Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Hello my friends! Hope everyone had a good day today! I'm working at Lori's so not much to report here, except that it's a blessing to be close to my daughter and seeing how her clients all love her! She is a good Massage Therapist and has clients since she started some 15 years ago. Tomorrow my husband is going fishing with his brothers, so we'll have some fish for supper, no doubt. Praying for all your needs as always.

Determination and faith will carry you through to your goals.

Lord, You and I together can accomplish my dreams.

Scripture for the day:

"I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not

know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because

I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father."

~John 15:15

Meditation for the day:

We can think of God as a great friend and try to realize the wonder of

that friendship. When we give God not only worship, obedience and

allegiance, but also close companionship, God becomes our friend even

as we are God's friends. We can feel that God is working with us.

God can do things for us and we can do things for God. Our prayers

become more real to us when we feel that God counts on our friendship

and we count on God's.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may think of God as my friend. I pray that I may feel

that I am working for God and with God.

SANTA, CAN YOU VISIT MY GRANDDAUGHTER?

Author Unknown

Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother came to see Santa at

Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin. The child climbed up on his lap, holding a

picture of a little girl.

"Who is this?" asked Santa, smiling. "Your friend? Your sister?"

"Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah, who is very sick," he

said sadly.

Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby, and saw

her dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

"She wanted to come with me to see you, oh, so very much, Santa!" the

child exclaimed. "She misses you," he added softly.

Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a smile to the boy's face,

asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas.

When they finished their visit, the Grandmother came over to help the

child off his lap, and started to say something to Santa, but halted.

"What is it?" Santa asked warmly.

"Well, I know it's really too much to ask you, Santa, but ..." the old

woman began, shooing her grandson over to one of Santa's elves to

collect the little gift which Santa gave all his young visitors.

"...The girl in the photograph .. My granddaughter . Well, you see ...

She has leukemia and isn't expected to make it even through the

holidays," she said through tear-filled eyes. "Is there any way,

Santa . Any possible way that you could come see Sarah? That's all

she's asked for, for Christmas, is to see Santa."

Santa blinked and swallowed hard and told the woman to leave

information with his elves as to where Sarah was, and he would see

what he could do.

Santa thought of little else the rest of that afternoon. He knew what

he had to do.

"What if it were MY child lying in that hospital bed, dying," he

thought with a sinking heart, "this is the least I can do."

When Santa finished visiting with all the boys and girls that evening,

he retrieved from his helper the name of the hospital where Sarah was

staying.

He asked the assistant location manager how to get to Children's

Hospital.

"Why?" Rick asked, with a puzzled look on his face.

Santa relayed to him the conversation with Sarah's grandmother earlier

that day.

"C'mon .... I'll take you there," Rick said softly.

Rick drove them to the hospital and came inside with Santa. They found

out which room Sarah was in. A pale Rick said he would wait out in the

hall.

Santa quietly peeked into the room through the half-closed door and

saw little Sarah on the bed.

The room was full of what appeared to be her family; there was the

Grandmother and the girl's brother he had met earlier that day. A

woman whom he guessed was Sarah's mother stood by the bed, gently

pushing Sarah's thin hair off her forehead. And another woman who he

discovered later was Sarah's aunt, sat in a chair near the bed with

weary, sad look on her face. They were talking quietly, and Santa

could sense the warmth and closeness of the family, and their love and

concern for Sarah.

Taking a deep breath, and forcing a smile on his face, Santa entered

the room, bellowing a hearty, "Ho, ho, ho!"

"Santa!" shrieked little Sarah weakly, as she tried to escape her bed

to run to him, IV tubes intact.

Santa rushed to her side and gave her a warm hug. A child the tender

age of his own son -- 9 years old -- gazed up at him with wonder and

excitement.

Her skin was pale and her short tresses bore telltale bald patches

from the effects of chemotherapy. But all he saw when he looked at her

was a pair of huge, blue eyes. His heart melted, and he had to force

himself to choke back tears. Though his eyes were riveted upon Sarah's

face, he could hear the gasps and quiet sobbing of the women in the

room.

