Thursday, July 18, 2013
ARTS in HEALTHCARE therapy items by Dawn M. Nevills, Arts-in-Healthcare Consultant, B.A., Dip. Psych., Dip. P.I., Dip. Pol. Sci.
"Forest in Late Summer"
watercolour by Dawn M. Nevills
watercolour/acrylic painting by Dawn M. Nevills
(A portion of proceeds from this item is donated to the Canadian
Cancer Society)
..........can you see the silver tree in the middle, the green and red leaf on either side, and the silver
horse running wildlly away from the flames, aside from the two faces, one "hoarse" from
trying to talk to the grief-stricken, closed-mouthed figure on the left? Two paintings in one!
Monday, July 8, 2013
2nd Kings, Chapter 5 Verses 1-14
1.Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria; he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
2. And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
3. And she said unto her mistress, "Would God my Lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria!, for he would recover him of his leprosy."
4. And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
5. And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
7. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? Wherefore consider, I pray you and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8. And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
11. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
12. Are not Aban and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14. Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Chapter 8
...19 Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children....
Psalm 119
Cheth
57. Thou art my portion, O Lord; I have said that I will keep thy words.
58. I intreated thy favour with my whole heart; be merciful unto me according to thy word.
59. I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
60. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
61. The bands of the wicked have robbed me; but I have not forgotten thy law.
62. At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgements.
63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.
64. The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy; teach me thy statutes.
Zain
49. Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
50. This is my comfort in my afflictions: for thy word hath quickened me.
51. The proud have had me greatly in derision; yet have I not declined from thy law.
52. I remembered thy judgements of old, O Lord; and have comforted myself.
53. Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.
54. Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
55. I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law.
56. This I had, because I kept thy precepts.
Gimel
17. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
19. I am a stranger in the earth; hide not thy commandments from me.
20. My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgements at all times.
21. Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.
22. Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.
23. Princes also did sit and speak against me; but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.
24. Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.
Psalm 119 -
(Nun.)
Verses
105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
106. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgements.
107. I am afflicted very much; quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word.
108. Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgements.
109. My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.
110. The wicked have laid a snare for me; yet I erred not from thy precepts.
111. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.
112. I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end.
Samech.
Verse.
113. I hate vain thoughts; but thy law do I love.
114. Thu art my hiding place and my shield; I hope in thy word.
115. Depart from me, ye evildoers; for I will keep the commandments of my God.
116. Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live; and let me not be ashamed of my hope.
117. Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe; and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.
118. Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes; for their deceit is falsehood.
119. Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross; therefore I love thy testimonies.
120. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgements.
PE.
129. Thy testimonies are wonderful; therefore doth my soul keep them.
130. The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
131. I opened my mouth, and panted; for I longed for thy commandments.
132. Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.
133. Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
134. Deliver me from the oppression of man; so will I keep thy precepts.
135. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.
136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.
Psalm 130
A Song of Degrees
1. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.
2. Lord, hear my voice; let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
3. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
4. But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
5. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
6. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
7. Let Israel hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
8. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world."
Saint Mark Chapter 9 Verse 23
Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."
Verse 24
And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
Verse 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, sayng unto him, "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him."
Verse 26. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out f him; and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
Verse 27. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up, and he arose.
Verse 28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
Verse 29. And he said unto them, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."
..................
......................
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question: What kind of "fasting" will you do, if any? Is it all about food - and what do we mean by "hunger" and "appetite"? ....can we, after all, "hunger" for The Word? Why, or why not?
Something to think about........
2. And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
3. And she said unto her mistress, "Would God my Lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria!, for he would recover him of his leprosy."
4. And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
5. And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
7. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? Wherefore consider, I pray you and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8. And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
11. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
12. Are not Aban and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14. Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Chapter 8
...19 Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children....
Psalm 119
Cheth
57. Thou art my portion, O Lord; I have said that I will keep thy words.
58. I intreated thy favour with my whole heart; be merciful unto me according to thy word.
59. I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
60. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
61. The bands of the wicked have robbed me; but I have not forgotten thy law.
62. At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgements.
63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.
