Prayers

Well, looks like I forgot to post a challenge on Friday. So that i don't mess up the schedule, please just continue with last week's challenge, and I'll make a new one on Thursday or Friday ^-^

Anyways, I want to thank you all for your prayers. Í remember that I posted awhile back that i was going through a hard struggle, and asked for prayers. 

I am still struggling. But over the last few weeks/last monthish, I have felt a lot better. Things have been going a lot smoother in my mind and I have actually experienced peace and joy again :)

Unfortunately, it's come back on me a bit the last few days. But i think I'm getting strep throat. Of i do have it, that could be the cause. 

Thank you so much. I don't think it is possible to overestimate the power of prayer, and i believe that it is impossible to pray too much. 

Well, now i have another prayer request for you. If you would just send up even a little prayer, it still counts. God still hears the tiniest whisper and knows the intent of the heart. Please pray For my little sister. I'm not going to reveal any details at this time, but she's having a bit of a hard time and may have some medical issues, but we don't know yet. So please pray for Health and if needed, Healing  for her in both body and in mind. 

Thank you so much. If you ever have a prayer request that you would like me to pray for, just let me know. Each one of us needs as many prayers as we can get. 

A prayer is a song, a voice, a cry,

A glance, a tear, a thought, a sigh.

An asking and receiving,

A praising and singing,

A yearning, a welcome,

A thank you, a plea.

A prayer is a heart lifted to God on high,

Or a heart that's brought low and emits a small cry.

A burst of thanksgiving, of love, of praise,

Or an outpour of longing, of sorrow and pain.

A want to get better, or just stay the same,

A peaceful moment, or of anguish and shame.

A prayer can be shouted, or sang, or told, 

Or whispered, unspoken, a feeling of the soul. 

In what ever feeling, of sorrow or joy,

A man or a woman, a girl or a boy,

When you send up your prayers to our Wondrous  Lord,

Rest assured that your prayers will never go unheard. 

Mary

What do you think of when you hear the word "Mom"? You probably think of your own mother. Caring. Kindness. Gentleness. Thoughtfulness. Comforting. A warm, loving, yet strong heart to guide you through life. 

Your mother is a gift from God. But did you know that you have two? Let's go back to Jesus' passion. Remember on the cross, when Jesus' told the disciple (John) "Behold your Mother"? There! Mary is now our Mother! Even after your own Mother has passed, as all of us someday will, we still have a Mother. She prays for us all the time. She interceded for us. She brings refreshment to those suffering. 

There is a misbelief that Catholics "Worship" Mary. I would like to clarify that. We do Not worship Mary. We Honor Her. We Love Her, we Honor Her, we ask for Her intercession and prayers, but we do not worship Her. 

Think of what she went through here on earth. First God asked her to give birth to His Son! What an Honor! But also, Carrying the Son of God in your womb would be slightly frightening in some ways. How Powerful He is! But She still said yes. 

Then, when  St. Joseph found out that She was with child, He was confused. He had decided to leave her one night, when an Angel came and told him not to. But still, despite this frightening event, She carried on. 

Then, after years of watching Jesus grow up, teach people, heal people, comfort people, cast out devils and preform countless miracles, She watched His Passion. How anguished She must have been! How dreadful, painful, sorrowful and scary that must have been for Her! Watching Her Son, God's Son being beaten, scourged, mocked, made to wear a crown of thorns, spat on, despised, Falling with a heavy cross on His Back three times, had Nails put in in His hands and feet, dying on the cross, pierced with a lance, and put in a tomb. Wow. But still, She trusted in God. 

And then, His amazing Resurrection! How joyful, awestruck, relieved, and wonderful She must have felt when She saw Jesus Risen from the dead!!!

She was there for His Glorious Ascension, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and eventually, She was taken right up directly into Heaven by God. 

Isn't that a life worth Honoring? Wow. I forgot to mention above, that she was conceived without the stain if Original sin, and never sinned in Her life! Mary truly had an amazing life worth Honoring. 

So that's why we pray to Her. She want to bring us closer to Her Son, Jesus. 

So this week, "Call your Mother" for Mother's Day, Say a Hail Mary each day! 

Where you were standing

This really interesting thing happened the other  day. Well, interesting for me anyways. So I was sitting outside. I noticed some tiny white flowers growing. They almost looks like little white bells hanging on A beautiful green pole from where i was sitting. Cute, right?

