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SHELTER FOR THE SPIRIT


Today I met with my Friday women's group to discuss world events.  The topic for today was Global Crime.  You know, drug trade, cyber crime, human exploitation and the list goes on.

On leaving the meeting - I was left with the thought:  we as individuals can do so very little to fight the huge criminal element in our world.  What can we do by ourselves to give ourselves piece of mind.

I immediately came home and pulled out my dog-eared copy of the above book.
The first sentence reads, and I quote: 
"We live in a time when the ordinary life is more elusive than the extraordinary  Some days I'm overcome by feelings of nostalgia for the days when people seemed deeply and satisfyingly engaged in their ordinary activities."

In blogland where we see such beautiful pictures of everything, we are often envious of that persons home or that persons stuff and the pretty pictures they share with us.
She is so clever in her posts, and I'm not.  She is so talented, and I'm not.
After thinking about this for a minute, this is what I came up with.  Your home IS the shelter for your spirit.  It is the spot that makes you -- you, and special.




Whether you are a gardener,



an artist





tremendously spiritual, or not; 
Make a spot for yourself that is yours alone to unwind and contemplate, where you can simply sit AND DO NOTHING.  I know this is hard for most of us.







But, I do believe, that it will bring you back to the core of who you really are.
I believe it will get us out of wishing we had what she has or my blog is not as clever as hers.  Or feeling so out of control in this world of uncertainty.

Find your special spot and just disappear.
It will make you feel safe and calm when you need it most.







Let's all make it our goal to have more calm and reflective days rather than less.



Have a beautiful week-end blogging friends.
 
Photos courtesy of "A Room of Her Own"
by Chris Casson Madden
 

Comments

  1. Bonjour Josette,
    Wonderful and timely post, I do love my home most of all because the one I love is there, but I wish to make it an even happier place starting now!
    Bon weekend my wise friend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wise words for everyone...and we all need them. I'm quite the homebody myself so I need to love where I am! And even though times aren't the best, I know they could (have) been worse. So yes, I'm where I should be...I believe you are also. And I love your blog (O:

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Jo, a very beautiful post... my home is my haven, where I can be "just me"... I try to be "just me" on my blog as well... sometimes I get rather silly, but laughter is good for the soul... have a beautiful weekend! xoxo Julie Marie

    ReplyDelete
  4. I loved reading your post this evening. I would rather spend time in my home than anywhere else. I strive to make our surroundings comfortable, loving and beautiful without be pretentious. I want my family to feel loved and happy in their surroundings and if I can make it that way for them, then I'm happy.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey SIL,
    We have talked about this a lot....I am really trying to do this. I have a hard time not comparing myself to ...well just about everybody and everything. But I am going to try really hard to stop. It hurts my soul....thank you Jo...Love you! Sandy

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jo,

    It takes a long time to finally accept you for you and not for the you that you think you ought to be. Does that make sense?
    Beautiful post!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely and oh so true! That book looks like a great read. I've been relaxing in blog world for about 2 hours now so think it is about time to do a little cleaning and crafting. Wishing you a most wonderful weekend. Blessings, Tammy

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you for an excellent and Wise post!

    Oh yes, we need to make our own special spot. Joseph Campbell called it, 'Our Sacred Space.' Not like a church, but like a place where we can go into ourselves, as you said. And be at peace, for periods of time, whether long or short. A place which feels like it IS ours.

    Plus, I hope we won't let ourselves be in any way envious of other blogs in "Pretty Blog Land." There are always other blogs, which strike us as being *more-in-some-way" than ours. But with luck, we will come to see that each is unique. Each blog is best for each person. No blogger needs to envy any other blogger. Etc.

    But we can pick up tips/ideas along the way! I'm all for doing that. :-)

    I must look for that book...

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have passed on an award to you from my genealogy site.
    http://wwwstoriesofmyancestors.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello, great post! Lovely blog too :-)
    I love your mannequin Minnette!
    Nice to meet you - I'll be back.
    Cheers, Karen

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a beautiful philosophy and strategy for dealing with the world's pressures.
    I am so glad I found your blog.
    I am grateful to say that your message is my message.

    Thank you,
    Laura

    ReplyDelete

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