As he and Sarah began talking, the family crept quietly to the bedside

one by one, squeezing Santa's shoulder or his hand gratefully,

whispering "thank you" as they gazed sincerely at him with shining

eyes.

Santa and Sarah talked and talked, and she told him excitedly all the

toys she wanted for Christmas, assuring him she'd been a very good

girl that year.

As their time together dwindled, Santa felt led in his spirit to pray

for Sarah, and asked for permission from the girl's mother. She nodded

in agreement and the entire family circled around Sarah's bed, holding

hands.

Santa looked intensely at Sarah and asked her if she believed in

angels.

"Oh, yes, Santa ... I do!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I'm going to ask that angels watch over you," he said.

Laying one hand on the child's head, Santa closed his eyes and prayed.

He asked that God touch little Sarah, and heal her body from this

disease. He asked that angels minister to her, watch and keep her. And

when he finished praying, still with eyes closed, he started singing

softly,

"Silent Night, Holy Night ... all is calm, all is bright."

The family joined in, still holding hands, smiling at Sarah, and

crying tears of hope, tears of joy for this moment, as Sarah beamed at

them all. When the song ended, Santa sat on the side of the bed again

and held Sarah's frail, small hands in his own.

"Now, Sarah," he said authoritatively, "you have a job to do, and that

is to concentrate on getting well. I want you to have fun playing with

your friends this summer, and I expect to see you at my house at

Mayfair Mall this time next year!"

He knew it was risky proclaiming that, to this little girl who had

terminal cancer, but he "had" to. He had to give her the greatest gift

he could -- not dolls or games or toys -- but the gift of HOPE.

"Yes, Santa!" Sarah exclaimed, her eyes bright.

He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and left the room.

Out in the hall, the minute Santa's eyes met Rick's, a look passed

between them and they wept unashamed.

Sarah's mother and grandmother slipped out of the room quickly and

rushed to Santa's side to thank him.

"My only child is the same age as Sarah," he explained quietly. "This

is the least I could do."

They nodded with understanding and hugged him.

One year later, Santa Mark was again back on the set in Milwaukee for

his six-week, seasonal job which he so loves to do. Several weeks went

by and then one day a child came up to sit on his lap.

"Hi, Santa! Remember me?!"

"Of course, I do," Santa proclaimed (as he always does), smiling down

at her. After all, the secret to being a "good" Santa is to always

make each child feel as if they are the "only" child in the world at

that moment.

"You came to see me in the hospital last year!"

Santa's jaw dropped. Tears immediately sprang in his eyes, and he

grabbed this little miracle and held her to his chest.

"Sarah!" he exclaimed.

He scarcely recognized her, for her hair was long and silky and her

cheeks were rosy -- much different from the little girl he had visited

just a year before.

He looked over and saw Sarah's mother and grandmother in the sidelines

smiling and waving and wiping their eyes.

That was the best Christmas ever for Santa Claus. He had witnessed --

and been blessed to be instrumental in bringing about -- this miracle

of hope. This precious little child was healed. Cancer-free. Alive and

well. He silently looked up to Heaven and humbly whispered,

"Thank you, Father. 'Tis a very, Merry Christmas!"

Santa's Christmas Prayer

The sleigh was packed,

the reindeer were fed,

But Santa still knelt

by the side of the bed.

"Dear Father," he prayed

"Be with me tonight.

There's much work to do

and my schedule is tight.

I must jump in my sleigh

and streak through the sky,

Knowing full well

that a reindeer can't fly.

I will visit each household

before the first light,

I'll cover the world

and all in one night.

With sleigh bells a-ringing,

I'll land on each roof,

Amid the soft clatter

of each little hoof.

To get in the house

is the difficult part,

So I'll slide down the chimney

of each little heart.

My sack will hold toys

to grant all their wishes.

The supply will be endless

like the loaves and the fishes.

I will fill all the stockings

and not leave a track.

