The Very Inspirational Nick Vujicic

H/T to Kathleen

Several Ways to Make Yourself Miserable

1. Count your troubles, name them one by one--at the breakfast table, if anybody will listen, or as soon as possible thereafter.
2. Worry every day about something. Don't let yourself get out of practice. It won't add a cubit to your stature but it might burn a few calories.
3. Pity yourself. If you do enough of this, nobody else will have to do it for you.

You can read the rest here.

A Silent Sermon

Thank you Fr. Vince I.

Sometimes, the best sermon is a silent sermon. St. Francis reminds us: Preach the Gospel, sometimes use words.

“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.” -Saint Francis

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, suddenly stopped coming to church. After a few weeks, the Pastor decided to visit.

The Pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.

Guessing the reason for his Pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the Pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone.

Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and lifeless. The Pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave, he slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the Pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."

We live in a world today which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.

No Greater Love

Thank you Fr. Vince I. for sharing.

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying:
'Take good care of your eyes, my dear for before they were yours, they were mine.'

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Michael Dubriel's Last Column

Like I wrote in my comment to his wife Amy Welborn, it was very unselfish of her that in her grief, she would share his column with her readers. It is truly poignant and touching. Please read it.

The Last Column

A Christian

Several years ago, a priest was transferred to a distant village church in his diocese. Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his church to the nearest town. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.

As he considered what to do, he told himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.'

Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company makes huge profits; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.'

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change. '

The driver, with a smile, replied, 'You are the new priest in the village, right?'

'Yes' he replied.

'Well, I have lately been thinking a lot about going somewhere to pray. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you extra change. You'll see me at church on Sunday.'

When the priest stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh God, I almost sold You for a quarter!'

Thanks to Madalena for sharing.

Stone Soup for God's Children

Our mom used to tell us lots of stories when we were little. This was one of my favorite stories.

Once upon a time, there was a famine in the land. People hoarded their food and hid it from neighbours and friends. One day, a stranger arrived in the village, all hungry and dishevelled. He went from door to door looking for someone to receive him and for something to eat. One after the other, the villagers told him they too were starving and so could not help him.

It was not until he reached the last house in the village that the poor woman who lived there told him that all she had left was water but he was welcome to share the water. He said that was more than enough. Then he told her that he had a magic stone with which he could make enough soup to feed the whole village. The starving old woman was excited and went to alert her neighbours. The stranger filled a large pot with the water and threw a round shiny stone into it. Villagers supplied the firewood and surrounded the large cooking pot to see the miracle of the Stone Soup.

The Stone Soup cooked and the hungry villages waited. Then the stranger tasted the cooking soup and said loudly, "Ahhh!, I love this Stone Soup. Of course, Stone Soup with a little cabbage is hard to beat." Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a cabbage he had retrieved from its hiding place. He gave it to the stranger to add to the pot. "Wonderful!" cried the stranger, "I once had some Stone Soup with cabbage which had some onions in it that made it fit for a king!" Soon a second villager appeared with some onions and garlic for the soup. On and on he went, through "If only we had a few potatoes...How wonderful it might be with a couple of carrots" and so on. At last, there was a delicious meal for all.

The villagers offered the stranger a great deal of money for the magic stone, but he refused to sell it and travelled on the next day. He probably made Stone Soup at the next village, too. Soon the famine ended but the people of the village never forgot about the finest soup they ever had.

When each of us contributes a little, we can feed the whole world village.

Fr Ernest Munachi Ezeogu

Shared by Sue

Food for Thought - The Window

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.

'That laundry is not very clean', she said. 'She doesn't know how to wash correctly.

Perhaps she needs better laundry soap'

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

'Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?'

The husband said, 'I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.'

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

Thanks to Layla.

Day-After Reflection

This morning while meditating on the Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, it dawned on me that we should not be discouraged because this world isn't our real home. It is Heaven that is our real home. This is just a way station until God calls us home.

God confirmed that thought by the reflection in today's Mass readings in the Magnificat magazine.

Earth is slipping away and heaven is drawing near....St. Theophane Venard.

A Profile in Courage

Homily by Rev. Noah Waldman

The following is an excerpt:

...Our Lord asks us to follow him not only in word and promise, but in deed and action, even when that action requires heroic courage. In this regard I would like to speak about a hero of mine: Michael Cardinal von Faulhaber, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Munich from 1917 to his death in 1952. (As an interesting side note, the last man Faulhaber was to ordain to the priesthood was one Joseph Ratzinger, our present Holy Father.)

