare of Assisi’s canonization that referred to her little cat! 

That there are today over 62 million cats in the U.S. attests to the continuing affection we have for our furry, feathered or finned friends. We've even had a cat called Socks in the White House. Other popular presidential pets range from Abraham Lincoln’s Fido to Lyndon Johnson’s beagles, named Him and Her. 

For single householders, a pet can be a true companion. Many people arrive home from work to find a furry friend overjoyed at their return. Many a senior has a lap filled with a purring fellow creature. 

The bond between person and pet is like no other relationship, because the communication between fellow creatures is at its most basic. Eye-to-eye, a man and his dog, or a woman and her cat, are two creatures of love. 

No wonder people enjoy the opportunity to take their animal companions to church for a special blessing. Church is the place where the bond of creation is celebrated.

At Franciscan churches, a friar with brown robe and white cord often welcomes each animal with a special prayer. The Blessing of Pets usually goes like this:

“Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.”

Tonight, Po will get tuna for dinner and a special prayer with us  : )

Love seeks to Heal

This Labor Day weekend I was reminded of just how unboring life is with Seth. We do this thing where we ask random questions to each other. Some are meaningful. "Would your younger self look up to you today?" or "Is there anything you actively avoid thinking about?" Some are not. "If I showed up dressed to the nines, would you go to prom with me today?" "Do you think Po thinks she's OUR parent?" Oh, and my favorite, "Is there anyone else like me?" 

The Creator is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit- Psalm 34:18

Question: Do you know your spouse's greatest pains and fears? Are you aware of the places where their hearts are the most tender and sensitive to touch? Have you truly stopped to listen lately or to ask what they still experience from a certain loss or betrayal they've undergone? Are there sins from the past they cannot seem to move beyond, cannot seem to receive the Creator's forgiveness in ways that truly release them from feeling guilty and ashamed?

I could see how a spouse could grow impatient with how long it's taking the other to deal with some painful matter of the heart. But I find that it's not our job to be timekeeper. In fact, there may be ways Creator can use you to speed up their healing process, to encourage them to keep this from stripping away their ability to enjoy life fully and embrace new opportunities. But the main goal as a loving spouse is to be there, tenderly listening to what they say and how they say it. Loving unconditionally means loving even the parts that are messy and complicated. Christ came to reach out and bring healing to what seems worthless and lost. As his children, we can join Him on this purpose in life. To listen. Heal through listening and being heard.

Love Prays with Abandon

Each meal Seth and I prepare, Seth leads us in prayer. Some prayers are giving thanks, some are prayer requests for each other, for us, and always for others in are lives (and all the homeless kitties - that's Po's prayer). I have caught myself getting impatient sometimes because I want to nom nom nom our meal. I'm reminded of why we pray, how we pray. I paused today to reflect on our prayerful life together.

"Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think..." Ephesians 3:20

Christ came to give us life "in abundance" (John 10:10) because He is a God who is not limited by earthly boundaries. He can multiply loaves and fish until there is full baskets left over. There is no limit to what He can do to fulfill His purpose in your life.

This Truth pushes us to pray with boldness for the success of our marriage (and others' marriages). Go ahead - ASK BIG! Be confident that He bears "anything according to His will" (1 John 5:14) and that nothing prevents Him from doing whatever he desires, no mater how impossible it seems to us.

It is God's will that you and your spouse be totally united in mind and purpose, that you grow together in Him, and that you are enabled to serve Him with freedom and generosity. If you know of something God could do to turn these into realities, don't be afraid to ask. Leave it to Him to decide what is best, but never be left to wonder if "you do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2).

He has taken care of tomorrow.

INSANITY + p90x: New workout schedule for the next 63 days

Pretty excited to start this workout schedule. Of course, any day can be replaced with other fun physical activity (e.g., running, gym class, rollerblading, basketball, swinging from tress). Here's a great next 2 months!

