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[gloriajean]

Move with a gentle spirit, a compassionate heart and a patient disposition
and you will accomplish much more today. Lord, grant me a quiet mind
and the wisdom to move my mountains.

Scripture for the day:

"But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate
you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone
strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes
away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs
from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do
to others as you would have them do to you." ~Luke 6:27-31

Meditation for the day:

We can try saying: "God bless him (or her)" of anyone who is in disharmony
with us. We may also say it of those who are in trouble through their own
fault. We can say it, willing that showers of blessings may fall upon them.
We can let God do the blessing. We can leave to God any necessary
correction or discipline. We can desire only blessing for them. We can
leave God's work to God. We can occupy ourselves with the tasks that God
gives us to do. God's blessing can also break down all our own difficulties
and build up all our successes.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may use God's goodness so that it will be a blessing to
others. I pray that I may accept God's blessing so that I will have
harmony, beauty, joy and happiness.

Hello my friends! Hope your day was a good one! Weather here was really
almost perfect - in the 70's. Still praying that we make the right
decision - as we have no choice but being patient with God and let Him do
the leading. Tomorrow morning is the meeting. Looking forward to lunch -
Lori is coming for lunch. I'm making chicken - she doesn't come that much
anymore for lunches. She usually goes home to eat. We had some green beans
to use up - he wanted me to make Green Bean Soup, so I just used some
chicken broth, had some ground up chicken, put that in, cabbage, carrots,
celery and onion, and added the green and yellow beans. It was delicious!!
Didn't go by any recipe, but was able to clean out the fridge with it.
Today was a good, ordinary day - filled with blessings!

Homily of the Day


August 8, 2011

The Astonishing Truth: He Is Father!
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Dt 10:12-22 / Mt 17:22-27

Have you ever tried to imagine what 100 billion of anything might look like,
or how far it is to edges of the universe, or exactly how many sub-atomic
particles there were in the strawberry you ate for breakfast? Have you ever
tried to wrap your mind around the idea of “forever” ? Those are
mind-boggling experiences, but they pale into insignificance when compared
to any attempt at imagining God.

In the thirteenth century, the famous theologian St. Thomas Aquinas was
blessed with an intensely personal experience of God’s presence while at
prayer during Holy Week. In the days and months that followed, he told his
fellow scholars that all his learned books about God and the things of God
were just so much straw, and he never wrote another word for the rest of his
life.

We can gain some insight into God by observing His creation: its beauty, its
vastness, the power of the forces of nature which he created. They all tell
us something about the One who created them, but ultimately, God is mystery,
and all our efforts at naming Him come to naught. All the more precious,
then, is God’s gift of His Son Jesus who freely shows us what God is truly
like, most of all a loving Father.

May we give thanks always for this Father whose love is beyond all
understanding, and for His Son, our Brother, Who walks with us always!

Our way of life is highly competitive. We are always racing with one
another. We have to show results. If possible, we must try to break records.
Today the only way my work is judged is by comparing it with the work of
others. No matter how well I do, if the other person does better, then I
become second rate. And so in that sense, everyone becomes a rival. My
brother's success becomes a threat to me; and that is how jealousy is born.

In India they have a story about two students called Akbar and Birbal. Akbar
draws a line on the blackboard and asks Birbal to shorten it without erasing
it. So Birbal goes to the board and draws a longer line under Akbar's and
the job is done.

You and I might be along line when we stand all alone. But just let a longer
line stand next to us, and suddenly from long we have become short.

That may be the reason why we resent the success of others. Their success
casts a shadow on mine. I resent them. But their competitive presence is
good for me. It makes me keep an eye on my line.

YOUR ACTIONS MAY CHANGE A LIFE
Author Unknown


One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my
class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like
he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would
anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a
nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with
my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went
on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran
at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he
landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in
the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this
terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged
over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I
saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those
guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and
said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of
those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his
books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near
me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had
gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a
private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried
his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he
wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said
yes. We hung all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I
liked him. And my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning
came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped
him and said, "boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles
with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half
the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were
seniors, began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and
I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the
miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was
going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian
of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to
prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to
get up there and speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great.
He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school.
He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates
than me and all the girls loved him! Boy, sometimes I was jealous.
Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his
speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll
be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really
grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said. As he started his speech,
he cleared his throat, and began: "Graduation is a time to thank those
who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your
teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am
here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best
gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story." I just looked
at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we
met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how
he had cleaned out his locker so his mom wouldn't have to do it later
and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a
little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing
the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this
handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his
mom and dad looking at me smiling that same grateful smile. Not until
that moment did I realize it's depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture
you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us
all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for
God in others.

TROUBLE TREE
Author Unknown
August 8, 2011


The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just
finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an
hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup truck
refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he
invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door,
he paused briefly at a small tree, touching tips of the branches with
both hands.

When opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His
tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small
children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity
got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do
earlier. "Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't
help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, troubles
don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just
hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the
morning I pick them up again."

"Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick
'em up, there ain't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night
before."

Encouragement

You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You
listen to their cry. Psalm 10:17

It's easy to feel unheard in this life. Even those closest to you may
sometime fail to
listen. But be assured God hears you. He's never too busy or too tired, or
too distracted to hear you when you cry out to Him. You don't need an
appointment. He always listening, always encouraging. So cry out to Him.
Share everything with Him, those things that cause you pain, those things
that bring you sadness even those things that bring you joy. Let him
in on your secrets and your hopes. He will never fail you.

A Prayer for Guidance
Lord I stand before you with a heavy heart,
I don’t have all the answers,
I am turning to you for guidance.

I want to be happy and healthy,
not if it offends you.
I want to know I am making the right decisions,
decisions that will not hurt you.

I am human and know I make mistakes,
I am human and know I am weak.
Allow me to gain strength from you.
I am asking for help.

Give me the strength to fight for what is important.
Give me the strength to help people as they help me.
Help me to see right from wrong through the trials of my life.
Never let me just give up on myself.

Forgive me for my mistakes and failures,
know I am trying to be the best and strongest person I can.
Never let me quit! ´

Amen.

Good night everyone! Sweet Dreams and hope you all have a good day tomorrow!
Hope you come to post - you are being missed!! God bless you!