As you might imagine, the years between 1933 and 1945, marked by the reign of Hitler, were especially difficult for Faulhaber. However, rather than choose to remain quiet out of fear of the Nazis, Faulhaber instead chose courage. At every opportunity, he spoke out against the crimes of the Nazis, on occasion risking his own life to do so.

His Advent sermons of 1933, delivered in the vast Munich Cathedral, the Frauenkirche, drew thousands of Munich citizens—standing room only—who came to listen to the Cardinal fearlessly challenge National Socialism, to assert the rights and freedoms of the Catholic Church, and to call for the protection of the Jewish People...

Shared by Sue

God Given Thorns

Shared by Sue

Strange gift indeed – a thorn to prick,
To pierce unto the very quick,
To cause perpetual sense of pain;
Strange gift! And yet, was given for gain.

Unwelcome, but it came to stay;
Nor could it e’en be prayed away.
It came to fill its God-planned place –
A life-enriching means of grace.

O much-tried soul, with fainting heart,
The thorn with its abiding smart,
With al its wearing, ceaseless pain,
Can be the means of priceless gain.

And so whate’er thy thorn may be,
From God accept it willingly;
But recon Christ, His life, His power,
To keep thee in the trying hour.

And sure – thy life will richer grow;
His grace sufficient will bestow;
And in heaven’s morn thy joy will be
That by this thorn He strengthened thee.

I Resign too

Marie posted this on View from the Pews

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult.

I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities

of an 8 year old again.

I want to go to Subway and think that it's a four star restaurant

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and

make ripples with rocks.

I want to think M&M's are better than money because

you can eat them.

I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade

stand with my friends on a hot summer day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple.

When all you knew were colours, multiplication tables

and nursery rhymes,

but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didnt care.

All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of

all the things that should make you worried or upset.

That everyone is good and honest.

I want to believe that anything is possible.

I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and

be overly excited by the little things.

I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news.

I want to believe in the power of a smile, of hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace and dreams.

The imagination, and making angels in the snow, of seeing rainbows, jumping in puddles & dancing in the rain.

So...here's my checkbook and my car keys, my credit cards and all my responsibility.

I have officially resigned from adulthood.

If you want this too then you'll have to catch me first

'Cause...

"Tag! You're it!"


Anon

Just Do Something

I once stopped behind several cars in an intersection. The winter weather was icy cold and a strong arctic wind blew relentlessly. Ahead
of me a young woman stood alongside the street rubbing her bare hands together and dancing in place to keep warm. Beside her rested a sign that read, "I have a baby and no food." She was obviously crying, likely from the pain of the cold wind.

Homeless and unemployed people are a common sight in many of our larger cities, and most motorists drive by without offering
assistance. They have no doubt been taught that giving money fosters a dependent lifestyle, or the ready cash may be used to purchase
alcohol or another substance rather than the food it was intended for. Like me, they may have been taught that one should give to a
local charity or through one's church, as these institutions can help those in need far more effectively.

This, of course, is true, but I am reminded of the college students who encountered a homeless man on the sidewalk. One of the students took a couple of dollars from his wallet and handed it to the unfortunate stranger. His friend commented, "Why did you do that? He's just going to spend it on booze or drugs." The student answered, "Yeah...like we're not!"

As I waited for the light to turn, I felt conflicted about that young woman. Whether or not I should give money, she was obviously in need. And whether or not she actually had a baby really didn't seem to matter. I gave up guessing people's motives and analyzing their
stories long ago. It was cold. She was cold. And she obviously felt she had to be there.

What should I do? Give her money? What was best? As I wrestled with these questions, the window rolled down from the car in front of me and a hand shot out holding a warm pair of gloves. The driver took her own gloves off and gave them to the shivering woman. I saw the young woman mouth the words "Thank you" as a broad smile lit up her face.

As I debated, somebody else helped. As I hesitated, somebody else acted. As I tried to decide the BEST way to assist, somebody else
just did what she could. As I did nothing, she did something. I made myself a pledge that day to always do SOMETHING.

Whether it is big or small, just do something. Something is almost always better than nothing!

