tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58672590631817271812024-02-07T17:32:17.678-08:00The Gathered Lifefamily, faith and fellowshipThe Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.comBlogger510125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-23689860465392577792013-07-06T08:18:00.001-07:002013-07-06T08:18:27.005-07:00Ave Maria (Schubert)- Marian Anderson<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TR95d7yP2Ig" width="459"></iframe><br />
The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-24955866746831779172013-05-19T18:29:00.001-07:002013-05-19T18:29:48.969-07:00Sikh Turban Showdown<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/may-17-2013/sikh-turban-showdown/14889/#.UZl8ib7SBkE.blogger">Sikh Turban Showdown</a>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-90136982802873142332013-05-19T17:36:00.001-07:002013-05-19T17:36:24.673-07:00Prison Nonviolence Project<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/may-10-2013/prison-nonviolence-project/16382/#.UZlv5-6Ow0M.blogger">Prison Nonviolence Project</a>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-22731474864696497062013-04-27T07:44:00.001-07:002013-04-27T07:44:52.348-07:00Screen-Free Week Pledge!<a href="http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/screenfreeweek#.UXvkUuVn9_M.blogger">Take the Screen-Free Week Pledge! | Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood</a>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-73286716971520845012013-04-27T06:23:00.001-07:002013-04-27T06:23:38.775-07:00Birmingham and the Children’s March<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/april-26-2013/birmingham-and-the-childrens-march/16051/#.UXvRVDf7zEA.blogger">Birmingham and the Children’s March</a>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-719070535497311012013-04-16T07:26:00.001-07:002013-04-16T07:26:38.858-07:00<h3 id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366121233858_3051">
<span class="yiv21341144TitleBar" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366121233858_3050">JPANet: The Time is Now to Address Gun Violence</span></h3>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366121233858_3054">
This is a critical week in the U.S. Senate for legislation that would begin to address the terrible toll of gun violence in this nation. For the first time since 1994, we have the opportunity to pass meaningful, sensible legislation to help end gun violence. </div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366121233858_3049">
<img align="right" alt="Stop Gun Violence" border="0" height="269" hspace="5" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366121233858_3058" src="http://act.ucc.org/images/content/pagebuilder/Stop-gun-violence.jpg" width="270" />While tragic incidents of gun violence like the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Aurora, Colorado, Oak Creek Wisconsin and Tucson draw national headlines, in many communities across the country, the impact of gun violence is a day-to-day reality that rarely draws attention or action.</div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366121233858_3057">
<a href="http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=xD-UMsoFlBb0kXIZwuGq8g" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366121233858_3056" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><strong id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366121233858_3055">Since the shooting at Sandy Hook in December of last year, more than 3,000 women, men and children have been lost to gun violence. Take action now!</strong></a></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366121233858_3034">
In the next several days, the Senate will debate amendments on legislation that would strengthen background checks on commercial gun sales (known as the <a href="http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=4aifZL-8Rh-Be3s4eoxpdQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1366122261_1">Manchin-Toomey amendment</span></a>) and strengthen anti-gun trafficking legislation. Yet even this modest proposal to strengthen background checks on commercial and online gun sales is under threat. Although the Manchin-Toomey amendment falls short of the stronger universal background check provision included in the original legislation, it is a step in the right direction.</div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366121233858_3061">
<strong id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366121233858_3060">How much longer must we wait and how many more lives must be lost before Congress takes action to help end gun violence? <a href="http://act.ucc.org/site/R?i=ncuVunlmJc74g0kUBZWluA" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1366121233858_3059" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Contact your Senators TODAY and tell them the time is now to pass meaningful, sensible legislation to help end the scourge of gun violence. Send a letter or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 to be connected to your Senators.</a></strong></div>
The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-5380182840404646322013-04-12T19:06:00.001-07:002013-04-12T19:06:32.672-07:00Keeping the Sabbath<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/april-5-2013/keeping-the-sabbath/15715/#.UWi9oxgcGO8.blogger">Keeping the Sabbath</a>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-8865527342812093692013-04-12T14:40:00.001-07:002013-04-12T14:40:16.388-07:00Jim Wallis on Serving the Common Good<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/april-5-2013/jim-wallis-on-serving-the-common-good/15753/#.UWh_PayXxS0.blogger">Jim Wallis on Serving the Common Good</a>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-36805700903242227112013-04-12T14:23:00.001-07:002013-04-12T14:23:48.339-07:00Churches and Domestic Violence<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/april-12-2013/churches-and-domestic-violence/15846/#.UWh7X7b2pAs.blogger">Churches and Domestic Violence</a>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-89101909644148737872013-04-01T11:53:00.001-07:002013-04-01T11:54:12.188-07:00MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - SAME LOVE<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hlVBg7_08n0" width="640"></iframe><br />The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-18247706692720489222013-04-01T11:32:00.001-07:002013-04-01T11:32:55.996-07:00Meredith Andrews - Burn Away<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Iwht5qp293w" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
