Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

gloriajean — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 03:55:17 GMT

When you feel anger, allow yourself no more than 5 minutes because after
that, anger is self-indulging and turns quickly to hatred and rage. Lord,
You
are a forgiving God. Heal my hurts.

Scripture for the day:

"Jesus said to Thomas, 'Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed
are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.'" ~John 20:29

Meditation for the day:

It is not possible for us to fully understand the universe. The simple fact
is that we cannot even define space or time. They are both boundless, in
spite of all we can do to try to limit them. We can never know all things,
nor are we made to know them. Much of our lives must be taken on faith.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that my faith may be based on my own experience of the power of God
in my life. I pray that I may know this one thing above all else.

Hello my friends! Hope you all had a good day! Nothing more than the
ordinary for me - heard about the Earthquake -but it wasn't near us at all.
Hope people are okay - haven't heard.
My blessings today - love the nice weather we are having, love picking the
raspberries and beans - and also tomorrow I'll be picking and freezing kale.
My blueberries seem to have quit, they are getting tall, maybe they need to
get clipped, never had them before. Got a nice blessing thank you card in
the mail today from the Sisters who were here Saturday night. That was so
sweet of them, they could just email, but a nice card is what we got!

Homily of the Day

August 23, 2011

Doesn´t Anybody Appreciate Me?
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

1 Thes 2:1-8 / Mt 23:23-26

There’s a familiar old saying that says, "No good deed goes unpunished." St
Paul gives ample testimony to the truth of that axiom in today’s epistle. He
was doing his very best to share the Good News, traveling all over the
Mediterranean, working long days, writing endless letters, and supporting
himself by working part-time as a tent maker. His one hope was to help
transform people’s lives in a healthier and happier direction, but what he
got in return, as often as not, was hostility and ingratitude.

There’s more than an historical value in our hearing his story yet again,
because our own lives inevitably contain some of the same kinds of
experiences. Whether in our families or elsewhere, we set out with the best
of intentions and do our best, but too often reap nothing but indifference
or grief. It was always thus, so we’d better decide how to respond to such
experiences when they come. One option, of course, is simply to disengage
and walk away. But that wasn’t Paul’s choice. Because he believed in what he
was doing, he kept doing it, whether he got the kudos or not. That’s what it
means to care deeply and to be faithful.

It will help a lot to keep Paul’s way of living and loving in mind. He got
it straight from Jesus.

There's A Reason

I was always taught, there's a reason
That people do the things they do,
Though you may not always like them.
Their heart hides a secret from you.

If they're quick to bite your head off
Or constantly brag and boast,
Remember, the people we like the least
May need our love the most.

Could it be they had been abused
Or even ridiculed all their lives?
These are the type of hurtful things
That make sure their heart survives.

But, the heart that survives is hardened
And, on the seas of life, they coast.
Remember, the people we like the least
May need our love the most.

by: Claytia Doran

A Gift That Anyone Can Give . . . A Smile

It costs nothing, but saves much.

It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give.

It happens in a flash, and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.

None is so rich that he can get along without it; none so poor that he is
not enriched by it.

It creates happiness in the home, fosters goodwill in business, and is the
countersign of friends.

It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sick,
and Nature's best antidote for trouble.

It cannot be bought, borrowed, or stolen, for it is no earthly good to
anyone until it is given away.

If you meet someone too burdened with grief or worry to smile, just give him
one of yours.

For nobody needs a smile so much as he who has none left to give.

[ Author unknown ]

THE CLIFF HANGER
Author Unknown
August 23, 2011

A man named Jack was walking along a steep cliff one day when he
accidentally got too close to the edge and fell. On the way down he
grabbed a branch, which temporarily stopped his fall. He looked down
and, to his horror, saw that the canyon fell straight down for more
than a thousand feet. He couldn't hang onto the branch forever, and
there was no way for him to climb up the steep wall of the cliff.

So Jack began yelling for help, hoping that someone passing by would
hear him and lower a rope or something. HELP! HELP! Is anyone up
there? "HELP!" He yelled for a long time, but no one heard him. He was
about to give up when he heard a voice.

"Jack, Jack. Can you hear me?"

"Yes, yes! I can hear you. I'm down here!"

"I can see you, Jack. Are you all right?"

"Yes, but who are you, and where are you?

"I am the Lord, Jack. I'm everywhere."

"The Lord? You mean, GOD?"

"That's Me."

"God, please help me! I promise if, you'll get me down from here, I'll
stop sinning. I'll be a really good person. I'll serve You for the
rest of my life."

Easy on the promises, Jack. Let's get you off from there; then we can
talk." "Now, here's what I want you to do. Listen carefully."

"I'll do anything, Lord. Just tell me what to do."

"Okay. Let go of the branch."

"What?"

"I said, let go of the branch." Just trust Me. Let go."

There was a long silence. Finally Jack yelled, "HELP! HELP! IS ANYONE
ELSE UP THERE?"

Have you ever felt like Jack? We say that we want to know the will of
God, but when we find out what it is, we can't handle it. Sounds too
scary--too difficult. We decide to look elsewhere. When He says, "Let
go of the things that stand between you and Me, and trust Me with your
life," it sounds pretty scary. But when we let go, we find freedom and
safety in His hands."

PSALM 23
Author Unknown

The Lord is my boss, and I shall not want.

He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me.

He reminds me to pray, before I speak in anger.

He restores my sanity.

He guides my decisions that I might honor Him in all I do.

Even though I face absurd amounts of e-mail, system failures, copier

jams, back-ordered supplies, unrealistic deadlines, staff shortages,

budget cutbacks, red tape, downsizing, gossiping co-workers and

whining customers, I won't give up, for You are with me.

Your presence, peace and power will see me through.

You raise me up, even when the boss fails to promote me.

You claim me as your own, even when the company threatens to let me go.

Your loyalty and love are better than a bonus check.

Your retirement plan beats any 401K, and when it's all said and done,

I'll be working for you a whole lot longer!

Thanks be to God!

Prayer to Know Jesus Christ
O Lord Jesus, like Saint Paul, may I count everything as loss in comparison
with the supreme advantage of knowing you. I want to know you and what your
passion and resurrection can do. I also want to share in your sufferings in
the hope that if I resemble you in death I may somehow attain to the
resurrection from the dead. Give me grace to make every effort to supplement
faith with moral courage, knowledge with self-control, self-control with
patience, patience with piety, piety with brotherly affection, and brotherly
affection with love. May these virtues keep me both active and fruitful and
bring me to the deep knowledge of you, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

GRANDMA'S HANDS A must read thru to the end please!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't
move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down
beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I
wondered if she was OK. Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but
wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She
raised her head and looked at me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for
asking,' she said in a clear strong voice. 'I didn't mean to disturb you,
grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted
to make sure you were OK,' I explained to her.' Have you ever looked at your
hands,' she asked. 'I mean really looked at your hands?'I slowly opened my
hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms
down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure
out the point she was making.
Grandma smiled and related this story:

'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served
you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and
weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and
embrace life. 'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed
upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a
child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and
pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off
to war.

'They have been dirty, scraped and raw , swollen and bent. They were uneasy
and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding
band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special

They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents
and spouse.

'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook
in fists of anger when I didn't understand.

They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest
of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.
And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these
hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.
'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.
But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take
when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and
there I will use these hands to touch the face of God.'

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out
and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my hands are hurt or sore
or when. I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I
know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.

Good night now and God bless you! See you tomorrow!
Stay happy and stay positive and don't forget to smile at someone!

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Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday