Category: Mind

Be Happy

The other day, I was talking to a friend of mine, and he told me that when he’s stressed out, he takes a couple of minutes and goes to his “happy place.” Although it sounds a bit corny, I think we could all use a visit to such a place from time to time.

When I am down in the dumps and need something to make me happy, I can think of three images right off the bat. One is dreaming about one of my favorite places to visit, and that’s Sedona, Arizona. It has one of the most remarkable landscapes I’ve ever seen, and when I make it there, I love to hike among the red rocks, get my feet wet in Oak Creek, and dine in one of the many great restaurants. I always come back from that daydream with a smile on my face:)

The second place I love to visit, sometimes only in my mind, is Tuscany. Like Sedona, this area of Italy is blessed with a beautiful landscape, terrific food, and wonderful people. Throw in great history and art, and I can dream about this spot just about every day.

The last image that brightens my day comes in a little package, at least for the time being. Awhile back, one of my co-workers gave birth to a joyous little boy named Brendan. I can’t recall ever being around a baby that is so consistently happy, and he brings a smile to all of our faces every time his mom brings him in to visit. Sometimes, he gets to stay for a few hours, and we love having him around. I’m sure he gets grumpy and screams like any six month old, but we never really get to see that side of him 🙂 He can come by and visit any time, and his sisters are always welcome too.

So, in about the span of two minutes, I’ve been reminded that I have a lot to be happy about. I’ve had the blessing to not only dream about these wonderful places, but I’ve gotten the chance to visit them many times over the years. I get to share in the happiness of having a little one around, one so joy-filled that, when we see him, he makes our day a bit more bright.

When you’re having a bad day, what do you think about to make you happy? I hope you can think of at least one person/thing that reminds you that, when it’s all said and done, we have it pretty good.

For the Hundredth Time

Well, this is my 100th post to Making All Things New. The idea came from reading a book, Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk. I was in the Dallas airport with time to kill, and I saw the book on display in a bookstore window. The gist of the book is to how to use social networking to tell people about something you’re passionate about.

Although my objective is more about getting the word out about personal transformation than it is about making money, this book really helped me see the benefit of using tools such as blogs to reach a larger audience. It certainly has worked for me. Helping people see the need for transformation, body, mind, and spirit is what this blog is all about. Each of our transformations is going to be a bit different, because each one of us is unique. That’s the way God made us.

We’re all in need of transformation, though, and I hope my efforts have helped you figure out what you need to do to make that happen in your own life. Don’t worry about past failures and false starts. Each sunrise reminds us of the great gift of life. We can start again. It’s a new day!

I’m really looking forward to all the future posts I have floating around in my head. This has been a lot of fun, and it’s only going to get better. I’m very grateful to have you with me on the journey 🙂

On a totally different note, I went to a wedding over the weekend. The groom is someone I’ve had the blessing of watching grow up into a fine young man. He now has a beautiful bride to share his life with, and I’m so happy for them.

In their invitation, they listed all the places they were registered, so that you would know exactly what they wanted. I don’t have a lot of money, and I’m always wondering how I can give newlyweds something of meaning, rather than an inexpensive item that won’t last.

I remembered a charity I had read about recently, charity:water. I went to their website, and I really liked what I saw. A donation of $20 will provide one person with clean drinking water for 20 years. A gift that will keep on giving. They’ll even send an e-card, and the recipients can jump on-line and choose which country their gift will go.

I felt so happy to give them this wedding gift. When you have a similar opportunity, I’d ask you to consider doing the same. Such gifts will help bring about transformations in the lives of people we will never meet, and will help them to move from surviving to thriving. How cool is that?

Blogging Inspiration Mind

A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned

Post author By seedthrower1
Post date 07/10/2010
2 Comments on A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned

I had a couple of really good conversations yesterday. The first was with my new financial advisor. It was our second meeting, and now I feel like I’m back on track with planning for retirement.

I know I’m not alone in being afraid of opening those monthly statements that came from my previous stockbroker. The envelopes stacked up, unopened, for about two years. I knew I had aggressive investments, and what was inside those legal-sized envelopes would show I ended up the loser in a bloodbath. Sound familiar?

Inspiration Mind Prayer

Change

Post author By seedthrower1
Post date 07/07/2010
No Comments on Change

Change is never easy. Today, our parish began the process of giving our input as to who our new pastor should be. What are the qualities we’re looking for in our leader? Who do we want that person to be?

For many of us, we struggle with the idea that the man who led us over the last 17 years is leaving. More than a few feel that, if he has to go, we want them to send someone exactly like him. But, in our hearts, we know that this can’t happen. Whoever comes after our pastor and friend has to be his own person. He will come with the strengths and weakness’ that make up who he is. Would we really want him to be someone else? No.

Change is hard, but it’s part of life. Change can bring about experiences that we would never dream possible. Change can lead us to transformation. Think about caterpillars. If change and transformation weren’t a part of their lives, we would never see a beautiful butterfly. If a flower bulb didn’t change, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy beautiful flowers like the lilies above.

Would you really want to go through life as an infant? No, we grow and change and become the person God wants us to be. Change can be scary, but it can also be exciting. It might cause us to stretch and grow in ways we didn’t think we could.

I’m sad that I won’t be working alongside my friend of 16 years. But I look to the future with hope and a sense of excitement for things to come. There’s much work to be done in the vineyard of St. John. Well, not just here. Everywhere.

What changes are taking place in your life? Is what’s happening scary or exciting to you? A little of both? It’s ok. Go with it.

Maybe there needs to be some changes in your life, but you’ve been afraid to make them. Think them through, talk them over with a friend, pray about them. But don’t let fear hold you back from doing what you need to. Be at peace. Everything is in His hands.

Inspiration Mind Spirit

Nothing But Encouragement

When I hit the publish tab on my blog yesterday, I hesitated for a second. Earlier, as I typed out what I wanted to say, I realized that it was pretty hard-hitting, and that maybe some people might take it the wrong way. But I did hit the tab, and away it went into cyberspace.

As it has turned out, I’ve gotten good feedback. People have said that it’s what they needed to hear. Thanks to everyone who made that comment 🙂

I know that many people are more than a little overwhelmed right now. It seems like every time we turn around, things are getting worse. But, that doesn’t mean that we can’t begin to do something about our own lives, and that was the point of my blog yesterday. It would be nice if we could hit a reverse button and go back to better times, but that wouldn’t be reality.

I’ve got nothing but encouragement for you! This is our chance to take care of things that we need to deal with, so that we can be better, stronger, healthier. Do you want to survive, or do you want to thrive? I’m getting pretty tired of just surviving, and I have this deep sense that we’re being given an opportunity to thrive. It may not come tomorrow, or next week, or next month. But we all have the capacity deep within us to thrive. Not just in some things. But everything. Are you ready for it? What can you do to make it a reality? How can we encourage those who can’t see past their present circumstances and feel overwhelmed?

Here’s one of my favorite Scripture passages for you to reflect on.

For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the Lord, and I will change your lot. (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

Body Inspiration Mind Prayer Spirit

Do Something About It

I’ve got a challenge for you. I want you to think about some important issue you need to work on but have been avoiding or not really trying hard enough on it. I’m guessing something has already come to mind. It’s possible that you could create a whole list of issues, or maybe it’s just one or two.

Now I want you to ask yourself, “what’s holding me back from dealing with it/them?” Most of the time, what’s holding you back is, well, YOU. There’s a whole lot of people that carry around a self-defeating attitude. We’re our own worst enemy. That has to stop.

Today, I want to challenge you to start doing something about these issues, so that you can get moving on with your life. It’s going to be hard, and it might take a long time. But we need to do something about it, starting today.

If the issue is your health and you haven’t seen the doctor lately, make an appointment. When was the last time you got your blood checked? I know sometimes those visits/tests can be kind of scary, but I think I’m more scared of not knowing.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve learned that I have to be my own health care advocate. I need to be informed, and I need to take care of myself. If you are overweight and continue to eat at fast food restaurants, you need to stop. There is an unbelievable amount of data out there that shows the harmful effects of our poor eating habits. But no one is forcing you to eat that food. Stop. What health issue can you start working on today?