Inspired Unknown Author

Story of a Book Cover

Ed shares the story of his son and a very special book cover

A Lesson in Encouragement

I am sharing with you this because it a something my son often tells me...that he needs to hear encouragement from both his father and me.

ECHOES OF KIND WORDS

A little boy said to his father, "Let's play darts. I'll throw the darts and you say, `Wonderful!'"

Here is a boy who was not afraid to ask for the encouragement he needs. Maybe we all have something to learn from him!

Fr. Brian Cavanaugh, relates a story about the devastating effects of discouragement. Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the famous 19th Century poet and artist, was once approached by an elderly man who asked him to look at a few of his sketches and drawings. The gentleman wanted to know if the artist thought they were of any value.

As gently as possible, Rossetti told the man that the sketches were of no value and showed little talent. He apologized for the harsh assessment but said that he believed he should be honest.

The visitor was disappointed but asked the artist if he could take a look at just a few more, which were all done by a young art student. Rossetti looked over the second batch of sketches and immediately became enthusiastic over the talent they revealed. "These," he said, "oh, these are good." He went on to say that the young student shows much promise and should be given every help and encouragement, as he may have a great future if he will study and work hard.

The old man was deeply moved. Rossetti asked, "Who is this fine, young artist? Your son?"
"No," replied the visitor sadly. "It is I - forty years ago. If only I had heard your praise then. For you see, I became discouraged and gave up too soon."

Mother Teresa wisely said, "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." Sometimes it may be enough to just say, "Wonderful!"

Shared by Sue

Reminder

A Thought to Ponder

Shared by Norine.

Be patient with the faults of others; They have to be patient with yours.

Acts of Kindness During Tough Hawaii Economic Times

I would like to share the following article with you. I am posting it here with the author's permission. It originally appeared in the Hawaii Reporter

How To Make A Difference In Hawaii's Tough Economic Times
By Daniel de Gracia, II, 7/13/2008 5:23:04 PM

Fifty-three years to this date on July 11, 1955, the 84th Congress of the United States passed H.R. 619 as Public Law 140, an act "to provide that all United States currency shall bear the inscription of 'In God We Trust.'"

Today, as our dollar continues to lose ground to the Euro and the price of petroleum drives higher and higher the cost of services and products, more than ever that motto rings true for the elderly, the retired on fixed incomes, and those with low paying jobs struggling to make ends meet.

We are living in tough economic times and more and more people are becoming calloused and bitter in their outlook towards themselves and others. This is not an easy time to work, live, and play, but if you ask me, it is an outstanding opportunity for us to learn what it means to be a human being and to make a difference by showing generosity and compassion to those in need around us.

Just a few weeks ago while I was pumping gas into my Toyota at a Kunia gas station near my house, a young man approached me and said, "Excuse me. My car is right over there, and I ran out of gas.

Can you please spot me some cash so I can make it home?" Without hesitation, I reached into wallet, gave him half of all of my cash and wished him good luck. The man was shaken that I had done such a thing so reflexively and without any hesitation that as he went to pre-pay for his gasoline, he almost looked like he was going to cry.

That incident, as strange as it was, was not the only time something like that has happened to me: on two other occasions random people have approached me asking for help in paying for gasoline, and countless other times people have walked right up to me asking for money in general, only to be surprised when I give them a wad of cash in return.

The principle that I exercise every time someone asks me for help is this: how would I feel if I was in the unenviable position of having to ask for favor from a total stranger? When I find myself realizing that I'd be sweating it out hoping they don't say no, I make it a point to live my life as best as possible with an attitude of "Yes!" towards my fellow man. I don't like to be told no, so I always make it a point - as is possible or practical - to tell others "Yes!" when they ask for my help.

The fact of the matter is that no matter what is going on in the world around us, generosity enables us to change the world for good. Last week, one of my friends was fired from one of his two Honolulu jobs (he had one to pay rent, one to pay for food) and so, because he needed someone to complain to, I decided to take him to the Oceanarium Restaurant at the Pacific Beach Hotel.

As we arrived, there was absolutely no parking available, so we had to park at the metered stalls at the zoo instead. My friend who was in an already agitated mood from being fired watched with annoyance as he saw Honolulu Police Department officers marching up and down the rows administering tickets to anyone whose time had expired. "I can't believe that they're [expletive] doing that now," he said.

