- 16
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inAdvent
December 16, 2023
The Fourteenth Day of Advent
In the last few days, I have been wrapping, not only Christmas gifts, but birthday gifts. Our family has so many December birthdays. And yours might as well. No matter how many boxes you wrap there always seems to be one more needing attention. I have never liked wrapping in a hurry. The wrapping, boxing, or bagging, for me, is an important presentation for the gift you are giving. And it is always fun to make the wrapping unique, a bit like the person, receiving the gift. Yesterday afternoon I was making a nest with tissue paper, in which to rest the gift, inside the box. The recipient’s favorite color is pink, and she has a penchant for bows, and buns, and glitter. So, of course the wrapping would be, just like her, pink, with bows, and buns, and glitter. The gift placed inside did not cost very much at all, but it was exactly what she talked about. So, when the gift was snug within tissue paper, the box closed, and the final touches complete, I smiled. It was just perfect. The packaging resembled her, all the things she liked. I was pleased. It was then the thought occurred to me, in truth it was a waking vision which appeared, telling the story, within a picture, a flash in time. There was a figure, which was blurred by clouds of gold and white. The wrapping of a gift was taking place, complete with paper, ribbons, stickers, pinecones, and many other articles, destined to be used as decoration for the box, which would hold the gift. There was a dizzying array of items set all around, and I wondered what would happen next. But the entire field of vision changed to clouds of gold and white, illuminated by The Light behind them. Then came the whisper. “Think of your earthly body as the box I decorated to be like you, making sure to include the things you like to do, the things which make you, you. You are the box. You are the determining factor when it comes to the decorations. But the gift, from Me to you, is nestled carefully, lovingly, within the package, that is you. My gift to you is all you need, held within you. It is there you are to look for the treasure I give unto you.” Thank each of you for coming on this Advent journey with me. You have made this season spark with life, and love, unique in every way. Thank you.
On this fourteenth day of Advent, 2023, the reading I have chosen is from Isaiah 32:4.
The Reading
December 16, 2023
“The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.” Isaiah 32:4
- 16
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inDaily Message
Do not be labored by an endless chain of doubt, doubt of what you have done in the past, doubt about what you are doing today, doubt about what is going to happen in the future. While you sit with Me, together we will break the chains of doubt, and you shall no longer be hindered by something which need not be. Have you not noticed that when we are together, when you are speaking with Me, you are free of doubt? Have you not noticed that when our communion is complete, so are you? Do not surrender the gifts I have given thee to the energy of doubt. Take that which is thine, and live. Shine in all the glory with which you are endowed, for you and your gifts come from Me. Live in the present piece of eternity with thee, and remember to bring every doubt to Me, before it invades the sacred sanctuary within thee. In this way you shall live free.
And The Holy Spirit says:
I will not desert thee, as I was sent to thee to show The Way, to counsel, to guide, and to teach. Do not doubt that I AM within you, and that it is as it is meant to be.
- 15
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inAdvent
December 15, 2023
The Thirteenth Day of Advent
Today slipped away without anything happening to catch my eye, or ear, to share with you. It was more quiet, than is usual, uneventful. Perhaps this type of day is most familiar to each of us, more similar between each of us. That is it! I felt as if I had proclaimed it aloud. Eureka! I was in the midst of celebrating ordinary days. Most of our days, upon Earth, are spent moving from one thing to another, no extraordinary occurrences interrupting the flow. And that is how it has been for centuries. All of us doing whatever was ours to do from sunrise to sunset, then falling asleep, ending the ordinary day. So, as I sang the songs and read the verse, lighting two candles on the Advent wreath, I repeated the prayer, “Thank you God, for this extraordinary ordinary day.” While these are not the days we often remember in stories, or commemorate in a poem, they are of such comfort. These are the days which comprise most of our lifetime on Earth. And it is in their quiet presence we find tender repose.
On this thirteenth day of Advent, 2023, the reading I have chosen is from Isaiah 32:2.
The Reading
December 15, 2023
“Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.” Isaiah 32:2
- 15
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inDaily Message
Set down that burden of shame you have been carrying, pushed down, so deeply entrenched that no one would guess the secret consuming you from within. For I know you, and all about you, yet still love you. Rid yourself of shame by sitting with Me. Bring that which you are, shame and all. When I speak, you will listen and hear, then come to see that shame does not have a home within you unless you provide it. In My light all things shall be illuminated, revealed in The Glory of My Light. What do I see in The Glory of My Light? I see thee, My child. I see thee.
