Change of address

I have moved to Word Press. Come see what I'm up to!

"Life Change in Progress"

To coin a phrase we used at VBS this summer "Life Change in Progress" occurring here.


I am tired. I am weary. I can't focus at work worth a donut. And I do love a good donut, with a coffee regular : )


However, I am beginning to appreciate life in a whole new dimension. In the lists of things that I'm learning as I lean in towards a mile marking birthday is - an appreciation for life, daily living.


Also that a donut is good, but more worth the calories and work out if it goes with a coffee regular. I'm just sayn'.

Mrs. Mr.?

I have been living under a rock. How did I miss this?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25519830/?GT1=43001#storyContinued

Trust enables hope

I found out today that a colleague's husband has bladder cancer. I learned a little about immunotherapy treatments.

I heard it would be good if the source of Jeff's were bladder cancer. Was warned that doing more research can be very overwhelming. There appears to be a fine line between enough info to make you feel you're doing the best you can for decisions and so much information that you question so much, almost to the point of decision paralysis.

My head spins from all the things there are out there about cancer and that there are so many different cancers and what we don't yet know. HUgeMONGOUS!

Speaking to this sense of being overwhelmed, I asked one of my other colleagues, how do we know when we're trusting God? What does it look like? I imagine it feels better than I feel most of the time now. I thought I understood, but apparently not with something like this i.e., I don't really trust Him.

This disturbs me greatly as I counsel people to do this all the time, but the more I try in this situation, the more confused I am. I do know that trusting God doesn't mean it comes out the way you'd like. I know that it's not true that if I really trusted in God He'd make it all go away, that my level of trust affects the outcome.

She said we take each day as it comes, we move through it and do the best we can to focus on the events and work of that day. And soon we find that one day leads to the end of a week and a week and so on. The rest is up to Him.

So my trusting affects my ability to get through the day, to focus and do the work of that day.

In short, trust enables hope.

Benedict XVI says "The one who has hope, lives differently."

Personal Insight of the Day

When you lie down with dogs, you get fleas. When you work with people, you get drama. I'm just sayn'.

What didn't fit in my gill report - report

Worked on the blog for Jeff for quite some time today. Got overwhelmed thinking of where to post what to whom. I think I'm too extended with programs - facebook, blogger, twitter, flikr, picasa...Where to put everything? I'm beginning to think less is more.

While i work out this ADD dilema - here are some of the picts from the week that Babs visited and other.

Stalemate averted.

O.K. This cancer thing really stinks and it's easy to forget that God has this whole thing. But He reminds me, us in such subtle ways which if we're looking for them give us so much joy. Here it is for today.

Talking with my mother-in-law, a nurse, this morning only made me more fearful, at first. Then miraculously and I do mean miraculously, she broached the religious aspect of this situation and the situation with Brian's renal cell experience. I prayed that the Holy Spirit come upon our time together shortly into our medical conversation as I got overwhelmed. I kept on asking for His guidance as I saw the tide turn into the uncharted waters of theology. I know I can't convince her of anything, but I know she needs the Lord's love and comfort especially now and I so want that for her.

She's very medical and scientific and wants answers, to understand, to make the world make sense. She consults her multitudinous trusted physician friends, who give her articles, and she gets more confused. But this world can't make sense or rather there is no order in the chaos, unless you see God working in it, not as humans think He should, but as He does. This would be where our conversations usually end up- a stalemate.

I can't relate the conversation not because of privacy reasons, but because I don't remember most of the words, just the look in her eyes and an openness experienced which we've rarely shared before and definitely never on this topic. When I don't remember what we've said, but I know in my being something has happened, that's the Holy Spirit at work, not me.

We had a conversation that I think did something. I won't say she's calling the priest at her best friend's parish to join RCIA, but just maybe she'll feel a little freer to discuss these things from now on at least with God. Something has shifted if even ever so slightly.

I know it was one of the beautiful moments of this event and no matter what happens, it was a graced opportunity. Wow.

Some of the things I've seen since I last posted

Another one bites the dust

Well it really is summer time for the Gillespies. Linda is off for the VBS run and casting the nets deep for catechists and Jeff has no more teams left in the playoffs. Everything for him, high school sports wise is finished for the season. And that's a good thing he could use a little less stress.

Course don't feel to badly for him, as the new season will begin very soon.

Something new I learned today

My husband just informed me of the 6 P's of Vince Lombardi which sounded to me like the type A personalities credo** - "Proper preparation prevents {*} poor performance." Oh and apparently "If properly executed the 'Power Sweep' is unstoppable." -Vince Lombardi

I can't imagine how these didn't get into the list of "Ollie's Rules to Live By".

Call me for number 4.

