Daily Positive Thread for Tuesday

gloriajean — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 04:15:29 GMT

Hello my friends! My blessings today would be a half day spent with my daughter, Lori, shopping, and having dinner with her. We bought some pork chops, and she baked it, four of them, used sauerkraut that we made, on top, some cr. of mushroom soup, and some mushrooms - it was delicious - baked for an hour or more. She called Deil to arrange a weekend for her to come to her house to help her with sewing. Found her her blood pressure is up again, 200 is high, she promised she'd call Urgent care to see what they'd say, but only after Dancing with the Stars is over. We are very concerned, please continue to pray! She is alone right now. Thanks!

Each time you have a kind thought, say a kind word or do a kind

deed you are living your love. Lord, as I see the world through loving

eyes, I experience heaven on earth.

Scripture for the day:

"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all

your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first

commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as

yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the

prophets." ~Matthew 22:37-40

Meditation for the day:

We can work at overcoming ourselves, our selfish desires and our

self-centeredness. This can never be fully accomplished. We can

never become entirely unselfish. But we can come to realize that we

are not at the center of the universe and that everything does not

revolve around us at the center. I am only one cell in a vast network

of human cells. I can at least make the effort to conquer the

self-life and seek daily to obtain more and more of this

self-conquest. "The one who overcomes himself is greater than the one

who conquers a city."

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may strive to overcome my selfishness. I pray that I

may achieve the right perspective of my position in the world.

MOMENTS OF GRACE... MOMENTS OF LOVE & HEALING

We came into this world perfect... we grew up imperfect. How do we try

to repair the damage?

Because we were born into a world of imperfection, to imperfect

parents who nurtured us, guided us, led us into the world in a less

than perfect way, though the only way they knew best, we have become

the broken men and women that we are today. For the years behind us

have taught us that love isn't always the main ingredient (at times it

is completely absent) in people's ways of doing, of thinking, of

talking.

As we grew, we experienced the rejections, the selfishness, the

obsessions to wrong values, the unloving ways of people close to us,

of people around us. And so, grow up we did -- taking in all of life's

imperfections, absorbing them, making them a part of our psyche,

consciously or unconsciously.

As this unlearning process of fear and its gradual replacement by

authentic love takes place, we also steadily, gradually, but

inevitably, grow out of our narcissistic love of self and begin to

reach out in love to others, accepting and affirming them, unselfishly

wishing the highest good for

them. Blessed indeed are those who had parents, a friend, a counselor,

a loved one, who were there to give total support in this unlearning-

replacem ent process.

But, even in the absence of caring parents, authentically loving

friends, an unconditionally loving spouse, there is One Who is with us

at all times… a Friend, a Comforter, Helper, Counselor. Our awareness

of the Holy Spirit's Divine Presence within us is what enables us to

recognize our

moments of grace.

As is the case when we tune in to a radio station, it is when we

become fine-tuned to the Holy Spirit within us that we are able to

receive and understand His messages very clearly. And as we get more

and more finely-tuned in, we begin to realize that each moment of our

life is actually a moment of grace. For, isn't life itself a gift --

and if life is gift, then all is gift. We only need to constantly tune

in to this ever-present, ever-true Helper in us, so that we, too, may

grow in

authentic love.

How do we fine-tune in then? If there is somebody we know to whom we

are attracted, perhaps because we like what we see, our normal course

of action would be to try to know that person better, to spend more

time with him/her. As we get to accept and appreciate his/her person,

as this relationship develops and grows, isn't it a fact that

intuitively, at times, we know, even without any spoken word, what the

other person wants, what he/she is feeling, what message he/she wants

to convey to us?

When we, therefore, take conscious efforts to know, to spend time,

with this Helper, this Comforter within us, aren't we fine-tuning to

Him? Eventually then, we would know, intuitively, what He wants us to

do, where He wants to lead us.

It only needs our cooperation, our decision to spend time with Him. If

we want to be led by Him, we have to surrender ourselves completely to

Him. But the realization that there is Someone Who continually,

unceasingly, wants to nurture us, to love us, to heal us of our

brokenness, oftentimes,

paradoxically, brings us face to face with our own laziness, our

resistance to His love.

It is, indeed, a paradox that we want to love and be loved, yet we shy

away from, we avoid, what it takes to love and to be loving... because

of our lack of faith and our propensity toward laziness.

For, to listen to the "God in us" is to put in conscious effort, to

decide between good and evil, and for us who often take the line of

least resistance, this could become soul-wrenching experiences.

To put in time with this "God in us" is a test of our faith. Is He

truly within me? If He is, then why does He seem to be nowhere at

times? Why does He allow this suffering, this deprivation, in my life?

If only we could remind ourselves constantly that He indeed is the God

of love and, as such,

He cannot do otherwise but love us, that no matter what problems and

pains we may have to go through, because from these we shall emerge

better, more authentically- loving people. Indeed, where is our faith

when we cannot seem to accept His word when He tells us that all

things work for our good?

