CELEBRATING LIFE - AUTUMN 2009

Celebrating Life

I’ve come to realize more and more that to enjoy life we must accept God’s will for us each and every day.

We know so little about God’s plans for us. We get caught up in trying to figure out the meaning of things. To trust in God does mean that there will always be unanswered questions. It is just so much better to leave things in the hands of Someone so much better qualified than I to handle things.

It took many years for me to come to this conclusion. I like many others liked to think that I was in control. I could make my plans and lists of things to do and then do them. I could hug my husband and my children and love them so much that there would never be any thing wrong in their lives. I could make a happy home and all would be well.

But then as we all know things just to not go our way all the time. Soon or later we all come to the conclusion that the one in control isn’t us for sure. Bad things happen to good people and there is only one thing we can do about it…and that is to trust in God.

I’ve always had a great faith in God. I was taught at an early age that to believe in Him was to have eternal life. I just don’t remember a time that He wasn’t apart of my life. My perceptions of Him and His purpose for my life is what has changed over the years.

We cannot go back and change the past, but we can accept ourselves as we are and stop relying on ourselves to fix our problems. He can turn our pain into gain and our mess into miracles.

I still have a plaque on my kitchen wall that says: Because I’m the Mom – that’s Why. I used that phrase many times when the babes were young and asked me over and over again WHY? I guess that is what God said to me when I questioned Why? Because I am God, that is why. Accepting that there is a time and a season for every purpose under heaven was not an easy lesson at all.

I am still a work in progress. Knowing that God is everything and that we are nothing without Him takes some time to accept. At least I was that way for me. My struggle to find JOY in life wasn’t easy at all, but I did.

One of my sons once looked at me and shook his head and asked - when did you get to be so holy acting? I didn’t realize that I was any different than I’d always been. After all I’d raised all my children in the faith and taught them what I knew about being a Christian. I always took the time to tell them of Jesus and to pray with them. We always prayed together as a family every day. What could be different about me? I’ve always been this way, I replied.

But I know now that I wasn’t always that way. Even though my heart was in the right place, my actions must not have been. My faith has grown much stronger and I did learn that powerful lesson to trust God and to celebrate each and every one of the days God gives to me..

I’m not perfect and I definitely do not say and do everything the right way. I still have trouble and get off the beaten track at times, but the Good Lord is always there for me when I need Him and I know now where my ever present help and strength comes from.

I no longer ask why, but try to learn from what ever happens.

ENGAGING IN LIFE

Every one likes to think that celebrating each day is a good thing. But not everyone thinks that God is the reason we can do just that. God is the only one who can give us life and He is the one that wants us to enjoy it abundantly.

SHARING LOTS OF THOUGHTS TODAY

I’ve collected a whole lot of things for reflections and just thought I’d share them on this journal today…

If you don't have a dream, how are you going to make a dream come true?
Oscar Hammerstein

To know how to grow old is the master-work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living. ~Henri Amiel

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore–Dream–Discover
Mark Twain

People do with opportunities as children do at the seashore;they fill their little hands with sand,and then let the grains fall through,one by one, till all are gone.

T. Jones

Prepare for what you know is coming, and you'll be much better positioned to deal with what you don't know is coming. Stop rushing to catch up and start moving solidly ahead.

Ralph Marston

Capture The Moment

By: Author Unknown
The baby is teething, the children are fighting, and my husband just called and said to eat dinner without him. Okay, one of these days you'll shout, "Why don't you grow up and act your age?" ….. and they will.
Or, "You guys get outside and find yourself something to do and don't slam the door."
….. and they won't.
You'll straighten up their bedrooms all neat and tidy with bumper stickers discarded, bed-spread tucked and smoothed, toys all displayed on the shelves, hangers in the closets, animals caged, and you'll say out loud, "Now I want you to stay this way!"
…. and they will.
Then you'll prepare a perfect dinner with a salad that hasn't been picked to death, a cake with no finger traces through the frosting, and you'll say, "Now there's a meal for company."
…. but you'll eat it alone.
And you'll say, "I want complete privacy on the phone! No dancing around, no pantomimes, no demolition crews! Silence! Do you hear me?"
…. and you'll have it.
No more plastic tablecloths stained with spaghetti, no more anxious nights under a vaporizer tent, no more dandelion bouquets, no more iron-on patches, no more wet-knotted shoe strings, no more tight boots, or rubber bands on pony tails.
Now, imagine your lipstick with a point. No baby sitter on New Year's Eve. Washing clothes only once a week. No PTA meetings, no car pools, no blaring radios, having your own roll of tape, no more Christmas presents made out of toothpicks and paste, no more wet-oatmeal kisses, no tooth fairy, no giggles in the dark, no knees to Band-aid.
Only a memory of a voice crying, "Why don't you grow up?"
And in the silence will come the echo, "I did."

When I was in my younger days,

I weighed a few pounds less,

I needn't hold my tummy in

To wear a belted dress.

But now that I am older,I

've set my body free;

There's comfort of elastic

Where once my waist would be.

Inventor of those high-heeled shoes

My feet have not forgiven;

I have to wear a nine now,

But used to wear a seven.

And how about those pantyhose -

They're sized by weight, you see,

So how come when I put them on,

The crotch is at my knees?

I need to wear these glasses

As the prints were getting smaller;

And it wasn't very long ago

I know that I was taller.

Though my hair has turned to silver

and my skin no longer fits,

On the inside, I'm the same old me,

Just the outside's changed a bit

Author Unknown

God loves detours, so be prepared to change course.