May-30	May-31	Jun-1	Jun-2	Jun-3	Jun-4	Jun-5
Plymetric Cardio Circuit	Plyometrics	Max Interval Circuit	X Stretch	Core Synergistics	Cardio Power & Resistance	Rest
Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Jun-6	Jun-7	Jun-8	Jun-9	Jun-10	Jun-11	Jun-12
Pure Cardio	Cardio X	Max Interval Plyo	Cardio Recovery	Max Cardio Conditioning	Kenpo X	Rest
		Day 10	Day 11	Day 12	Day 13	Day 14
Jun-13	Jun-14	Jun-15	Jun-16	Jun-17	Jun-18	Jun-19
Plymetric Cardio Circuit	Plyometrics	Max Interval Circuit	Yoga X	Core Synergistics	Cardio Power & Resistance	Rest
Day 15	Day 16	Day 17	Day 18	Day 19	Day 20	Day 21
Jun-20	Jun-21	Jun-22	Jun-23	Jun-24	Jun-25	Jun-26
Pure Cardio & Ab Ripper X	Kenpo X	Max Interval Plyo	Max Recovery	VACATION	VACATION Print Out Workout	VACATION Print Out Workout
Day 22	Day 23	Day 24	Day 25	Day 26	Day 27	Day 28
Jun-27	Jun-28	Jun-29	Jun-30	Jul-1	Jul-2	Jul-3
HONEYMOON 3.0	VACATION Print Out Workout	VACATION Print Out Workout	VACATION	Core Cardio Balance	Core Cardio Balance	Rest
Day 29	Day 30	Day 31	Day 32	Day 33	Day 34	Day 35
Jul-4	Jul-5	Jul-6	Jul-7	Jul-8	Jul-9	Jul-10
Plymetric Cardio Circuit	Plyometrics	Max Interval Circuit	X Stretch	Core Synergistics	Cardio Power & Resistance	Rest
Day 36	Day 37	Day 38	Day 39	Day 40	Day 41	Day 42
Jul-11	Jul-12	Jul-13	Jul-14	Jul-15	Jul-16	Jul-17
Pure Cardio	Cardio X	Max Interval Plyo	Cardio Recovery	Max Cardio Conditioning	Kenpo X	Rest
Day 43	Day 44	Day 45	Day 46	Day 47	Day 48	Day 49
Jul-18	Jul-19	Jul-20	Jul-21	Jul-22	Jul-23	Jul-24
Plymetric Cardio Circuit	Plyometrics	Max Interval Circuit	Yoga X	Core Synergistics	Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs	Rest
Day 50	Day 51	Day 52	Day 53	Day 54	Day 55	Day 56
Jul-25	Jul-26	Jul-27	Jul-28	Jul-29	Jul-30	Jul-31
Cardio Power & Resistance	Cardio X	Max Interval Plyo	Core Cardio & Balance	Cardio X	Kenpo X	Rest
Day 57	Day 58	Day 59	Day 60	Day 61	Day 62	Day 63

Who Needs Whom?

Who Needs Whom?

by Felicia M Molano on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 1:33pm

God does not die when we cease to believe in a personal deity, but we die on the day when our lives cease to be illuminated by the steady radiance, renewed daily, of wonder, the source of which is beyond all reason - Dag Hammarkskjold

As you make choices, care for your family, and plot plans for the future, whose guidance are you seeking - daily? When trouble rains down and your heart is laden with sorrow, whom do you trust to see you through to better times? As fear creeps into your rare moments of silence, whom do you turn to for peace? We quickly respond with "God (or however you call your higher power), of course," because we do have faith. We know that the Creator loves us. We KNOW this. But do we LIVE as though we believe it?

Our time on this earth is amazingly precious and uncertain. Let's face it, we step out onto the front porch and we don't know what will happen next in our day. We can guess. We can hope. But we don't know. Doesn't it make sense to seek the leading of our all-knowing Creator? When we are waiting for faith to run deep in our lives, it is not because Creator needs time to become more real, more omniscient, more powerful. Creator has been Creator for a loooooong time. He isn't waiting for us to truly believe in him before he can finally get some work done in the world. When we wait to believe completely, we miss our chance to life in God's purpose. And he DOES have a purpose for you. When we leave everything to whimsy, emotion (I'm guilty of this), or our own strength, we miss out on God's leading and clarity.

The current of "unknowing" in our lives is not meant to sweep us to places of fear and failure. The unknowing is the miracle that leads us to the wonder and mystery of a God who care for us. Don't just know of God and about God; live in God. Experience the excitement and possibility lying beneath life's uncertainties when you wholly trust the known God.

