thoughts for a Tuesday...

You must live in the present,

launch yourself on every wave,

find your eternity in each moment.

Fools stand on their island of opportunities

and look toward another land.

There is no other land; there is no other life but this.
― Henry David Thoreau

 

I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today.

 I can choose which it shall be.

Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet.

I have just one day, today,

and I'm going to be happy in it.
― Groucho Marx

 

Happiness, not in another place but this place...

not for another hour,

but this hour. 
― Walt Whitman

 

 

 

 

 

between the pages...

"Why do I read?
I just can't help myself.
I read to learn and to grow, to laugh
and to be motivated.
I read to understand things I've never
been exposed to.
I read when I'm crabby, when I've just
said monumentally dumb things to the
people I love.
I read for strength to help me when I
feel broken, discouraged, and afraid.
I read when I'm angry at the whole
world.
I read when everything is going right.
I read to find hope.
I read because I'm made up not just of
skin and bones, of sights, feelings,
and a deep need for chocolate, but I'm
also made up of words.
Words describe my thoughts and what's
hidden in my heart.
Words are alive--when I've found a
story that I love, I read it again and
again, like playing a favorite song
over and over.
Reading isn't passive--I enter the
story with the characters, breathe
their air, feel their frustrations,
scream at them to stop when they're
about to do something stupid, cry with
them, laugh with them.
Reading for me, is spending time with a
friend.
A book is a friend.
You can never have too many.”
― Gary Paulsen, Shelf Life: Stories by the Book

My son was never a big reader. Getting him to sit down and read was always a constant struggle with him. One day, though, everything changed!
A friend of his introduced him to the world of Gary Paulsen. You see, my son is a true lover of the outdoors, and he finally met his match, through an author who shares that same love. There is the saying that goes, "do what you love and the money will follow."  Well, I also now believe, "read what you love and the books will follow!"

The first book that my son read of Gary's was Hatchett:
Brian Robeson, a thirteen year old boy traveling in a small airplane to Canada to spend the summer with his father, is involved in a plane crash in an uninhabited part of the Canadian woods after the pilot dies of a heart attack. Brian then must find a way to survive and in the process, discovers much about himself and becomes a man. The motif within this story is a bildungsroman, or a young boy’s coming of age.

After that one book he was hooked! I soon found Gary Paulsen books at rummage and garage sales. Now my sons shelf is lined with a slew of them.
This led to other books by other authors. Jean Craighead George is one of them. A list of her books can be found here. My son is currently reading My Side of the Mountain by George.

“If books could have more, give more, be more, show more, they would still need readers who bring to them sound and smell and light and all the rest that can’t be in books.
The book needs you.”
― Gary Paulsen, The Winter Room

how big is your spoon?

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor

~The Eighth Commandment from the Holy Bible

 

One of the reasons I started this blog was for all those times that I encounter random things throughout the course of my daily life (and there are A LOT of them!!) Things that kinda fall in place, even with out any help from me. They just kind of "show up" and take notice. Kinda like this morning!

 

I was on Pintrest, doing a search on recipes and I just randomly stumbled upon an interesting website. What makes this of great interest to me is that it fits just so nicely into what concerns I am currently having in my own life! The message that I received really hit it home and put a label on "those" people in my life.  The website was lesfemmes-thetruth. The article touches upon the subject of the eight commandment in the Bible and "pot stirring" (gossiping).

 

Just last night a neighbor of mine called to "pot stir" about a certain other neighbor. One that is less-than-adequate in her eyes! I selectively chose NOT to pick the phone up and listen to the "bubbling and boiling" of the pot on the stove! I knew what the "stew" was that was "cooking". I don't need to "taste" or even "look" at it. I could "smell" it! I have just recently learned that I DON'T have to join in the kitchen and hover over the "pot stirrer" anymore! I can let them claim the kitchen, while I choose to go into another room and use my time more wisely, (maybe by praying for the pot stirrer?).

 

 

 

colorfully said...

 

 

 

 

what's your intent?

Philippians 2:2

Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

~ New American Standard Bible

Intent, according to the Merriam Webster online dictionary is- the state of mind with which an act is done.

When my two best friends and I get together a topic that we fairly often visit, time and time again, is the subject of friendship. We often try to decipher "relationships" in each of our own lives that we may be struggling to understand. We, for a time, have been trying to find a new word for those people in our lives that don't truly fit the "friend" mold, yet are a bit more than a simple acquaintance. It's tricky!

Not long ago I attended a Catholic conference in Illinois with the speaker being Michael Brown of Spiritdaily.  A whole range of current topics were addressed. He talked about what our mission in life should be. We touched on hard to grasp topics like the after-life and what is waiting for us there. Michael talked about the current state of the world and all the changes that are taking place on a religious front. What tied all these things together for me, and what I found to be a common thread in most of his talks, was the subjects of "unforgiveness" and "love" were repeated over, and over, and over again. He addressed these subjects together as in our own relationships that we have, whether they be family or in friendships, we have to learn to forgive and love those that we somehow can't. (no one said this was going to be EASY, though!

Michael suggested that we should "put a cross" between us and those "negative" relationships in our own lives. We need to pray for the "removal of layers" of hurt that others have caused us. Remove the pride that "they" hurt "me" SO badly! We need to forgive AND forget!  God wants us to love everyone. BUT, that doesn't mean to "excuse" everything!

