Go Placidly Amid The Noise. . .

Because our world is in turmoil these days and because I am uneasy about what is happening at home and abroad (perhaps your are too),   I thought a little look back would be good for the soul.  I came across a piece of literature that is old, very old and speaks of things to help us along in life.  I am speaking of the piece Desiderata.  It was found in Old Saint Paul’s Church, Baltimore, MD in 1693.  I would like to reprint it here to think about, ponder,and meditate about. Many of the lessons listed here still work today, in fact it all is worthy of a close look.  Some of the language is outdated, but it was 1693!

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise & haste, & remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly & clearly; listen to others, even the dull & ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain & bitter;

for always there will be greater & lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

 Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.   Especially, do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity & disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of yourth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with imaginings.  Many fears are born of fatigue & loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees & the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe, is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be, and whatever your labors & inspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery & broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be careful.

Strive to be happy.

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Desiderata means:  (from Dictionary.com)

plural noun, singular desideratum.

1.things wanted or needed; the plural of desideratum :

“Happily-ever-after” and “eternal love” appear to be the desiderata of the current generation; to whom “fat chance” say those of us who are older,wiser, and more curmudgeonly.

Synonyms: essentials, necessities, requisites,sine qua nons.

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May all of us be blessed and find the richness in life, love, work and play, but mostly find richness in God.

 

Sandy Ozanich (c) August 31, 2014

 

 

Our World In Crisis

I have been listening to the news lately, actually most of the time, I just like news.  But I am increasingly concerned for the people being slaughtered by ISIS in Iraq.  The bad situation in Ferguson Missouri, the borders of our country, etc.  I could list so many things right now.

And no matter what your politics, I just want to pray and plead with God to stop the madness.  I know many others do as well.  Do you remember the day AFTER the 9/11 how everyone seemed to actually put aside their differences?  Can we do that now?

Dear God, hear my plea?  Hear all of our pleas Lord.  We are painfully aware of the destruction, pain and death happening in many corners of the world.  What can we do Lord?  How do we respond?  Give us a sign O Lord, give ear to our cries.  People are dying, people are starving, people are being exploited, and forced to flee their homes.  Help us Lord to help you.

I feel helpless as many do in all corners of the world.

Hear our prayers O Lord, we pray. . .Amen

Sandy Ozanich (c) August 29, 2014

Are You Going To Keep Me Safe?

Anyone who lives in or near Pittsburgh, PA knows about our amusement park Kennywood Park.  Kennywood has been around since the late 1800’s.  It is a great place to go and ride rides, eat great foods and enjoy the walk around the park, a real family place.  It was here that I learned a very great lesson and it came through my 3 yr. old granddaughter Natalie.

It was a family affair at Kennywood Park on August 21, 2014.  Both my daughters and one of the son-in-law’s, all 4 grand-kids, and my son Brian were there.  We walked around, watched the kiddies in Kiddyland then moved on to the “big kid” rides.  The fun of just walking around and watching these little ones enjoy this day was enough for me even without riding anything.  Nothing is sweeter for me than to be with these little ones and watch their joy.

We came upon a ride called Parachutes.  It is a ride where you sit on an oblong seat, safety latch in and go around in circles at a nice clip, the ride then starts to move in an circle as if it on it’s side, one side is low and the other side of the circle goes high,  As I was in line with Natalie, she was holding my hand and she says, “I don’t like to go high”.   I told her, “It’s ok, cause you will be with me.”  She then asks, “Are you going to keep me safe?”  I told her, “absolutely Natalie.  I won’t let anything happen to you.  I will keep you safe.”  That was all Natalie needed to hear.

When we got on the ride, I put her on the seat first, then I climbed in next to her with my arm around her back.  She gently took my arm, and pulled it around her body and tucked my hand into the space between her and I.  She said, “That’s better”

We rode the Parachutes twice that day and the whole time I “kept her safe”.

This interaction with Natalie made me think of how we look toward God.  I think many of us look to God to “keep us safe” and we want to wrap God’s arm around us to help us feel the safety.  God is a loving God, a big God and a God who wants the best for us.  We have to be willing to hand our trust over to God, to say, “I want you to keep me safe” the whole time knowing that it is in God that we live and move and have our being.  Having the trust and faith of a child endears us to our Creator and our Creator to us.

As adults it is hard to hand over our very selves to God, trusting in the goodness, love and guidance that God offers.  After all, we want to do it ourselves. . .we are adults, we know what we are doing, don’t treat me like a kid. . .in this way perhaps we are acting like the kids who stomp their little feet on the ground because “I want to do it myself”.  

