#i have faith in you my dearest creation

[okerum]

welcome to hell 2 was NOT on my 2024 bingo but i am not complaining

[yuurivoice]

We've hit the stage of Echoes of Evalas' creation that I'm spending a lot of my quiet time with scenes and characters, including time that is usually occupied by...well, nothing creative. At least, it hasn't been creative time in a long while.

Some of the dearest and most important moments of my young creative daydreaming was before bed. If I might overshare, it was specifically as I lay in bed and tried to drown out unpleasantness I'd hear from other rooms of the house. I'll spare you the details.

I didn't even have music at the time, though in later years as I became a depressed teen, I'd throw some music on my computer to fantasize and fall asleep to.

Oftentimes, these stories and characters I'd contemplate were favorites from various things I enjoyed. In time they'd adapt and evolve into something of my own, in worlds and stories of my own making.

Sometimes it wasn't so grand. There were no sweeping narratives or adventures. Just some self insert character being comforted by a friend or a lover.

Recent nights, I've thrown on my EoE playlist and let my mind wander. I haven't really done that in a long time. Haven't had the need to these days. I'm not running from much. Life is quiet. But as I start to turn over more stones and find what's beneath some of the characters and themes I'm exploring, I've found myself here again.

I don't know if anyone will love what I am making, and I never have. Every person who has let my characters and stories into their hearts means a whole lot to me, though. I've not forgotten when all of this was nothing more than a comfort to myself to soothe away all my fear and loneliness.

As it all starts to come together I'm seeing a stark difference between where I am at as a writer and creative in general in comparison to BitterSweet Chapter 1, as I've revisited it recently.

The pieces were there but it's so clear to me that I didn't have the conviction that I do now. I didn't have the comfort or security of knowing that I can take chances and be bold. I thought I had to color within the lines, and lacked the confidence to really let it rip.

So as much as I've been looking forward, I've also looked back. Further back than I typically like to.

When Charlie said he never thought he'd be this old, that was real shit man. I was a morbid kid. I have a crystal clear memory of being on a school bus in Washington state. Blink 182 just dropped an album. I hate Blink 182, but I listened with a friend whose face I can barely remember. As the high schoolers got on the bus I remember thinking...damn, I'll never be that old.

Not sure what could possess a child to feel that way. Or how that feeling could linger for years. It took a long time to find enough faith in myself to live. Now that I've got it, I think I'm encouraged to give breath to those lost dreams and wandering fantasies. Echoes of Evalas is an exploration of that.

I can't even grasp what that really means yet.

Things like faith, anger, insecurity, and longing for change. I've rattled a lot of locked doors while digging up this story and putting it together.

I am uneasy. That's probably how I've ended up writing this essay in bed, and boy is it a rambling one.

There was a point somewhere. I am excited for what's to come, but uneasy. Not out of fear that anyone will like it or content brained thinking like that. More like...a reverence for this magical thing I've found. Storytelling is magical for me. And that's not me waxing poetic, I think there's something terrifying and beautiful about it. It is the thing I was made to do, and the actual experience of crafting a story like this isn't just fun. I'm removing chains from my soul.

If that ain't magic, I don't know what is.

Anywho, I need to sleep. If you read all that, thank you for putting up with my yapping. 💖

[unforgivablego]

I still see people talking about the Season 2 being bad. Sometimes they explain their opinion, and sometimes they get hung up on what happened in the final.

I want to speak out a little about it. “Some dumb theories” time. You can’t stop me, anyway.

Yes, the characters can't come to an agreement again. Yes, Aziraphale still believes that Heaven can be fixed. Yes, Crowley is still in love with him and wants to run away from problems instead of solving them. Yes, they are still the same as they were in the Season 1. Yes, they have learned nothing in 6,000 years. But is it really that bad?

Let's start with the fact that we were warned in advance that there will be no important storylines this season. "Quiet, gentle, romantic" - the style of the Neil for this season. And I don't think it goes against the grain of the first season. Season 1 was about the Apocalypse. Season 1 was about how the characters come to the conclusion that they like the Earth the way it is. Season 1 was about the love of the Earth. It was a journey of 6,000 years. Do you think it taught them anything besides the fact that the Earth is really dear to them?

Please don't forget the fact that Aziraphale is an angel. He may doubt that Heaven is so good, but he will never doubt that God wants the best for everyone. Aziraphale is loyal to God, not to Heaven. When Crowley asks which side he is on, Aziraphale doesn’t answer that he is on the side of Heaven, he replies that he is on the side of God. The decision that Aziraphale makes at the end of the second season is "I never doubted God, I believe that I can change Heaven if my faith is stronger than Heaven itself."

Entire Season 1 was about Aziraphale's belief in a simple thing - God never wishes them all harm, so Aziraphale trusts Him. It was Aziraphale's faith that saved them all from the Apocalypse in the first season. Heaven, Hell, Crowley, Gabriel, Michael, Sandalphon, Uriel, Metatron - the voice of God, they all told him that God wanted this war to happen. But Aziraphale refuses to believe it, he is ready to doubt them all, but not God. God loves his creations. They are His children, they are dearest to Him, and if the Great Plan dictates that all this must be destroyed, then the Great Plan is wrong. Tens of thousands of angels and demons are ready to believe that their Creator created them only to destroy them, but not Aziraphale, no. No matter what, he will never begin to doubt that God loves them more than anything in the world and this war is certainly not what He really wants.

And do you think Aziraphale will lose his faith after the Season 1? No, he will never stop believing. His faith is so great that he is ready to turn a blind eye to all the atrocities that Heaven has arranged for the Earth and which God hasn’t prevented. Aziraphale is the most real Angel of all. This is his essence, this is his curse.

For me, Aziraphale's refusal to run away with Crowley at the end of the second season doesn't go against the idea of ​​his character. What goes against the grain is Crowley's repeated desire to run away. In Season 1, we saw how strongly he was against the Apocalypse. Who persuaded Aziraphale to save the Earth? Not Heaven, not Hell, not God. Crowley! He loves the Earth, he loves Aziraphale, he wants these two things to continue to exist together. He likes life on Earth, life with Aziraphale. He doesn't want to destroy it all. But what do we see in the fourth episode of Season 1? Knowing that there is no way out of the situation, Crowley is ready to leave the Earth - the Earth he loves as much as Aziraphale - and run away from the problem. Only after finding out that Aziraphale is getting involved in the development of the Apocalypse, he rushes to him. Only because his angel is there. Where did his love for people go? Why is he suddenly ready to fly off to Alpha-Centauri and leave everything burning in hellfire?

He has no faith. This is their difference with Aziraphale. The angel believes that there is always a way out, that if the Great Plan is talking nonsense, then this is not God's plan. And he is ready to fight for the Earth, even if for this he has to go against his own. He openly defied Heaven, he openly sent his side and returned to save the Earth and Crowley.

Second. Why, if the Season 1 was filled with action, rush, wars, an abundance of characters and puzzle solutions, then the Season 2 should be the same? Season 2 is not about the Apocalypse. Season 2 is about what happened after it. The characters behave unnaturally precisely because we have only seen their behavior on the brink of War before. In Season 1, their characters were not fully revealed to us, there was almost no emphasis on inner experiences, since the End of the World is right here, there is absolutely no time for this. Season 1 was filled with many storylines and we just didn't get a break between them to consider the nature of the relationship of the main characters.

