SUNSHINE and SHOWERS

Seems strange when one is in Gran Canary where sunshine can be taken for granted, to mention showers.

Yet there is an analogy attached to linking sunshine and showers.

Sunshine we love / Shower we may not love.

As in life, we love all the good things that spoil us and make us feel special.

Then a little pain of sorts comes our way and we may feel our world has crumbled to pieces.

Its great to be happy, yet also good to have things happen that make us sad.

This way we learn to balance our lives and our acceptance of life in general.

We become a more rounded person, able and also willing to carry our daily cross; small or big.

With Christian thinking we learn to see that the Cross is a sign of Hope.

Be Ready for Change...

When Change happens, we can be upset and feel insecure in many ways.

It's okay to feel things, yet also wise to realise that often feelings are just feelings and not reality.

That's why it's such a good thing to be ready for change / embrace the changes that happen to us.

It could be a new job / new place / health issues etc.

So many happenings in this fragile world of ours and yet we can be happy and strong too.

Our attitude to change makes us either strong or weak.

Embrace change and we become a better and more rounded person.

Why be afraid ? 

We have no power over the future, except that we can adapt to change and make life interesting too.

When we are faced with something that could be a worry; take a moment and consider how we can

change our attitude.

A positive outlook opens us up to all the new possibilities that surround us.

This is great. Now we can step forward and embrace whatever changes that take place in our lives.

Embrace Change!

Happy am I...

What a wonderful thing it is to be happy.
Am I happy?  What makes me happy?
These questions can help us to realise our value-system.
I believe most of us know what makes us happy, yet we may not want to pay the price.
I'm happy when I am a loving, caring person.
I'm unhappy when I am wrapped up in myself and forget about others.
Therefore, it's easy to see just how much we know how to be happy.
Let's pay the price, then we can say...  Happy am I...

Happy, Healthy and Holy New Year!

When we begin a New Year we can be full of new ideas and aspirations as to

 how we can become a better, more rounded person.

This is good, yet often falls away, in time, as a lot of good intentions do.

Therefore I'd like to suggest to myself and all who might be interested...

Be HAPPY, HEALTHY and HOLY this wonderful New Year 2014.

Three words to guide and encourage.

Happy...     What makes me happy?

Healthy...   What keeps me healthy?

Holy...        What guides me on my spiritual journey?

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

Last night, myself and friends went for our midnight walk in Glendalough.

The purpose was simply to prepare ourselves for Christmas; to gain an awareness of the coming of the
Infant Child.

The evening was cold, yet it was a beautiful night with the sky speckled with stars.

I walked as best I could, up past the waterfall and then we stopped at the seat over-looking the
Upper Lake.

All was still, with lights from distant houses adding a mystery to the darkness.

We began the journey back to the car, reciting the Rosary and then paused in silence as we stopped at the Lake-side and listened to the sounds and marveled at the star-filled sky.

The cold of the evening only added to the delight we felt as we reached our destination.

Christmas is a time for Peace and Good Will. 

How wonderful it is to have the image of the Christ-Child coming to us in such a simple and vulnerable way.

At times we need to contemplate this amazing Mystery of the birth of the Infant Child.

POVERTY and RICHES

Coming up to Christmas is a reminder of Poverty and Riches.

There is a hunger for material goods and comfort and such like.

This is good as we are meant to look out for one another and share as best we can the riches we possess.

Yet, there is more, much more to focus on at this Holy Season.

We are faced with the Truth of God, who is the Creator of the Universe, becoming a pauper.

In the Person of Christ, we have the story of Christmas, where the Christ-Child comes into this world of ours, poor and vulnerable; a new-born babe.

His holy mother, Mary and St. Joseph find themselves homeless. They is no room for them anywhere.

Someone takes pity on them and they are guided to a stable where they at least have shelter.The animals there provide some form of warmth from the cold.

Here, the Christ-Child is born and laid in a manger filled with straw.

We have the story of an Angel appearing to shepherds and directing them to where the Christ-Child lay. 

Was food provided for Mother and Child?  No doubt human kindness stepped in.
What a wonderful, splendid night!

Poverty is presented to us, cloaked in Riches beyond our imagination.. 

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The Season of Good Will

Now that Christmas is just around the corner, it's good to reflect on what is needed to enter into the Spirit of Christmas.
This is a Season of Good Will where we aim to show our interest and love for one another.
We send gifts and we show we care by sharing ourselves, our company and friendship.

God knows we care, yet often our interest and compassion for each other is buried under a mountain of worries and cares that keep us tied down, unable to move forward.
That's why this Season of Good Will helps us to surmount our difficulties and reach out to each other with love and gratitude for this great Love that God shows us, becoming a little Child.
This is our chance to show our love for this wonderful Christ Child!