Now is time to turn our lives, our souls, our trust over to God ~ God will keep us safe!

Sandy Ozanich (c) August 28, 2014

 

This post brings me to a total of      

 

What Do You Say Lord?

So, what do I say to you Lord?  Do I pray  for health, love, prosperity?  What else can I ask for that I do not already have?  I have your love and the consolation that one day I will see you face to face.

The only thing I can pray for is that I can love you in the way that you desire.  For if I love you as you desire, then I already have everything I need.  For what good is this life if we cannot love, if we cannot see you in the faces of all those who we come in contact with?

It is so hard sometimes to love.  It is a frustrating thing not to be able to feel love for another especially when that one makes your heart anxious or fearful or sad or lonely.  I say that I will keep on trying to be a loving person, yet I only succeed in not loving or being kind.

I remember during the homily at my uncle’s funeral the priest was saying that we all are called and should try to follow in Christ’s footsteps.  What my ears heard was “fumble” in Christ’s footsteps.  I thought about it and realized that “fumble” is really what I do and that it is OK to fumble and fall.  Didn’t Jesus do as much under the weight of the cross?  But, he got up and went on.  That is the lesson.  Not so much to fumble, but the grace to get up and keep on going.  Can I get back up and keep on going?  No, not unless I ask for the grace to do it.  In the garden, Jesus prayed not to have to keep going, but he prayed that the Father would grant him the grace to do his will, not his own will.  That is what I pray for, to do the will of God in my life.

I really don’t want to pray for anything else but the grace to live in t he love of Jesus.  I figure, Jesus knows better than any what it is I need.  He won’t abandon me and leave me without what I need in this life.  How can I ask for anything more that that?  My only desire is his desire.

I am ashamed that I continually fall so short on my side.  I must say with Paul, “Why is it that I do the things I hate and I don’t do the things I love?”  It’s a mystery to me.  Why it that my heart won’t do what my head knows is right and just?  Yet, I will keep going for “to whom shall I go?  You have the words of everlasting life!”

I often chide myself thinking, “just who do you think you are anyway?  A saint?  Can you really think that all you need to do is ask for the grace to live in abandonment to God’s will?  You keep doing things that aren’t loving or Christian.  And if you should tell someone about this desire, they would think you are  crazy.”  But, then I realized that these thoughts are not of God.  Why would God, who loves me say those things?  Is not his desire that all of his children live in abandonment to his will?

What a tangled web we weave. . .in our own minds!

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I found this piece of writing yesterday while cleaning out a room that has accumulated so much “stuff”.  When I saw this I thought, “Did I write this?”  Yes I did because I remember my uncle’s funeral and the priest who said  we must try to follow in Christ’s footsteps.

It is really awesome to look back on things that have been written so long ago.  I enjoyed reading it again, I hope you enjoying reading it for the first time.

Written – May 17th, 1989

 

Sandy Ozanich (c) ~ August 27, 2014

Hope For The World. . .

The other day, James Wright Foley, an American Journalist was beheaded by ISIS.  My heart is broken.  This violence continues to get worse, day after day.  Christians, Jews, and even Muslims are targets of terrorists who believe that their mission is to kill “infidels” in order to gain paradise no matter where in the world they live.

What do we do?  We pray and we pray very hard and we pay attention to what is happening around the world.  We can no longer afford to be ignorant of the possibilities that Christians all over the world face.  As it says in Scripture, ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, pray for the peace of all’.  

God is not responsible for this terror.  I hear from some others that God is punishing us or it is God’s hand causing this evil. God is LOVE, God does not cause evil, that is the domain of the evil one and we must remember this and pray again.

Look, I am not so much worried for myself or my husband, we are in our 60’s, but I do worry for our children and grandchildren.  What kind of a world are we leaving to our next generations?  I believe what God has told us, “All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God’s purpose”.  And again, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things,* nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth,* nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8:28, 38,39 NAB)

I have had a mission of my own which was and is to pray for those Christians who are being persecuted, tortured and martyred for their faith.  I have had this on my soul for years.  Now we see that this persecution is ongoing and getting worse.

I ask all of you to pray deeply about what is happening with ISIS and other terrorists around the world.

Let us also not forget those who are being being killed due to racial tensions,from drug deals gone bad, etc. There all sorts of reasons that people are being killed in this country.  We need to stand together join our hands and hearts in prayer, God will hear our cries!!!

Be a blessing, because you ARE blessed!

