THE HUGGING SAINT & A BIG BEAR HUG

 

Hugs.

We all need them.

But I hadn’t realized just how much we long to be hugged, yearn for the warmth of human embrace, until I wrote about hugs a couple of days ago  and received a number of comments and emails in reply.

And then on Friday afternoon, I went to the gym – for the fourth time this week! I’m visiting my daughter in Virginia and she goes regularly – and now her gym has kindly given me a free pass for the duration of my visit.  I’ve got the bug already – pounding away on the treadmill, doing the rolling hills program, trying to keep ready for the 100 miles walk of Pilgrimage in September; weights in hand, ear plugs in, small TV screen on in front of me.  And off I go, oblivious to my surroundings.  I’ve watched chat shows, Wimbledon tennis, the news, depending on the time of day.

On Friday afternoon it was the news. And I was fascinated to see coverage of a HUG-IN.

A sweet looking Indian lady, called Amma (mother) to her followers, had been just a few miles away in Alexandria, VA, all day, just hugging people, one after the other. It’s what she does.

She sits there and hugs anyone and everyone who comes for a hug.                   

People had been waiting for hours in order to get a hug.

“She doesn’t get up, or stretch, or eat. It makes you contemplate your own life and challenges….When she hugs me, I experience a great surge of peace and spirit. I have to go sit down,” said a woman quoted in The Washington Post.

People believe that Mata Amritanandamayi, the hugging saint, transmits power to others through a simple hug.

And in many ways they are right. A hug can relieve stress, prolong life, increase healthy levels in the body

But it seemed so sad that people had travelled and waited in order to be hugged by a stranger. Was it so very different to being hugged by family or friends? Did the effect wear off and if so would they have to follow Amma to her next location for another hug?

And I thought again of the Good Shepherd carrying His lambs close to His Heart. (Isaiah 40:11)

How He wept because the people were tired and confused, like sheep without a Shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)

And how He has no hands now but our hands – to hug and hold and help.

Teresa of Avila (1515–1582) wrote:

Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Might you hug someone today with the hug of the Good Shepherd?  Who needs a hug from you? 

Or maybe you need to ask for a hug for yourself?

And send this on to someone so that they will also hug someone else?

UPDATE: hugs for January HERE: http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/2013/01/06/why-you-need-a-cuddle-in-january-pt-3-of-alleviating-the-blues/

ONE (FREE) WAY TO LIVE LONGER AND REDUCE STRESS!

Holley said it yesterday : Three hugs a day makes you live longer.                                                                             

Makes you happier.

Of course,  at any given moment you are 50% of a hug.

My mother was widowed when only 64. And after that, she always said she missed his hugs. No-one hugged her, touched her.

We each need the  

3 HUGS a DAY diet 

We each need to be touched, to feel the warmth of another person's hand or arm around us.

Hugs are healing.  Heart rate slows, blood pressure stabilises, immune system improves.

We know that if newborn babies are deprived of touch, they don't do well even if their other needs are all met.

Virginia Satir, American author and psychotherapist said we need four hugs a day for survival, eight hugs a day for maintenance, twelve hugs a day for growth.

I look at this photo.  Taken at my mother's funeral.  Two of my grandchildren, her great-grandchildren, caught on camera hugging each other.  Too small to understand what was happening, but maybe aware of sadness all around them. Cousins hugging.

Hugging is such a natural, healing thing.

* * * *

I hesitate to hug. Always have done.

I like my space, shrink from contact.  Immediately following my 90 year old mother's unexpected and brutal death caused by an out-of-control car, people wanted to hug me.  It was kindly meant, I know.  It felt like being rubbed raw.

Hug three times a day?  Eight times? TWELVE times??

And now I read that  hugging increases oxytocin, especially in women, and so can lessen stress because it  decreases the levels of cortisol , the fight or flight hormone.

I need a hug.

Right now.

And so do you.

At the end of a Pilgrimage, when we have all been through so much together - miles and miles, blisters and sisters, views and pews, the agony and the ecstasy -

we hug. No words to express so much; but a hug says it all.