This is now my favorite song. I LOVE the whole album. She's amazing! Enjoy!<br />
........"Burn away everything that breaks your heart....everything that is not love....purify my every thought.....take away.....everything that comes between us....everything that isn't true....Jesus make me more like you....."<br />
paz.The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-49524982294399504672013-04-01T09:30:00.000-07:002013-04-01T09:30:26.374-07:00Going Plastic Free!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">My Plastic Free Life - </span><a href="http://myplasticfreelife.com/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Buy in bulk. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Use glass jars....I love these: <a href="http://weckjars.com/">http://weckjars.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Use cloth bags for all types of shopping.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">Seek out alternative packaging - that's better for the environment!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">paz.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;"></span>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-2538319605816583462013-04-01T09:05:00.002-07:002013-04-01T09:05:43.579-07:00Mindfullness<object height="328" width="512"> <param name = "movie" value = "http://dgjigvacl6ipj.cloudfront.net/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf" > </param>
<param name="flashvars" value="video=http://video.pbs.org/videoinfo/9BQq4XtgufCLeuoqTjP1jA==/?player=PBS_Partner_Player_v2&start=0&end=0&balance=true&player=viral&end=0&lr_admap=in:warnings:0;in:pbs:0" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>
<param name = "allowscriptaccess" value = "always" > </param>
<param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param>
<embed src="http://dgjigvacl6ipj.cloudfront.net/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf" flashvars="video=http://video.pbs.org/videoinfo/9BQq4XtgufCLeuoqTjP1jA==/?player=PBS_Partner_Player_v2&start=0&end=0&balance=true&player=viral&end=0&lr_admap=in:warnings:0;in:pbs:0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" width="512" height="328" bgcolor="#000000"></embed></object><br />
<div style="color: grey; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-top: 5px; text-align: center; width: 512px;">
Watch <a href="http://video.pbs.org/video/2258240170" style="color: #4eb2fe !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Mindfulness Going Mainstream</a> on PBS. See more from <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/" style="color: #4eb2fe !important; font-weight: normal !important; height: 13px; text-decoration: none !important;" target="_blank">Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.</a></div>
The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-12693592171745213652013-04-01T08:13:00.002-07:002013-04-01T08:13:33.756-07:00Drift Studio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0A9hMgUDG_7e3qFdNN2xT2z6F1TFZ_Ixui_HrJzoX-f0joL_Exvhe8T3jtfr3oizJzbdp5X0SrPP2b83J8ZuhPXEB-zjI32Iohj4uBUCZdCh7zKBic5VcrIyl5AyZC6ZuKcpiScjh-zlD/s1600/drift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0A9hMgUDG_7e3qFdNN2xT2z6F1TFZ_Ixui_HrJzoX-f0joL_Exvhe8T3jtfr3oizJzbdp5X0SrPP2b83J8ZuhPXEB-zjI32Iohj4uBUCZdCh7zKBic5VcrIyl5AyZC6ZuKcpiScjh-zlD/s640/drift.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I love finding well made, cool, functional products that put people to work and give hope!! Made in the USA too.....Check out the site </span><a href="http://driftstudio.com/shop/"><span style="font-size: large;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">. You can use these chests for anything! Toys, yoga stuff, books.....blankies....</span><br />
<br />
<br />
The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-71224894139520983892013-04-01T07:06:00.001-07:002013-04-01T07:06:34.943-07:00Get Into Your Groove - April Yoga!<a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/video/275">Get Into Your Groove</a>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-7254540656179869352013-03-29T07:57:00.003-07:002013-03-29T07:57:11.674-07:00<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1364568842059_2047">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We do not want to merely “see” beauty. We want to be united with it, to receive it into ourselves, to become part of it.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> <br /><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-weight: bold;">-C.S Lewis</span></span>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-49906542448306779702013-03-29T07:30:00.004-07:002013-03-29T07:30:33.138-07:00Neighborday!!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bake some bread. Write a note. Introduce yourself to your neighbor. What a gloriously simple idea.</span> <br />
<a href="http://www.good.is/neighboring">http://www.good.is/neighboring</a>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-67127668636591515502013-03-27T06:57:00.001-07:002013-03-27T06:59:11.323-07:00Sculptor Marion Perkins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigk5YRBT9iWD9XrgpZmsacwnARDTEpBNUCmad2qqkPNMLP1uZ_OYNKR16LPS25o_8n4p6_mqLDEVpDPCjKbP3yUrUGGwpZge5BeZLeikBpQ4iMShgGgsimxosYlBtH6VAx5sxl3kFyrFEk/s1600/marion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigk5YRBT9iWD9XrgpZmsacwnARDTEpBNUCmad2qqkPNMLP1uZ_OYNKR16LPS25o_8n4p6_mqLDEVpDPCjKbP3yUrUGGwpZge5BeZLeikBpQ4iMShgGgsimxosYlBtH6VAx5sxl3kFyrFEk/s320/marion.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2011/11/29/sculptor-marion-perkins#.UVL510PsmaY.blogger">Sculptor Marion Perkins | Chicago Tonight | WTTW</a><br />