At first I tried to reassure him that HPD was just doing their job, but then I realized that this was an outstanding opportunity to demonstrate to my friend how generosity can change any situation.

Since I carry quite a few quarters in my car from the regular need of having to park at the State Capitol or other government buildings, once I paid for my own meter, I immediately took as many quarters as I could get and walked from meter to meter, dropping in quarters for anyone's car who was about to get ticketed by the HPD for being in the red (or close to it).

You can imagine the looks we got from people who saw me checking each meter individually to see how much time was left, but I was not ashamed. When I was finished, I told my friend that the action we had done had turned a negative into a positive. My friend, now deeply surprised by what he had seen, agreed that we had done something that took us from being out of control to being in control.

Some of you might recall from Sunday school a story of a certain man who, knowing that he was going to lose his job, started contacting all of his company's clients and either reduced or canceled out completely their outstanding balance of debts in the hope that people would remember his generosity in his time of need and welcome him with open arms (Luke 16:1-9). There's a lot of practical applicability of that story to our lives, and what it means for us is that we need to be seeker-friendly to those who come to us in need, because we ourselves never know when we'll be out looking for help.

If you're waiting for our State Legislature or our Federal Government to come in and reverse the economic crisis, as the saying goes, don't hold your breath: in this season of want, all we have is one another, and its time that we as a community band together and start looking for ways to help one another. The issue here is not distribution of money but rather the distribution of mercy to those who are in need.

I honestly believe with all my heart that working together, we can soften the blows of this difficult time and use it as a pretext to get closer to our neighbors and sow the seeds of aloha. In this world, what we do for ourselves dies with us, but what we do for others and the world is something that lives forever. Meeting each other's needs is an important part of being human and staying human.

One of the Scriptures that I live by is found in Ephesians 6:8 which says, "whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord" (KJV). Said another way: what goes around, comes around. If you see people in need and you have the power to help them, help them out, because you never know when you'll need assistance in another area of life. I truly believe that as we give into other people's lives, we will receive back into our own lives in all the areas that we lack in. So until this crisis is over, my advice to all of you is this: give, keep on giving, and you shall receive.

Daniel de Gracia, II lives in Waipahu. Reach him at mailto:daniel.p.degracia@gmail.com

Words of Wisdom

Shared by my good friend Laura.

"Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

A sharp tongue can cut my own throat.

If I want my dreams to come true, I mustn't oversleep.

Of all the things I wear, my expression is the most important.

The best vitamin for making friends.... B1.

The happiness of my life depends on the quality of my thoughts.

The heaviest thing I can carry is a grudge.

One thing I can give and still keep...is my word.

I lie the loudest when I lie to myself.

If I lack the courage to start, I have already finished.

One thing I can't recycle is wasted time.

Ideas won't work unless ' I ' do.

My mind is like a parachute...it functions only when open.

The 10 commandments are not a multiple choice.

The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime! It is never too late to become what I might have been.

Easter Spring Cleaning

I don't know about you but I started cleaning our home in time for Easter. Well, actually I did want to get rid of clutter but I also promised my DH that if we could keep the new kitten we took in, I would get rid of a lot of unused stuff. More on the kitten later.

This is a good time to clean out closets and donate to a worthy organization like the Salvation Army. Not only is our home beginning to look like we have more room but it also gives us a chance of reflecting that we shouldn't be attached to material things but instead we should be attached more to our loving God.

My friend Barb also shared the following which I thought was a good reminder to me.

Monday Wash Day

Lord, help me wash away all

my selfishness and vanity,

so I may serve you with

perfect humility through the week ahead.

Tuesday Ironing Day

Dear Lord, help me iron out

all the wrinkles of prejudice

I have collected through the years

so that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday Mending Day

O God, help me mend my ways

so I will not set a bad example for others.

Thursday Cleaning Day

Lord Jesus, help me to dust out

all the many faults I have been hiding

in the secret corners of my heart.

Friday Shopping Day

O God, give me the grace to shop wisely

so I may purchase eternal happiness

for myself and all others in need of love.

Saturday Cooking Day

Help me, my Savior,

to brew a big kettle of brotherly love

and serve it with clean,

sweet bread of human kindness.

Sunday The Lord's Day

O God, I have prepared my house for you.

Please come into my heart so

I may spend the day and

the rest of my life in your presence.

If anyone knows the author, please let me know so I can give proper credit.