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Esteemed Contributor
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Daily Positive Thread for Friday

Hello my friends!  Another birthday dinner with his brothers and sisters, all eleven of us.  It is a blessing that we always are getting together to celebrate birthdays, they all get to see each other this way, and good that they all live not that far away from each other, it means alot to my husband, he's the oldest in the family. My cell seems to be dying, it's Lori's old one, so she said she has a battery for it, so we stopped there on the way home, right on the way, and it's charging now with the new battery and I sure hope it works better now.  With my hands hurting, I can count the blessings all the time all my life I could work with my hands, painting ducks, baking breads, etc. etc. all blessings that I could easily take for granted, how I thank God for these gifts, I know my hands are not going to be like this forever, they are healing, and I keep thinking what a blessing it is to use our hands!

 

It is important to remember that different can be better.  Lord, as I resist change
and cling to the familiar, help me to remember that Your plan is perfect and will
truly make me happy.

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

"One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another,
and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, 'Which commandment
is the first of all?' Jesus answered, 'The first is, 'Hear, O Israel:
the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with
all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."  ~Mark
12:28-31

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

To truly desire to do God's will , therein lies happiness for us.  We
can start out wanting our own way.  We want our wills to be satisfied.
We can take and not give.  Gradually, we can find that we are not happy
when we are selfish, so we begin to make allowances for other peoples'
wills.  But this again dos not give us full happiness, and we begin to
see that the only way to be truly happy is to try to do God's will.  In
these times of meditation, we can seek to get guidance so that we can
find God's will for us.

P R A Y E R   F O R   T H E   D A Y 

I pray that I may subordinate my will to the will of God.  I pray that I
may be guided today to find God's will for me.
 
Act of Contrition
 
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good,
I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more,
and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.
In his name, my God, have mercy. 
 

Deliver me, O Jesus, 
From the desire of being loved, 
From the desire of being extolled, 
From the desire to being honored, 
From the desire of being praised, 
From the desire of being preferred, 
From the desire of being consulted, 
From the desire of being approved, 
From the desire of being popular, 
From the fear of being humiliated, 
From the fear of being despised, 
From the fear of suffering rebukes, 
From the fear of being calumniated, 
From the fear of being forgotten, 
From the fear of being wronged, 
From the fear of being ridiculed, 
From the fear of being suspected. 
Amen.

From the Missionaries of Charity Prayer Book

Dedication of Time Prayer: A Soul of Mary

Ah, blessed union of love, wherein my soul and you are one, your thoughts my thoughts, your love my love, you in me and I in you. Now you have taken up your abode in my soul, and I in you; your heart is mine and I find my joy in you. You are ever on my lips; with your blessed hands I work; with your holy feet I tread the ways of holiness, and fulfill the errands of justice and mercy. To go to the Sanctuary of God with you, and in you, and through you, to live my every breath for you-----this shall be my life for ever more, my life, my love, my all! Amen. 

 Imprimatur: 
+ J. H. MACDONALD, DD. 
Archbishop of Edmonton, 
November 18, 1953

36 Stress Reducers    


 1. Pray  
 2. Go to bed on time.  
 3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.  
 4. Say No, to projects that won't fit into your time schedule 
     or that will compromise your mental health.  
 5. Delegate tasks to capable others.  
 6. Simplify and unclutter your life.  
 7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are  
     often too many.)  
 8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.  
 9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects  
     over time; don't lump the hard things all together.  
10. Take one day at a time.  
11. Separate worries from concerns.  If a situation is a  
      concern, find out what God would have you to do and let go  
      of the anxiety.  If you can't do anything about a situation,  
      forget it.  
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary  
      purchases.  
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra  
      house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.,  
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut.) This single piece of advice can  
      prevent an enormous amount of trouble.  
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.  
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.  
17. Get enough exercise.  
18. Eat right.  
19. Get organized so everything has its place.  
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your  
      quality of life.  
21. Write thoughts and inspirations down.  
22. Everyday, find time to be alone.  
23. Having problems?  Talk to God on the spot.  Try to ****** small  
      problems in the bud.  Don't wait until its time to go to bed  
      to try and pray.  
24. Make friends with Godly people.  
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.  
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope  
       is often a good "Thank you, Jesus!"  
27. Laugh.  
28. Laugh some more!  
29. Take your work seriously, but yourself, not at all.  
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best  
       they can).  
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).  
32. Sit on your ego.  
33. Talk less; listen more.  
34. Slow down.  
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the  
       universe.  
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful  
      for that you've never been grateful for before.  
  
** GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU** 

Author Unknown
 

It's A Wonderful World
By: Helen Steiner Rice

In spite of the fact this being a wonderful world, we complain and lament and view this old world with much discontent, and grumbling because there's so much injustice and so many flaws. It's a wonderful world, and it's people like you who make it that way by the things that you do.
For a warm and ready smile, or a kind thoughtful deed, or a hand outstretched in an hour of need can change our whole outlook and make this world bright. Where just a minute before nothing seemed right.
It's a wonderful world and it always will be, if we keep our eyes open and focused to see the wonderful things we are capable of when we open our hearts to God and His love.

