Words for You

i thank you God for most this amazing...

e.e. cummings

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

Updates!

welcome back from break!

Get Ready to Rummage!!

Some moms are volunteering for Rummage on Monday, April 11th in the morning.  
Child care is provided from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  

Also, mark your calendars for the Plymouth Rockers craft night on Friday, April 15th from 6:00 p.m to 10:00 p.m. in the Seim Room. Contact Kirsten.

Words for Our Children

This poem is attributed to Mother Teresa or was found on a wall in one of her homes for the poor. It is on my fridge door to see everyday.

Anyway
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

Easter Egg Hunt!!

Plymouth Rockers invites families of the church to join us for an Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday, April 17th from 3-4 p.m. in the Great Hall at King Bruwaert House (6101 South County Line Road, Burr Ridge- next to Katherine Legge Memorial Park).  Share some joy this Easter with older residents of a neighboring community at King Bruwaert House (retirement home) as they watch the children find Easter eggs and share conversation and cookies.  Please RSVP to Jeannette so we can let them know how many children to expect.  Hope you can join us during this exciting time leading up to Easter. 

At the Table

Praise to God who giveth meat,
Convenient unto all who eat,
Praise for tea and buttered toast,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Amen

Scottish Grace

New Book Study Schedule

April 15th Chapters 1-5

April 22nd No Meeting - Good Friday

April 29th Chapters 6-14

May 6th Chapters 15-19

May 13th Chapters 20-Postlude

May 20th  Last Meeting Party

Book: Marriage and Other Acts of Charity

Spend, Save, Donate

Last Friday we discussed the importance of teaching our children how to save money and hopefully glean from that how to understand it as they grow. Money Savey Generation is a great site with teaching tools and resources about money and it also has this cute pig that wants to help!
These banks are also useful with their different sections for Spend, Save, Share. You can find them here. (just click!)

Peace!

Planning Ahead

Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!
~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

April 8th - Meet at Monkey Business. 4700 Gilbert Avenue, Western Springs, 246-9600

April 15th - We start our new book study on Marriage and Other Acts of Charity, written by Kate Braestrup - feel free to invite a friend

April 20th - Movie: Race to Nowhere, McClure Jr. High, 4225 Wolf Road, Western Springs

Prayer Journal

There was a wonderful session on prayer at the Hearts at Home conference. It inspired me to be more deliberate about prayer, what I pray for, how I pray and why I pray. There are many reasons to pray but perhaps the most important reason is to deepen one's relationship with God. It is a balm for our souls. Hearts at Home has a wonderful journal for $11.00 you can order at the HAH site. Peace.

My Husband Rocks

There were a number of great booths at the Hearts-at-Home conference. One of our favorite booths was Union28, a t-shirt retailer selling shirts that honors the bonds between husband and wife and encourages the celebration of marriage. These shirts were pretty cute. Here's a message from their website:

Excerpt from our Mission Reflection Article:"...Some may say it's a stretch to attribute marital improvement to a slogan or symbol on a t-shirt, but we know better. God intricately designed us to be affected by simple things. Why else would we get such joy from an ice cream cone on a hot day, be moved to tears by watching a new dad hold his baby for the first time, or feel completely withered by one harsh word?

Maybe it will kindle or rekindle a desire in someone to let their spouse know how much he/she means rather than assume they know. Maybe it will open someone's eyes to see the blessing they've been missing in their spouse. Maybe a couple will be inspired to take the steps to repair a wounded relationship so they can wear the same message and mean it with all their heart.

However God wants to use this message, wherever He wants to send it, whoever he wants to encourage by it or heal with it, may it be so."

Yoga Yeah!

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

The Christian approach to yoga simply allows us to combine two essential goals: becoming physically and spiritually healthy. We become more spiritually healthy through the yoga practice by calming our minds and quieting ourselves to the point that we can tune out the world's frequency and tune into God's frequency.

Being quiet with God allows us to create enough psychological and spiritual space that God can truly create an inner sanctuary in us. Being quiet enough to hear our Lord's voice is not optional-- it's essential for growth. Let God bless your efforts to get closer to Him and the joy-filled, healthy life He has planned for you! - Outstretched, Inc.

Don't forget Yoga from a Christian Perspective at First Congo on April 16th and May 7th, 9am in Plymouth Hall. Fee of $10. Bring a mat.

Focus Yoga in Brookfield also has classes coming up:

Focus Yoga

9047 Monroe Avenue
Brookfield, IL 60546
(708) 471-0487

Youth Yoga Ages 8-12 

Tuesdays, April 5 - May 3  

5:00 - 6:00pm

Instructor: Jennifer Sedivy  

Fee: $50 for 5 weeks

Prenatal Yoga

Wednesdays, April 6 - May 4

6:00 - 7:00pm 

Instructors: Susan Chilton, Alice Gallagher, Freya Smith

Fee: $60 for 5 weeks   

Teen Yoga

Sundays, April 10 - May 8; call for time 

Instructor, Jaci Uhrick

Fee: $60 for 5 weeks

Why We Pray

In honor of Lent and of First Congo's devotional on prayer here are some words from Mother Teresa about why we pray.  When your children ask "Mom, why do we pray?" You can say something like:

I always begin my prayer in silence, for it is in the silence of the heart that God speaks. God is the friend of silence - we need to listen to God because it's not what we say but what He says to us and through us that matters.  Prayer feeds the soul - as blood is to the body, prayer is to the soul - and it brings you closer to God. It also gives you a clean and pure heart. A clean heart can see God, can speak to God, and can see the love of God in others. -Mother Teresa

Amen.