64. The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy; teach me thy statutes.
Zain
49. Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
50. This is my comfort in my afflictions: for thy word hath quickened me.
51. The proud have had me greatly in derision; yet have I not declined from thy law.
52. I remembered thy judgements of old, O Lord; and have comforted myself.
53. Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.
54. Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
55. I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law.
56. This I had, because I kept thy precepts.
Gimel
17. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
19. I am a stranger in the earth; hide not thy commandments from me.
20. My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgements at all times.
21. Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.
22. Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.
23. Princes also did sit and speak against me; but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.
24. Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.
Psalm 119 -
(Nun.)
Verses
105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
106. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgements.
107. I am afflicted very much; quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word.
108. Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgements.
109. My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.
110. The wicked have laid a snare for me; yet I erred not from thy precepts.
111. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.
112. I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end.
Samech.
Verse.
113. I hate vain thoughts; but thy law do I love.
114. Thu art my hiding place and my shield; I hope in thy word.
115. Depart from me, ye evildoers; for I will keep the commandments of my God.
116. Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live; and let me not be ashamed of my hope.
117. Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe; and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.
118. Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes; for their deceit is falsehood.
119. Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross; therefore I love thy testimonies.
120. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgements.
PE.
129. Thy testimonies are wonderful; therefore doth my soul keep them.
130. The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
131. I opened my mouth, and panted; for I longed for thy commandments.
132. Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.
133. Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
134. Deliver me from the oppression of man; so will I keep thy precepts.
135. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.
136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.
Psalm 130
A Song of Degrees
1. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.
2. Lord, hear my voice; let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
3. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
4. But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
5. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
6. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
7. Let Israel hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
8. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world."
Saint Mark Chapter 9 Verse 23
Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."
Verse 24
And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
Verse 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, sayng unto him, "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him."
Verse 26. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out f him; and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
Verse 27. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up, and he arose.
Verse 28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
Verse 29. And he said unto them, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."
..................
......................
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question: What kind of "fasting" will you do, if any? Is it all about food - and what do we mean by "hunger" and "appetite"? ....can we, after all, "hunger" for The Word? Why, or why not?
Something to think about........
Sunday, June 30, 2013
LUKE Chapter 9 Verses 33-62. "The KING in EVERYMAN."
33. And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias; not knowing what he said.
34. While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them; and they feared as they entered into the cloud.
35. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son; hear him."
36. And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.
37. And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him.
38. And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, "Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son; for he is mine only child.
39. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him, that he foameth again, and bruising, him, hardly departeth from him.
40. And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not."
41. And Jesus answering, said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring they son hither."
42.And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.
43. And they were all amazed at the mighty Power of God. But while they wondered, every one, at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,
44. "Let these sayings sink down into your ears; for the Son of Man shall be delivered into the hands of men."
45. But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not; and they feared to ask him of that saying.
46. Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.
47. And Jesus, perceiving the thoughts of their heart, took a child, and set him by him.
48. And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name, receiveth me; and whosoever receiveth me receiveth him that sent me; for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.
49. And John answered and said, "Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, ; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us."
50. And Jesus said unto him, ":Forbid him not; for he that is not against us, is for us."
51. And it came to pass, when the time was come, that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to Jerusalem.
52. And sent messengers before his face; and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
53. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
54. And when his dsciples James, and John saw this, they said, "Lord wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?"
55. But He turned, and rebuked them, and said, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
56. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." And they went to another village.
57. And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, "Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest."
58. And Jesus said unto him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head."
59. And he said unto another, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father."
60. Jesus said unto him, "Let the dead bury their dead; but go, Thou, and preach the kingdom of God".
61. And another also said, "Lord, I will follow Thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house."
62. And Jesus said unto him, "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
----------------------------------
The word of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanks be to God......are YOU looking forward to..................
The steps, and the challenges, and wonders and successes which lay ahead for you, now that you have begun to "change" how you look at the world, in all of its complexity? ....or are you, in longing for all that you know from your early life, not see them cheering you on to new Wonders? We take them, and their love, and the past - good and bad - with us wherever we go, and whoever's lives we touch, even but for a Moment....
And, like Ghandi said, we must sometimes BE the change we want to see in the world, when we despair that there are no more examples "quite good enough to sustain us", through "perfect" example, anymore. Life can be difficult, and burdensome, and frustrating, after all.....
