 She gave a cutting of her daisies to her next door neighbor. She gave another cutting of her daisies to the neighbor across the street. The next door neighbor gave a cutting of her new daisies to the neighbor behind her. They put a cutting of daisies at the front entrance. Within a year or two, there were daisies throughout the neighborhood.
Spreading daisies; spreading kindness; paying it forward. What part of yourself do you give to others? Do you share your smile, your friendship, and your warmth with others? Do you initiate the "giving" or do you wait to "receive?" Spreading daisies. Do you? Master Gardener, help me to share the bounty of myself with others. Amen. TAGS: Inspiration, Prayer  Our Blog is celebrating its eighth anniversary. That's right! For eight years, we have been "looking at little life moments with a spiritual eye." And it feels great!
Even Count von Count from Sesame Street is celebrating with us. Click here to sing along with him. Hopefully, you've whistled a happy tune with one or two of our posts over these eight years as we've tried to enlighten you, inspire you, challenge you, and cheer you along. Let's keep on grooving into another year! Hooray!! Take a look back at our top hits from this past year:  She felt like having french fries, so she bought some at the cafeteria and carried them back to her office for lunch. On the way back to the office, she ran into her boss, who was known to have heart issues. He commented about how her lunch didn't look very healthy. "Oh, I'm on cholesterol-lowering medication!" she exclaimed, to which he replied, "So do you think that makes it all right?"
Similarly, we often think that we can sin as much as we want because all we have to do is go to confession and our slate is wiped clean. Or, we think that we don't have to go to confession because God forgives us of all of our sins. We love to put our own spin on logical thinking. Realistically, though, we are just convincing ourselves that what we want to do is the right thing to do. We would be more prudent to weigh whether our intuitions are based on truth or simply desire. God of All Mercy, guide us to seek Your mercy in all things instead of relying on our own judgment. Amen. TAGS: Prayer, Story  "Your life will hang in suspense and you will stand in dread both day and night, never sure of your life." - Deuteronomy 28:66
Like this errant balloon, have you ever felt as though you were "hanging on a wire?" Feeling so insecure as though you would lose your grip? God doesn't promise us a life without stress and anxiety. There will never be any letup, and there is no assurance that we will live to see the next day. You do not know what will happen to you. But if you look at the Life hanging before you, i.e. Christ on the cross, there is reason to believe that all will be well. God has made a covenant with you, and He will not disappoint. So instead of "hanging on a wire," hang yourself on the cross of Jesus Christ and feel His healing comfort and companionship. O my Lord and Savior, take me down when I am high-strung, lift me up when I am frazzled, remind me of Your promises, and always carry me close to Your heart. Amen. TAGS: Prayer, Reflection  The yogurt cup lids are teaching us a lesson ... and more than one at that. Just consider this.
The yogurt cups are picked out of the box at the store. They are dropped on the checkout belt, placed in the cart, and then packed in the bag. At home, they are removed from the bag, put on the counter, and then stacked in the refrigerator. Twice a week, the front two cups are taken out of the refrigerator for breakfast. There is so much random handling of these yogurt cups. From packaging to distribution to purchasing to consumption, every step along the supply chain can be considered a random process. Yet, every single time, without fail, the messages on the inside of the two yogurt cup lids chosen on a given day are different. They may repeat from day to day, or week to week, but the two selected for a particular day are always different. What are the odds? How can this happen? The messages themselves give you a "feel good" lesson for the day, but the amazing hand of the Lord to ensure that two unique messages are received every day, is bewildering. O Lord, thank you abundantly for your amazing grace. May we make every day good as we surround ourselves with Your goodness. Amen. TAGS: Prayer, Story  "Go up onto a high mountain, Zion, herald of good news! Cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Cry out, do not fear!" - Isaiah 40:9
