Daily Positive Thread for Saturday

gloriajean — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 01:49:59 GMT

Hello my friends! Beautiful day here in MN! Still on the cool side, but the sun was out and that was wonderful! Next week we look forward to the 70's. A friend of Darla's whom we met some years ago, such a nice person, married with two girls now, was a former roommate of Darla's, emailed me that she thought the shower for Darla was a lot of fun, and she did ask for my email at that time, I gave it to her while walking down the hall, and she remembered and emailed me today - she wants to be on my list, especially for the Divine Mercy in My Soul by St. Faustina, so I entered her this afternoon. My spice containers came today so I was busy filling them up for the rack. Took a long time, but it looks nice now. What a blessing that is to have that in order now.

If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light: but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness. Luke 11:34

Meditation for the day:

"If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness." The eye of the soul is the will. If our will is to do the will of God, to serve God with our lives, to serve God by helping others, then truly shall our whole body be full of light. The important thing is to strive that our will be attuned to the will of God, a single eye to God's purpose, desiring nothing less than that God's purposes be fulfilled. We can try to seek in all things the advance of God's kingdom, seek the spiritual values of honesty and purity, unselfishness and love, and earnestly desire spiritual growth. Then our life will emerge from the darkness of futility into the light of victory.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that my eye may be healthy. I pray that my life may be lived in the light of the best that I know.

Prayer for the Gifts of Saint Catherine of Siena

God of Wisdom you made our sister Catherine burn with divine love in contemplating the Lord's passion and in serving your Church. With the help of her prayers may your people, united in the mystery of Christ, rejoice forever in the revelation of his glory, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

"Pray and Never Lose Heart, the Power of Intercession,"

by Sister Ann Shields.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was a great advocate of intercession through devotional prayer. One of her favorite prayer devotions was one that she "stumbled" across as she grew in holiness. She called it an "express novena." Most novenas are designed for prayer over a nine day or nine week period. But Mother Teresa was often confronted with many pressing needs that had to be resolved rather quickly. She would pray the Memorare, a beautiful and popular prayer to the Blessed Mother that many of us use. But when in great need, Mother Teresa would pray it nine times in a row!

Back in the 1980s Mother Teresa obtained permission from the communist regime in East Germany to open a convent in East Berlin, so that her sisters could begin their charitable work there. In 1988 the superior of the convent there suddenly became very ill and had to return to India. Mother had to send another sister to take her place. When she requested a visa for the new superior, the East German government said that it would take six months to process the application. Mother told them she could not wait six months; the ill sister had to return to India, and a replacement was essential.

In the midst of the seeming impasse, Mother summoned her sisters to the chapel. There they began to pray the "express novena." When they were praying the Memorare for the eighth time, the telephone rang. It was an official from the Foreign Ministry who simply wanted to reiterate that it would take six months to process the sister's visa application. So Mother returned to the chapel, and all prayed the ninth Memorare. Then there was a silence.

At that point Mother Teresa prayed out in a way that only someone who was totally conformed to God's will could dare to pray: "Mary, we have prayed this novena with confidence, You have not seen fit to answer yet. So we will begin again." What persistence!

The sisters began to pray the novena a second time. Once again the telephone rang during the eighth Memorare. It was the Foreign Ministry, informing Mother Teresa that the visa would be delivered the next day.

Remember: Nothing is "magic." There are no formulas. What we are always talking about in intercession and most especially in this example is the fruit of a relationship. We are, above all, sons and daughters of God, and we can always come with confidence to our Father. The more we are willing to be conformed to His will in our lives and prayer, the more we can see the results of our intercession.

Personally, one of my favorite sayings of Mother, is the following:

If we pray, we will believe;
If we believe, we will love;
If we love, we will serve.

(Is this not a recipe for peace?) For if we serve others we will have peace.
Pray, Pray and Pray with all your heart.

February 25, 1994 "Dear children! Today I thank you for your
prayers. All of you have helped me so that this war may end as soon
as possible. I am close to you and I pray for each one of you and I
beg you: pray, pray, pray. Only through prayer can we defeat evil
and protect all that Satan wants to destroy in your lives. I am your
Mother and I love you all equally, and I intercede for you before
God. Thank you for having responded to my call."

A GREAT RECIPE...

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock for your door if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today. I am thankful for______________'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment..

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone..

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You'll be smiling before you know it.

~A Baby's Hug~

We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a
high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly,
Erik squealed with glee and said, 'Hi.' He pounded his fat baby hands on the
high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared
in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment.

I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose
pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of
would-be shoes.. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and
unwashed.. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was
so varicose it looked like a road map.

We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled.. His hands
waved and flapped on loose wrists.. 'Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I
see ya, buster,' the man said to Erik.

My husband and I exchanged looks, 'What do we do?'