{WHEW!! This really is HARD work!!}

Unforgiveness is the lack of forgiving. If we don't forgive, we are then held back- still attached. Darkness then finds a way to attach to that! By darkness I am referring to "the evil one" or the devil!!
Michael talked about the term "access points". What he means by that is areas of our lives that are weak. Areas of us that are are preoccupied with "other" things (anger, bitterness, negativity) and are easy targets for evil to enter.

This all brings me back to the word intent, as I first started talking about in this post. After the Catholic conference I began to get a clearer sense of those people in my life. People that I call friends and all those that I am still trying to find the right new word for! I began to focus my attention of what their intent was and what MY intent was! Was this a relationship that needed to continue? Does that other relationship need more work, maybe on MY end?

 I also did something dramatic. Actually VERY dramatic on my end! You see, after much thought, I realized that one of those "access points" in my life was actually right in front of me. It was preoccupying a large portion of my time. Time that I now chose to use for other purposes. That access point was Facebook! I had a deep tug in me to look closely at what purpose Facebook was providing me with. Whom was I in connection with that maybe I no longer needed to be. Was it a positive or negative outlet for me? Did I really need to see, hour by hour (and sometimes minute by minute) what certain people (friends as they call them on Facebook....even though "they" need the "other" word that I don't have for them yet) are doing? Sometimes making me feel jealous, angry, sad, etc...?!
I am in the process of removing myself from this outlet. Some of it has been easier than other parts. But, that is OK! It is a process and I am in the swing of it and, you know what? It feels WONDERFUL!!

powerful...

I hear this song by Matthew West on the radio on a daily basis. It's words really hit a nerve last week with me! I feel that this song is such a powerful motivator!

Enjoy!

a prayerful vote...

wake up, People!

Have you ever had one of those moments where you feel something click? Like you are witnessing something for the first time, even though you have been doing the same thing...over and over and over?
I had that experience just last week, and it was as I was reading People magazine of all things!
Let me explain...

A year or so ago, I got the opportunity to order some "free" magazines using unused airline miles that my husband had. I chose a few and was thrilled that People magazine was one of the choices! Wow! I always seem to be intrigued by the cover of it as I am in the check out lane at the grocery store. Now, I can get it sent to my house, weekly, for free!! Woo hoo!! This was to be my one "guilty pleasure" as they (whom ever THEY are) call it. I am not a huge TV watcher. I am not into all of those reality shows, gossip shows and "talkity-talk" shows. Soap opera's never appealed to me. I got my "dirt" from People.

Well, the magazines started to come. Every Friday I would find a fresh People in the mailbox. Full of juicy star gossip and chatter! Waiting for me to dive into.

 But, this is when the "click" occurred. This is when something odd happened! Something really "opened my eyes" as I really paged through that People magazine the last time I read it. I began to really notice the "other stuff".

I first noticed that the magazine was not just entering my mailbox each week, but was also entering my home each week as well. I also noticed that it was covered with not the most positive messages. An almost half-naked woman adored the cover of the last People magazine I received! Was this the message that a Christian Mama wanted to be sending her family? Her girls?? Herself???
The articles about teen moms, diet secrets of the stars and "this star that divorced that star", have jumped at me, hit me in the face and FINALLY woke me up! Enough is ENOUGH!!!
It also didn't help that there was 9 ads in the magazine for some type of medication. 1 cigarette ad and 1 ad for alcohol!! If that wasn't enough, there was also a VERY disturbing ad for a new cable show on TV. The ad depicted, what appeared to be Catholic priests and nuns, doing all sorts of "un-holy" things! This was TOO much! No more!

This is when the Bible verse 2 Corinthians 5:17 came to mind:

¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

I have "seen the light" and things are becoming VERY new to me!! I am ready to let the "old things pass away"!

At that point I put that People magazine promptly in the garbage can. I made a promise to myself that as each new one came in the mail each Friday I would do the same thing with them as well! You can imagine my surprise when last week Friday, as I opened my mailbox, I saw my People magazine sitting there...but this time it was not alone! For a "twin" had decided to join it this week! For now I am getting 2 instead of one! Hmmm... the devil ain't messin' with this Mama!!
 

Why Pray the Rosary? by Brother John Samaha, S.M.

As we enter October, the month of Mary and the Rosary, I found this story from Patti Maguire Armstrong very powerful! Enjoy...

Why Pray the Rosary? by Brother John Samaha, S.M.

More than a century ago a proud university student boarded a train in France and sat next to an older man who seemed to be a peasant of comfortable means. The brash student noticed that the older gentleman was slipping beads through his fingers. He was praying the rosary.

"Sir, do you still believe in such outdated things?" the student inquired.
"Yes, I do. Don't you?" the man responded. The student laughed and admitted, "I do not believe in such silly things. Take my advice. Throw the rosary out the window and learn what science has to say about it."

"Science? I do not understand this science. Perhaps you can explain it to me," the man said humbly, tears welling in his eyes.

The university student noticed that the man was deeply moved. To avoid hurting the older person's feelings, he said, "Please give me your address and I will send you some literature to explain the matter to you."

The man fumbled in the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out his business card. On reading the card, the student lowered his head in shame and was speechless. The card read: "Louis Pasteur, Director of the Institute of Scientific Research, Paris." The deluded student had encountered his country's leading chemist and the man who would give the world the scientific process that would bear his name--pasturization.

Editor's note: This story is part of the collection in the Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart.