I've been doing more reading in my Chosen to Remember book, have I mentioned this book is amazing? Anyways, today's reading was talking about the walls we build around ourselves in order to protect ourself.
I am a proficient wall builder, I learned at a very young age how to build very good walls. At times my walls have been nearly impenetrable. At one point I had brought my walls down significantly, but unless I purposely and mindfully keep them down, I tend to rebuild them over time.
Anyhow, the author was writing that we build walls to defend ourselves, but in reality, we are building walls because we fear that we are not really worth defending, that we are worthless. We build the walls to keep people from seeing who we really are. This is totally unnecessary though, because the person that is hidden behind those walls, the part of us that we are hiding behind all of the fear, judgement, and other things of the world, that person is God's perfect creation. We are God's perfect creation. I am God's perfect creation.
This leaves us with a choice. We can accept ourselves as God's perfect creations and live our lives truly KNOWING we are God's perfect creations. If we see ourselves as God's perfect creations, we will also be able to see the perfection of God's creations in others, and be able to view them with the pure love of God. This path will bring us the peace that only comes from a close relationship with God. On the other hand, we can continue to see ourselves through the illusions of the world and the walls that we have built around ourselves, illusions built by judgement, fear, and seperation. If we choose this road, we will find ourselves viewing others with judgement and/or fear, and will find that road leads to a lack of peace as judgement and strife pull us away from God.
There was so much more, but I just really needed to share this.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Commonplace Book - Problem Solved
I think I've finally figured out how I want to do my commonplace book. I was having a hard time deciding because I really wanted a 3 ring binder type, but I want something that is easily written in and not as bulky as a 3 ring binder. I found some binders I liked the style of, but didn't like the designs they had, so I am going to make my own. They basically are 3 ring binders where the rings are not connected to one another, similar to how people bind 3x5 cards. So, I'm going to get some chipboard, cover it in some pretty papers, make some pretty dividers, and then have it professionally whole punched with 3 holes that are just right for 8 1/2 X 11 paper. I haven't decided what type of paper I'll use on the inside. I'd love to have some high quality paper, but I don't know if I can find some that is lined and that size. So we'll see how that part goes.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
HOPE Class - Commonplace Books
Today I had my first H.O.P.E. class. It was actually the second class, but I was very sick the first one (in fact that night was the night I was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia).
The class was about commonplace books. Honestly, before I saw the class title, I'd never even heard of a commonplace book. It's pretty simple though, a commonplace book is a place to record information, quotes, etc and your thoughts about them. By nature each person's commonplace book is going to be organized a little differently, based on what works well for them.
I am determined to start one, but how I will organize it I am less sure of. I am drawn to the appeal of a bound book, as I find books with binding easier to carry and easier to write in than binders. However, I know that I would have constant issue with the disorganization that will inevitably come from having different subjects mixed together. I'd love to have a pretty little journal type book, but I can't stand lined journal paper, and my writing is hard enough to read (even for me) with lines, let alone without them. So, I just don't know. I'm seriously considering just sticking with writing in my spiral notebooks, they are easily portable and I have lots, and then having the rings and the holes from the binding cut off just leaving the binder holes. I could then organize those pages into a binder. The problem there is that I will probably never organize those pages into the binder. There were suggestions to use different colored inks for different topics, but that would not work well for me, I'd always be using the wrong color, often subjects fit more than one category for me (another problem with the binder system), and I'd probably be losing my pens every day. I could do a bound book and keep an index at the back of the book, I think that would work if I could find a book I liked, I guess I'll have to go see what kinds of books might be available.
The class was about commonplace books. Honestly, before I saw the class title, I'd never even heard of a commonplace book. It's pretty simple though, a commonplace book is a place to record information, quotes, etc and your thoughts about them. By nature each person's commonplace book is going to be organized a little differently, based on what works well for them.
I am determined to start one, but how I will organize it I am less sure of. I am drawn to the appeal of a bound book, as I find books with binding easier to carry and easier to write in than binders. However, I know that I would have constant issue with the disorganization that will inevitably come from having different subjects mixed together. I'd love to have a pretty little journal type book, but I can't stand lined journal paper, and my writing is hard enough to read (even for me) with lines, let alone without them. So, I just don't know. I'm seriously considering just sticking with writing in my spiral notebooks, they are easily portable and I have lots, and then having the rings and the holes from the binding cut off just leaving the binder holes. I could then organize those pages into a binder. The problem there is that I will probably never organize those pages into the binder. There were suggestions to use different colored inks for different topics, but that would not work well for me, I'd always be using the wrong color, often subjects fit more than one category for me (another problem with the binder system), and I'd probably be losing my pens every day. I could do a bound book and keep an index at the back of the book, I think that would work if I could find a book I liked, I guess I'll have to go see what kinds of books might be available.
New Learning Project
The time has come to embark on a new learning experience. It's actually been longer than usual since God last sent me on a learning path, but it's time. I've been feeling the urge to begin something for a little while, but wasn't sure what would come of it. I've had some idea of the things I've been wanting to learn about, but wasn't sure which direction it would go in, and was having trouble finding books or anything to help me learn about it.
