Hello my friends! Well I did dig all the potatoes - with my hands mostly, and using a fork for those I couldn't get. Then I noticed that using the fork wasn't the best thing for me to do, so I quit doing it and had Linus do the rest, but I pulled them out and got out what I could by hand. We have plenty of fresh potatoes. Anyone want some? Carrots will be next, but not yet. Tomatoes are coming in good now. Hoping to have enough potatoes and carrots for the cream can dinners, 2 cream cans! The rest we'll have to buy, cabbages, onions and corn on cobs. Blessings today is our food from the garden, a good husband who helps me alot, even working a job at his age, daughters so willing to help with this party - and so many more! And again that nice Anniversary thread still going for us - thanks to Love Roses! It's a great blessing to hear from everyone!
Every moment of every day is your choice unless you give it away.
Lord, I choose to live peacefully today and ask for patience and strength
when I feel stress from the demands others place on me.
Scripture for the day:
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they
may have life, and have it abundantly." ~John 10:10
Meditation for the day:
We can have life and have it more abundantly--spiritual, mental,
physical, abundant life--joyous, powerful life. These we can have if
we follow the right way. Not all people will accept from God the gift
of an abundant life, a gift held out free to all. Not all people care
to stretch out a hand and take it. God's gift, the richest God has to
offer, is the precious gift of abundant life. People often turn away
from it, reject it, and will have none of it. We need not let this be
true of us.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may hasten to accept the gift of abundant spiritual
life. I pray that I may live the good life to the best of my ability.
Food for Thought:
WHO FEELS THE PAIN?
By Sally I. Kennedy
“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:18
This week held a big step for two people close to me. My daughter had
said, “I don’t know if I can let him go!” And on Tuesday, my 3 yr.
old grandson went to school for the first time. It’s hard to say who
felt the pain of separation more; my daughter, her first-born, or
Grandma.
It was deja vu for me as I was transported back in time. Our oldest
child began morning pre-school at the same age. I suspect the parent
feels the pain more than the child. The youngster is on to new and
exciting adventures, while the parent is left behind in his or her
same routine.
Maybe it’s always easier for the one who moves on than the one who is
left. My friend Ed, a counselor, says you grieve when you lose a
person, place, or thing. It could be just about anything in life,
little or big.
I thought about who was it that felt the pain more when we became
separated from God back in the Garden of Eden? And who grieved the
most? My guess is that it was our father, God. His pain was
unbearable enough to immediately set about implementing the plan He'd
had since before the foundation of time to bring us back into that
close former relationship with him.
It did finally happen. As all things came together, so long ago, Jesus
became the bridge between us and our heavenly parent. Happy endings
are always good, and there is none better than this one.
That is definitely good news.
PRAYER FOR
TRUE FRIENDSHIP
Jesus, loving companion of Your children, You have extended Your friendship
to all. You opened Your arms without discrimination, Offering Your warmth to
those seeking comfort. Endow me with the virtue of such a friendship, To
know, love and trust all on an equal basis; To share my patronizing without
favorism, And to be pleasant towards the destitute. Fashion my heart to
reflect Your qualities, Those befitting of a cordial association. Jesus, You
showed me the way to true friendship: Blessed is Your amazing and warm
Person!
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME
Author Unknown
A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next
door. It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College,
girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved
clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush
of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and
often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his
future, and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The
funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old
newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack, did you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought
of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack
said.
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you
were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his
side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make
sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.
"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in
this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching
me things he thought were important... Mom, I'll be there for the
funeral," Jack said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to
his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no
children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to
see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway,
Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another
dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he
remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of
furniture... . Jack stopped
suddenly.
"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.
"The box is gone," he said.
"What box? " Mom asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I
must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever
tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack
remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser
family had taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I
better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from
work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature
required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post
office within the next three days," the note read.
Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old
and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The
handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his
attention.
"Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and
ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an
envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack
Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life."
A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears
filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he
found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over
the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover.
Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time!
Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most...was.. .my time."
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and
cleared his appointments for the next two days.
"Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.
"Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!"
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the
moments that take our breath away,"
Thank you for your time.....