Even for me.

He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart

 Isaiah 40:11 (NIVUK)

Have you hugged anyone today? Been hugged?

Might you try? Might I?

Please hug me if you see me ... I'm learning to hug back!

And if there's someone you want to hug but are not sure ... or they are far away ...

send them this?

FIVE SIMPLE WAYS TO TRUE HAPPINESS

I am writing a  blog (Monday to Friday)  on preparing spiritually and physically

to lead a Pilgrimage of 100 miles in September.

for details of the Pilgrimage, click on the dropdown Cotswold Pilgrimage bar at the top of this page.

 

LIFE LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS : an inalienable right?

Thomas Jefferson thought so .The phrase is meant to exemplify the "inalienable rights" with which all human beings are endowed by their creator and for the protection of which they institute governments. (quote taken from Wikipedia)

But there is another thought.

In pursuit of happiness we lose contentment.

I reposted a photo on Facebook  (I don't know where it originated, if you know please let me know!)  -  and it has been 'liked' and reposted by more people than much of what I put there! It seems to resonate with them:

Five simple rules for happiness:

- free your heart from hatred.  Anita Mathias has been blogging on this. It's a powerful thought - forgiveness, freedom from hatred, yes - but more, actually praying for the strength to love in place of that hatred.

- free your mind from worries. Easier said than done? I have learnt that actually I have a choice. I can choose to worry - or I can choose not to.  I can choose to

 Cast the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 1 Peter 5:7 (Amplified Bible)

- Live simply. My daughter's friend, Alice (not her real name) had always wanted a large family home, plenty of space, a large garden - and a couple of  years ago her dream was realised. She and her family moved into a beautiful home further out of town, with everything she had always wanted. After 10 months Alice finally plucked up the courage to tell her husband that she wanted to move. It felt so unnecessarily luxurious and was taking every last penny of their money - so they had less to give away to others. He was much relieved for he had thought the same. So they prayed; and within 24 hours of going on the market, the house was sold. They moved - to a much smaller but very pleasant townhouse. Her happiness levels soared: once again they had money to give away to those who had so much less, both at home and abroad. Alice is living simply so that others may simply live. She is radiantly happy; I know -  I've met her.

- Give more.  Of yourself. Your time, your talents, your treasure, your testimony. Whatever  you share will be given back, pressed down and running over.  God is no ones' debtor.  Yes it's costly and sometimes hurts. In more ways than one. But as David said, "I will not give the Lord what has cost me nothing." (2 Sam 24:24)

- Expect less. My grandmother used to say Blessed is he who expecteth nothing for he shall not be disappointed.  It's somewhat tongue in cheek. But what RIGHT do I have to anything? All is gift, given in love. What if tomorrow you had only the things you gave thanks for today?

Five simple ways to  true happiness.

Might they work for me? For you?  Shall we try?

Reflections on water

I am writing a daily blog (Monday to Friday)  on preparing spiritually and physically

to lead a Pilgrimage of 100 miles in September.

for details of the Pilgrimage, click on the dropdown Cotswold Pilgrimage bar at the top of this page 

The Fosse Way. Ancient, straight, unbending.  Full of old memories.                                                       

Roman soldiers marched it. Horse carts stuck in its mud.

Cars still drive most of it.

My friend and I walked some part of it, heads tossed about in the wind, hairfree, carefree, glad to BE.

We walked.  We talked.  Glossy black cows and speckled herds were over the hedgerows.

We found berries sweet, small, sun-kissed.

There was a sadness in each of us, years or more of hard places.   Parents departed. Children making nests empty. Struggling spouses. Illnesses. Finances. Life.

And the book I recently encountered.  Eucharistic moments – the breaking of bread, the giving of thanks in the brokenness, the miracle ensuing. Looking for charis, gifts of God, so often unnoticed yet there for our accepting.

We strode on, the ground dry and cracked, the path hard to our feet. And then.  The farmyard, horses, a tractor from which to stand aside.  The gate to the next field, always open – always there a puddle thick with farmyard mud to straddle.

