Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Use your talents. The world would be silent if only the birds that sing
the best would sing. Lord, I will use Your gifts because You chose
them especially for me.

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

"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

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

"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.

P R A Y E R F O R T H E D A Y

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.

Hello my wonderful and faithful friends! Hope you all had a great Sunday, we did. He didn’t have to work, and we had a wonderful Mass with Father Matthew this morning! He’s always got such a nice sense of humor! The Gospel was on we should not worry what we are to eat or wear etc. etc. and he says he goes into his closet and he’s wondering what he should wear today, this black clerical shirt, or that one, or his black short sleeve one? Everyone laughed! He did give a great homily on that. Oh and last night he sang Johnny Cash’s “Man in Black” too. and that’s what he was wearing his priest clothes with the Roman Collar. He had a Baptism at Mass too. After Mass and the Announcements he mentioned that in all sincerity he loves us all and wants us to know he wants to be here for us and he said even the teenagers, he loves them too, and if they don’t like that, deal with it! Yes, God has truly blessed us with a wonderful parish and Fr. Vince and Fr. Matthew, that’s for sure! This afternoon we went shopping to Kohl’s to return a pair of slacks Linus got me for Christmas that were too long, and I didn’t feel like hemming them. In their place, I got a pair of black jeans – with almost six dollars store credit – to use whenever. Nice blessing because I’ve always wanted some black jeans and now I have them. Praise God! They were about 50% off or something like that.
The weather here today is 30 degrees and the sun is out! Another blessing I got today was when I went on Facebook to do some Cityville there, here I get a chat from Lori – Hello Mother! so we chatted a few minutes. She says they had a wonderful time in Austin yesterday and she was going to have some quality time this afternoon with Darla – going to some wineries. It was nice to hear from her. I love to read all about your blessings and all that is going on in your lives. Thanks for keeping this thread going as well is it is. It totally is up to you, not me, and God, of course!


FAITH Is:
RELIANCE ON the certainty that GOD has a pattern for my life, when
everything else seems meaningless.
REMEMBERING I am GOD's priceless treasure, when I feel utterly
useless.
DEPENDING ON the fact that GOD is love - not on my ability to figure
out why - in the midst of smashed hopes, reversal and tragedy.
KEEPING ON when I'm dog-tired, discouraged, disillusioned, deserted,
dusty, and dry and I cast on His strength alone.
REALIZING that I am useful to GOD, not in spite of my scars, but
because of them.
CONFIDENCE that GOD is acting for my highest good when He answers
"No" to my prayers.
ACCEPTING the truth that, in spite of the wreckage and grief I've
caused, GOD has wiped the slate clean and delights in me!
RECOGNIZING GOD is the LORD of time, when my idea of timing doesn't
agree with HIS.
AN ASSURANCE (not a vague hope) of a happy hereafter of Heaven, based
on my trust in CHRIST's death as payment for my sins.
REMEMBERING that, though my way is as dark as night to me, GOD can
see and guides me unerringly.
DOING the right thing regardless of the consequences, knowing GOD
will turn the ultimate effect to good.
Cooperation

The story goes that various fruits of the garden held a meeting and a discussion. They wanted to know the reason why no other fruit but the grape contains the juice from which the finest wines are made.

"Her drink is famous throughout the world," they declared. "Why is she more worthy than we are to be so blessed by God?"

A cluster of grapes hanging nearby in the garden heard their complaint and told them, "All of you other fruits grow individually, each one by himself and to himself. But we grapes always grow in bunches; we hang together. That is our nature; that is the only way we can grow.

And perhaps that mutual helpfulness puts something extra special into the wines that come from us."

THE HAND
Author Unknown
February 27, 2011


Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class a
fun assignment -- to draw a picture of something for which they were
thankful.


Most of the class might be considered economically disadvantaged, but
still many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other
traditional goodies of the season. These, the teacher thought, would
be the subjects of most of her student's art. And they were.


But Douglas made a different kind of picture. Douglas was a different
kind of boy. He was the teacher's true child of misery, frail and
unhappy. As other children played at recess, Douglas was likely to
stand close by her side. One could only guess at the pain Douglas felt
behind those sad eyes.


Yes, his picture was different. When asked to draw a picture of
something for which he was thankful, he drew a hand. Nothing else.
Just an empty hand.


