Category Communication

Mama Catches Happiness

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Mama Catches Happiness

Mamas Catch.jpg

After I caught this crappie at Truman Lake, my husband told my kids, “Now Mama is happy.”

I made them take my picture. I was proud of my catch and I wanted my kids to see my pride.

Heavy storms with lots of thunder and lightening blew through two of the three nights we were at the lake. The storm fronts seemed to have scared off the fish because we only caught about 15 fish the entire trip. My contributions to the fishing came in the form of this and one other fish caught, keeping the boys from falling in the water, and having minnows ready to bait my daughter’s hook. I just happened to catch this guy during one of the quieter moments of our excursion. I fished with my youngest son on my lap so he could “catch” one too, but he couldn’t stand the wait so we never snagged one for him.

Fishing with my kids is stressful and scary for me. I am afraid of water.

Water has frightened me since I was a teenager. As a camp counselor, I had to rescue two girls after they tipped over their canoe in a deep and restricted part of the camp lake. A year later I had to provide first aid to a man who sustained a head injury at a local water slide when he flipped off the mat (on which he was supposed to remain seated). People who are not afraid of water get hurt. I am afraid of water.

On our fishing trip, safety precautions were my number one concern. Appropriately fitting life jackets, secured seats, swimming lesson reminders, and safety whistles were all in place.  The waters were calm and my always zen husband sat confidently as he drove the boat. I clutched my youngest son for dear life. Continue reading “Mama Catches Happiness” →

Dog on Vacation

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Dog on Vacation

Dog on Vacation

Last week we decided to take an impromptu vacation to Truman Lake in Warsaw, Missouri. We have visited this lake in the past, but this would be our first trip with all three kids and the dog.

Taking the kids was not the shocking part of our planning. Taking the dog tested my husband’s bounds of comfort on many levels. He is not a fan of dogs in cars. He is not a fan of dogs licking faces or hands or legs or any other body part. He is adamantly against dogs in the house. Living up to the July Intentergy Positivity Challenge he gave in and allowed us to borrow a travel kennel from friends and bring our fur-baby along.

Bandit was the picture of puppy grace on the trip. He rode happily and quietly in the kids’ laps on the drive to and from the lake. Quickly did his business in the grass and took a nap in the kennel while we stopped to eat. Never once did the dog ask, “How much longer?”  or complain about what food we chose to eat. Not once did Bandit whine about one of the kids touching him or looking at him or breathing the same air he did. Never did we have to deal with him throwing a fit because he was hot, hungry, or tired. Continue reading “Dog on Vacation” →

Tune into Peace – Wise Words Wednesday

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Tune into Peace – Wise Words Wednesday

A Channel of Peace.png

Most people only think of television or the radio when it comes to channels. Way before tv took over our mindscape, channels meant a way to guide or divert things like water or attention.

“Prayer of St. Francis” has long been one of my favorite church hymns but lately it has had a much more powerful meaning. There seems to be so much hurt and hatred in our world caused by the sensitivity we have created amongst ourselves. We need to redirect our emotions and energy toward creating peace.

No two people were made the same. (Thank goodness!) We need to embrace the things that make us different and let go of the things that we believe divide us. This isn’t about race, gender, or religion. It’s about love.

Too many believe that they cannot love or be loved by certain groups. Those kinds of ideas must be derailed and their love and thoughts must be channeled by means of peace.

Please continue to direct your energy and intents to ending unrest and hurt. Bring unity and coexistence to daily routines. Tune out the ideas that only violence and revenge can end the disparities. Let peace be the channel by which we find love for everyone and let injuries find healing through our actions and words.

By: Melanie A. Peters

I Made It Myself!

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I Made It Myself!

I made it myself watercolor

Recently my amazing friend Sonya hosted a painting party for a group of our friends from school. She created a simple, landscape watercolor scene and then guided us through the steps of painting our own landscape.

Because the painting was a watercolor the lines were not finite and bled into one another. For some of us the lack of clear delineation between background and foreground and water and land was disturbing. Sonya assured us that the watercolor was really a “loose landscape,” to which we came up with some interesting interpretations.

It was a very cool experience.

We ate and drank and talked and painted. We took photos and shared our thoughts on the process. We celebrated the differences in each artist’s work and surprisingly the emotions we each felt were as diverse as the results of our work.

Some found the experience to be fun and relaxing, while others found it nerve-racking and stressful, they were just there for conversation and painted to be a part of the experience. I am pretty sure a few came just to see if they could test Sonya’s patience. ( Seriously, who puts orange in a cool toned sky line?) 😉 In the end we were all excited to be finished with our paintings because it meant, while we worked together, Continue reading “I Made It Myself!” →

Throwing Rocks at the Sky – at least you’re throwin’

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Throwing Rocks at the Sky – at least you’re throwin’

During his Sunday homily, our priest told a story about a young man from Montana who would throw rocks at the sky when he was angry at God.

“It might have seemed pointless or foolish,” said Father Louis, “but at least he was keeping the lines of communication open with his heavenly father.”

There is a lot to be said for throwing rocks at the sky. As Father explained, at least the young man knew God loved him enough to take the complaints with the thanksgivings and friendly words.

We should keep this idea in mind when we are struggling in our relationships with anyone, God, parents, siblings, friends, co-workers, spouses, children, anyone. We need to find ways to communicate our feelings to the best of our abilities.

Don’t throw rocks. (Remember the parable about throwing the first stone.)

We need to find body language and words to accurately demonstrate that we know and value the person enough to bring our problems or concerns to them. Even when we don’t necessarily think it will do a lot of good (like trying to land a rock in the sky), resolution or healing can come from talking out your troubles. At least you’re throwin’.

When it comes to your faith, knowing that you can talk to God, no matter what, keeps you close to Him. That closeness ensures the security you feel in your faith and God’s readiness to accept all you have to say. (Try to throw a few thank yous and praises in there with the rocky times.) At least you’re throwin’.

If your energy goes into throwing a few words of kindness, concern, frustration, or need towards those you care about, your intent will resound with greater positivity and result in communications that can reach past your horizons.

By: Melanie A. Peters