Fledged Finches and Empty Lives
"Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hello Fellow Sojourners!
It's all green! The yard I see through the windows. How I long for this during the winter season. I miss the beauty of it all. I have been looking for a place to spend part of the winter since it's so harsh on my body with the rheumatoid arthritis. I do consider the rheumatoid stuff temporary because I believe that bad thinking and beliefs causes most bad health. As we change our thoughts, we heal one moment at a time.
I've considered volunteer trips for the coming winter -- or being a caretaker or house sitter -- or organizing a home or business in exchange for room and bath. How about a receptionist and nature guide at a B&B or maybe somebody needs a garden makeover (I love to weed and tidy up gardens. My skills are varied having had many types of jobs prior to owning our own business and retail store. I like activity and I've always enjoyed work.
I guess that's why winter is so hard since it limits my movement so greatly. Spring brings me a new life and I'm going to listen to my own advice and make sure that I'm not wasting mine for half the year. I have a wonderful husband who will allow me to be gone weeks at a time so ... the possibilities are exciting.
My dream would be the rainforest to write and walk and talk with God and help the local community in some way. Randal's not in favor of me going out of the country unless I have a contact there .... and I understand that, although I'm adventuresome enough to do it.
I know YOU have some great ideas and may provide the perfect opportunity. I will consider all options and reply to all. Email me if you know of anything: winterrefuge@gmail.com Do NOT leave a comment on the blog unless you include your email address. If you're getting this by email, you can just reply.
The article below I wrote last year and didn't get it sent out during summer and since it's about baby birds, it didn't seem quite appropriate to send in winter. Now there's a pair of finches building a nest in our deck basket that we hung up in the eaves for birds to nest in, so it seems like a good time to send this.
Bunches of Blessings to You!
Donna
Today's Featured Article
Fledged Finches and Empty Lives
by Donna L. Watkins
They were recently out of the nest. Two juvenile Purple Finches experiencing life and all that comes with it for a bird from a new fresh viewpoint. After being crammed together with growing siblings pushing you up and over the nest that was comfortable when you first arrived, life looks pretty great and exciting flying about from tree to tree and one discovery to the next.
Finches are social birds so it's common to see nestlings remain together as they learn what life is about. Those of us who are the independent types and less people-oriented would do well to study the benefits of being more socialable. It may not take us as long to learn many of life's lessons that we tend to get from the "school of hard knocks."
I've seen wrens visit our gutters frequently and assumed it to be a good source of bugs. When it rains there must be bugs that get washed out of the skies and onto rooftops, to end up as a tidbit for a bird in the trough. I thought these two still downy-looking finches were too young to know that gutters might have food.
Then they began drinking. They had been attracted by the reflection of standing water in our gutters. Living in a wooded area provides a never-ending supply of leaves in gutters, so now I've seen a benefit to that. Those leaves keep the water from draining and provide water for the friendly visitors of the skies. I tucked that information away for a future excuse for delaying our gutter-cleaning.
After filling up on gutter tea, the one finch jumped down into the gutter as the other looked on seemingly surprised. The adventuresome one tossed a bit of water by shaking itself, but there wasn't enough room to consider it a full-service bird spa, so he hopped out and flew on with the "watcher" following after.
As with people, animals have personalities. Some are more adventuresome than others. Some are leaders, some are followers. Some are fearless, some are cautious. God made us all differently and uniquely to accomplish His purpose in and through us. Do you think that's why we seem to always end up marrying somebody so opposite of ourselves?
So often we are too busy admiring (could we say envying?) somebody else's design that we do not appreciate the skills and talents we have. We want the abilities that somebody else has that we think are important. The results are generally that we never find our own purpose in life while we are thinking "the grass is greener" in somebody else's purpose.
I read an article awhile back entitled, "Purpose: Seventy Five Percent of The Battle, by Ralph Williams." He stated that "life was a constant quest for balance, peace and acceptance. Find these three and all of a sudden, you have virtue and security." He said with all five you end up with purpose. You will never be a whole person without discovering your true purpose for being on this planet. Look around at the millions of people searching for purpose. They're looking for it in their jobs, their role in the family structure, or in their recreational activities. It's like an elusive butterfly darting here and there while we find that it's impossible to catch up to discover who we were meant to be.
That leaves many in a daily state of despair, discouragement, doom and depression. Millions are alleviating their pain with food, clothes, cars, houses, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, shopping or simply becoming numb to life and the world around them. They don't know where to begin to look for their purpose. It seems it may have been misfiled at birth, never to be found.
