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[gloriajean]

Daily Inspiration, Scripture, Meditation and Prayer
February 7

Jesus loved us to death. How much do we love Him in return? Lord, may my words and actions show my love for You.

Scripture for the Day

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

Meditation for the Day

Only a few more steps and then God's power may be seen and known in my life. I sometimes walk in darkness, surrounded by the limitations of space and time. But even in this darkness, I can have faith and can be a light to guide feet that are afraid. I can believe that God's power can break through the darkness and my prayers can reach the ears of God. A cry from the heart, a trusting cry pierces that darkness and reaches to the divine ear of God.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that the divine power of God might help my human weakness. I pray that my prayer may reach through the darkness to the ear of God.

Good afternoon everyone one! I know it's early, but since we're going to Mass tonight and out to eat at Applebee's later, I thought I'll get this out early for you. The day won't be complete until Mass, but it's been a quiet day today - Linus just got home from work, he had another good day, and now he's off for a week with a lot of projects up his sleeve! If he has time, he plans on making shelves for Lori for under her basement steps, and a California closet for her in her room. We had a really nice talk with our coffee this morning which was a blessing - about Darla's insomnia and we prayed for her. Yes, she's getting stomach problems because of this and stress - and doctoring and he is just giving her sleeping pills. We will continue to keep asking Mary to intercede for her healing. Now that Greg is laid off - another stress added - but we put this all in God's hands. He's in charge of our lives if we let Him be, and Mary is there to intercede for us and what a blessing that is! Today I started to read some things in the Dummy book for the Glycemic Index, but I didn't get far, lost interest for now. I'll read more later. We have cards in the morning tomorrow - the man has to work tomorrow night so we'll have cards at 9:30! So while everyone is working, we'll be playing cards!! It should be fun!

THE BABY AND THE OLD MAN
Author Unknown
February 5, 2011
This is a first-person account from a mother about her family as they
ate dinner on Christmas Day in a small restaurant many miles from
their home. Nancy, the mother, relates:
We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in
a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking.
Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, "Hi there." He pounded his
fat baby hands on the highchair tray. His eyes were wide with
excitement and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin. He wriggled
and giggled with merriment.
I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man with
a tattered rag of a coat, dirty, greasy and worn. His 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?" 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 know 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
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 side-step 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's.
Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their
love relationship. 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-gently, so gently 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 for a
moment, and then 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 unwillingly,
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 an eternity. The ragged old man,
unwittingly, had reminded me, "To enter the Kingdom of God, we must
become as little children."

Wait

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried,
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, "Child, you must wait".
"Wait? You say, wait! " my indignant reply.
Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word.
My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and You tell me to WAIT?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.
And Lord, You promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply!
Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, "You must wait."
So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting.... for what?"
He seemed, then, to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine,
And He tenderly said, I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.
All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want--But, you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.
You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there;
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could see.
You'd never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You'd know that I give and I save.... (for a start),
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.
The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have last.
You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that "My grace is sufficient for Thee."
Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,
But, Oh, the loss! If I lost what I'm doing in you!
So, be silent, My Child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft' may My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still, "WAIT."
- Author Unknown

Spread the Peace

Peace is accepting the differences of others.
Peace is understanding another's sorrow.
Peace is sharing in another's trials.
Peace is lending a hand to a stranger
in need without being asked.
Peace is pressing forward with a
hopeful heart in times of difficulty.
Spread the peace
around the world!

I Own The Fence
There was a large group of people. On one side of the group stood a man, Jesus. On the other side of the group stood Satan.
Separating them, running through the group, was a fence. The scene set, both Jesus and Satan began calling to the people in the group and, one by one - each having made up his or her own mind - each went to either Jesus or Satan.
This kept going. Soon enough, Jesus had gathered around him a group of people from the larger crowd, as did Satan.
But one man joined neither group. He climbed the fence that was there and sat on it.
Then Jesus and His people left and disappeared. So too did Satan and his people. And the man on the fence sat alone.
As this man sat, Satan came back, looking for something which he appeared to have lost. The man said, "Have you lost something?"
Satan looked straight at him and replied, "No, there you are. Come with me."
"But", said the man, "I sat on the fence. I chose neither you nor Him."
"That's okay," said Satan. "I own the fence."
- Author Unknown

Closing Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Your Mother, I come to ask healings for everyone who needs healing of back pain, insomnia, restless nights, soreness of the body, our aches and pains, and all our emotional hurts too, all according to your Holy Will, O Lord. Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. Amen.
Let us here pray the Our Father and Hail Mary.

Good night now and hope you all have sweet dreams - and no more restless nights. May your Angels comfort you, bring you to sleep and wake up refreshed to start your Monday!
God bless you all!!! See you tomorrow!