The Duck And The Devil

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.
He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods.
He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target.
Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.
As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.
Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved!
In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile only to see his sister watching!
Sally had seen it all but she said nothing.
After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes."
But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen."
Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?"
So Johnny did the dishes.
Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper."
Sally just smiled and said, "Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help"
She whispered again, "Remember the duck?"
So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.
After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's, he finally couldn't stand it any longer.
He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.
Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."

~~~_)~~~_)~~~_)~~~_)~~~_)~~~_)

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done . . . and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.) . . .
whatever it is.
You need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing.
He has seen your whole life.
He wants you to know that He LOVES you and that you are forgiven.
He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.
The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives, but He forgets
It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.

Perpetual Quietness Of Heart.

Perpetual quietness of heart.
It is to have no trouble.
It is never to be fretted or vexed, irritable or sore; to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me.
It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised, it is to have a blessed home in myself where I can go in and shut the door and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace, as in a deep sea of calmness,when all around and about is seeming trouble.

- from a plaque on Dr. Bob's desk

Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, p. 222

Saint Theresa's Prayer

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

- Saint Theresa

Our Lives, Sowing Times

Our short lives on earth are sowing time.
If there were no resurrection of the dead, everything we live on earth would come to nothing.
How can we believe in a God who loves us unconditionally if all the joys and pains of our lives are in vain, vanishing in the earth with our mortal flesh and bones?
Because God loves us unconditionally, from eternity to eternity, God cannot allow our bodies - the same as that in which Jesus, his Son and our savior, appeared to us - to be lost in final destruction.

No, life on earth is the time when the seeds of the risen body are planted.
Paul says: "What is sown is perishable, but what is raised is imperishable; what is sown is contemptible but what is raised is glorious; what is sown is weak, but what is raised is powerful; what is sown is a natural body, and what is raised is a spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).
This wonderful knowledge that nothing we live in our bodies is lived in vain holds a call for us to live every moment as a seed of eternity.

The wonderful knowledge, that nothing we live in our body is lived in vain, holds a call for us to live every moment as a seed of eternity.

-- Henri Nouwen

A Silent Night

May the peace that passes all understanding embrace you and sustain you ...

www.ASilentNightMovie.com

Letting Go of Worry

What if we knew for certain that everything we're worried about today will work out fine?
What if . . . we had a guarantee that the problem bothering us would be worked out in the most perfect way, and at the best possible time?
Furthermore, what if we knew that three years from now we'd be grateful for that problem, and its solution?
What if . . . we knew that even our worst fear would work out for the best?
What if . . . we had a guarantee that everything that's happening, and has happened, in our life was meant to be, planned just for us, and in our best interest?
What if . . . we had a guarantee that the people we love are experiencing exactly what they need in order to become who they're intended to become?
Further, what if we had a guarantee that others can be responsible for themselves, and we don't have to control or take responsibility for them?
What if . . . we knew the future was going to be good, and we would have an abundance of resources and guidance to handle whatever comes our way?
What if . . . we knew everything was okay, and we didn't have to worry about a thing?
What would we do then?
We'd be free to let go and enjoy life.

Today, I will know that I don't have to worry about anything.
If I do worry, I will do it with the understanding that I am choosing to worry, and it is not necessary.

The Language of Letting Go
by Melody Beattie

A Listening Heart

Eyes see only light,
ears hear only sound,

but a listening heart perceives meaning.
David Steindl-Rast
A Listening Heart

Real Love Is Not Selfish

In real love you want the other person's good.

In romantic love, you want the other person.

--Margaret Anderson

Real love is not selfish; it frees both the giver and the receiver.
Knowing we're loved sustains our hearts and diminishes our difficulties.
It doesn't bind us, yet paradoxically it bonds our hearts.
These encouragements to grow, to change, to dare to depart if it's for our own good, are expressions of real love.
Real love is never ownership, only stewardship of this moment's experiences.

One Great Thing

I think over again my small adventures,

my fears, those small ones that seemed so big,

all those vital things I had to get and to reach,

and yet there is only one great thing:

to live and see the great day that dawns,

and the light that fills the world.
Old Innuit Song

All the Good I Can

Dear God, guide me to

Do all the good I can

By all means I can

In all ways I can

In all places I can

To all people I can

As long as I can.

