Gift of Faith

Our first celebration for Christmas began with moving into our new premises with huge windows

that let in the light!

What a wonderful experience, almost afraid to believe this is our new home. 

More work to be done, yet a room flooded with daylight is Santa's best gift to me.

Last Christmas was spent in our studio which has space yet no windows.

We learned to adapt without realising how wonderful daylight can be.

This makes me realise how precious is the Gift of Faith.

Even if a person was blind, unable to see the beauty of nature and brightness of the sun, they could still be blessed with having the inner Light of Faith.

I love this precious Gift of Light, yet still more precious is the Gift of Faith.

Let the Light in...

What a difference it makes when we enter a dark room and switch on the light.

Suddenly, all those shades and shapes of darkness disappear and the beauty of a room is revealed.

In a way, our soul is just like a room waiting to be filled with light.

Of course, we need to know how...  How do we fill our soul with the Light of the World?

Most mothers could give us a practical answer to that.

Clear out all the rubbish and things that cling to our minds which are of no use to us.

When our soul is clean and innocent, then the Light of the World will have room to move into our soul and dwell within.

We become part of the Light and are able to share that Light with others.

Let the Light in...

Prepare for Christmas

Preparing for Christmas can become a huge event, OR  it can simply be a way of preparing for a special Visitor to call in.

I remember as a child how important it was to prepare for visitors coming to see us.  At the very least our home would be a welcoming place to call into,  no special frills of any kind, yet homely and non judgemental. We regarded it as an honour that someone would like to come and visit us.

On Christmas day we are honoured to have Christ the King come into our lives.  We greet this Divine Baby in Church and are asked to bring Him home with us in our hearts.

Each one of us receives an invitation to keep in the company of Christ on this special day.

Am I willing to do this, or will I be distracted by tinsel and merriment that excludes His Presence.

I hope not, that's why I want to prepare my heart now so I will be glad to receive His Love.

Dream on...

We have the gift of life, which is so precious to us, and whatever happens we have a choice to go forward and follow our dreams.

Our dreams may is little or big, no matter, the important thing is to dream on...

We may never, ever, fully realise how much we are loved by God and yet, the fact that we believe in God's love for us will help us to move forward and become a beautiful person.

God so loved the world...

Let us love the world too and add our aspirations and dreams to make it a wonderful place to live in.

How we live now will determine our place in heaven.

Dream on! 

PAIN

Pain is like an unwelcome visitor who calls at the most inconvenient time.

We make our plans and hope to achieve or at least continue towards our dreams, and then pain happens in ways we never imagined it would.

What can we do?   What do we do?

I found myself waiting in the hospital for treatment for a sore eye. The doctor said it was important to see a specialist.

Five hours later, I was still waiting and hoping and eventually treatment was prescribed and I was glad to be on my way.

It's easy to be pre-occupied with our own pain and so it can be good to see how others cope too.

In a strange way, pain can be a gift.

God chose it when He sent His Son to suffer for us.

Christ chose it when He died on the Cross.

Each day we have a choice to embrace whatever cross that comes our way and perhaps help others to bear their cross too.

Childlike...

We had the good fortune to have young people staying with us over the weekend.

It was both interesting and educational, reminding me of the story in the Gospel when Christ asked for the little ones to come to Him, saying...

 'Unless we become like little children, we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.'

What a bold statement!

I  wonder how do we become childlike?

The answer seems to be found in simplicity and innocence; having the ability to behave forthright and without duplicity.

Simply said, no pretence / no trying to pretend to be anything but who we are.

When we come face to face with God, we will see ourselves without any shades of grey.

We will be given total awareness of who we are and what we have done with our lives.

Loving to be childlike can help us to grow in this awareness now and we can learn to be the best that we can be. 

In good company...

Today, a day of rain and wind, was also a wonderful day to be out in nature.

Donned with raincoats and boots, my friends and I enjoyed an afternoon in Glenmalure, a place of natural beauty in the hills of Wicklow.

It felt good to be in good company and realise the importance of living our lives as best we can, focused on loving God and those around us.

Evil in the world can be frightening and yet it's vital to remind ourselves of the Power of God.

We know this world is a passing place and we are on a journey to eternity, yet how important it is for us to care and comfort each other and enjoy our lives.

To the extent that we become loving persons will we change the world we live in and allow goodness to prevail.