Neil said that he intentionally inserted a journey through the years into the ep3. Precisely because we wouldn’t understand why the quarrel in the bandstand at the end is so important. Season 1 doesn't let us learn much about the characters. We almost don't see Aziraphale being bastard and Crowley being kind. We don’t see why they are so attached to each other. Season 1 had a clear plot and this plot had to be kept. Season 1 had a rigid framework that the plot couldn’t go beyond. And the abundance of secondary characters didn’t allow to keep track of everything at once.

What happens in the second season? We finally see how the relationship of the main characters looks like. We see their interaction. We can look into the subcortex and read how they feel. Now Crowley's inability to contain his anger is brought to the fore. We see how he runs away from solving difficult problems, we see how he avoids everything that can be simply discarded and forgotten. And by watching how Crowley handles different situations, we can finally understand why Crowley left Aziraphale in the bandstand. We now see him in the full picture, and we can imagine why he was ready to leave the Earth he loved so much and run away with Aziraphale. This is his way of solving problems. He simply avoids them, shifts others well, or decides in the simplest way - gets rid of them, like plants with spots, or how he wanted to get rid of Gabriel in the Season 2.

Aziraphale solves problems. He is ready to sacrifice his time and energy to figure something out and face it face to face, instead of letting everything take its course. He doesn't get rid of defective books, he gives them as much love as he does for everyone. No matter how difficult the task, he is ready to fight. Even if it Hell, Heaven or an amnesiac Archangel. Even if he had to face Satan in combat, he would raise his sword ready to fight for Earth and Crowley. He can pull himself together. He is kind, sometimes naive, but he has faith. He doesn’t believe that someone can be fundamentally bad, he thinks that the right approach can change everything.

Crowley is a perfectionist. He fell because he asked uncomfortable questions - he wasn’t like everyone else. Therefore, plants with spots are an analogy to his life. He believes that they need to be disposed of, as Heaven once got rid of him.

Aziraphale is the opposite. He keeps misspelled Bibles in the shop. He is proud of his collection, he sees nothing wrong with being different from everyone else. This is an analogy to his worldview.

Crowley only has Aziraphale. He was expelled from Heaven, expelled from Hell, he lost his faith and this is justified. I can understand his point of view. I understand why at the end of Season 2 he asks Aziraphale to run away again.

Aziraphale has Crowley. And faith. Knowing what happens in Heaven, when he is offered to change something, he is ready to go for it. But with Crowley. Remember, he refuses the offer until Metatron pressures Aziraphale to bring Crowley back to Heaven with him. Aziraphale wouldn’t leave without Crowley, which would mean that Crowley wouldn’t be safe. But an offer to go back to Heaven with Crowley, where they would be there all the time and he wouldn't have to worry about Crowley being in constant danger? Think about it.

They both ask each other to leave, but cannot understand why each chose their own path. They don't listen to each other. This is their problem. They love the Earth, they love each other, but they don't listen to what they is trying to tell each other.

And both - BOTH - act in the way that is very characteristic of them. Crowley runs away from the problem, and Aziraphale goes to great lengths to solve the problem.

Why is Aziraphale going back to Heaven? We all pay attention to the fact that he doesn't return Crowley's kiss = he rejects Crowley. Nobody rejects anyone! This act of Crowley was quite cruel. It’s like he’s saying, "This is what we could have if you would give up your God." Do you remember that Aziraphale is an angel? For him to refuse God is the same as to fall. If he renounces God, he will no longer be an angel. I don't understand how people still can't understand something as simple as Aziraphale's true faith.

Crowley left him, so he leaves alone. No, let me explain it differently. Crowley really abandoned him and for lack of an alternative, Aziraphael humbled himself and went, where he was pulled harder. In this case, Metetron was just nearby. If Crowley had been in his place - if Crowley had stayed and not left again - Aziraphale would have stayed with him.

Aziraphale loves Crowley and this season we're being revealed more about that because there's time for that. We are not in a hurry. Against the backdrop of the mystery of Gabriel's memory loss, even the threat of Hell and Heaven is no match for the Apocalypse in the Season 1. This season is not about that. He fully justified his main syllable "quiet, gentle and romantic." Despite the dramatic ending and broken hearts, we have atmospheric quiet everyday life, gentle characters with funny stories, and romance that wasn't given much time in Season 1. “Every day it’s getting closer” describes this season perfectly. We have a breather between global events and the opportunity to enjoy our favorite characters that we haven’t seen for a long time. All this against the backdrop of a showdown between Hell and Heaven and funny scenes in which characters are thrown in order to tell as much as possible about them.

The denouement with Gabriel and Beelzebub may have turned out to be strange. But don’t forget that this season is not about them. If Neil wanted to go into more detail about their relationship, he would’ve spent the entire season on it. But we came to see our husbands, didn't we?

Maggie and Nina's love line doesn't seem out of place to me. They played a good role in developing the relationship of our main idiots and lived up to the phrase "romantic" well. Yes, they also didn’t have a good ending, all our expectations that they would become a couple in the end didn’t come true, but this is a human life, as simple as in Season 1 (the love line of Anathema and Newton was simply illogical and very striking , like sand in mouth) it will not be shown again.

We were shown more of Shax's story to get an idea of ​​what would happen to Hell if this character was in charge.

Despite the certainty, we still don't know who Crowley was before the Fall. Here's another mystery for you. We also don’t know what Metatron is up to, although everything is also crystal clear with the Second Coming. Maybe.

For me, the ending was heartbreaking, but quite logical. The characters acted as they normally do, without losing their principles and beliefs. Aziraphale is not the villain in this story. Crowley is not an abandoned puppy suffering from unrequited love. They just have another quarrel, which of course they will resolve and survive, because they simply cannot live without each other. This is not the end of their relationship, this is an occasion to start again. Believe me, all they really ever needed was to talk. Crowley's decision to talk now was just the wrong moment. This doesn’t mean that Aziraphale abandoned him. This means that both of them are simply not ready until they deal with their main problems.

Think how many times before this, Crowley left Aziraphale, and then dramatically drove off into the sunset? How many times did Aziraphale stand and look after him brokenly in the hope of replaying everything? How many more times is Crowley ready to return and Aziraphale to accept him? Believe me, this is not the first time for them, they will cope. We still have a whole Season 3 ahead of us. And they certainly won't end up all apart.

Season 2 is all about Crowley and Aziraphale. Season 2 is about their experiences, petty fights, arguments, romance and the life they both love. Angry that we didn't get a concrete plot in Season 2 just because Season 1 was like that? Well, excuse me, we have here an ordinary sitcom with ordinary, standard human problems. With ups and downs, with partings etc.

Graphics not up to par with Marvel? Well what do you want? This is not a super universe for you with a global audience. I don't think this season is bad. I consider him as much as he can.

So it goes.

Also, I think you need to read this👇🏻

Geniuses among us

[alixennial]

3. What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?

17. Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?