The 12 Step Prayer Book Volume 2
by Bill P. and Lisa D.

Emptiness

Prayer begins at the edge of emptiness.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

Anger Is Not A Strategy

Anger helps straighten out a problem like
a fan helps straighten out a pile of papers.
--Susan Marcotte

Anger is not a strategy.
I don't have the right to rain on other people's parades.
My program can teach me better ways to deal with my anger - with honesty and fairness to myself and others.

Twas The Month Before Christmas

Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
See the PC Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a "Holiday".
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Bush, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith;
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate "Winter Break" under your "Dream Tree"
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS,
not Happy Holiday!

What Is A Billion?

The next time you hear a politician use the word "billion" in a casual manner, think about whether you want the "politicians" spending your tax money.
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.
a. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
b. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
c. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
d. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
e. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans . It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division.
Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans.

Interesting number...What does it mean?

a. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.
b. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.
c. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066 ,012.

Washington, D.C.
HELLO!!!
Are all your calculators broken??

Thanksgiving

The original harvest festival of Thanksgiving has grown over the years into a great national day of thanks for all the good God has done for us as individuals and as a nation.
One of the greatest gifts we enjoy on this day is the freedom to give thanks in public worship.

The debt of gratitude we owe for God's faithful love can be repaid only in a two-sided coin:

turning to God in thanksgiving and

doing for others what has been done for us.

O Father of Goodness,
we thank you each one for
happiness,
healthiness,
friendship
and fun,
for good things we think of,
and good things we do,
and all that is beautiful, loving and true.
Amen.

Turn On Your Light Switch

http://www.lightmovie.com/

Just shine your light.

Returing To My Spiritual Home

Having wandered from any true sense of a spiritual home and any real sense of direction, many are lost, and I hungered hopelessly for I knew not what.
God, however, is a tireless seeker.

Self-Interest

Self-interest is but the survival of the animal in us.

Humanity only begins for man with self-surrender.

-- Henri Amiel

When I surrender, I am no longer captives within my skins.
I am actually restored to a more natural state as people in community with others, who literally cannot survive as isolated individuals.
I must be a part of the give and take within the group, just as it has been for human beings since the beginning of time.

Today, I surrender my self-interest again, knowing I must do it over and over.

An Irish Blessing

May you be true to your strong foundation

of simple people

in love with life

in love with God

in love with the earth

the good green earth

May your spirit cradle

a multitude of stars

that carry you

around

and in

and through

every possibility

every hope

every dream

a journey never ending

always new

May you be filled

with peace and beauty

with wisdom and hope

with love and friendship

And my you be blessed

in all times

and for all times.

An Italian Blessing

Bordered by seas

crisscrossed by mountains

watered by rivers, lakes, and streams

drenched by sun

May the land sing songs of blessing to you.

Senses spellbound

heightened forever by genuis . . .

Dante

daVinci, Michelangelo

Puccini, Toscanini, Enrico and Luciano

May the artists sing songs of beauty to you.

Proud offspring of continuous civilization

deeply tied to tradition

passionately attuned to family, faith, food and wine

openly warm and affectionate,

decidely spirited and quick to forgive

intuitively friendly, kind, tenacious, poetic and wise

May the people sing songs of love to you.

How Much More Will The Father Give

1. Only for today, I will seek to live the livelong day positively without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once.
2. Only for today, I will take the greatest care of my appearance:
   I will dress modestly;
   I will not raise my voice;
   I will be courteous in my behavior;
   I will not criticize anyone;
   I will not claim to improve or to disciplince anyone except myself.
3. Only for today, I will be happy in the certainity that I was created to be happy, not only in the other world but also in this one.
4. Only for today, I will adapt to circumstances without requiring all circumstances to be adapted to my own wishes.
5. Only for today, I will devote ten minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul.
6. Only for today, I will do one good deen and not tell anyone about it.
7. Only for today, I will do at least one thing I do not like doing; and if my feelings are hurt, I will make sure that no one notices.
8. Only for today, I will make a plan for myself:
   I may not follow it to the letter, but I will make it.
