"Every morning prepare your soul for a tranquil day"

- St. Francis de Sales

"Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He's going to be up all night anyway."-Mary C. Crowley

Words of a Saint

"You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much

at the greatness of our actions,

nor even at their difficulty,

but at the love with which we do them."

-St. Therese

visit catholic by grace to read the novena to Saint Therese.

words of a saint

"Let us see life as it really is...

It is a moment between two eternities..."

-St. Therese

Sunday Fidgets

Today the sermon ended by father saying, "Live the life of a prophet, spread the good news of God's love. Live your faith."

I was talking with a friend this week about St. Therese and the quotes I had found on line. In particular, "Jesus does not ask for your accomplishments, He only asks for our love. He thirsts for our love." I told her that she shares her love of God with such grace, that it is inspiring. She is the mother of 4 young children, and is an active church member. She joins groups, leads groups, encourages others to share their love of God. Not all of us are inclined to lead a Church group, but there are many opportunities to be involved. From adoration chapel to St. Vincent De Paul. As Saint Therese said, "a word, a kindly smile, will often suffice to gladden a wounded and sorrowful heart." We all touch the lives of others everyday.

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted" -Aesop

words of a saint

"Above all, it is the Gospel which gives me support for all of my prayers. Through the Word, all the needs of my poor soul are met. "

- Saint Therese

words of a saint

"So that is all that Jesus wants from us, he does not need our accomplishments, only our love. He thirsts for Love."

- Saint Therese

October 1st is the feast day for Saint Therese

Visit Catholic by Grace to read the Novena prayer in her honor.

One of my favorite quotes from Mary Engelbreit

"To be happy,

Don't Do Whatever you like,

LIKE Whatever you DO."

"Don't wait for a break in the weather,

learn to sing and dance in the rain."

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."

- Henry Ford

Fortune Cookie wisdom

"Ideas are like children: there are none so wonderful as your own."

Yes, that was the fortune that came with my meal.
What do you think?
Hint? Hint? or Just a reminder to be aware of the traps?

Thought of the day....

Don't discard your fantasies as merely wishful thinking. Honor them as messages from the deepest part of your being about what you can do and directions you can choose. -unknown

worries

We start to worry the day the test says positive. It is a natural state for most mothers (including myself.) If you are not one of the worriers, God has blessed you. A friend of mine sent me this quote today. It is a much needed reminder for me to stay in the moment.

“We worry about what a child will be tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.”
Stacia Tauscher

You never know

I must have looked like I had seen a ghost. I am sure I was pale faced, and I know my knuckles were white as I stepped onto the plane. It was my first plane ride. I kept my eyes on the seat numbers. I was hoping to find my seat quickly, and start to settle down. Out of the blue a lady took me by surprise. She cupped my hand in hers. She warmly patted the top of my hand, and sweetly said, "It's going to be alright Dear." I smiled, and I am sure I muttered a "thank you".

She was right, I found my seat and the flight was fine. That was over 20 years ago. I still find myself thinking of her often. I think of her when I am planing to board an airplane. I think of her when ever I feel anxious. I think of her when I see a Kindergartner waiting in line for the first day of school. A sweet lady, a stranger, who reached out to calm my nerves. I revisit her kind words, "It's going to be alright Dear." I doubt that she even remembers that moment in time.

I have been thinking lately about the people who touch our lives. There are the people we can name; teachers, friends, family, heroes. There are also people who come and leave our lives without a name. Strangers, who by their actions touched us and changed us.

There is the bagger at the grocery store. The one with the kind eyes, and great since of humor. You might know him. He is the one that is working through his retirement, and his wife is battling cancer. You see the love in his eyes when he talks about her. There is the lady at the gym that is always happy I came in. She is the one with the easy smile and warm welcome. There is the man with no name who runs. He runs to work, the store, Blockbuster. He runs everywhere and in every weather. He doesn't have a car, but cherishes his independence. There is also the man holding the crab in the picture. We met him on our vacation last year. He was kind and full of patience. He let Nicholas take this picture, and gently reminded me that Nicholas can do for himself.

Your list will be different then mine, but I am sure you have a list. Who knows, maybe your on someone elses list.




The following is a little something I have held on to for a long time. The author is unknown.

You Never Know

You never know when someone
May catch a dream from you.
You never know when a little word
Or something you may do
May open up the windows
Of a mind that seeks the light-
The way you live may not matter at all,
But you never know -it might.

And just in case it could be
That another's life, through you,
Might possibly change for the better
With a broader and brighter view,
It seems it might be worth a try
At pointing the way to the right-
Of course, it may not matter at all,
But then again - it might.

Criticism, like rain....

Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots. - Frank A. Clark


We have had rain everyday for 5 days. Not constant, but at least some every day. I wanted to mention this, in case you were wondering why water has been a big part of my theme for the last week....

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel (Right Judgment), Fortitude (Courage), Knowledge, Reverence, and Fear of the Lord. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Generosity, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Modesty, Self-Control, and Chastity. This is stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and from Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians 5:22-23.



Over the weekend I met up with an acquaintance. She has one son and one daughter, expecting one more. She asked me, since I have three boys, if I had a favorite. I closed my eyes and told her a quote that I had recently learned from church. It was about God's love for us. "God loves each and every one of us as if we were the only one." I told her that was easy to understand because it is the same way that we love our children. Each as though they were the only one. We love them as they need us to, and in the ways that they will let us.


A year ago my answer would have been a simple no. Left at that...true, but not very helpful. She needed more then that. I closed my eyes, and gathered courage to give more. It was part of a plan. The idea that I would go out of my comfort zone to join a group I would not normally join. Learn so much that I can share with others, and find the courage to say it out loud. That was a gift from the Holy Spirit.

Art vs Labor

A friend of mine sent this to me. I needed it, I'm passing it along in case you did too. As far as I know the quote is anonymous.

"What we do is a measure of who we are. If we imagine our work as labor, we become laborers. If we imagine our work as art, we become artists."

Have a better day!

Real Friends

Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty.
-a Sicilian proverb

I am lucky to have a friends that I can laugh with. I have one friend in particular who has known me for close to 20 years. Hard to believe 20 years. So she knows me well. I told her about the blog. She looked me up on the web and called me. We laughed because she was checking my blurbs for misspelled words. She knows me so well. In real life I spell like Winnie the Poo. I'm trying, but let me know if something slips through. :-) Have fun, maybe I'll slip one in so you can call me on it.

Two Dogs, Which Do I Feed?

I understand this is a quote used in some books and even a movie. I was introduced to it by a friend. She is an active mom. She is always coming up with interesting ways to focus her children's attention, and challenge them to be their best. One day I stoped by and noticed she had written on her microwave (in Neon Green Wet Erase marker). "WHICH DOG WILL YOU FEED?" I thought they were dividing chores. I had to know more. When I asked her what that meant and she told me this story:



"A Native American Elder once described her own inner struggles in this manner: 'Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean, he growls and bits. The other dog is kind and good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time.' When asked which dog wins, he paused to reflected for a moment and then replied, 'The one I feed the most."


We all have inner struggles and times when you have to chose; hope or despair, confidence or doubt, forgiveness or anger, turmoil or peace.......

It should be an easy choice ... but for some reason it is not easy. Maybe it is because we have to walk past that mean dog in order to feed the good one.

Which dog will you feed?

on a side note: These are our two dogs, Gypsy and Max. They are both well fed, and both good dogs.

Today/Tomarrow

Tomarrow is always the busiest day of the week.
- a Spanish Proverb


When does tomarrow become today?
- a BARBissum