TIME2LINK
World ME & FM Prayer & Meditation Day
News and Events
2008 DIARY DATES FOR THE WORLD ME & FM PRAYER & MEDITATION DAY
JANUARY 7, FEBRUARY 4, MARCH 3, APRIL 7, MAY 5, MAY 12, JUNE 2, JULY 7, AUGUST 1, OCTOBER 6, NOVEMBER 3, DECEMBER 1
Image: (C) Ian Britton www.FreeFoto.com
WORLD EVENTS, OBSERVANCES & HOLY DAYS DURING JULY
Click the links for further information
03 JULY Festival of Cerridwen
04 JULY Independence Day USA
07 JULY Chocolate Day !
09 JULY Martyrdom of the Bab (Baha'i)
10 JULY Day of Hel, the Norse Goddess
12 JULY The Luckiest day of the Year (according to the Angel Gabriel)
13 JULY Alternative Midsummer date (Asartru)
13-17 JULY Obon, Festival of Souls, Japan (Buddhist)
15 JULY St. Swithin's Day
19 JULY Buddhist Lent & Tak Bat Dok Mai Festival, Thailand 1st day of waning moon
20-26 JULY Make Someone Smile Week
23 JULY Birthday of Haile Selassie (Rastafarian)
25 JULY Feast of St. Christopher (Christian)
26 JULY Hopi Niman Dance (Native American)
26/27 JULY Parents Day
29 JULY Festival of Thor, God of Thunder (Asartru)
01 AUG Lughnasadh/Lughnasa/Lammas
July is also Make A Difference to Children Month & Wheelchair Beautification Month !
If you would like your own global or national Prayer or Meditation Day listed here, please e-mail your details.
NEW! Light A Cyber Candle
Participants of the Vigil For M.E. Awareness Day in May, were invited by the Founders to light a candle at Gratefulness.org for the candle group vfme. For linkers who enjoyed the ritual experience of lighting a virtual candle, a time2link cyber candle has also been reserved at this webspace for you. This provides an additional opportunity to offer blessings at any time during the month; especially useful if you happen to miss the time2link or feel too unwell to participate on the day. Please enter the initials T2L for the candle group; there is an option to leave a message/blessing. Candles also continue to be lit here, for the Vigil For M.E. Awareness.
thank you...
to the many, many, organisations, support groups and individuals around the globe, who have offered their support and kind assistance, with the awareness campaign for the World ME & FM Prayer and Meditation Day. with love and gratitude, Suzanne Olivante, Founder
| In 2008 a special time2link was organised to mark 12 May International M.E. & F.M.S. Awareness Day. Members of the time2link network united with the Vigil For ME Awareness. Everyone is welcome to join with us again next year. If your own prayer/meditation group are organising an event for 2009 please e-mail at any time and your event details can be added to this News & Events page. |
Index
- Lady Bird book Appeal
- The winning entry for the time2link poetry competition
- Walking the Amazon for M.E. - Ed Stafford & Luke Collyer are walking the Amazon - portion of funds collected going toward M.E. research
- time 2 think - how the first time2link of 2008 was celebrated
- Other dates for your diary: Jump to the following page featuring - Calendar of Global Prayers & Meditations or the listing of Monthly & Daily Global Prayers & Meditations or listing of Other Global Events & Observances
Lady Bird Book Appeal
A school is being built by the Abbot of Aukana Rock Temple in Sri Lanka. Lady Bird books are being collected to send out to the school, to assist with teaching the children English. So far the school have only 2 books to share between 50 pupils! If you would like to donate a book (second-hand copies acceptable), please e-mail for details of the address in the UK. Thank you for your support.
The Buddha statue at Aukana is the largest standing, stone Buddha statue Sri Lanka. measuring 39 ft in height with shoulders 10 ft wide! It dates back to 459-477AD the period of King Dhatusena. For the curious, a link has been added, which will lead to you to further information about the Aukana Buddha
Image: (c) www.123rf.com
The winning entry for the time2link Poetry Competition
(c) www.123rf.com
One Day In Time by Steven Du Pre
We are in a marathon,
our eyes on this faltering journey
but today I am turning
to listen to riversong,
to revel in the splendor
of mountain fields of wildflowers:
Lupine, Bird's Eye Gilia, Hot Rock Dudleya.
with this disease, I have to stop
and consider each step,
not like the pack of runners swiftly
passing by at a pace that permits
only a sidelong glance at the landscape,
but no time to look deep
into the intricate heart of the bloom--
opening pearl-white satin Globe Lily blossom,
following the maroon path that guides
the bee bearing pollen
into the mysterious birthplace of seeds---
yes, to go slowly enough to see the delicate
hand of God in creation
just now a whirling stream of irridescent blue
Hairstreak Butterflies
go surfing over waves of purple Lupine---
I'm sorry. I got caught up in this fullness of life.
I know, the race is on,
but the richness of God and the simple things
will do that to you sometimes---
to see the joy in my wife's eyes at the unfolding spring,
the mountain slope blooming and afternoon sun lighting
the river as it plays a delightful sonata---
all these make the soul satisfied.
No, I guess I'm not sorry after all.
I'm going to keep on veering off the trail,
turn my gaze fully into these hidden vistas.
I hear the prize is not just
for those who cross the line first.
With thanks to www.pdphoto.org
Steven Du Pre Poetry website A small group of poems with accompanying photographs that celebrate life and that include a few about my M. E. experience along with others about the animals on the planet and the joys of our life together.
"By words the mind is winged." Aristophanes
Website for National Alliance for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Name-us:
A useful & informative website for patients as well as medical personnel with a lot of information about the scientific facts about M. E. and the clear-cut definitive diagnosis that can be made along with some historical information about M. E.
