"Time to dust again.
Time to caress my house,
to stroke all its surfaces.
I want to think of it as a kind of lovemaking
...the chance to appreciate by touch
what I live with and cherish."
Sarah talked about Taoism,
and the book written by Lao-Tzu called Tao Te Ching,
which teaches its followers
"the art of living".
and the book written by Lao-Tzu called Tao Te Ching,
which teaches its followers
"the art of living".
They believe that living "is a spiritual path;
it must be intimately experienced
instead of intellectually comprehended
if insights are to be discovered."
it must be intimately experienced
instead of intellectually comprehended
if insights are to be discovered."
Start Quote
'Tao is eternal without doing,
and yet nothing remains undone'...
If our souls are so preoccupied with undoing,
how does anything ever get done?
Inexplicably,
it gets done by pausing.
By reflecting on the way
in which our life proceeds day in, day out.
What works, what doesn't.
As we pause to reflect before doing,
we come to an awareness of how the nature of all things
-even the minutiae of the domestic sphere-
contributes to the harmony of the Whole.
One of Lao-Tzu's illuminating lessons is that
'naming is the origin of all particular things'...
Drudgery can be transformed,
through a willing and open heart,
into labors of love.
Begin with the words that describe,
or name,
your creative efforts.
Let 'chores' become 'tasks'.
Stop calling your daily round 'housework'
and begin calling it 'home caring'...
After all, CARING
-for yourself, your loved ones, your pets, and your home-
is truly what you are doing when you dust,
change the kitty litter,
sort the laundry,
drive the car pool,
prepare the meals,
and work in the garden...
Lao-Tzu urged seekers to 'regard the small as important'
and 'to make much of the little'.
Today, try to glimpse everything you do in your home,
no matter how insignificant it may seem,
as part of your authentic path to Wholeness
and it shall become so.
End Quote
After writing about A House of Order, the next day was completely different. I started to do my daily round, and had to stop to think of other things that I could do, because all of a sudden I was finishing things that had been left undone for a week and seeing my house come into order...
And it was amazing.
Keeping today in mind,
I can't wait to see how doing my home care changes tomorrow.
I really LOVE this story, Pondering Isn't Preposterous, and I loved realizing that pondering isn't just for scriptures, it's for all the little things in our lives too.
"Vision without effort is daydreaming;
effort without vision is drudgery;
but vision, coupled with effort,
will obtain the prize."
-Thomas S. Monson
***
Gratitude Journal
***
change the kitty litter,
sort the laundry,
drive the car pool,
prepare the meals,
and work in the garden...
Lao-Tzu urged seekers to 'regard the small as important'
and 'to make much of the little'.
Today, try to glimpse everything you do in your home,
no matter how insignificant it may seem,
as part of your authentic path to Wholeness
and it shall become so.
End Quote
After writing about A House of Order, the next day was completely different. I started to do my daily round, and had to stop to think of other things that I could do, because all of a sudden I was finishing things that had been left undone for a week and seeing my house come into order...
And it was amazing.
Keeping today in mind,
I can't wait to see how doing my home care changes tomorrow.
I really LOVE this story, Pondering Isn't Preposterous, and I loved realizing that pondering isn't just for scriptures, it's for all the little things in our lives too.
"Vision without effort is daydreaming;
effort without vision is drudgery;
but vision, coupled with effort,
will obtain the prize."
-Thomas S. Monson
***
Gratitude Journal
***
1) Working out. I love the workout class I go to, there are some really great ladies there. And I love my kids.
Whenever I can, I use Riley as my weight.
I have a 2 lb weight for her, but she is not satisfied with it.
2) Funny mom brain moments that lead to something special. I thought something was today, but it wasn't. So I called a friend that I have been wanting to see for ages, and of course she says to come over. We talk and laugh, our kids play in the dirt and sun, and we chop vegetables and clean...it's like we were never separated. It was a lovely afternoon. She told me all these stories of things that have been happening in her life, and it was so great to hear and see how God has blessed her and her family for keeping the commandments and being good people.
3) Coincidence. My friend asked a question about my calendar, so I got out my phone, and someone was calling me at that exact same moment, which I would not have heard because my phone was on silent. I answered it, and it turns out it was the President of Chasing Shelby and she needed my signature on some paperwork. Perfect timing, the kids were ready for a nap and I was about ready to leave my friend's house. So the kids napped in the car as we drove out to Riverpark and back home. Funny how some things just fall into place.
4) Sleeping babies.
That's drool, and crumbs from a cookie. Do you see that drool?!
And the sun kissed skin.
5) Dollar store toys.
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