.....but when we "Make that Moment Count" for the Glory of God - day after day, painstaking effort after painstaking effort; making the seemingly impossible suddenly seem possible again, in whatever way, and whatever manner, that moment challenges us, without allowing others to dictate who, what, when, where and how we will achieve as ourselves, through our own efforts, then those "ripples and waves" - US - keep time within the Song of the Calm Seas of our hearts and minds which move people, and places, and Quieted Minds to a better, "Possible" life. And, while we keep time with the steady rhythm of the oceans and the Seas of God's Love - which, literally, do so both within and without of our corporeal shell, like one amazingly, fantastically, unbelievably, seemingly discordant, but yet now, beautifully orchestrated BAND, the formerly despairing, come to an instant, and wondering, new realization of What Dreams Still May Come." How wondrous is the Lord!
Like the recycler who sees something, still, in that which was abandoned, discarded, or not deemed "worthy" of anything else, anymore (perhaps to itself, saddest of all) the Lord still sees something in us, takes the Iron, and builds the Ship again. We are his Vessels, and we hoist the Main Sail every day into new worlds, and in new ways which demand more of us, both in our daily lives, and in circumstances and places in which we never dreamed that our voices might well be the very Breath of God.
Steady as she goes.....let's stay the course, keep a steady pace....and, though we may wish to, keep from "jumping overboard" when the way ahead seems fraught with unimaginable impossibility, remembering how the Songs of Solomon, and the Breath of God, moved - and still move - the "King in Every Man" to action.
What kind of "King" are you - or will you be, starting tomorrow...or this very moment?
..."Till next time!
xo.
34. While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them; and they feared as they entered into the cloud.
35. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son; hear him."
36. And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.
37. And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him.
38. And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, "Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son; for he is mine only child.
39. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him, that he foameth again, and bruising, him, hardly departeth from him.
40. And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not."
41. And Jesus answering, said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring they son hither."
42.And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.
43. And they were all amazed at the mighty Power of God. But while they wondered, every one, at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,
44. "Let these sayings sink down into your ears; for the Son of Man shall be delivered into the hands of men."
45. But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not; and they feared to ask him of that saying.
46. Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.
47. And Jesus, perceiving the thoughts of their heart, took a child, and set him by him.
48. And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name, receiveth me; and whosoever receiveth me receiveth him that sent me; for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.
49. And John answered and said, "Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, ; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us."
50. And Jesus said unto him, ":Forbid him not; for he that is not against us, is for us."
51. And it came to pass, when the time was come, that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to Jerusalem.
52. And sent messengers before his face; and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
53. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
54. And when his dsciples James, and John saw this, they said, "Lord wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?"
55. But He turned, and rebuked them, and said, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
56. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." And they went to another village.
57. And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, "Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest."
58. And Jesus said unto him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head."
59. And he said unto another, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father."
60. Jesus said unto him, "Let the dead bury their dead; but go, Thou, and preach the kingdom of God".
61. And another also said, "Lord, I will follow Thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house."
62. And Jesus said unto him, "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
----------------------------------
The word of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanks be to God......are YOU looking forward to..................
The steps, and the challenges, and wonders and successes which lay ahead for you, now that you have begun to "change" how you look at the world, in all of its complexity? ....or are you, in longing for all that you know from your early life, not see them cheering you on to new Wonders? We take them, and their love, and the past - good and bad - with us wherever we go, and whoever's lives we touch, even but for a Moment....
And, like Ghandi said, we must sometimes BE the change we want to see in the world, when we despair that there are no more examples "quite good enough to sustain us", through "perfect" example, anymore. Life can be difficult, and burdensome, and frustrating, after all.....
.....but when we "Make that Moment Count" for the Glory of God - day after day, painstaking effort after painstaking effort; making the seemingly impossible suddenly seem possible again, in whatever way, and whatever manner, that moment challenges us, without allowing others to dictate who, what, when, where and how we will achieve as ourselves, through our own efforts, then those "ripples and waves" - US - keep time within the Song of the Calm Seas of our hearts and minds which move people, and places, and Quieted Minds to a better, "Possible" life. And, while we keep time with the steady rhythm of the oceans and the Seas of God's Love - which, literally, do so both within and without of our corporeal shell, like one amazingly, fantastically, unbelievably, seemingly discordant, but yet now, beautifully orchestrated BAND, the formerly despairing, come to an instant, and wondering, new realization of What Dreams Still May Come." How wondrous is the Lord!
