Daily Positive Thread for Saturday

gloriajean — Sat, 21 May 2011 02:35:59 GMT

If you want peace and goodness in your life you must be kind and loving.
Lord, may I avoid creating misery so that my life will reflect my love for
You.

Scripture for the day:

"My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it
nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces
endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature
and complete, lacking in nothing." ~James 1:2-4

Meditation for the day:

As we look back over our lives, it is not too difficult to see that what we
went through was for a purpose and helped to prepare us for some valuable
work in life. Everything in our lives can help make us of some use in the
world. Each person's life is like the pattern of a mosaic. Each thing that
happens to us is like one tiny stone in the mosaic, and each tiny stone fits
into the perfected pattern of the mosaic of our life, which has been
designed by God.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may not need to see the whole design of my life. I pray that
I may trust the Designer.

Hello my friends! Hope you all had a good day today - I did - weather was nice and sunshiny, it did rain a little but we still had the sun too. With the lawn being mowed last night the rain did it good! Today was spent cleaning out closets and some things going to the garage sale and some just to throw out. Found a box of my Mom's old recipes, with her handwriting, some I did keep, but had to throw most out, as it was a lot of clutter. Gosh! she saved everything! There was an old letter from my brother to her, and on the back was a recipe. She would listen to the radio - a party line and people would call in recipes, so here's she's copying away and saving every little scrap. There were some really old booklets by companies selling their products too. It was interesting to say the least looking through the box, and remembering my dear Mom who was a very great cook - a great blessing to have her for 25 years, and a great blessing re-living her through that box. I even found a slip saying expenses and it was for my Dad's funeral.

Homily of the Day

May 20, 2011

The Rest Will Take Care of Itself!
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Acts 13:26-33 / Jn 14:1-6

It’s natural to wonder what heaven will be like, and it’s fascinating to hear the phantasms that some of us have conjured up, with no basis whatever in fact or scripture except that this is the way we think it ought to be. Will it be like a Giotto painting with everyone in fancy dress and all neatly arranged like the court of a renaissance king? Or will it perhaps be an idyllic scene of saints clad in flowing white gowns, luxuriating serenely on puffy clouds and languidly plucking their harps? I seriously doubt it. But who knows? For the fact is that heaven is as inscrutable as God himself.

Yet we do know something about God: He is our eternally loving Father. And good fathers know how take good care of their children. St. Paul said that he didn’t have a clue as to the specifics: “Eye has not seen nor ear heard what God has prepared for those who love him.” And in the end, who needs specifics? What we do need is trust — trust in the full extent of God’s love for us. And from that trust in his love will come love in return — love that takes care and helps our neighbors to thrive.

Trust and love. The rest will take care of itself!

Our Model

God entered history through a family
in order to make family life holy
and show us how to live in our homes.

from Love in the Little Things

Prepare Your Heart

To be strong
So soon it will unite
With to whom it belongs.

My commands are as such
Be forgiven and forgive others
Love your enemies
As sisters and brothers.

Trust in me
And I will open doors
Give in my name
And I will give you more.

Your life is not a game
I didn't create you that way
Just keep your spirit in tune with me
So that you may hear what I have to say.

You have control of who
Is the authority in your life
So keep this in mind
When your life is facing strife.

Why go to Church?

If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this! If you're
spiritually dead, you won't want to read it. If you're spiritually curious,
there is still hope!

Why Go To Church?

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and
complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone
for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like
3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of
them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by
giving sermons at all."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column,
much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote
this clincher:

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked
some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu
for a single one of those meals. But I do know this.. They all nourished me
and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me
these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone
to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are
DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible,
believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our
physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

Lessons of Love

A ninety-one-year-old woman died after living a long, dignified life.
When she met God, she asked Him about something that had
long bothered her:

"If Man was created in God's image, and if all men are created
equal, why do people treat each other so badly?"

God replied that each person who enters our life has a unique
lesson to teach us. And it is only through these lessons that we learn
about life, people, relationships, and God. This confused the woman,
so God began to explain:

"When someone lies to you, it teaches you that things are not always as
they seem. The truth is often far beneath the surface. Look beyond the
masks people wear if you want to know their heart. And remove your own
masks to let people know yours.

"When someone steals from you, it teaches you that nothing is forever.
Always appreciate what you have, for you never know when you might
lose it. And never, ever, take your friends and family for granted because
today is the only guarantee you have.

"When someone inflicts an injury upon you, it teaches you that the
human state is a fragile one. Protect and take care of your body as best
you can; it's the only thing you are sure to have forever.

"When someone mocks you, it teaches you that no two people are alike.
When you encounter people who are different from you, don't judge them
by how they look or act; instead, base your opinion on the contents of
their hearts.

"When someone breaks your heart, it teaches you that loving someone
does not always mean that person will love you back. But don't turn your
back on love because when you find the right person, the joy that that one
person brings will make up for all the past hurts put together. Times ten.

"When someone holds a grudge against you, it teaches you that everyone
makes mistakes. When you are wronged, the most virtuous thing you can
do is forgive the offender without pretense. "Forgiving those who have
hurt us is the most difficult, the most courageous, and the most noble thing
Man can do.

"When a loved one is unfaithful to you, it teaches you that resisting
temptation is Man's greatest challenge. Be vigilant in your resistance
against all temptation. By doing so, you will be rewarded with an
enduring sense of satisfaction far greater than the temporary pleasure
by which you were tempted.

