Sacred Journey by Frederick Buechner

Last week I posted about Frederick Buechner and said I wanted to read a couple of his books. I found one on my own library shelf, here at home, that I had not read. It took me two days to complete the short work of Sacred Journey and it is a pleasure to talk a bit about it.

Sacred Journey is a book woven and turned out with a message of hope that transcends each of us. It is Buechner's story and it is a powerful one. The Sacred Journey is a narrative of Frederick Buechner’s first twenty-seven years of life, interspersed with the insights he gained from remembering and telling the story.
The book begins with an introduction and then is divided into three parts: “Once Below a Time,” which describes his life until he was ten, up to the day his father killed himself; “Once upon a Time,” the account of his years from ten to seventeen, when he was graduated from preparatory school; and “Beyond Time,” which tells of the next ten years.Sacred Journey is the kind of book that is hard to put down once you start reading it. It is an honest and revealing book, and leads you to reflect on your own life in this mixed up world. It reveals the goodness of our own sacred journey and how we live our lives through. I highly recommend reading it.

For the next few weeks I am going to be taking a break from blogging. I am taking classes that require quite a bit of reading and several assignments to complete. I will be back at the end of March! Until then....take care!!

These days

These days you will find us giving time to two little girls.
One blue eyed Granddaughter and .........one brown eyed Grandniece. We think they are pretty terrific! It's really nice to have the time to give them and it's time we celebrate by reading books, tea parties, playing with puzzles, making forts, playing hide and seek, coloring, and generally messing up the house kinds of things. There is lots of laughter and squealing when they are here! We don't take them for granted and we appreciate being apart of their lives!

Frederick Buechner says, "Listen to Your Life."

Frederick Buechner has a way with words and saying just the right thing to bring life into focus. He is a theologian and a person worth reading. He is a favorite author of my pastor, so we hear quite a bit about this remarkable man and his writing. My good intention is to read at least two of Buechner's books this year. I'll be reporting on them and possibly peak your interest. I must decide which two books to read. There are many to choose from.

Listen to Your Life

"Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and the pain of it no less than the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace." — Now and Then

by Frederick Buechner

Click on F.B. to read his life story.

Hopes and Goals 2009

As I sat down to write my hopes and goals, the list grew far too long and bothersome! So...this is how I leave it: I will have tea at dawn, talk a little and laugh a lot! I will spend more time being and less time stressing over what I haven't gotten done. I'll watch the sun come up and moon go down. I'll stroll through the woods more, smell the fragrance of moss, pick wild strawberries and eat more Popsicles! I'll enjoy our new dog, two old cats, four middle aged goats and fifty scattered chickens. I'll listen to fine music, look at beautiful art and read to the children. I will notice God in each day and invite you to join with me!

It will be a joyful New Year....one way or another!

Amaryllis in the sun.....

During the holiday season I like to grow Amaryllis. We all see them in boxes at the grocery store. They are so simple to grow and provide weeks of enjoyment watching them protrude from a scant of earth until one day...tadaaaaa....there is a beautiful flower! Below is the Amaryllis from last year. It grew so tall it fell over and the flower broke off! I quickly put it in a vase and had several days to enjoy it. I use this flower as my personal posting icon.

This years Amaryllis has grown very tall and is just beginning to unfold it's petals. I have it staked up and leaning next to a strong candle holder.

Each stem produces three blooms and this year there are two stems.

It takes several days to unfold and when it does...the sun will come out!! (I'm dreaming!)
Today I've been working on my "goals and plans" that Willow asked for. It has been quite a thought provoking exercise. There is no time to waste! They will be posted when the sun comes out tomorrow!

More snow!

At 3 this morning there was another weather issue going on outside! It was worth getting up to step out onto the porch, take it in and catch a picture! Burrrrrr, it was cold! The early morning gift of illuminated snow is the beginning of a year full of days to appreciate whatever is beyond the front door!

Happy New Year!