So here's the interesting part.

Later on, I picked one. They are not bells at all! Actually they are kinda flattish. They have four or five petals (i can't remember) with tiny stripes that are the prettiest shade of purple you've ever seen. The detail in these little tiny flowers is so incredible, it blows me away. I have no idea what they are called, but I've sort of "nick named" them in my mind as "Fairy Flowers" because they are just so tiny!! (I love tiny detailed things!!!!!!! Alot!) God is such a wonderful creator! He doesn't just make the big flowers pretty. He tiniest ones are beautiful too! I wonder how those are pollinated. They are to small for a bee to get nectar from.

Anyways, that's not quite what I'm getting at here. You'll now notice, that the flowers look Completely different from what they really looked like from where I was standing. Sure, i thought they were cute little guys, but i had no idea how much beauty and detail was in them. 

This reminds me of people. Just walking by, people are often completely different than how they seem. 

Let's say You walk by a really pretty lady. If you got to know her, you would realize that perhaps she's not really that pretty on the inside. Now you walk by a little old woman. She's old and kinda wrinkly, not someone you would typically hang out with. But if you got to know her, you would realize how beautiful she really is. How beautiful her life was. How strong and brave this seemingly feeble old lady really is. How many trials she's endured, and still holds on. How many miracles she's witnessed. 

You see where I'm going now, don't judge people by appearances. Yes, if they have 18 facial piercings, 20 tattoos, a 9 inch green Mohawk and wear black chains all the time, perhaps they might not be the best person to get to know. I'm just saying that just because some one seems like someone you typically would not make friends with, doesn't mean they aren't. 

Even the seemingly 'just simple little white flowers', really could have alot of intricate detail and beauty, and may actually be a completely different shape than you thought they were from where you were standing.

Communion

Today, my sister made her First Holy Communion! It was so beautiful, and she did great!

Throughout his Homily today, Father was talking about first Communions. He suggested that the children ask their parents or grandparents about their First Holy Communion. He mentioned one lady in particular, who was one of the first children to receive first Holy Communion at our Church. Of course, she has passed away now, but he said that she remembered her First Communion almost 100 years later.

First communions are beautiful things. We get all dressed up, prepare ourselves in body and soul, be on our best behavior
and watch as Jesus comes into these young children for the very first time.

But what about 2nd Holy Communion? 57th? 9835th Communions? Do we get all dressed up for that? Do we prepare ourselves in both body and soul? Are we one our best behavior?

Each and every time you receive the Eucharist, you are receiving the Same Body, Same Blood, Same Soul and Divinity into your heart as you did on your First Communion day. Jesus still comes to you even if you have lost count of how many times you received Him into your soul. I think I remember keeping track for a little while, but I think probably after the 10th I forgot LOL
I wish I had remembered to keep counting. It would be so cool to know when my 1000th Holy communion is! Oh well, I was only 7.....

Anyways, what I'm trying to get at is, Don't take Communion for granted. Ever! You don't have to dress in a wedding dress or a full fledged three price suit and tie every time you Receive Holy Communion, but at least try to look your best, and wear nice clothes. You probably wouldn't wear jean with holes in the , if you were going to meet a king, right? Well God is the King and Lord of all. Keep that in mind. If you honestly don't have anything else to wear, He will accept you anyways. But if you do, wear nice clothes out of respect for the King and Lord of all.

How about your soul? How's that looking? How long has it been since you went to Confession? If a king was coming to your house, you would do a major clean up, right? Why not do that for your soul also? Because the King and Lord of all is coming to visit your heart.

How about your actions in Mass? Are you paying attention? Following along and responding when you can? He's, our mind wander frequently. But that's no excuse. If you notice your mind starting to drift off, bring it back. If a king was on his way to your house, would you listen to his words? Would you pay close attention to everything he said, and heed it? Well, the King and Lord of all is speaking at Mass. He often teaches us through the readings and Gospel. Pay close attention.

Not to scare you, but you never know when your last opportunity for Holy Communion will be. There are people in this world that don't get to receive Jesus in Sacramental Communion. There is a slow rising against Christianity. What will happen if we are the next ones to not have the opportunity for Sacramental Communion, either because of this rising, or because, well, we never know when our last day is.

