Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Joy is left if you rid your heart of all that pulls you down. Lord, help
me to heal my spirit and grow from today's experiences.

Scripture for the day:

"The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith!'" ~Luke 17:5

Meditation for the day:

I can pray for faith as a thirsty person prayers for water in a desert.
I can know what it means to feel sure that God will never fail me. I can be
as sure of this as I am sure that I still breathe. I can pray daily and
most diligently that my faith may increase. There is nothing lacking in my
life because, really, all I need is mine, only I sometimes lack the faith to
know it. I can be like a rich man's child who sits in rags when all around
me are stores of all I could ever desire.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that for the realization that God has everything I need. I pray that
I may know that God's power is always available to me.


Greetings to you all! Today was a sick day for Linus - he's better now, but
he felt queasy this morning and rested most of the day! Now he's ready to
go to work tomorrow - then he's off until the weekend thru Christmas Eve
day. Wish he could get off for that. Tomorrow I start working for Lori -
to be there for when someone comes in to buy gift certificates. I'll be
there just this week - I'm glad I didn't have to work longer like other
years. Today I didn't need to be there because she worked from her house.
I’m so glad we have our Christmas shopping finished now - what a blessing
that it. Now we await Darla and Greg to make the long hard trip and praying
they don't meet up with bad weather either way. They only plan to get here
by Christmas Eve day. Would you be so kind to offer a prayer for their
safety? Praying for all your needs and thanks much for your prayers for us.

Santa's Christmas Prayer



The sleigh was packed,
the reindeer were fed,
But Santa still knelt
by the side of the bed.

"Dear Father," he prayed
"Be with me tonight.
There's much work to do
and my schedule is tight.

I must jump in my sleigh
and streak through the sky,
Knowing full well
that a reindeer can't fly.

I will visit each household
before the first light,
I'll cover the world
and all in one night.

With sleigh bells a-ringing,
I'll land on each roof,
Amid the soft clatter
of each little hoof.

To get in the house
is the difficult part,
So I'll slide down the chimney
of each little heart.

My sack will hold toys
to grant all their wishes.
The supply will be endless
like the loaves and the fishes.

I will fill all the stockings
and not leave a track.
I'll eat every cookie
that's left for my snack.

I can do all these things Lord,
only through You,
I just need your blessing,
then it's easy to do.

All this is to honor
the birth of the One,
That was sent to redeem us,
Your most Holy Son.

So to all of my friends,
lest Your glory I rob,
Please Lord, remind them,
who gave me this job."



Going God's Way


I arise today, equipped and
fortified to meet life's
problems, with :

GOD's WISDOM
to guide me.

GOD's PROVIDENCE
to look after me.

GOD's UNDERSTANDING
to hear me.

GOD's COUNSEL
to speak to me.

GOD's FORTITUDE
to guard me.

GOD's WAY
of life before me.

GOD's POWER
to protect me.

GOD's LOVE
to save me.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


Till, ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The Carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


And in despair I bowed my head;
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;
‘For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’


Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

SANTA, CAN YOU VISIT MY GRANDDAUGHTER?
Author Unknown


Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother came to see Santa at
Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin. The child climbed up on his lap, holding a
picture of a little girl.

"Who is this?" asked Santa, smiling. "Your friend? Your sister?"

"Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah, who is very sick," he
said sadly.

Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby, and saw
her dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

"She wanted to come with me to see you, oh, so very much, Santa!" the
child exclaimed. "She misses you," he added softly.

Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a smile to the boy's face,
asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas.

When they finished their visit, the Grandmother came over to help the
child off his lap, and started to say something to Santa, but halted.

"What is it?" Santa asked warmly.

"Well, I know it's really too much to ask you, Santa, but ..." the old
woman began, shooing her grandson over to one of Santa's elves to
collect the little gift which Santa gave all his young visitors.

"...The girl in the photograph .. My granddaughter . Well, you see ...
She has leukemia and isn't expected to make it even through the
holidays," she said through tear-filled eyes. "Is there any way,
Santa . Any possible way that you could come see Sarah? That's all
she's asked for, for Christmas, is to see Santa."

Santa blinked and swallowed hard and told the woman to leave
information with his elves as to where Sarah was, and he would see
what he could do.

Santa thought of little else the rest of that afternoon. He knew what
he had to do.

"What if it were MY child lying in that hospital bed, dying," he
thought with a sinking heart, "this is the least I can do."

When Santa finished visiting with all the boys and girls that evening,
he retrieved from his helper the name of the hospital where Sarah was
staying.

He asked the assistant location manager how to get to Children's
Hospital.

"Why?" Rick asked, with a puzzled look on his face.

Santa relayed to him the conversation with Sarah's grandmother earlier
that day.

"C'mon .... I'll take you there," Rick said softly.

Rick drove them to the hospital and came inside with Santa. They found
out which room Sarah was in. A pale Rick said he would wait out in the
hall.

Santa quietly peeked into the room through the half-closed door and
saw little Sarah on the bed.

The room was full of what appeared to be her family; there was the
Grandmother and the girl's brother he had met earlier that day. A
woman whom he guessed was Sarah's mother stood by the bed, gently
pushing Sarah's thin hair off her forehead. And another woman who he
discovered later was Sarah's aunt, sat in a chair near the bed with
weary, sad look on her face. They were talking quietly, and Santa
could sense the warmth and closeness of the family, and their love and
concern for Sarah.