Like the recycler who sees something, still, in that which was abandoned, discarded, or not deemed "worthy" of anything else, anymore (perhaps to itself, saddest of all) the Lord still sees something in us, takes the Iron, and builds the Ship again. We are his Vessels, and we hoist the Main Sail every day into new worlds, and in new ways which demand more of us, both in our daily lives, and in circumstances and places in which we never dreamed that our voices might well be the very Breath of God.
Steady as she goes.....let's stay the course, keep a steady pace....and, though we may wish to, keep from "jumping overboard" when the way ahead seems fraught with unimaginable impossibility, remembering how the Songs of Solomon, and the Breath of God, moved - and still move - the "King in Every Man" to action.
What kind of "King" are you - or will you be, starting tomorrow...or this very moment?
..."Till next time!
xo.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Myself's Self
I desire to move beyond surface.
I wish to surf the turbulent rage of forget, stuffed punishingly into the safe of self denial, where it beats against the iron walls, sobbing of
Its demise.
I move, fearlessly, lifting the perfection mask of invulnerable, to find, there, desire, and need, and appetite, intertwined in a silent twist of Life's Treasured,
held close and fiercely against a Heart from which it is torn, mocked.
I seek to disturb, in the doing, awakening life and age in a perpetual vacuum of Success, jolted by Love, and I am
Joined, finally, by a throb alien to me, that is my
Heartbeat.
It strokes me, speaking my name, in a voice known to Stars, and Stares, having washed itself clean of
Perceived Invulnerability, and says, softly, that
it loves me.
I feel it does, and embrace it, discovering a man finite and spirit, intermingled, moaning of torn moments and shredded possibles.
He knows me, and is afraid, despite the
Ragged Kiss, having waited for
Agonies.
Dawn M. Nevills, June 17, 2013.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Happy Father's Day, Sunday, June 16, 2013
Dear Dad,
I was going to write a poem: something with a clever ABAB rhyming scheme, referencing ageless virtues, stalwart natures, adventurous spirits, determined loyalty....all good and true, interspersed with a sense of all-too-human self doubt, and the gentle humility and enclosure of a 50-year marriage to my loving, funny, and wonderful, mother.
I was going to talk about all of those things, because they remain the example of a kind and good man; a man who, with his equally kind wife, provided - and continues to provide - an example of something priceless: reliability.
No matter how tired you were, you got up in the morning, Dad, and went to work. As Keanu Reeves said, about someone HE admired, in a piece of writing I read, "you showed up".
I've driven through blizzards and pinched my cheeks pink and awake, to follow that example, when we had a 20% call-off on the work floor with the flu....and all really sick. I was well - and I "showed up", too. I still try to, no matter how much I'd rather be somewhere else. I realize, as I grow older, what a rarity that quality really is.
No matter how difficult or challenging finances were...you found the money for school pictures.
No matter how much you thought that the quiet, steady, flash-of-humour, rapier wit, firmly principled example went unnoticed in a world of glamourous, violent, medalled men, you won what no other man, medalled or otherwise, could have: the love, respect, and abiding gratefulness of children who love you - and, in my case, respect for your humanity, imperfection, and striving for a better self in all of us. A quiet Wordsworth ran through every outlook and perspective you shared. There is no medal for this - only us, your children, as a legacy of those moments.
There are no awards for these things, really, save the knowledge that no matter how daunting the day seemed, no matter what other men said, did, went, perpetrated, spoke of, or presumed, the simplicity of a man who loved, cared for, supported, and encouraged his Family, will remain with me Forever.
Other men have failed me, Dad; in example, reliability, love, and concern; and although you never pretended to be perfect - warned me against presuming anyone was, in fact, least of all, you - I saw a man with a quiet fierceness whose kindness was - and is - along with the love he has for a careful group of people - real, whose encouragement for a fiercely independent daughter was equally real, and whose curiousity and adventurous spirit took my mother to far off places, and made friends throughout a still hopeful World. I see a glow of love, after almost fifty years of marriage, that hints of some real warmth - good and bad - but always honest.
