Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Never let the abundance of gifts from God cause you to forget the Giver.

Lord, may I start and end each day with a thank you to You for all of my

blessings including those which I take for granted.

Scripture of the day

"Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love."

~Psalm 109:26

Meditation for the day:

I can depend on God to supply me with all the power I need to face any

situation, provided that I will sincerely believe in that power and honestly

ask for it, at the same time making all my life conform to what I believe

God wants me to be. I can come to God as a business manager would come to

the owner of the business, knowing that to lay the matter before God means

immediate cooperation, providing the matter has merit.

Prayer for the day

I pray that I may believe that God is ready and willing to supply me with

all that I need. I pray that I may ask only for faith and strength to meet

any situation.

Hello my friends! Wishing you all a very blessed 4th Sunday in Advent -

soon to be Christmas Eve! Today's blessings - more Christmas cards and

pictures of friends in the mail! A very nice, restful day - as I didn't have

to work at Lori's and got other stuff done around the house. Hoping and

praying my husband can get off Christmas Eve as that's the only day we'll

get to see Darla, Christmas Day she's at her in-laws - then the next day

they leave. They are leaving tonight on their trip after he's done working,

please do pray for their safety and that they won't run into any bad weather

and roads on the way. Praying for you all for your needs, thanks much for

your prayers for us.

Here's an oldie but goodie: Always nice to re-read:

The Cab Ride

I arrived at the address and honked the horn.

after waiting a few minutes

I walked to the door and knocked... 'Just a minute, answered a frail,

elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before

me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on

it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one

had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the

counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and

glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to

the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her... 'I just

try to treat my passengers

the way I would want my mother to be

treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me

an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly...

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have

any family left,' she continued in a soft voice... 'The doctor says I don't

have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the

building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when

they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse

that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner

and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm

tired. Let's go now'.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building,

like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were

solicitous and intent, watching her every move.

They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was

already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?'

She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me

tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.

'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light... Behind

me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life...

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in

thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman

had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in

my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others

may consider a small one.

It's the little things that mean the most.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~THEY

WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

You won't get any big surprise in 10 days if you send this to ten people.

But, you might help make the world a little kinder and more compassionate by

sending it on and reminding us that often it is the random acts of kindness

that most benefit all of us.

Thank you, my friend...

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as

well dance.

There is a better thing than the observance of Christmas Day,

and that is KEEPING CHRISTMAS.

Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people

and to remember what other people have done for you?

To ignore what the world owes you,

and to think about what you owe the world?

To admit that the only good reason for your existence is

not what you are going to get out of life,

but what you are going to give to life?

Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs

and desires of little children?

To remember the weakness and loneliness

of people who are growing old?

To stop asking how much your friends like you

and ask yourself whether you love them enough?

To try to understand what those who live

in the same house with you really want,

without waiting for them to tell you?

To make a grave for your ugly thoughts

and a garden for your kindly feelings...with the gate open?

Are you willing to do these things even for a day?

Then you can KEEP Christmas.

Are you willing to believe that Love

is the strongest thing in the world --

stronger than hate, stronger than death --

and that the blessed Life which began in

Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image

and brightness of Eternal Love?

Then You Can KEEP CHRISTMAS...

A Christmas Story

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I

remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big

sister

dropped the bomb: There is no Santa Claus, she jeered. Even dummies know

that!

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day

because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told

the

truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when

swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns. I knew they were

world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her

everything. She was ready for me. No Santa Claus? she

snorted....Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around

for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and

let's

go.

Go? Go where, Grandma? I asked. I hadn't even finished my second

world-famous cinnamon bun.

Where turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had

a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through it's doors,

Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. Take this

money, she said, and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for

you in the car. Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but

never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and

crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a

few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill,

wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.

I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids

at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about thought out,

when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and

messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to

recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the

teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't

have a cough; he had no good coat.

I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby

Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It

looked real warm, and he would like that. Is this a Christmas present for

someone? the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars

down. Yes, ma'am, I replied shyly. It's for Bobby.

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a

good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag,

smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons

(a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) and

wrote, To Bobby, From Santa Claus on it.

Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over

to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever

officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept

noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a

nudge. All right, Santa Claus, she whispered, get going. I took a deep

breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step,

pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open.

Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering,

beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that

those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were:

ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

One Baby Born

One baby born in the darkness of time.

One baby born for the good of mankind.

So small, so frail, so meek was He,

Who would have thought

The Son of God He would be?

One baby born to laugh and play,

One baby born to give us hope that day.

So small, so frail, so meek was He,

Who would have thought

His mission was to die on the tree?

One baby born to suffer for all,

One baby born, to die was His call.

So small, so frail, so meek was He,

Who would have thought He held the key

That opens Life's Gate to Victory?

One baby born in the darkness of time,

One baby born for the good of mankind,

So small, so frail, so meek was He,

A gift of Love for you and me.

By Brenda Bergen

This Message I send to you with love

a gift that was passed from our Father above.

Cherish this time of remembrance of

the birth of our savior and teacher...

An Advent Reflection on the

school tragedy in Connecticut

The shocking murderous violence at an elementary school has shaken us all.

Our very sense of security has been shaken. We ask questions about why this

could happen, with a sense of outrage. We grieve and feel deep emotion,

which touches all other sadness and emotion we are experiencing in our

lives. We do not, and may not ever, know the details of what caused a person

to shoot innocent people - especially little children and their teachers.

However disturbed we may discover the person was, or whatever discussion may

be begun about assault weapons in our midst, it is undeniable that we feel,

individually and communally a sense of vulnerability - for ourselves and for

our children.

For now, our experience of the second part of Advent, and our preparations

for Christmas are deeply disturbed. We hear of people or towns taking down

their Christmas decorations, out of guilt for celebrations at this time, or

simply a sense of not knowing what is the right thing to do before such a

terrible reality which has visited us. What should we do? How should we

respond? What does our faith offer us at this troubling time?

At the heart of our Christian faith is the wonderful mystery of a Creator

God who enters into a relationship with all of us who are created as unique

and irreplaceable children, with infinite value. We must re-center our

vision on the absolute dignity of every human life -- from conception to

natural death. That respect for life much confront a culture of death on so

many levels. Every life much be regarded as precious and we must work hard,

work together, work with renewed zeal to re-introduce respect, reverence and

special care into our regard for every human person. We must let the Holy

Spirit into our discussions and into our divisions.

We must pray for peace and healing in our own hearts and in our communities.

The night before he died, Jesus prayed to his Father, "May they all be one."

This must become our prayer and our mission. We must overcome our

prejudices, or judgments, our bigotry. We must learn to deal with our hurts,

our wounds, our anger in ways that respect one another and the absolute

dignity of every person. We must learn to beat our "swords into plowshares"

and our "spears into pruning hooks." [Isaiah 2]

We must develop a culture which cares for those who are wounded and on the

margins of our society. We must find ways to develop our compassion and our

solidarity with those who suffer - for whatever reason. We do not and can

not live in isolation from those who experience great pain. When one part of

the Body of Christ suffers, the whole body suffers. [1 Corinthians 12:26]

This is for us believers to rely on the promises of our God: "The people who

walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land

of gloom a light has shone." [Isaiah 9] It is a time to enter more deeply

into the real meaning of preparations for Christmas. The good news is that

we will find our salvation, in a messy place, in a barn, "lying in a

manger." This is the time to go to that place of intersection with our God's

coming and presence among us. He meets us where we are poor. He comes to us

in our distress. We can experience the plight of the Holy Family as our

story - a story which comforts us and helps us know again that we are not

alone. This is our God, with us - with us where and when we need a loving,

saving presence the most.

When we don't know what to do or where to go these days, we can go to the

manger. We can imagine being there. We can imagine going there and

experiencing the solidarity we will be given there. We can unburden our

fears and troubled heart there. We can let the spirit of that first

Christmas night bring us to a very special and renewing Christmas this

year - not only on this year's Christmas night, but for as long as we need

it this new year.

From that place, our renewal can begin. Our conversations in our families,

among our friends, can be about solidarity and greater love and care for the

dignity of every human life. We can check and renew our own patterns of

dealing with hurt and anger badly. We can practice reconciliation and

healing. And, the grace that came that Holy Night will come again in our

hearts and bring Joy to the World again.

"Taken from Creighton University´s Praying Advent Site

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Advent/

Used with Permission.”