Author Unknown

Detour is an old French word meaning ‘to turn away’. On the roads we have often met detours. Sometimes we mutter and give out about the inconvenience. But such a detour often takes us through roads we were never on before and as always we get back onto our main road again. The same can be said of God’s influence in our lives. Life often takes us on detours. Life never remains fully predictable. When the unexpected comes we can’t just stop and remain stagnant. That’s when a detour becomes an opportunity rather than a curse. God provides lots of opportunities, support networks, family and friends to be our signposts through any detour. Every change or new direction in life can be a source of growth and opportunity.

From Today is My Gift to You


There are many roads to take, some of them straight and narrow, some rough detours and many interesting loop trails that offer gorgeous landscapes before they rejoin the main road. One thing is for certain. It’s going to be an amazing trip

It’s not how old we are, but how vibrantly we live;

Not what our age is but what our attitudes are
William Arthur Ward

Ever since before Thanksgiving my life has just been off key. I'm striving to get back on track. I'm doing a new Bible Study. Reading my Bible more often and reading several uplifting devotionals each morning.

On a positive note - I have been managing to get in a little more prayer time these days. Today I got a revelation from God. First He

shared with me this part . . . .

"God loved the world so much He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ to save the world."

and then He gave me this part . . . .

"God loved the world so much,
He did not ask Pam to save the world -

His Son could do it quite well. . .

all by Himself ....

so take a load off



Dear God,

don't let our ideas about how, and where,

and when we should seek you,

get in the way of seeking you.

When giving us a gift, help us recognize it and accept it.

Amen.

No matter how old we get, if we were blessed with children

we remain mothers the rest of our lives.

A mother is the most important person on earth.

She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral.

She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any Cathedral --

a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body.

Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty

We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us;

we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.

C.S. Lewis

Just a few thoughts on a cold winter day

Words truly written from my heart to yours,

Pam ( mostly known as 'ma')

Passing Our Faith On...

CONSOLATION IN OUR LORD

What happened to the years? I asked

He said "for everything a time"

Where are my friends of long ago?

He said "beyond the hill you climb"

Why are my footsteps slower now?

He said "tis all within the plan"

But what of all my hopes and dreams?

He said "they mellowed with the man"

But there is still so much to do.

He said "be grateful for today"

The road to heaven seems so long.

He said "there is no other way"

But what of all the things I need?

He said "and do I not provide?"

Sometimes I even grow afraid.

He said "I am always at thy side"

My purse is thin, my coins are few.

He said "sufficient for the day"

And oftentimes I am wrongly judged

He said "care not what others say"

Oh to be peaceful and secure.

He said "all things are thine in Me"

My cross grows heavy with the miles.

He said "I'll lift it presently"

The future looks so bleak and grey.

He said "tis darkest before the dawn"

But who will share my lonely way?

He said "you have me to lean upon,

No love so lasting as My own,

No power greater than my hand,

For you belong to Me and this

is all you need to understand...


Author Unknown

Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams.Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential.Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in,but with what it is still possible for you to do

Pope John Paul XXIII

I’ve started yet another Bible study out side of the weekly one I do at church.

In my study today it said:

Have you ever thought of the impact of your faith on your children’s future?

What difference can this realization make in your daily walk with God?

Our fullness of faith or lack of it will have an overwhelming impact on the heritage of our children.

So like any good internet surfer I decided to delve into the subject

just to see what I would come up with.

First I found out that:

Passing on our faith to our children may seem daunting, yet each parent can be effective in ways no one else can. Each child has a special bond with his or her parent that was designed by God. Because of this special relationship, parents have a greater opportunity to teach and profoundly influence their children than anyone else. When we speak from the heart in love about what is in our hearts from God's Spirit, it is more likely that we will reach them. Love is a very powerful motivator

Second I discovered that;

A new Barna study found that those who received more guidance from parents actively-engaged in applying God’s words on life and family formed deeper standards of faith in their lives

Third thought in this search was

You can't give what you don't have. Today there is an urgent need — a need to strengthen families from within. In order to give our children a deep and lasting impression, values must be handed down with greater influence and impact. A family must be far stronger than was previously necessary. Only when your family is strong will it have the necessary impact to reach the hearts of your children

Fourth this article said

We, like our children, need to grow as we get older. Throughout our journey, it is the mental, emotional andspiritual growth we make that defines our lives, that improves ourlives. Growth affects almost every aspect of our lives. Our thinking,our beliefs, our minds, our philosophy, our morals, values andethics, our politics. How we grow affects our relationships withour family and children, our friends, our co-workers and our jobs.It affects our very outlook and enjoyment of life, our heart andour happiness.

Then I found this parable that sums up what passing on our faith gives us

Parable of the Spoons

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day andsaid, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like. "The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.

In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished.

They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

The Lord said, "You have seen Hell."They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water.

The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, "I don't understand."It is simple" said the Lord, "it requires but one skill. You see,they have learned to feed each other. While the greedy think only of themselves

Today,people wonder if there is any hope for this world we live in. We seem to have a generation coming up who have no hope. We can only pass on to others what we have truly received ourselves. God has ways of blessing us. We must recognize them, and having benefited by them, pass on the record of our experience to the coming generation.

God will provide our needs, but He does not promise to gratify our wants
We must beware lest we despise the day of small things

God has His hand on the coming generation. We must fulfill our part and testify of the goodness and wonder of our God, and pass it on to the coming generation.

Primarily, our outstanding objective should be to pass on the Standard of Faith and Hope.The Hope that has brought men through two Millennia from the Cross of Christ,to look into the Face of the Rising Sun at the dawn of each day, and cry with
triumph. . .This is the day the Lord hath made!

Today - this day - is the only day any of us are promised. We may not live to see tomorrow
For that reason, live today, love today, as if it were your last

If you have made another person on this earth smile,

your life has been worthwhile.

Sr. Mary Christelle Macaluso

With Hope in my heart,

Pam

(mostly known as ‘ma’)