Community Chat

[gloriajean]

As we help those in need or comfort those in trouble, God's great love and
divine
glory is revealed to the world. Lord, I am Your servant. May others know
more
of You through me.

Scripture for the day:

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a
wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and
the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had
been founded on rock." ~Matthew 7:24-25

Meditation for the day:

Every strong and beautiful flower must have a strong root in the ground. It
can send a root down so that it may be rooted and grounded while at the same
time it sends a shoot up to be the flower that gladdens the world. Both
growths are necessary. Without a strong root, it would soon wither. The
higher the growth upward, the deeper must be the rooting. My life cannot
flower into success and helpfulness unless it is rooted in a strong faith. I
can feel deeply secure in the goodness and purpose of the universe.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that my life may be deeply rooted in faith. I pray that I may feel
deeply secure.

Greetings my friends! How was your day? Mine was relaxing - first of all,
Linus made an appointment with the Nurse Practitioner to see what's causing
all his burping and belching, which is getting worse. He was told to just
take Zantac and every day. He was taking it as needed. When I googled
something on it last night, he got scared and made the appointment. While
there, he asked to have his blood sugar tested and it was 90, and now he's
out of the range of being pre-diabetic - Praise the Lord! Maybe the
cinnamon tablets are helping with that! So he'll be taking zantac every day
now and see if it helps, if not, then he'll have some kind of tube going
thru his nose down thru the esophagus to the stomach linings and see what's
going on there. So we pray for his healing in that area and thank Him for
the blessings of he not being pre-diabetic anymore. We will keep up the
same low glycemic diet we are on, and not make much changes so he stays that
way. That sure was good news for rejoicing today - a great blessing!! Then
he just wanted to stay home and rest so called in at work and he did rest.
Darla called today - said she'll leave tomorrow after her students are
finished talking to her, they usually like to hang around to talk after the
finals and she won't leave before that. She's packing two cats too, to be
at Lori's - Phoebe probably won't like her house guests. Hope your day went
well!


Monday, December 12, 2011

We Are Being Watched!

John the Baptist was criticized for being too ascetic;
Jesus for not being austere enough.
We members of the Kingdom are being watched
by those who have not yet come to faith.
How do we convince others that the Kingdom is real?
By loving them as Jesus has loved us.

from Catholic Update: Rest Stops for a Rushed People

Today being the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe - here's a prayer:
Prayer to
Our Lady of
Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe, mystical rose, intercede for the Church, protect the
Holy Father, help all who invoke You in their necessities. Since You are the
ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the True God, obtain for us from Your Most
Holy Son the grace of a firm and sure hope amid bitterness of life, as well
as an ardent love and the precious gift of final perseverance.
Dearest Lady, fruitful Mother of Holiness, teach me Your ways of gentleness
and strength. Hear my prayer, offered with deep felt confidence to beg this
favor.
O Mary, conceived without sin, I come to your throne of grace to share the
fervent devotion of your faithful Mexican children who call to Thee under
the glorious title "Guadalupe" - the Virgin who crushed the serpent.

Queen of Martyrs, whose Immaculate Heart was pierced by seven swords of
grief, help me to walk valiantly amid the sharp thorns strewn across my
path. Invoke the Holy Spirit of Wisdom to fortify my will to frequent the
Sacraments so that, thus enlightened and strengthened, I may prefer God to
all creatures and shun every occasion of sin.

Help me, as a living branch of the Vine that is Jesus Christ, to exemplify
His divine charity always seeking the good of others. Queen of Apostles, aid
me to win souls for the Sacred Heart of my Savior. Keep my apostolate
fearless, dynamic, and articulate, to proclaim the loving solitude of Our
Father in Heaven so that the wayward may heed His pleading and obtain
pardon, through the merits of Your Merciful Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.

A Dozen Christmas Roses
Bobby was getting cold sitting out in his back yard in the snow.
Bobby didn't wear boots; he didn't like them and anyway he didn't own any.
The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them and they did a poor job of
keeping out the cold. Bobby had been in his backyard for about an hour
already. And, try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his
mother's Christmas gift.

He shook his head as he thought, "This is useless, even if I do come up with
an idea, I don't have any money to spend,"

Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, the family of five
had struggled. It wasn't because his mother didn't care, or try, there just
never seemed to be enough. She worked nights at the hospital, but the small
wage that she was earning could only be stretched so far. What the family
lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and
family unity. Bobby had two older and one younger sister, who ran the house
hold in their mother's absence. All three of his sisters had already made
beautiful gifts for their mother.

Somehow it just wasn't fair. Here it was Christmas Eve already, and he had
nothing. Wiping a tear from his eye, Bobby kicked the snow and started to
walk down to the street where the shops and stores were. It wasn't easy
being six without a father, especially when he needed a man to talk to.