Of course this has been added to my list of favorite credo's

Happy Valentine's Day! candy hearts

Enjoy and thank you to the Monkey Barn!
Candy Heart Generator

Dogs rule!

Cats drool!

I'm a dog person. Always have been. Those big noses and eyes full of adoration - I mean really!

And this is my favorite time of year - dog show season. Eukanuba Cup events, Westminster Kennel Club, Krupps...fabulous!

That beagle who's getting all the hype is pretty cute. Although I'm always hoping one of the herding or working dogs gets best in show. I know nerd alert. Can't help it. Catch the Sporting, Working and Toy groups tomorrow night.

NIGHT 2: Live Telecast: Tuesday, Feb 12 (8-11 PM Live ET / 8-11 PM PT) on USA Network

P. S. I'm not the only one who's got "puppyitus", we've been talking about a second dog for a while now and with each dog show, Jeff keeps changing his mind, really with each group that comes into view ; ) We could end up with anything from a Norfolk Terrier to a Great Dane - OH my!

I don't change my mind, I want a pack of three more and nothing that drools excessively. I now what a nutty nerd.

P.P.S. Passed all my pre assessment for surgery today. That means they take my blood and my money and after the insurance says so, they let me into the "pain pump" crowd. Good news. We don't have to arrive until 6:00am Thursday morning.

Originally thought it was 5:30am - I know, 6:00a doesn't sound a whole lot better, but for this caffeine deprived night person, it's a lot easier on the psyche. Jeff / Lainie are taking over the writing Thursday morning on, check out the linda report for more info.

"The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."

Trust. What a small word with really big implications : ) I help other people with spiritual direction all the time to deal with this small word, but now the rubber hits the wall of my convictions. "The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."

They've found a mass on my ovary that has to be removed with the ovary. Yikes. Yep a blip on the routine of life radar. Everything is looking "to the good" I hear from my excellent medical team. At first I was rather freaked out because I was being tested for a whole other type of thing, which because I had very very few symptoms I thought would turn out to be nothing. But God is so good, all the time, the tests for one thing revealed another that if it had gone unfound could have had much worse complications in the future.

It took me a few days to process, but I know that God is all over this and He's got it. I just have to do what I'm told and do my best and it'll be fine. I'll have 6 weeks of convalesence to practice that.

Jeff is liking being on the other side of the operating table this time and promises to keep everyone up to date at this blog. He's planning head lines as I type. What a silly man. Pray for him, too, I recall what it feels like on that other side of the table. All his joking aside, it's hard.

I want to tell you thank you in advance for your prayers and keep them coming - I should know more by this Wednesday. I plan to get out information mostly in this format so if you want to give out my blog to other people that would be O.K. too.

"The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."

O.K. this was very engaging.

Do you know your temperament? Using the Keirsey Temperament sorter , you can actually use the data to find your spiritual temperament as well as your personality temperament. These finding have been applied to learning to get along, manage a community, profession etc.

Give it a try then come back here to read the findings based on your type, suggestions for prayer etc... taken from a recent Life Night at SPX.

Generalities regarding the Temperaments

Ignatian Temperament - SJ

• Deep Sense of Obligation


• Givers Over Receivers
• Deeply Committed to Caring for those in Need


• Like Order - Ceremonies, Rituals, Tradition, and History


• Tend to be Pessimists


• Need to See Continuity Between What is Believed Today and What Was Believed.



• Project Themselves Back Into an Event of Scripture and become a Part of it.

- by Fr. James JandaArchdiocese of Salt Lake CityThis icon was commisssioned by the President of Creighton University, John Schlegel, S.J. on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the University in gratitude for the work of the Jesuit Community.

Thomistic Temperament - NT

• Very Logical
  
• Gravitate to things that are complicated and challenging to the mind.


• Want to master and control whatever they do, including their faith life.



• Can tend to be very hard on themselves - very disciplined, very demanding, etc.


• Prefers orderly, neat forms of prayer and spirituality


• Tremendous hunger for perfection


• Mystics and contemplatives have come from this temperament - St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross

Augustinian Temperament - NF

• Usually Creative, optimistic, Persuasive


• Tend to be good verbally - outspoken,good in writing and speaking


• Have a great need to communicate to others


• Do not do well with conflict


• They need acceptance and affirmation from others


• Always searching for meaning and self-identity


• Want to know that what they do makes a difference


• Keen Interest in the future


• Transposing Events of Scripture into Today's situations.

Franciscan - SP

• Have a need to be free


• Can be impulsive, don't like to be tied down


• Want to follow their spirit



• They are flexible, open minded


• Acts of loving service can be a most effective form of prayer


• Like to live and pray in the present moment - not too concerned with the past or the future


• Are capable of great heroic sacrifices

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Preferred Prayer Formats and Experiences

Ignatian

Formal - Lectio Divina or Meditation or reflect on the Resurrection of Jesus.

