Inspirations and sinus heads

Last night I went dancing and it was so much fun. Good music, good company, good friends, good food. A real treat after a challenging week and it was the birthday celebration for two friends also which made it even nicer. Today I have had a heavy head due to a mild sinus infection with  my neck glands swollen and generally feeling unwell.  So all my busy plans got put on hold and I had an enforced day of rest.  Stuart looked after Matthew and he was a delightful wee boy and even had a good long sleep which was a blessing.

In my blob time I had a long nap which was wonderful, watched a programme on Mother Teresa, and heard a quote from Pope John Paul  at a beatification where he said, " In the end human holiness always comes down to love."  I also watched Thomas Dubay who quoted C.S. Lewis; "The opposite of a rule [in a family or community] is not freedom, but the albeit often unconscious tyranny of its most selfish member"  Powerful words that got me reflecting on the importance of rules in family and also on the tyranny that teenagers and toddlers try to inflict on everyone around them.  I got to thinking that tyranny can only exist where community rules are not valued or respected. Community and how to live together without ultimately destroying each other...even in families... requires love, respect, discipline, humility and a system that everyone is willing to embrace...without it there is ultimately anarchy.  Because so much of our western society has bought into the lie that freedom is license to do what you feel like, thats exactly what we have in so many situations...anarchy. Its described as the absence of any guiding or uniting principle.  Good fair rules provide the unifying principles our society is struggling to find amidst our relativist and individualist fascinations.

Anyway enough philosophizing. I also blog browsed a bit today and came across this inspiring little blog about a woman turning 38 and choosing to do 38 Random acts of kindness in a day to celebrate and documenting it on her blog. http://mixmingleglow.com/blog/?p=1358  It is worth a read and got me thinking.  I am in my 50's and there are 52 weeks in a year.  So one a week with a couple extra's in birthday or anniversary weeks and I could manage to keep R.A K.s as a focus for the year ahead.  I am normally dysfunctional when it comes to New Years resolutions and to give myself a head start I thought I would begin this coming week; 3rd week of Advent. R.A.K's are another way of intentional loving which as the Pope says is good for the soul.

Years ago I made a fixed resolution that every year I would try at least one new thing so that every year I was growing as a person.  It didn't need to be deep or challenging, just a new experience so it was neutral on the love issue.  I have pretty much kept to that resolution every year so maybe its time to incorporate a new 'love' project into it.  I will ponder it a bit before leaping in, but certainly food for thought and it would meet my next years 'new thing' nicely. ;-).  Will keep you posted but something deep inside says they don't count if I tell everyone else I did them so you may never know lol. If you take up the idea let me know in the comments.  Could be fun to share ideas. Today I made two 'how are you?' phone calls that I had been putting off.

Matthews new thing is to hold up his wee chubby hand and say 'hand' in a peremptory manner that brooks no debate.  Once he has your hand in his he walks you to where he wants you to play or do something for him. Today it was playing ball and the sandpit.  He has also learnt 'up' and 'down' and is using them for all sorts of situations to check they work.  Great fun to watch and hear and share his progress. Oh and I learnt how to put html on this page so I have posted a new inspirational calendar.

The smallest things can look marvellous up close.  This is my picture of a simple geranium about to burst into bloom. Hope in every bud

.Shalom and Kindness to all.