When Yoga Becomes a Dance

Found this on another blogger's website and just had to share. These two are amazing!

And may the peace of the Lord be always with you.

Senior Status

Well I made it through my first year of nursing school. Yay me! Surprisingly enough it actually went by much faster than I expected it would this time last year. I ended the semester with a trip to Orlando to attend the annual NTI conference hosted by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. It was a really amazing experience and I'm glad I went. I met a lot of influential nursing leaders, but I also got to meet other critical care nurses. Oh, did I forget to mention that I was accepted to a prestigious nursing externship for the summer? I will be working in a combined medical intensive care unit/cardiac care unit. I am so excited!! I'm really hoping to fine tune my assessment skills and learn a lot about some of the high-tech ICU equipment (ventilators, chest tubes, etc). Earning a paycheck will be AMAZING, but the learning experience with be priceless.

And may the peace of the Lord be always with you.

Memorial Monday

Eternal Lord God, you hold all souls in life: Give to your whole Church in paradise and on earth your light and your peace; and grant that we, following the good examples of those who have served you here and are now at rest, may at last enter with them into your unending joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 253)

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 823)

And may the peace of the Lord be always with you.

Pentecost Sunday

Today seems like a good day to debut my lace prayer mantilla from Veils by Lily.

And may the peace of the Lord be always with you.

The Seated Twist Sequence

"The Seated Twist Sequence has a slower pace of moving which is excellent for deep, full breathing and a workout for the lungs. This is a floor sequence featuring hip openers, and spinal rolling. A terrific energizer for all levels." Kate Potter

And may the peace of the Lord be always with you.

The Sun Wind Sequence

"Moving with grace through this flow will encourage flexibility while strengthening the legs, shoulders, and abdominal muscles. Intermediate students will find this one both challenging and encouraging." Kate Potter

And may the peace of the Lord be always with you.

Nobody here likes a wet dog

The following sermon was written by the Reverend Scott Walters of Christ Episcopal Church and is published here with his permission.

“Nobody here likes a wet dog.” That’s what Billy Collins says. He says,

No one wants anything to do with a dog
that is wet from being out in the rain
or retrieving a stick from a lake.
Look how she wanders around the crowded pub tonight
going from one person to another
hoping for a pat on the head, a rub behind the ears,
something that could be given with one hand
without even wrinkling the conversation.

But everyone pushes her away,
some with a knee, others with the sole of a boot.
Even the children, who don’t realize she is wet
until they go to pet her,
push her away,
then wipe their hands on their clothes.
And whenever she heads toward me,
I show her my palm, and she turns aside.

O stranger of the future!
O inconceivable being!
whatever the shape of your house,
however you scoot from place to place,
no matter how strange and colorless the clothes you may wear,
I bet nobody there likes a wet dog either.
I bet everybody in your pub,
even the children, pushes her away.”

Billy Collins titled that poem “To a Stranger Born in Some Distant Country Hundreds of Years from Now”. And I’m pretty sure he gets something just right in it. Our own dog isn’t at her most lovable when she’s wet. The kids don’t cuddle much with Annie when she steps dripping from the bath. Nobody is instinctively drawn to a damp, often sour, dishrag that wanders around begging for approval. And I bet nobody ever will.

So finally, we’ve found one simple thing we can all agree upon, even across cultures and time: wet dogs are unpleasant. Maybe the unity of all humankind will follow. Because nothing unites people more naturally and more completely than agreement about who should be excluded. And nobody here likes a wet dog.

There are no wet dogs in the book of Acts. But to really appreciate a turning point we read about today in the story of the early church, it might help to get our wet dog aversion reflex going strong. And here’s why. From the distance of all these centuries, it’s easy to assume that what was being debated among the early followers of Jesus was just a collection of ideas. Was Jesus the messiah? Was he resurrected? What is a resurrection if it’s not resuscitation? What’s a Christian? Can a Gentile be one too? Strange as these questions actually are, reasonable people have debated them for a long time. 

The Warrior Sequence

"The Warrior sequence encourages confidence and relieves sluggishness. Harness the confidence of the warrior and become what you think!" Kate Potter

And may the peace of the Lord be always with you.