We run around doing what we have to do, what we think we should do, and don't take the time to find out what we were created to do besides worshiping our Lord and Savior.
Activity works well as blinders, but it ends up back into the same daily state of despair, discouragement, doom and depression. It's the never-ending self-rejection syndrome of never making it over the bar we've set for ourselves.
We'll never find our true self, or love the person we were made to be, if we keep living life trying to be somebody else. Ralph Williams, in his article, provides a rather simple way of discovering purpose. He says, "Assess yourself and put a finger on the things you do almost effortlessly but don't pay much attention to: the thing you do that makes other people sometimes ask, "how did you do that?" and you reply, "oh, it's really nothing."
He says to ask this question: "what do I do that is usually a benefit, help, or blessing to a number of people?" There is a great chance that your purpose is right in front of your face. There is a greater chance that once you accept it, you will find the peace and meaning in your life that you have always chased but never been able to catch."
If we get rid of comparing ourselves and always wanter the "seemingly" greener grass, we're left with all the peace, joy and contentment that God offers if we walk in who He made us to be and not seek what we think or have been told we should be.
Ask others what they think you do well. You've been looking for yourself in all the wrong places ..... discover who you are and fall in love with you. You will find a tremendous feeling of peace and joy that the world cannot give you. Inside there's a knowing of who we were made to be ... we can see it, but we just can't imagine purpose could be that easy.
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Share "A Healing Moment" With a Friend
On the blog: http://www.theherbsplace.com/AHMblog/ahm.html
On the website: http://www.theherbsplace.com/ahm.html
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Home Business
Women
Men
Children
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Non-toxic Laundry and Cleaning
More Complimentary Email Newsletters
The Herbs Place offers several newsletters with topics such as natural health, essential oils, pets, nature, and frugal living. More about newsletters.
Copyright and Reprint Information
© 2007 Donna L. Watkins
All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins. You may forward or use this copyrighted article on a website if you include the following credit and link:
This article originally published in "A Healing Moment" was reprinted with permission. The Herbs Place provides a free email subscription to "A Healing Moment." Visit the author's website for more articles and other free newsletters available. http://www.theherbsplace.com/ahm.html
Hello Fellow Sojourners!It's all green! The yard I see through the windows. How I long for this during the winter season. I miss the beauty of it all. I have been looking for a place to spend part of the winter since it's so harsh on my body with the rheumatoid arthritis. I do consider the rheumatoid stuff temporary because I believe that bad thinking and beliefs causes most bad health. As we change our thoughts, we heal one moment at a time.
I've considered volunteer trips for the coming winter -- or being a caretaker or house sitter -- or organizing a home or business in exchange for room and bath. How about a receptionist and nature guide at a B&B or maybe somebody needs a garden makeover (I love to weed and tidy up gardens. My skills are varied having had many types of jobs prior to owning our own business and retail store. I like activity and I've always enjoyed work.
I guess that's why winter is so hard since it limits my movement so greatly. Spring brings me a new life and I'm going to listen to my own advice and make sure that I'm not wasting mine for half the year. I have a wonderful husband who will allow me to be gone weeks at a time so ... the possibilities are exciting.
My dream would be the rainforest to write and walk and talk with God and help the local community in some way. Randal's not in favor of me going out of the country unless I have a contact there .... and I understand that, although I'm adventuresome enough to do it.
I know YOU have some great ideas and may provide the perfect opportunity. I will consider all options and reply to all. Email me if you know of anything: winterrefuge@gmail.com Do NOT leave a comment on the blog unless you include your email address. If you're getting this by email, you can just reply.
The article below I wrote last year and didn't get it sent out during summer and since it's about baby birds, it didn't seem quite appropriate to send in winter. Now there's a pair of finches building a nest in our deck basket that we hung up in the eaves for birds to nest in, so it seems like a good time to send this.
Bunches of Blessings to You!
Donna
Fledged Finches and Empty Lives
by Donna L. Watkins
They were recently out of the nest. Two juvenile Purple Finches experiencing life and all that comes with it for a bird from a new fresh viewpoint. After being crammed together with growing siblings pushing you up and over the nest that was comfortable when you first arrived, life looks pretty great and exciting flying about from tree to tree and one discovery to the next.
Finches are social birds so it's common to see nestlings remain together as they learn what life is about. Those of us who are the independent types and less people-oriented would do well to study the benefits of being more socialable. It may not take us as long to learn many of life's lessons that we tend to get from the "school of hard knocks."