Thank you for your working spirit; thank you for your caution to rest, too; thank you for the urging of the quiet step back - which came in handy in dangerous places - along with the firm tone, the bantering, the awkwardness and the rough affection, (since I wasn't a boy, and sometimes it must have been tough to have all of those deep discussions about uncomfortable things that I wanted answers to, no matter how embarassing) since it was always something wondrous and inspiring: Genuine.......like you.
Thank you for the ability to consider, and change, and grow, as a human being. Thank you for assuring me that what I viewed as "successful" was not weird, compared to other women.
Thank you for every day more I am blessed with these loving gifts, and a Dad who thinks that what I have to say, and think, and dream of, and try to do, are of equal importance, in a sometimes brutish, and ignorant, world.
God Bless you, Daddy, and Happy Father's Day.
Love,
Your Daughter. xo
I was going to write a poem: something with a clever ABAB rhyming scheme, referencing ageless virtues, stalwart natures, adventurous spirits, determined loyalty....all good and true, interspersed with a sense of all-too-human self doubt, and the gentle humility and enclosure of a 50-year marriage to my loving, funny, and wonderful, mother.
I was going to talk about all of those things, because they remain the example of a kind and good man; a man who, with his equally kind wife, provided - and continues to provide - an example of something priceless: reliability.
No matter how tired you were, you got up in the morning, Dad, and went to work. As Keanu Reeves said, about someone HE admired, in a piece of writing I read, "you showed up".
I've driven through blizzards and pinched my cheeks pink and awake, to follow that example, when we had a 20% call-off on the work floor with the flu....and all really sick. I was well - and I "showed up", too. I still try to, no matter how much I'd rather be somewhere else. I realize, as I grow older, what a rarity that quality really is.
No matter how difficult or challenging finances were...you found the money for school pictures.
No matter how much you thought that the quiet, steady, flash-of-humour, rapier wit, firmly principled example went unnoticed in a world of glamourous, violent, medalled men, you won what no other man, medalled or otherwise, could have: the love, respect, and abiding gratefulness of children who love you - and, in my case, respect for your humanity, imperfection, and striving for a better self in all of us. A quiet Wordsworth ran through every outlook and perspective you shared. There is no medal for this - only us, your children, as a legacy of those moments.
There are no awards for these things, really, save the knowledge that no matter how daunting the day seemed, no matter what other men said, did, went, perpetrated, spoke of, or presumed, the simplicity of a man who loved, cared for, supported, and encouraged his Family, will remain with me Forever.
Other men have failed me, Dad; in example, reliability, love, and concern; and although you never pretended to be perfect - warned me against presuming anyone was, in fact, least of all, you - I saw a man with a quiet fierceness whose kindness was - and is - along with the love he has for a careful group of people - real, whose encouragement for a fiercely independent daughter was equally real, and whose curiousity and adventurous spirit took my mother to far off places, and made friends throughout a still hopeful World. I see a glow of love, after almost fifty years of marriage, that hints of some real warmth - good and bad - but always honest.
Thank you for your working spirit; thank you for your caution to rest, too; thank you for the urging of the quiet step back - which came in handy in dangerous places - along with the firm tone, the bantering, the awkwardness and the rough affection, (since I wasn't a boy, and sometimes it must have been tough to have all of those deep discussions about uncomfortable things that I wanted answers to, no matter how embarassing) since it was always something wondrous and inspiring: Genuine.......like you.
Thank you for the ability to consider, and change, and grow, as a human being. Thank you for assuring me that what I viewed as "successful" was not weird, compared to other women.
Thank you for every day more I am blessed with these loving gifts, and a Dad who thinks that what I have to say, and think, and dream of, and try to do, are of equal importance, in a sometimes brutish, and ignorant, world.
God Bless you, Daddy, and Happy Father's Day.
Love,
Your Daughter. xo
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Happy Coronation Day!