Personality was first. The main thing I had in mind was that she would radiate warmth and positivity, the kind of person that would make others feel comfortable immediately. Kind, spiritual, accepting and full of energy. Also a bit rough around the edges. She wouldn't be especially talented or experienced in very much at all but my god she'll try her best.

Being a very average small town girl kinda led me to think of her role in the story as either the reluctant WoL or - what ended up feeling more natural as I played - having imposter syndrome. "They have so much faith in me, when are they going to figure out they have the wrong person?" She wants to do so much good, but she thought she'd be grafting and/or making soups, not… This!?

So I guess the role in the story came last. Good luck piecing this all together btw, I just felt like determining the whole order XD.

After personality, appearance and name would have been in whatever order they appear in the character creator. Forethought? Never. Her design is quite plain, that was intentional. The two main features I was most specific about was her short hairstyle and athletic build. She'd be climbing and running and getting stuck into whatever was thrown at her, she was not booby - that slider went right the way down. I chose Highlander for her race, as the stance just felt like it matched her personality somehow?

The name Indie I just liked the sound of. It felt right for her personality and her newly created look. Did I bother to look up race naming conventions? No. The "von" part of her surname I thought could easily be ignored or picked up for something interesting at some point LOL. I was WINGING IT the entire time. I could've researched, but I did not. To think it was so very nearly "van" and that would've been a whole different ball game.

Are there any motifs or symbols associated with her?

I'm not going to completely cop out here, but I did fully intend the sun to be a motif from the start. I have no excuses since you, my dearest asking friend, did kindly share your FFXIV adventures with me before I started playing so I knew (albeit subconsciously at character creation stages because I have a terrible memory) that this particular symbol would be handed to us by the game itself eventually (I was still shocked and delighted when it happened though XD). Indie is sun-coded.

But on a similar note, sunflowers…?

There was a reason I chose the Sunflower corsage for Indie's wedding - it was a way for her to remember and include her parents on the day. Sunflowers are pretty hardy fellas, so it's totally plausible they would have been grown on her parents' farm, and my favourite thing about this is Indie would have been the only one tall enough to harvest them easily - they would have been her responsibility XD. I can hear mama and papa Smol calling her their "sunflower".

Sunflowers are associated with positivity, unwavering loyalty and dedication, and resilience. So, they're are a link to her childhood, her parents, and a reminder to stay strong.

Thank you for the opportunity to ramble <3

[hamnay--01]

A Prayer Poem Using All 99 Names Of Allah

Oh, Allah, I praise You with all 99 of Your beautiful names and attributes that You have chosen for Yourself. Listen to my silent cry, my heart, and my prayers. Oh my Lord, The All-Merciful, The All-Compassionate, The King of Kings

Oh, the Creator of Life and Creator of Death! Allah, the Most Loving, Here comes a beggar at your door, one who has no idea how to ask for forgiveness but knows You are all forgiving. The one who knows nothing, whose eyes are dry, and whose hands have committed many offenses. The one who is so busy in the world and has forgotten to return to You one day.

Oh, Allah! Oh, Rab! I ask for Your forgiveness and help. Without You, I am nothing, no one, and nowhere. You are my strength, my power, and the source of my existence and my identity on this land.

You are the One who gave me life, to You I shall return, and You will bring me back to life after death. Only to You, I belong, and only to You, I will return, Oh my beloved Friend, the All-Knowing, Allah! Help me and save me; You know my flaws and my good actions; Only You are the One, who does Justice.

The All-Observing Witness, the Universal Trustee, and the Embodiment of Truth My Allah, I love You dearly, and only want You! Oh! The Resurrector, the Awakener, the Most Glorious One. Oh my Beloved Allah, the Most Loving, the Most Affectionate, I know Only You hear me!

Ya Allah, the Judge of Judges, the Wise, the One Who is always accurate in His actions! I need your assistance! Your judgment is always exact. Your judgment of me is true and correct; Oh Allah, I address You by every name, You have chosen for Yourself.

You are the One who is attributed with greatness of Power and The Glory of status. I know You are mine and I am Yours, The Sublime One, The Beneficent. I surrender to you, my Lord! I have no power, and You, the All-Powerful Creator, are my dearest friend and strong supporter.

The One on whom I rely, the One who Loves me unconditionally, You are the Keeper, the Guardian, the Feeder, and the One with the Power. You feed the birds, fish, humans, animals, and all living things; You and I are not two; we are the One! I am Yours, and You are mine.

You are the Preserver and Protector, the Appreciative, The One who rewards great for a little obedience. Oh! My Lord, You are all-Powerful, and I am nothing without You. Please help and strengthen me, pour Your Noor (light) into my heart, and Cleanse it with the water of Love.

My Allah, I'm tired of this world. I see people dying of hunger and poverty, and I see fellow humans committing atrocities. Allah, my Allah! You are The All-Knowing One! If you don't help us and lead us, We'll be nothing!

The All-Seeing, All-Hearing, Elevating One, Exalter, Supreme Bestower, Oh, the Great Forgiver, and All-Prevailing One! The Perfect Artist, One who molds His creations into many shapes and images.

The Mighty One, the Guardian, the Faith Infuser. The Most Holy, the Most Sacred, The All-Powerful King of Kings, Ya Allah, my Peace Giver! Listen to me, I'm calling you with such affection with all your lovely names.

You are the only One who hears me when no one else does. The Sustainer, Opener of the Hearts, and the Only Provider My Lord, I just ask for your help and mercy. I just have You, and You are sufficient for me.

Oh, Allah, the Subtle One, the Most Gracious, The One who treats His servants with kindness. The One Who Responds, Who Is All-Embracing, Who Is Knowledgeable

The Firm One, the Loving One, the Strong One, the One Who Never Tires. The Creator of all that exists. I seek your help for me and my fellow humans. Oh, my Protecting Friend, my Supporter, I pray for good health, For the goodness of this world, and the Next.

The Worthy, the Only-Laudable One! The Creator, the Restorer, and The Self-Existing One, on whom all others rely. The Alive, the Eternally Living One, the Sole Provider, The Omnipotent, The Dominant. Oh! The Supreme Authority Holder— I've knocked on your door because I know you never send me back empty hands.

Oh, the Source of All Goodness, the Righteous One, The One who is kind to and loves His creatures. Forgive me, O Ever-Acceptor of Repentance; I surrender.

You, the Eternal Possessor of Sovereignty, are the One Who Judges Justly. The Gatherer, The Possessor of Majesty and Honour — You are the One who will gather all the creatures on the Day of Judgment.

The Bestower of Sufficiency, The Enricher, Purest prime Light, the One who guides, The Bestower of Sufficiency, The Enricher, The purest prime Light, the One who guides.

Allah, the One who waits for sinners to repent! You, the Possessor of the Kingdom, Give the power to whom you will and take it from whom you will. You bring the living out of the dead and the dead out of the living. I believe in You; there is no force or might other than Yours, My Allah!

I've turned to you, Allah, and I'm praying for your support and guidance. I rely on you in both my joy and my sorrow. I call to you in silence, and you hear and respond to the sound of my all prayers.

