Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Life is what our thinking makes it. Lord, help me visualize myself richly
living
each day, believing, achieving, and then succeeding.

Scripture for the day:

Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you
a prophet to the nations." Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know
how to speak, for I am only a boy." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say,
'I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall
speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to
deliver you, says the LORD." ~Jeremiah 1:4-8


Meditation for the day:

God thought about the universe and brought it into being. God's thought
brought me into being. I can think God's thoughts after God. I can often
keep my mind occupied with thoughts about God and meditate on the way God
wants me to live. I can train my mind constantly in quiet times of
communion with God. It is the work of a lifetime to develop to full stature
spiritually. This is what I am on earth for. It gives meaning to my life.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may think God's thoughts after God. I pray that I may live as
God wants me to live.

Greetings my friends! How was your day? Well today's blessings were talking
to two friends on the phone - and a call from Sister LaDonna which lasted
almost an hour. She is better, no problems with her tail bone anymore -
Praise God!! But her leg is hurting for some very strange reason and she's
taking some meds for nerves there, I think, and today she says it looks more
red and blotchy where the pain is - she has a doctor's appt. on the 6th, and
will talk to her about that - and whether an MRI would help to know what's
causing her leg pain. She's been busy making cards on her computer, they
are very nice cards - she's sent me these for my birthday for two years!
Please pray her leg and foot heal, yes, it's her foot too and I think she
said all the way up to her hip. She is now using a cane instead of the
walker and it's working fine. Another blessing was out to eat at Olive
Garden tonight with the family and also Greg's parents too! It was nice
seeing them again.

What can I do to be a more loving person?

by Fr. John Catoir

It's very easy to tell someone else to be more loving, more patient,
more self-sacrificing, but it's not always easy to do it yourself.
At times, just being civil can be enormously demanding. But try not
to let your little failures upset you.

We're all in the same boat, doing the best we can but falling short
of that illusive goal of perfection. The Lord understands this. He
has more patience than all of us combined.

The most important thing is that you don't put yourself down. In the
long run you will overcome your weakness, but it won't be you at all,
it will be the Lord working in you, helping you rise above your
limitations. The victory will be His, so that in the end your holiness
will be His creation.

If you want to help Him achieve His goal of saving and healing you,
begin now to observe one very important rule: do not put yourself
down. All along the way you will be tempted to do this, but if you
succumb you will be your own worst enemy.

Trust in God and His power. Think of Him. Laugh at yourself; don't
dwell on your faults. Cling to God, think of others, and don't
put yourself down. In that way, all manner of things shall be well.

ALPHABET PRAYER

A Almighty God
B Bless My family and me
C Comfort me
D Draw me to YOU in prayer
E Enlighten me
F Forgive my sins
G Give me a few good friends
H Help me to do YOUR will
I I am YOUR servant
J Joyful are my days
K Keep me from harm
L Lead me to still waters
M Make me a vessel of YOUR love
N Nature is YOUR masterpiece
O Open new doors for me
P Please, grant me peace of mind
Q Quench my thirst for knowledge
R Reside with me always
S Shield me from danger
T Teach me to love unconditionally
U Use me to inspire others
V Visit me in solitude
W When I fail, lift me up
X X X X's stand for my love for YOU
Y Your love fills me with gratitude
Z Zestfully, I thank YOU. Amen.

Evelyn Heinz

A Christmas Story

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their
means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were
genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him
that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from
receiving.

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the
world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy
me the rifle that I'd wanted so bad that year for Christmas.

We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted
a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. So after supper was over
I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the
fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling
sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read
scriptures.

But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up and went outside. I
couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't
worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.

Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his
beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I
was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas,
now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I
could see.

We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that
needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not
very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do
something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and
mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the
house. Something was up, but I didn't know what.

Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the
work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to
do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never
hitched up the big sled unless we were going to haul a big load.

Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up
beside him. The cold was already biting at me.. I wasn't happy. When I was
on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the
woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high
sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a
bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever
it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high sideboards
on.

When we had exchanged the sideboards Pa went into the woodshed and came out
with an armload of wood---the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from
the mountain, and then all fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was
he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?" "

You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived
about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and
left her with three children, the oldest being eight.

Sure, I'd been by, but so what? "Yeah," I said, "why?"

"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the
woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was
all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another
armload of wood. I followed him.

We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be
able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to
the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed
them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he
returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a
smaller sack of something in his left hand.

"What's in the little sack?" I asked.

"Shoes. They're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped
around his feet when he was out in the wood-pile this morning. I got the
children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little
candy."

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to
think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards.
Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was
still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split
before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that,
but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and
candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer
neighbors than us. It shouldn't have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as
quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door.

We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?"

"Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt. Could we come in for a bit?"

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around
her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in
front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at
all.

Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp. "We brought you
a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat
on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She
opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out on a pair at a time. There was a
pair for her and one for each of the children---sturdy shoes, the best,
shoes that would last.

I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling
and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She
looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it
wouldn't come out.

"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said, then he turned to me and
said, "Matt, go bring enough in to last for awhile. Let's get that fire up
to size and heat this place up."

I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a
big lump in my throat and, much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in
my eyes too.

In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and
their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks and so much
gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak. My heart swelled within me
and a joy filled my soul that I'd never known before. I had given at
Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference.

I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people. I soon had
the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling
when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a
smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long
time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the
Lord himself has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he
would send one of his angels to spare us."

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up
in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but
after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was
sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started
remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many
others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.

Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when
they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I
guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make
sure he got the right sizes.

Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave.
Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to
him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their pa, and I
was glad that I still had mine.

At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to
invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey
will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if
he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about
eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here,
hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two older
brothers and two older sisters were all married and had moved away. Widow
Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say,
"'May the Lord bless you,' I know for certain that He will."

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even
notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I
want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money
away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we
didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money
from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real
excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into
town this morning to do just that. But on the way I saw little Jakey out
scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I
knew what I had to do. So, Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little
candy for those children. I hope you understand."

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very
well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Just then the rifle seemed very low
on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the
look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children.

For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block
of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt
riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle
that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life. Count your
blessings everyday, slowly and thoughtfully.

Christmas Prayer

Lord
our God,
the heavens are
the work of your hands,
the moon and the stars you
made;
the earth and the sea, and every
living creature came into being
by your word. And all of us, too.
May this tree bring cheer to this house
though Jesus Christ your good and holy Son,

who brings life
and beauty to us
and to our world.
Lighting this tree, we hope in his promise.

Good night all - Sweet Dreams! Have a good positive Wednesday!