Wondrous Mercy

Blessings abound
Blessings flow
Blessings wash away the darkness in our souls

His grace is merciful
His love covers all
Our MIGHTY savior
Catches us when we fall
His majesty shines forth
Alighting our way

His love is redeeming
His forgiveness is pure
Our Lord, God, Immanuel
HIS WORD is our cure.

His blood covers me
And hides my flaws
The Spirit embraces me
And whispers His love.

His warmth overcomes me
And softens my heart
I raise my hands to the Heavens crying
"How great thou art!"

My soul is enraptured
My heart is made clean
To His wondrous mercy
And forgiveness I cling

Wash over me Oh Lord
Create me anew
A child of my Father
I follow your cue.

Guide me, my savior
Open my eyes
Teach me your ways, Lord
I give you my life.

Pressure

Pop the top

Let out the pressure

Put force to make it crack and release

Rub the muscles

Put pressure where it's sore

Massage to release the tension

Cradle the coffee mug

Gentle pressure with your palms

The warmth relieves the stress

We thrive on pressure and release. There is no release without pressure. Too much pressure...and we crumble. Not enough release and we explode. 

Picture credit: http://www.theebayentrepreneur.com/2011/08/17/new-ebay-niche-can-tabs-2/

A Moment in Meditation

There's so much dirt, debris, decay
Scraping and scuffing and scrawling away
You decide. You dig. You're determined.

Dust dirties the doorway
Tears turning to mud
Nails gnawing in the night
Continuously curtailing the crud

Fingernails filled with filth
Digging away the dirt
Determined to discover the light

You push past and plunder.
Gritting against the grime.
Stretching for security
Knowing it's not for naught.

A glint of glimmer gleams
Through the perpetual passage of peace
A swelling of sweet surrender
Sweeps through your soul

A sheen of sparkle will show.
Just beyond the blunder.
Continue to contest the carnage.

Unattainable? Unlikely.
You forge forward ferociously.
The speck of shine will soar
And emblazon and empower.

Check out this music. It's amazing!!
http://www.pandora.com/byron-metcalf-mark-seelig/wachumas-wave/gone-beyond

Picture credit: http://cherieroedirksen.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/serenity-ecard-1.jpg

Sidekick - A Lesson in Poetry

During this journey, I have decided to bring along a sidekick. My daughter. Oh, one of the lights of my life! I'm teaching her to write poetry. She did creative writing last year in school and I really think this could be a good outlet for her as well. We'll see.

Our first lesson was a color poem.

(see link below)


I had her pick a color. She chose yellow: her daddy's favorite color. :) She came up with 5 things that were that color and wrote them down in a list. Then I had her write a describing word with each one. She needed a little guidance, but she was able to finish it. Then I did the unmentionable...I made her read it out loud to us. She was nervous, but did great.


Our second was a list poem.

(see link below)

This time, she wrote down a list of things she liked to look at in nature. Again, 5 things. I gave her an additional task this time...add a verb or action word after the subject.

Describing word: Fluffy
Subject: Cloud
Action word: Floating

Fluffy Cloud Floating.

Pretty simple. When she finished it went like this...

Fluffy Clouds Floating

Itchy Bugs Buzzing

Green Leaves Wiggling

Blue Sky Darkening

Quiet Pond Waving

After reading, I asked her what the words reminded her of and what she could name the poem. She decided on Storm.

I'm seriously proud of her.

AMc


Picture Credit: 
http://www.themeasuredmom.com/teach-children-to-write-poetry-simple-color-poem/#comment-166496

http://imaginationsoup.net/2009/06/list-poems-easy-for-you-and-your-child/#_a5y_p=1500151

Albatross

A rope's strength lies in the amount of threads,
The type of material and the tautness of the braid.
Too few strands and it will break.
If there are too many strands or the braid is too tight,
the rope will be nothing more than a show piece.
You cannot bend or tie it.

An anchor needs to be balanced and dense.
Too much iron and it cannot be lifted to drop into the sea.
One too light will not hold the ship in place.
An albatross could carry it off 'round his neck.

photo credit: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/albatross/

Road Trip

Road Trip

Beyond the wall

An impenetrable steel door

A ring full of keys

Just a step away

Across the bridge

A deep ravine

The boards are shaky

Just a step away

Behind the curtain

The rope swings frayed

So heavy to hoist

Just a step away

Past the horizon

A road less traveled

The unknown is crippling

Just a step away

AMc07162014

Picture Credit: http://myfotolog.tumblr.com/post/16004940183

To find out more about why this is here please visit http://mustardmountain.blogspot.com/2014/07/behind-curtain.html

Behind the Curtain

It's no secret. I've been going to counseling. I've needed it for years. Most people know, and if not I'm not ashamed, that I'm a card carrying anti-depressant taker. That's cool. It's just me. Some people take iron daily because they are anemic, some take meds to lower their blood sugar, some take dopamine to regulate their movements. I take meds to regulate whatever chemicals/hormones in my brain to help me cope with daily stresses.

If you have been considering counseling, I URGE you to go to at least one session. I've been to three so far and I already feel an improvement in my spirit.

So why is Amanda babbling again? Why is she attempting to resurrect a blogosphere? Wait for it.....

Counseling homework!!! Woot Woot!! May seem ominous...but I'm a nerd! I love homework. Always have. I will be posting things off and on, sometimes daily, sometimes weekly, things related to my homework. This will include poetry, art, scripture, recipes: things that bring peace in my heart.

Thanks for reading.
AMc