I've seen wrens visit our gutters frequently and assumed it to be a good source of bugs. When it rains there must be bugs that get washed out of the skies and onto rooftops, to end up as a tidbit for a bird in the trough. I thought these two still downy-looking finches were too young to know that gutters might have food.
Then they began drinking. They had been attracted by the reflection of standing water in our gutters. Living in a wooded area provides a never-ending supply of leaves in gutters, so now I've seen a benefit to that. Those leaves keep the water from draining and provide water for the friendly visitors of the skies. I tucked that information away for a future excuse for delaying our gutter-cleaning.
After filling up on gutter tea, the one finch jumped down into the gutter as the other looked on seemingly surprised. The adventuresome one tossed a bit of water by shaking itself, but there wasn't enough room to consider it a full-service bird spa, so he hopped out and flew on with the "watcher" following after.
As with people, animals have personalities. Some are more adventuresome than others. Some are leaders, some are followers. Some are fearless, some are cautious. God made us all differently and uniquely to accomplish His purpose in and through us. Do you think that's why we seem to always end up marrying somebody so opposite of ourselves?
So often we are too busy admiring (could we say envying?) somebody else's design that we do not appreciate the skills and talents we have. We want the abilities that somebody else has that we think are important. The results are generally that we never find our own purpose in life while we are thinking "the grass is greener" in somebody else's purpose.
I read an article awhile back entitled, "Purpose: Seventy Five Percent of The Battle, by Ralph Williams." He stated that "life was a constant quest for balance, peace and acceptance. Find these three and all of a sudden, you have virtue and security." He said with all five you end up with purpose. You will never be a whole person without discovering your true purpose for being on this planet. Look around at the millions of people searching for purpose. They're looking for it in their jobs, their role in the family structure, or in their recreational activities. It's like an elusive butterfly darting here and there while we find that it's impossible to catch up to discover who we were meant to be.
That leaves many in a daily state of despair, discouragement, doom and depression. Millions are alleviating their pain with food, clothes, cars, houses, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, shopping or simply becoming numb to life and the world around them. They don't know where to begin to look for their purpose. It seems it may have been misfiled at birth, never to be found.
We run around doing what we have to do, what we think we should do, and don't take the time to find out what we were created to do besides worshiping our Lord and Savior.
Activity works well as blinders, but it ends up back into the same daily state of despair, discouragement, doom and depression. It's the never-ending self-rejection syndrome of never making it over the bar we've set for ourselves.
We'll never find our true self, or love the person we were made to be, if we keep living life trying to be somebody else. Ralph Williams, in his article, provides a rather simple way of discovering purpose. He says, "Assess yourself and put a finger on the things you do almost effortlessly but don't pay much attention to: the thing you do that makes other people sometimes ask, "how did you do that?" and you reply, "oh, it's really nothing."
He says to ask this question: "what do I do that is usually a benefit, help, or blessing to a number of people?" There is a great chance that your purpose is right in front of your face. There is a greater chance that once you accept it, you will find the peace and meaning in your life that you have always chased but never been able to catch."
If we get rid of comparing ourselves and always wanter the "seemingly" greener grass, we're left with all the peace, joy and contentment that God offers if we walk in who He made us to be and not seek what we think or have been told we should be.
Ask others what they think you do well. You've been looking for yourself in all the wrong places ..... discover who you are and fall in love with you. You will find a tremendous feeling of peace and joy that the world cannot give you. Inside there's a knowing of who we were made to be ... we can see it, but we just can't imagine purpose could be that easy.
Archived Articles Here
Share "A Healing Moment" With a Friend
On the blog: http://www.theherbsplace.com/AHMblog/ahm.html
On the website: http://www.theherbsplace.com/ahm.html
Quick Links to The Herbs Place
Current Specials
Online Catalog
Products A-Z
Home Business
Women
Men
Children
Pet Health Topics
Essential Oils
Natria Beauty Products
Non-toxic Laundry and Cleaning
More Complimentary Email Newsletters
The Herbs Place offers several newsletters with topics such as natural health, essential oils, pets, nature, and frugal living. More about newsletters.
Copyright and Reprint Information
© 2007 Donna L. Watkins
All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins. You may forward or use this copyrighted article on a website if you include the following credit and link:
This article originally published in "A Healing Moment" was reprinted with permission. The Herbs Place provides a free email subscription to "A Healing Moment." Visit the author's website for more articles and other free newsletters available. http://www.theherbsplace.com/ahm.html
posted by Donna at 2:58 PM
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