For beauty.....You have to go see the exhibit <em>They Seek a City. </em>It's a show of more than 80 works by southern-and foreign-born artists. There are so many incredible artisits I've never heard of. I loved Marion Perkins the most. What a story too! He was clearly brilliant. <br />
paz.The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-40200100524370858982013-03-26T14:58:00.001-07:002013-03-26T14:58:08.744-07:00Your Health<a href="http://www.womentowomen.com/community/drdixieblog/tools-for-health/myth-of-perfect-health.aspx#.UVIZ36ZfYGk.blogger">You don't have to do everything right to be healthy</a>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-74601009070174627162013-03-25T15:01:00.001-07:002013-03-25T15:01:10.198-07:00Graham Hill: Less stuff, more happiness<a href="http://youtu.be/L8YJtvHGeUU">http://youtu.be/L8YJtvHGeUU</a>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-58871949331826452292013-03-22T08:39:00.002-07:002013-03-22T08:39:35.886-07:00Epidemic of the Invisible Children
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;"><em>I sometimes feel like I need out. I need to escape suburbia and the materialism and the television. I love Target. I love quiet in my house when my kids are watching a show. Life is short though. What am I doing? Is it just a fantasy to move to a farm and give this way of life up? I don't want to look back and regret. That's all. We are doing the best we can......or are we? </em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;"><em>A friend sent me this letter. I don't know its origin. I'll give more info if I receive any. paz. </em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;"><em>Here's to dreaming......</em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">SUBJECT: Epidemic of the Invisible Children<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">When my kids were toddlers, we lived in a
town home right in the city. Every day we would go for a walk on the trails. We
just wanted to get outdoors.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">One day it stunned me that there were no
children playing outside. <---- Dropping the pendulum from far point<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">Inside the homes I saw the flickering of
television through the windows.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">You knew children lived there because
their toys were outside.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">But you never saw the children.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">I would talk to my friends who were moms
and they would complain that they would park their kids in front of the TV so
they could get something done.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">I had to confess I did that too. I would
turn on PBS Kids. My oldest son Dylan was obsessed with Buzz Lightyear. He
watched Toy Story about 14 times.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">I started to notice that my boys would
only play games that they had SEEN ON TV.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">Then something very interesting happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">My husband got a special assignment in
South Africa. We went on an extended leave and lived in Pretoria for 2 months. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">There, my boys had no TV. They began
using their imaginations again. They started using natural materials to build
forts and castles. Their play was completely self directed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">In just two months, the change in my boys
was profound. <------ Pendulum swung all the way across to opposite side<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">Then I remembered… I used to play that
way, I had a great life of imagination and wonder. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">My friend Kim and I would build fairy
castles at the bases of trees - complete with tables, chairs, homes, using
everything we could find: acorns, bark, cotton, flower petals and pine straw.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">When I was 22 I went around the world
sailing and working as a chef on yachts with my husband. We hit 40 different
countries in 8 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">Only later did I realize that those
afternoons building fairy castles with Kim and given me the imagination it took
to sail around the world, instead of… I don't know, getting an MBA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">And I was depriving my boys of all those
gifts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">One video game at a time.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">Dear parent, I truly know how hard it is
to spin 900 plates and raise kids and pay the mortgage and all that. I get it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">But it's damaging your kids.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">You can't undo that damage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">You can't rewind the hands of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">Your kids are only young once.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">I wanted to find a way out - out of the
mechanized, computerized, artificial world. I wanted to give something back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">So I decided to create an event. We hold
it at our farm once a month. Parents from all over the metro drive their kids
out into the country, and as soon as they cross the threshold of our property
they are in a different world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">For 2+ hours parents play with their kids
petting llamas and bunnies, feeding the cows and chickens, and kids scampering
down a nature path through the forest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">And Donald takes the kids on a special
fishing trip at the pond with the kids, while I talk to moms and dads about the
challenges of growing up natural children in plastic suburbia.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">Everyone goes home closer to nature and
closer to their children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">Our next Farm Family Getaway is on _____.