Informal- Use your imagination to become part of the prayer of scripture. Write down references/scriptures that seem interesting and then look them up later.

If you found yourself an:

ISTJ - God, help me to begin relaxing about little details tomorrow at 11:41.32 a.m.

ESTJ - God, help me to not try to RUN everything, But if You need some help just ask!

ISFJ - Lord, help me to be more laid back, and help me to do it exactly RIGHT!

ESFJ - LORD, GIVE ME PATIENCE AND I MEAN RIGHT NOW!

Thomistic

Formal - Lectio Divina with focus on meditation

Informal - Study and consider every truth, virtue, thought from every possible angle until you grasp it. Apply What, With, When, Where, What and apply to the topic of reflection. Conclude your prayer with resolutions of how you are going to practice or live out your faith.

If you found yourself an:

ENTJ - God help me to slow downandnotrushthroughwhatIdoAmen.

INTJ - Lord, keep me open to other's ideas, WRONG though they may be!

INTP - Lord, help me be less independent, but let me do it my way.

ENTP - God, help me follow established procedures today. On second thought, I'll settle for a few minutes.

Augustinian

Formal - Lectio Divina with focus on the dialogue between God and oneself.

Informal - Transpose the words of scripture and apply them to your life/situation today. Use speaking and writing to reflect and meditate. Focus on a relationship with each person in the Holy Trinity. Take more time in prayer & quiet meditation.

If you found yourself an:

INFP - Lord, help me to finish everything I sta

INFJ - Lord help me no be a perfectionist. (Did I spell that correctly?)

ENFJ - God, help me to do only what I can, and trust you for the rest. Do you mind putting that in writing?

ENFP - God, help me keep my mind one thing-- LOOK! A Bird!

Franciscan

Formal - Acts of Service and Good Works

Informal - Relating life through Jesus' life and the parables. See God in the whole of creation, use a flower as a way to enter into meditation. Be open to free flowing informal communication with God.

If you found yourself an:

ESTP - God , help me to take RESPONSIBILITY for my own actions, even though they're not usually my fault!

ISTP - God help me to consider people's feelings even if most of them are hypersensitive!

ISFP - Lord, help me to stand up for my RIGHTS! (if you don't mind me asking)

ESFP - GOD, HELP ME TO TAKE THINGS MORE SERIOUSLY ESPECIALLY PARTIES & DANCING.

My friends - I hope you found your spiritual temperament and I pray that you see yourself with a good dose of humor and compassion. Never be too busy to explore ways to communicate with God.

Other 6

Was looking through the new Catechist magazine and came across this ad with light and dark blue bubbles curtaining these words "Where do you find God? " So I went to the website it listed to look www.Other6.com

Take a look and give it a try. Maybe for Lent?

Back in the land of the living

We've got two types of creeping crud around here at the moment, one stomach afflicting and the other respiratory. I was "touched" by the stomach version on Monday out of the blue and it was the weirdest thing. I've heard varying degrees of affliction, mine wasn't so severe by other reports, but I just couldn't seem to shake it.

Did the unthinkable and stayed on home on a Wednesday night! Have I said how wonderful my Faith Formation team is? Well if you haven't heard me go on and on - they are fabulous! They had things well in hand, but I must have missed out on a visit from my best friend. Today I found on my desk, a hand crafted card with a note made of the only materials at her disposal: glitter glue; buttons; sequins; crayons, and construction paper. She is the queen of field expedience! Because even with only those few paltry craft items she made me smile and feel loved. Thank you Begs.

* For those of you who get the stomach version of the crud, it lasts about three days, don't push it to go back to work in one or two, trust me, you'll be back at home. For those with the respiratory version, at least a week to get over the worst of it - if you're into home remedies, try some Whiskey, Honey and Lemon for the non-stop coughing, and sore throat, my grandmother's home remedy for such ailments. Mix equal parts of whiskey and honey, she usually started with 1/2 cups and with a few tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Shake together in a mason jar and sip. I repeat, SIP one shot glass of the concoction as needed about one every couple of hours. Let's just say I didn't understand the sip part of the instructions and "smooth" was not the word for it. My grandmother would make a batch with the first sniffle of the winter. I knew when respiratory ills where imminent because that mason jar with golden, pulp-filled liquid would appear. I recently made some for Deacon Bill when we were visiting in Alabama, and ask him - it really works.

** Of course you should check all medications you are taking to make sure you can consume alcohol without any adverse effects, I'm just say'n.