   And I will be guard against two evils: hastiness and indecision.
9. Only for today, I will firmly believe, despite appearances, that the good Providence of God cares for me as no else who exists in this world.
10. Only for today, I will have no fears.
    In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness.
    Indeed, for twelve hours I can certainly do what might cause me consternation were I to believe I had to do it all my life.

-- Blessed (Pope) John XXIII (1963)

Traditional Irish Blessing

May the blessing of light be with you --

light outside and light within.

May sunlight shine upon you

and warm your heart

'til it glows like a great peat fire.

May the blessing of rain --

the sweet, soft rain --
fall upon your spirit

and wash it clean.

May it leave a shining pool

where the blue of heaven shines,

and sometines a star.

-- an old Irish Blessing

Micah Blessing

This is what Yahweh
ask of you; only this

to act justly,

to love tenderly,

and to walk humbly

with your God.

Micah 6:8

Resolve To Be Thyself

Resolve to be thyself; and know,
that he who finds himself, loses his misery.
--Matthew Arnold

I can honestly look at myself and see my strengths and weaknesses for what they are.
I don't have to put myself down today.
Best of all, I can accept myself.

Aging Gracefully

written by SUE MOSTELLER

One of the sisters in my Congregation who taught me more than fifty years ago is now one hundred years old. Today she is blind and in a wheelchair. Whenever I see her at dinner, she is not too interested in the tiny serving of food on her plate, but she is totally engaged in conversation with others at the table. Her questions are penetrating, and she loves a stimulating conversation.
When newcasters came to the convent to interview her after Pope John Paul II died, they asked her to pretend to be saying her rosary and to look sad. She indignantly replied, "I'm sorry, but I talk to the Lord in a different way today! And why would I look sad that the Pope died? Didn't he lead an adventuresome life? Wasn't he amazing - the way he lived his public life to the end in such fragility? Isn't he an example of living fully and dying in his time? No, sir, I cannot put on a sad face. I feel so joyful that his mission is accomplished!"
I'm still a young'un at seventy-three years of age, but as I continue the aging process, I'd love to imitate that amazing woman, who fully accepts the necessary diminishment of her humanity while rejecting all forms of inner death!

- SUE MOSTELLER is retired, having lived for more than 30 years in the community of L'Arche Daybreak. She and Henri Nouwen were friends and Sue now works for the Henri Nouwen Legacy Trust.

Paradox

When I face a fear,

I am given courage;

when I support a brother or sister,

my capacity to love myself is increased;

when I accept pain as part of

the growing experience of life,

I realize a greater happiness;

when I look at my dark side,

I am brought into new light;

when I accept my vulnerabilities and

surrender to a Higher Power,

I am graced with unforeseen strength.

I stumbled through the doors of AA in disgrace,

expecting nothing from life, and

I have been given hope and dignity.

Miraculously, the only way to keep the gifts of

the program is to pass them on.

Daily Reflections, p. 62

We give it away to keep it.

Unsung Saints

Voilence often seems to succed where goodness fails to accomplish much.
Yet the power that endurs is the power of God's word.
The world is full of "unsung saints" who achieve no public success but who persevere in living upright lives that accomplish the greatest of goals: to see and dwell with God always.

Treasured Capacity

I can use my treasured capacity for speech to offer prayer as fragant as incense before God of to offer hurt to another

Now And Then

Now and then, God's people of old needed to be reminded of the care with which his love had surrounded and protected them.
Now and then, I do too!

Universal Solidarity

On the Journey Towards Universal Solidarity

written by CLARA FRASCHETTI

I recently spent a week in a small rural village called Sega, in Ghana, West Africa.
My purpose was to establish a partnership with the local school where my organization, Intercordia Canada, hopes to place student volunteers.
One day I met with about 50 parents, some of who would be asked to host our students for three months this summer.
Mister Godwin, the head of the school, introduced me and asked me to say a few words about Intercordia.
When I was done, Mister Godwin asked if any parents had questions.
A small, older gentleman stood up, his back hunched, his skin wrinkled by the hot sun, and he asked in Dambe, "What are your first impressions of our community?"
Mister Godwin translated as I described my time in Sega.
I told them about my first morning and how the children had immediately taken my hand and led me through the village.
