DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Bless us today with all the graces we need to make room for you in our busy holiday plans. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
ART THERAPY: Four randomized, controlled studies have shown that drawing, including coloring in a coloring book, lowers heart rate and decreases anxiety, making it an active form of meditation. One of my art teachers recommends the following to enhance the effect:
- Set the Stage: Create a relaxing environment by listening to music you love, lighting a candle, and keeping your favorite beverage close by. Take a moment to notice the sounds, tastes, smells, and physical sensations you experience as you settle in.
- Practice Deep Breathing: Before you begin, take 3-5 deep breaths to center yourself. This simple practice can help clear your mind and prepare you for focused creativity.
- Minimize Distractions: Silence your phone, close the door, turn off the TV, and let your family or coworkers know you’ll be unavailable for the next 15 minutes. This dedicated time for mindful art will allow you to fully engage in the creative process and also to give you a reset before you move on to the next part of your day.
- Cognitive and Affective Benefits of Coloring: Two Randomized Controlled Crossover Studies @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335331220_Cognitive_and_Affective_Benefits_of_Coloring_Two_Randomized_Controlled_Crossover_Studies
- Does Coloring Reduce Anxiety? Comparing the Psychological and Psychophysiological Benefits of Coloring Versus Drawing @ https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0276237420923290?journalCode=arta
COMMUNITY: CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OOI5Ymx3TiE to see a really special person go above and beyond. We are blessed to have someone like this is our area as well. The night before last, I heard a dog barking and squealing behind our house. There’s nothing but a field, trees, a steep downgrade into a swamp behind our house and it was cold. I got really concerned that someone’s dog had run off and gotten trapped or tangled in the dense brush, so I called the SPCA animal welfare officer. He said nobody had reported a missing dog and explained that the noises I described are typical for coyotes. We have coyotes in our area? Yup. I did not know this! Good thing we never let our little 10 pound Daisey out on her own! Anyway, despite the fact that he was about 99% sure it was not a dog, this fine man came out anyway, spent a good bit of time tramping around in the back with a flash light, whistling and calling, before phoning me back and telling me he was confident there was no dog freezing to death. I thanked him profusely for his kindness and commitment to his job and he just said, “Hey, better safe than sorry.”
DEBUNKING: [6:30] – This is the best compilation of “Trump is not a racist” I’ve ever seen.
LIFE: One day, while Dr. Catherine Wheeler was performing an abortion, she says, “God stopped me in the middle of the abortion. At the time, I didn’t understand it. I started the abortion and almost immediately felt this complete presence of evil. It was a darkness—physically dark to me and evil dark. I realized nobody else was aware. I remember sitting there thinking, ‘This has to do with the abortion.’ suddenly had the complete awareness of what I had blocked off—this was a baby. I was about to kill a human being.”
Despite this profound realization, Dr. Wheeler had to finish the procedure to protect the woman’s health. But in her heart, she made a vow. “I didn’t tell anybody about it. I thought, ‘Nobody is going to understand this, but I know it’s evil, and I won’t do it again.’”
This moment became a turning point in Dr. Wheeler’s life and career, marking the start of her journey away from abortion to becoming a mouthpiece for the sanctity of life.
NOTRE DAME: ::sigh:: We have lots of modern churches. Why couldn’t they HONOR the historical reality of this magnificent building by recreating period vestments and furnishings?!
- https://aleteia.org/2024/12/05/top-french-designer-created-new-vestments-for-notre-dame
- https://www.friendsofnotredamedeparis.org/archbishop-unveils-liturgical-furnishing-for-notre-dame-cathedral/
GRAMMY NOTES: Our church participates in the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program. Dearest picks the kids and I do the shopping. It was so fun this year to pick out pink and purple sneakers and art supplies for two little girls. The tag shopping always brings back good memories of the Christmas after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. At the time, Dearest was a young architect who had recently started his own practice. Within two weeks of the invasion, the bottom fell out of the building industry as investors canceled projects, including the one that would have fed and clothed us for at least six months.
We have never forgotten the joy of the Angel tree gifts and food baskets. One of the ladies from our church stood near Santa and wrote down what our 3 elementary aged girls asked for, then bought those things for them! The Kitchen Cupboard helped fill out the food stamps and WIC freebies, plus I could get free bread at the Salvation Army once a week when the delivery guy would drop off all the past date breads he picked up at the grocery stores. I still get weepy thinking about all the blessings we experienced that year. I also learned that food stamps won’t pay for TP, laundry detergent, or feminine hygiene protection. I have made a point of donating that stuff to the Kitchen Cupboard ever since.
SHORTS:
CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8EK7l3pkIYs to see another traffic court heart warmer.
CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OcBeYWXwG-8 to see a brief interview with Judge Caprio.
polination.blog 