Prayer of Mother Teresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.

          Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
          Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
          Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
          Be honest anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.
          Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.
          Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
          Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
          Give the world the best you have anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

Your Mirror

The good you find in others, is in you too. 

The faults you find in others, are your faults as well.
After all, to recognize something you must know it.
The possibilities you see in others, are possible for you as well.

The beauty you see around you, is your beauty.
The world around you is a reflection,
     a mirror showing you the person you are.

To change your world, you must change yourself.
To blame and complain will only make matters worse.

Whatever you care about, is your responsibility.
What you see in others, shows you yourself.
See the best in others, and you will be your best.
Give to others, and you give to yourself.

Appreciate beauty, and you will be beautiful.
Admire creativity, and you will be creative.
Love, and you will be loved.
Seek to understand, and you will be understood.

Listen, and your voice will be heard.
Teach, and you will learn.
Show your best face to the mirror,
     and you'll be happy with the face

     looking back at you.

Lead Thou Me On

Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th'encircling gloom,

Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
Lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on.
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Meantime, along the narrow rugged path,
Thyself hast trod,
Lead, Saviour, lead me home in childlike faith,
Home to my God.
To rest forever after earthly strife
In the calm light of everlasting life.

Dear Heavenly Father

Dear Heavenly Father, 

Creator of the heavens and the earth,

the skies and the seas, and everything in them,

You are worthy of all glory, honor, dominion, and strength.

You have every right to call the shots

in my life, and in the world.

I thank You for the peace that comes with accepting

that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of humanity.

I know unequivocally that I can trust Your infinite

goodness, wisdom, and holiness.

Please help me to hold my blessings with open hands,

not hoarding them for myself,

but willing to give them back, to share them,

and to use them on behalf of Your glory, as You so lead.

It’s in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, that I pray.

Amen

Friendship

. . . is you.

. . . is love.

. . . is shared.

. . . is forgiving.

. . . is understanding.

. . . is shared secrets.

. . . heals many hurts.

. . . is not judgmental.

. . . is shared laughter.

. . . is slow and steady.

. . . can be angry at times.

. . . is dependable and true.

. . . is meant to be savored.

. . . is more precious than silver or gold.

. . . is not perfect, much like we are not perfect.

. . . does not hold grudges or demand perfection.

. . . makes all the wrong things in life, right somehow.

. . . is meant to be gulped like lemonade on a hot summer day.

. . . is always there, through times of trial, happy times and hard times.

. . . just happens, but once discovered, needs to be tended like a beautiful garden.

. . . is a road to be traveled slowly, remembering the sights and sounds.

. . . is strength when you are too weak to notice its there.

. . . is a cherished moment of mutual understanding.

. . . reaches into your heart and grabs a firm hold.

. . . is a refreshing rain on a hot day.

. . . is sunshine through the clouds.

. . . cannot be forced or induced.

. . . is relaxed and comfortable.

. . . is a shoulder to lean on.

. . . is an ear to whine to.

. . . gets better with age.

. . . is shared tears.

. . . is shared pain.

. . . is shared joy.

. . . is shared.

. . . is love.

. . . is you.

Rocks in Your Life

A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox.  He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The lad dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. (The boy was very small and the rock was very large.)

When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn't roll it up and over the little wall.  Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox. The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed,  shoved -- but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally he burst into tears of frustration.

All this time the boy's father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow moved across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy's father. Gently but firmly he said, "Son, why didn't you use all the strength that you had available?"

Defeated, the boy sobbed back, "But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!"

"No, son," corrected the father kindly. "You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't ask me."

With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.

Do you have "rocks" in your life that need to be removed? Are you discovering that you don't have what it takes to lift them? There is One who is always available to us and willing to give us the strength we need. When the apostle Paul faced times of a broken spirit and sapped strength, he proclaimed to the Corinthian church,

My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, then my power is made perfect in you.  ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

World Peace

Jesus and his Disciples

Jesus took his disciples up on the mountain and gathered them around him. And he taught them, saying “Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who are persecuted. Blessed are those who suffer. When these things happen, rejoice, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

And Simon Peter said, “Do we have to write this down?”
And Phillip said “Is this going to be on the test?”
And John said, “Would you repeat that, slower?” ...
And Andrew said, “John the Baptist’s disciples don’t have to learn this stuff.”
And Matthew said, “Huh?”
And Judas said, “What’s this got to do with real life?”