Friendship

I met up with a good friend today and am encouraged and delighted to renew the bond between us.

It's so easy to become lax, caught up with doings and goings etc and lose sight of the importance of constantly renewing the friendships we have.

Perhaps that is what relationships are all about, renewal.  Keep in touch / meet / chat / laugh together.

When we take time out to meet and greet one another we learn so much about ourselves and perhaps in an indirect way, we become aware of the Presence of God in each other.

We may not sit down and discuss religion, yet in freely giving to one other, we are moved by the grace of Love.

SHARE

Last night at the Space Inside  Arts Evening, I was surprised and delighted with so much local talent.

The group, Tell No Foxx  added such a unique style of harmony and melody, using modern sound effects.  They wowed us and also brought along a good following of interested people.

Vanessa, the poet, performed so well that she won the audience over, not to mention Annie Wolfe and her band of talented friends.

Each performer shared their talents with such sincerity, giving 100% and helping us to realise how much work goes into developing their talents.

Sharing who we are and what we do is a great way to inspire others to share themselves and what they are able to do. 

Our sharing can be of a quiet nature in recognising and loving those around us.

Whatever way our talents draw us, let us willingly share them with others.

All Souls Day

Holy Souls Day is a reminder, to remember those who have passed away, our loved ones, family and friends and neighbours and all those who might depend on us to pray for them.

It's a strange thing to have a link with those who no longer walk on this earth.

Where are they?  Are they already in Heaven waiting for us, or are the waiting for our prayers to help them make that last journey to be with God...
Only when we make the journey ourselves will we have an answer .

There is so much we don't know and yet we do know that today is a special day for Holy Souls.

A wonderful invitation is given to us to remember those we love and to care for those who perhaps have nobody to pray for them.

CHOICES

It could well be the greatest gift God has given us,  the freedom to make choices in our lives, 

what we want to do / who we want to be / where we want to go etc.

A person who is able to follow through with the choices they make will be guided by grace.

God so wills for us to be happy and will help us, yet will not interfere with the freedom we have been given, the freedom to choose. 

If we are clever in the best sense, then we will stay close to God and listen to all the promptings that come our way.

First and foremost, be aware of the gift of making choices.

Reflect and pray regarding all the choices we make in our lives.

Then choose to be guided by peace of mind always.

Simple steps to freedom.

Adventure

It's common to look for adventure in our lives, whatever it might be.

We like to be surprised / delighted/ faced with new ventures that spur us on creatively.

Our lives are an adventure in themselves.  

We have no idea what the future has in store for us, so it's good to have an open mind and also a spirit of adventure, open to new happenings.

God has such love for us that we can be pleasantly surprised by all that happens, in and around us.

As a  Christian we have the added interest of knowing about Eternity and all that has yet to be.

However, we are and will be inspired to live each day, like the gift it is.

Treasure each day and let our adventurous spirit reveal itself.

TRUST

For the religious-minded person, trust in the goodness of God is essential.

We may never know or understand tragedies that happen in this suffering world of ours and yet are asked to believe and trust that God's loving Hand is there directing us in our grief.

Pope Francis made a point about the value of suffering and how important it can be in our lives. When we leave our understanding and perhaps anger behind, then we can use our faith to know that God is present, helping us with our pain and worries, whatever they might be.

Faith teaches us to walk with God and know that we are never alone.

The invitation that comes to us is to trust in the loving, compassionate nature of God.

SUNRISE

What a wonderful sight, to watch the sun rise on a winter's morning!

I cycled over to the Murrough this morning and was so pleased to see the sun begin to rise behind the clouds, adding a golden shadow and turning the sea waves into a stream of molten bronze.

How difficult it must be for an artist to capture, as it quickly changes from one picture of splendour to another, portraying the glorified expression of the wonder and beauty of our Creator.

God spoils us with the magnificence and splendour of nature.

As artists we can express the glory of God and perhaps is this way, find our path to heaven.

JOYFUL!

Now that winter is coming, we may miss those lovely, bright mornings of summer.  

Darkness comes instead.  Should we moan our loss OR enjoy the seasons as they come.

In the world of Poetry, each season presents a special beauty to be admired by us.

We can be filled with joy at the reflection of our Creator as portrayed in nature.

This is the wonder of God's love for us, always presented with beauty for the admiring eye to see.

We admire the poets and the gift they have with words.