His abstract image captured the imagination of his peers. Whose hand
could it be? One child guessed it was the hand of a farmer, because
farmers raise turkeys. Another suggested a police officer, because the
police protect and care for people. Still others guessed it was the
hand of God, for God feeds us. And so the discussion went -- until the
teacher almost forgot the young
artist himself.


When the children had gone on to other assignments, she paused at
Douglas' desk, bent down, and asked him whose hand it was.


The little boy looked away and murmured, "It's yours, teacher."


She recalled the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here
or there, as she had the other students. How often had she said, "Take
my hand, Douglas, we'll go outside." Or, "Let me show you how to hold
your pencil." Or, "Let's do this together." Douglas was most thankful
for his teacher's hand.


Brushing aside a tear, she went on with her work.


The story speaks of more than thankfulness. It says something about
teachers teaching and parents parenting and friends showing
friendship, and how much it means to the Douglases of the world. They
might not always say thanks. But they'll remember the hand that
reaches out.

THE LESSON OF THE COFFEE BEAN
Author Unknown
May 21, 2010


A daughter complained to her father about how hard things were for
her."As soon as I solve one problem," she said, "another one comes up.
I'm tired of struggling."


Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen where he filled three pots
with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a
boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second, eggs, and in the last,
ground coffee
beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.


The daughter impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After a
while, he went over and turned off the burners. He fished out the
carrots and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed
them a bowl. He
poured the coffee into a bowl. Turning to her he asked, "Darling, what
do you see?"


"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.


He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and
noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break
it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled, as she tasted its
rich flavor.


She asked, "What does it mean, Father?" He explained that each of them
had faced the same adversity -- boiling water -- but each reacted
differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but
after being subjected
to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.


The egg was fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid
interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside
hardened.


The ground coffee beans were unique, however. By being in the boiling
water, they changed the water.


He asked his daughter, "When adversity knocks on your door, which are
you?"



Let Go .....

To "LET GO" Does not mean to stop caring, it means I can't do it for someone else.
To "LET GO" Is not to cut myself off, it's the realization that I can't control another human being.
To "LET GO" Is not to enable, but to allow someone to learn from their natural consequences.
To "LET GO" Is to admit powerlessness , which means the outcome is not in my hands.
To "LET GO" Is not to try to change or blame another, but to make the most of myself.
To "LET GO" Is not to care for, but to care about.
To "LET GO" Is not to fix, but to be supportive, and not violate my values.
To "LET GO" Is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.
To "LET GO" Is not to be in the middle, arranging all the outcomes , but to allow God to work in the lives of others.
To "LET GO" Is not to be protective, it's to permit another to face reality.
To "LET GO" Is not to deny, but to accept .
To "LET GO" Is not to nag, scold or argue with another person, but instead to search out my own shortcomings and allow God to correct them.
To "LET GO" Does not mean to deny the shortcomings in others, but to accept others unconditionally in love.
To "LET GO" Is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to accept each day as it comes; knowing God offers it to me for growth.
To "LET GO" Is not to criticize or regulate anybody, but to try to become the person I understand God wants me to be.
To "LET GO" Does not mean to compete against another human being, but rather, to compete within myself to learn "self- control" through circumstances God brings into my life.
To "LET GO" Does mean to fear less and love more.
To "LET GO" Means I don't demand my own way, but that I hold firm to my values and beliefs-- while allowing others the same privilege.
To "LET GO" Doesn't mean that I expect God to do everything for me, but that I let God show me how to do His will for my life.
Closing prayer:

Prayer for Protection (especially from flu)

O Holy Virgin Mary, conceived without sin, I choose thee this day to be the Lady and Mistress of our home, and I pray thee, in the name of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, thy Divine Son, and of thy Immaculate Conception, to preserve it from fire and lightning, from tempests and thieves, from cholera, influenza, diphtheria, malaria, and all other contagious and pestilential diseases.

Bless and protect every member of our family, preserve us from sin, from sudden and unprovided death, and from all other evils and accidents, in the name and through the merits of the most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Good night now and God bless you all!! May you all have many blessings tomorrow – Monday! See you then! Remember that God is always with you – Talk to Him often, He never goes to sleep!