Blindly Following the Leader

This is a poem that I love. It is about what happens when we play follow the leader blindly without thinking things through for ourselves. There are so many voices out in the world asking for us to follow them. For me it can feel overwhelming trying to decide who to listen to and I sometimes find myself not paying attention to who I am allowing to lead me. This can be very dangerous and risky. I am the one responsible for me. Even though it may appear to be easier to let someone else lead me, in the end it may cost me more than the effort it would take to make sure I am doing what I feel is right.


The Calf Path
by Sam Walter Foss

One day through the primeval wood
A calf walked home as good calves should;
But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail as all calves do.
Since then three hundred years have fled,
And I infer the calf is dead.

But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.
The trail was taken up next day,
By a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bell-wether sheep
Pursued the trail o'er vale and steep,
And drew the flock behind him, too,
As all good bell-wethers do.
And from that day, o'er hill and glade,
Through those old woods a path was made.

And many men wound in and out,
And dodged, and turned, and bent about,
And uttered words of righteous wrath,
Because 'twas such a crooked path;
But still they followed--do not laugh--
The first migrations of that calf,
And through this winding wood-way stalked
Because he wobbled when he walked.

This forest path became a lane,
That bent and turned and turned again;
This crooked lane became a road,
Where many a poor horse with his load
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
And traveled some three miles in one.
And thus a century and a half
They trod the footsteps of that calf.

The years passed on in swiftness fleet,
The road became a village street;
And this, before men were aware,
A city's crowded thoroughfare.
And soon the central street was this
Of a renowned metropolis;
And men two centuries and a half,
Trod the footsteps of that calf.

Each day a hundred thousand rout
Followed the zigzag calf about
And o'er his crooked journey went
The traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led,
By one calf near three centuries dead.
They followed still his crooked way,
And lost one hundred years a day;
For thus such reverence is lent,
To well established precedent.

A moral lesson this might teach
Were I ordained and called to preach;
For men are prone to go it blind
Along the calf-paths of the mind,
And work away from sun to sun,
To do what other men have done.
They follow the beaten track,
And out and in, and forth and back,
And still their devious course pursue,
To keep the path that others do.
They keep the path a sacred groove,
Along which all their lives they move.
But how the wise old wood gods laugh,
Who saw that first primeval calf.
Ah, many things this tale might teach--
But I am not ordained to preach.

Attitude of Gratitude

I am grateful for children who love me so much they want to share. They want to share their hugs and kisses. They even want to share their angry words and their tears. Sometimes I don't want to receive everything they want to give me but at least they want to share with me, right!

Quotes to live by

"No one is perfect or can make themselves so. It's fine to be the best we can. But perfectionism is like trying to steal from God." ~ Edward Grinnan

God works in mysterious ways

I wrote a letter to a magazine that I wanted to share with you. It's about God's hand in our lives and the interesting ways He will do things to help us and make us aware of how He is helping us.

 

 

God works in mysterious ways and sometimes the mystery is how did we get this magazine?

A Guideposts magazine came in the mail last December in my husband Kevin’s name. It had beautiful artwork with angels on the cover. I was perplexed by this as I know that this magazine is not his cup of tea. He’s more of the hunting and fishing or gadgets and gizmos type of magazine reader. I figured that this must be some sort of promotional magazine in order to get you interested in the magazine and buy a subscription. I was tempted to toss it in the trash but I loved the pictures of angels on the front and decided I’d read it before throwing it away.

I began to read the articles and loved the concept of a magazine that was based on uplifting and inspiring stories. At this time in my life I was dealing with a bought of depression. I had just had our 5^th baby in November. This was a very painful pregnancy and the pain continued after the delivery. I hadn’t realized that I was not living but merely functioning day in and day out.

There have been many times in my life when I have had depression. Sometimes I didn’t know I had it until after I had recovered from it. During my pregnancy I had another bought of depression. This time it was very intense to the point that I was contemplating suicide. Thankfully Heavenly Father sent me angels to bear me up and help me through it.

I’d like to say that it was a complete and immediate recovery, however, it wasn’t. It was enough to help me over the hump but I still had the valley to cross. It was at this point that Guideposts showed up. As I read the articles it felt as though God was speaking to me and answering my prayers. I began to have insights and “aha’s” about myself and what was happening in my life. All of this was helping me when I was at a low and giving me hope to keep moving forward.

Eventually I realized what God was asking of me and what I needed to do. In February I understood what was causing some of my depression. It was the fact that I was living my life half way. As in, part of me wanted to be here and part of me wanted to go back home to my Heavenly Father. Life was painful and it felt too hard. What I realized was that I had to choose to be here. I had to want to be here no matter what happens.

Sometimes life is scary and it can be hard. But we have to choose to live our lives with all of the love, passion, and commitment that is inside of us. We have to choose to be here and live the life that God knows we are capable of. Anything less than this will cause us unnecessary pain and suffering.