If the issue is your finances, get control of them. Do you have a budget? Do you have any idea where all the money is going? I know this is an area that I’m personally working on right now. I met with a financial planner last week, and have begun, after a very long hiatus, to start putting money aside for retirement. I just can’t wait anymore to do this. I can’t go backwards and try to make up for what I haven’t done. I can only go forward and become disciplined with my money. What are some things you can do to watch what you are spending?

If the issue involves a relationship, what can you do today to begin to improve it? Last week, I was talking to a group of teenagers about something called the “cube of love.” Basically, the cube has different sayings on each side related to love. Not just an ordinary kind of love, but the kind of love that marks us as a Christian. A person throws the cube, and whatever is written on the top of the cube when it lands is the challenge that day for the person. My favorite one is “be the first to forgive.” What a great thing to be doing. You don’t need to have your own cube of love to start being the first to forgive.

Maybe the issue with with your employment. You’re just not happy with what you’re doing. At this point, I think anyone with a job paying a decent wage should be grateful to have it. But that doesn’t mean we should be trapped. Are you trying to do your job better? How can you improve your skills, or learn something new that might be of benefit to your present employer, or a future one?

These are only a few issues that many of us are avoiding, and maybe you can’t relate to any of them. But I know that all of us has something we are not fully dealing with. No matter what the issue, it’s time to start working on it.

My point in all this is that we have to start taking responsibility for ourselves. We can’t wait for someone else to make it all better. With God’s help, He will make something new of us. That’s His promise. More than likely, though, He’s asking us to do our part too.

I hope that you will open to taking a look at those things you’ve been avoiding, and make a commitment to begin the process of working on them. We can’t just sit around waiting for something to happen. If we wait too long, I think we’ll have too many regrets to count.

Start believing in yourself! Have confidence in the Scripture passage found in the Prophet Isaiah (43:19) from where the theme of this blog comes from, “See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers.”

Inspiration Mind

The Spirit of ’76

There seems to be a lot of discussion in certain circles that the majority of Americans are pretty clueless about our country’s founders, who they were, what they stood for, and what they were opposed to. We couldn’t explain the difference between Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Who knows what’s in the Bill of Rights?

I think that it wasn’t that long ago that people would have had a much better understanding about our form of government than we do today. Maybe we have just gotten too busy, or a bit too comfortable with a feeling that our country’s problems are so huge it’s impossible to come together and try to resolve them.

One of the things that our Founders wanted to see happen was that our country’s citizens be educated, especially in the workings of the government. Thomas Jefferson wrote “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” (The Writings of Thomas Jefferson. Edited by Paul Ford, vol. 10, pg. 4)

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve totally lost touch with the foundations of our country. I think it’s safe to say that many in our government today might also benefit from a better understanding of just what we were supposed to be about when this country was founded.

I’m going to spend some time this weekend learning a bit more about the events that led up to our nation’s founding. I want to know why these courageous folks did what they did, said what they said, and thought what they thought. Somehow, I think they would have that expectation of all of us.

Inspiration Mind Spirit

Holes in the Fence

Well, I’m back from my retreat. It was a good one, and I’ll be sharing some of the experiences with you over the next couple of weeks. I came across this little story while I was away, and I thought I’d share it with you. I hope it has as much meaning for you as it did me.

There was once a boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

On the first day the boy drove 39 nails into the fence. Over the next several weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails he hammered daily gradually diminished.

He discovered that it was easier to hold his temper than to drive nails into the fence. Finally, a day came when he didn’t need the hammer and nails at all. Proudly, he went to tell his father. This time the father suggested that each day he kept his temper, the boy should pull out a nail from the fence.

The days passed, until eventually the boy was able to tell his father that the last nails were gone. The father took the boy by the hand and led him to the fence. “You have done well- but look at all the holes in the fence! It will never be the same again. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out, but it won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.”

