Community Chat

[gloriajean]

God did not intend that your life be about nothing but work. Lord,
there is so much beauty and joy in this world. Help me to reward
myself with a moment of enjoyment from time to time.


Scripture for the day:

"When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and
cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he
spoke to them and said, 'Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.'" ~Mark
6:49-50

Meditation for the day:

I can take the most crowded day without fear. I believe that God is
with me and controlling all. I can let confidence be the motif running
through all the crowded day. I need not be worried, because I know
that God is my helper. Underneath are the everlasting arms of God.
I can rest in them, even though the day be full of things crowding in
upon me.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may be calm and let nothing upset me. I pray that I may
not let material things control me and choke out spiritual things.

Hello my friends! Hope your day went well. The trip went fine - but my
husband got up at 3:15 AM to get ready to go - have our coffee and some
toast, so I got up up with him. After awhile I did go back to bed again,
but he was awake all day! One of his brothers drove the whole way so he
didn't have to drive - a good thing. They were told that Katie said after
they left from their visit 3 weeks ago that it was the highlight of her
life! She was fine then. Good the weather was nice today - Deil got a lot
of yard work done today with the weather being so nice, and the traveling
went well. Good news I heard today that Sister LaDonna got her pillow
back - it did go thru the laundry there and this morning she got it back and
she's so happy to have it, it's so comfortable for her. Also today she got
to go shopping - a Sister took her on the wheelchair - to a dollar store,
she bought some hair spray and things she needed, and in another store she
bought some pajamas at a real good price. She told me that she really
needed a pair of pj's as hers was worn out. Glad she was able to go
shopping. She waited with her pain pill so it would kick in so she could go
shopping. Tomorrow is my turn to call her again - we all take turns so she
doesn't get too many calls in a day.

Homily of the Day


November 7, 2011

There, But for the Grace of God, Go I
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Wis 1:1-7 / Lk 17:1-6

Pick a year, any year, in any century, and the story won’t vary much. The
full range of scandals will be there, distressingly visible, everything from
abuse of power to abuse of helpless children. Jesus was surely right when He
said, “Scandals will inevitably arise.” What remains to be seen is how we
react when they do arise.

Perhaps the most common reaction is sadness, which can all too easily evolve
into discouragement and despair, or even downright cynicism. To allow that
to evolve inside our hearts is to allow evil to seize the field and to
prevail, which is neither necessary nor Christian.

Another understandably common reaction is shock, which, however, may well be
concealing just a little of the same scandalous leanings inside our own
characters. It’s wise to be wary when we find ourselves carrying on just a
bit too much about someone else’s sins!

But isn’t there some way of deriving good from all the ugliness? I think
there is. We can speak the truth, and the truth for every one of us is:
There, but for the grace of God, go I! That kind of honesty before God is
the real meaning of humility, and it opens the door to God’s grace and to
growth as well.

Remember that the next time that scandal burdens your heart.

To Die Like an Angel

One evening we went out and rescued four people off the streets. One of them
was in a desperate condition. I told the sisters, "You take care of the
others. I will care or this one who is worse off." I did everything for
her that my love could do. I put her into bed, and I saw a beautiful smile
light up her face. She squeezed my hand and only managed to say two words,
"Thank you." And then she closed her eyes.
I couldn't help but ask myself there beside her body, "What would I have
said if I had been in her place?" My answer was very simple. I would have
said that I was hungry, that I was dying, that I was cold. Or I would have
said that this or that part of my body hurt or something like that. But she
gave me much more. She gave me her grateful love. And she died with a
smile on her face.

I HAVE MOVED!!!!!!
Author Unknown

Can't remember if I told you all, but:

I have moved out from 1 Beggars Alley, located at 2 Poverty Lane at
the corner of Bleak and Buster Circle. As of today, I have a brand new
home.

My new address is: Living Well on 3 Abundance Drive, located at the
corner of Blessings Street and Prosperity Peak. No longer! will I
allow my self to travel on Begging Peter to pay off Paul route,
located at a dead end intersection called I Don't Have, it connects
with Borrowers Junction.

I no longer hang out at Failure's Place, near Excuses Avenue, next to
Procrastination Point. I've moved on to an Upscale community called
Higher Heights with unlimited potential and opportunities for me to
succeed.

Look at me. Each day that I'm awake, I am thankful to be a product of
my new environment. All my clothes are tailor made. I'm dressed in
life's finest. Let me introduce you to all of them: Divine Favour,
Conceive, Believe, Act on Faith, Be Persistent, and Always be Prepared
to Achieve.

Life is good because God is good! Care to change your address? There
are many vacancies!

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

I AM WELL BLESSED AND SO ARE YOU!!!!!

'DON'T TELL GOD HOW BIG YOUR STORM IS, TELL YOUR STORM HOW BIG OUR GOD
IS'

It Takes Courage To Be A Christian!

It takes courage to refrain from gossip when others delight in it, to stand
up for the absent person who is being abused.

It takes courage to live honestly within your means, and not dishonestly on
the means of others.

It takes courage to be a REAL man, a TRUE woman, to hold fast to your ideals
when it causes you to be looked upon as strange and peculiar.

It takes courage to be talked about, and remain silent, when a word would
justify you in the eyes of others, but which you dare not speak because it
would injure another.

It takes courage to refuse to do something that is wrong although everyone
else may be doing it with attitudes as carefree as a summer song.

It takes courage to live according to your own convictions, to deny yourself
what you cannot afford to love your neighbor as yourself, to follow the
example of our risen Lord!

- Author Unknown

A THOUSAND MARBLES
Author Unknown
November 7, 2011


The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the
quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's
the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first
few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I
was shuffling toward the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee in one
hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as atypical
Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to
hand you from time to time.


Let me tell you about it. I turned the volume up on my radio in order
to listen to a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding
chap with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should
be in the broadcasting business himself. He was talking about "a
thousand marbles" to someone named "Tom". I was intrigued and sat down
to listen to what he had to say.


"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure
they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and
your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to
work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you
missed your daughter's dance recital." He continued, "Let me tell you
something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on
my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of
a "thousand marbles."


"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average
person lives about seventy-five years. know, some live more and some
live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years."


"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is
the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire
lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part."
"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this
in any detail", he
went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight
hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-
five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy." "So I went
to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up
having to visit three toy
stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside
of a large, clear plastic container right here in my workshop next to
the radio. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and
thrown it away." "I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I
focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing
like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your
priorities straight."


"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and
take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very
last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next
Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing
we can all use is a little more time."


"It was nice to talk to you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your
loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a good
morning!" You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even the
show's moderator didn't have anything to say for a few moments. I
guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to do some
work that morning, then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs and
woke my wife up with a kiss.


"C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought
this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been
a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can
we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."

This is so neat. I had never heard this before. This is beautiful -

and it is surely worth making the 5 finger prayer a part of our lives.

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying
for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember.
To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said,a 'sweet duty.'

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach,
instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers.
They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right
direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders.
Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and
administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public
opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact
that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It
should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in
pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too
much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all which
is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As
the Bible says, 'The least shall be the greatest among you.' Your
pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have
prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into
proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more
effectively.

Good night all and sweet dreams!! Enjoy your Tuesday - wishing you a very
happy and positive day!! God bless you!