I want to thank you Guideposts for your courage in providing something that sustains rather than drains an individual. And the mystery of how we came to have your magazine was solved several weeks after its arrival. We received a postcard in the mail saying, “Enjoy your free guideposts subscription. It is being sent to American service men like you.” The funny thing is my husband has never served in the military. His father has along with other relatives but he hasn’t.

So, a magazine that my husband would never read was sent to him because of military service that he never performed so that his wife who loves angels would read the uplifting stories and receive inspiration to help her through her difficult moments until she was strong enough to live life again. This is what you call God at work.

 

How is God helping you? If you doubt He helps you, maybe it's time to look a little closer.

Attitude of Gratitude

Today I am grateful for friends who will drop whatever they are doing and come help. I am grateful that my friends love me enough to forgive me for making mistakes and be there for me when I need their help the most.

Are you the kind of friend you want to have?

Quotes to live by

"Life is either a great adventure or nothing." ~ Helen Keller

Attitude of Gratitude

I love my family. I just realized that soon I will not have dirty diapers, dirty laundry, and dirty dishes like I do now. And when that happens it will mean that my children have all grown up and moved out. I think I am going to express gratitude that they are here to make a mess because that means I still have time to enjoy them while they grow up.

Quotes to live by

"Love never fails." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:8

Christmas In October

I went to the dōTERRA convention last week and had an inspiring idea for Christmas. It is a simple and easy Christmas project that you can do with your whole family, friends, neighbors, church, for fundraising projects, etc. The possibilities are limitless.

The idea is to make Christmas ornaments to give as gifts or for your own personal decorations. You can have a party and invite people over to make them as a group activity for the holidays or it can be a do it yourself project. It's up to you.

Items needed:
Felt: any color desired
Ribbon: any color desired
Scissors: 1 pair for every 2 people
Hole punch: 1 for every 4 people
Elmers glue: 1 bottle for every 2 people
Decorations: felt shapes, glitter, wiggly eyes, any items desired, etc.
Permanent marker: any color desired, any amount desired
Stencils or cookie cutters: you just need these to trace the desired shapes for your ornaments. Ex: candy canes, gingerbread men, wreaths, stars, etc.
dōTERRA essential oils: any oil desired. Ex: orange, lemon, peppermint, cinnamon, white fir, etc.
5 ml or 10 ml roller bottle: use the dōTERRA oils in the roller bottle to apply to the ornament. This will make it safer and less chance for spills.

Instructions:
Trace the shape you want for the ornament.
Cut out the ornament shape.
Put a hole in the ornament for the ribbon to hang it.
Roll the dōTERRA essential oil onto the back or the ornament.
Turn the ornament over and decorate as desired using the glue and decorations.
Cut the ribbon to the desired length.
Tie the ribbon through the hole in the ornament to hang it from.
Optional: write your name or the receivers name on the ornament.

TADA! A simple and easy gift giving project for anyone at any age. Have fun and enjoy!

And if you haven't learned about the many benefits of using dōTERRA certified therapeutic grade essential oils yet, check out this link to learn more.

https://www.thinkessentialoils.com/23605

Attitude of Gratitude

I love being alive! Today I can see clearly just how much I am loved. I am so loved that I was given a dirty diaper, an argument, dirty dishes, and a late night getting to bed.

You see God loves me so much He gave me a beautiful baby girl, three sons who love to tease each other, the opportunity to help my teenager when she had a headache, and a husband who works hard to support our family by working late when it is necessary.

So what on the surface in your life looks like a complaint but can really be an opportunity to express gratitude?

Quotes to live by

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~ Anais Nin

mistyroses Address

I was inspired by The Gettysburg Address given by Abraham Lincoln during the American civil war. I want to share this message I was inspired to write that came form the message he shared all those years ago.

Many years ago our brother Christ brought forth in this world an opportunity to experience a greater life, conceived on the principle of agency, and dedicated to the proposition that God is no respecter of persons; that we are all His beloved children.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether a world or any world so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. And whether a soul or any soul so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. For what is a world but the proving ground for a soul. We have come to dedicate this world and our souls, as a gift for Christ and those who have given their lives in His name that we might live to manifest the glory of God. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this world. For Christ, He who has risen from the grave and has broken the chains of death has consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world may take little notice, nor remember much of what we say or do here, but it can never forget what Christ has done. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the work that will continue to bring others into the warm embrace and healing that can only come from His unconditional love and forgiveness. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from His great sacrifice followed by His great gift by which He has shown us the depth and commitment of His love—that we who have been given the great gift of everlasting life, choose to be resolved that He did not give His life in vain—that this world and we souls, children of God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that we choose to be here, living and being present in every moment that life presents, promising to live with all of the love, passion, and commitment that is inside of us and never leave this world until our Father calls us home.