FAITH

Faith is a gift of God to man and it is, at the same time, man's free and total entrusting of himself to God.

Faith is the docile listening to the Word of the Lord, that is the "lamp" for our steps and the "light" on our way.

If we open our hearts to Christ with confidence, if we let ourselves be conquered by him, we too can experience, together with the Curé d'Ars, "that our only happiness on this earth is to love God, and to know that He loves us."

Let us ask the Virgin Mary, always to keep alive in us this faith impregnated by love, which made her, the humble girl of Nazareth, Mother of God and model for all believers. ~ Pope Benedict XVI ~

RAY "BUBBA" SORENSEN

I received these pictures in my e-mail...the pictures and the story must be shared!

There is a huge rock near a gravel pit on Highway 25 in rural Iowa. For generations, kids have painted slogans, names, and obscenities on this rock, changing its character many times. A few months back, the rock received its latest paint job, and since then it has been left completely undisturbed.

It's quite an impressive sight. The flag is not draped over the rock...it's actually painted on the rock, too.













Here's the artist: Ray 'Bubba' Sorensen:



Thank you, Ray, for sharing your God-given talents with the whole world!!

HE WILL MAKE A WAY

♫ ♫ ♫ COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS! ♫ ♫ ♫

The other day, I received the following e-mail from my cousin whose son and daughter-in-law...both...are in service to our country:

Have you ever seen one of our military walking past you and wanted to convey to them your thanks, but weren't sure how, or it felt awkward? Recently, a gentleman from Seattle created a gesture which could be used to express your thanks and has started a movement to get the word out. Please everybody take just a moment to watch...The Gratitude Campaign...and then forward it to your friends!

THEN START USING THE SIGN!



While I was on YouTube, I found the following video in the same line-up as The Gratitude Campaign...



This has been a difficult year for so many of us...death, economic woes, family hardships, illness...and, on...and, on...and, on. Yet, even as we lament the hard times, we must never lose sight of the good that is around us always and everywhere.

Both these videos started me counting my blessings:

The butterfly that greeted me as I left my home yesterday afternoon to go to work (that's it in the picture above, taken when it settled on it's purple perch).

The majesty of God in the stunning sunsets (that's a picture I took of one on the post entitled The Feast of the Transfiguration) I see each evening as I take Horseblock Road home from Auntie Dee's house after collecting the mail.

My husband and sons who stand side by side with me through the good times...and...the less than good times.

My friends who lift my spirits...even as they extend a shoulder to cry on.

Our pastor, deacon, and so many parishioners who pray for me each and every day.

My babies...you probably call them dogs :)...who greet me with unconditional love each and every time I enter the house...even if I have only been gone a moment...to get something from the car!

My cousins...with whom I have reconnected...who send me prayers, blessings, and wonderful inspiring e-mails like the one above.

The waves on the ocean that remind me of the strength and awesomeness of God.

Food on the table...and...good friends around it.

The kindness of strangers.

The excitement of the children, and the fun we had during VBS last week.

My God-given life...talents...and...gifts.

The freedoms I enjoy, in a country secured by the strength and intelligence of men and women...like my cousin's children...who sacrifice for me!

How about YOU?

Been a bad year?

So bad...that YOU haven't been able to see the good, all around YOU?

Why not take a moment...and...count YOUR blessings?

And, then...

DANCE!!!

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.~ Melodie Beattie ~

To help Veterans right here on Long Island go to: VETERANSROCK.COM

REJOICE! GOD LOVES US EVEN WHEN OTHERS CAN'T...OR...WON'T!

Isaiah 49:15-16:

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast

and have no compassion on the child she has born?

Though she may forget,

I will not forget you!

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

One day a man saw a old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pinto was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you.

He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson."

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.

Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, "And think of me.."

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan...

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "You don't owe me anything...I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you."

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard.

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson." ~Author Unknown~

There is an old saying..."What goes around comes around." All it is, is another way to say, we reap that which we sow.

What have YOU been reaping lately?

What have YOU sown?

Have YOU been sowing:

Love...or...Vengeance?

Duplicity...or...Transparency?

Healing Actions...or...Hate-filled Ones?

We all must be very careful of that which we sow...the harvest will be bountiful!

