Category: Spiritual

When I am 64…

Well, that was quick…
When I first heard The Beatles song as a wee 7 year old, “When I’m  64,” I thought 64 was was old, and ancient. In my small 7 year old world, I didn’t have to worry about 64 because that was a long way away.

Then I recall hearing it again in my 20s  and a similar thought, that well, I don’t need to think about 64, because that’s a long ways off, and 30s and 40s…

When I turned 50, I thought, ummm,.WOW, that’s not so old now and in reality, it really is  just around the corner but hey-ho, it’s getting alot closer….and the day arrived yesterday, and it, the number 64, arrived..I’m like, damn, this thing is moving fast, and now for the last 3rd of my life going to cherish even more so the gift of another day…there about 4-5 times from my 20s even up until 59, I didn’t my know if I would make to 64…that was always my benchmark, just make it to 64, and I have…and now life is more precious…but, more determined to make each day count…so, lastly, I am going to definitely eat the cake, and yes drink a glass maybe 2 or 3 of wine.

In the meantime, join me and singing….
…When I get older, losing my hair. Many years from now, Will you still be sending me a valentine, birthday greetings, bottle of wine? If I’d been out till quarter to three, Would you lock the door? Will you still need me, will you still feed me, When I’m sixty four?…” 🎂 🍾🥂

So, each day, go Carpe that Diem of Yours.

Beautiful Things in the most Unexpected Places

I came across this morning a poem with only four lines; yet speaks volumes. It is one of those poems that leaves one thinking and ruminating on it. Contemplating it, and it’s depth with just four lines.

I immediately thought of a picture I had taken while waiting in a drive-thru line in Bloomington, MN, on my way to work one summer morning. It was in the most obscure, unappealing area, surrounded with grey cement, and almost hidden directly past the price board. In all its glory stood so beautiful and all by itself, a blooming hedge in such an unexpected place. I was moved to take a photo.

An Epilogue, by John Masefield

I have seen flowers come in stony places

And kind things done by men with ugly faces,

And the gold cup won by the worst horse at the races,

So I trust, too

The take away from this: Expect beautiful things in the most unexpected places and wonderful things done by people we would least expect them from. So, we trust too.

We must take time to notice these things, for they are there if you look for them. Even in a worn cement drive thru.

Photo Credit by: A.D. Pittman, Beautiful buds in an unexpected place

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday signals the end of Lent, a 40-day period the Christian holiday that occurs on the Sunday before Easter, and the start of Holy Week.

Palm Sunday, Jesus fulfills the prophesy of Nehemiah where in The Old Testament, he prophesied of Palm Sunday in Zecharaiah 9:9 – “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Matthew 21:1-11

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,  saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.  If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Quoting The Very Reverend Robert Wallis, Dean of Canterbury in his lesson, on this Palm Sunday, “Jesus makes it clear here in Matthew, this is how He will enter Jerusalem. Luke’s gospel as the only gospel that does not reference the prophecy being fulfilled. Perhaps because he speaks to the crowds who knew nothing of the Jewish prophesy about the donkey.

Notice in Matthew as Jesus enters the city, the crowds are singing the same song in Luke, as the Angels in heaven sang to the Shepherds at the birth of the Messiah, in Bethlehem; and making them the first to go and worship in the stable. What do the Angels sing it the birth: they sing, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and upon earth peace and good will.

Here in Matthew, as the disciples approach the city of Jerusalem, with Jesus riding on the donkey shouting, Blessed is the King that comes in the game if the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. The crowd is actually singing  the  song of the Angels.

As Jesus enters the city, he weeps where signs of conflict and war are already apparent. One cannot help, but think of the present in the last month, weeks, and days  of the weeping done of a city with carnage and death in their streets and violence all around them in Ukraine.” (Citation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8dKLmg1wxU)

The palm branch is known to represent goodness, peace and victory, symbolic of the final victory He would soon fulfill over sin and death.

And the 12th Night starts…


‘Christmas. The Wassail Bowl’ by Thomas Hollis after R.W. Buss. The wassail bowl is the centrepiece of this 1851 engraving of merriment and revelry

Epiphany begins tonight at sunset, as the 12 day of Christmas ends. So, what better way to ring in Epiphany than with the Robert Herrick poem, the 12th Night. The sun has just set, so lets get the cake ready…

The following pen was written by Robert Herrick, a clergyman of the Church of England. After England’s civil war, Herrick was displaced or rather kicked out of his living quarters because the worship of the Church of England; and the customs of the country-side, including the celebration of Twelfth Night had been abolished because of the Civil War. Any celebrations therein, were made criminal. Inasmuch, because shops were not allowed to open, riots ensued, referred to as The Plum Pudding riots.

