a comfortable cup of tea ...: 2011

Thursday, December 15, 2011

"Peace is better than understanding"

Landon, 5 years old

Advent Peace to you.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween....with a little help from my Dental-Wonderland friends!

Coming to you live from Dental-Wonderland is:

the Officially unManageable Cheshire Cat ...

And 2 little autobots that go by the name of "Bumblebee"!

Happy All Hallow's Eve!!

__ll__

/ ^_^ \

\wvw/

Sunday, October 23, 2011

making memories with Mijo

Mijo and I did some exploring this summer...

At the pumpkin farm he was interested in the train

and decided on riding in the caboose.

But then he thought the engineer's position looked more profitable.

He inquired about the position and was hired on the spot.

Look at him with his hands on his hips, trying to look all in charge, while the real engineer gives instruction to the passengers!

But there were no trains at the horse farm...

And as long as it was a horse he could ride,

he'd wear that yucky-hated-helmet all day long!

Ever wondered how a 3 year old conveys love?

"You like that horse," I asked Mijo?

"She's my daughter," he responded.

This year Mijo begins the adventure of making school memories!

Is he that old already?

This business of growing-up sure is tiring!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Who says?

Who says acorns have to be brown

and lampshades are supposed to be white?

Who says chairs are only for sitting ...

and branches belong on trees?

Not I!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Dear Sisters, Associates, Volunteer Corps members, Companions, Coworkers and Friends in Mercy: I was privileged to be able to attend our most recent Chapter experience in Chicago. The moments were filled with new connections and rich conversations, out of which grew a phrase that was repeated over and over again throughout the numerous configurations in which we assembled: communal witness. It seemed to capture the Spirit of many and continued to call me to something more, but what? On the final day of our gathering, I shared an idea for an experiment in which my base group agreed to participate. I have dubbed it Witnessing Wrists and it works like this:

I’ve designed and purchased silicone bracelets - like the ones everyone is wearing these days to call attention to different causes! My design is royal blue in color, debossed in white with a Mercy cross in a circular shape at the center, and the words MERCY and MISERICORDIA on either side. The experiment is to wear the bracelet for 365 days, and keep a running tally of how many times you are invited to talk about Mercy when someone notices it on your wrist. That’s it!

Because it was more economical to buy in bulk and the company was running an offer for 100 free with the purchase of 100, I have 200 bracelets ready to adorn some Witnessing Wrists! Everyone in the Mercy family is invited to participate and can speak to Mercy from her/his own experience…I have 3 colleagues whom have already made claims.

If you would like to participate, all I ask is that you 1) send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope; 2) keep a tally of the inquiries made within a 365 day period; 3) email me the results of your Witnessing Wrist at the end of your experiment. I will put bracelets in the first 200 envelopes I receive and get them in the mail.

In Mercy, Sarah

Friday, June 17, 2011

the healing hands of God

“How do you know that God is present?” is a question I have been asked more times than I can count. But although it is an easy question to ask – especially to someone who has made a life commitment because of a deep belief in that Presence – it is not an easy question to answer. Being born and raised within a Tradition of belief and having been schooled in the rubrics of the faith, the “know” part is fairly easy to answer; the “how” part, not so much. It takes time, examination, reflection on previously lived moments to recognize God present in the passing of a day, and still it often ends up as a piece of knowledge: the flowering tree I passed on my way to work; the $20 I found in my coat pocket the day I forgot my lunch; my nephew’s laugh-out-loud enthusiasm of a rolling tennis ball; the extended deadline of the assignment I didn’t finish…

But sometimes, some times, I recognize God without having to reflect back. I am able to feel God’s presence in the moment – I think it’s called Grace. It doesn’t happen a lot; it doesn’t even happen often, at least not to me. But when it does, it reaches a place deep, deep within, and fills me to overflowing. I recently met someone in whose presence I feel the Presence of God. The relaxing encounters have been so profound that I have been reduced to tears when we meet. I’m not sure she has any idea how sacred for me her time is; how through her hands I experience the healing hand of God; how grateful I am to be able to feel the Grace in the moment; how I thank my God whenever I think of her...