"When someone cheats you, it teaches you that greed is the root of all
evil. Aspire to make your dreams come true, no matter how lofty they
may be. Do not feel guilty about your success, but never let an
obsession with achieving your goals lead you to engage in malevolent
activities.

"When someone ridicules you, it teaches you that nobody is perfect.
Accept people for their merits and be tolerant of their flaws. Do not
ever reject someone for imperfections over which they have no control."

Upon hearing the Lord's wisdom, the old woman became concerned
that there were no lessons to be learned from Man's good deeds. God
replied that Man's capacity to love is the greatest gift he has. At the root
of all kindness is love, and each act of love also teaches us a lesson.

The woman's curiosity deepening, God once again began to explain:

"When someone loves us, it teaches us that love, kindness, charity,
honesty, humility, forgiveness, and acceptance can counteract all the
evil in the world.

"For every good deed, there is one less evil deed. Man alone has the
power to control the balance between good and evil, but because the
lessons of love are not taught often enough, the power is too often
abused.

"When you enter someone's life, whether by plan, chance, or
coincidence, consider what your lesson will be. Will you teach love
or a harsh lesson of reality?

"When you die, will your life have resulted in more loving or hurting?
More comfort or pain? More joy or sadness? Each one of us has
power over the balance of love in the world. Use it wisely.

"Don't miss an opportunity to nudge the world's scale in the right
direction.

"Pass these lessons of love on to those you love and to those you
have hurt.

"For each person who receives this, there will be a little less evil in
the world and a little more love."

Daddy's Poem

Her hair was up in a pony Tail,
Her favorite dress tied with a Bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at School,
And she couldn't wait to Go.

But her mommy tried to tell Her,
That she probably should stay Home
Why the kids might not Understand,
If she went to school Alone..

But she was not Afraid;
She knew just what to Say.
What to tell her Classmates
Of why he wasn't there Today.

But still her mother Worried,
For her to face this day Alone.
And that was why once Again,
She tried to keep her daughter Home.

But the little girl went to School
Eager to tell them All.
About a dad she never Sees
A dad who never Calls.

There were daddies along the wall in
Back, for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
Anxious in their Seats

One by one the teacher Called
A student from the Class.
To introduce their Daddy,
As seconds slowly Passed.

At last the teacher called her Name,
Every child turned to Stare.
Each of them was Searching,
A man who wasn't There.

'Where's her daddy At?'
She heard a boy call Out.
'She probably doesn't have One,'
Another student dared to Shout.

And from somewhere near the Back,
She heard a daddy Say,
'Looks like another deadbeat Dad,
Too busy to waste his Day.'

The words did not offend Her,
As she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher, who
Told her to go on.

And with hands behind her Back,
Slowly she began to Speak.
And out from the mouth of a Child,
Came words incredibly Unique.

'My Daddy couldn't be Here,
Because he lives so far Away.
But I know he wishes he could Be,
Since this is such a special Day.

And though you cannot meet Him,
I wanted you to Know.
All about my daddy,
And how much he loves me So.

He loved to tell me Stories
He taught me to ride my Bike.
He surprised me with pink Roses,
And taught me to fly a Kite.

We used to share fudge Sundaes,
And ice cream in a Cone.
And though you cannot see Him.
I'm not standing here alone.

'Cause my daddy's always with Me,
Even though we are Apart
I know because he told Me,
He'll forever be in my Heart'

With that, her little hand reached Up,
And lay across her Chest.
Feeling her own Heartbeat,
Beneath her favorite Dress.

And from somewhere there in the crowd
Of dads, her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her Daughter,
Who was wise beyond her Years.

For she stood up for the Love
Of a man not in her Life.
Doing what was best for her,
Doing what was Right.

And when she dropped her hand back
Down, staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so Soft,
But its message clear and Loud..

'I love my daddy very Much,
he's my shining Star.
And if he could, he'd be Here,
But heaven's just too Far.

You see he is a Marine
And died just this past Year
When a roadside bomb hit his Convoy
And taught Americans to Fear.

But sometimes when I close my Eyes,
it's like he never went Away.'
And then she closed her Eyes,
And saw him there that Day.

And to her mother's Amazement,
She witnessed with Surprise.
A room full of daddies and Children,
All starting to close their Eyes.

Who knows what they saw before Them,
Who knows what they felt Inside.
Perhaps for merely a Second,
They saw him at her Side.

'I know you're with me Daddy,'
To the silence she called Out.
And what happened next made Believers,
Of those once filled with Doubt.

Not one in that room could explain It,
For each of their eyes had been Closed.
But there on the desk beside Her,
Was a fragrant long-stemmed pink Rose.

And a child was blessed, if only for
A moment, by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
That heaven is never too far.

They say it takes a minute to find a
Special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then
An entire life to forget them.

Closing Prayer;
You give me strength

Holy Spirit when I am weak, You give me strength to carry on.
You comfort me each time I seek Your loving arms to lean on.

You are the Father that I need. You have the wisdom that I lack.
You give me courage to succeed, when I alone, would have turned back.

I may have crosses in my life, but I will never know despair;
for when I seek you in my strife, I know so well you will be there.

Good night all - Sweet dreams and may you all have a wonderful Saturday - with plenty of blessings! God bless you all!

topic Daily Positive Thread for Saturday in Community Chat

Daily Positive Thread for Saturday