Community Chat

[gloriajean]

It is very humbling to realize that often what burdens us the most would be
very missed if it were taken away. Lord, I will take the time to appreciate
my life.

Scripture for the day:

"'Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy
burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn
from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.'"
~Matthew 11:28-30

Meditation for the day:

We can lay upon God our failures and mistakes and shortcomings.
We need not dwell upon our failures, upon the fact that in the past
we have been nearer a beast than an angel. We have a mediator
between us and God. Our growing faith can lift us up from the mire and
point us toward the heavens. We can still be reconciled with
God. We can still regain our harmony with God and God's will for
us.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may not let the beast in me hold me back from my spiritual
destiny. I pray that I may rise and walk upright.

Hello my friends! Today is such a gorgeous day - I was out in the patio on
the swing for awhile. This thread is early because we are having card club
tonight and there's so much to do before that, and I didn't want it to have
to so late. I am blessed today with good health, good weather, feeling
loved, people coming to play cards, this is the first time they'll be here.
Nice people, we've been to their house already. I'm praying for all of your
intentions, and I thank you most sincerely for your prayers for us, too.
Now I must get busy and see you tomorrow!

PRAYER FOR THE PRESENT MOMENT

Dear God. I spend so much time reliving yesterday or
anticipating tomorrow that I lose sight of the only time
that is really mine - the present moment. You give me
today one moment at a time. That's all I have - all I ever
will have.
Give the faith which knows that each moment contains
exactly what is best for me. Give the hope which trusts
You enough to forget past failings and future trials.
Give the love which makes each moment an anticipation of
eternity with You. We ask this in the name of Jesus who is
the same yesterday, today and forever. Amen.

Father O'Malley was pastor of a small parish in Grass Valley, California.
One evening while he was preparing his homily for the coming Sunday, his
telephone rang.
The weather was stormy, and all the electrical lines were down. A voice on
the other end of the telephone said, "Fr. O'Malley, I am calling from the
local hospital and we have a terminally ill patient here who is asking to
see a priest about the last rites, can you come quickly?"

The trip was 30 miles, the going was rough as trees and power lines were
down. The nurse met Fr. O'Malley at the door, and thanked him for coming.
The person who wants to see you, Father, is an alcoholic, but he is still
coherent but is slipping fast. Fr. O'Malley asked the nurse what the
patients name was. She answered, the hospital calls him Tom.

Fr. O'Malley went into Tom's room and said to Tom, "I was just passing thru
and thought I would visit you before you sleep."

"Don't give me any of that garbage", Tom replied, "I asked that nurse to
call someone to give me the last rites because I know my time is done and
its my turn to go. Now get with it."

"Would you like to make a confession?" the priest asked Tom.

"Absolutely not" Tom answered. They talked for a long time and occasionally
Father would ask Tom if he was ready for confession. After some time Tom
told Father that he had done something in his life that was with him every
day and he did not feel that God would forgive him. Finally after some
time, Tom agreed to tell the priest his story.

"Thirty-two years ago, two months and eleven days ago, I was working for the
railroad. It happened in a bad storm. It was two days before Christmas and
the whole crew was drunk. Someone had to go out and push the switch for the
train to go northbound. I guess I was more drunk than the rest because I
pushed the switch in the wrong direction. At 45 miles per hour the freight
train slammed into a passenger car at the end of the next crossing and
killed a young man, his wife, and their two daughters. I have had to live
with that all of my life," Tom said.

There was a moment of silence as Tom's confession of this tragedy hung in
the air. After what seemed like an eternity, Fr. O'Malley gently put his
hand on Tom's shoulder and said very quietly. "If I can forgive you, God
can forgive you, because in that car were my mother, my father and my two
sisters.

Do we still find it difficult to forgive anyone?

The Flashlight
Most parents have had some experience with kids waking up with bad dreams at
some point or another. If not bad dreams, then surely every parent has had
to deal with invisible monsters hiding in the closet or under the bed.

Recently my wife and I had a bout with our oldest son waking us out of the
comfort of our warm bed to come into his room and scare off something that
was fear itself.

It was three in the morning and even though it can be the sweetest word on
earth when you get home from work, it is not so sweet when heard at three in
the morning.

"Daddy"

I came into my son's room to see what the problem was. The first time it
was, "I think I saw something." The second time it was, "I think I heard
something." The third time it was, "I'm just scared."

I had to get up early in the morning and go to work. I am a very patient man
but my sleepiness was wearing my patience down. The wee hours of the morning
had me delirious so I warned him, "If you call me one more time, I'm going
to give you something to be afraid of." Two minutes later.

"Daddy"

I came into the room and staying true to my promise, even though it hurt my
heart to do so, I gave him a tap on the leg; after all, I had to get some
sleep. Walking back to my bed like a weary victor of war, I said, "It wasn't
easy but that took care of that." Five minutes later.

"Daddy"

I lay in bed for a while at my wit's end on what to do, I had given up.

I knew that if I went and slept in his room with him he would want me to do
it every night that he felt fear. I laid there basking in a feeling of
stripped victory. In the stillness of the night, a light popped on in my
head.

It was a literal light. I saw a picture in my head of a flashlight.

I immediately got out of bed, went to the hall closet, got the flashlight
out and took it to my son's room. I handed it to him and told him "Light has
a special power to make monsters go away, when you think you see or hear
something just cut the light on and shine it in that direction and whatever
it is will have to go away."

I went back and got into bed with apprehensiveness against getting to sleep
too soundly. I listened for about five minutes then I saw a circle of light
shining in my son's room. I waited for that demanding title of "Daddy," but
all I heard was the stillness of the night.

This same principle is true in the lives of adults. Many times, we are
afraid of that which can really do us no harm.

Our flashlight can be knowledge; most of the time we fear what we don't
understand. As we become more enlightened on something that seems scary,
peace will come.

The light doesn't really chase away monsters living in the shadows, it just
changes our eyesight to see that the room, the business, the school, the
marriage, and the assignment is not as scary as it looked without the light
on.

Whatever you are afraid of, shine some light on it.

~ James Bronner ~

Lord, Open Unto me

Open unto me - Light for my darkness.
Open unto me - Courage for my fear.
Open unto me - Hope for my despair.
Open unto me - Peace for my turmoil.
Open unto me - Joy for my sorrow.
Open unto me - Strength for my weakness.
Open unto me - Wisdom for my confusion
Open unto me - Forgiveness for my sins.
Open unto me - Tenderness for my toughness.
Open unto me - Love for my hates.
Open unto me - Thy Self for my self.

Lord, Lord, open unto me!
AMEN.

Have a very peaceful, positive Thursday and God bless you in all that you do
or say!