More dry earth, more fields, more cows.  More sun and wind and glorious freedom in the views. And then that final wet stretch, teetering along its edge, trying to find a pathway through, and I knowing it to be always wet, “Perhaps it’s a spring, fresh water always leaching through.”

Hop skip jump and we are over and onwards.

Remembering later, I write to her.

Thinking of that cracked dry soil we saw in some places this afternoon; and the puddles which never seem to be dry - a metaphor of what happens when joy and grace and God's gifts penetrate our broken, cracked lives.  

And looking for the Gifts.  Searching out the Eucharistic moment. Allowing Him to leach into our crackedness.  Dry hardness becomes soft.

Life giving.

Life healing.

Life refreshing.

Life in all its fullness.

His life filling into ours.

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”  John 4:13-14

When have you experienced that Life-Giving Water  in new and unexpected ways?

Who needs your help in finding that Water right now?

When you don't know what to pray

I am writing a daily blog (Monday to Friday)  on preparing spiritually and physically

to lead a Pilgrimage of 100 miles in September.

for details of the Pilgrimage, click on the dropdown Cotswold Pilgrimage bar at the top of this page 

- I’d love to pray more.

 - But sometimes I just don’t know what to say. 

 - I have no words yet I want to pray.  Can you give me some ideas of what I might say?

 - I’m in such a mess. I can’t seem to say all of what I feel.

 - My sorrow is too deep for words. I feel cut off.

- I’m too full (with emotion) to be able to pray.

This, these, have been voiced to me recently. And I know how that feels.

And I know a little of what has helped me.  Might it help you too?

Short, succinct prayers.

Few words, but words with great depth.

Words uttered by others over the centuries, those who too have plumbed the depths – and the heights.

Words repeated until they sink into one’s soul, become one’s breath; reiterated to extract their full meaning. Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life (John Bunyan)

Words such as those by Thomas Traherne:

Lord have mercy

Into Thy hands

Thee I adore

Or the paraphrase from blind Bartimaeus

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

The words of a father longing for his boy to be healed:

Lord I believe; help Thou my unbelief.

The first line of St Francis of Assisi’s famous prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace

Many of the Psalms have single lines of prayer that can be helpfully expressive:

Bless The Lord, O my soul, let all that is within me bless His holy Name!

Teach me your ways O Lord and lead me

There is none like You, O God, You are a mighty fortress unto me

Lead me, Lord – led me in your righteousness. Make your ways clear to me

Simple, short prayers that can be uttered repeatedly.

Offered up silently or aloud, as one walks and goes about one’s day.

And on a Pilgrimage, words formed on the lips for a longer period of walking, repeated until they become who one is for that time, said in rhythmic walking pace, focusing the mind on that alone.

For a Monday: words silently offered up in the midst of life, work, children, stuff. Shaping the day, crying out, focusing briefly on the One who understands.

Might you try  as short simple prayer today , repeating it as you go on?

What short prayers have most helped you?

Write them in the comment section below?

They may well help someone else today.

And maybe forward this to someone who needs to know a short prayer today? Thank you for grace.

HELD IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND

I am writing a daily blog (Monday to Friday)  on preparing spiritually and physically

to lead a Pilgrimage of 100 miles in September.

for details of the Pilgrimage, click on the dropdown Cotswold Pilgrimage bar at the top of this page 

Might you be walking over the weekend? Strolling somewhere perhaps?

Maybe you might take a few moments to pray for someone?

Maybe someone who is struggling, or who is ill, or facing a difficulty.  Maybe someone you would just like to hold in prayer for no particular reason.

Someone you love.

Someone you met.

Someone the Lord brings to mind.

While you are out walking, pick up something you can easily carry in your hand – a sun warmed stone, a wild flower, a shell, a twig ……

Hold it.

Feel it.

Use it to remind you of the one for whom you are praying.

And maybe you pray aloud.

Maybe you pray internally.

Maybe there are no words but a silent holding of the person in your heart and your prayer.

When you are ready to release the prayer, the person, choose where to lay down what you  are carrying.