You are the only God, and I love you. Ya Allah, the All-Forgiving! Please forgive me and help me. Only Your name shines a light in my chest, removing my misery and agony. I ask for your forgiveness, just your guidance; I have no one but You; I am the richest! I have You, my most Powerful friend!

Dear Allah, bless me, my family, my friends, and everyone reading this with your infinite blessings, and Give us good health, prosperity, and protection. Shine Your Light on us and Show us the right path. Ameen!

For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God. — Saint Teresa of Avila

[uptoolateart]

Plagg to Tikki: ‘We’ll see each other again. You know that you and I are one.’

I loved this line so much, for so many reasons - too many, really, to sum up in a simple Tumblr post, but I’m gonna try!

Let’s start with the ‘you know that you and I are one’ part. This is clearly a yin-yang thing. Creation and destruction are not separate; they are parts of a whole and cannot exist without each other. They define each other.

The two halves of the yin-yang symbol are often defined as masculine and feminine aspects or energies. Keep in mind this is not the same as male and female bodies; it is something much deeper and more subtle, particularly as both energies are said to be contained and expressed within each and every one of us. ‘Male’ and ‘female’ are merely words commonly used to express such concepts as the active and passive, day and night, the conscious and unconscious, and so forth.

Each half of the yin-yang contains a dot of the 'opposite' colour, to signify that the masculine contains aspects of the feminine, and vice versa. They are not opposites; they complement, contain and need each other to form a whole. The goal in life, according to so many eastern belief systems, not to mention western magical systems including alchemy, is to tap into the yin and yang within the self and achieve a perfect harmonious balance between the two sides. If you’re following my Miraculous tart card paintings, you’ll notice this is a feature of just about every card meaning.

Plagg and Tikki represent these ideas. One cannot exist without the other. How can you create if there is no prior destruction? And what is there to destroy without creation? Therefore, Plagg has this faith that he and Tikki will be reunited because he understands the nature of the universe.

As the embodiment of the power of destruction, Plagg is usually seen as a selfish, apathetic, giant stomach. This makes sense to me, because destruction is a kind of devouring process.

However, in this scene in ‘Deflagration’, he had one of his rare moments of sensitivity, highlighting that yin-yang concept once again. Remember in ‘Dearest Family’ when he said there’s a reason there’s also a kwami of destruction, after Tikki caused so much damage with unchecked creation? Creation is not good and destruction is not bad. It’s all about balance and context.

What was really interesting was that when Monarch got both miraculous in ‘Deflagration’, Plagg was the one with the instant plan. He knew the solution was self-sacrifice - again, you would go there, if you were destruction. And he’s not technically alive, so he can’t truly be annihilated. As long as there is creation, there is destruction. When he cataclysmed the ring, he must have simply returned to his energetic non-personified state.

However, his unhesitating self-sacrifice paralleled all the times Adrien has sacrificed himself. Usually, this has been as Cat Noir, although in ‘Gorizilla’ he made a major leap of faith as Adrien. Plagg’s words to Tikki could have been spoken as Adrien / Cat Noir, expressing that unwavering conviction that  Ladybug will bring him back. Tikki’s worries could have been Ladybug’s.

We are often told Plagg is rubbing off on Adrien, e.g. in ‘Rocketear’. So, it’s tempting to say this is why Cat has these suicidal moments. But as already noted, he made that jump in ‘Gorizilla’ as Adrien. He was clearly chosen for his particular miraculous because he already embodies these qualities in some way. In this world or another, he will gladly go down firmly believing that he and Ladybug will be reunited in some way.

In other words...when Plagg immediately leapt to the self-sacrifice solution...was this an instance of Adrien rubbing off on him, rather than the other way round?

Also - it implies that Adrien and Marinette, or at least their souls or however you want to view this, are truly destined to be together, because they are two halves of a whole, just as their powers are. The red string of fate binds them together.

Not gonna lie - there is so much more I want to say about this, but it all feels like it’s there on the tip of my mind and I’m struggling to find the words for it because it’s so subtle. But there’s my stab in the dark at trying to pin down what I have been thinking of that scene ever since it first aired. It was a beautiful moment amid the chaos.

[kindheart525]

Neither Celestia nor Luna could explain what happened to them during the eclipse. ‘Twas was so sudden, so powerful, and it was over as quickly as it had started. But something had called them, they just knew it. They couldn’t explain the feeling they had gotten but they followed it, soon finding themselves in a clearing a distance away from their hometowns. But there was nothing there to see when they arrived.

“What ho!” Celestia exclaimed upon meeting the unfamiliar pegasus filly. “Art thou lost, young one?”

“Nay,” Luna replied. “A strange magic brought me here. Pray tell, what about thee?”

“I was also drawn by a peculiar magic,” Celestia affirmed. “‘Twas the eclipse, I suppose, but I know not how.”

“I knowest thou not, never in my life hath I met you. Why us, I wonder? And what are we here for?” Luna questioned.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed before the two fillies, nearly blinding them. Once the light died and they regained their vision, they beheld an ethereal white pony standing before them. She was not a pegasus or a unicorn, but both! She was an alicorn!

Celestia immediately recognized the mare from her books and bowed. “The God Mother Gaia! ‘Tis the highest honor to behold thy presence!”

Luna sat in confusion and awe. She had heard about the God Mother, but had hardly believed in her. But now, here she was before her eyes. “Truly, thou art real?”

The mare smiled down at them, a gentle, motherly smile, and said in an utmost soothing voice, “Verily, it is I. But do not bow or stand in awe. Do not worship me as thy God. For behold, I am thy mother. And thou art my daughters.”

Celestia sat up, unable to change her awestruck expression, but Luna only scowled. 

“Nay, that cannot be! For my mother was a wretched harlot named Amaryllis!”

Gaia cocked an irritated eyebrow. “That wretched harlot was me, child.”

Celestia turned to Luna, aghast. “How dare thou disrespect thy God Mother so?”

“Pray thee, Celestia, do not cause thy mother further discomfort,” Gaia reprimanded her.

“My sincerest apologies, my Go—er, my dearest mother,” Celestia blushed in embarrassment.

“But why? Why didst thou abandon me? Why didst thou leave me with such a wretched bastard?” Luna asked.

“I couldst not raise two fillies as the ruler of all creation. I left thy sires to raise thee until the time was right. I tried to choose them with the utmost care, but I chose thine in horrid taste, Luna,” she acknowledged to the scowling filly. “But presently, the time has come, which is why I brought thou here.”

“The eclipse was of thy doing?” Celestia inquired.

“Yea,” Gaia affirmed. “I grew weary of waiting to meet thee, hence I brought thou here myself. For I hath created thee, I hath watched thee grow, and now thou art prepared to take thy rightful place.”

“Rightful place?”

“As the rulers of Equestria. Thou shalt unite the ponies and rule with the grace that this land has long lacked. Celestia, thou shalt rule the sun. And Luna, thou shalt become the steward of the moon and the stars. I have the utmost faith in thou both,” Gaia smiled. “Now pray tell, art thou prepared to ascend?”

“Oh, it would be the greatest honor!” Celestia beamed. 

“As ruler of this land, canst I banish my bastard sire for his crimes?” Luna asked.

