Quiet moments of Reflection

on a busy corner in NYC there is an original old farmhouse
The garden there is a delight to behold
and it affords a few moments away from the business outside
where one can stand and be still
and enjoy God's creation
and reflect.

And in the busy-ness of family life with a new born, there have been many precious moments ...especially those spent cuddling a tiny tiny baby, and spending time with a precious 2 year old. How precious the little lives are that have been given to us to care for. May God make us ever vigilant and always loving in our doing so.

Two other special moments came today...

One, when I was finishing the book I started here last time I was visiting.
The Blue Sweater. by Jacqueline Novogratz (see sidebar). I would like to quote a small passage that I read this afternoon:

(The woman writing the book is working to help women in developing countries by giving them small loans to operate a business and earn money).

When Ann asked one of the village women if she could use the bathroom (they were in India), the woman led her to the backyard. The woman was by no means destitute. She lived in a brick house with separate bedrooms and her own walled yard. Ann told me she looked around to see where the out-house was and it took her a moment to realize that there wasn't one. She looked back at the woman, who was happily waving her arm in a sweeping gesture to let Ann know that the entire yard was hers as a revered guest. She could squat in whichever part best suited her.
If this is what the better-off villagers did, Ann asked, how do the poorest ones take care of their hygiene? A doctor friend of S....'s replied that open defecation was one of the biggest public health issues the area faced...

This book was published in 2009, but this incident occurred in 2007.

and moment number two . when I was reading the online nytimes headlines tonight:
I have actually read about this woman doctor in Africa before. But it is a timely reminder that this work is ongoing.

BEYOND FLOWERS FOR MOM

May your Mother's Day this year be blessed and Holy. And may you have plenty of special moments for rest and relaxation and reflection.