I'll eat every cookie

that's left for my snack.

I can do all these things Lord,

only through You,

I just need your blessing,

then it's easy to do.

All this is to honor

the birth of the One,

That was sent to redeem us,

Your most Holy Son.

So to all of my friends,

lest Your glory I rob,

Please Lord, remind them,

who gave me this job."

Mother Teresa on Christmas

It is Christmas

every time you

let God love

others through you.

Yes, it is Christmas

every time you smile

at your brother

and offer him your hand.

How do I find You, God?

God is Love.

If you have ever loved,

If you have ever been loved,

You have experienced God

from Within and Without

God is Truth.

If you have ever told the truth,

If you have ever discovered Truth,

You have experienced God

from Within and Without

God is Beauty.

If you have ever helped to create something beautiful,

If you have ever witnessed beauty in any of it's myriad forms,

You have experienced God

from Within and Without

God is Good.

If you have ever done or thought something good,

If you have ever recognized goodness in or through another,

You have experienced God

from Within and Without

All of those experiences, those gifts,

of Love, Truth, Beauty and Goodness

were directly from God through you

My Second Father

My father died, when I was five. It was hard on us all. With time the wounds

healed. My brother, who is eight years older than me, began to watch over my

mother and me.

Taking on many more responsibilities than was expected of him, I remember he

made sure the trash was taken out, and the yard mowed. He did this on his

own, without being told to do so.

Because of my father's death, my mother was forced to get a full time job.

My brother took it upon himself, to get up early every morning.

He would get me up for school, and make me breakfast. While I was eating he

would lay out my clothes, make my bed, and gather my school books up.

Hand in hand we would walk to the bus stop. As we waited, he would play

games my father used to play with me. He did his best to make me happy, and

he succeeded every time.

When we arrived home from school, we were alone for about a half hour, until

mom was home from work. He would sit me down with three cookies and a glass

of milk. If I had home work then this was the time I would do it. My brother

would start laundry, and do dishes if there were any. He would find

something for supper, and have everything ready for mom, so she could start

cooking.

Mom would greet us with a hug and kiss. This was our queue to go outside and

have some fun. This was my brother's time to be a kid.

It was a Saturday in June a couple years later. My mother and I were at the

store. They had the Father's day cards out. I stared at the rack of cards.

My mom said "Honey, I know this is a hard time for you." I said "No, mom

that's not it. Why don't they have Brother's day cards?"

She smiled and said, "You're right, your brother has definitely been a

father to you. Go ahead pick out a card." So I did, and on Father's Day my

mother and I sat my brother down and gave him the card.

As he read it, I saw the tears forming in his eye's. I felt a lump in my

throat, as he threw his arms around me and my mother. I heard the crackling

in mom's voice as she said, "Son, your father is proud of you, seeing that

he raised a good man, and that you do your best to fill his shoes. We love

you, and thank you."

Author unknown

Jesus called his disciples and said to them: "This poor widow has put more

in than all who have contributed to the treasury."

General Spirit

A proud Christian is surely a contradiction in terms. A Christian is a

follower of Christ whose himility can never be equalled. He was God as well

as man. While on earth he emptied himself, as St. Paul puts it, of his

divine glory so that he could be like one of us.

PERSONAL PRAYER

Lord, you are my spiritual food in the Eucharist. For it is you that I have

received in Holy Communion. Thank You, Lord, for all you have done for me.

Today I heard in the first reading how generous you were with those who were

kind to your prophets, feeding them despite poverty and famine. I am trying

to be a good Christian. Help me, Lord.

Accept my little faith, nourish it, make it grow so that I will be filled

with love of you. It is you who will be my judge, so let me see myself as

you see me. May I stop wasting time being envious of others and concentrate

on using the gifts you have given me. Make me strong, Lord, so that I can

bear witness to you before others. Give me the grace to stand up and be

counted as a Christian. Let me realize that the ridicule of others is

worthless. Fill me with your love, Lord. Amen.