Hello my friends! Well tonight it probably will freeze, so I maybe picked the raspberries and collards and kale for the last time this year. We'll see. I'll blanche the greens and freeze in small bags to use when making soups, potatoes, anything I want kale in. First attempt at making wine with Lori - with the kit we got for our Anniversary - bought some blueberrys in a can for wines, and using our own apples, hope it all turns out. It was fun doing, and doing it with Lori was special. The kit came from Linus' brother and wife who live on a hobby farm and make their own wines all the time! They raise lots of chokecherries, apples and raspberries, maybe some more fruits, and make wines out of them. Now we have it in a five gallon pail in the garage - we have a heated garage so nothing there will freeze. I am blessed to have so many friends, awesome daughters, and an awesome husband - also lots of friends I've met here on the boards. Wonderful friends! Great blessings! Praying for you all! Remember to keep Michelle in your prayers.
There is always something to thank God for. Lord, may my attitude of
gratitude last a lifetime.
Scripture for the day:
"O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love
endures forever." ~Psalm 106:1
Meditation for the day:
Gratitude to God is the theme of Thanksgiving Day. The pilgrims
gathered to give thanks to God for their harvest which was pitifully
small. When we look around at all the things we have today, how can we
help being grateful to God? Our families, our homes, our friends; all
these things are free gifts of God to us. "But for the grace of God,"
we would not have them. God gives us this day too, to rest and to give
thanks.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may be very grateful today. I pray that I may not forget
where I might be but for the grace of God.
THE LITTLE PRAYER ROCK
I AM YOUR LITTLE PRAYER ROCK
AND THIS IS WHAT I'LL DO -
JUST PUT ME ON YOUR PILLOW
UNTIL THE DAY IS THROUGH
THEN TURN DOWN THE COVERS
AND CLIMB INTO YOUR BED
AND WHACK, YOUR LITTLE PRAYER ROCK
WILL HIT YOU ON YOUR HEAD,
SO THAT YOU WILL REMEMBER
AS THE DAY IS THROUGH
TO KNEEL AND SAY YOUR PRAYERS
JUST AS YOU INTENDED TO.
WHEN YOU ARE ALL FINISHED
JUST DROP ME ON THE FLOOR.
I'LL STAY THERE ALL NIGHT LONG
TO GIVE YOU HELP ONCE MORE...
AT WAKING IN THE MORNING
CLUNK, I'LL STUB YOUR TOE
SO YOU WILL REMEMBER
YOUR MORNING PRAYERS BEFORE YOU GO.
NOW PUT ME ATOP YOUR PILLOW
WHEN YOUR BED IS MADE
AND YOUR CLEVER LITTLE PRAYER ROCK
WILL CONTINUE IN YOUR AID.
BECAUSE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER
CARES AND LOVES YOU SO,
HE WANTS YOU TO REMEMBER
TO TALK TO HIM, YOU KNOW.
Unknown
CRUSHING THE SHELLS
By Marion Smith
Ephesians 6:13-17
As I walked along Ponte Verde beach recently had a bizarre desire to
tramp directly upon the shells and pulverize them. Some would crushed
and turned to powder under my feet, but some of them survived the
onslaught. The tough ones pushed down into the sand as I applied
force to them and others just seemed to withstand the pressure, not
cracking or crumbling. The actual size of the shell didn't’t seem to
make much difference - it was the thickness that determined its
“crush ability” ..The shells which remained intact reminded me of the
Christian, clothed in the armor of God. Paul tells us in Ephesians
6:13-17 that God has given the Christian an armor to don. This armor
gives us extra protection and makes us “less easy to crush”, just like
those dense shells.