Inspiration Mind Spirit

Not quite time

I was craving some real food today, so I went to the grocery store after Mass. The produce department was just beyond the front doors, and I immediately came upon a big display of one of my favorite fruits, the white peach. I had never even heard of this type of tasty fruit until I saw one of the funniest Seinfeld episodes of all time, where Kramer was going crazy for “mackinaw” peaches from Oregon.

According to Kramer, these were simply the world’s best peaches, and were only available for two weeks a year. Like most people who like peaches, it got me thinking about heading out to get some myself. Except, in usual Seinfeld fashion, there’s no such thing as a “mackinaw” peach. They made it up. But white peaches are fantastic, and I’ve loved them ever since tasting my first several years back.

Where is this all going, you ask? Well, the peaches I got today were pretty lousy. I bought a whole pound of them, thinking that I’d have one or two for dessert each day while I’m on retreat. The thing is, it’s still too early around here for peaches, and I knew it. We’re several weeks away from great local peaches, and I should have waited.

In our world today, we can get just about anything, any time we want. But some things are worth waiting for, so that you can savor them all the more when the proper time finally comes. I used to think it was just little kids that wanted everything NOW. Today, I guess it’s safe to say that we’re partly in the mess we’re in because most everyone took on a kind of NOW mentality. It’s going to take us years to undo the damage.

Lately, I’ve been trying to take a slower approach to things, finally realizing that there’s a time for everything. I messed up today with the peaches, so I haven’t quite learned my lesson. Old habits die hard.

When the right time for white peaches finally comes, you can bet I’ll be buying another pound or two . They are worth waiting for.

Blogging Body Inspiration Mind Spirit Vegetarian

Sacred Feasts

(Assisi, 2007)

In his cookbook, Sacred Feasts, Brother Victor-Antione D’Avila-Latourrette (what a name for a monk) wrote that he hoped his readers would discover an affinity for the monastic (vegetarian) approach to cooking. Brother Victor (much better ;)) wrote ,

this style of cooking is characterized by simplicity, tastefulness and resilient frugality. It’s also imbued with the innumerable joys and ways of praising God daily through the practice of food spirituality in the humble sanctuary of the kitchen. (pg. vii)

When I first purchased this great cookbook, I didn’t know that for centuries, monks ate an almost exclusively vegetarian diet. As I read through the recipe commentaries, I began to understand not only the rhythm of monastery life, but also how simply the monks ate. Brother Victor presented the monk’s favorite recipes with the hope that everyday cooks would recreate and experiment with the dishes, which he called authentic food for the body and soul.

Being an everyday cook, I did just that, and through trying the recipes, I became hooked on vegetarian food. I loved the line about authentic food for the body and soul. Yes, that’s what I think we need to do. Link our physical and spiritual nourishment together to improve our overall health.

If we eat only junk food, which we know is not the best for us, do we also not pay much attention to what we consume for our spiritual growth? It’s a pretty good question to ask yourself. When I look back to the time that I was eating very poorly, I can now see that I wasn’t taking care of myself spiritually either. Today, I’ve got both in sync, along with positive mental growth, and I’m in the best overall shape I’ve ever been.

All this got me thinking, and I decided to begin inviting friends over to my house for simple vegetarian meals. I wanted the food to be really good and easy to prepare. I had my first sacred feast a few months ago, and all of the recipes can be viewed in the recipes section on the right. Everyone loved the food, and it was a great experience for me.

My goal now is to start having these dinners every month. I’m encouraging you to try some of the recipes, and then host your own sacred feast. So many people are looking to get healthy, not only physically but also spiritually. I think hosting a sacred feast is a really cool way to help those we love to take care of themselves a bit better.

In the next week, look for a Sacred Feasts tab to the right. I’m going to get some menu ideas posted, along with some new recipes for you to try out (I have to test them first!).

Thanks to everyone who continues to follow this blog. It has taken a life of its own on, and I’m still learning. For those who have subscribed and get the blog through email, I have a tip for you.

When you open the email, click on the title of the blog entry (using today’s for example, Sacred Feasts). This will take you from the email to my actual blog, Making All Things New. You’ll be able to see everything the way I’m intending it to be viewed, which I think will make it a more meaningful experience for you.