Let's be joyful of He who inspires us with the wonder and beauty of nature.

Listen to the Heart...

Today, being the feast of St. Therese who is often called, 'the Little Flower' is a good time to focus on what our heart is telling us. She is known and loved for her childlike approach to life.

In a healthy body, our heart is pumping away, keeping us happy and fit, so too when we 'listen' to what our heart is telling us we are able to love and care and see goodness all around us.

We are almost like two people, one part of us is full of logic and reasoning and the other part of us is childlike and able to put happiness and loving before everything else.

We don't need to have a battle with ourselves, we just need to put love first. 

Listen to your heart!

Spiritual Health

Nowadays we are encouraged to be healthy and given good advise as to how we can look after ourselves as regards diet and exercise etc.

All this is so good and yet there is an even greater need to look after our spiritual health.

In our day to day lives we have many opportunities to become a more spiritual person.

We can give time to prayer.  Chat with God and share with Him all that is going on in our lives.

Allocate a special time, and find a quiet place and allow God to speak to us through our inner-voice. 

Saintly-minded people we know will always advise us to develop a relationship with God, believing that He cares for us and wants us to be happy.  

This spiritual friendship will blossom and grow when we are willing to give time to be with God, just like a friendship with another person.

The way to the Divine is through the natural. 

KNOCK

I've just returned from a trip to Knock, a lovely present from my cousin Carmel.

We went by bus and returned by train, tired and so happy to have done the trip.

I've seen pictures of Lourdes, yet never been there, so to me Knock represents 'Ireland's Lourdes'.

We were glad to have a stay-over as this gave us time to take in what Knock has to offer. 

The old Church where the Apparition appeared is still there and artistically renovated. 

My first glimpse of the Basilica almost took my breath away!

Here in this quiet part of west Ireland we have a magnificent monument to Our Lady's visit to us, the people of Ireland.  This we can now share with the whole world.

The Airport at Knock affords people the opportunity to travel in comfort and our roads make it easy for us to come without too much of the pilgrim hardship.

Yet, no doubt about it, Knock is a pilgrimage worth making.  The centre attracts people of all ages and there is even a special centre built for the Ireland's young.

I like to think that Our Lady has come knocking on the door of our hearts,  prompting us to take time out to reflect and centre our lives on loving God and responding to His wishes for us.

Journey of Life

It's interesting to look on life as a journey, leading us to our Eternal Home.

We learn so much, especially from those we know as friends and companions.

The main lesson in life is learning how to love and to build strong relationships.

In a way, each time to reach out to another person we reach out to God in them and in ourselves.

God is guiding and helping us to grow in love.

We choose to listen and respond.

The Journey of Life accepts us as a student who is willing to learn from the Teacher of Life itself.

Be kind...

Whenever we are troubled or upset, the best remedy is kindness.

This might come from others, yet often it is up to ourselves to be kind and have a compassionate attitude towards others and towards ourselves too.

If we can imagine how it is for God who loves us dearly, having to put up with our weaknesses and failures.  Does He lose confidence in us?  No, never.

We are always forgiven and encouraged to be contrite about our faults, realising that the person who is hurt most by our wrong-doing is ourselves. 

This is the power of Love.  When we practise kindness then we experience this wonderful Love that God has for us. We learn to love others and also develop a true love for ourselves.

Be kind.

HAPPINESS

We all want to be happy and carefree; able to enjoy life and the simple pleasures that come our way.

Yet, often the opposite is the case.  I wonder why?

Are we unable to know what makes us happy, or perhaps unable pay the price for this wonderful

gift of happiness.

A good question to ask ourselves...

God knows our needs better than we do, so it makes sense to stay close to God and build a relationship that will guide us through life.

Our Christian Faith teaches us that we are children of God.  

A loving Father desires His children to be happy and enjoy this wonderful life given to us as a gift.

Life presents us with challenges.  How we embrace them will determine how happy we will be.

The Power of God

I was reading one of the Psalms:

"God is for us, a Refuge and Strength,
A Helper close at hand in time of distress,
So we shall not fear, though the earth should rock
Though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea..."

        Great words to express the Power of God.
            Great encouragement too.  How can we be afraid when God is so Powerful.
     

                         The Power of God is with us every time we respond to Love.

REJOICE!

It's such a great thing to rejoice and be glad for all that is good in our lives and the lives of others too.

