Daily Jots

“When I look into the future, I am frightned,
But why plunge into the future?
Only the present moment is precious to me,
As the future may never enter my soul at all.
“It is no longer in my power,
To change, correct or add to the past;
For neither sages nor prophets could do that.
And so, what the past has embraced I must entrust to God.
“Oh present moment, you belong to me, whole and entire.
I desire to use you as best I can.
And although I am weak and small,
You grant me the grace of your omnipotense.”
Sr. M. Faustina Kowalska
Divine Mercy Sunday

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I haven’t paid much attention to Lent this year and I feel bad about that.  Perhaps I have had my priorities in the wrong place, or perhaps I haven’t been able to “put my life in the wheelbarrow.”  You will have to read this to understand what I meant by that.
My favorite Lent site, if you will, can be found at Franciscan Radio.  There you will find a complete multimedia online Lenten retreat.  There is music, readings, a homily, and much more.  And, you can listen to it at your convenience. 
Take a few minutes for Lent.  Get away from …read more

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Thought of the Day:
And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock.
And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear.
And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people:
For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.
And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped …read more

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Merry Christmas to all!
I hope you enjoy the lyrics to these Christmas carols – if you really read them, they are very special – we tend to sing them and not really pay attention to the words. These are my favorites:

O Holy Night
O Holy Night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees,
O hear the angels’ voices!
O night divine,
O night when Christ …read more

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Thought of the Day:
“A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away;
While quite unselfish, it grows small.”
Eva K. Logue
Thinking Outside of the Box:
I don’t have many thoughts outside of the box for Christmas Eve; they all seem to be wrapped up in a box waiting for someone to open them! But earlier today, I had some thoughts about candles and why we light them for Christmas. It’s quite simple really – candles represent truth burning through the darkness, destined to reach the heart and soul …read more

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Thought of the Day:
“I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the word seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses.”
Taylor Caldwell
Thinking Outside of the Box:
When something is “big” within us, it fills us and it spills out. We just have to share it. And so it is with Christmas. Christmas fills up all the empty places in our hearts, and for some reason, when we …read more

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Thought of the Day:
“On Chrismas Eve all animals can speak. However, it is bad luck to test this superstition.”
Thinking Outside of the Box:
My first reaction on reading that quote above was, “Well, duh… I wonder why?????” I really don’t think animals can talk on Christmas Eve, or any other day for that matter, except in ways to each other and in ways we can’t understand. But I won’t test it and talk to the first donkey I run into December 24th.
Having said that, I think it is important that we remember that Christmas is not just a …read more

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Thought of the Day:
“Life is made up of meetings and partings. That is the way of it. I’m sure that we shall never forget Tiny Tim, or this first parting that there was among us.”
Kermit the Frog – “The Muppet Christmas Carol”
Thinking Outside of the Box:
Christmas brings us such a mixed bag of feelings. The memories of the people who have left this world before us are vivid, and it seems that the holidays cause those memories to become more plentiful. For many people, it is the time of year they dread the most; those memories are more …read more

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Thought of the Day:
“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”
Norman Vincent Peale
Thinking Outside of the Box:
This is Christmas week. The most anticipated week by children, the most dreaded week by shoppers, and the week where everyone is a little kinder, a little more patient, and a lot more generous. This week I will be giving you Christmas quotes; perhaps if you are struggling with getting the Christmas spirit it will help. If you are already in the Christmas mood, it will just make it better and keep you focused on …read more

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Thought of the Day:
“THE SEASON of Advent means there is something on the horizon the likes of which we have never seen before… .What is possible is to not see it, to miss it, to turn just as it brushes past you. And you begin to grasp what it was you missed, like Moses in the cleft of the rock, watching God’s [back] fade in the distance. So stay. Sit. Linger. Tarry. Ponder. Wait. Behold. Wonder. There will be time enough for running. For rushing. For worrying. For pushing. For now, stay. Wait. Something is on the horizon.”
Jan L. …read more

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