Tell me where you see or feel the presence of God.
I answered
In all honesty, I am struggling to see him right now. That I continue to search and hope must be where I find him. Otherwise, why would I continue to hang on?
The last three years have been “one damn thing after another.”
I am a simple non important person in the mix of things. That this barage of things continues to work at breaking me down is a sure sign that I need to hang on no matter what.
It must be a sign that my faith matters more than I believe it could.
The only one who would work so hard to make me stop believing is satan. If my faith matters that much to satan, it must be more important than I believe it to be.
Therefore, I walk thru this desert looking for something to quench the dryness. Something to show me I am on the right track. Something to affirm what I know to be true.
Prayers for Lavina M please, she is now in treatment for cancer.
Matthew 5:20-26…when’s the last time you mended (fix, patch-up, restore, repair, piece together) a relationship? Hard isn’t it? The idea of having to go back into something that was obviously not a good situation for you can be terrifying. Jesus isn’t asking you to do that. He is asking you to forgive (work on forgiving) the people/persons in your life (even the toxic ones). He wants your heart to be open and ready for Him… something that isn’t possible if you’ve hardened your heart against someone else. He wants your heart open, soft, pliable, ready for the seeds of love he is going to plant there. He cannot plant if your heart is hard, filled with pain, distrust, anger, fear, and all those other things. He is not asking you to go back, return, or resume any toxic relationship. He is asking you to clear that junk out and make room for him. The only way to clear it out is to touch it again, take the wall down, look it over, assess the damage, and be willing to change your thought process. Reconciliation is the opportunity for you to repent of your contribution to the difficulties in your life and thus leaves you more open to mending the damage. It is hard, yes it is. However, it is well worth the time and energy.
Coffee good, new kind from the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in La Crosse
the man is up and moving
Monday has arrived cool temps invade rain came more on the way we need it
Lutheran Rosary, yes they have one, a Lenten one, a Longworth one, and what is called the wreath of Christ. All are interesting. Please note Luther said the rosary his entire life using the pre-Trent Hail Mary. This is something not talked about much. I often wonder how many Lutherans know about it.
Today think about how You are the salt of the world how you can enrich the world around you putting hope at the heart of the Gospel message showing the world that trials and trouble will not have the final word
I’m getting ready to head out to Eau Claire for an early morning appt. Hopefully, this won’t take all day.
Interesting voicemail on the landline. A voice yelling for my cell phone number. Leave your name, number, and message; I will call you back. Although I have one, not everyone does… just leave a message.
Hoping for rain, we need it.
Interesting devotional read this morning. Brings me to wonder how I approach Jesus… is it with honesty and humility or guarded and suspicious. Am I struggling with giving up a bad habit/sin or accepting a Church teaching? Am I suspicious of those he sends to teach me? What if I lose my status, status is all I have left right now? Regardless… all He really cares about is truth. Give him the truth and he will take care of the rest. Ahhhh but you say, if I give him the truth he will then expect me to go forward on that. Yes, he will. But what if I know I cannot go forward right now. It is too much work, it is too involved, it is too hard to make these changes, yah dah yah dah… He gets that, just take one step and move forward. He is the way… Read Tobit today.
Happy Anniversary greetings to Austin & Mary M 2017
RIP Joanita H who passed this day 2017
From the Margin…To be ashamed is a virtue of men and women who are humble. It’s a virtue that helps prepare us for God’s forgiveness. Pope Francis
Our “mistakes”/or “shortcomings’ don’t define us, keep us from God’s love, or disqualify us from sharing the gospel. Stay open, hopeful, and positive when someone offers advice on how we can improve. Respond graciously, receive their advice, and take it to prayer. It could change your life. Accept your imperfections, embrace spiritual growth, and expect the Holy Spirit to continue to change you.
Alan & Anna M have a new son, Jonathan, 9# 10oz, I was very fortunate to bring them home yesterday.
Rehearsal dinner was a fun time. Seeing faces I hadn’t seen in ages and meeting people I’d never seen before. I’m looking forward to the day.
On another note, how’s it going? We’ve been so busy around here that we haven’t seen or spoken with many for some time. I’ve found the only thing I miss about FB is knowing what friends/family are doing. I could remedy that by dropping a line, however, in many instances I no longer have a snail mail address. Perhaps one day I will send a text asking for email and snail mail addresses updating my contact book. You could save me some time (if you are reading this) by sending your contact information to me so that I can update it.