The fact that God loves us ought to prompt us to rejoice and be glad.

Through the Gift of Faith, we receive the ability to develop a heart filled with gratitude and love.

Another way to rejoice is to share in the happiness that others receive.

What we admire and are happy for, becomes a part of us.

If a friend receives a gift, be glad for that friend and like the example in the Gospels, rejoice in their good fortune.

This is so important if and when our nature is tempted to jealousy or annoyance of any kind.

Rejoice and be glad and these gifts and blessings become ours too.

A Positive Mind

A good time to foster a Positive Mind is the moment we wake up and embrace a new day.

It can happen that our mind becomes almost clogged with thoughts of what to do etc.

Our first achievement would be to give our mind a rest.  Focus on all that is good and how wonderful it is to be alive and well.

Then take Gratitude as our second achievement.

Thank God for the gift of life and all that is contained in our lives.

This is good, to reflect and start counting our blessings / friends / family / home and work. The ability we have to be mobile and alive.

A Positive Mind is such a treasure. It will enrich our lives and make us happy and wise.

By mistakes we learn...

Today I learned quite a few things, especially about myself.

I believe I am careful, therefore I should not do anything careless...

This is a fallacy as we learn so much from the mistakes we make.

A careful person does not have an accident and yet it can be so easy to fall and hurt oneself.

Perhaps it can be a bigger mistake to believe we should not make mistakes.

A positive-minded person will realise that so much can be taught by a study of our failings.

Our imperfect nature teaches us how to depend on God and the graces we receive each day.

Instead of being occupied by our mistakes we can be filled with gratitude for God's love and protection.

Love Weakness...

Today I had an experience of weakness .  It was so unexpected even though we often talk about loving weakness and how it gives us a chance to turn to God for strength.

I had a job to do, not a difficult one yet it involved doing something that makes me afraid. 

I told myself it was silly and yet just like the weakness of being afraid of the dark, the fear stayed with me.

I managed, yet I was left feeling traumatised / I felt weak...

Tears came too easily, making me feel ashamed of my state of weakness.

Yet, when I gave myself time to reflect and be calm, I realised how valuable this state of weakness truly is.

Strength could not come from me, so I was obliged to look elsewhere.

I willingly turned to God and prayed for His help.  I was not left wanting.

There is a great secret to be found in loving weakness.  

This is the pathway to spiritual strength, to finding happiness in the company of God.

True Love

I was thinking about God the other day and how He can see into our inner thoughts.

How He knows us even better than we know ourselves.

Strange to be loved so much by Someone who knows every single mistake and fault we have ever committed. Truly this is real love.

Often, we can be misguided by natural love and so feel free to love or hate, depending on our feelings etc.  Not so with God.

It's humbling to realise that God loves us, as we are.

It may be His desire for us to become a better and more loving person, yet He still loves us.

Such a good reason for loving God, as the commandment says ' with our whole heart soul and mind.'

Our Lady's Day...

The 15th August is always a special day for me. 

The Feast of the Assumption of our Lady reminds me of the Mother of God and the power and love of a mother.

This is now a dogma of faith that our Lady never died.  She was taken to heaven, probably by a host of angels so she could be with her beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

These mysteries of faith cannot be understood with human logic and yet we are able to understand the logic of Love.

We have a Mother in heaven who often visits us on earth.

It is a gift of faith to be able to honour and love the Mother of God and regard her as our mother too.

Be Patient...

The virtue of Patience is one worth having and we gain it by being patient.

When we are able to be honest with ourselves, it's easy to see that our lack of patience is often the reason why we fail / do or say things we are sorry for afterwards.

It would be a blessing to be able to focus on what we want to do and leave all negative debris aside.

A patient person will take a moment to reflect and so make positive choices.

It's good to remember we are dealing with imperfection, both in ourselves and others, so take it easy and practise patience!

Be of good cheer...

To be of good cheer means a willingness to look at the bright side of life.

Life as we know it is constantly changing and we are too.

Today I may be in good form and love life and admire the sunshine and the clouds etc.

Tomorrow I may well be not so good and find it an effort to be of good cheer.

All that matters is my willingness to look at life with a positive and optimistic spirit.

Feelings don't make us who we are.

Our choices do. 

TRUTH

We are told TRUTH is like a razor-sharp knife; what is true is on one side and what is false on the other.

