A Wish for the New Year

May peace,  joy and prosperity
and sure steps
on bright roads
paved with clarity
be yours
as a New Year
opens it's door.

Regards,
MsRanaDee

About being enough

A recent conversation had your humble blogger  thinking about the popular affirmation of the past few years that "You are enough ". My thoughts in light of the aforementioned  colloquy begged for an alternative perspective from the phrase's current usage. The fact is, we aren't almighty.  As long as we're breathing air, there will be some life area in need of improvement. EWTN's Doug Keck pithily pointed this in a a comment he made recently on a radio show that "Life doesn't grade on a curve" What's more, there will be a time,  as the song goes, where we're "going to need somebody (or something) to lean on". It seems like it would behoove us to keep that in mind when making such an affirmation.

What say you readers?

Some Recent Words

Word on the curb is today is National Poetry Day. Here's a little recent something something from your humble blogger to join in the action. 

The Next Year 

Why does it seem that 

for every year that goes by

Time has wings 

like a hummingbird? 

It makes one wonder 

if it is a lesson 

from  Above 

offered lovingly each moment 

as a gift 

with a HANDLE WITH CARE label

As mortal chronology 

moves with swift 

Some Recent Words

Word on the curb is today is National Poetry Day. Here's a little recent something something from your humble blogger to join in the action. 

The Next Year 

Why does it seem that 

for every year that goes by

Time has wings 

like a hummingbird? 

It makes one wonder 

if it is a lesson 

from  Above 

offered lovingly each moment 

as a gift 

with a HANDLE WITH CARE label

As mortal chronology 

moves with swift 

#TBT

Guess who?

On Standing Out and Serendipitous Quotes

This past week has seen  more than a few quotes worth pondering on come in your humble blogger's way. One, which came up in a recent conversation, seemed especially worth sharing:

Don't bank your grand on not being typical. You may end up getting stuck.

The striking thing when hearing it was it's  (no pun intended ) seemingly countercultural bent.  In light of "standing out" appearing to  be a  thing in our current culture,  suggesting otherwise would  sound downright unthinkable.  On the other hand,  it may be something to think about. Could "joining the crowd", in certain instances,  be a beneficial and "out of the box" thing to do?

Peace Math

What an indescribable few weeks it has been found our world. Of note for your humble blogger has been the concept of #GiveUsOneWeek. Started by Deep Cotton's Instagram post yesterday,  it turned into poetry by some fellow fans of the Wondaland crew in reaction to all the tragedies that have happened.  After a few iterations your humble blogger decided to get in the game with this poem, which shall be dubbed "Peace Math"

Blessings,
MsRanaDee

On Not "half -doing"

If any concept will stick with your humble blogger for the rest of her life,  it is the"half-do"-specifically, the importance of not "half-doing" one's tasks.  (For the record, , yes, it is a cleaned-up version of the other colloquialism for not giving one's all.) Lately, it's personal significance has been on my mind.  Then a quote from Fr. Pat Egan entered the rumination:

"No one has a vocation to be just average "

Whether one wants to admit it or not, everyone has a calling. That calling, to put it in modern colloquial parlance, is to "be great". Also, whether or not we want to admit, one's calling goes to the heart of one's being. Not giving 100 percent is just short cutting one's self, not to mention one's fellow human beings.

Hence, "not half-doing" isn't just part of a cool catchphrase. It's what we're mean to be.

Food for thought pt. 2

It has been on your humble blogger's heart as of late to share some words of edification.  Why? Because as Teresa Tomeo says, "It's not if you'll suffer,  it's when". Such is life,  whether we want to admit it or not.  Yet, as Romans 5:4 notes:

"...affliction produces endurance, and endurance,  proven character, and proven character,  hope,  and hope does not disappoint..."

A Question

While perusing this month's issue of Vogue, your humble blogger happened across this article

What stood out was the context in which it included "natural textures". To put it in the most charitable way possible, it begged the question:

Since when has natural hair been new or next?

For the record, this is a rhetorical question. The reason? The video below should explain:

(Source: Chime-HairCrush on YouTube)

3 Reasons Why Mother Angelica is a Woman who Made History

(Photo Courtesy of EWTN )

MsRanaDee's Words and Stories extends sincere condolences to the Eternal Word Television Network at the passing of its foundress, Mother Angelica in addition to condolences to her family and loved ones.  Words cannot adequately express how much EWTN has meant to your humble blogger. To honor the trailblazing nun and Women's History Month, here are three reasons Mother Angeica is a woman who made history 

1) Mother Angelica founded EWTN as a cloistered nun.

A cloistered Roman Catholic nun would likely be the last person one would picture founding the world's largest religious media network. However,  Mother's faith lead her to taking on this stereotype-shattering endeavor with  $200 and a garage. 

2) She founded an order of friars 

Mother also founded the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word, an order of Catholic friars.  Let that sink in. 

3) Mother shared the good,  the true, and the beautiful.  

Last year, your humble blogger made a post on how beauty can change the world (here's a link http://missranadee.blogspot.com/2015/07/how-beauty-can-change-world-in-less.html?m=0). According to the definitions cited, it can be argued that Mother Angelica's communication of the Catholic faith was a spreading of the good, true, and beautiful- changing the world.  

For more information on Mother Angelica and her work, visit EWTN.com/motherangelica

Legacy, Story, and quotes from Two Ladies

     Recently, your humble blogger was at an event in which one of the speakers mentioned an intriguing acronym for the word "legacy". The speaker, Minister Mary D. Edwards, posited the following for the word:

Leaving
Every
Generation
A
Chronicle of
You

She went on to define chronicle as story.  It got yours truly to thinking: What's in a story?  What makes an individual's story worthy to leave for following generations? A quote from a certain celebrity (Yes, it's Janelle Monae) might pull it all together :

Your voice can shape a community and move a community forward

What's your legacy?

Lessons from a Plant

Introducing Stronàe Robinson-Van Haver, the latest addition to your humble blogger's workspace. Though a relative novice to plant maintenance,  yours truly decided to bring some foliage into a rather nondescript situation.  The experience maintaining this plant thus far has reiterated a few life lessons :

1) You get what you put in. 

Out of fear that Ms. Stronàe would dry out, there was a point in time where your humble blogger ended up watering her more than necessary (Read: once a week instead of the usual two weeks ). As a result,  one of the leaves died. It made me think about how the results one gets in life reflects the amount and type of energy put in. 

2) Patience 

Keeping a plant is an exercise in patience. It will grow and show its need for sustenance in its own time, not yours.  Correlated to this is

3)Selflessness 

Given my aforementioned novice status in keeping plants, it has been a great help to have a coworker knowledgeable in this arena.  It reinforced the idea that one can't always trust their own judgment,  but seek the help of others when necessary. In addition, it reiterated that there are outside forces that guide life and they have to be heeded and trusted.

Until next time,