With thanks & congratulations to Steven Du Pre!
Walking the Amazon for ME
On 1 April 2008 Ed Stafford and Luke Collyer set out to embark upon an amazing adventure. To walk 4,000 miles from the source of the Amazon River in southern Peru, to the mouth in Brazil. The journey is expected to take around 16-18 months. The aim of the expedition is to raise awareness of climate change, plus funds are being collected to support 6 chosen charities. The ABC Trust, Project Peru, Cancer research UK, Rainforest Concern, The Outward Bound Trust and the UK ME Association - raising funds for medical research. Update! : 9 July - 100 days into the expeditition now. Luke has returned to the UK and Ed is continuing the adventure solo for the time being. A replacement walker is being sought. Check out their website to learn more about their aims, how Ed will accomplish this expedition and the long list of dangers that lay in wait! You can also make a donation and read the blog. www.walkingtheamazon.com Visit the MEAssoc website to learn how funds will be used for medical research. www.meassociation.org.uk RETURN TO TOP time2think Extract from the blog.... How the first time2link of 2008 was celebrated For January's event, participants are encouraged to spend a portion of their day in quiet contemplation of their year ahead. Perhaps thinking about the progression of the world too, rejoicing in the blessings that humanity, the natural world and the material world, have received during 2007. Momentarily acknowledging the work that has yet to be done on a local and international level. Praying for balance and peace to be restored on earth and giving thanks for our own blessings received during the past year. This time of contemplation can be tagged on to the usual time2link, creating an extension of your link or simply incorporated into your usual linking time. Alternative options could be to incorporate your time of peace into a separate session, indulged later in the day or week, to pace your output. Time 2 think is the humourous title for this themed day... because the aim is not to contemplate or reflect on our regrets or lack of progress, but to acknowledge the blessings of 2007, no matter how small and to engage our imaginations to visualise how we would like 2008 to unfold for ourselves, our family, friends and fellow sufferers and for the planet we all share. Time 2 think is about expressing our hopeful wishes in a joyful and creative way and generating positive energy for ourselves. Sending this accumulated energy in thought form, through the act of prayer and meditation, out into the world as a healing balm. The following suggestions are offered to those who feel well enough to do a little extra service or self exploration. For many of you, thinking ahead and even setting very small goals, may not be an option yet and much of the content written here is aimed at those who are able to meditate on a regular basis. As always, in-keeping with the spirit of the World ME & FM Prayer and Meditation Day, my words are only here to inspire and I anticipate that you will all find your own unique way to enjoy this themed day. * View the day as a treat for yourself, rather than a chore that has to be slotted into your schedule. Switch off the TV, radio and computer and try to spend as much of the day as possible in peace and quiet. * After linking-in your mind may feel more receptive to creative thought and contemplation...let your ideas for the year ahead ebb and flow and you may like to mark them down on paper, creating a mind-map or tree doodle, with each branch leading to another idea. Keep it simple...we are all very aware of our personal health limitations, so think of very small goals that are achievable. You can add major, long-term goals if you like, but the simple goals and dreams are even more important, as they are the stepping stones to the future. * You may even wish to contemplate how you would like to link-in to future events, if you are new to this support link. Or to consider what small offering you could give to the world at this time, in thought, prayer or through practical methods. this may be a more do-able option for the severly ill. * Once you have gathered your hopeful thoughts and imagery and you are feling light, energized and maybe even smiling...you may feel ready and the need, to create something that expresses the essence of what you have gleaned from this period of contemplation. Let your intuition guide you...the next steps suggested can be saved for another day if you would like to pace things out.  A FEW IDEAS FOR INSPIRATION * Practical help may be appealing to many of you. Donating to a worthy cause that you feel drawn to support. Or making a new commitment eg. switching to a greener energy supplier, organizing a fundraising coffee morning, where visitors bring old books to sell or hand-made cards/crafts. Offering to become a pen/e-mail pal or participating in other world prayer days. (See the 30 Nov 2007 post on the blog for a comprehensive list) * Make a prayer flag: using paper of fabric, decorate your flag with prayers, wishes, poetry, trimmings, leaves or dried petals, glitter, fluff and feathers...spiritual imagery, photographs or magazine clippings that capture your mood or goal. Prayer flags are becoming increasingly popular in the western hemisphere. Traditionally they are hung outdoors for the wind to carry the prayers, but they can be displayed indoors too. For more information on prayer flags you can download a pdf article at: http://www.prayerflags.com/download/article.pdf * Similar to the above, you could design a collage or if you enjoy scrapbooking, design a page based around your prayers for the year ahead/for the world. Art and craft, singing and playing instruments/music are all wonderful ways to express the dawning of the new year; your theme song radiating and transporting your prayers. * New beginnings can be celebrated with a planting ceremony. Tricky to do when unwell, but an option is to consider donating to a tree planting programme. Here in the UK many people like to make New Years resolutions, usually along the theme of giving up something, going to the gym, changing their diet or looking for a new job...many linkers will have already have had to eliminate certain foods, alcohol, tobacco, exercise, work and so forth, because of ill health, and are already resolute in their determination to find health again. So this day is not about more rules, plotting fruitless goals or therapy for the mind...it's about engaging in positive thought and action, in a pleasureable and spiritual way. To experience the joy of giving to yourself and others through creative prayer, straightforward prayer or through practical help. The possibilities are many and it can be fun and refreshing to try a new way of giving, a new way of expressing the love and compassion within you. Blessings for your year ahead Suzanne |
Waterlily image source: www.123rf.com
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