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!

Keys to Happiness

1. Adopt a positive attitude

2. Trust in God

3. Appreciate the present moment

4. Accept God’s plan for you

5. Share yourself with others

6. Be aware of the love of others

7. Appreciate yourself

8. Pardon yourself and others

9. Accept change

10. Accept suffering

11. Find humor in your life

12. Validate your feelings.

13. Pray often

Presence of the Trinity

“It seems to me that I have found my heaven on earth, because my heaven is you, my God, and you are in my soul. You in me, and I in you – may this be my motto. What a joyous mystery is your presence within me, in that intimate sanctuary of my soul where I can always find you, even when I do not feel your presence. Of what importance is feeling? Perhaps you are all the closer when I feel you less.”

Elizabeth of the Trinity​

An Answer to Prayers

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island.

The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God.

However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food.

The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island.

He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."

"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."

For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us.

"What you do for others is more important than what you do for yourself."​

I Found the Answer in my Room

When I woke up this morning, I asked myself, "What is life about?" 

I found the answer in my room...
The fan said, "Be cool."
The roof said, "Aim high."
The window said, "See the world!"
The clock said, "Every minute is precious."
The mirror said, "Reflect before you act."
The calendar said, "Be up to date."
The door said, "Push hard for your goals."
The floor said, "Kneel down and pray."

Memorial Day

We remember with gratitude this day all those who lost their lives in service for our country. We also remember those men and women who have served or who are serving our country in Military service. We who enjoy our freedom are grateful for you today and always​

Memorial Day

Memorial Day Poem

In distant field of sunny France

Where strangers come and go,

Amid the farms of Flanders, where

The fragrant breezes blow,

Our solder-dead in quiet sleep,

'Neath crosses row on row.

Here shrapnel shells once shrieked and burst

And took their toll of death;

The very wind, itself a foe,

Bore poison on its breath.

Above their graves the birds now sing

As round that home of yore,

When, carefree boys, they romped and played;

Those childhood days soon o'er,

The boys to brave and strong men grown,

They romped and played no more.

They put aside their childish toys,

A man's work each must do,

And when their country called for them,

To her they answered true.

“We must protect our native land:

She shall not suffer wrong

For she has reared and nurtured us,

We're men and we are strong.

We'll bid good-bye to those we love;

It will not be for long.”

With aching hearts and tear-dimmed eyes

We watched them go away.

Some have returned but many sleep

In foreign lands today.

Where English roses bloom and fade,

In France where lilies grow,

Among the fields of Flanders, where

The scarlet poppies blow,

Our soldier-dead are not forgot

Though strangers come and go.

Bicycle on Ceiling

A bicycle hanging from the ceiling cannot achieve its intended purpose.

The same thing can be said of The Bible sitting on the shelf in your room!

Search for God

Do not let anxiety

sabotage your search for God.

You know well

that when you search for something too anxiously

you can come upon it a hundred times

without ever seeing it.

Anxiety masquerades

as true spiritual energy,

even as it wearies our mind,

drains our enthusiasm,

and deadens our soul.

It pretends to stir up our souls,

but all it does is dampen our spirit.

It pushes us until

we stumble over our own feet.

We need to be on the watch for this impostor

that would have us believing

that our spiritual life

depends completely on our efforts,

so that the more panicked we are,

the more anxiously we search,

the more likely we are

to find God.

Let God do his part.

Be patient.

Not even our best efforts

can earn the blessings of God.

Our role is

to be ready

to receive God’s gifts

with an open heart -

carefully, humbly,

and serenely.

From: Set Your Heart Free – The Practical Spirituality of Francis de Sales​

Measuring Generosity

Prayer for Guidance

Another Day

I Wish You Enough

Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport as the daughter's departure had been announced.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, "I love you, and I wish you enough."

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom."  They kissed and the daughter left.

Then the mother walked over to the window where I sat. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry.

I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?"

"Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking, but why is this, a forever good-bye?"

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

"When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?"