I'd love you to come. It's free, all you have to do is sign up here. We do have
limited space - only ___ people per outing are permitted. Beyond that number,
we put you on a waiting list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">I've love to re-introduce you to the
world God made that kids were intended to play in and grow up in. I can't wait
to shake your hand and meet your sons and daughters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">Heidi <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">You keep kids quiet in the car by handing
them an iphone.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">You put them in a coma with Disney DVD's.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">I began to heal the rift by showing kids
where their food comes from.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">QUESTIONS:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">What life are you programming your child
to live?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">What tracks will they be stuck on as an
adult that you laid this week? This month?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15pt;">Are they going to roll down pre-made
industrialized tracks, or are they going to blaze their own trails?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-73885118988270706842013-03-19T14:44:00.001-07:002013-03-19T14:44:21.318-07:00Evangelical Star Rob Bell Comes Out For Marriage Equality | Religion Dispatches<a href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/guest_bloggers/6934/evangelical_star_rob_bell_comes_out_for_marriage_equality">Evangelical Star Rob Bell Comes Out For Marriage Equality | Religion Dispatches</a>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-40184259030046890932013-03-17T18:32:00.001-07:002013-03-17T18:32:32.426-07:00Meredith Andrews - Not For A Moment (After All) - Live<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XD0cvWImVjA" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Just returned with some wonderful women from a Conference. We heard this woman sing this incredible song there! Hope it touches your heart!! paz.The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-40664363742073724182013-03-17T18:22:00.002-07:002013-03-17T18:22:46.115-07:00Happiness from LifeEdited<h1 class="entry-title marB18">
The Difference Between Pleasure and Happiness</h1>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We at LifeEdited talk a lot about happiness. It’s in our tagline: Design your life to include more money, health and happiness with less stuff, space and energy. We see the word splattered across bestseller lists: “The Happiness Project,” “Stumbling on Happiness,” “Delivering Happiness” and so forth. People cannot seem to get enough happy. But what the heck is it? And what is the difference between pleasure and happiness? And why should we care?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
To answer these questions, we looked to an expert: Buddhist monk, author of ’The Happiest Person In The World’ and former molecular biologist, Matthieu Ricard. In a Huffington Post article entitled “<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthieu-ricard/pleasure-happiness-difference_b_771048.html">Why Happiness is Not Pleasure</a>“, he said this of happiness:</div>
<blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Happiness is a state of inner fulfillment, not the gratification of inexhaustible desires for outward things…genuine happiness may be influenced by circumstance, but it isn’t dependent on it. It actually gives us the inner resources to deal better with those circumstances.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Of the difference between pleasure and happiness, he says this:</div>
<blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Happiness is often equated with a maximization of pleasure, and some imagine that true happiness would consist of an interrupted succession of pleasurable experiences….There is no reason to deprive ourselves of the enjoyment of a magnificent landscape, of swimming in the sea or of the scent of a rose, but we must understand that the experience of pleasure is dependent upon circumstance, on a specific location or moment in time. It is unstable by nature, and the sensation it evokes can soon become neutral or even unpleasant.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In other words, pleasure is externally motivated and fleeting, while happiness is internally generated and constant.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Most of us know pleasure. It’s the sensation that drives us to eat a bag of chips even when we know it’s bad for our health; it’s the euphoric feeling of anticipation when waiting overnight to buy the new iPhone even though we know our current phone is perfectly adequate. Our pleasurable sensations are inextricable with the thing–the chips or the phone in this case. <em>The things make us happy.