This puts life in a 'black and white' picture.  Can this be so?

Do we sometimes live in a world of grey where nothing is very clear...

Perhaps we do at times, yet the truth cannot be coloured according to the mood we find ourselves in.

The person who wants to be free and able to live an honest life is obligated to live by what is true, not not by what is false.

When we read the lives of the Saints, people who loved God and had a love for Truth, then we have a good example of what it takes to be truthful.

God is kind and compassionate and willingly forgives us when we fail to live up to our truthful self.

Yet, we can only avail of this wonderful grace when we are honest and love what is truthful.

The TRUTH will set us free!

Laughter...

Often the mistakes we make in life can cause us laughter later on.

We realise that life is not meant to be taken seriously.  

We can be serious about commitment in our lives and applying ourselves to our daily duties, yet  without a morbid or serious attitude.

No wonder God prompts us to be childlike and happy in our endeavours.

Mistakes and failures can be a great source of learning and also shared-laughter when we are free to laugh at ourselves.

This is wisdom, to be open and willing to have a good laugh!

TIME OUT...

When this wonderful world that we live in appears to become too much to handle, take a break.

Time out in reflection / time out with God in prayer / time out in creative endeavours will help to bring back a sense of peace and comfort.

Community and family and friends lend an atmosphere of peace and contentment and yet often we need to step out on our own and discover the mystery of God's love for us.

This is often called going on  RETREAT.  

In our community we have organised a Retreat Get-a-way to west Cork which is special for me.

I will be joining with Michaela who is brilliant at guiding people in Positive Psychology.

My part will be in facilitating Creative Writing sessions.

It's great to get the opportunity to share with others what is a passion for oneself.

Of course the huge bonus is the location, an organic farm in one of the most beautiful places in Ireland. 

And an extra bonus will be the Sound Therapy sessions run by Harry Parkinson.

Yes, it's such a gift to avail of  Time Out!

A Child of God...

I watched a programme on TV about a person who was united with her birth-mother after a lapse of so many years.  The person had suffered for so many years believing they were not wanted.... 

Great happiness followed when they were united and realised they were always loved.

This story made me realise the power of love and what it is like for each one of us to be united to our heavenly Parent.

We can have an idea of the power of a parent's love, yet to be able to fathom the love God has for each one of us...

We are a Child of God and loved beyond our wildest imagination.

Love without limits!

PROGRESS...

It's a very human requirement to make progress in life; to believe we are developing ourselves and becoming a better and more able person.

When we are sound in mind and body, then this will happen.

When we are weak, perhaps unwell or troubled, then a different course of action is required.

We are being invited to go deeper within and examine our motives for all our actions etc. 

This is where our spiritual life is a great blessing.

We come to realise that God is ever present with us.  We have the hosts of heaven on call!

Christ said, ' I am with you always...'

Life is both a challenge and a wonderful invitation to become more at one with God.

Perhaps it's when we are weakest that in truth we are strongest.

St. Paul reminds us, 'In my weakness, I found my strength.'

FRIENDS

It's important to have friends, good friends. people who encourage us to be the best we can be.

When it comes to the spiritual life, it's important to embrace the company of those who will help us to love God and grow in awareness of His love for us.

This can be a challenge as we may have good friends and yet they may not be enlightened or have awareness of God's Presence in our lives.

If this is so, then we have to let go of all and everyone who would distract or make less of our desire to love God.

It's sounds harsh and yet if we hold on to friends for friendship sake, even though they cannot help us in our spiritual need, then we do them and ourselves a dis-service.

Perhaps Shakesphere knew it all when he said,

 'To thy ownself be true and thou wilt not be false to anyone.' 

St. Julian of Norich is quoted as saying, ' All is well, all is LOVE.'

The Gentle Art of Loving...

The Gentle Art of Loving teaches us how to be happy and content with who we are.
We live in an exciting and complex world where we are invited to love above all else.
The challenge is always there to choose to be a lover / a giver / a carer.
We may not always succeed and yet we can always try.
Mistakes will be made as we are human and prone to fail at times. No worries.
There is no greater strength in this world than LOVE.
Apply the gentle art of loving to all we do and say and are.
We will transform this wonderful world of ours and ourselves too.

Bantry Bay...

My friends and I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Bantry Bay.

We stayed in a camper at Eagle Point, Ballylicky, one of the best camping sites in west Cork with excellent facilities and enjoyed every minute of our short break.  

