A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort

At easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships,

So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,

So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears

To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,

So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness

To believe that you can make a difference in the world,

So that you can do what others claim cannot be done,

To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

Top Ten Reasons Eve Was Created

Top Ten Reasons Eve Was Created

10. God was worried that Adam would frequently become lost in the garden because he would not ask for directions.

9. God knew that one day Adam would require someone to locate and hand him the remote.

8. God knew Adam would never go out and buy himself a new fig leaf when his wore out and would therefore need Eve to buy one for him.

7. God knew Adam would never be able to make a doctor's, dentist, or haircut appointment for himself.

6. God knew Adam would never remember which night to put he garbage on the curb.

5. God knew if the world was to be populated, men would never be able to handle the pain and discomfort of childbearing.

4. As the Keeper of the Garden, Adam would never remember where he left his tools.

3. Apparently, Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him hiding in the garden.

2. As the Bible says, It is not good for man to be alone!

1. When God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, scratched his head, and said, "I can do better than that.

Irish Blessing

"May the God of the misty dawn waken you,

May the God of the rising sun stir you up,

May the God of morning sky send you on your way,

May the God of noon-day stillness renew your strength,

May the God of afternoon bring you home,

May the God of sunset delight your eye,

May the God of twilight calm your nerves,

And may the God of dusk bring you peace.

And may God bless you,

The rising and the setting sun,

The Alpha and the Omega,

The Beginning and the end,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Fr. Andrew Greeley

A Pencil

A PENCIL MAKER TOLD THE PENCIL 5 IMPORTANT LESSONS JUST BEFORE PUTTING IT IN THE BOX.

1.) EVERYTHING YOU DO WILL ALWAYS LEAVE A MARK .

2.) YOU CAN ALWAYS CORRECT THE MISTAKES YOU MAKE.

3.) WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS WHAT IS INSIDE OF YOU.

4.) IN LIFE, YOU WILL UNDER GO PAINFUL SHARPENINGS, WHICH WILL ONLY MAKE YOU BETTER.

5.) TO BE THE BEST PENCIL, YOU MUST ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE HELD AND GUIDED BY THE HAND THAT HOLDS YOU.

We all need to be constantly sharpened. This parable may encourage you to know that you are a special person, with unique God-given talents and abilities. Only you can fulfill the purpose which you were born to accomplish. Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot be changed and, like the pencil, always remember that the most important part of who you are, is what's inside of you and then allow yourself to be guided and sharpened by the hand of God.

"God doesn't change us so He can love us, He loves us so He can change us" - Phil. 1:
Rosemary Westbrook

Prayer Before a Hurricane

Prayer Before a Hurricane
By Rick Hamlin, August 25, 2011

Lord, your world is a mighty thing.
The winds can blow
The rain can come down in torrents,
The land can flood.
To know you, Lord, is to know your power
And to remember your love
Which is more powerful.

We watch for the approaching storm.
We look at the images on TV, the web, the news.
We tune into experts who tell us when to go
Or where to stay.

We dash out to buy.
We empty supermarket shelves.
We board up, we batten down.
We want to be prepared
Even if we’re not sure for what.

We wonder if our fears have gotten the worst of us.
We know the alarmists have had a field day
But maybe they were right.
Unless there’s something bigger than fear
And bigger than winds and rain.

Finally all we can do is wait
Because to wait is to trust
And to trust is to know that in this world
There is no power that can separate us
From the power that is greater than us.

All will be well, we pray.
All will be well.

She Walks in Beauty by George Gordon

She Walks in Beauty
by George Gordon (Lord Byron)

1

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

2

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

3

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

A Dog called Faith

This dog was born on Christmas Eve in the year 2002. He was born with 2 legs -
He of course could not walk when he was born.
Even his mother did not want him.

His first owner also did not think that he could survive and he was thinking of 'putting him to sleep'.
But then, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted to take care of him.
She became determined to teach and train this little dog to walk by himself..

She named him 'Faith'.





In the beginning,
she put Faith on a surfboard
to let him feel the movement.
Later she used peanut butter
on a spoon as a lure and reward
for him for standing up and jumping around.
Even the other dog at home encouraged him to walk.
Amazingly, only after 6 months, like a miracle,
Faith learned to balance on his hind legs
and to jump to move forward.
After further training in the snow,
he could now walk like a human being.






Faith loves to walk around now.
No matter where he goes, he attracts people to him.
He is fast becoming famous
on the international scene and
has appeared on various newspapers and TV shows.
There is now a book entitled
'With a Little Faith' being published about him..
He was even considered
to appear in one of Harry Potter movies.






His present owner Jude Stringfellew has given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world
to preach that even
without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul'.

































In life there are always undesirable things,
so in order to feel better
you just need to look at life from another direction.
I hope this message will bring fresh new ways of thinking to everyone
and that everyone will appreciate
and be thankful for each beautiful day.
Faith is the continual demonstration
of the strength and wonder of life .