Gaia chuckled. “Verily, thou mayest.” 

Luna grinned. “It shall be my first decree!”

“There is much left to learn, my daughters. About thy land and each other, for thou art sisters,” Gaia brought them in for a hug, to their amazement. “I only hope that thou learn to adore each other as I adore thee, for there is no truer love.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Previous: Day and Night Next: Memories

Background by adcoon Celestia’s cutie mark by BlackGryph0n

[thestateofardadreaming]

I see a lot of spiritual advice that centers on the concept tha heart is only attached to God, this world won't hurt us and we will be closer to him. In fact, some say that having only God in your heart is a sign of having a strong faith.

I don't understand this concept. As from my perspective, it's impossible to love fellow humans the way we love God. It's just not the same kind of love.

God is the One who has created me. My love for Him will always be beyond my love for His beautiful creation.

But that love doesn't prevent me from loving deeply His creatures. Loving Him doesn't make my parting from them any easier. And parting we must. As this is the difference when we love His creatures (from my dearest violets to my cats snd my loved humans) : one day we will be separated. And it will hurt.

This pain of separation from our loved ones was experienced by our prophets and we especially know about the grief our Beloved last Prophet went through.

Therefore, if you are grieving over the loss of a loved ones : your faith isn't weak. Your heart is in the right place. You are actually following on the footsteps of all the prophets.

We are human... We love, we lose, we feel pain, we feel joy, we love again. Attachment is human too. We are made to get attached to the creatures that make our lives beautiful. Yes, even that stranger in the bus you've never spoken to but whose absence you notice when they aren't on that 16:50 bus.

Getting attached isn't a sin... Now, the lesson is in knowing when to let go and finding peace in God's never failing presence.

Love is a beautiful gift God has given us. It makes life more beautiful and gentle. It always drives us closer to Him, especially when it's time to say goodbye.

[theprayerfulword]

January 01

Proverbs 21:30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.

Joshua 21:45 Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything He had spoken came true.

Jeremiah 9:24 "but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.

Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with My victorious right hand.

John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

May you understand that you are the personal creation of God, hand-made with meticulous deliberation, thought-out care and precise craftsmanship, fashioned in His image, to His specifications, and for His purpose, a precious gem, a masterpiece of great value, a work of art bearing vast beauty and deep, personal significance to the Artist. In this way, you can begin to comprehend the tragic loss He experienced when His enemy gained the title of ownership through cunning subterfuge, causing the slime of sin to coat, mar, and warp God's dearest creation. Genesis 1

May you realize that though you have been formless and empty in the past, with darkness covering the deep parts of your heart, the Spirit of God has always been near, hovering, drawing you to Him, speaking of His love and showing His majesty through all of creation, ever patient, never tiring. He has always been present, drawing near to you whenever you turned to Him, so that when you accepted His gift of faith to believe in God's Son, He was there to speak Light into your life. Genesis 1

May you allow God to do His complete work of creation in your heart and your mind, as He makes you aware of spiritual things and brings forth spiritual fruit in your heart, giving you wisdom to recognize the seasons in your life and understanding for the responsibilities He assigns you to be steward of in the world. By this means, you will show the image of God that is slowly but reliably and persistently made ever clearer within you, seen by others and blessed by God, to be fruitful and bring increase to His kingdom, filling, ruling, and subduing all authority that is counter to and resistant toward the will of God. Genesis 1

Patience, My people, will be needed in this coming year, for I have much for you to do, and I have times for it to be done. You must be patient in your obedience, not excitedly running ahead or distractedly lagging behind, but patiently listening to the Spirit's prompting so you can move when it is time and stay when it is needed. Patient endurance will be called for this year as you are faced with trials and afflictions that the enemy brings against you. Know simply that though the desire of the evil one is to weaken and distract you, it is My will that is being done to strengthen and focus you on the work that you are doing. The defeated foe, even in his rage, can do nothing beyond My Word, and I am always there to support you. Just as a soldier runs an obstacle course to the point of weariness, and an athlete practices to the point of exhaustion, so the tribulations you experience in the world when you are submitted to Me bring you to the peak of your performance. Patient persistence will be the source of your strength in the coming months, for growth and increase come little by little as you continue studying in My Word and walking in My Spirit. Even when there seems to be nothing but the gray days of duty ahead of you, know that I am walking with you and am transforming your resigned acceptance into exuberant joy as the indistinct image of Christ becomes polished into the clear and unmistakable vision of the Father's love in your life. Be patient with one another, knowing that each one is working hard, carrying much, and following Me, so extend to them the grace that I have given to you and bestow upon them the mercy that you have received from Me. That is how My Body will be knit together, and how the world will see My love demonstrated among My people.

May you rest in confidence that past mistakes and previous errors and prior choices will not and cannot disrupt or derail God's plan and purpose for you. Just as the lineage of Christ includes those who did evil and many who made mistakes, as well as people who were outside the promise and covenant of God to His people, even so, the Lord will succeed in forming Christ within you using all the diversity of experience you bring and submit to Him. Matthew 1

May you be ever aware that to know the scriptures and believe them to be true is not enough, for even King Herod's advisors, the chief priests, and teachers could answer the questions of the Magi, but none found the Child except those willing to worship Him, whether poor, illiterate, and busy shepherds or rich, educated, and idle noblemen. When you seek Him to praise Him, you will find Him. Matthew 2

May you meditate on the law of the Lord day and night because of your delight and pleasure in it, for then you will not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. Psalm 1

May you will be like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season and growing vigorously, prospering in all you do. Psalm 1

May you be grateful that the Lord watches over and blesses your ways as you walk in and obey His ways. Psalm 1

May you choose not to be among those who walk in the ways of the wicked, for they shall perish like chaff that the wind blows away, unable to stand justified in God's judgment or in the congregation of those in right standing with God. Psalm 1

May you gain learning by listening to, and wisdom by hearing, the guidance given to the discerning by the Word of God. Proverbs 1:1,2

May you attain wisdom to understand words of insight, and self-control to acquire a disciplined and prudent lifestyle of doing what is right and just and fair. Proverbs 1:3,4

May you be willing to receive the prudence He gives to the simple, and the knowledge with discretion He gives to the young. Proverbs 1:5,6

[lunarcry]

hiii i finally read shitoris fate eps<3 spoilers for those + main story hihi

Shitori: (Still, this is quite nostalgic. When I was little, I snuggled up like this with Mother every day.)

this line knowing in msq mikaboshi opens her arms toward shitori and goes 'hm? when u were a child u would have alrdy been hugging me tho?' im unwell

Shitori: It was an Astral who adopted me, a child without a home or family. Mikaboshi was her name, but to everyone else she was a lunatic driven by hatred and obsessed with revenge. I always thought that if they got to know the motherly side of her, they wouldn't say those things anymore. They couldn't say those things if they learned of the woman that saved and raised me—the only mother I've ever known. The mother that I loved most in the world.

Shitori: But Jayne… Mother isn't crazy like everyone says. She teaches me whatever I want to learn and makes me tasty food and sweets. If I do something bad, she gets mad at me, but if I do something good, she tells me I did a good job.