The question is:

Will it be a harvest of goodness...and...grace?

OR

Will it be a harvest of ill-will...and...hardship?

The choice is ours...

What do YOU choose?

BEAUTY TIPS

Below is a wonderful poem Audrey Hepburn wrote when asked to share her "beauty tips." It was read at her funeral years later:

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

And, just for fun...a clip from one of my all-time favorite movie musicals. Enjoy!

FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD

At His Transfiguration, Christ showed His disciples the splendor of His beauty, to which He will shape and color those who are His: "He will reform our lowness configured to the body of His glory" (Philippians 3:21) ~St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae~

The homily I heard today was about "mountaintop experiences." The disciples certainly had a "mountaintop experience" on Mount Tabor...when Jesus was transfigured...right in front of their eyes.

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” ~Mark 9:7~

While we were not present on Mount Tabor, with open hearts...we too, can recognize our own personal "mountaintop experiences"...those times, when God reaches through the firmament to grant us a glimpse of His Transcendent Glory...His Almighty Power.

Creation, in all it's wonder...from the coos of a newborn...the waves on the water...a beautiful sky at sunrise or sunset...a puppy's sighs...to a new bloom in the garden...reveal to me glimpses of God's Transcendent Glory.

These are MY "mountaintop experiences."

What are YOURS?

Free your heart...your mind...and...your soul, to recognize and savor the glimpses of God's Transcendent Glory all around YOU!

And, may our "mountaintop experiences" strengthen us to know...who it is...we are called to be...and...how it is...that God ultimately reveals Himself...in the fullness of His love.

THE JOURNEY

I began this blog and joined Twitter as a diversion...during the long hours...days...and...weeks of sitting...watching...waiting...and...praying...when my aunt was in the hospital in March.

It has become a place where I share my faith...my ministry...my life...and...my struggles with all three.

Not many of us live charmed lives...I know I don't. And, no matter how many letters you can write after your name...nor...what they mean...a life of faith is still a journey, with all the wonders...and...pitfalls, that any journey on earth can...and...usually does entail.

My route thus far has been circuitous at best. And, yes, the journey has been beautiful...and yet at times...exasperating...holy...and yet at times...insane...a great blessing...and yet at times...a great trial.

Some years ago, I was complaining to my confessor about how difficult some thing or another was for me...and, this was his reply: "You follow a God who carried a cross, was nailed to it, and died an undignified death upon it. WHAT Do YOU Expect?!"

Well, in a world of instant gratification...me, me, and more me...anything goes, etc., etc. we expect rainbows and baby kisses every single day. Yet, there is no rainbow without at least a little rain...nor...a baby to kiss without at least a little pain.

And so too, our faith journey will be strewn with good times...and...bad...baby steps forward...and...giant leaps backward.

The thing is, as in any journey...to stay the course...until the destination has been reached...the loving arms of Christ...as He welcomes us...Home!

ABBEY AND MEREDITH

I received this beautiful story in my e-mail today.

It came from Dr. Jon at PetPlace.com.

It is proof of what God can accomplish...through us...when we just open our hearts to let Him!

"Our 14-year-old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4-year-old daughter, Meredith, was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to Heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in Heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her, you will know that she is my dog.

I really miss her.

Love,

Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to 'God/Heaven'. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to Heaven.

That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed to Meredith in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope.

On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in Heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart.

Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in Heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and send it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,

God"


Who needs YOU to share God's love with them today?


For help in caring for your pet visit: PETPLACE.COM!

FIRST PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION IN IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY

The goal of our life is to be with God forever.
God, who loves us, gave us life.
Our own response of love allows God's life to flow into us without limit.

All the things in this world are gifts from God, presented to us so that we can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily.

As a result, we appreciate and use all these gifts of God insofar as they help us develop as loving persons. But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives, they displace God and so hinder our growth toward our goal.

In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance before all these created gifts insofar as we have a choice and are not bound by some obligation.

We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or a short one. For everything has the potential of calling forth in us a deeper response to our life in God.

Our only desire and our one choice should be this:


I want and I choose what better leads to God's deepening His life in me.


~Saint Ignatius, as paraphrased by David L. Fleming, S.J. ~