For years I have tried to memorize this passage of scripture from
Ephesians, as I wanted to clothe myself in Gods armor each day. I was
unable to do so until recently when my friend, Donna, told me her
method. Now I have it down pat, and put the armor of God on each
morning before I even get out of bed. I not only dress myself in it,
but my husband, daughters, son in laws and grandchildren! I place the
helmet of salvation on our heads- it protects my mind and all my
thoughts. It allows us to rest in the reality of who we am in
Christ. Next is our breastplate of righteousness(protecting our
hearts), belt of truth, shoes of peace(so we may spread the true
peace, which is available in God). I pick up our shields of faith to
protect us from Satan’s attacks and the sword of the spirit (God’s
Word.) Now we are ready to face the day- dressed in the armor of God.
Satan will not crack our faith or crush our spirit with insults,
temptations, or setbacks, for we are dressed- head to foot: plus some
extras- to face him head on! For He that lives within us is grater
than he who is in the world. I hope you will consider dressing
yourself and perhaps your loved ones each morning, also! It’s a GOOD
thing to do!
Thank you, Lord, for your Word and also for a special friend who
taught me how to memorize it.
The Seventeen Evidences of a Lack of Humility
1. To think that what one says or does is better than what others say or do
2. To always want to get your own way
3. To argue with stubbornness and bad manners whether you are right or wrong
4. To give your opinion when it has not been requested or when charity does
not demand it
5. To look down on another's point of view
6. Not to look on your gifts and abilities as lent
7. Not to recognize that you are unworthy of all honors and esteem, not even
of the earth you walk on and things you possess
8. To use yourself as an example in conversations
9. To speak badly of yourself so that others will think well of you or
contradict you
10. To excuse yourself when you are corrected
11. To hide humiliating faults from your spiritual director, so that he will
not change the impression he has of you
12. To take pleasure in praise and compliments
13. To be saddened because others are held in higher esteem
14. To refuse to perform inferior tasks
15. To seek to stand out
16. To refer in conversation to your honesty, genius, dexterity, or
professional prestige
17. To be ashamed because you lack certain goods
From the Writings of Bl. Josemaria Escriva
TAKE MY HAND
Author Unknown
Are you troubled, burdened, blue?
Take my hand.
I've been troubled, too,
I understand.
Where you've fallen, once I fell --
Let me help the clouds dispel --
Take my hand.
Others helped when I was weak,
Took my hand,
Helped me face toward the peak,
Helped me stand.
What they did, now let me do --
Pass the kindness on to you.
Someday you'll help others, too.
Take my hand.
The Barber
A man went to a barber-shop to have his hair and his beard cut as always. He
started to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They
talked about various things and various subjects. Suddenly, they touched the
subject of God.
The barber said: "Look man, I don't believe that God exists as you say."
"Why do you say that?" asked the client.
"Well, it's so easy, you just have to go out in the street to realize that
God does not exist. Oh, tell me, if God existed, would there be so many sick
people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be no
suffering nor pain. I can't think of loving a God who permits all of these
things."
The client stopped for a moment, thinking, but he didn't want to respond so
as not to cause an argument. The barber finished his job and the client went
out of the shop. Just as he got out of the barber shop he saw a man in the
street with long and unkempt hair and beard (it looked like it had been a
long time since he had his cut, and he looked so untidy).
The client entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:
"You know what? Barbers do not exist."
"How can you say they don't exist?" asked the barber. "I am a barber and
here I am, I exist!"
"No!" the client exclaimed. "They don't exist because if they did there
would be no people with long hair and beard like that man on the street."
"Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to me."
"Exactly!" affirmed the client. "That's the point. God does exist, what
happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him.
That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."
Prayer for the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi
O God, Who, through the merits of blessed Francis, magnifies Your church,
enriching it anew with spiritual offspring: make us, like him, to disdain
the goods of earth, nor at any time to lack the comforting gifts of heaven.
-from the Roman Missal
Meditations by Padre Pio
Let us walk always, even with slow steps, as long as we have good
intentions, we cannot but make progress. No, it is not necessary to be
always attentive to everything for the exercise of the virtues.
Mother Teresa Said...
We are but instruments that God deigns to use; these instruments bring forth
fruit in the measure that they are united to God...... We obtain grace in
proportion to our sanctity, to our fervor, and to our degree of union with
our Lord.
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