Knowing that the Lord continues to carry them in the palm of His hand.

One tip to make a difference to your day

I am writing a daily blog (Monday to Friday)  on preparing spiritually and physically

to lead a Pilgrimage of 100 miles in September.

for details of the Pilgrimage, click on the dropdown Cotswold Pilgrimage bar at the top of this page 

What can you do that could make a vast difference to you today?

It could well be this 30 second retreat suggested by

Jim Kochenburger  yesterday on Facebook:

Stop. Breathe. Thank God for two things... (Phil 4:6)

Did you see it yesterday and do it? It seems such a small amount of time– smaller even than the one minute retreat. http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/2012/06/21/a-one-minute-retreat/

Can it really make such a difference?

So I stopped.

Took a deep breath.

And gave God thanks for two things.

It did make a difference and I am glad that I did it. But it also felt a little paltry. Just 30 seconds, God, that’s all I can spare right now.

Maybe the minute felt like that for you - almost rudely short. But then I thought about one of my little granddaughters, running up to me, throwing her arms around me (or more precisely, my legs) giving me a hug and running off again.

Precious.      Brief.      Heartfelt.

Something I love and which means so much to me.  And to the Heart of the Father - a quick looking to Him, a moment of love and gratitude to Him.

It touches the heart of the loved one so very deeply.

You may not be able to go on a Pilgrimage. Nor even go away on a 24 hour retreat.

But anyone can stop, anywhere, and give God thanks for 30 seconds.

Have you done it now?

Try it and see what happens.

And then let me know what you think.

Was it helpful? How did it feel?

Who else might you suggest it to?

How to learn one thing about blogging

I am writing a daily blog (Monday to Friday)  on preparing spiritually and physically

to lead a Pilgrimage of 100 miles in September.

for details of the Pilgrimage, click on the dropdown Cotswold Pilgrimage bar at the top of this page 

How are your blogging skills?

Have you thought about writing a blog?

Last September, as part of my Happiness Project (http://happiness-project.com/books/the-happiness-project/about-the-book/) I decided to learn to blog and tweet.

According to Livehappier, “When we stop learning we stop living. Most people are happier when they learn new things” (http://www.livehappier.com/life-arenas/learning) and I needed more happiness. So I began to engage more with social media.

I did it my way. Learned a little from family and friends. Picked up hints and tips from people I met. Copied what others did.

And to a certain extent, it works.

Then yesterday I decided to take a day to read and research about blogging. It’s never ending – there is a lot of information available out there to help you on your way.

But what was most noticeable was the reaction to my blog posting yesterday morning.  I asked for comments and suggestions and help in my day’s project.  And people have been very kind and very helpful.

One friend, Anita, whom I met through social media and had lunch with last week,  has even written a whole blog post to help me.  http://dreamingbeneaththespires.blogspot.co.uk/

The best thing I have discovered about social media is the sense of community, the relationships, the help and the generosity.

Whether it’s meeting with people (and I’ve met a number of twitter friends face to face, both in the UK and the USA, over the past three months - what joy!)

or downloading freebies

or even a free webinar tonight (http://blogthatconverts.com/webinars/jeff-goins-derek-halpern/)

there is a spirit of reaching out and being generous that I have not really experienced anywhere else.

Not even in church.

* * * *

So I’m glad that I blogged my resources for retreats because I want to help people to be able to spend deeper time with the Lord.

ideas for a 24 hour retreat

http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/2012/06/12/refresh-renew-recreate-retreat/

thoughts on a 10 day silent retreat

http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/2012/06/13/bubbles-and-silence-a-10-day-retreat/

special places to go for a Retreat

http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/2012/06/20/760/

A one minute retreat anywhere anytime

http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/2012/06/21/a-one-minute-retreat/

And today I want to urge you to do one or more of those - 

To spend some time alone with God.

To BE in His Presence.

Even if it’s just a minute.

It’s my gift to you.

* * * *

And I want to learn this lesson.

To give.

Not expecting anything in return.

