Giving Thanks

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Know that gratitude for God's benefits is one of the riches of the soul, and that ingratitude dries up the fountain of divine graces.  Give your tribute of gratitude often to the most loving Jesus.

~~Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini

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Thanks be to God!!!

Cathy

Redemption~~

Holla, the Incarnate Son
Hath come to earth and fought and won.

Lullay, he lieth in tomb,
and for my soul he findeth room.

Lullay, I rest in him,
Weary spirit and weary limb.

Holla, we rise;
He leadeth me after him through the skies.

Holla, we compass about and hem
The golden gates of Jerusalem.

Holla, we enter in
Because my friend hath not known sin.

Hallelujah, I see Lord God and all is well;
Lullay, I rest in him.

"The Shout"
Adam Fox

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Thanks be to God!!

Blessed New Year

This is a lovely and loving way to bring in the New Year. Yes, understanding and knowing we are in the care of our loving God. Wishing you all the very best!

In The Cradle Of His Knowing

I am a child of God
Placed in the
cradle of his knowing

No matter what stage I am at
In life

There is a part of me
That has not yet reached its prime

Like the bed of a river
That is composed of histories
Laid down
by flowing water

Impressed upon my soul is
A story all its own
A tale of dying to the old world
Of not yet being born into the new

Riddling and sifting
His journeying through.

Poem by
Ann Murry at Poetry,
Prayer, and Praise.

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Thanks be to God!!!

One Thousand Gifts

Gifts
Precious Treasures
Given with love, affection
Welcomed with open arms and love
Presents

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On Mondays I write down the things for which I am grateful. The more I do this the more I find I am saying Thank You during each day. This is a blessing!!! And so I begin!

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26. Rainy days

27. Marching Band Contests

28. Gifted young people

29. Holding hands

30. Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

31. Frank discussions

32. Autumn leaves

33. Chili in the Crockpot

34. Invitation to become Providence Associate

35. Thank You cards

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Thanks be to God!

One Thousand Gifts

italic;">***+***

Gifts
Precious Treasures
Given with love, affection
Welcomed with open arms and love
Presents

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I'm a day late but grateful for the wonderful gifts non-the-less. It is important to focus on the gifts we receive and be grateful for them. Some may not seem to be gifts, but the gift of life itself is reason enough to be grateful.

21. Dogs napping.

22. Autumn colors.

23. Cool breezes.

24. Clear blue water.

25. Red cardinal.

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Thanks be to God!

One Thousand Gifts

Gifts
Precious Treasures
Given with love, affection
Welcomed with open arms and love
Presents

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So here it is again, Multitude Monday and time to share the gifts with which I have been blessed.

6. Blue skies and cool breezes. In the summer these are not to be ignored.

7. The smell of newly stained wood. It smells so clean and pure.

8. Gerber daisies. They were not planted but rose on their own this year to decorate our garden.

9. Duchess napping. Watching her doze relieves tension and causes relaxation.

10. Fresh, red, ripe tomatoes from the Ackerman garden. With a dish of cottage cheese they are sooooo good.

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Thanks be to God!

Awareness of Prayer

Picture by Marie Rose Ferron

I awoke this morning saying the Hail Mary, even before I got out of bed and the Our Father soon after. I closed the dishwasher this morning and thought, "Thanks be to God." I find that wherever I turn I am often "turning" in prayer. I think of my children and offer a prayer. I think of my mother and offer a prayer. When I spoke to Rita last night, for the first time in a long time, I was joy-filled and thanked God again.

I realize that my life is a prayer. Sometimes I am aware of it more than I am at other times, but a prayer none-the-less. If only I could avoid those times when my life is void of prayer for that is the time when temptation and sin intrude. Oh, that they might go away!!!!!

I am encouraged by the words of Saint Faustina.

...Today, I was undergoing the Passion of Jesus for a longer time, and thus I saw that many souls were in need of prayer. I feel that I am being completely transformed into prayer in order to beg God's mercy for every soul. O my Jesus, I am receiving You into my heart as a pledge of mercy for souls. [996]

I can only pray that my humble prayers will be of value to those who receive them whether they know it or not. I can only show my sincere gratitude to my Savior in prayer and deed, and when the deeds fail then only in prayer!

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Thanks be to God!

Rainy Days and Mondays

Today is gloomy, gray and rainy. Sadly, that is how I felt when I got up, gloomy and gray. It seems the environment had encouraged these feelings. You know, I have no reason to feel this way. I have no feelings of anxiety, tension, or sadness. In fact, the opposite is true. Life is good! The grass is green and the roses are blooming. Duchess is napping at my feet and Sam is asleep in his favorite chair. It's quiet and peaceful in this rain, yet I feel "gloomy."

And so in seeking consolation in this "rainy world" I'm in, I picked up Pope John Paul II: His Essential Wisdom, edited by Carol Kelly-Gangi.

And he said to me,

In prayer we express to God our feelings, our thought, our sentiments. We wish to love and to be loved, to be understood and to understand. Only God loves us perfectly, with an everlasting love. In prayers, we open our hearts and our minds to this God of love. And it is prayer that makes us one with the Lord. Through prayer we come to share more deeply in God's life and in his love.

Speech to Youth
New Orleans, 1987

And so with this encouragement and incentive I will attend to the projects of this seemingly gloomy day with prayer and thanksgiving. It is certain to brighten my corner of the world. I prayer your corner of the world is brightened by the love of God!

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Thanks be to God!