And then one of the Pharisees said, an expert in law, said, “I don’t see any of this in your syllabus. Do you have a lesson plan? Where’s the student guide? Will there be a follow-up assignment?”

And Thomas, who had missed the sermon, came to Jesus privately and said, “Did we do anything important today?”

And Jesus wept.

The Serenity Prayer

The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to
accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

The Serenity Prayer has comforted millions of people who strive to cope with change, disappointments, chemical dependency, and all sorts of other problems. The prayer can comfort us as we deal with the realities of chronic illness.

When we're overcome with pain or disappointed about slow or little progress, this prayer can help us put our lives into focus. It helps us see if we're wasting time and energy on things we can't change, such as the chronic conditions we live with, how others feel, and the past. And just as important, this prayer points us toward the things that we can control -- our attitude, our willingness to change, and the outcome of this day.

Let us pray for the wisdom to recognize the difference between things we can and cannot change.

Hope

The Best Day of My Life

Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever.  There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did! And because I did I'm going to celebrate!

Today, I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger. 

I will go through this day with my head held high and a happy heart. I will marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts:

the morning dew, 

the sun,

the clouds,

the trees,

the flowers,

the birds.

Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice.

Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people.  I'll make someone smile.  I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know.

Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down.  I'll tell a child how special he is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for them and how much they mean to me.

Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things God has already given me. 

I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my faith in God and his Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine. 

And tonight, before I go to bed, I'll go outside and raise my eyes to the heavens.  I will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon, and I will praise God for these magnificent treasures.

As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, I will thank the Almighty for the best day of my life. And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because I know tomorrow is going to be... 

the best day of my life, ever!

Life is an Opportunity

Honor the Beginning

Beginnings can be delicate or explosive. They can start almost invisibly or arrive with a big bang. Beginnings hold the promise of new lessons to be learned, new territory to be explored, and old lessons to be recalled, practiced, and appreciated. Beginnings hold ambiguity, promise, fear, and hope.

Don’t let the lessons, the experiences of the past, dampen your enthusiasm for beginnings. Just because it’s been hard doesn’t mean it will always be that difficult. Don’t let the heartbreaks of the past cause you to become cynical, close you off to life’s magic and promise. Open yourself wide to all that the universe has to say.

Let yourself begin anew. Pack your bags. Choose carefully what you bring, because packing is an important ritual. Take along some humility and the lessons of the past. Toss in some curiosity and excitement about what you haven’t yet learned. Say your good-byes to those you’re leaving behind. Don’t worry who you will meet or where you will go. The way has been prepared. The people you are to meet will be expecting you. A new journey has begun. Let it be magical. Let it unfold. Let it be a new beginning as you prepare to meet the Christ child anew.

Contributions

We need to take note, today, of all the opportunities we have to offer a helping hand to another person.  We can notice too the many times a friend, or even  a stranger, reaches out to us in a helpful way.  The opportunities to contribute to life's flow are  unending.

Our own vibrancy comes from involvement with others, from contributing our talents, our hearts, to  one another's daily travels. The program helps us to know that God lives in us, among us.  When we  close ourselves off from our friends, our fellow travelers, we block God's path to us and through us.

To live means sharing one another's space, dreams, sorrows; contributing our ears to hear, our eyes to  see, our arms to hold, our hearts to love.  When we  close ourselves off from each other, we have destroyed the vital contribution we each need to make and to receive in order to nurture life.

We each need only what the other can give.  Each person we meet today needs our special contribution.

What a wonderful collection of invitations awaits me today!

From Each Day A New Beginning by Karen Casey