February 14 Freewrite 14!

I had a nice morning. I got up early and started meditating in John 17 and Jesus' prayer. I was struck by the JOY reference. Jesus wants us to live in JOY. It doesn't mean we don't have trials, but there is a "calm delight" in Jesus. He mentioned joy in John. That was fun.

I was going to sit down and do this freewrite fourteen on the 14th of February (because Lord knows, I LOVE alliterations), but there was fresh snow that was probably going to melt away in a few hours. So, George and I went for a nice little walk. 

It is the 33rd anniversary of George's proposal on another snowy day. We were supposed to go to the Buzzsaw in Albany, which was right along the river, but it snowed that night. George had planned to propose during an evening walk along the river, but we went to The Class Reunion on 9th Street in town and he proposed in my bedroom! LOL!

It was a lovely walk. The kids are out on a snow day. So, they are playing in the snow. 

I have been answering questions for the book I am reading by Richard Foster, Learning Humility. I have always enjoyed his style of writing. I don't think he has written one dud of a book! He has contributed so much to people growing closer to God. I think I picked up his book at a bookstore in Eugene when I stayed there in the summer of 1980. I am not sure. I have an original copy of the book, Celebration of Discipline. Then Beth and I did the Devotional Classics. I think I read The Practice of the Presence of God because it was on Rusty Rustenbach's shelf? I am not sure. But whenever it happened, I think I have always been a mystic at heart, and there is nothing wrong (or evil) about that. I don't know why there are all these websites against it. I see nothing but FRUIT. Whereas on those websites, I read nothing but hatred. 

And today is a day about love. 

After I am done with this freewrite, I will journal with the journal prompt based on the quote by St. Benedict above. Journaling through this book has been fun.

Even though I am not entirely sure the people in the cohort I am leading have followed through and done the journaling that we were practicing, I have, and it has been beneficial. Whenever I lead something, I am probably the person that benefits the most from it. LOL! I would say that when I would disciple women, it just always kept me on my toes. When I am in direction with another person, I am in the presence of God, and that is a very good, good thing.

I don't know how much more time I have but I read a quote about Centering Prayer the other day (I went to a coordinators webinar that was excellent and edifying), and it was, "Centering Prayer once for maintenance and twice for transformation." So, I decided to be faithful to TWO TWENTY-minute sits every day. I am good about at least one 20 minute one, but I usually do a shorter second one or not another one at all. I do not want to be legalistic about it (just like journaling), but I wanted to see if that statement is true for me, and YES, IT IS! I am only on my fourth day of TWO TWENTIES, but I think it really is true. 

There is my 14 minutes on the 14th of February! BYE!