Sandy Ozanich (c) August 20, 2014

All About Mihran

I have been introduced to Mihran through another blogger, Sheri de Grom and I’m glad she did. I am offering a reblog of what Sheri wrote. . .

Lyrics, Sentiments and Me

I have blogged for years now. But I never met a man as gentle and kind as Mihran Kalaydjian. Because aside from the fact that he had been so generous reblogging my posts, there was this one very warm conversation I had with him.

When I posted my condolences to our dear Ajaytao, I made Mihrank cry that day. Although I was worried if I made him cry because I wrote bad; or I wrote something for Oscar’s (coz I do have the tendency for drama), but I was really touched with his honest sentiment. Coz Mihran never met Ajay, yet he shed a tear for him. He even asked me “Why am I crying, Aina?” I told him, “It’s because Mihran, you’re a gentleman with a very big heart and beautiful soul.” And so we were both crying in the end.

And I mean those words up to…

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Robin Williams

RIP ~ 1951 – 2014

You brought laughter, beauty and helped us forget about life for awhile. . .Thank you Robin!!! We will miss you!!! RIP

Robin Williams was supposedly suffering from severe depression.  My heart aches for all those who suffer from this disease.  Suicide is an unfortunate side-effect of depression.

If you or your loved one is suffering through depression, please, please seek help. . .a life depends on it.

Robin Williams was someone who could make the the rest of us laugh and bring us joy but for some reason he couldn’t seem to find for himself. Pulling himself from the darkness of depression despite many attempts to get help is a sad conclusion to a life that brought him pain.

My prayer tonight is that God in all mercy and love is holding Robin in his loving arms and that those who are suffering through depression or any other mental illness get help.

Sandy Ozanich (c) August 11, 2014

The Best Time of My Life

I was just looking outside to my backyard and there was my Festival of Birds!!!  Well that’s what I call them!!!  I have 4 bird feeders and there were so many birds singing and chirping, eating and playing.  What a scene.  I love this stuff.  I love watching the birds play and eat and argue, feed their babies and others trying to mate with whoever will have him.

It reminds me of the days I used to sit on my back porch and watch the birds, the butterflies, the flowers and loving every minute of it.  This was during the time that I literally was dying from Emphysema.  Here I was in my early 50’s wearing oxygen all the time. . .my only activity then was sitting and watching the birds.  I could not do anything else.  My job was to just breathe.  That was job enough because my lungs were only functioning at 20%.  So I took my job seriously by breathing and witnessing this glory called nature.

This back porch sitting was the best time of my life!  I became what God calls us to be ~ alive, aware, and witness to this beautiful world we are given to enjoy.  It was a time for reflection for sure.  It was also a time to just sit quietly, breathe and soak in God’s love.  It was a time for deep prayer, for wondering what the future held, but more than that it was a time to be fully alive even though my life was slipping away at that moment.  I had no idea whether I would survive this illness, but I was content in knowing that God had me no matter how it evolved.

My wish for my friends is that they get to experience what I experienced during that time and it is my prayer that I will be able to stay there.  I am so grateful for the life I have been  given a second chance ~ and now that I had been given a second chance I want to live that life to the fullest.

Truth be told, I have to say that I seem to have fallen back into being too busy to sit on that porch and witness God’s creation, so as soon as I place the last period on this piece I am going out to my beloved back porch to just breathe!!!

 

Sandy Ozanich (c) August 6, 2014

Going to the Zoo

Going to the zoo was such a highlight of my week last week. Haven’t been there for years, since my children were little. How nice to see the new habitats and the animals wandering freely, unfettered by bars and cages too small for their pacing steps..

How wonderful it would be if we could free ourselves from the “prisons” of our own making.  How many of us are living within prisons of isolation, depression, anger and fear.  I pray that you be released and become free to follow your passion and true joy!

It was so enjoyable being there with my oldest daughter Megan and her two little children, Nathan 6 and Natalie 3. We walked and talked with the animals. Many pictures were taken and faux anthills were climbed. What more could one person ask? Family, good weather and lots of walking.   For us, or for me at least this was like a walk through the Garden of Eden without the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. . .pure joy!

These are the diamonds in our life that sparkle, shine like the sun and bring us life. Everyday experiences are divine experiences when we can recognize God in the midst of all that lives and breathes. . .

So today, open up your senses to the divine in your life, your family, in your surroundings, in your heart and soul. This is where we find God ~ in the whisper, the beauty, the struggles and joys of living.

Sandy Ozanich © August 4, 2014