T_^ shitori.................................the way mika talks about shitori too......of she cared..she cared sm.....but also mika teaching shitori things makes me sooooooooo........mika who showed love to shitori....shitori who showed love to mika.....

Jayne: Be that as it may, you don't know when madness will swallow her completely and drive her to harm others. If that puts your life in danger one day, we would be devastated. And if that were to happen, I don't think we would be the only ones to suffer. She would too, if I'm to believe what you've told me.

Shitori: That's why I'm going to stay with her. If I don't, no one else will when she needs help.

T______T

Shitori: The more I learned to do things on my own, the more Mother devoted her attention to her own developments and experiments. I knew she was modifying her body so she could stand against the power of the Astrals. It was evident in the way her body often violently trembled and her fits of temper as she became increasingly unstable.

Shitori: Mother's mad thirst for vengeance against her fellow Astrals was finally given form through the completion of the Great Wall. I'll never forget the way she looked the day that nightmarish creation was born. It was as if I were gazing at a feral beast. A howling animal that rejoiced in its thirst for blood, devoid of intelligence and reason. The kind mother that I believed in way nowhere to be found, and my faith crumbled to pieces. Seeing the terrifying weapon she had created, the skydwellers deemed Mother a threat and made attempts on her life. They only succeeded in assembling a massive pile of corpses, their power insignificant against the might of an Astral.

mika unreal hours. lokis lines about her when they talk about changing 'The Astral who ruled over the Nalhegrande Skydom was supposed to be a terrifying monster. Not only was she armed with a weapon that didn't rely on primal beasts, but she was also intent on destroying her fellow Astrals. Or so they said.' augh

Jayne: The Torhid Kingdom wishes to prevent further sacrifices and has already pledged their aid. With disputes breaking out between skydwellers and Astrals, the last thing anyone needs is for it to escalate into a large-scale war.

Shitori: Whispers of a potential outbreak of war spread like wildfire. The creation of Mother's weapon only amplified the chaos, and people began to wonder if she would destroy both skydwellers and Astrals alike.

TORHID MENTION !!!!!!! but also torhid...skull emoji. that said mika being there hating other astrals and building the great wall and this fueling the skydwellers fear of a war (that did end up happening)....

Shitori: You know something, Mother? No matter who you become, you'll always be the person I hold dearest. I love you. Even though I'm sure you don't feel the same way. Nothing's more important to you than your revenge—not me, not even yourself…

i dont think i can do this gamers. 'Goodbye, Shitori. No matter what happens, you'll always be my beloved daughter.' (in tears) shitori addresses these feelings later but her feeling that way in that moment when shitori was always important to mikaboshi..T_T

Shitori: Mother raised me. More than that, however, she gave me love when no one else would. Helping with the seal would mean betraying everything that I owed her. But I couldn't continue to turn a blind eye to all the victims of her rage and wait for things to settle. More pressingly, Mother's body was falling apart, and her mind and soul were fracturing as she bathed in more and more blood. I became certain that, sooner rather than later, she would break if something wasn't done.

Shitori: All I could see was her face, moments before the end, seared into my mind. Her eyes filled with hatred, anger, confusion, then despair.

thinks about the scene when the second seal is broken. RAUGH.

Shitori: She proceeded to reveal a bit of her own past to me for the first time. "You reminded me of myself, so I took you in out of pity." That was why she raised me, according to those words. It was painful to hear her admit as much—that there was nothing else binding us together besides sympathy for our shared circumstances. But upon seeing my dejected expression, Mother gave a troubled smile and gently pulled me into a hug. Then she told me, "Shitori, you're my dearest daughter, and I would have no one else but you. I love you."

MOMBOSHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

thinking about playable mika with fate eps that mirrors shitoris makes me dizzy. shitoris 5* is gonna be amazing if its set after act3 too <-no hint of shitori 5* on the horizon

Shitori: I really believed… that nothing mattered to Mother other than her revenge—not me, not even herself. But I couldn't have been more wrong. Do you know how she looked at me, right before the end? Her eyes, filled with despair, screamed "why?". And it finally hit me: I did this! I betrayed her! No matter how she changed, she always thought of me as her daughter until the very end! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Mother!

Shitori: Still, I resolved to stay by her side, so that at the very least she wouldn't be alone when she woke. That was why I chose to be sealed alongside her.

Shitori: (This might just be me being selfish, but I'd like the chance to apologize directly one day. For now, all I can do is apologize in my head. I'm sorry, Mother. I love you so much, and I always will.)

last one makes me ill cuz of this one loki & mika convo before the seals broken

Mika: If they meet each other… and Shitori say she's very sorry… will she stop crying forever? Loki: Oh, definitely. It must be painful to feel all that guilt but have no one to apologize to. Loki suddenly gets a distant look in his eyes, as if recalling a memory.

ill get into lokis emo self at another date but mika...T_T

Shitori: I was fully prepared to die by Mother's hand upon our awakening. But I desperately hoped that I'd be able to apologize before the final blow. With that last wish etched into my heart, I drifted into a long slumber.

u kno what also makes me so upset. when io mentions shitori when they meet mika at bestia islands, and mika uses 'daughter' to speak of shitori. 'dont mention that...that daughter of mine' or whatever.......T_T shitoris her daughter thats her kid her child her

Mika: I found Shitori crying for her mom in her sleep one day. It made me think… me and Shitori have our own real moms, don't we? It doesn't matter to me, since I don't have any memories and I'm happy with Shitori. But Shitori probably doesn't feel the same way. Maybe she wants to leave here… and find her mom.

Vyrn: I got a question though. How can she miss her mom if she doesn't remember her? Mika: I already asked everyone else about that. They said even if her mind doesn't remember, her heart does.

Lyria: Maybe we'll even find your mom and dad too… Mika: My mom and dad? No, that's not what I…

THIS CONVERSATION................her heart remembers..........mika and her parents...mika and astral society...mika who picked up shitori cuz she reminded her of her own situation...mika who wants shitori to be happy......shitori is faking amnesia but mikaboshis heart.....

Blessed One: We have plenty of Astrals here in case it fails, but… Blessed One: You truly believe we'd stand a chance against her hatred? She could easily destroy the entirety of the Edgelands. Blessed One: Then we must strike before she has the opportunity to. It's prudent we take advantage of her child-like state and end her immediately, as our final mission commands us to do.

lov ppl being scared of mikaboshi

Mikaboshi never hid the fact that she was an Asral, leaving skydwellers to regard her warily, while the madness stemming from her hatred toward other Astrals was impossible to ignore.

mika astral hater boshi !!! girlie who built the great wall !!! girlie who put echidna on bestia island went hehe astrals struggle against otherworldly beings (it backfires) oh no! shes my everything

Shitori: You're asking me to betray Mother… No, I don't care what happens to this world. I just want to be with Mother.

Jayne: My poor Shitori… Forever bound to her, forever bound to misery… I'll never forgive the monster who took your happiness away from you!

'When I accepted my fate to be sealed together with Shitori following her betrayal, the monster in me died and I became a mother' ill

Mika: I-I'd never hate you either! No matter what bad things you've done, I'll never hate you!

