Sacred Scrabble, Anyone?

My spousal partner Jim and I have fallen in love—with Scrabble. We’ve been playing a game nearly every night for the past two weeks. As I think about the way we create words and look for new combinations of letters on the Scrabble board, it reminds me of the way WORDS power our lives.
Each day we reach out to others—a family member, work colleague, friend, store clerk—using words to communicate our needs, desires, hopes.
Sometimes we discover that the words we’re using don’t quite connect with another’s needs, desires, hopes.
It’s a little bit like Scrabble. I might have a perfectly good word but if it won’t connect to another player’s word or if it’s too big for the allotted spaces, the word doesn’t do me any good. I need to re-arrange the letters on my tiles until I find a word that will fit.
I don’t get emotional when a Scrabble word doesn’t work; it’s a game, after all.
Why do we get so emotional—angry, hurt, defensive--- about the words we use to communicate with another? Today, if some communication of mine isn’t working, maybe I can think along lines of Sacred Scrabble, and find within myself the grace to laugh, shrug, and re-arrange what I say until I do make a connection.

Can prayer ease money worries?

I hope so! I believe so! And my latest book, GRACE ON THE GO: Powerful Prayers to Ease Money Worries which will be published in April, 2009 by Morehouse Press (an imprint of Church Publishing)contains many hopeful prayers for readers.
Here is one of my favorites: 19 easy-to-memorize words which I hope can act as a daily reminder for how to think and act around all that you have. I call it

The Simple Living Prayer
Clutter less
Pray more
Consume less
Give more
Want less
Enjoy more
And always, always, give thanks to God.
Copyright@Barbara Bartocci