Ignoring the weather, we went swimming most mornings, encouraged by the fact that we had a hot shower waiting for us and a hot cuppa too!

.We opted for fun rather than waiting around for sunshine, which comes and goes at leisure.

Camping is a way of life for a lot of people with a love for being outdoors.  Sometimes a little hardship offers us a sense of freedom to step away from the normal way of life where clocks dictate what we ought to do and be etc.

A trip to Bantry town is like going to meet new friends and have a ball!

The town is tourist friendly and so there is always a willingness to provide information and opportunities to relax and enjoy oneself.

St. Finbar's Church is a delight to visit and admire the wonderful stained-glass windows of our Celtic saints. Church services are available daily.

Bantry House is a trip into the past, revealing the history of life when once a residence of nobility.

The gardens are wonderfully maintained and a trip through the rose garden fills the senses with delicate perfume.

We enjoyed having a cuppa in the Tea room, filled with thoughts of Agatha Christie stories as our  imagination filled in the mysteries.

Another special treat was morning coffee and scones in Seaview Manor House where we were received like royalty.
Ah, Bantry is a great place, blessed with wonderful scenery and people.

ple.

Family Spirit

I visited my brother Liam,  yesterday and we had the opportunity (almost a miracle) to say hello to my sister Mairead, who is a missionary sister in Pakistan.

It was as if she was in the room with us. I was almost beside myself with delight and we chatted and she sends her love to all and asks for prayers for all the poor people who need help.

Afterwards, I found myself thinking of her and where she lives and how different our lives are.

Her main concern is to be able to help the poor and to love God's Will.

I wonder if doing God's Will is foremost in my life.  So easy to be distracted by the world we live in.

Yet I find encouragement in reading the life of St. Therese, the little flower.

All that we do can be an act of love.  It's our intention that God looks at with kindness and compassion.

Perhaps we are all called to have a family spirit and a willingness to see those we live with and those we know as our extended family. This way we will be moved by love towards everybody. 

SPACE INSIDE

Last night we had the SPACE INSIDE Arts Evening where local talents are invited to share their creative gifts with others. Being June and the last night of the season, it was held on the roof of the Wicklow Sailing Club.

It was a beautiful evening of sunshine and wonderful setting when the sun went down and filled the sky with golden rays behind the clouds.

Next time we'll add a heater to compensate for the loss of sun at evening's end.

It was a magical evening, filled with creative minds adding their talents of poetry and music which was enjoyed by all present.

One can imagine our Creator being pleased by this share of talents from old and young.

In a way, it's only when we share our gifts that they have a chance to develop and shine.

A grateful thanks to all who took part and also those who added their encouragement by coming to listen to the music and poetry..

We now look forward to October and the next round of the SPACE INSIDE ARTS CLUB.

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A Fresh start...

Each day we have the opportunity to start fresh and make a good effort to be a better and hopefully wiser person.

We know ourselves to a certain extent, and yet, do we?

Can we truly say that we are the 'master of our ship'?

Self knowledge comes at a price; our willingness to be an honest person.

To make a fresh start means a willingness to get rid of all and everything that holds us back from being true to ourselves and others.

A fresh start begins with spending time each day, even a few minutes, reflecting on who we are and why we are who we are.

Let's do it.

The BIG brother!

Perhaps his size helped us to realise that he was the big brother.

You didn't mess with him, that's for sure.

Then when daddy died he became the Biggest brother, the MAN of the house.

We needed him and he was always there for us, maybe not always the way we liked it, yet he became our ROCK and we learned to be happy again and manage life.

Mammy appreciated him being around for her and for us. She was hurting, missing the man of her life, so it was good to have another man to step in and keep the family on track.

We managed well and we are most grateful for our BIG brother LIAM, God bless him always.

Be a Shining Light...

When we think of people who have put their heart and soul into what they do, then we have someone who is willing to be a shining light for others

We may imagine that success is what life is all about, yet we can be wrong in our understanding of what it takes to be successful. .

Being able to apply ourselves to our role in life, whatever it might be, is what true success is all about. 

To be a shining light requires sincerity and dedication and plenty of enthusiasm.

Let your Light shine!

Creative Mind

Being Creative comes easily for some people.  They look at a tree or flower or a person and suddenly a poem or story comes to mind.