Herrick lived until 1674. He was restored to his ministry in 1660. Knowing, the return of King Charles II and things would be restored, he penned the celebratory poem, Twelfth Night.

TWELFTH NIGHT : OR, KING AND QUEEN.
by Robert Herrick NOW, now the mirth comes With the cake full of plums,

Where bean’s the king of the sport here ;
Beside we must know,
The pea also
Must revel, as queen, in the court here. Begin then to choose, This night as ye use,

Who shall for the present delight here,
Be a king by the lot,
And who shall not
Be Twelfth-day queen for the night here. Which known, let us make Joy-sops with the cake ;

And let not a man then be seen here,
Who unurg’d will not drink
To the base from the brink
A health to the king and queen here. Next crown a bowl full With gentle lamb's wool :

Add sugar, nutmeg, and ginger,
With store of ale too ;
And thus ye must do
To make the wassail a swinger. Give then to the king And queen wassailing :

And though with ale ye be whet here,
Yet part from hence
As free from offence
As when ye innocent met here.

*Wassailing historically occurred on the twelfth and final night of Christmas. Wassailing is a Twelfth Night tradition that has been practiced in Britain for centuries. It has its roots in a pagan custom of visiting orchards to sing to the trees and spirits in the hope of ensuring a good harvest the following season.

(*Source: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/ritual-and-revelry-the-story)

Picture by A.D. Pittman, 2021

The Door

I visited this church in Alexandria, VA, a few years back when I first returned to DC from Minneapolis. It was around this same time of year. It was a summer schedule unbeknownst to me at the time, and was locked when I got there. I knocked on the solid wood, heavy door, waiting for it to be opened. As I stood at the door, the verse, ” Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me,” came to my mind.
Right before someone opened it and unlocked it, I pondered that and recalled another time in 1999, after a 15 year hiatus of not attending church. As I sat in the pew that day I showed up after 15 years, with the sunlight reflecting off the stained glass window, and as Communion began, I heard that still small voice say, “Come unto me and I will come unto you.” That was when I began a new walk with Christ and my life has never been the same. I was reminded of this memory, this morning about that door and me standing there knocking on it for someone to open it, and remembered and reflected.

Go in Peace.

Pearl of Wisdom for the day: 25 June 2021

“Eventually, the truth will be made known.”

Angela Pittman

The lost Art of Respect and Civility, Pt 1

Rule #56 Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for ’tis better to be alone than in bad company. (Choose your friends wisely.)

George Washington
Photo Credit: A.D. Pittman, The Rules of Civility, GW© Ru

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Manners. Etiquette. Grace. All combined have a penumbra of virtue known respect for others.  Where have these basic qualities gone. Parents not instilling in their children the universal respect. We now have 2 generations of it, beginning with the end of the boomers, mine.  I began noticing it about 10 years ago with Facebook. In the last 10 years, I have watched people’s respect dwindle, hiding behind the screen of anonymity. Inasmuch, people and lack of respect for one another has leaped from behind the screen protection to complete abandonment in public, no matter where it seems anymore. All bets are off, whether an office, or store, restaurant. It is time to return to a notion of civility and respect for one another.

I was brought up to offer a seat to someone older if there were none available no matter where the setting, but especially in a public situation, such as public transportation. I was of the generation that when someone entered a room, you stood up.  I am not talking of a return to Victorian England, I am talking of being respectful. There once was a time where etiquette mattered. There were books written on it by the “experts.”  The first I know of was Emily Post’s book, “Etiquette”, published in 1922; or “Amy Vanderbilt’s Complete Book of Etiquette;” or Leticia Baldridge, former Social Secretary to Jacqueline Kennedy during her role as First Lady, with her book, “New Complete Guide to Executive Manners, published in 1993.   Manners and grace matter. That is not gone out of style. It is time we usher it back in.

In fact, because that wonderful demographic known as “millennials,” corporations and government agencies are now having to offer classes on manners, disguised as other words, like, “mindfulness” and the such.  This should have been taught in the home. Sadly, it wasn’t and now we have basically 2 generations of people unversed in the subject of manners.  There’s a quote attributed to Emily Post that says the following: “Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.”

I will begin this series of Civility and Respect towards one another by starting with me.  While I was looking up information in the form of “manners,” “etiquette”, and “civility,” in addition to the above references, the first I noted was something penned 289 years ago by none other than George Washington when he was around 14 years old, “Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation”. The foundation built on a set of rules composed by French Jesuits in the 16th century.