The other night, I was talking to a friend online, and suddenly had to search for a book. I found it almost immediately. I am now reading the book You Have Chosen to Remember. I'm not very far into it, just a few sections of the first chapter, but it is awesome. It's going to be a slow read because there is so much to think about. Primarily the book is about changing our thoughts and core beliefs in order to approach the world with a more positive, loving, and accepting attitude, so that we can experience our trueselves. (This is a terrible summary, but you get the idea).
A day or two before I found the book, Tracy, who is running the classes I'm taking right now, sent over a bunch of questions to help us examing and challenge our core beliefs also. So, it looks like I have a project for the next little while. I don't think it'll be fun, but I do believe it has the potential to be incredibly life changing.
My project: Examine and revise my core beliefs, and learn to approach the world in a more positive, open, accepting way, and in doing so learn more about who I truly am, my true, spiritual self.
The other night, I was talking to a friend online, and suddenly had to search for a book. I found it almost immediately. I am now reading the book You Have Chosen to Remember. I'm not very far into it, just a few sections of the first chapter, but it is awesome. It's going to be a slow read because there is so much to think about. Primarily the book is about changing our thoughts and core beliefs in order to approach the world with a more positive, loving, and accepting attitude, so that we can experience our trueselves. (This is a terrible summary, but you get the idea).
A day or two before I found the book, Tracy, who is running the classes I'm taking right now, sent over a bunch of questions to help us examing and challenge our core beliefs also. So, it looks like I have a project for the next little while. I don't think it'll be fun, but I do believe it has the potential to be incredibly life changing.
My project: Examine and revise my core beliefs, and learn to approach the world in a more positive, open, accepting way, and in doing so learn more about who I truly am, my true, spiritual self.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Continuing
To continue with Nick's first lost tooth, it had been loose all of Christmas. We were driving back from California and he suddenly started crying that his tooth was hurting. It was so loose that it was pinching his gum. We pulled over at the first place we could stop, which ended up being a Dairy Queen, so Erik went in and got him an ice cream (we figured it would help numb it if he was in pain after it came out), and put Nick up in the front seat with me. Nick opened his mouth, let me pull the tooth which took almost no pressure to pull, and didn't even cry. He made a little noise of surprise when it came out and then started laughing (he'd been expecting pain and was relieved). Then he got his ice cream and we got back on the road. The tooth fairy visited and left him $2.
When we got back from Christmas, Nick had the sniffles, Erik and I were sick soon after. They guys got better, but I got pneumonia. I was admitted to the hospital on January 23 with an oxygen level of 86. It took a week for me to get out, and then I came home on oxygen. It was a very difficult few weeks for our family, and even now, almost a full month since I've been out, I still don't feel like I've gotten our lives back to normal, but it was really a learning experience. I'll write more about that later probably.
After an extended Christmas break due to all of the illnesses, we finally got back to homeschooling on the 8th.
Nick lost his second tooth this past week, on Friday, February 19. It had been getting loose for a long time and finally was easy to pull on Friday. Somehow despite talking about it all night, we forgot to help the tooth fairy visit him during the night. Fortunately she showed up later in the morning, she left Nick a note, apparently she got caught in traffic.
That about catches us up on the day to day type stuff. This year didn't start out well, but we're all alive and well, and both of the businesses are going well, so I think we weathered through it all okay.
When we got back from Christmas, Nick had the sniffles, Erik and I were sick soon after. They guys got better, but I got pneumonia. I was admitted to the hospital on January 23 with an oxygen level of 86. It took a week for me to get out, and then I came home on oxygen. It was a very difficult few weeks for our family, and even now, almost a full month since I've been out, I still don't feel like I've gotten our lives back to normal, but it was really a learning experience. I'll write more about that later probably.
After an extended Christmas break due to all of the illnesses, we finally got back to homeschooling on the 8th.
Nick lost his second tooth this past week, on Friday, February 19. It had been getting loose for a long time and finally was easy to pull on Friday. Somehow despite talking about it all night, we forgot to help the tooth fairy visit him during the night. Fortunately she showed up later in the morning, she left Nick a note, apparently she got caught in traffic.
That about catches us up on the day to day type stuff. This year didn't start out well, but we're all alive and well, and both of the businesses are going well, so I think we weathered through it all okay.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Hi again!
Wow, I can't believe it has been so very long since I posted. I never have been good at keeping up with journals, blogs, or anything else of the like. So much has happened since I last wrote.
Christmas was wonderful, time spend with family a treasure, and this year it was very hard for me to return without them.
Nick lost his first tooth on our way back from California after Christmas. January 3rd, 2010.
Gotta go, it's 12:45 in the morning and Nick is awake, will continue this post tomorrow.
Christmas was wonderful, time spend with family a treasure, and this year it was very hard for me to return without them.
Nick lost his first tooth on our way back from California after Christmas. January 3rd, 2010.
Gotta go, it's 12:45 in the morning and Nick is awake, will continue this post tomorrow.
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