CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

We had a good discussion this morning at table about life and loving and especially what St. Therese has shared with us about how to love.

She believed that God desires us to love Him with all our heart, soul and mind.

To have confidence to the point of boldness in the Love that God has for us.

Such a wonderful thought to carry with us through the day, especially in our preparations for Christmas.

To have a true Christmas spirit depends on so many efforts on our part.

Being happy is a good start and then dealing with whatever is or may cause us to be unhappy.

To have confidence to the point of boldness is a good challenge to take with us each day as we prepare for the birth of Christ.

God is willing to give Himself to us in the form of an innocent baby, dependent on his loving mother and human nature to protect him.

We may experience good moments with our celebrations of Christmas and maybe some moments that challenge us to become better than we are.

How wonderful to gift ourselves with the innocence of Christ!

Searching for Beauty...

With Christmas glitter all around and shops full of beautiful gifts, a trip to town

can be a pleasure and also a temptation.

This happened to me today as I sauntered along O'Connell street and marveled at the invitations that came from all quarters, beautiful clothes / beautiful shoes / beautiful books...

Had I a need for something?  This question guided me and protected me as I felt tempted, then realized my needs were of a simple nature and easily fulfilled.

My desire for artistic beauty began with a visit to St. Andrews Church, just beside the dart station in Westland Row.  The building itself is a work of art and the paintings high up on the walls are to be admired if one could get close enough to see their beauty.  Most of all, the Church is open to the public and Mass is celebrated every day.

My next pleasure was a walk through Merrion Park, a quick visit and yet so peaceful even without the display of flowers that decorate the park in the summer.

By now my natural desire for a lovely warm cup of coffee to sustain me on a winter, wet and windy day was found in the Cafe in the Natural Art Gallery, capped by the company of my friend and cousin, Carmel.  

I talk and she listens and I listen and she talks and our strong friendship is being renewed.  Perhaps this is the best pleasure of all.

Of course, one doesn't go into the Art Gallery without availing of a peek at the artistic treasures contained therein. Even a few minutes can be enough to come away with a small treasure, a postcard of one of the famous paintings.

Braving the rain and winter weather, I managed a stroll through Trinity and a peek into Pennys for a bargain  and a visit to the GPO to see the display of lights and animal figures and the moving Crib.  A few stamps to buy and cards to post and my day in Dublin was complete.

A short wait in the rain for my bus home and so glad was I to say farewell to Baile Ath Cliath. 

Our Lady of the Positive

Listening to a Meditation tape this morning, I became aware of the truth that the Mother of God, our Lady is the best example of One who is Positive.

There are so many titles given to our Lady and perhaps the best one of all is to call her Our Lady of the Positive.

Whenever our Lady appeared on this earth ( and some believe this happens all the time) She always presented her message with great love and respect for those she spoke to, with a truly positive spirit.

I visited Fatima last year and was so impressed by the Faith of the people of Portugal and all the visitors from around the world, how drawn they were to the Mother of God who spoke to three little children and encouraged them to pray.

'Pray often, pray well'

What a positive world we could live in, if we pray often and follow the example of Our Lady of the Positive.

(Crib in GPO)

A Creative Mind

Being Creative is a wonderful way to express ourselves and experience the Joy of having a creative mind.

There are so many ways in which we can be creative and it's important for us to discover the way that draws us and fills us with passion and life!

For myself, I love Creative Writing and all the different ways that one can express oneself.

I like to write Plays and Stories with humour and meaning, developing characters that can express life in modern settings and even move readers to laughter and tears.

One of my brothers loves to write Poetry and has a natural flair for so doing, and enjoys the work involved in giving time to writing.

I would encourage people to put pen to paper and allow their 'inner-child' to tell a tale and in so doing be moved by whatever comes to mind.

The beauty of Creative Writing is found in each present moment. 

Perhaps tomorrow we will find ourselves being inspired in a totally different way.  What an adventure this can be.

Let's surprise ourselves, being in the flow of inspiration and the wonderful Joy that follows.

Joyful, yet sad...

Last night I attended the celebration of Mass in Wicklow Gaol.

A nice crowd of people came and we were entertained with lovely, prayerful  music.

The purpose of the Mass was to help us remember all the poor souls who spent time in the Gaol and perhaps even died there, so many years ago.

One old lady was ninety years old and it was recorded that she had failed to pay her tax.  Perhaps, whole families lived there and young children, begging or stealing food because they were hungry.  

Hard to believe nowadays that people died of hunger and yet on my visit to Dublin the day before, I witnessed a young girl with a sign 'I'm hungry. Please help me.'  

The Gaol is a sad place and yet there was somehow an atmosphere of Joy.

In the spiritual world we learn to know that there are many Holy Souls who would love us to pray for them and they can play a part in our lives too. 

Little Things mean a lot...

Sometimes, little things become big things, at least in our minds and suddenly,  life become difficult and we are no longer happy.

Perhaps it's only acute awareness of what matters most that will protect us from taking ourselves and life in general too seriously.

When difficulties come along as they will, we find ourselves challenged, that's a good time to reflect for a moment and count our blessings.

If we can make a habit of counting our blessings, then we become able to cope with all that comes our way.

It's a good game to play with ourselves and reflect on how we respond to the many invitations we receive.

Minimize the hurts and Magnify the blessings we receive each day, then truly 

Little things will mean a lot!

Veronica at RDS SHOW!

Eager to Love...

For all who believe in Creation, we know we are created to love and be guided through life by Love.

Believing this, does not necessarily prompt us to love.

Of course, we all want to love and be loved and this spiritual longing within us is also a very natural feeling.  It insures that we are open to love / open to others and open to becoming a loving person.

Perhaps our best encouragement comes from our desire to be happy and also to make others happy.

What better environment can we be in than one where we are surrounded by positive, smiling faces.  Then love comes easily.

However, this is not always the case.  We can experience times in our lives where even smiling can be difficult. Life becomes a big challenge and we may not have answers to our difficulties.

What can we do?

The answer is a simple one, Put Love First!

Whatever the cost, be eager and willing to love.

Develop this awareness of needing to love and become eager to love.

They say God loves a good trier and so does the world at large.

Be eager to love and step by step, watch all problems disappear.