Congratulations to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, with an astounding - and ongoing! - record of service to others, who celebrates the anniversary of her Coronation Day, today.
With the spirit of that very fine example in heart and mind, I hope you did something for someone else today that changed their world for the better - even in a small way.
Perhaps you brightened their world by making your neighbourhood prettier; perhaps it was "Good Morning" on a tired walk to work; whatever small gesture or kindness, celebrate the secret that is the sacred between Crown and Cared for: trying to do good, when it appears it doesn't seem to matter.....it does, to someone, still.
......and if you did nothing today - there's always tomorrow! You just never know how the smallest thing might make a difference that stays with a person for their whole lives.....or even one small, wonderful moment. They all matter.
God Bless and Happy Day!
Dawn.
With the spirit of that very fine example in heart and mind, I hope you did something for someone else today that changed their world for the better - even in a small way.
Perhaps you brightened their world by making your neighbourhood prettier; perhaps it was "Good Morning" on a tired walk to work; whatever small gesture or kindness, celebrate the secret that is the sacred between Crown and Cared for: trying to do good, when it appears it doesn't seem to matter.....it does, to someone, still.
......and if you did nothing today - there's always tomorrow! You just never know how the smallest thing might make a difference that stays with a person for their whole lives.....or even one small, wonderful moment. They all matter.
God Bless and Happy Day!
Dawn.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Delayed
In a snap of winter ice, spring pauses, sigh hand bracing,
And breathes a last thought of frozen Past.
Like all Fire and Ice moments, it is enough to live it, knowing.
...and I, harbinger of its Fears and Flames, Snaps and Snows, Ice Sleeps and Sorrows,
Speak the language of
Fierce eyes in the
Dark,
Drawing in my breath,
Sharply.
And breathes a last thought of frozen Past.
Like all Fire and Ice moments, it is enough to live it, knowing.
...and I, harbinger of its Fears and Flames, Snaps and Snows, Ice Sleeps and Sorrows,
Speak the language of
Fierce eyes in the
Dark,
Drawing in my breath,
Sharply.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Mother .....and her day.
What if I am a rib? I would have you think of me as more than mere cage.
Even if I am only one, then - and only, now, understood, of this tree and rock and shale and sky, schooled - I nurture, still;
Tending to my wounds, scar upon scar, star upon star, standing sentinel,
The milk of my tears is mixed with blood and carbon, trying, trying, trying.....
Mixed and mean, unexpectedly kind, swift and salient......vessel, and vassal, and voice.
I am blamed, blameless, and burdened, and bear it, fiercely.
I am the dignity of all tried and true.
I see the smaller selves, ardent and searching, bird mouths, eyes closed, and flying;
Homing and corded, invisible threads of my heart, riding upon air and thought and hopes.
I remember the moments of their forming; the breathed and breathed into; the sigh, and the met, rounded;
I feel again, water's rhythm, forming, and joining, swimming into themselves, and each other, beautifully;
Endless dance of completed,
Exquisite pain, forgotten;
Replete and joyous, in the
New.
I am now, and ago, and, though bereft of more of me, in these cyclical days of ending and passing through,
Dreaming, still,
of my
Other...
You.
Even if I am only one, then - and only, now, understood, of this tree and rock and shale and sky, schooled - I nurture, still;
Tending to my wounds, scar upon scar, star upon star, standing sentinel,
The milk of my tears is mixed with blood and carbon, trying, trying, trying.....
Mixed and mean, unexpectedly kind, swift and salient......vessel, and vassal, and voice.
I am blamed, blameless, and burdened, and bear it, fiercely.
I am the dignity of all tried and true.
I see the smaller selves, ardent and searching, bird mouths, eyes closed, and flying;
Homing and corded, invisible threads of my heart, riding upon air and thought and hopes.
I remember the moments of their forming; the breathed and breathed into; the sigh, and the met, rounded;
I feel again, water's rhythm, forming, and joining, swimming into themselves, and each other, beautifully;
Endless dance of completed,
Exquisite pain, forgotten;
Replete and joyous, in the
New.
I am now, and ago, and, though bereft of more of me, in these cyclical days of ending and passing through,
Dreaming, still,
of my
Other...
You.
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