Peace Prayer

"Lord, we long for peace. Give us the courage and the spirit to build peace around us and never to give up on our hopes for understanding and harmony between people and nations."
God's Word Today - August 7, 2009



The story of the Seagulls at neighbor Irene's
We have many photos of a single Seagull sitting in the birdbath at our 94 year old neighbor Irene's. Observing the Seagulls, as they watch and wait for a boiled egg that Irene feeds her Seagull friends, has been very entertaining.

Lately there have been two Seagulls enjoying the birdbath at Irene's. Usually there is one Seagull that fights off any competition for the eggs: squawking, dive bombing, pursuing on the ground, anything to chase off a rival for the eggs.

It has been refreshing to watch "understanding and harmony" between two Seagulls....of course it does make a difference that it's a male and a female in the beginning stages of mating.

I do pray for "the courage and the spirit to build peace" around myself, and never give up hope that there can be "harmony and understanding" in our relationships and our world.

Photo: Seagulls sharing the birthbath at neighbor Irene's 5/20/09

Peaceful Primroses....

Scottish Primrose (Primula scotica)
Keynote: PEACE
Scottish Primrose brings inner peace and stillness when we are confronted by fear, anxiety, conflict or crisis and helps to restore natural rhythms. When we are at peace in our hearts, unconditional love flows through us and harmony prevails.

http://www.findhornessences.com/frame_pages/index_online.html


The fragrance, the bright happy colors, the way the water beads on the blooms....I love everything about spring blooming Primroses.

Never having been to Scotland to see the "Scottish Primrose," I am happy to read about the symbolism of the Scottish Primrose. Both Al and my heritage originates from Scotland. I can just imagine some of our ancestors feeling the peace of the Scottish Primrose as they walked or worked in their gardens.

Walking through Al's "Secret Garden," gives me a feeling of inner peace and stillness in my heart. There are very few blooms at this time of year, so the beauty of the primroses shine in the shadows or the sunlight. I am thankful for a husband that loves gardening.

Photo: Primroses in the Secret Garden - 5/19/09

Thoughts of Peace at Sunset

"If a man's dominating thoughts are of poverty, the law translates these thoughts into physical terms of misery and want. But if a man's dominating thoughts are of happiness and contentment, peace of mind and material wealth, the law transforms them into their physical counterpart. Man builds the pattern through his dominating thoughts, while the law of cosmic habitforce casts the mold according to the patterns man develops."

Cosmic Habitforce: The Law Which Fixes All Habits - Napoleon Hill


The sunsets at Lighthouse Beach always bring thoughts of peace and contentment for me.

I truly appreciate Napoleon Hill's philosophy of thoughts, the idea of working to choose our thoughts. There are many other teachers of life that are trying to instill the same idea; for people to use their minds to bring forth good in their lives. I want to concentrate on the "thoughts of happiness and contentment, peace of mind and material wealth." I also want to concentrate on gratitude; on being thankful for what I already have in life....especially my family.

Photo: Lighthouse Beach Sunset - 4/18/09

Peace of the Morning Sunrise

"Peace
be
with
you."

Jesus to his Disciples
John 20:19








This stained glass is one of the treasures that Al and I have found thrift shopping. I love the way the sun illuminates the stained glass sun just at the moment that I am reading the blessing that Jesus gives to his Disciples when he visits them in the Upper Room after his resurrection.

A nice vision to focus on with the foggy days enveloping us here on the Oregon Coast.

Photo: Stained glass @ Beach house 4/19/09

** THREE GRANDDAUGHTERS **

Three new granddaughters in less than a year! What a blessing for our family. Al and I now have five grandchildren! We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to be with each of our family members as their new daughters were born.



Lucia Marie McDougall
Born June 14, 2008 - to our son, John and Liz McDougall


Anna Caroline Edwards
Born February 10, 2009 - to our daughter Ali and Chris Edwards


Gabrielle McDougall Gitomer
Born March 18, 2009 - to our daughter Jessica and Jeffrey Gitomer

We are all thankful for the beautiful peace of a sleeping new baby.

Peace of Mind and Happiness

"If you aspire to the higher planes of success in life,
you should become better acquainted with that great,
powerful positive self who lives in your body.
It can be the creator of all the joys you desire –
all the material riches you need for peace of mind and happiness.
It can keep your physical body free from ailments."

Napoleon Hill
"Wake Up and Meet You Positive Self"


Napoleon Hill, mentor of many for a "Positive Mental Attitude."

"....he achieved great success as an attorney and journalist. His early career as a reporter helped finance his way through law school. He was given an assignment to write a series of success stories of famous men, and his big break came when he was asked to interview steel-magnate Andrew Carnegie. Mr. Carnegie commissioned Hill to interview over 500 millionaires to find a success formula that could be used by the average person. These included Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Elmer Gates, Charles M. Schwab, Theodore Roosevelt, William Wrigley Jr, John Wanamaker, WIlliam Jennings Bryan, George Eastman, Woodrow Wilson, William H. Taft, John D. Rockefeller, F. W. Woolworth, Jennings Randolph, among others."
A biography of Napoleon Hill (1883-1970) - Founder of The Science of Success

The quote today is an example of Hill's motivational style; his belief that if you fill your mind with positive thoughts, and believe
"What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve." Napoleon Hill

Photo: Pigeons @ Lighthouse Beach - 4/19/08
To be a pigeon, and be at the top of the tree!
Is that their view of success?

Gratitude brings Peace for today.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
chaos into order,
confusion into clarity....
It turns problems into gifts,
failures into success,
the unexpected into perfect timing,
and mistakes into important events.
Gratitude makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today
and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Melodie Beattie

I love this message from Melodie. As a practicing Christian, one of the ways I practice gratitude involves Thank you prayers. When I am feeling grouchy and tired and I still need to complete some task or continue to take the next step, I begin the Thank You God prayers. Thank you for my husband's love. Thank you for my children's health. Thank you that my daughter's baby's are growing and developing safely in their Mother's wombs. Thank you for each of my grandchildren and naming each one. Thank you for the freedoms of our country. Thank you for flowers and the beauty of nature. Sometimes, as I continue with whatever thoughts come to my mind, I may even be thanking God for the beautiful colors of our world.

The Plumeria in the photo above shows the beauty of the raindrops on a Plumeria bloom after a rain storm. Plumeria is one of the beautiful flowers of the Garden Island of Kauai. A strange and wonderful flower that grows on the tips of dead looking trees, like the ones in the photo below.


The circle of life. The beauty that can come after a storm.
I want to practice a vision of gratitude that brings "peace for today."


Photos: Plumeria of Kauai - 1/7/09