So whatever you do, don't ever ever ever ever EVER take Holy Communion for granted. Make every Communion as if it is you first Communion, and quite possibly your Last Communion here on Earth.

A little bit closer

Well, I successfully failed at April's blog challenge! Yay! (LOL) oh well, sometimes your'e just walking along, mindin' your own business when life comes and hits you in the eye!


Anyways, I'm starting another one, which I'm sure will end up like the last one. This one's called "Just a little closer". It's going to be a challenge for you also! Some time during each week (for i don't know how long, hopefully a long time but probably a short time) let's say, Thursdays or Fridays, i will write a post, however long or short, and put a little challenge in it to move us "Just a little closer" to Him.

Remember, all journeys start with one step, Rome wasn't built in a day, and people don't learn to walk overnight.

So, for this week, here it is.
Let's start simple. Lets say, everyday for the next week, we Thank or Praise God at at least one random time during the day. Especially if it's a time you wouldn't normally do it.

For instance, you're stuck at a red light, your just thinking "who invented red lights? Really! There are no other card on the road! Left? Nope! Right? Nope! No cars! And yet, here is this little red light telling me that I can't go."

Instead of continues this battle against the red light, stop. Think instead "Who DID invent the red light? I guess it is to keep us safe anyways. Oh well, at least we have things like red lights to keep us safe. Thank you God for having that person, whoever they are, invent the stoplights."

Or you're little sister keeps coming up and poking you. "Hey? Hey! Are you gonna play with me yet?
Do you have a snack?
Will you read this book?
When's mom gonna get home?
Where did she go anyway?
Can you call her and tell her to get ice cream? The really yummy kind with lots of chocolate?" Etc. etc. etc…
Your'e just about to pull your hair out and yell "FOR GOODNESS SAKES! Be quiet child! Can you be quiet for FIVE SECONDS?!?!?!?!" ( believe me i know LOL)

Stop. Think instead "hmm… i wonder what it would be like to not have a little sister. Actually, it would be quite sad. Sure, she's Loud and crazy and goofy and sometimes grumpy, but what about other times? The time when she makes me feel cool? The time when she lets me play with her hair? When she makes me a cookie? When we go on a walk? When we read stories and play pretend? When we do all the stuff that i liked when i was little, but now I'm "too old" to do it without a younger person? I guess it's not so bad after all. Thank You God so much for giving me this little sister of mine, and please grant me some patience also.

It could be even simpler. "Wow. That flower is beautiful. God, you are a wonderful creator." "Mmmmm this is a good cup of coffee. Thank you for giving us coffee beans, God." "It would be so awful to be a dog. You could never see any if these beautiful colors that God created, wow."

So there's our challenge. Can YOU do it? It's such a little step, but little steps still bring us a little by closer. And the closer we get, the better.

Reach out!

Alright, Iv'e challenged myself here with the inspiring blog challenge (and am failing miserably LOL) and now, I have a challenge for you! *Dun dun duuuuun!*

So, i challenge you to… *insert drumroll*… Reach out!

There's a song, I'm not sure who it's by, (maybe Mercy me or someone who's right on the tip of my tongue, Er, fingers)
And i think it's called "If we are the Body" or something like that. Here's part of it. Or, how I'm pretty sure it goes.

"And if we are the Body, why aren't His Arms reaching? Why aren't His hands healing? Why aren't His words teaching? And if we are the Body, Why aren't His feet going? Why is His Love not showing?! There is a way. Jesus is the way. "

At first you might think "What? His words certainly are teaching! Of course His arms are reaching!"
Yes, they are. Jesus is always reaching out and teaching us etc. This song is referring to US!

We are supposed to be reaching out as Jesus' Body. We are supposed to be reaching others through His words. We are supposed to be moving through the world, reaching others. We are supposed to be spreading God's love for us.

God often works through People. If no one is willing to let Him work through them, Who is He going to work through? Sure, He can do anything. He could just appear or something if He wanted to (He already came down to Earth, performed numerous miracles, and DIED for us, for goodness sake!) But He wants to work through us.

Because, if something that obvious happened, If all of the sudden the sky grew white and we heard a giant voice thundering down from the Heavens or something like that, It just wouldn't be the same. Sure, lots of people might finally believe that God is there, lots of people might get to be converted, but no one got the opportunity to help.