</em></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The trouble with equating pleasure with happiness is when the thing is gone, so too does our happiness. No chips, no happiness. Having last year’s phone can send us into a depression. Check out the movie “<a href="http://www.lifeedited.com/own-an-edited-version-of-versailles-some-assembly-required/" title="Own an Edited Version of Versailles (Some Assembly Required)">The Queen of Versailles</a>” if you want to see the pleasure hunt play itself out to surreal proportions.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Conversely, happiness allows you to enjoy the chips, but not require them; use the phone, but realize it’s just a phone and a new one with slightly more power won’t make you happier in any meaningful way. Focusing on happiness is not better per se, but it’s more reliable.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One litmus test to distinguish pleasure from happiness is something a teacher once told me, “If something is a source of happiness, the more you do of it, the happier you will become.” Do more chips, phones, square feet or bacon (my personal fave) make us happier? Of course not. Sure, these things might be pleasurable, but after a while and in excess they lose their appeal and become “neutral or even unpleasant” as Ricard explains (any buffet-goer can testify to this).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If pleasure doesn’t make us happy, what does? One idea is that it’s <a href="http://www.lifeedited.com/get-happy-spending-money-just-not-on-yourself-or-buying-stuff/" title="Get Happy Spending Money…Just Not on Yourself or Buying Stuff">experiences, not stuff that makes us happy</a>–in other words internal states rather than objects. One theory promoted by Dr Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0143114956/flormoyecoac-20">The How of Happiness</a>“ asserts there are three main factors that comprise our happiness:</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Set-point. This is essentially our biological level of happiness–it’s our happiness default setting. Some people might be literally hardwired to be less happy than others–or vice versa. This is thought to comprise up to 50% of our overall sense of happiness.</li>
<li>Circumstances. Our physical circumstances do affect our happiness, but to a much smaller extent than most think (10% or so). Circumstances that can thwart happiness are things like no access to clean water, unsafe homes, etc. Circumstances that probably don’t thwart your happiness are having too large a tablet computer and too wide lapels on your blazer.</li>
<li>Voluntary Variables. This is our behavior and thoughts. This makes up 40% of our overall happiness and can actually offset the set-point and circumstances.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The voluntary variables are what my teacher would say are the things that, when increased, promote happiness. These are behaviors and actions like generosity, kindness, love, gratitude, etc. The more we live in these states, the more we act in line with them, the happier we become.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
How can LifeEdited be so bold as to say that we can help design your life to include more happiness? Full disclosure: We can’t make you happy. Sorry. But our mission to “edit” the things that don’t promote our happiness–the extraneous stuff and space–might help. No, the <a href="http://www.lifeedited.com/see-full-set-of-official-lifeedited-apartment-photos/" title="See Full Set of Official LifeEdited Apartment Photos">best designed apartment</a>, most <a href="http://www.lifeedited.com/stack-it-nest-it-put-it-away-finding-the-best-products-for-the-edited-home/" title="Stack It, Nest It, Put it Away: Finding the Best Products for the Edited Home">awesome stacking bowl</a> or <a href="http://www.lifeedited.com/waffle-towels-save-space-dry-faster-rock-harder/" title="Waffle Towels Save Space, Dry Faster, Rock Harder">greatest towel</a> will never, ever make you happy, but this “less, but better” stuff might give you less to think about, affording you more mental space for the stuff–those experiences and voluntary variables–that do.</div>
The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5867259063181727181.post-66268924742889189892013-03-14T18:46:00.001-07:002013-03-14T18:46:40.836-07:00Note to the New Pope: Half of the World's Poor are Women | Politics | Religion Dispatches<a href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/politics/6920/note_to_the_new_pope__half_of_the_world_s_poor_are_women">Note to the New Pope: Half of the World's Poor are Women | Politics | Religion Dispatches</a>The Gathered Communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10878819682085967743noreply@blogger.com0