Mika: What about you, Shitori? Would you hate me if I was a bad person? Mika's anxious words stop Shitori's breath for a split second. Shitori: Never. No matter what bad things you've done, I'd never hate you.

I CANT DO THISSSSSS

anyway going through these & hearing shitoris suffering knowing her future in one timeline is to watch everyone die & leave it together with a dying lyria thanks to ebisu & some voice telling her to keep going. and then crying nonstop while apologizing. preparing papers & ids so we can enter oarlyegrande even before eugen was born. dude she has gone through so much..........i cant write an entire post about it rn but shitori.........

main story lines but i think about these smT_^

Mikaboshi: Because I also knew the reason you betrayed me. You did what you did for my sake, not for anyone else. You even went so far as to sacrifice yourself… It was the first time anyone had gone to such lenghts for me. I felt blessed, even if your actions were a betrayal. And I did confront you at one point to hear your thoughts on that…

Mikaboshi: You're an amazing person, Shitori… It wasn't some skydweller plot that stopped a monster from destroying her own kind… No… It was all you. To know that you cared for me meant so much. It was your love that saved Nalhegrande, and me as well. That's why I know you can do this, Shitori. You can even save the world if you set your mind to it.

'Leaving something behind as a parent might not be such a bad thing after all.' T____^ mikaboshi.....

[labbaik-ya-hussain-as]

Imam Hussain AS in his final moments, exhausted, heavily wounded, and under the severe emotional strain of seeing dozens of his closest and dearest killed along with his infant son, turned to Allah SWT and demonstrated the purest of faith in His plan:

 “O Allah! Sublime You are, Great of Might, Omnipotent, Independent of all creation, greatly Proud, Capable of doing whatever You please, Forthcoming in mercy, True of Promise, Inclusive of Blessings, Clement, Near to those who invoke Him, Subduing His creation, Receptive to Repentance, Able, Overpowering, Appreciative when thanked, remembering those who remember Him! You do I call upon out of my want, and You do I seek out of need!

From You do I seek help when in fear and cry when depressed! Your help do I seek in my weakness, and upon You do I rely! O Allah! Judge between us and our people, for they deceived and betrayed us!

They were treacherous to us, and they killed us though we are the ‘Itrat of Your Prophet and the offspring of the one You love: Muhammad (S) whom You chose for Your Message and entrusted with the revelation! Do find an ease for our affair and an exit, O most Merciful of all merciful ones!

Grant me patience to bear Your destiny, O Lord! There is no God but You! O Helper of those who seek help!

I have no God besides You, nor do I adore anyone but You! Grant me to persevere as I face Your decree, O Helper of the helpless, O Eternal One Who knows no end, O One Who brings the dead back to life, O One Who rewards every soul as it earned, do judge between me and them; surely You are the best of judges.”

[alzaeemadel]

O’ Allah! That which lays hold of my mind (from the following): doubt, disbelief, disappointment, intoxication, conceit, insolence, vanity, show, desire for fame, disagreement, hypocrisy, infidelity, transgression, disobedience, pride or any thing that You do not love may kindly be substituted with: faith according to Your promise, inspiration to fulfill Your promises, contentment with Your decision, piety in the world, a desire of that which is with you (good) impression, mental tranquility, and a sincere repentance. I ask You O’ Lord! of the Worlds for all of these.

O’ Allah! I am Your servant, son of Your servant and son of Your slave girl, I am weak and stand in need of Your Mercy. You are Omnipotent and Mighty. You have reckoned their deeds and accordingly distributed to them their livelihood and made them creation after creation of different languages and colours. The people know not what You know and esteem You not with the estimation due to You and all of us stand in need of Your mercy. Do not turn not Your face away from us and ordain in Your decree to make me among Your creatures - virtuous in deeds and hopes and in your decree and verdict.

O’ Allah! I beseech you for ease at the time of my death and forgiveness at the time of reckoning (on the Day of Resurrection). The sins of Your slave are great (in number) but forgiveness from You should serve my purpose well. O’ the One deserving to be feared and fitted to pardon. Your pardon! Your Pardon!

O my Master! Remove the adoration of worldliness from my heart, And unite me with Mustafa (Muhammad: the chosen messenger) and his family, the dearest of Your creatures and the last of the prophets, Muhammad, Peace from Allah upon him and his family,

O My Lord! You are more vast in bountifulness and greater in patience than to judge me according to my deed, or to stumble me with my sin.

O my Lord! In Your remembrance, my heart flourished, And in confiding to You, I relieved my pain of fright. So, O my Lord! And O the One whom I hope! And O the One who is the Ultimate Destination and Grantor of my request! Separate between me and this sin of mine that disables me from abiding by Your obedience, For I only ask You due to the ancient and long resting of hope upon You as well as the great coveting of You, in what You obliged yourself with from compassion and mercy. Evidently, the command is yours, for You are the only One without partners, and all creatures are in Your maintenance and within Your grip, and everything submits to You, blessed You are O Lord and Cherisher of the worlds.

[riverdamien]

April

“…And now, after

 the crucifixion, just when they feel that the dream is dead, that their faith is only fantasy, they are told to go

 back to the place where it all began: “Go back to Galilee. He will meet you there!” 

Fr. Ronald Rolheiser

Easter Sunday April 9, 2023

My Dearest Friends,

“Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed!

This past year has not been easy dealing with the brokenness we find in the world and in our own neighborhoods. In the struggle with my own pain {both physical and emotional}, with my loneliness and fear—my own demons, I have found myself recalling the words of Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, and I return to Galilee:

“Whenever we are discouraged in our faith, whenever our hopes seemed to be crucified, we need to go back to Galilee, back to the dream. .that we had embarked upon before things went wrong.”

I return to the Galilee of the Tenderloin and Haight Street and I simply do what I was called to do some twenty eight and six months ago now—to be a friend in the lives of the homeless  young and older adults.

For in each person, you see the broken body of Christ!

Each pair of socks, every sandwich made, and in the minutes and hours spent with each of these persons, the pastoral care we give shows our respect and appreciation of each one!

I invite you, personally, to see in each of the faces on the next page the face of Jesus and to join me on this journey into Galilee and provide the finances needed for our work!

In Jesus, Street Person and Rebel,

Fr. River Sims

​

“Whipper”

 “Brandon”

​

 Damien”

“Birdman”

​

  Dear fellow Companions Along the Way,

I am the Rev. Michael Mallory.  On April 5th, the second Sunday of Lent, 2023 I was ordained a priest of The Society of Franciscan Workers by Fr. River Sims.  It was an outdoor ordination hosted by the San Francisco Night Ministry Open Cathedral at the UN Plaza.  I was so blessed to have so many people attend and give me encouragement to continue on with that insistent calling from God, to simply be friends and find family in the people that the world has declared unworthy—the hungry, the stranger, the penniless, and the imprisoned.

“For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25:35-36

The Rev. Lyle Beckman, preaching at the ordination, said that being a priest is like being a gardener.  The daily task of tending, nurturing and patiently waiting for the garden to grow.  As a person of God, I have experienced firsthand how God has tended and nurtured and patiently waited for me, as God does for all of Creation.  I believe the Realm of God to be the same as that Beloved Community that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. proclaimed and that no one will reach it, until we all do. 