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone."

She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and she smiled even more.

"When we said 'I wish you enough' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them."

Then turning toward me, she shared the following, reciting it from memory:

 "I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

 I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun.

 I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

 I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

 I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

 I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

 I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye."

She then began to cry and walked away.

To Err is Human

To err is human; to blame it on the other guy is even more human. ~ Bob Goddard

We are on a path that leads us to become better people with greater insight and stronger character. A central theme on this path is learning to take responsibility for ourselves, our mistakes, and our choices as we deal with our situations. We can make progress on this path by noticing our defensive reactions when we make a mistake or when someone criticizes us. Our old ways were aimed at shifting the blame or counterattacking to get someone else off our case. Now we are learning how to take on the blame when it honestly belongs to us.

One of the first things we need to learn in taking responsibility is that there is no shame in making a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. But some people don't accept responsibility for them, and others do. We have much greater respect for someone who does. Admitting when we were wrong doesn't mean speaking in vague generalities, saying that "mistakes were made." It doesn't mean saying, "Yes, I did this, but only because you did that." It means saying what we did or didn't do and laying the facts out there for us and others to deal with. When we can do that, forgiveness almost always follows shortly.

Today I will hold back my defensiveness and admit the facts as they are.

Brand New Day

Good Morning God,

You’re ushering in a brand day,
bright and shiny new,
and here I come again to ask
if you’ll renew me too.

Please forgive the many errors
I made just yesterday
and let me try again, dear God
to walk closer in your way.

But Father, I am well aware
that I can’t do this on my own,
so please take my hand and hold it tight
so I won’t walk alone.

Amen​

Parable of the Pencil

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. There are 5 things you need to know, he told the pencil, before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside.

And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you; always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

By understanding and remembering, let us proceed with our life on this earth having a meaningful purpose in our heart.

- Author Unknown -Taken from The Inspiration List

His Blood Upon the Rose

I see His blood upon the rose 

And in the stars the glory of his eyes,
His body gleams amid eternal snows,
His tears fall from the skies.

I see his face in every flower;
The thunder and the singing of the birds
Are but his voice—and carven by his power
Rocks are his written words.

All pathways by his feet are worn,
His strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea,
His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn,
His cross is every tree.

Joseph Mary Plunkett (1887–1916)

You Are Accepted

It strikes us when, year after year, the longed for perfection of life does not appear, when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy and courage.

Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks through our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying, “You are accepted.”

YOU ARE ACCEPTED, accepted by that which is greater than you and the name of which you do not know.

Do not ask for the name now, perhaps you will know it later.

Do not try to do anything, perhaps later you will do much.

Do not seek for anything,
Do not perform anything,
Do not intend anything.

Simply accept the fact you are accepted.​

Two Days

There are two days in every week
about which we should not worry,
Two days which should be kept free of fear and apprehension.

One of these days is YESTERDAY,

With its mistakes and cares,
Its faults and blunders,
Its aches and pains.
YESTERDAY has passed forever beyond our control.
All the money in the world cannot bring back YESTERDAY.
We cannot undo a single act we performed;
We cannot erase a single word we said.
YESTERDAY is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is TOMORROW
With its possible adversities, its burdens, its larger promise.
TOMORROW is also beyond our immediate control.
TOMORROW, the sun will rise,
Either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds,
But it will rise.
Until it does, we have no stake in TOMORROW
For it is as yet unborn.

This leaves only one day – TODAY.
Any man can fight the battles of just one day.
It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities
– YESTERDAY and TOMORROW –
That we break down.

It is not the experience of TODAY that worries people.
It is remorse or bitterness for something which happened YESTERDAY
And the dread of what TOMORROW may bring.
Let us, therefore, live but ONE day at a time.

Joyful Living

"But to know that which lies before us in daily life, is the prime wisdom.”  ~John Milton

It isn't easy becoming an adult. We have to pay the dues as we go along the path of life. As long as we have had joy and suffering, we may as well learn to use our well-earned adult perspective. After all, look how hard we worked to get here!