Just because it is more blessed to give than to receive.

* * * *

Thank you for what you are giving me.

I hope I can give a little in return.

I NEED YOUR HELP

I am writing a daily blog (Monday to Friday)  on preparing spiritually and physically

to lead a Pilgrimage of 100 miles in September.

for details of the Pilgrimage, click on the dropdown Cotswold Pilgrimage bar at the top of this page 

I need your help!

TODAY I AM LEARNING TO BLOG.

And tomorrow I shall learn to tweet.

After ten months of trying to do it my self-taught way, I decided to take some time out and see what I should be doing, what I might be doing, what others recommend.

So here I am; sitting in the Bolt Hole in the Cotswolds, with a three day agenda.

Read.  Learn. Write.

And detox. I’m on a light fruit/vegetable/yogurt/lots of water diet for 48 hours.

Could be somewhat light headed after that.

Let me ask you:

How did you learn to blog and tweet?

What are your best tips?

What should I know to do or not to do?

How do I build a platform?

And who are the best ‘professionals’ in the business that you would recommend I should research and learn from?

All information and help will be gratefully received. Please put your advice, comments, suggestions and ideas below:

THE PATH

I am writing a daily blog (Monday to Friday)  on preparing spiritually and physically

to lead a Pilgrimage of 100 miles in September.

for details of the Pilgrimage, click on the dropdown Cotswold Pilgrimage bar at the top of this page 

I followed a path that day.

In pale, golden, dew-drenched morning. Following where it went.

The path led me on, beckoned me.

Took me between beautiful old buildings, stretched out enticingly, looked so easy to walk.

Undulated gently at my feet.

I walked.

Walked enjoying walking, filled with the sense of purpose and pleasure, pleased to stride on in freedom and rhythm.

Then –  the path twisted. Hid what was around the corner. Took off uphill.

Barred the way with a stile to climb.

Narrowed.

I followed.

Climbed.

Onwards and upwards.

Then

The sign pointed down

down across the field.

The path was but a footprint of previous walkers

a mark in the grasses

wet with dew

hard to follow.

And it seemed to end at the far trees, looming and dark and unknown because unseen.

But still the sign pointed me on.

In trepidation I followed, trusting the sign and its pointing finger.

IS this is the way to go?

Straight on.

And so through the leaves, sunlight, dappled on the path, illuminating the way, joyful in my heart.

Leading my feet to the rough staircase

up through the woods

on to my home.

Thank you Lord

For the pathway I tread -

marked out by You

pointed by Your finger.

Sometimes it’s liberating and free and easy.

Sometimes it winds and twists. All but disappears.

Goes uphill and threatens to overcome me

with its foreboding and unknown.

But You walk this Way before me

beside me

behind me.

My Signpost

Guide

Protector

Pacesetter

Friend and companion along the Way

Oh let me see your Footsteps and in them plant mine own.

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. “       Psalm 32:8 (NLT)

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

I am writing a daily blog (Monday to Friday)  on preparing spiritually and physically

to lead a Pilgrimage of 100 miles in September.

for details of the Pilgrimage, click on the dropdown Cotswold Pilgrimage bar at the top of this page 

I’ve been posting about retreats recently –

ideas for a 24 hour retreat

http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/2012/06/12/refresh-renew-recreate-retreat/

thoughts on a 10 day silent retreat

http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/2012/06/13/bubbles-and-silence-a-10-day-retreat/

special places to go for a Retreat

http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/2012/06/20/760/

A one minute retreat anywhere anytime

http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/2012/06/21/a-one-minute-retreat/

And today I want to urge you to do one or more of these things.

To spend some time alone with God.

To BE in His Presence.

Even if it’s just a minute.

I’ve been reading Elijah’s story this week. http://www.amazon.com/Readers-Guide-Bible-Chronological-Reading/dp/1415871051/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1340347029&sr=8-2&keywords=Guthrie+Chronological+BIble

How he interacted with life and then withdrew for spiritual sustenance.

Braving Ahab and then being ministered to by ravens sent by God at the Wadi Cherith. A most remote place yet a place where God tenderly looks after him.

