My sins and the systems of my life, which I control, which facilitate sin. Hard to demand an improvement of the world, of others, when I have yet to remove that rod in my own eye.

Not projecting my stress unto others and knowing that I can set a better example by being tender than tense.

My conscience and my impetuous nature often conspire together to rouse or awaken me to service.

To do and to be of abundance. Believe and act with the perspective of abundance. Where else can the Spirit come from except from abundance? Living whoelheartedly is living abundantly in thought word and action.

Not as many folks as I ought, and while it may come off as perfunctory or proforma, certainly I’ve expressed love to my children and wife.

I’m not sure impetuousness is a feeling but certainly the “disapproval,” “certitude,” “stubborn,” and “anger” that barge through the door which impetuousness opens need some honest exploration.

I have feeling of “contentment,” “simplicity,” and “joy” too. While they’re of equal value in an exploration, the priority is probably on these feelings that are most fraught with peril.

Opinions are important, as I think they can point out our thinking (it’s illumination and its unlit spaces). But feelings and ideas are more important than opinions and I do not think opinions are essential but they sure seem natural.

I am surprised at how the good and the not-good (bad) co-mingle in my heart and how stress lays down the welcome mat to each; how each is invited to participate any every decision. Surprised at how much not-good I posses, I don’t wish to minimize the propensity for poor decision making but I’m also surprised at how accessible the good is, even when cajoled by stress.

Let the fallow ground lay fallow. Being fruitful, as we are called, does not mean over burdening every inch of soil every hour of every day. I will know my boundaries today and tend to the fields that need watering, the hectors that need sowing, and I’ll rest as needed in the fallow fields.

I knew to look out my (home) office window to see the sun shine upon the beginning buds of the magnolia tree. That beauty captured my attention. But the beauty I offer is to allow, even welcome interruptions with grace: a smile, not a sigh; a surrender, not a fight; openness, curiosity, and full attention in the moment rather than ‘no,’, frustration, or a mind wandering for the interruption to end so I can go back to what ‘I’ wanted to do.

I haven’t needed anxiety or worry for some time but I still grasp at them rather tightly. I do not need anger or impatience. I do not need to set the bar so high for myself that I guarantee my own disappointment. And I do not need to spend my time feeding my glutinous eyes on news-feeds and other platforms just to read peoples hot takes or indulge in judgement.

It’s wonderful to realize and practice the reality that gratefulness is not a corollary or dependent variable to the things of life that take up most of our times and worries. Gratitude like love can remain, while bank account balances rise and fall, while some relationships flourish or flounder; while emotions ebb-and-flow, I can still be grateful for where there is life (even suffering life) gratefulness exists, not in amounts, it just simply exists.

1.) Doing it right
2.) Being where I ought to be
3.) Love

Bay-St-Louis Bridge in October of 2018, that was a beautiful morning walk and sunrise. Peacefully is not the most optimal word or description, but it’s a nice place-holder as a better descriptor fails me at the moment.

I confess my eyes have been clouded by scarcity, fear, anxiety, and frustration. I do not readily see expressions of generosity, though I trust that in spite of sub-optimal vision, acts and expressions of generosity are going on around me. I may be negative, but there’s enough hope that I’m not a cynic yet.

I was in Holland for a day for a prayer and pot-luck with Mercy Associates at St. Francis de Sales. I didn’t get to see much of the town but it seemed wonderful.