Wednesday's Positive Thread

gloriajean — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 02:24:07 GMT

Peace comes not from having no problems, but from being able to deal with
them.
Lord, bless me with the confidence and wisdom to grow from life's
challenges.

S C R I P T U R E F O R T H E D A Y

Jesus said, "If the same person sins against you seven times a day, and
turns back to you seven times and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive." The
apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" The Lord replied, "If you
had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree,
'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. ~Luke 17:4-6

M E D I T A T I O N F O R T H E D A Y

When I overcome myself, then I can truly forgive other people for injuries
done to me. The self in me does not forgive injuries. The very thought of
wrongs means that my self is in the foreground. Since the self does not
forgive, I can work at overcoming my selfishness. I can cease trying to
forgive those who fretted and wronged me. It can be a mistake for me even
to think about these injuries. I can aim at overcoming myself in my daily
life and then I can find there is nothing in me that remembers injury,
because the only thing injured, my selfishness, is gone.

P R A Y E R F O R T H E D A Y

I pray that I may hold no resentments. I pray that my mind may be washed
clean of all past hates and fears.

Peace of the Lord be with you all! Today was another sun shiny beautiful
day, in the low 80's. I made some chicken vegetable soup to use up some
green and yellow beans and one of our onions, and the carcass from the
chicken he made last night for supper. It was a whole chicken and he put a
beer can at the bottom and cooked it on the grill for an hour, it was so
nice and moist. I want him to make that on Friday when Father Mark comes
for lunch. Today not much went on - we are blessed with ordinary blessings,
the breath we breathe, the things we see and smell, the food we have to
prepare - all ordinary blessings so often taken for granted. Thank you,
God! Thank YOU for everything!
Praying for all of you who come here, and thanks for your prayers for us.

The I Am's of Jesus

JOHN 6:35
JESUS SAID: "I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE;
anyone who comes to me shall not hunger, and anyone who believes in me shall
never thirst.
JOHN 8:12
JESUS SAID: "I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD;
anyone who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life."

JOHN 8:58
JESUS SAID: "Truly, truly I say to you, BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS, I AM."

JOHN 10:11
JESUS SAID: "I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

JOHN 11:25
JESUS SAID: "I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE;
anyone who believes in me, even though they die, yet shall they live."

JOHN 14:6
JESUS SAID: "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE;
no one comes to the Father, but by me."

JOHN 15:1
JESUS SAID: "I AM THE VINE,
and my Father is the Vinedresser."

JOHN 18:4
"Then Jesus, knowing all that would befall Him, came forward and said to
them, "Whom do you seek?" They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." JESUS SAID
to them, "I AM". When He said to them "I AM," They drew back and fell to the
ground.

A Savior Meditation

Be good, and you'll never regret it.
Be bad, and you'll never forget it.

If mistaken, be first to confess it.
If right, be the last to express it.
If wrong, then be quick to redress it.
If it's slander, be sure to suppress it.

Be kind, but let no one suspect it.
Be wise, but let no one detect it.
Be fair, for your friends will expect it.
Be swift, or perhaps you'll neglect it.

If it's borrowed, be quick to repay it.
If it's loaned, make excuse to delay it.

Be selfish, and no one will miss you.
Be a fool, and the demons will hiss you.
Be yourself, and the Good Lord will kiss you.

This is a great story - I always like to re-read this one. It's about the
cab ride:

I arrived at the address where someone had requested a taxi. I honked but no
one came out.. I honked again, nothing. So I walked to the door and knocked.
Just a minute answered a frail, elderly voice.. I could hear something being
dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before
me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on
it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one
had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with h sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the
counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and
glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to
the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just
try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'.

'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me
an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice'.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have
any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I
quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the
building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when
they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse
that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner
and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm
tired. Let's go now'

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building,
like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were
solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been
expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was
already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me
tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.

'Thank you..'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me,
a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in
thought.. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman
had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in
my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others
may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY
WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

The Word says, "A word fitly spoken
is like Apples of gold in pictures of silver".
How very beautiful to hear.

Yet ugly words can be as a sword,
A sword so sharp and clear.

Your words are the Apples of Gold,
Set in pictures of pure silver filigree.

You are The Way, The Truth and The Life;
You are our Savior, our King, and our Royalty.

No other savior, no other god,
No other statue of person, foul or fish,
Can save mankind from their sin,
Even though others make this wish.

Your Words are Apples of Gold In pictures of silver,
shining so very brightly.
Lead us, my Savior, now and forever,

You are the only One to lead us rightly.
Your Words are Apples of Gold In pictures of silver,
precious as lovely jewels.
Lead us, my Lord, now and forever,
Embed in us your holy "Golden Rule."

You are my Love, You are my very Life,
You are my All in All.
You are the true, and only, Gift of Life,

You keep us from the fall.
Your Words are Apples of Gold In pictures of silver,
glowing with power and might.
Come for us soon, my Savior, Redeemer,
Rescue us from this worldly plight!

God Bless You all

Hymn to the Sun
-St. Francis of Assisi

Praised be my Lord God with all His creatures; and specially our brother the
sun, who brings us the day.
Praised be my Lord for our sister the moon, and for the stars, the which He
has set clear and lovely in heaven.
Praised be my Lord for our brother the wind, and for air and cloud, calms
and all weather, by the which Thou upholdest in life all creatures. . . .
Praised be Thy Lord for our brother fire, through whom Thou givest us light
in the darkness;
Praised be my Lord for our mother the earth, the which doth sustain us and
keep us and bringeth forth divers fruits, and flowers of many colours, and
grass.
Praised be my Lord for all those who pardon one another for His love's sake,
and who endure weakness and tribulation; blessed are they who peaceably
shall endure, for Thou, 0 most Highest, shalt give them a crown! Amen.-

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Wednesday's Positive Thread