For others, even putting pen to paper is a challenge.  We live in the same world, often the same family and yet we can be of such a different mind-set.

Perhaps it's all to do with how passionate we are about what we love.

The person who loves nature will often travel to far-away places and think nothing of the hardships involved in the journey they undertake.

It can be a good exercise to look at ourselves and discover what we are passionate about.

What am I most passionate about?

Our creative mind is a tool we can use to know ourselves better.

I read a little story about an American woman who took up painting at the ripe old age of seventy.

She had a love for nature and expressed that love in her pictures of American farm life.

They called her Granma Moses and her paintings are now of great value.

Whatever we do out of love will always bear positive fruit.

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Make the best of it!

It can happen that we are surprised and even disappointed with what people do and say.  Perhaps they too can feel the same about us.

We are living in a wonderful world and yet full of imperfections especially from human weaknesses and decision-making that is flawed with lack of fore-sight.

If only we could be perfect and full of wisdom, yet we are tripped up so many times by our lack of awareness etc.

God is perfect and yet He allows us to make mistakes, often big ones and still He loves us.

In our efforts to be a spiritual person we can learn so much from the life of Christ; how to behave and become a more loving and compassionate person.

Perhaps if could allow ourselves to be a student of life and take on Christ as our mentor, then this wonderful world of ours will be safe and we will be happy.

HUMILITY

 Humility to be a perfect state of grace where a soul is totally united to doing God's Will.

However, for many of us that may be the exception rather than the rule.

God endows on us with humility when we do His Will, perhaps not perfectly, yet with a good heart..

It's good to look at the lives of the saints and find out how they managed to put God before all else.

They lived like us, either in communities or families, with basic needs to work and eat and develop themselves in becoming a loving person.

What has made them special is their desire to love God and do God's Will as they believed it to be in their daily lives.

We have a guide-line from the teachings of Christ... "How can you say you love God whom you don't see, if you cannot love your neighbour whom you do see..."

LOVE is the key.

Hail Mary...

Today, 1st of May is a day chosen by us to renew our True Devotion to Mary, our Mother.

This involves a promise to become Mary's willing servant and promote a love for her Son, Jesus.

We set up an alter to Mary, adorned with flowers and each of us in the Servants of Love took our turn to read out our renewed dedication to practise True Devotion to Mary.

All over the world there are shrines dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. This is a miracle in itself that God chooses to send His Mother to help us on our home journey to be with Him.

What a lovely thought that is, we are on a journey to be with He who loves us, forever. 

We may be saints in the making with still a good way to go, yet we have Mary's promise that she will be with us, guiding and encouraging us along the way.

What could be better than that...  Hail Mary, full of grace...

Do the best we can...

Of late, we are made aware of terrible happenings and earthquakes in our world.

People are suffering and unable to cope so we are asked to do what we can and so we will.

If we can do the best we can, not just now when we hear of sufferings around the world, yet also when we are here in our own little world.

We meet and greet neighbours and friends and diligently do our daily work whatever it might be.

Perhaps there is more, a direct invitation from on High.

We are asked to LOVE and there is no time out to the call to love which can happen when perhaps we have other plans in mind.

Never mind.  If God wants us to do something and respond to an invitation in the present moment, then He will also provide the grace to do so.

Our good will gives us the 'energy' to respond to love at all times.

Look to God...

There are times when we may seem to be falling apart.  Dreams and aspirations just seem to crumble into dust...

These are precious times, not for our pride, yet so necessary for our Faith.

Where we might have been able to hold our own with others, we now feel like a fragile glass, about to crash to pieces.  Fear will probably jump in and tell us we are having a nervous breakdown...

Pay no attention to all these fearful thoughts.

God loves us and is able to show His love more so when we are weak and feeling helpless.

The solution lies in our ability to trust in God's love for us.

We are not being asked to become Giants, able to carry the world on our shoulders.

The invitation is a simple one. 

Become as a child. Allow our Father to look after us.

Look to God...

Thank you...

Two simple words that can mean the world to the receiver.
Thank you for writing / for helping / for caring.
Sometimes it's just a 'thank you' smile that does the trick, yet words are powerful.
A good exercise to practise is to focus on how many times we remember to say, Thank you.
Our neighbour will be the richer and of course we will be too.
Also, remember to say Thank You to our Creator,  Thank You God for caring for me.