THE BIBLE & THE COAL BASKET
Author Unknown


The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains
of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was
up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out
Bible.

His grandson who wanted to be just like him tried to imitate him in
any way he could. One day the grandson asked, "Papa, I try to read the
Bible just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do
understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does
reading the Bible do?" The
Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said,
"Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of
water." The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked
out before he could get back to the house.

The grandfather laughed and said, "You will have to move a little
faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to
try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he
returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was
"impossible to carry water in a basket," and he went to get a bucket
instead. The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a
basket of water. You can do this. You're just not trying hard enough,"
and he went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point,
the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather
that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out
before he got far at all. The boy
scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather
the basket was again empty.

Out of breath, he said, "See Papa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that
the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it
was clean. "Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. You
might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it
will change you from the inside out.

That is the work of God in our lives.

To change us from the inside out and to slowly transform us into the
image of His son.

Take time to read a portion of God's word each day.

 

These are My Three Wishes For You

May you find serenity and tranquility
in a world you may not always understand.

 

May the pain you have known
and the conflict you have experienced
give you the strength to walk through life
facing each new situation with courage and optimism.

 

Always know that there are those
whose love and understanding will always be there,
even when you feel most alone.

 

May a kind word,
a reassuring touch,
and a warm smile
be yours every day of your life,
and may you give these gifts
as well as receive them.

May the teachings of those you admire
become part of you,
so that you may call upon them.

 

Remember, those whose lives you have touched
and who have touched yours
are always a part of you,
even if the encounters were less than you would have wished.
It is the content of the encounter
that is more important than its form.

May you not become too concerned with material matters,
but instead place immeasurable value
on the goodness in your heart.
Find time in each day to see beauty and love
in the world around you.

 

Realize that what you feel you lack in one regard
you may be more than compensated for in another.
What you feel you lack in the present
may become one of your strengths in the future.
May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility.
Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience.

 

May you find enough inner strength
to determine your own worth by yourself,
and not be dependent
on another's judgment of your accomplishments.


May you always feel loved.

Sandra Sturtz Hauss

 
 
 
 
 
The Power of Prayer

The day was long, the burden I had
borne
Seemed heavier than I could longer
bear,
And then it lifted-but I did not know
Some one had knelt in prayer.
Had taken me to God that very hour,
And asked the easing of the load, and
He,
In infinite compassion, had stooped
down
And taken it from me.
We cannot tell how often as we pray
For some bewildered one,
hurt and distressed,
The answers comes, but many times
those hearts
Find sudden peace and rest.
Some one had prayed, and Faith, a
reaching hand,
Took hold of God, and brought Him
down that day!
So many, many hearts have need of
prayer: Oh, let us pray
 

November 12 - Jesus Calling

This is a time of abundance in your life. Your cup runneth over with blessings. After plodding uphill for many weeks, you are now traipsing through lush meadows drenched in warm sunshine. I want you to enjoy to the full this time of ease and refreshment. I delight in providing it for you.

Sometimes My children hesitate to receive My good gifts with open hands. Feelings of false guilt creep in, telling them they don’t deserve to be so richly blessed. This is nonsense-thinking, because no one deserves anything from Me. My kingdom is not about earning and deserving; it’s about believing and receiving.

When a child of Mine balks at accepting My gifts, I am deeply grieved. When you receive My abundant blessings with a grateful heart, I rejoice. My pleasure in giving and your pleasure in receiving flow together in joyous harmony.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. —Psalm 23:5 kjv

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” —John 3:16

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” —Luke 11:9–10

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? —Romans 8:32

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,060
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Friday

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,060
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Friday

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,181
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Friday

Isn't that the truth when we lose the use of a part of our body, even temporaraly, we learn to appreciate it more when we get it back.

When I was having my sciatica problems I was not able to exercise like I wanted to. I love to play Wii Tennis, but now that the sciatica is gone(thanks to the good Lord and my Chiropractor, DR. Jeff.) I can play Wii Tennis again, now I'm up to 50 minutes a day, I play two twenty minute sessions after breakfast and a ten minute after dinner.

 

Blessings to all.

Harlene(lovestopaint)

 

Regular Contributor
Posts: 218
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Friday

Gloria...Hope those hands heal quickly. I recently got over cellulitis in my left hand and it's still a little painful. I really enjoyed your Stress Relievers, so many on the list apply to me. 

We are getting some cold weather here in PA.

Good news...baby Dakota is up to 2lbs 2oz as of Monday.  Praise God!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,508
Registered: ‎06-10-2010

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Friday

I would like to request that we all be praying for the people in Paris.  Many who die will probably be quite young. 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,060
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Friday

So true, Harlene! Glad your sciatica problems are in the past now! How painful that was.  Lori has Wii and sometimes we play Wii Bowling and that's fun! Haven't for a while now.

Good exercise.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,060
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Friday

Marmot24, Thanks, they will heal, but I don't think quickly, glad you got over cellutitis - that had to be quite painful!  It's still nice weather here in MN for November. cooler, but not real cold yet.  Upper 30's and 40's.

 

Great news about baby Dakato!  The power of prayer!!

Esteemed Contributor
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Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Friday

Jubilant - as you request, let's all pray for the people in Paris.