Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Be patient with others, but mostly be patient with yourself. Lord, help me
to keep a smile on my face and to realize my goodness and refuse to dwell
on my imperfections.

Scripture for the day:

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of
his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his
disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be
your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And
forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial." ~Luke 11:1-4

Meditation for the day:

I need not become weary in prayer. When one day we see how unexpectedly
our prayer has been answered, then we may deeply regret that we have
prayed so little. Prayer can change things for us. We can practice
praying until our trust in God has become strong. And then we can pray
on, because it has become so much a habit that we need it daily. We can
keep praying until prayer seems to become communion with God. That is
the note on which true times of prayer can end.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may form the habit of daily prayer. I pray that I may
find the strength I need, as a result of this communion.

Greetings my friends! Hope you all had a good Saturday today. I was with
Darla most of the day - here. Later she met with Lori and went to the
reception hall she's having her wedding reception in to look it over. Then
at Lori's and tonight's a movie night with them, also a girl friend of
Lori's and her child. Tomorrow we will be going to Deil's. Darla will make
a lasagna here to take there. Deil is Darla's Godmother, and they are very
close. Today I was so exhausted from yesterday having so much company that
after Darla left this afternoon, I headed for a good nap!! Linus had a long
day today - even with an hour off for lunch he worked hard for 8 hours.
Tomorrow he has to work long hours again, but he told them he won't come in
until after Mass. They said that's fine. Too bad he can't go along with
us. My blessings are my time with Darla and a good nap!! Got the kitchen
cleaned up too! Also another blessing is a Christmas card and letter from my
best friend in high school! We keep in touch.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Jesus’ Family Tree

Jesus’ family tree may not seem interesting
except to historians, but it is miraculous.
Jesus’ ancestors included Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob and King David.
Jacob knew, almost 1800 years before,
that the Messiah would descend from his family.
Think today about God’s careful planning,
over centuries, for Jesus’ arrival in our world.

from Catholic Update: Rest Stops for a Rushed People

Dialogue with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am sometimes afraid of what it means to
die to myself. Help me to use all of my talents for your kingdom. Help me to
realize that I have nothing to lose and everything to gain, and to
courageously take steps to love you.

Resolution: I will practice patience with someone who annoys me today to
show my love for Jesus.

Advent Prayer

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever faithful to your promises and ever
close to your Church: the earth rejoices in hope of the Savior's coming and
looks forward with longing to his return at the end of time. Prepare our
hearts and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope
which his presence will bestow, for he is Lord for ever and ever. Amen.

This got poofed at Viewpoints:

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 ad 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!"

If I Were a Christmas Tree

I'd
like
to be a
Christmas
tree with pres-
ents all around;
with golden ropes,
and silver
tinsel hanging
to the ground. I'd
trim my boughs with
crystal balls of red and blue
and white, and watch them glow
and catch the gleam of every Christmas
light. I'd wrap myself in
candy canes and popcorn balls,
and such. And, last, I'd have a shining
angel for my crowning touch! Then early
Christmas morn when little ones, with shouts
of joy, rush in to see and claim and treasure every
wondrous toy, I'd lean my boughs to brush up close and
touch each child like this, and place upon each shining cheek my
loving
Christmas
kiss!

—Bonnie Compton Hanson

THE CHRISTMAS TEN COMMANDMENTS


1. Thou shalt give thy heart to Christ. Let Him be at the top of thy
Christmas list
2. Thou shalt prepare thy soul for Christmas. Spend not so much on gifts
that thy soul is forgotten.
3. Thou shalt not let Santa Claus replace Christ, thus robbing the day of
its spiritual reality.
4. Thou shalt not burden the shop girl, the mailman, and the merchant with
complaints and demands.
5. Thou shalt give thyself with thy gift. This will increase its value a
hundred fold, and he who receiveth it shall treasure it forever.
6. Thou shalt not value gifts received by their cost. Even the least
expensive may signify love, and that is more priceless than silver and gold.
7. Thou shalt not neglect the needy. Share thy blessings with many who will
go hungry and cold unless thou are generous.
8. Thou shalt not neglect thy church. Its services highlight the true
meaning of the season.
9. Thou shalt be as a little child. Not until thou has become in spirit as a
little one art thou ready to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
10. Thou shall not forget to share your joy, hope, peace and faith with
those around you.

WHEN REALITY CHANGES
December 17, 2011


For I am the LORD, I do not change. Malachi 3:6


It is holiday time, and with more than one friend going through, well,
basically - the pits, I’ve had some extra things on my mind, and
prayer list. There was something else prepared to send out this week
in Irish Thursdays messages, however I felt impressed to say a few
words about this instead. Unfortunately, these friends are, no doubt,
not the only ones going through a crisis, tragedy, or tough situation
right now. Reality has been changed as people, situations, and things
out of our control have changed. Just because it is the Christmas
season does not mean it is Pollyanna time.

One has a sibling whose unexpected diagnosis is an advanced cancer,
another has had both mother and father pass away this past month. A
third has recently been served divorce papers, and yet another, with a
young family to support, did not get the hoped-for job after being out
of work for over nine months. Their feelings, and thoughts, are
running the gamut of grief, fear, separation and loss, and rejection,
to name a few.

What about the ‘Ho ho ho’ season? Certainly there is never a good time
for tragedy or crisis, but if ever there is no good time it is at
Christmas. When our reality changes, we can become frozen, and
temporarily forget everything we know about God like that He is still
faithful, that He still loves and cares about us, that He is in the
midst of the situation. Yet, He is in the midst of our situations.

Just as the sun rises and sets, as certain as anything ever could be,
so is God who He says He is – faithful, constant, caring, and present
with us. Skies get cloudy, we have wind and storms - from mild showers
to all out raging hurricanes – but the sun comes up every morning. In
the first chapter of the book of James, the Bible says that God who is
“the Father of the heavenly lights..does not change like shifting
shadows.” That is truth, and a reality you can take to the bank,
because ‘the Lord does not lie or change his mind. He is not a human
being, he does not change his mind. (1 Samuel 15:29)

No matter what your reality, be encouraged today. GOD is the Reality
that never changes. That is good news, at Christmas time or any other
time.

Good night everyone! Have a very blessed, peaceful and positive Sunday
filled with God's blessings!