From a distance, this "mountain" stood tall and majestic. Yet, it was rather small considering the objects surrounding it. Not like it was Mount Everest, Mount McKinley, Mount Rainier, Pikes Peak, or even the steepest slope at Brandywine Ski Resort. But it still looked quite overwhelming. A well-known song from the Sound of Music tells us to "climb every mountain, search high and low" in order to "find your dream;" a dream that will "need all the love you can give, every day of your life, for as long as you live." In His Word, God asks us to go up every mountain and cry out at the top of your lungs. And to do so without fear. So what should you find when you "climb every mountain?" Success? Wealth? A dream? Maybe all three. The dream is to spend eternity with God, and to do so, give all of the love that you can every day of your life. Then, share your dream with everyone you meet. This will provide you with a successful and fulfilling life with great wealth of God. Though it may be made of gravel or sand or earthly dirt, climb every mountain. It will be worth it. TAGS: Reflection  "Ah! Those who call evil good, and good evil, who change darkness to light, and light into darkness, who change bitter to sweet, and sweet into bitter!" - Isaiah 5:20
The leaf looked rather absurd. Kind of like a Phantom of the Opera mask or good versus evil rendering. Funny how nature can make such a distinct line between good and bad, without even a whisker of a curve in the line or the slightest bit of a crossover. Sadly, we can't be that well-defined. As much as we try to be black and white, there's always a little gray in the mix. Perhaps it's all in the way we perceive things. Do you look at the evil and see good? Do you look at the good and see evil? Do you look at this leaf and call it good? With a little pampering, water and fertilizer, do you think you could bring it back to life? Or do you look at this leaf and call it bad? Are you looking for the shears to prune this leaf because it is unsightly and could possibly infect other parts of the plant? Or do you look at this leaf and think that with some pampering, water, fertilizer, and pruning, you could nurture new growth from it? Gracious Gardener, challenge me to recognize good and evil, to separate the good from the evil, and to foster the worthiness of all. Amen. TAGS: Inspiration, Prayer  Most merciful Jesus,
I turn to You in my need. You are worthy of my complete trust. You are faithful in all things. When my life is filled with confusion, give me clarity and faith. When I am tempted to despair, fill my soul with hope. Most merciful Jesus, I trust You in all things. I trust in Your perfect plan for my life. I trust You when I cannot comprehend Your divine Will. I trust You when all feels lost. Jesus, I trust You more than I trust myself. Most merciful Jesus, You are all-knowing. Nothing is beyond Your sight. You are all-loving. Nothing in my life is beyond Your concern. You are all-powerful. Nothing is beyond Your grace. Most merciful Jesus, I trust in You, I trust in You, I trust in You. May I trust You always and in all things. May I daily surrender to Your Divine Mercy. Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, Pray for us as we turn to you in our need. TAGS: Reflection  Why did it have to be a friend
Who chose to betray the Lord? And why did he use a kiss to show them That's not what a kiss is for? Only a friend can betray a friend A stranger has nothing to gain And only a friend comes close enough To ever cause so much pain And why did there have to be a thorny Crown pressed upon his head? It should have been a royal one Made of jewels and gold instead It had to be a crown of thorns Because in this life that we live For all who would seek to love A thorn is all the world has to give And why did it have to be a heavy cross He was made to bear? And why did they nail His feet and hands His love would have held him there It was a cross for on a cross A thief was supposed to pay And Jesus had come into the world To steal every heart away Yes, Jesus had come into the world To steal every heart away --"Way" by Michael Card (P) 1985 Sparrow Records You can listen to the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSzKiUTov_w TAGS: Reflection  Reflect on these quotes from our Saints and friends in heaven.
“As Lent is the time for greater love, listen to Jesus’ thirst…’Repent and believe’ Jesus tells us. What are we to repent? Our indifference, our hardness of heart. What are we to believe? Jesus thirsts even now, in your heart and in the poor — He knows your weakness. He wants only your love, wants only the chance to love you.” - St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta “Lent stimulates us to let the Word of God penetrate our life and in this way to know the fundamental truth: who we are, where we come from, where we must go, what path we must take in life…” - Pope Benedict XVI “Nothing, how little so ever it be, if it is suffered for God’s sake, can pass without merit in the sight of God.” - Thomas à Kempis “Renounce yourself in order to follow Christ; discipline your body; do not pamper yourself, but love fasting.” - St. Benedict of Nursia “Lent is like a long ‘retreat’ during which we can turn back into ourselves and listen to the voice of God, in order to defeat the temptations of the Evil One. It is a period of spiritual ‘combat’ which we must experience alongside Jesus, not with pride and presumption, but using the arms of faith: prayer, listening to the word of God and penance. In this way we will be able to celebrate Easter in truth, ready to renew the promises of our Baptism.” - Pope Benedict XVI TAGS: Reflection |
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