When will that day come?  No one knows the day or the hour. But I believe that every time we see in the strangers’ eyes an image of ourselves and recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters, that day draws closer.

May God bless you this Easter Season! Be bold and have no fear, for we belong to that one who created all of us.  When the journey seems long and unforgiving, remember that we are together in Christ and only together will we reach that distant shore. 

With all my heart,

Fr. Michael Mallory

“River On the Street”

      Temenos Catholic

P.O. Box 642656

San Francisco, CA 94164

 We are beggars! Please Give!

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 or www.temenos.org

 .

                                     .

[flightfoot]

So I rewatched Dearest Family last night, and it got me thinking. The arc Marinette goes through regarding Tikki makes me think of the arc she’ll need to go through regarding Chat Noir as well. 

Near the beginning of the episode, Tikki eats the galette that was meant for all the kwamis, something the other kwamis realize quickly. But Marinette’s quick to defend Tikki, even though she knows she’s guilty.

Marinette: (titters) You guys are joking! Tikki would never do such a thing!

Sass: Marinette, you know how much Tikki loves to eat, but do you really understand the Kwami of Creation's appetite for food?

Stompp: It's a gourmet craving of cosmic dimensions!

Sass: The pastry your father and his father created together is exceptional, unique. I'm afraid its impact on Tikki will—

Marinette: You're exaggerating, Sass. It's just a galette.

Sass: I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but I think you don't know Tikki as well as you think you do.

(Tikki glares at the kwamis angrily.)

Marinette: What?! Of course, I know her! I can say that I know her better than anyone!

Good on Marinette to believe in Tikki, but in this case, the other kwamis are right. Marinette doesn’t want to believe that Tikki might have a problem - and Tikki’s not exactly forthcoming about it either - so she thinks the other kwamis must be exaggerating. She thinks she knows Tikki better than anyone else. But as the episode later shows, that is not the case.

Marinette: So, Sass was right. But... why didn't you tell me anything?

Tikki: (cools down) I was afraid you'd think less of me... because of my cravings.

Marinette: Oh! Of course, not! I'll always like you, Tikki! Everyone has weaknesses, you know? (reaches out her hand) Let me help you overcome yours, just like you're always helping me overcome mine. (Tikki's stomach continues to rumble) You can resist! I have faith in you! Look at me! (Tikki flies to hold Marinette's hand and Marinette cups her in them) Bravo! (goes to hide behind a tree) Now, Tikki, spots on!

Marinette finds out that Sass was right: she DIDN’T know Tikki as well as she thought she did. Tikki has weaknesses and problems that she never would have thought of, ones that Tikki hid from her, for fear of her reaction.

But she reached out to Tikki instead, reassured her and encouraged her, which helped Tikki get her cravings under control.

With Chat Noir as well, Marinette believes that she understands him well. That she knows what he’s like, and what he’s NOT like - as can be seen in Ephemeral, with her reaction to his identity. But she only knows a few sides of him, and only what he’ll show her - and what she’s willing to see. It wouldn’t occur to her that Chat’s vulnerable as well, has issues of his own to overcome, has insecurities and things he’s hiding.

But at least Dearest Family provides some reassurance, shows how Marinette may react once she does realize that Chat’s more vulnerable than she thought. She reached out to Tikki, and she’d reach out to Chat as well.

[esuemmanuel]

He besado los labios de los ángeles, he tocado con las manos la excelsa suavidad de sus alas, me he arrullado entre sus brazos mientras han cantado a mi oído las alabanzas al Creador y he sonreído, como he agradecido, saberme sublimemente amado. Mas, ahí no ha acabado mi gratitud, ya que, así como me han llevado de la mano a las estepas del Paraíso, también me han aconsejado visite los pasillos de ese lugar que yace escondido en la profundidad de mi corazón. “Ahí radica el más bello de toda la creación, el que lleva la luz y te guía por las sendas benditas del conocimiento para que, en la última estancia de tu vida, alcances la sabiduría que Dios te ha concedido como a Su hijo más querido”. Y los he escuchado, tanto como los he obedecido, pues nada que sea dicho por los fieles súbditos de Dios ha de juzgarse bajo la lupa de la soberbia ignorancia. Por eso hoy hago de la oscuridad mi fiel consejera, mi amiga y amante, ya que Yo Soy el que lleva la luz… y sólo Yo puedo apagarme.

— Esu Emmanuel©️, I have kissed the lips of the angels, I have touched with my hands the sublime softness of their wings, I have lulled myself in their arms while they have sung in my ear the praises of the Creator and I have smiled, as I have been grateful, to know that I am sublimely loved. But my gratitude has not ended there, for, just as they have led me by the hand to the steppes of Paradise, they have also advised me to visit the corridors of that place that lies hidden in the depths of my heart. "Therein lies the most beautiful of all creation, the one who carries the light and guides you along the blessed paths of knowledge so that, in the last sojourn of your life, you may attain the wisdom that God has bestowed upon you as His dearest child." And I have listened to them, as much as I have obeyed them, for nothing that is said by God's faithful subjects is to be judged under the magnifying glass of arrogant ignorance. That is why today I make darkness my faithful counselor, my friend and lover, for I am the One who carries the light... and only I can extinguish myself.

[beccaclev]

Readerly Exploration #2

September 16th

Undivided: Through Forgiveness By: Katherine Wolf

Big Take Away- Life is both good and hard and although there is suffering, as future educators we have the ability to, whether it be directly or indirectly, teach children the goodness of God in tough times.

Nuggets:

Fake it till we make it, live out Psalm 42:5

“Suffering is not the end of the story it’s the beginning of a new story.”

God gave us an assignment of life- we need to live out our lives with this in mind

Reflection

Wolf’s speech was very interesting to me, and I was engaged throughout the entire video. She made many points that I think are very easily applicable to us as future teachers. One of the last sermons that I heard at my home church was the beginning of a series on suffering. I think that although trauma and suffering can be hard topics to explain to children but need to be addressed in a way that they can make sense of them and begin to create a deeper understanding of hard things. I like how Wolf talked about life being good and hard and that things happen. I have had a few challenging experiences in my life, and I will use Katherine’s story to help look at my life and ask myself some of the questions she brought up like: Are we living out our calling?  Are we living out our creativity for him in the creation of our story?

Evidence

I can see a similar theme in one of my favorite songs by Riley Clemmons called Healing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDiG3Nxm7CU  Some of the lyrics from song share the ideas of learning to be grateful and to be healed and breathe again through believing. The song talks about being broken and finding strength and courage to be healed by taking a leap of faith. Many of her songs have some of these deeper meanings and share her story in her faith through her music.

I couldn’t just pick one of her songs so another that relates to Katherine’s speech is a song called Keep on Hoping!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GKqi4pFGoM

One of my dearest friends has known that I have been trying to see Riley Clemmons in concert and when she sang at a festival my friend was at she Facetimed me to watch her whole set at the concert!! She sang into the phone "Keep on Fighting, keep on dreaming, don't you ever stop believing" and I cried, anyways my point to this little story is to say that I hope as a teacher some day I can encourage my students in this way not only when they are going through hardships but everyday!!!!