to have received these additional Award recognitions
from three fellow bloggers!!
(I am blushing to have been recognized by each of you!)
When receiving an Award in cyber-world you are asked to do several things:
*Once you are nominated, make a post thanking and linking the person(s) who nominated you!
*Include the Award sticker in the post too and be sure to answer the questions from your nominator(s)!
*Nominate 5 -10 other bloggers who you feel are worthy of this award!
*Lastly, COPY these rules in the post.
Darling Anand at blabberwockying! who tickles my toes, with his expansive prose & ability to welcome everyone in. I thank him gleefully, for thinking of lil’ ol’ mee-a-lee, and accept this award quite cheerfully!
Sweet, Sweet Pam who is at catchingmydrift had not one but two surprise Awards for me! Well, twiddle my thumbs, I am certainly over-come, by her fuzzy-warm-support of thee!
Last but never least Oneta at sweetaroma conjured up a delightful treat! She sifted & spun, through various chosen-ones, and declared my blog-site REAL NEAT!
A sampling of their questions I choose to do, & to share with you too, as they asked me to do:
From Pam
1.What makes you smile?When I see my children happy.
2. What is your best talent?I am the Principal of Fun School!
3. Movies or Theatre?Movies.
From Oneta
What are 5 facts about you?
I am a devote Roman Catholic. I am a rule-follower. I am extremely loyal. I am afraid of very blustery wind-storms. My ability to be free from hate. I have never had this sense of emotion and I feel it is a great grace God has given to me. (This is not to be confused with anger…which is a feeling that if not addressed can lead to hatred.)
From Anand
What do you want people to remember most about you after meeting you for the first time?My warm welcome & sincere interest to listen as you speak.
What do you like most about yourself?My passion regarding who I love & what I believe to be true.
What song makes you sing along out loud and/or break into dance? There are three… When I’m With You by JJ Heller (my ring tone on the alarm clock,) Move by MercyMe and…promise not to judge me but…Timber! by Pit Bull (best dance song to date and you can dance too if you just click play!)
hugs n’ blessings to my nominees!
(Please just pick 5 random questions to answer from above.)
It’s another Wednesday for Saint Maria Faustina KoWalska (what else,)
with a brief reflection on the Divine Mercy of God:
“Speaking of Christian mercy, we are referring to acts which are morally good. Theology not only describes human acts, but also gives the criteria for their moral evaluation. Action (also human thought) plays an extremely important role in every human life for it shapes and forms one’s personality and attitudes, and influences the development of one’s spiritual life, or does the opposite – humiliating or degrading a person, and inhibiting his or her development as a human being and as a Christian. It is actions that speak about who a person is; they influence one for good or evil; they reveal one’s similarity or dissimilarity to the image of the Son of God. Every action leaves a trace in man, multiplying or reducing the good; this is why human choices, decisions and actions are so extremely important.” Beauty and Richness of Mercy p.28
One of the many admirations I have for Saint Faustina (and truthfully ANY of the Saints) was her bravery. I marvel at the ability to act on the ‘Will of God’. There were critical moments, for all of them, to internally evaluate the choice God had presented. Each circumstance, different and unique in their own lived-out life; yet, each were called upon to make a Choice for themselves. And each, despite the doubt or difficulty involved, chose to take that brave step of trust!
God strummed upon their hearts in ways they eventually heard.
Have I been listening to the ways He has been speaking to my heart? These past two weeks God has presented me with 3 beautiful examinations (of conscious & heart,) to ponder. Each of the 3 have been a ticker-tape display of thoughts billowing down and around.
#1 As I volunteered in a Ministry I am a part of I pondered: Do I use the gifts/talents God has entrusted to my care? Do I use them wisely? Enough? Do I nurture them? Share them? Or have they grown stagnant? Do I bravely claim them, use them, and glorify only God through them?
#2 Came as a result of recently spending some beautiful time with the relics of Saint Maria Goretti. Her relics are currently on a tour throughout the United States for the first time as a Pilgrimage of Mercy, and Cuppycake & I spent some time with her during the scheduled stop in Columbus, Ohio. (Amazingly our daughter also shared in this grace when her parish in Chantilly, Va hosted St. Maria’s relics & also our eldest son as her remains made their way to Atlanta!) She is The Patron Saint of Purity and Forgiveness: Have I forgiven all the harm done to me? To my loved ones? Have I forgiven myself for the ways I’ve failed to be His representative? Am I pure in thought and deed toward others and self? Do all my actions represent pure intention of glorifying only Him?
#3 While at a movie theatre viewing WOODLAWN: (God can be so imaginative and present Himself just about anywhere our hearts have been left open.) Several lines strummed my heart-strings but it all began with, “Sometimes old dreams must die for new ones to begin.”What HAVE I been dreaming of, Lord? Have I held on too long to dreams not meant to be fulfilled? Have I missed the ones You desire for me to complete? Will I trust you enough to believe this messy, sometimes cruel, all-the-while wonderful life You have given me has been a portion of what is necessary, to reach “The Real Dream” of being with You one day in Heaven?
And suddenly I feel brave.
Because My heart sums it all up for me…
#1 Love what has been given to you.(For if YOU love who God has created you to BE…gifts, lumps, bumps & all…you will generously give yourself away…unapologetically!!) Because God must love it…it was His GIFT for you!
#2 Love beyond measure.(Thoughts but especially deeds and no matter the cost to you! God will never forget what you have forgiven.)
#3 Above all things…Love!(Even that which dies away must be cherished and loved for it has brought you to where you stand today. And it is what will lead you to where you wish to go…)
And so, I have written this 5 word message in my phone to look at in those moments I lack courage…
“Today I will be brave!”
Won’t you join me?
hugs n’ blessings to everyone stepping into their brave shoes!
Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours today was a beautiful affirmation He is speaking, (as He does everyday)…
and bravely I practiced listening!
“My commandment is this: love one another as I have loved you.” ~Antiphon 1
“There is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends.” ~ Antiphon 2
“You are my friends, says the Lord, if you do what I command you.” ~Antiphon 3
Today is the Feast Day of my gal-pal, St. Faustina!!!!
(aka: Helen Kowalska before taking her vows as a Sister of Our Lady of Mercy!)
And oh, how I love her!❤️
Our dog’s name is…Helen Kowalska too!
In 2014 as I began reading St. Faustina’s personal Diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul, I had no idea the spiritual growth I would experience from the written experience of her life-lived out. But today I lift up prayers of gratitude for all I have gained through her example! God has moved me forward, in many aspects, as He clarified for me during that time spent reading her Diary, what it means to love beyond measure…regardless of the burdens or sorrows that may come. She continues to guide me and remind me that everyone deserves mercy!
I will always be grateful for this gift and the immense peace which has remained in my heart as a result.
Our Parish priest, Fr Larry Richards, has taught us a wonderful way of incorporating scripture into our daily lives. We have learned from him:
“No Bible, no breakfast! No Bible, no bed!”
This morning I decided to do my “breakfast portion” of Scripture in our Chapel prior to Morning Mass. And since it is a day all about her, I invited my gal-pal St. Faustina to be with me as I invoked the Holy Spirit; hoping she’d nudge Him in a direction that was merciful!
“Speak to me Your Word, Oh Lord, that I may know you, love you, and serve You.”
And (as I’d hoped in my heart) St Faustina, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, (I believe) nudged Him in a kind & gentle direction; affirming what has been (being) revealed to me for quite some time. As I randomly broke open the Word this is where He rested my eyes:
Lamentations 3: 55-62 & 24 “I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for help!” You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life. Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me; you will judge my cause! You have seen the depth of their vengeance, all their plots against me. Lord, you have heard their insults, all their devices against me—what my enemies whisper and mutter against me all day long. …”The Lordis my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.“”
A grateful giggle bubbled up inside me because of course St. Faustina would know the words I would rejoice over in celebration of this day for her! This restful heart He has been strengthening in me, she too found rest in these words as others mocked, judged & spoke poorly of her. And this is why she is so close to my heart! Her courage, to follow the ways of her Lord, despite the suffering she endured, has shone a light on my own humble attempts to love others despite what is returned to me. And to pray always for a conversion of heart; especially for those in need of the grace to love unconditionally in return.
Thank you St. Faustina!
For giving abundantly to me, through your example, with each reminder of what it means to place our trust in Him!
Enough thanksgiving from me…now it’s ALL ABOUT Helen!
When this saint was born in Poland on August 25, 1905, her parents named her Helen. In her short life on earth, she carried out the important mission of teaching the world about the mercy of Jesus. From the time she was seven years old, Helen knew she wanted to live a life consecrated to God as a sister. When she was twenty-five, she entered the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, taking the name Sister Faustina. Her work was simple. She cooked, tended the convent garden, and answered the door. Her kindness, serenity, and spirit of recollection were remarkable. But few people knew the real depths of her spirituality. God blessed Sister Faustina with many extraordinary gifts, including visions, prophecy, and invisible stigmata. In one of the visions Sister Faustina had, Jesus appeared in a white garment. He raised one hand in blessing and touched his heart with the other. Two rays of light, one red, the other pale, spread out from his heart. The red ray represented the saving blood of Christ; the pale ray stood for the cleansing water of Baptism. Jesus said, “Have an image painted just as you see me, with the words ‘Jesus, I trust in You.’” Jesus told Sister Faustina that the Sunday after Easter was to be the Feast of Divine Mercy.
Sister Faustina kept a diary in which she wrote down everything that Jesus wanted the world to know about his mercy. In it, she wrote about prayer as a loving relationship with God. Jesus told her that she was his secretary. It was her special work to encourage people to trust in the limitless mercy of God.
Jesus promised forgiveness and abundant graces to anyone who would honor the Feast of Divine Mercy. Devotion to Divine Mercy consists in trusting in God’s goodness, loving one’s neighbor, remaining in the state of grace with the help of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and receiving Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday.
After only thirteen years of religious life, Sister Faustina died of tuberculosis on October 5, 1938. She was thirty-three years old. Pope John Paul II declared her a saint on April 30, 2000.
Jesus told St. Maria Faustina, “I expect you to show mercy always and everywhere. You cannot excuse yourself from this.”
The best way to show that we trust in the mercy of Jesus is to be merciful and forgiving to the people who hurt us.
Are we willing to do this?
hugs n’ blessings to all those who love enough…to forgive!
Helen reminds us to pray for all those who (for today) cannot!
Darling Anand at blabberwockying! who tickles my toes, with his expansive prose & ability to welcome everyone in. I thank him gleefully, for thinking of lil’ ol’ mee-a-lee, and accept this award quite cheerfully!
Last but never least Oneta at sweetaroma conjured up a delightful treat! She sifted & spun, through various chosen-ones, and declared my blog-site REAL NEAT!
My ability to be free from hate. I have never had this sense of emotion and I feel it is a great grace God has given to me. (This is not to be confused with anger…which is a feeling that if not addressed can lead to hatred.)
hugsnblessings 