And The Holy Spirit says:
Acknowledge that which you have thought, and said, and done. Then you will no longer need to run nor hide from anyone.
- 14
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inAdvent
December 14, 2023
The Twelfth Day of Advent
I walked in the front door to an unusually quiet house, at least for 3:00 pm. Then I saw my daughter-in-law and granddaughter, sitting together, under a blanket, on the sofa, in the living room. It was still in the room. My granddaughter looked up and smiled, without calling my name and running straight toward me. My daughter-in-law said, “hello,” in a hushed tone. There was a small stack of clothing in her lap, and she was sewing a patch on the knee of a pant leg. Normally, I would have waved and gone down the stairs to my apartment, without thinking much about it. But this was different. I believe it is because everyday things are catching my eye this Advent season, more than ever. It occurred to me that thousands of years ago, when the people were waiting for that which was to come, they were performing everyday tasks such as mending clothing, cooking meals, and bringing in the harvest. I walked, quietly, back up the stairs, and peeked around the corner, my eyes drinking in the vignette before me. Soon, laughter and squeals of joy would fill the air. It would no longer be quiet. But now, just for a while, held in the sweet silence of contentment and love, they were the gift, a vision of peace.
On this twelfth day of Advent, 2023, the reading I have chosen is from Isaiah 32:2.
The Reading
December 14, 2023
“Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.” Isaiah 32:2
- 14
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inDaily Message
When you feel as if you have been slighted, or treated poorly, do not fall back into the mist of grieving what you believe to be your fate. As you make your Earth journey you will encounter days of joy, days of sadness, days of glory, days of dancing, days of tasting the wine of Earth. Part of the journey will always be to encounter many experiences, including those which rise up and surprise you. You might ask, “What can I do to avoid the days filled with grief, sadness, or hurt?” And I will say unto you, there is nothing you can do to avoid life, as it comes to you. What you can do is speak with Me, every day. And when that which you wish to avoid comes your way, we will talk, and I will show you The Way through, so that everything which comes to you will turn out to be good. The difficult days will become the lessons of wisdom. The carefree days shall become the source of delightful memories, dancing in the sun, until the day is done.
And The Holy Spirit says:
Not one experience which comes to you should be discarded as worthless, as you turn your head and wait for something new. Each experience can be of value to you. As I was sent to live within you, I was sent to bring you to this point, this clarity of thought. I was sent to guide you. Do not ignore the wisdom I hold, as a gift, for you. It might turn out, in the end, that you come to place great value on that which once would have threatened you. Come, I will whisper, and, in the listening, you will know exactly what to do.
- 13
- Dec
- 2023
- Posted byThe Quiet Place
- inAdvent
December 13, 2023
The Eleventh Day of Advent
The adjust-as-you-grow roller skates, I ordered for one of my granddaughters, for Christmas, arrived yesterday. Protection gear, matching the skates in color and the designs, arrived in another box. The skates are just perfect, pink in color, rainbows on each side, and wheels which light up as you go. I found myself getting excited just thinking of her rolling along the sidewalk, off on an adventure. Somehow, I found comfort in the padding for elbows, knees, and wrists. She already has a helmet, so protection is in place for her journey around the neighborhood. As I wrapped the gift, that inner voice called again, reminding me that God had given me the same type of gift long, long ago, when it was my time to begin my adventure on Earth. My gift was colorful in a way suiting me perfectly, a unique touch just for me. No matter where I would go, the traction propelling my travels would light up, as I made my way. Even safety gear was included in my gift of life upon Earth. The Holy Spirit of God is within me to comfort and teach and lead The Way. I like to think that God was a bit excited just thinking of me rolling along, off on an Earth adventure of my lifetime, protection included. Because you have chosen to accompany me through this Advent season, my season is richer, brighter, holds even more meaning. And for this I am thankful. Thank you for being my companion, walking The Way.
On this eleventh day of Advent, 2023, the reading I have chosen is from Isaiah 30:21.
The Reading
December 13, 2023
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21