Poem of the Week

black cat leading me,
half asleep, to the food bowl
midnight snack

Veterans Day 2009--Thanks to our troops!

Why have you shortened their days, oh Lord?

Today's Office of Readings included Psalm 101 (102).  Given that this is the traditional month we remember the dead, this psalm was appropriate.  On a personal level, many of my friends and I have been hit with one after another untimely death that has left us wondering why. 

Psalm 101 (102)

He has brought down my strength in the midst of my journey;

he has shortened my days.

I will say, “My God, do not take me away half way through the days of my life.

Your years last from generation to generation:  in the beginning you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

They will pass away but You will remain;
all will grow old, like clothing,
and like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed.

“But You are always the same,
Your years will never run out."

This psalm asks the age old question, "Why have you brought them down in the midst of their journey?  Why have you taken them 'half way through the days of their lives?'"

I think the answer is "They will pass away, but You will remain. All will grow old, like clothing but you are always the same, your years will never run out."

All will pass away.  Today, tomorrow, or the next day. 

But God is the same, yesterday, today and forever.

Music Monday--Dust in the Wind

This is another one of my favorites, Dust in the Wind by Kansas.  This video has some beautiful pictures to accompany the song.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This week I posted about the beautiful new statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary that our church has purchased. They really change the whole atmosphere of the church.

On the creative front, I also shared my new crocheted cell phone case. I really love doing practical and easy crafts like this.
My poem of the week was appropriately about fall and what it feels like as a kid to stay outside in the newly cold days.

For Music Monday, a new feature here at the Well, I posted Heart's How Deep is Goes. I've been singing it to myself all week. Stay Tuned for another song tomorrow.

If you ever get the chance to have Korean Sweet Potatoes--they are well worth it! I also reviewed a coffee and tea shop in Fulton, MD, Sidamo, and a new tea (for me).

Sadly, the week brought with it another death, this time of an internet friend. I also discovered that another old friend is dying of cancer. May God be with them and their families.

Sidamo Coffee and Tea--A Review

My sister and I enjoyed a wonderful coffee shop in Fulton Maryland called Sidamo Coffee And Tea. Their main store is in Washington, DC near Union Station.

 My sister had a cup of their coffee, freshly roasted and ground on the premises daily and I had a cup of Provence Rooibos which was truly a sublime and transporting experience.  I had enjoyed Rooibos tea, which, by the way, is not a true tea, but a tisane made of the leaves of the red bush tree from South Africa, but had never heard of or tasted Provence Rooibos which is made with the addition of roses, lavender, and currents.  The aroma alone is worth the purchase and transports you immediately to sunny French fields freshly in bloom.

I will definitely have Provence Rooibos on hand from now on.  It is well worth the buying.

Special Intentions

I just found out that an internet friend has died.  Her son posted to her Facebook account.  We are all in shock.

I also just found out, via Facebook, that another friend from high school has untreatable cancer and is on hospice.

This really seems to be happening all at once.  I don't know why that seems to occur, and I have no words except that some things are just not important in comparison.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1.  I realize its not Friday yet, but there is something about this early darkness that makes time seem to fly while in actuality it crawls by. 

2.  Speaking of this early darkness, I don't like it.  Darkness descends and makes me feel more alone somehow.  Even when dh is home.  It seems like the middle of the night and that I shouldn't be awake no matter what time it is. 

3.  I want to put out a prayer request for the 12 soldiers killed by a U.S. Army officer in Fort Hood, TX today and their families.  Also, a prayer request goes out for the 31 injured and their families, for the gunman or gunmen and their families, and for all those touched by this tragedy. 

4.  Another prayer request goes out for a nephew of a friend of mine.  He lost his mother when he was young, and just burried  his father yesterday.  May his father rest in peace and may he be comforted.

5.  I think it's time for some gratitude.  I am grateful for my icon corner, illuminated by the soft light that stands under it, casting a bit of spiritual happiness in a dark Autumn evening.

6.  I am also grateful for light and heat.  I am blessed to live in a time where I can have both readily availble. 

7.  And finally, I am grateful that my vertigo has abated and that I can sleep more easily.

Korean Sweet Potatoes

I'm in love with Korean sweet potatoes.  Unlike the more easily found variety, they are a bit redder on the outside, decidedly more yellow on the inside, and, imo, sweeter and creamier.  I'm definitely going to get more of these!