Bobby walked from shop to shop, looking into each decorated window.
Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach. It was starting to get
dark and Bobby reluctantly turned to walk home when suddenly his eyes caught
the glimmer of the setting sun's rays reflecting off of something along the
curb. He reached down and discovered a shiny dime. Never before has anyone
felt so wealthy as Bobby felt at that moment.

As he held his new found treasure, a warmth spread throughout his entire
body and he walked into the first store he saw. His excitement quickly
turned cold when the salesperson told him that he couldn't buy anything with
only a dime.

He saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line. When the shop owner
asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could
buy one flower for his mother's Christmas gift.

The shop owner looked at Bobby and his ten cent offering. Then he put his
hand on Bobby's shoulder and said to him, "You just wait here and I'll see
what I can do for you."

As Bobby waited he looked at the beautiful flowers and even though he was a
boy, he could see why mothers and girls liked flowers.

The sound of the door closing as the last customer left jolted Bobby back to
reality. All alone in the shop, Bobby began to feel alone and afraid.
Suddenly the shop owner came out and moved to the counter. There, before
Bobby's eyes, lay twelve long stem, red roses, with leaves of green and tiny
white flowers all tied together with a big silver bow. Bobby's heart sank
as the owner picked them up and placed them gently into a long white box.

"That will be ten cents young man," the shop owner said reaching out his
hand for the dime.

Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime. Could this be true?
No one else would give him a thing for his dime!

Sensing the boy's reluctance, the shop owner added, "I just happened to have
some roses on sale for ten cents a dozen. Would you like them?"

This time Bobby did not hesitate, and when the man placed the long box into
his hands, he knew it was true. Walking out the door that the owner was
holding for Bobby, he heard the shop keeper say, "Merry Christmas, son,"

As he returned inside, the shop keeper's wife walked out. "Who were you
talking to back there and where are the roses you were fixing?"

Staring out the window, and blinking the tears from his own eyes, he
replied, "A strange thing happened to me this morning. While I was setting
up things to open the shop, I thought I heard a voice telling me to set
aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn't sure at the
time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway.
Then just a few minutes ago, a little boy came into the shop and wanted to
buy a flower for his mother with one small dime.

"When I looked at him, I saw myself, many years ago. I too, was a poor boy
with nothing to buy my mother a Christmas gift. A bearded man, whom I never
knew, stopped me on the street and told me that he wanted to give me ten
dollars.

"When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that voice was, and I put
together a dozen of my very best roses." The shop owner and his wife hugged
each other tightly, and as they stepped out into the bitter cold air, they
somehow didn't feel cold at all.

May this story instill the spirit of Christmas in you enough to pass this
story along. Have a Joyous and Peace-filled season.

HELLO LORD
It's me again-
The one who is so weak
Who needs You in my life each day
Your guidance I must seek.

I need YOUR gentle hand on me
to lead me in my life,
Without You I would falter more
and struggle with earthly strife

I've made mistakes enough,O Lord
In things I try to say
The words that oft are spoken
Are taken the wrong way

I know that what I say to You
is taken from the heart
You see through the frustration
You've known me from the start

You know my fears and worries, Lord,
You take my cares away
You know that I am better
Than I must seem today

So if I come too often Lord
I'll know You'll understand
And be there for me when I say
HELLO LORD-It's me again.

Psalm 23 For The Computer Age

The Lord is my Programmer, I shall not crash.

He installed His software on the hard disk of my heart; all of His commands
are user-friendly.

His directory guides me to the right choices for His name's sake.

Even though I scroll through the problems of life, I will fear no bugs, for
He is my backup. His password protects me.

He prepares a menu before me in the presence of my enemies. His help is only
a keystroke away.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and my
file will be merged with His and saved forever.

Amen.

- Author Unknown

The "W" in Christmas
Author Unknown
December 12, 2011


Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful
experience.

I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing,
endless baking, decorating, and even overspending.

Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious
family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting
season for a six year old.

For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter
Pageant."

I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the
production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his
teacher. She assured me there would be a dress rehearsal the morning
of the presentation.

All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.

Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.

So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early,
found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I
saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats.

As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class,
accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then,
each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the
holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun,
commercial entertainment songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes
and good cheer.

So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly
taken aback by its bold title.

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy
mittens, red sweaters, and bright snow-caps upon their heads.

Those in the front row- center stage - held up large letters, one by
one, to spell out the title of the song.

As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up
the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child
holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas
Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a
small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down
- totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".

The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's
mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood
tall, proudly holding her "W".

Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter
continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it
together.

A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.

In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we
celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos,
there was a purpose for our festivities.

For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and
clear:



"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"

And, I believe, He still is.

Amazed in His presence.... humbled by His love.

HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS SEASON

Good night - God Bless you! Sweet Dreams! Have a wonderful, peaceful,
positive Tuesday!!