Christ's Whole Life Was Filled With Insults,
by Saint John Chrysostom
Scripture tells us that for the sake of the joy that lay ahead of Him,
Christ endured the Cross, thinking nothing of the shame of it. What exactly
is meant by thinking nothing of the shame? The simple fact, as Saint Paul
says, that Christ chose an ignominious death, that He chose it in full
freedom because He was not subject to sin. By so doing Christ taught us to
face disgrace boldly and make light of it.
Let me remind you of the goal He achieved: He has taken His seat at the
right hand of God. You see the prize to be won in this conflict. Even if
there were no reward to be gained, Christ's example would be enough to
persuade us to endure all our trials willingly. In point of fact, we are
told that rewards do lie ahead of us, and these no ordinary honors, but
prizes of such magnitude that they cannot be described.
Therefore, whenever we ourselves have to suffer some disgrace, let us think
of Christ, remembering that His whole life was filled with insults. He was
continuously hearing Himself called a madman, deceiver, and sorcerer, by the
very people among whom He went about doing good, for whom He performed
miracles, and to whom He revealed the works of God.
MY DAILY OFFERING
(As each day begins,
please try to lift your mind and heart
to your heavenly Father,
and offer to Him the new day He has given you.)
Most loving Father,
I thank You for the gift of this new day.
Please help me to use it for your honor and glory.
By Your grace,
may all my thoughts, words, and actions
be pleasing today in Your sight.
In Your great kindness,
Lord Almighty,
preserve me this day without sin,
and protect all people from every evil.
May the ever-blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of our Savior,
keep us under her protection and by her prayers,
and the aid of all your Saints,
keep us ever intent on doing good today for your sake.
We ask these blessings through Your Son,
Jesus Christ,
our Redeemer.
Amen.
(At times throughout the day,
it is well to pause briefly in the midst of your work
to renew your daily offering.
This can be done without words,
but simply by lifting the mind and heart
to your Father in heaven.
A simple external gesture of touching the heart
will confirm and strengthen your interior intentions.
As opportunity permits,
you may wish to pray verbally in this way.)
Again I thank You,
Father in heaven,
for the blessings and graces you have given me this day.
Once more I entreat Your continuing protection.
Conscious of my own weaknesses and frailty,
of my many faults,
I entrust myself and all dear to me to Your care.
(This prayer has been taken from a pamphlet written by the Good
Franciscan Mission Associates, PO Box 598, Mount Vernon, NY 10551-0598)
Less Is More
Here's a unique story based on the thought that "Less Is More". So often we
feel like we have to explain, convince, argue, etc... when fewer words may
be just what someone needs to hear. Someone once said that it is no
coincidence that God gave us 2 ears, and only 1 mouth... :-)
An insurance agent learned that he would receive his company's award for
having sold more life insurance than anyone else in the state. The big
problem: He had to make a speech at the time he got the award. He was
supposed to tell the other insurance agents how he did it. Joe had a phobia
about public speaking, but he was still expected to give the speech.
So he went to work on this speech. He wrote it and rewrote it. Finally, he
got it just right. He typed it up on cards and taped the cards on his
shaving mirror. Every morning while he was shaving, he memorized that
speech. Finally, Joe had it imprinted into the grooves of his brain cells
like a laser disk. He was ready.
The great evening came. The huge auditorium was filled with insurance
salespeople from all over the state. Then they called him forward to receive
the award. Pressing a plaque into Joe's hand, the president of the company
patted him on the back and said, "Now, tell us, how did you do it?"
Joe turned to his great sea of eyes, waiting expectantly for him to say
something profound. But he could not think of the first line. Groping for
it, he said, "Ah, uh, ah..." He couldn't remember the first line but he
finally thought of a line from down in the middle. (If you are in that kind
of situation, you are willing to start anyplace.) So he said, "Ah, uh - See
the people...."
But Joe was so frightened that he couldn't remember what came after that. So
he started again, "Ah, ah - See the people, ah, uh. See the people!" And he
sat down.
Most of the people in the auditorium thought Joe said exactly what he
intended to say. They heard it as a dramatic speech and gave him a standing
ovation.
Good night everyone - here's hoping you all have a good night's sleep and
sweet dreams coming your way! See you tomorrow - and God bless your
Saturday - and help keep it positive!
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