I Wish You Knew

I wish I knew what kept you up late staring at the dark while chasing shadows in your mind. You're dealing with stresses others aren't even aware of, and yet you keep a brave face until you are out of public viewing and in the solitude of nightfall. You're being "brave" so that the people you are caring for don't realize that their needs are overwhelming you. You're being brave because you haven't seen an alternative to being stoic and solid and always available to others. Yet, you keep others at a distance.

I wish I knew which past hurt echoes through your soul today. You don't put it out there in conversation, even with close friends, because you think it would surprise and baffle people that the most poignant pain you ruminate over isn't the accident, illness, lose or other "defining moment" that haunts you most. I'm not surprised. I understand that seemingly small hurts are the easiest ones to carry around in your heart's pocket and revisit every free moment. 

I wish I knew what worry makes your heart skip a beat each time you step outside of your comfort zone. How the offhand comments of another leave your mouth dry and your palms shaky. I imagine you have days that ticktock along like years because your energy is spent pretending you're fine and your hope is too spent on survival of healing. 

I wish you knew how much I pray to the One who does know every bit about you and now holds you in a great, protective embrace. Maybe this would bring you comfort. Maybe this would encourage you to allow that embrace to save you along this journey.

A letter to my younger self, A letter to you, A letter for us.....

How do you take care of yourself?

In a moment of tunnel vision and, yes, self-loathing bratiness, a friend came at me with this simple question. Something I have answered with exercise for stress, anxiety, depression, sleep, healthy living, schedule, physical and spiritual balance. Take that away and I am lost. Lost to my own thoughts that aren't always accurate. So, I am reflecting on this during this empty space of time I have found myself in.

We often hear the phrase "You can't love anyone else until you love yourself" but what does "Loving yourself" really mean? Seriously! I've researched this and have tentatively come up with the following.

1. Loving yourself means taking care of your SELF. It means that you take responsibility for your well-being and happiness and figure out what you need to feel good. I am beginning to gain an appreciated for this seemingly obvious question of "What does "loving yourself" mean in real life?" Loving your "Self" means that you know how to take care of your Self. Taking care of your Self applies to both your physical and emotional self - You become your own caring, loving parent so to speak. 
2. Something I have learned years ago, and it feel necessary to add to this list, is that no one can fill that emptiness inside you - except for you. [Of course God is at the center of this, he knows you better then you know you.] Do not look to someone else to fill that "hole". It seems to me that if you are born a human, you will have a human struggle, and that struggle is about filling that emptiness inside. The emptiness that I have been feeling for the past month honestly. Every one of us deals with that emptiness and we are all faced with making peace with the process. EVERY ONE. When you expect someone else to make you happy, you are projecting your feelings of incompleteness on another and this will never work. Only you and you alone, can heal your Self. [With God's graces of course, or whom/whatever you call your higher power or Creator.]
   
3. You attract to you who you really are - this is always accurate. We always get a good match for where we are at the moment. Look at whom you are attracting and take responsibility for that "pull". Take responsibility for whatever relationship you are in. Perhaps there's a lesson that needs to be learned. For me, I tend to push people away and that is exactly what I am feeling inside, nothing. I am learning about this and trying to change that.
   
4. Ask yourself "What makes me feel good? What do I like?" You need to like yourself before you can love yourself. Figuring out what makes us feel good is a lifetime process. In order to do this, we cannot care what anyone else thinks and need to quiet all those other voices in our head other than our own. I've had that little voice as a young child living in Wapato and going to a private school in Yakima (don't fit in),  going from private school to public school (awkward and unsure), going to college (identity is grades, nothing else), not having someone to teach me girly things like getting nails done, hair, make-up (your not good enough). Those little voices creep in even now. The mind needs to be quiet. If your mind is always going, always frantic, you will never be able to figure out who YOU are. I wouldn't say that I know know who I am but I am certainly learning who I am at various stages in life. Eliminate the words "should" and "ought" from your vocabulary. (When we say we "should" do something, it is usually the opposite of what we really feel like doing.) In learning about the delicate difference between feeling like I should do something to take care of myself and what I want and can do to take care of myself. I tend to focus on the shoulds that I get tunnel vision and miss the message that there are other ways to take care of myself.
   

Anyways, not sure how to end this but it isn't really written to have a start and end. It is more of a snapshot into what is on my mind right now. We'll see where it goes.