So, as of this writing, I shall for the next few weeks or months, make at least a weekly post on one of Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” Change starts with you and me as it relates in the realm of teaching respect for one another.

I happened to visit George Washington’s boyhood home, at Ferry Farm, near Fredericksburg, Virginia.  Throughout the walking trail, there are several bill boards placed strategically, reminding the public of one the rules of civility. I took a few pictures. This one being today’s kick off to today’s mindfulness lesson in respect and civility. 

The picture above, I took because it made me think of an addage my mother always told me when it came to my friends, “Anga, choose your friends wisely. You are known by the company you keep.” I did heed her advice on this, one of the few I did (buy my book, Standing in the Light: A Memoir by Angela Pittman, available on Amazon in Kindle or Paperback. Click the tab in menu “buy the book here) [Hey, it is my book blog page, so gotta plug it where I can.] {insert smiley}). 🙂 I think we all need to be reminded of this. Yes, we are known by the company we keep, and character does matter. You may quote me on that.

Living My Dash

This week, sadly, I learned of the passing of four different people I thought of as friends. Not best friends, but friends that I have come to know through the years and interacting on social platforms. Friends with whom I shared my life with, who knew sometimes more than others closest to me. Friends who could discern if I was having a good day, a great day, and yes, a bad day. Friends I shared my thoughts on about the world, my work, and my latest travels. Friends I let “in” to my circle.

Most did not know each other, and in fact these four did not. However, each were my friend. When I learned of their passing, I thought of their own “dash” and each having fulfilled their “dash”. You know, the period between the time one is born, and the time one dies. With each passing, I paused to reflect on life’s purpose for and of each of individual’s mission. Thinking of what we leave behind and in general doing our part to make the world a better place, including my own purpose. I am of the belief that we all have a purpose to fill in God’s, The Creator, The Great Spirit’s,  plan. Oh, I know who I am and such, but have you ever just stopped to think what is God’s purpose your own life? Including in that, do you ever stop to reflect on a certain situation, or when people are brought in and out of your life, in different seasons, or places that just seem a one off. There have been many of these instances throughout my life. This is the point in most instances where I pause and stop and think, “what was that about”?

I have had this same thought since I was 20. Yet, I keep pressing on, doing right and doing good. As I mentioned in my book, “Standing in the Light: A Memoir” (available for purchase{check the tab in the menu for direct link}) I had a life changing experience in 1984. (You gotta buy the book to find that part out, insert smile emoji). I knew after that enlightening experience, I had a purpose. I just wasn’t quite sure how to “find it.” So, I began my life’s journey in pursuit thereof, in my young life, taking with me the lessons learned and told to me that night in my conversation with God.

Today, upon reflecting of the passing of my friend’s life, and the eventual mortality of my own life and its purpose, I came across a poem by John Henry Newman. That was not by coincidence. For the record, I do not believe in serendipity. I believe that was God answering my life long question about my purpose through the words of another. Ironically enough, today is is Newman’s 210th birthday. See what I am talking about. It is not by chance.

When I read A Meditation, that was enough to give me the answer, and satisfy me. So, while we may not know exactly the “why” or the “what”, we press on and do good and one day we will know. In the meantime, I will share Cardinal John Henry Newman’s, poem with you.

A Meditation

GOD has created me to do Him some definite service: He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.  I have my mission – I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.

 I AM a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.  He has not created me for naught.  I shall do good, I shall do His work.  I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place while not intending it – if I do but keep His commandments.

 THEREFORE I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away.  If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him: in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.  He does nothing in vain.  He knows what He is about.  He may take away my friends, He may throw me among strangers.  He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me – still He knows what He is about. ~John Henry Newman

Make your dash count. Each day indeed is a gift, celebrate it. You only get one chane at it. As I say, Carpe Diem! ~Angie

January 6th, The Day of Epiphany

According to the Cambridge dictionary, the day in the Christian religion as a that celebrates  the revelation of the  baby  Jesus to the  world, and the 3 Magi.

The term epiphany comes from a Greek word meaning “appearance,” “manifestation,” or “revelation” and is commonly linked in Western churches with the visit of the  wise men (Magi) to the Christ child

In other words a Light.

Cambridge also defines epiphany as a moment when you suddenly feel you understand or suddenly become conscious of something very important.

For my epiphany and light, check out my book, Standing in the Light: A Memoir by Angela Pittman. Go to menu and under the tab, Purchase Book Here for a sample. Follow the link to Amazon to read a sample