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Photo “Blue Sunny Day” by Niki Flow
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Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤
Photo /Graphic by Niki Flow. A seven-word short story. Author unknown.
#soml
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“Gear Shift” is one of the 30 plus stories that didn’t make the cut for 12 Tales (coming soon!). It still belongs here, under1000skies. Dedicated to Father Murphy* with love and thanks.
*Not his real name.
“Gear Shift” by Niki Flow
“George?”
“Father, I lost my paycheck. Margery is gonna murder me.”
“Can you blame her?”
“Father, I’m sorry! I want to quit. I really do.”
“Do you mean that, George?”
“Father Murphy I mean it like I ain’t never meant nothing before.”
“I see. Well, in that case, hold still.”
“Father?”
“Just count backwards from 100, slowly.”
“Is this my penance?”
“Certainly. Let’s think of it like that. Count backwards from 100 and picture yourself letting go of your gambling addiction. Go on. Begin.”
“Uh…okay. Let’s see…100. 99. 98. 97…”
“Good. Close your eyes George and keep counting.”
“Uh…97…96…95…94…”
“Good. Just keep counting.”
“Father what’s that noise?”
“George, if you don’t keep counting I’m going to make you count backwards from 1,000.”
‘Yes Father. Er…I forget…”
“You are on Number 94.”
“Right. 93. 92….whaaaAAAAH!”
TWO WEEKS LATER
“Bless me Father for I have sinned.”
“Good evening. Is that George?”
“Yes Father it’s me.”
“What would you like to tell me tonight?”
“I took the Lord’s name in vain. I had impure thoughts for only a few seconds about the lady at the supermarket. I uh…that’s it.”
“Are you sure? No gambling?”
“No gambling. I ain’t interested. It’s kinda like a miracle.”
“That’s good George.”
“Ever since two weeks ago when I passed out during confession…”
“Fell asleep, yes.”
“Whatever. Yeah, since then. Nothing. I ain’t interested no more Father.”
“That’s marvelous George. For your penance say two Hail Mary’s and two Our Father’s.”
“Thanks. I mean, I will. Father guess what else?”
“Yes?”
“My buddy fell asleep here last month. He uh…stopped seeing that woman over in Queens. Just …like that.”
“That’s marvelous George.”
“Father, something else. I heard about another friend of his, who comes to this church only he goes to Saturday night mass. So I don’t know him because we …me and the wife…we go to mass on Sundays. Well, we go now, anyways. Margery always did, but I didn’t use to…”
“Yes George, I remember. And?”
“Well that guy, he was a raging alcoholic. And HE fell asleep in here about six seven months ago and Father Murphy, you’ll never guess…”
“What’s that?”
“He’s been sober ever since. It’s like…this — right here — this confessional booth, it creates miracles, but you have to fall asleep. Or something. Maybe it’s you Father.”
“Or maybe we’re in a Miracle Machine I invented in my spare time and disguised it to look like a confessional.”
“Haha! Oh yeah or that! Good one Father!
“I’m glad you’re amused George. Anything else tonight?”
“Naw that’s it. Uh…right. My contrition:
“O my God, I am very sorry for offending you. I hate all my sins not only because you had to get punished but because you don’t like sins but you love me anyways. I firmly resolve with your help to quit sinning.”
“God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church, may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
“Amen. Thanks Father.”
“Don’t mention it George.”
The End.
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“When all capacity for ill will is gone, all that is left is original goodness. When all capacity for hatred is gone, all that is left is original love.” Eknath Easwaran
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☼ A “Giftivism” Initiative ☼
We are photographers,
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I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤
=) A “Gifivism” Initiative (=
We are photographers,
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Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤
“Our bodies are the real temples rather than buildings of stone.”
–Gandhi (Harijan, January 4, 1948)“Gandhi in a Nutshell”
Daily Metta
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We are photographers,
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I found three of the quotes in this series about love and fear among seven others on this site: 10 Quotes about Love and Fear.
Quote 1 is by Marianne Williamson, a woman who has inspired me and millions of others over the years. If you don’t know who she is, she’s got a nifty site and a newsletter you can sign up for here: Marianne.com
Quote 2 is by Oprah Winfrey, another inspiring and amazing woman. Her site is Oprah.com — it’s a bit hard to load on slower computers because it contains a lot of footage from her TV show, but well worth the wait. My favorite video series is “Super Soul Sunday.”
The third quote is from the New Testament book “1 John.” I wanted to credit the exact author of that letter, but I learned today reading after this interesting article that the authorship of 1 John has never been determined. Experts aren’t even sure that the author of the letters 2 John and 3 John (known as “The Elder”) is the same author as the first. Since the Bible is one of my favorite books of study, I found this fascinating.
The last quote is actually two quotes by C.S. Lewis, author of Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, Letters to Malcolm, The Problem of Pain and many others. His romance with American Joy Davidman became the basis of beautiful book by Brian Selby which became an equally beautiful movie starring Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger, Shadowlands. Since i didn’t find a quote by Lewis that contained both words in this month’s theme (“love” and “fear”) I combined one of each. One of my favorite quotes by C.S. Lewis is something he said to Joy one day in Shadowlands, not long after he discovered she was sick:
“Pain is the price we will pay – then – for the love we have — now. That’s’ the deal.”
We make this deal every time we love.
Niki Flow
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Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤
Painting “My Prayer” by Niki Flow. Shantideva was an Indian Buddhist monk who lived in the 8th Century. This prayer spoke to my heart. I’m not a holy Buddhist monk, but I can do small acts where I am with great love, too, one beautiful day at a time. ♥.
This will be made into note cards for our stationary store, under1000skies.com and will be included in Rx-for-Healing – the Power of Color and Opposites. For me, this quote would go under the tab, “Awakened” to be read whenever I feel the opposite: asleep, numb, addicted, closed-minded, judgemental (etc.).
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We are photographers,
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The theme for May is “fear” and, its opposite, “love.”
Photo by Niki Flow. Created with PicsArt. Instagram filter “LowFi.”
Update: May 8, 2017
There are people in my life who are brave on a daily basis. These people remind me that I can be brave — that I always have been.
Under1000skies resumed daily posts today and will continue hopefully until I’m long gone. This is my golden bowl, and this work is vital.
The pain, every day upon waking; the knowledge that, after 402 days, my son Benjamin Archer is still missing; — these will not be undone by hiding, numbing, or distracting. After all, “Life is about using the whole box of crayons.” Even the storm colors.
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We are photographers,
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Here’s what’s happening ¤ under1000skies ¤
This week we featured a beautiful photo from Alisa Reagan, two photos from Niki Flow and one photo from an unknown photographer.
We also shared the letter we include with our artist packs:
Happy Friday! Today’s TGIF is a video shared on KindSpring.org yesterday by Rajni. It’s a spoken-word piece by Curly Street Media called “Love.” This short and beautiful video was a gift to me yesterday. May it be so for you too. TGIF: “Love” – This Gift Is Forever
“Love liberates. It doesn’t just hold. That’s ego. Love liberates.”
“Right may not be expedient. It may not be profitable. But it will satisfy your soul.”
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