“Still your spirit, breathe in slowly, close your eyes,
drift on the river that gave you life. Be at peace. Let every room within your
soul be hushed, quiet in mind and body, with only the breeze of a passing angel
to move the curtains beside open windows. Your world is at rest now, its sounds
subdued, its anxious pace halted, the very heart-rate of life allowed to find its
ancient rhythm, resting deeply in the old places where no worry can find you.
Still your spirit, for in the end, when all is said and done, this gentle space
is your beginning and will your birthright be.”
Bishop Steven Charleston, Episcopal, Choctaw
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people
of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as
God did from His. Hebrews 4:9-10
Notes and musings from Benton, TN
What a spectacular life we are living in our new
home in Benton, TN. Sunrises over the mountains and sunsets into the woods and
mountains begin our and end our day. The winter colors are plain but beautiful.
We get to set the pace. The dogs absolutely love it here. They have 3.4 acres to explore and they take
full advantage of every inch of it. Glory (age 88) enjoys the views from all
the windows. Even though she doesn’t
much care for cold, she ventures outside to enjoy the crisp clean air and
watching the animals and birds playing.
Jo and I continue to work toward the garden we will
plant in March. The seeds will be going
in the starter cups very soon. Hopefully today there will be twelve fruit trees
planted behind the garden, a veritable fruit cocktail waiting to be made. And
there will be four blackberry bushes and two blueberry bushes further down the
hill. There will be lots of shrubs, flowers, thistle, jasmine, and other plantings
that attract birds, butterflies, and bees.
The woods are beginning to look great. We have been
clearing out all the dead fall for about fifty feet back into the woods
directly behind the house. We are almost
done with that part and I will start on removing stumps, rocks, filling holes
that kids could trip in. That area includes two large fire circles where we
have been burning what we have cut up. A fire on a cold day is both warming and
spiritual.
Our youngest son Will came by last week and gave me
chainsaw sharpening lessons… I never needed a chainsaw in Florida. It is
amazing what I can do now that I have a better grasp on the saw and how to use and
maintain it. It has saved me lots of grief and time. Thank you Will.
Jo and I have become general members of the West
Polk Fire Rescue Department and will be serving as chaplains and assist with
Critical Incident Stress Management. Since WPFR is dispatched out of the Polk
County Sheriff’s Office we will also serve them if needed. Polk County, TN is a
large area with a somewhat low population, lots of farms and ranches, and includes the Cherokee National Forest. We have very little crime and almost no
fender bender traffic crashes. When something does happen it is always a big crash,
crime, or fire.
We are definitely blessed! All of you remain in our thoughts and prayers.
Peter F. Drucker
Each day as you wake up, make the decision to strive to do
what's right.
Approach your life as you would your game....
...when you make a mistake, learn from it, correct it, and get ready for the next point. Life moves too fast to sulk and dwell on the past.
...when you're down, fight harder to get back on top. Life is full of hardships. Fight hard against those feelings of despair.
...when you're doing everything right and still can't win, be patient. No matter how good we are or how hard we struggle to make the right decisions, life often makes us wait.
...when you are on top of your game, relax and enjoy it. Life is fully appreciated when we survive adversity and can relax in the sunlight of success.
Each sunrise brings a new opportunity. No matter how bad the day before was, today is brand new. When you wake up, seek the strength and courage to do the right thing.
Approach your life as you would your game....
...when you make a mistake, learn from it, correct it, and get ready for the next point. Life moves too fast to sulk and dwell on the past.
...when you're down, fight harder to get back on top. Life is full of hardships. Fight hard against those feelings of despair.
...when you're doing everything right and still can't win, be patient. No matter how good we are or how hard we struggle to make the right decisions, life often makes us wait.
...when you are on top of your game, relax and enjoy it. Life is fully appreciated when we survive adversity and can relax in the sunlight of success.
Each sunrise brings a new opportunity. No matter how bad the day before was, today is brand new. When you wake up, seek the strength and courage to do the right thing.
--- Copyright © 1999 Aaron Ballinger --- Texas
“So whoever knows the
right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” James 4:17
“Do not be overcome
by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans
12:21
Congratulations
We extend congratulates to Scott Fleming who is on his first
day as Supervisor of Pastoral Care at Health Central Hospital in Ocoee, FL.
Scott has been named as my replacement. Scott worked for me at Health Central
as a volunteer chaplain, CPE trainee, college intern, and then as a contract chaplain.
I encouraged him to go to Orlando Health’s level one trauma center to refine
his skills in trauma and high acuity illness where he has increased his skills
and gained a new level of maturity… Please join me in praying for Scott in his
new role!
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