Erik continued to laugh and answer, 'Hi.'

Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The
old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and
the man began shouting from across the room, 'Do ya patty cake? Do you know
peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek- a-boo.'

Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk.

My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik,
who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in
turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.

We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went
to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat
poised between me and the door. 'Lord, just let me out of here before he
speaks to me or Erik,' I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my
back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I
did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's
'pick-me-up' position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself
from my arms to the man.

Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their
love and kinship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid
his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I
saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and
hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings
have ever loved so deeply for so short a time.
I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and
his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding
voice, 'You take care of this baby.'

Somehow I managed, 'I will,' from a throat that contained a stone.

He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in
pain. I received my baby, and the man said, 'God bless you, ma'am, you've
given me my Christmas gift.'

I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran
for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so
tightly, and why I was saying, 'My God, my God, forgive me.'

I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny
child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a
mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a
child who was not.. I felt it was God asking, 'Are you willing to share your
son for a moment?' when He shared His for all eternity. How did God feel
when he put his baby in our arms 2000 years ago.

The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, 'To enter the Kingdom of
God , we must become as little children.'

If this has blessed you, please bless others by sending it on. Sometimes, it
takes a child to remind us of what is really important. We must always
remember who we are, where we came from and, most importantly, how we feel
about others. The clothes on your back or the car that you drive or the
house that you live in does not define you at all; it is how you treat your
fellow man that identifies who you are.

This one is a keeper.

'It is better to be liked for the true you, than to be loved for who people
think you are......'

He Knows Your Name

He Knows Your Name!

When you are having problems
And feel there's no help around.
First take one step forward,
To get to higher ground.

If you think that God doesn't hear you
Then that, is really a shame
Not only does He hear every prayer you say;
But He knows you, by your name.

It does not matter just where you are
When you call upon the Lord.
He will be listening with a well-tuned ear
And will understand every word.

Be ready to listen to what He says,
As He tells you what to do.
For that will be your instructions
Because the rest will be up to you.

You should thank Him for His kindness,
Because He was standing by.
And not as you thought; He had turned away
And would never, hear your cry.

Even though you have made so many mistakes.
He will not hold you to blame.
For now, you are fully forgiven.
And remember, He knows your name.

~ Unknown

Last night I had a dream.
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonged to me, the other to the Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

The Lord replied, "My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of suffering, when you could see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

- - -
Isaiah 49:15 - "Can a woman forget her own baby and not love the child she bore? Even if a mother should forget her child, I will never forget you."

Hebrews 13:5 - "I will never leave you. I will never abandon you."

April 29 - Jesus Calling

Let Me teach you thankfulness. Begin by acknowledging that everything—all your possessions and all that you are—belongs to Me. The dawning of each new day is a gift from Me, not to be taken for granted. The earth is vibrantly alive with My blessings, giving vivid testimony to My Presence. If you slow down your pace of life, you can find Me anywhere.

Some of My most precious children have been laid aside in sick beds or shut away in prisons. Others have voluntarily learned the discipline of spending time alone with Me. The secret of being thankful is learning to see everything from My perspective. My world is your classroom. My Word is a lamp to your feet and a light for your path.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
—Hebrews 12:28–29

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
—Psalm 119:105

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Saturday

gloriajean — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 14:03:54 GMT

Divine Mercy (official)

9 hrs ·

Today is the anniversary of the Canonization of St. Faustina (April 30, 2000). Here is a prayer we include in our daily 3 o'clock prayers:

Saint Maria Faustina, you told us that your mission would continue after your death and that you would not forget us (Diary of St. Faustina, 281, 1582).

Our Lord also granted you a great privilege, telling you to "distribute graces as you will, to whom you will, and when you will" (31).

Relying on this, I ask your intercession for the graces I need, especially

(here mention your special intentions)

Help me, above all, to trust in Jesus as you did and thus to glorify His mercy every moment of my life.

Amen.

See a short bio of St. Faustina at http://goo.gl/JjwL2Z

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Saturday

Bobbi sue — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 14:44:18 GMT

Hello Gloria, I have great respect for St. Faustina. I still have her diary. She promised to do great work on Earth after her death.

I'm glad you like your spice rack Gloria. It will come in handy. Did you get your frig? You talked about your dishwasher, but not the frig. Maybr I missed it. How is Darla and the babies doing? What a joy it will be when they are born. May God continue to watch over them.

It is warming up here. It stopped raining thamkfully. Everyone have a good day and Many blessings to you all.

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Saturday

gloriajean — Sun, 01 May 2016 02:29:28 GMT

I do too, Bobbiesue - is is profound reading - the Lord's words to her for all the world!!! Wow!!!

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Daily Positive Thread for Saturday

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Re: Daily Positive Thread for Saturday