During these times when our faith wavers, perhaps it would be good to

recall some events in our past where there was so much pain, yet, in

following that inner voice of goodness and truth, the deaths we

suffered became our resurrections.

I still remember distinctly how much pain I went through when my

parents made me transfer school from the University of the Philippines

-- one of the best schools in our country -- in Diliman, Quezon City

(the capital city of my country the Philippines) , to La Consolacion

College of Bacolod City (the city where I live -- progressive, yes,

but not in the capital region, and in the province).

My Mom then had just about dissipated all our family assets through

her compulsive gambling, but the reason I was given was that the

family income was not sufficient to provide me a schooling at the

University of the Philippines. I knew -- my brothers and sisters all

knew -- otherwise, of course. The disappointment, the hurt, was so

intense -- I could have become

the rebel with a cause.

I know now it was grace that enabled me to accept the hurt and make

the best of the situation. Later years revealed God's wisdom in

allowing this painful event in my life. For, it was here that I met

the man who would, several years later, become my husband... a

wonderful man, a Negrense like me, a Certified Public Accountant, a

banker, the most beautiful person ever to touch my life!

He is God's special gift to me. For his unconditional love for me, for

our children, for people, has made me understand what God's

unconditional love for me is. I wonder what I would be today if I had

not married this completely supportive and affirming man.

There are several other such events in my life where the pains I went

through later turned out to become joyous Easters for me. And this

realization makes these events double moments of grace for me. For the

awareness of His constant Presence in my life, His unceasing love for

that continues to heal my brokenness, enables me to walk in faith, to

extend myself to others as a response to His love for me.

Thus, there is this awareness of His Divine Presence within me,

unceasingly molding me, reminding me that He has a specific role for

me to do, that He wants me to become the fully actualizing human being

that He meant me to be, that I am a participant in His Divine Plan.

This awareness keeps me fully alive, looking forward to each day that

He gives me, to the joys and the pains that each day brings!

That He continues to heal me… that I, too, can be a participant in His

healing of my fellow human beings… these leave me in awe!

Blessed Mother Teresa´s Wisdom

Smiles

"Peace begins with a smile."

----------

"Sometimes it is harder for us to smile at those who live with us, the

immediate members of our families, than it is to smile at those who are not

so close to us. Let us never forget: love begins at home."

----------

"I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish."

----------

"To smile at someone who is sad; to visit, even for a little while, someone

who is lonely; to give someone shelter from the rain with our umbrella; to

read something for someone who is blind; these and others can be small

things, very small things, but they are appropriate to give our love of God

concrete expression to the poor."

"What can I offer the Lord for all his goodness to me?" Pslam 116:12

Lord Jesus,

You have given me your whole self,

all your love,

and your life itself.

Let me give myself to you: I give you

my body to serve you;

my soul to house you;

my heart to love you;

my mind to remember you;

my will to do your will;

my life to serve you in others.

From now on, my dear Lord Jesus,

may every moment of my time,

and every breath I breathe,

belong only to you

who have first given them to me.

Amen.

FLAME OF LOVE

Author Unknown

"I can master it," said the Ax. His blows fell heavy on the hard,

strong steel. But each blow only made his edge more blunt until he

ceased to strike.

"Leave it to me," said the Saw. With his relentless teeth, he worked

back and forth. But to his dismay, all of his teeth were worn out or

broken off.

"Ha!" said the Hammer. "I knew you could not do this. Let me show you

how." But with the very first blow, his head flew off, and the steel

was unchanged.

"Shall I try?" asked the Flame. And it curled itself gently around the

strong, hard steel, embraced it, and would not let it go. And the

tough steel melted.

There are hearts that are hard enough to resist the forces of wrath

and the fury of pride. But hard is the heart that can resist the warm

flame of Love.

"'For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with

their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see

with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because

they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth,

many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not

see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.'" Matthew

13:15-17 (NIV)

Slow Me Down

by Janice George

Lord, slow me down!

I need to pause

And watch the butterfly,

Behold the trees

Waft in the breeze

And hear a baby's cry.

Give me the time,

The time to see

How Your creations praise Your name.

From sky to sea

Your Majesty

They openly proclaim.

Yes, slow me down

That I may see

Exactly how it's done.

Then, may I, too,

With nature's crew

Worship You through Your Son.

Jesus said, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a

while..." Mark 6:31

Mother Teresa Said...

Believe in Jesus trust in Him with blind and absolute confidence because He

is Jesus. Believe that Jesus and Jesus alone is life and sanctity is nothing

but that same Jesus intimately living in you; then His hand will be free

with you.

Meditations by Padre Pio

All of us are not called by God to save souls and propagate His glory by the

noble apostolate of preaching… (but) one can promote God’s glory and work

for the salvation of souls by means of a truly Christian life, by praying

without ceasing that "His Kingdom come…" that "we may not be led into

temptation" and that "He deliver us from evil." This is what you ought to do

offering yourself continually to the Lord for this purpose.

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