Staying quietly with a widow and healing her son, and knowing the Lord’s provision daily.

Calling down fire from God on the soaking sacrifice, ending the drought and showing God’s power.

Fleeing to a cave when his life was threatened and an angel providing him with food, and the same at the next cave.

Feeling all alone, the only one left who worshipped God; and then the privilege of knowing the Presence of the Lord – the still small voice in the sheer silence.

The times of solitude were not easy for Elijah.

But it was then that he knew the Lord and experienced Him in unimaginable ways.

Thomas a Kempis wrote in the 15^th Century:

The person who wants to arrive at interiority and spirituality has to leave the crowd behind and spend some time with Jesus. Nobody’s comfortable in public unless he spends a good deal of time in the quiet of his own home. Better to lie still in one’s cubicle and worry about one’s spiritual welfare. Worse, to roam the streets, a wonder-worker for others, to the neglect of one’s own spiritual life.

God tells us, as he told Elijah – Go and hide yourself by the stream.

It’s there that He will tenderly minister to our needs.

Does busyness really fulfill you?

What prevents you from making times of solitude, even if it’s just one minute,  a part of your everyday life?

Can you trust God to give you all you need through times of solitude with Him?

A ONE MINUTE RETREAT

I am writing a daily blog (Monday to Friday)  on preparing spiritually and physically

to lead a Pilgrimage of 100 miles in September.

for details of the Pilgrimage, click on the dropdown Cotswold Pilgrimage bar at the top of this page 

THE ONE MINUTE RETREAT

I’ve been posting about retreats recently –

ideas for a 24 hour retreat http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/2012/06/12/refresh-renew-recreate-retreat/

thoughts on a 10 day silent retreat http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/2012/06/13/bubbles-and-silence-a-10-day-retreat/

special places to go http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/2012/06/20/760/

Now for something which is easy and do-able, whenever you need it. 

Right now?

THE ONE MINUTE RETREAT

Do anything meaningful in just one minute?

Yes.  You can – YOU can.

Take just a minute, anywhere, anytime, and RETREAT into God and His promises.

Here’s a suggestion:

Stop. Do something different. If you are sitting at your desk, turn away from the computer, put down the pen, move your hands …. You might like to place them palms up, resting gently on your knees, then close your eyes and take a deep breath.

And another deep breath.

This is a retreat. In your mind’s eye, go somewhere beautiful, peaceful, life giving, that means something to you – a favourite beach, a mountain top, a woodland track ….

As you do so, give thanks to the Lord – for He is good and His love endures forever. (Ps 118:1-3)

Allow yourself to BE in His love. Accept it. It’s always there for you, surrounding you and holding you and accepting you. Relax into it. Drop the shoulders, ease the neck, straighten the back …. relax!

Another deep breath.  And as you breath out, cast all your cares on the Lord – for He cares for you. (1Peter 5:7)

Imagine throwing something – a stone into the water, a rock over the edge of the cliff, a heavy branch hurled away from you. Mentally turn your back on it and thank Him that He can deal with all of that as long as you leave it all with Him. So leave it with Him.

A deep breath. You are continuing in His love, your cares are left with Him, you can relax.

Now think about what you are returning to. It lies ahead of you. But you know that you are in His love, your cares have been left with Him. And now He tells you, Don’t worry about the future. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life …. Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
(Matt: 6:25-27)

Commit what lies ahead to Him, for “I know who holds the future, and He holds it in His hands…. I do not know the course ahead,
What joys and griefs are there.
But one stands near who fully knows,
I'll trust His loving care.”

Another deep breath. And as you breath in, take in the power of the Holy Spirit. I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you ….  For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:6-8)

As you gently come back to whatever you were previously doing, thank God for what you have just experienced of Him.

Take it with you as you continue today.

And know that a one minute retreat can be made anywhere at any time. It’s free, quick, easy – and soul restoring.

Thank God that there are so many minutes available each day!

What do you do to keep in His Presence regularly? What might you do in a moment of retreat?