We get closer to God through Doing good deeds out of
Love. If we don't have an opportunity to do good deeds, to help others get closer to Him, then we have lost an opportunity!

God doesn't make people do things, that's why He gave us free will. So we could have a choice.

The thing is, We have the opportunity. Are we losing it? Every time we chose to leave a good deed undone, or to leave a hurt unforgiven, a person broken, a thank you unsaid, a friendship undone, a hungry person unfed, a naked person unclothed, a person thirsting for water's thirst unquenched, leave a lonely person without a friend, a sorrowful person uncomforted, etc, we have lost a valuable opportunity to help others, and through helping others helping God, and to tell the truth, helping our own souls. We are losing it!

Are you losing it?

So, my good person, I CHALLENGE you to reach out at least once a day for the next week. It can be something as simple as saying thank you, opening the door for someone, helping your mom carry in the groceries, or patting someone on the back for a job well done. Or it could be as big as getting on your next mission plane, flying to Africa and feeding starving children (which unfortunately, most of us don't have that opportunity.)

It doesn't have to be big. You never know what is going on in someone else's mind. That person you just said thank you to, or praised for Doug a good job? May e they are truly depressed, or just feel down about the selves, and you've just let a little day of light into their day. That homeless dude on the side of the road that you just gave five bucks to? Maybe he hasn't eaten in a day or two. That bag of groceries you just carried in for mom? Maybe her back is hurting today, or maybe she's stressed out.

Anyway you can think of, that might make someone thank God, is a way of reaching out in my opinion. If you can make them think "oh, i really needed that. Thank You God!" Or "well, this person doesn't think I'm so terrible. Perhaps I'm not. Thanks God." Or anything like that, you have reached out. You age bright them, and yourself, just a little bit closer to the goal. Every tiny inch counts!

So reach out! Don't lose the opportunity!

April 16: Making people smile.

Serving

Well, so much for the whole blog challenge thing LOL I'm not even going to try to catch up, I'm just going to skip to today.

April 15 Serving Mass.
I love serving at Mass. It is such an amazing opportunity. You get to be soooo close to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and get to see it so close up. I feel like a really different person when I serve at Mass. I can't explain the feeling very well. I really can't describe how awesome it is to have the opportunity to be up there on the Altar, helping so Physically close to the Tabernacle and Jesus Himself.

You know that amazing feeling you get when you've done something really good? Or when you're standing in the forest or a field and take a deep breath of the flower scented fresh air? Or when you take a deep drink of the coolest, most sweet clear water? Or when you make someone's day? Or when you wake up in the morning, the birds are singing, and the sunbeams are dancing on your face, you stretch out, Thank God, and just know it's going to be a good day?

That's the feeling. That's the feeling I get from serving. I feel so tiny, yet important at the same time.

Yes, there is some anxiety involved. I'm always afraid I'll drop something, or forget something, and do something wrong. And then there's the scrupulosity that tells me I don't deserve this feeling (which i really don't, but that's not what I'm getting at) because I'm too sinful, and tries to ruin the happiness.

But If i let myself make it past these anxieties with God's help,
Then I feel amazing.

If you have the opportunity to Serve at your Church, and think you might be called to do it, Give it a try! It's awesome.

Wings

Sometimes I wish I had wings.
I could fly away from everything.
Fly from the fear, fly from the darkness, fly a little closer to the light.

But I can't decide what kind.
What kind of wings would I need?
What kind of wings would be best,
To suit my needs and personality?

Perhaps the wings of an eagle,
Strong wings flying majestically.
Feathers soft and quiet.
Feathers strong and brave.

But the wings of an eagle,
just wouldn't be right.
Eagles are brave, and stand to fight.
It would take more than fear to get into flight.

How about the wings of a butterfly?
Flitting this way and that.
Colorful, silent, beautiful flight,
Perhaps these wings would be just right.

But butterfly wings just might not work,
Butterflies don't really have a care in the world.
They fly joyfully from one flower and then to the next,
No butterflies don't worry and the wings aren't right.


Dragonfly wings are super fast,
Buzzing and transparent,
They just might last!
Would dragonfly wings be right for me?

No, dragonfly wings won't do at all,
They make all their cares seem super small.
Everything they do just looks like a game,
And my fears are too good at making me feel ashamed.


