Wordless Wednesday

January 8, 2014

Midwestern Ontario Caught in  an Arctic Vortex

 

 

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls 

 

A Bit of Grace

I grew up in an (Amish) Mennonite family. Saying grace before a meal was aways a part of any mealtime.

Gingerich family 1956

When I had kids of my own, my husband and I continued that tradition. We would hold hands and pray a blessing on our food and our day in whatever manner felt best for that particular time. Although I don't say an audible prayer when I eat alone, I do still ask to hold hands pray out loud when I have guests.

When Trina and Gary started their life together, they did not say a grace before meals at home. Thus Mina was introduced to this concept by her grandparents. She is now four years old and on this visit "home" her experience in church and with prayer was more meaningful than it has ever been. 

Mina at Christmas Eve service

Mina loved singing with the congregation in church. Poppa worked on teaching her a prayer, "God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food. Amen" Sometimes she would say her own prayer, in 'Mina-ese' (Mina spoke in a language all her own for some time before using English) - we knew it was a prayer by the cadence and phrasing. 

Mina and Poppa

For our last lunch together before the family would get on the big airplane to fly back to California was a bit of a hurried thing. Grandma made pizza, with Mina's help. 

Mina making a blueberry, ham and cheese pizza

When the pizza was ready we started eating. Mina stopped us, reaching out her hands. We got the message. We stopped, took hands around the circle and repeated the grace Poppa taught her. Gary decided they might have to start doing this at home too.

You may not always know when you are teaching a child -- or when a child is teaching you.

People were bringing babies to Jesus so that he would bless them. When the disciples saw this, they scolded them. Then Jesus called them to him and said, "Allow the children to come to me. Don't forbid them, because God's kingdom belongs to people like these children. I assure you that whoever doesn't welcome God's kingdom like a child will never enter it." Luke 18:15-17

Barbara B

© 2013-2014 twosnydergirls

Epiphany

January 6^th, 2013

Today the three wise men following the star are presented to the Christ child and God is revealed to the world.

The day of Epiphany is significant because the Christ child is not revealed to the Elders of the Jewish Church.  He is revealed to three wandering clerics who would have represent differing races, religions and geography.

God’s love for his creation was revealed to a diverse group and through this revelation they became united in their plan to protect the Christ child from King Herod.

Source

In understanding Epiphany this way I am reminded of the World War I story.  A story where diverse  and hated enemies put down their weapons and joined for one night, the night of Christ’s birth to sing Christmas Carols and WWI was not in that moment.

Source

Epiphany does not mean that diverse groups of people will unite under the religious rules of ….. here you can pick any one of the many diverse Christian religions.  

Verse 3 of the song ‘There’s a wideness in God’s mercy” captures well my belief on religious rules

“But we make God’s love too narrow by false limits of our own, and we magnify its strictness with a zeal God will not own”

Source

 God is revealed to be a loving inclusive Creator, Father, and Shepard, who desires that all creation enter heaven. 

 

Epiphany is about love, acceptance, forgiveness and hope being made manifest: many paths leading to one outcome of love.

Juanita Laverty show the You Tube Video “Trip the Light” as a way of helping visualize Epiphany through diversity.  Please take the time to watch this powerful video.

I was sitting at the back of church and once again was blessed by our smallest members, the children.  They stopped their play when the music started and as one they stood up and looked for the source of the music.  They started to clap and soon where dancing.

 

I believe that children will lead us in understanding the Epiphany of Diversity that God wants us to learn.

Let’s Dance.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2014 twosnydergirls 

Affirmation

Tea with a Soul Sister

It has been over a year since Dawna and I have sat down together and shared an unhurried afternoon of tea, food, spiritual connection and rich conversation.  

Graphic Fairy Image

In the past year I have yearned for such moments - two women sharing a unique spiritual connection free to be:

• raw knowing no harm will come
• angry without fear of reprisal
• silly without annoying
• empty and knowing you will leave spiritually renewed.

Today we are meeting at ‘The Bicycle Café’ 14 Sydenham Street, Flesherton, Ontario N0C 1E0.

Click here to visit their face book page

I am nervous, worried that the long lapse in time will have changed both of us and that this unique connection that we have will be gone, lost to me forever.  It is true that the older you get the more acutely aware you become of the things that are now forever outside of your reality.

Graphic Fairy Image

Like the lost opportunities to talk to my Grandma Almeda about her childhood on the farm, and to ask her how she coped with my grandfather's death?  I will understand it now as I am around the same age she was then.

I am writing down my stories so that my grandchildren and possibly great grandchildren will have a small window into my life.  Is that vain of me to think that they will want this gift I am offering?

Graphic Fairy Image

Dawna is there sitting in the window and I tell by the energy that surrounds her that my worries are unfounded.  I enter the Café, take off my coat and sit beside her facing out to the small town street.  

All of the time that has lapsed since our last cup of tea falls away like so many dust particles shaken from a blanket before it encircles you with warmth and love.  

Dawna smiles
 and affirms what I already know
- we are spirit sisters

 

Dawna gave me a very unique gift that only confirms our connection and I want to share it with you.   She gave me a small bag of tiny scrolls called ‘Love Notes’ by Shelly Hannah.  When I am struggling or wanting to refocus I can reach out to Dawna by reaching into my purse and opening one of the scrolls up.…

“Your imagination is a gift.  You can imagine new things that will make a difference to many people use it widely!”

Grandma Snyder

© 2013-2014 twosnydergirls