Book...”The Catholic Family in the Modern World” by John A Hardon S.J. I purchased this book in 1991 when it came out. I’d been married for 17 years. Several years previous to the purchase I had the privilege of hearing Fr. Hardon speak in a Catholic Church in Iowa City, IA. This man’s talk changed my life. I began searching for more. When the book came out I had to have it. It changed the way I viewed marriage and children. It changed the way I view Mother Mary. In simple language, his talk and the book saved me from certain hell. The introduction sucked me in. I’ve read this book so many times the cover had to be taped on. Excerpts…(Introduction) “the survival of whole nations is at stake as we see family life disintegrating.” (p.9) “When we speak of the fall of man, we must remember this means not only the fall of man as an individual but the fall of man as a social being.” (p.36) “We can be only as much at peace with others as we are at peace within ourselves. We cannot give what we do hot have.” You can find this book in the Marian Catechist Bookstore at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, WI 54601, pbx# 608/782-0011. The last time I purchased it, the cost was around $4. If you purchase it online from a used book store you will pay triple that.
Today I remember my baptism in May 1955 at Nelsonville Lutheran Church. My grandparents Clair & Lorraine P were my Godparents. May they rest in peace.
Birthday greetings to John S husband of my dear friend Kathy, may she rest in peace.
Current news…Leaked Pentagon Report Forensically Dismantled Fauci-Led Natural Origin Study. You can read about this in the Epoch Times. You can also read about how Adam Schiff still insists Trump Conspired with Russia even after the Durham Report further discredits the FBI Probe. Sigh…how long will we have to put up with corruption in the US Government? Monkeypox is on the rise again…that vaxx doesn’t work either.
Yesterday’s eye exam went well as did the hearing aide visit. Yes the Golden Years are wonderful…the eyes go, right along with the ears. No wonder things are so wonderful you can’t hear or see the things that are going wrong. Add this to the crepe skin, numb feet, thinning hair, and skin apron you are set.
How’s the garden coming? Did you get it in? I put mine in containers this year. Asperagus is ready for picking. So is the ruhbarb. The plum tree has bloomed along with the tulips and daffodills. The rose of sharon shrubs and the lilac trees make the garden smell wonderful with their blooms. Nature has a way with taking someone out of the doldrums of the winter browns. Spring is the time God set aside to get your spirit working again after the rest time of winter. There used to be a time when winter meant rest, take life easy, relax, regroup, regenerate. Then, when spring arrived, you were rested enough to enjoy the new emergence of energy and life. Our modern world has forgotten it. For whatever reason, the expectations of today are to be busy all the time, leaving minisule downtime. This is an error in our thought process. One does not have to be busy all the time. Our children do not have to have something to do all the time. It is good for them to be bored. It allows them to have time to explore their minds looking at the world through a child or young adult eyes. We don’t see the world the same you know. Let your children experience downtime/boredom so that they can exercise their minds. Children are wash and wear. They do not have to be clean all the time. It is good to sweat, exercise, and get dirty. It is good to play.
Ascension is tomorrow; but in many churches will be celebrated on Sunday. (Do I dare say it used to be celebrated on the day it landed and in some churches still is. You might ask why it isn’t today in all churches, well that’s because no one wanted to be inconvienced or bold enough to tell their employers they were going to church and would be in afterwards. We lost some of our constitutional rights when we agreed to that. But that discussion is for another day.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
There are several books on the subject as well. These are two I found that were eye opening.
We are so very fortunate to have the Mother of Jesus in our lives. For those of us who had/have no clue about how to be a mother (for one reason or another); Mary gives us great example. All we need to do is learn about her, emulate her, and pray. I know, not always an easy thing to do. Just keep trying, never give up.
The front porch is peaceful this morning. I am fortunate to have it.
Of course, this really means weeding season has arrived. The bees are working hard on the plum tree and Rose of Sharon shrubs. Tulips, daffodils, holy hocks, flame shrubs, resurrection lillies, etc have pushed their way to sunshine and heat.
I am always amazed at new life in spring. Why is that? Christ has told us all things are new thru him. What dies comes back to life. We just need to believe, pray, and wait for God’s time frame. All things come to those who wait.
In the "Wilds of Wisconsin & Cornfields of Iowa" 