Enjoyment is still there, free for the taking.  All the intangibles we enjoyed before are still there -- love, honor, trust.  We alone can decide, as we sift through the happenings of our days, whether to call our lives wreckage or success, whether to create delight or sorrow.  A change in circumstances doesn't mean the end of joyful living.  Such changes will often help us to begin living our lives more wisely, with greater appreciation and understanding. 

I will find and accept the gift of joyful living today​.

Take Lord Receive

Take, Lord, and receive 

All my liberty, 

My memory, 

My understanding

And my entire will, 

All that I have and possess. 

You have given all to me, 

To you, Lord, I return it. 

All is yours; 

Do with it what you will. 

Give me only your love and your grace, 

That is enough for me.

~ From the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola

Come Sit with Me

In the evening when I am tired God says, “Come sit with me.”

I speak about the little things that have happened to me during the day and I know I am heard. I share my fears, angers, doubts, and sorrows, and I feel like I am being held. I smile with what energy I have left and I am gently teased.

Then when all the conversation is over and the day has been opened up and emptied out, I am ready to rest. Nothing is solved. Nothing is under control. But also nothing pressing remains. But as I go to sleep a fleeting thought breaks the smooth surface of my peace:

What would I do each night if God didn't say, “Come sit with me.”?

I Know

I know God is the beginning, so why do I worry about the end?
I know God is the creator, so why do I wonder who will destroy?
I know God has forgiven me, so why can't I forgive myself?
I know God is a healer, so why do I speak of sickness? ...
I know God can do all things, so why do I say I can't?
I know God will protect me, so why do I fear?
I know God will supply all my needs, so why can't I wait?
I know God is my strength and my salvation, so why do I feel weak?
I know that everything and everyone has a season, so why when someone's season is over do I weep instead of rejoicing?
I know God is the right way, so why do I go the wrong way?
I know God is the light, so why do I choose to walk in darkness?
I know that whatever I ask of GOD, GOD will give me, so why am I scared to ask?
I know tomorrow is not promised, so why do I put off for tomorrow what I can do today?
I know that the truth shall make me free, so why do I continue to lie?
I know God gives us revelation, knowledge and understanding, so why do I lean on my own understanding?
I know I should live in the spirit as well as walk in the spirit, so why do I choose to live in the spirit but walk in the flesh?
I know that when praises go up, blessings come down, so why do I refuse to praise God?
I know I am being healed, so why do I refuse the Word He has given me?
I know He has a plan for me, so why am I rushing it because I am eager to do His will, when it is His time not my time?
"The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.
The one who kneels to God can stand up to anything.

Dear God:

Dear God:

I need your help.

Please help me to…
Always cherish those who love me,

Please help me to…
Love People and not things,

Please help me to…
Remember that love means forgiveness,

Please help me to…
Accept the things I cannot change,

Please help me to…
Know your will for me,

Please help me to…
Meet anger with understanding,

Please help me to…
Let go of yesterday,

Please help me to…
Rejoice in today,

Please help me to…
Expect a miracle,

Please help me to…
Learn to love myself as I love others,

Please help me to…
Free give away the gifts You give me,

Please help me to…
Wrap myself in Faith!

Amen.

Prayer

Almighty God, I humbly pray,
Lead me, guide me through this day.
Cast out my selfishness and sin,
Open my heart to let You in.

Help me now as I blindly stray
Over the pitfalls along the way.
Let me have courage to face each task,
Invest me with loving patience, I ask.

Care for me through each hour today,
Strengthen and guard me now, I pray.
As I forgive, forgive me too,
Needing Your mercy as I do.

Oh, give to me Your loving care,
Never abandon me to despair.
Yesterday's wrongs I would seek to right,
Make me more perfect in Your sight.

Oh, teach me to live the best I can,
Use me to help my fellow man.
Save me from acts of bitter shame,
I humbly ask it in Your name.