The wings of a heron are graceful and true,
Huge, and a beautiful shade of blue.
With wings like that I could ride the breeze,
I could fly away from it all with ease.

But the wings if the heron are a bit too slow,
True, they are graceful, but I think the answer is no.
The heron just looks so relaxed and free,
And I'm sad to admit, that's like the opposite of me.

Oh which pair of wings would work for me?
At first i thought this might be pretty easy.
I'd just pick a pair of wings and fly away.
Pick a pair of wings and escape from the day.

Maybe the answer isn't the wings,
Although they are beautiful, wonderful things.
Maybe there's a lesson that i can learn,
Even though the fear makes my stomach churn.

The wings of an eagle,
So brave and true,
If I'm brave like an eagle,
i might make it through.

The wings of a butterfly,
Full of joy and cheer,
If i let myself have joy and cheer,
Maybe i wouldn't be here.

The wings of a dragonfly,
Playful and free,
If i don't let the shame take hold,
Maybe I'll just be me.

The wings of a heron,
So peaceful and slow,
I need to slow down and let
The fears just go.

So maybe I need to grow my own pair of wings,
Combining the good qualities of each of these,
But maybe the healing doesn't come from flying away,
Maybe the healing comes a little bit each day.

So if I ever get some wings,
Perhaps I won't fly away from everything.
I'll be brave as an eagle,
With a butterfly's joy,
No more shame, like a dragonfly,
And with a heron's peace and pace,
I just might get by.

Maggie Monday!

Hewoo! Dis is Maggie! It has bean a looooooooooooooooooong tyme sinz i said somting on master's blog!

Well, things has bean pretty crazy aroond heer. A bunch of small humans, master's "neeses" and "nefoow" has cum to visit fur a while.

Dey is berry hyper. Dey like to play ruff and be silly all da tyme! Sum times it drives me crazy. Lik when dey jumps on master or sumthing. Dey shood not do dat! Dey mite hurt master! So den i barks at dem, to tell dem to stop dat, but i don't think dey understand me berry well.

But sum times dey is berry nice. Like wen dey leevs food on da ground, and when dey let me :) I is just a very nervus dog, so sometimes i get scared. But, it's ok.

So, day is da only noos i has today. Maybe i will say somting agin next week!

-Maggie :0)

P.s. Master says dat fur April 8, she says dat wen i is good and does tricks, it makes her berry happy :0) and also she says have a Happy Feast of the Annunciation.

Spring!

We are having very spring like weather here! It's been warm enough to wear short sleeve almost all day! (It was a tad bit chilly this morning, but after that it was just wonderful!)

Now it's raining. It's supposed to be pretty warm and rainy all week.

I Love Spring. Everything comes back to life. The trees and getting buds which are growing well, the air is getting warmer, the daffodils have sprung up, and anything that hasn't bloomed yet is at least starting to bud, the earth is getting greener every day, the bird are nesting, the breeze is blowing, and everything is wonderful.

It really funny. In the spring, I think everything gets greener Everytime it rains! Right now, it's not super green, but it's getting greener. And i bet it will be even greener tomorrow, because of the rain.

I find it fascinating that plants grow so quickly when they are young. One minute it's a seed that is getting a bit swollen, the next morning it's a three inch high sprout, next week it starts getting it's first real leaves, and boom! Before you know it, within a month or two, you have a plant!

They kinda remind me of children. One minute they are little babies, the next a kid, and then the next they are all grown up and are having babies of their own!

Spring also falls at the perfect time for us here. In winter, everything seems dead. There are weeks of grey sky, grey trees, grey/brown leaves, grey weather, grey everything. It seems like it's going to last forever. But then, little spots of green start popping up. And before we know it, knew life is everywhere!

It's much like Lent! Everything seems dead. We, at times, seem dead within. On Good Friday, Jesus dies! But then, we start seeing "spots of green" popping up. We start to realize that everything isn't dead. We aren't dead, and if we are, Jesus will bring us back to life! Jesus isn't dead! He Rose again! New life is everywhere!

So it is very fitting that spring should come at the end of Lent.

I can't wait for the trees to get leaves, the flowers all to bloom, and the air to get even warmer! Mmmmm, spring! It makes me want to spring! I think it's probably my favorite season :)



April 7th
Thinking of spring, and new life!