As we passed people on the road, they recognized right away that I was new in town and most nodded or said "You are welcome!"
Some enthusiastically took my face in their hands and said something in Dambe and then repeated "You are welcome! You are welcome!"
I looked at the man standing there amongst the other parents and told him that if a stranger came to my neighbourhood, with different coloured skin, who dressed differently, no one would offer a greeting.
In fact people might look at that person with suspicion and turn away.
The old man looked at me with concerned eyes and said, "But, that is no way to treat a stranger".
I humbly agreed with him.
Then he said with conviction, "Then you must send your students, so that we can help to develop your community".

- CLARA FRASCHETTI lives in Newmarket, Ontario with her husband, Tim, 4 preschool children and 2 cats. She is a member of the L'Arche Daybreak community where she facilitates youth retreats and works part-time for Intercordia Canada as a Campus Representative.

An Ugly Situation

Though you may not be able to change it,
you can handle an ugly situation beautifully.
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
Alchemical Wisdom

Compassionate Action

Compassionate action starts with seeing yourself
when you start to make yourself right and
when you start to make yourself wrong.

At that point you could just contemplate the fact
that there is a larger alternative to either of those,
a more tender, shaky kind of place where you could live.

Pema Chodron

Pray - Period!

Pray - period!

Don't expect anything.

Or better, expect nothing.

Prayer cleanses us of expectations and

allows holy will, providence,

and life itself an entry.

What could be more worth

the effort -- or the noneffort?

Thomas Moore

Self-forgiveness

I was walking along a sand roadon the West Coast of Florida, when an answer came to me.
I suddenly said to myself, "I want everybody whom I hate or fear,everybody who has ever injured me, or whom I may have injured -- I want them all to be as happy as I want to be.
I want them to be happy right now, wherever they are."
And then I thought of a couple of people and named them out loud.
It was as if a black bird flew suddenly out of my heart.
I felt a wonderful sense of peace,and my eyes filled with tears. . .
I slowly stopped fearing these people . . .
I forgave them forever, and I slowly began to forgive myself.
This self-forgiveness brought new self-respect. . . I didn't hate myself as I had.

"At Last No Longer Apart" -- Big Book Stories --Updatedc.
1967 The AA Grapevine, Inc., November 1967, Vol. 24 No. 6

A Part Of Life

Trouble is a part of life,
and if you don't share it,
you don't give the person
who loves you a chance
to love you enough.
--Dinah Shore

My fellowship is there, a warm, friendly, and accepting family. My Higher Power loves me. I am not alone, no matter where I travel, no matter how large my problems seem at the moment. My joy is doubled and my sadness diminished through the sharing of my hearts.

Generosity

That's what I consider true generosity.
You give your all, and
yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing.

Simone de Beauvoir

St. Martin de Porres

Racism is a sin almost nobody confesses.
Like pollution, it is a "sin of the world" that is everybody's responsibility but apparently nobody's fault.
One could hardly imagine a more fitting patron of Christian forgiveness (on the part of those discriminated against) and Christian justice (on the part of reformed racists) than Martin de Porres.

"He excused the faults of others. He forgave the bitterest injuries, convinced that he deserved much severer punishments on account of his own sins. He tried with all his might to redeem the guilty; lovingly he comforted the sick; he provided food, clothing and medicine for the poor; he helped, as best he could, farm laborers and Negroes, as well as mulattoes, who were looked upon at that time as akin to slaves: thus he deserved to be called by the name the people gave him: 'Martin of Charity.'"

-- Pope John XXIII remarked at the canonization of Martin (May 6, 1962)

Attitude Is Everything

Today will be what I make it.
Regardless of the weather, the kinds of work to be done, the personalities crossing my path, I'll feel joy and peace if that is my choice.
Depression, anger, fear, and frustration shadowed my steps because I didn't take control of the only thing that's ever been in my control absolutely - attitude.
It's so easy to blame others for every wrinkle in my life.
But as I grow accustomed to the idea of taking full responsibility for how I think and feel, I'll be empowered.
And, as Abraham Lincoln is credited with saying, we will be just as happy as we make up our minds to be.
Nobody can mess with my attitude but me!

Relax

God, help me start sailing through life with
more ease by learning to relax and let life be.