Taking a deep breath, and forcing a smile on his face, Santa entered
the room, bellowing a hearty, "Ho, ho, ho!"

"Santa!" shrieked little Sarah weakly, as she tried to escape her bed
to run to him, IV tubes intact.

Santa rushed to her side and gave her a warm hug. A child the tender
age of his own son -- 9 years old -- gazed up at him with wonder and
excitement.

Her skin was pale and her short tresses bore telltale bald patches
from the effects of chemotherapy. But all he saw when he looked at her
was a pair of huge, blue eyes. His heart melted, and he had to force
himself to choke back tears. Though his eyes were riveted upon Sarah's
face, he could hear the gasps and quiet sobbing of the women in the
room.

As he and Sarah began talking, the family crept quietly to the bedside
one by one, squeezing Santa's shoulder or his hand gratefully,
whispering "thank you" as they gazed sincerely at him with shining
eyes.

Santa and Sarah talked and talked, and she told him excitedly all the
toys she wanted for Christmas, assuring him she'd been a very good
girl that year.

As their time together dwindled, Santa felt led in his spirit to pray
for Sarah, and asked for permission from the girl's mother. She nodded
in agreement and the entire family circled around Sarah's bed, holding
hands.

Santa looked intensely at Sarah and asked her if she believed in
angels.

"Oh, yes, Santa ... I do!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I'm going to ask that angels watch over you," he said.

Laying one hand on the child's head, Santa closed his eyes and prayed.
He asked that God touch little Sarah, and heal her body from this
disease. He asked that angels minister to her, watch and keep her. And
when he finished praying, still with eyes closed, he started singing
softly,

"Silent Night, Holy Night ... all is calm, all is bright."

The family joined in, still holding hands, smiling at Sarah, and
crying tears of hope, tears of joy for this moment, as Sarah beamed at
them all. When the song ended, Santa sat on the side of the bed again
and held Sarah's frail, small hands in his own.

"Now, Sarah," he said authoritatively, "you have a job to do, and that
is to concentrate on getting well. I want you to have fun playing with
your friends this summer, and I expect to see you at my house at
Mayfair Mall this time next year!"

He knew it was risky proclaiming that, to this little girl who had
terminal cancer, but he "had" to. He had to give her the greatest gift
he could -- not dolls or games or toys -- but the gift of HOPE.

"Yes, Santa!" Sarah exclaimed, her eyes bright.

He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and left the room.

Out in the hall, the minute Santa's eyes met Rick's, a look passed
between them and they wept unashamed.

Sarah's mother and grandmother slipped out of the room quickly and
rushed to Santa's side to thank him.

"My only child is the same age as Sarah," he explained quietly. "This
is the least I could do."

They nodded with understanding and hugged him.

One year later, Santa Mark was again back on the set in Milwaukee for
his six-week, seasonal job which he so loves to do. Several weeks went
by and then one day a child came up to sit on his lap.

"Hi, Santa! Remember me?!"

"Of course, I do," Santa proclaimed (as he always does), smiling down
at her. After all, the secret to being a "good" Santa is to always
make each child feel as if they are the "only" child in the world at
that moment.

"You came to see me in the hospital last year!"

Santa's jaw dropped. Tears immediately sprang in his eyes, and he
grabbed this little miracle and held her to his chest.

"Sarah!" he exclaimed.

He scarcely recognized her, for her hair was long and silky and her
cheeks were rosy -- much different from the little girl he had visited
just a year before.

He looked over and saw Sarah's mother and grandmother in the sidelines
smiling and waving and wiping their eyes.

That was the best Christmas ever for Santa Claus. He had witnessed --
and been blessed to be instrumental in bringing about -- this miracle
of hope. This precious little child was healed. Cancer-free. Alive and
well. He silently looked up to Heaven and humbly whispered,

"Thank you, Father. 'Tis a very, Merry Christmas!"

If I Were a Christmas Tree

I'd
like
to be a
Christmas
tree with pres-
ents all around;
with golden ropes,
and silver
tinsel hanging
to the ground. I'd
trim my boughs with
crystal balls of red and blue
and white, and watch them glow
and catch the gleam of every Christmas
light. I'd wrap myself in
candy canes and popcorn balls,
and such. And, last, I'd have a shining
angel for my crowning touch! Then early
Christmas morn when little ones, with shouts
of joy, rush in to see and claim and treasure every
wondrous toy, I'd lean my boughs to brush up close and
touch each child like this, and place upon each shining cheek my
loving
Christmas
kiss!

—Bonnie Compton Hanson

Advent Prayer

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever faithful to your promises and ever
close to your Church: the earth rejoices in hope of the Savior's coming and
looks forward with longing to his return at the end of time. Prepare our
hearts and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope
which his presence will bestow, for he is Lord for ever and ever. Amen.

Teachings of the Popes on Christmas


"The mystery of the Holy Night,

which historically happened two

thousand years ago, must be lived

as a spiritual event in the 'today' of the Liturgy. The Word who

found a dwelling in Mary's womb

comes to knock on the heart of every person with singular

intensity at Christmas."

Pope John Paul II



Mankind is a great, immense family...

This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas.

Pope John XXIII



Joy is the true gift of Christmas, not the expensive gifts that

call for time and money... Let us pray that this presence

of the liberating joy of God shines forth

in our lives.

Pope Benedict XVI