Thursday, January 26, 2017

Sing, Sing a Song!

Good Morning out there - It's beautiful outside, the sun is shining and the wind is
not blowing but it is still cold. I was washing dishes and looking out my kitchen
window and I saw three blue jays flying in and out of my big oak tree. I spotted a
cardinal that flew across the street and some sparrows hop, hopping around on the
driveway until a squirrel dashed by! Today is a new day and I give thanks to the
Lord! I don't have much to time to write today but I wanted to share some prayers
I prayed and wrote back in the fall. Please pray for the homeless, the unborn, the
children who are in foster homes, and those who are waiting for someone to adopt
them. Please pray for couples who are praying to be blessed with a child of their own.
Please pray for couples who are on a long waiting list trying to adopt a baby boy
or a baby girl, a son or a daughter.
Hug your kids and hug your spouse. Call your mom and dad if you are still blessed
to have them. Call an aunt or uncle you haven't spoken to in a while. Reach out
to someone today! Little things mean so much! Write a note and put it in your
child's lunch box and if possible, go up to the school and eat with them, they grow
up so fast! Treat your spouse with respect and let them know that you love them!
Be a light that shines for all to see! Spread happiness and cheer to all you meet!
                                             God bless you all!


I think Anne Murray sang this song -
Sing, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong
Don't worry if it's not good enough for anyone else to hear
Just sing, sing a song!
La la la lala, La la la lala, La lalalalalala (Did you get the tune?)


If you are singing, you are smiling! Have a great day!
    
These prayers were written in previous posts but I wanted to share them again today!


I pray for those who are hungry and those who have no home. I pray for those we serve
with families of their own. I pray for peace and understanding for those who live on the
streets. I pray for Jesus to guide me, to be His hands and feet. Amen.


My prayer today is for the unborn, the innocent little babes.
My prayer today is for the little ones who are hungry and abused.
My prayer today is for the children who have to grow up to fast.
My prayer is for the teenagers who move from one foster home to the next.
My prayer is for those who live in group homes and those who have no home at all.
My prayer is that all these children, from the unborn baby in their mother's womb,
to the fully grown young ladies and young men, that they will be loved
and protected, nurtured and fed. I pray that they have shoes that fit and clothes
for all the seasons. I pray that they have a roof over their head. And not just a roof,
but an actual home where they feel safe and feel loved and special.
Dear God, please, protect all children everywhere. Amen.


Monday, January 23, 2017

Make Some Lemonade Out of Those Lemons!

Good Morning out there! Another chilly morning with a weather forecast of a warm
afternoon. Jim and I were up early this morning. We begin our Monday mornings at
the Adoration Chapel. Praying at the Adoration Chapel is a great way to start the day
and the week! After we came back home we looked through the newspaper as we ate
breakfast. Gloom and doom was basically the topic on most pages.
I am just not a gloom and doom type of gal.
Make some lemonade out of those lemons! Go out and do something nice for someone.
Call an old friend. Go visit someone in the hospital or nursing home. Go to daily
Mass! Help at a soup kitchen or a sack lunch ministry! Smile at everyone you see today!
Pray for others! Be a light in this dark world! Hug your children and hug your spouse!
Put a sweet note in all of their lunches!
I am tired of hearing about all of these cry babies!
Go out into the world with an attitude of helping others!


This morning, while Jim and I were at the Adoration Chapel I was reading the scriptures
for today in my Magnificat - The following is one that really stuck with me. Go out
and be a doer not just a hearer.


James 1:22-25
Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a
man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then
goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who
peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a
hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed
in what he does.


There's an older country song, sung by a guy and I can't think of his name right now
but part of the lyrics are, "I want to talk about me, talk about I, talk about number
one on my mind" something like that. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that
if we start reaching out to others and our mind is on someone else we become less
selfish. If we start seeing the needs of others and try to help them, then sometimes
our own needs don't seem big after all.


So I have decided that I am going to stop listening to all the doom and gloom. I am
going to go out and do what I feel in my heart God wants me to do. I want to be
a doer of God's word, not just a hearer and sit on the sidelines!


I hope y'all have a really great day and go out and help someone else have a really
great day too! God bless you all!
                                                                        Bye for now, Sharla



Thursday, January 19, 2017

BLESSINGS FROM THE SACK LUNCH MINISTRY

Good Morning out there! I hope you are all doing well. It is a chilly 37 degrees
this morning. The weather channel says that our area should reach a high of 70 degrees
today. I view things in such a different way now. Volunteering for the Sack Lunch
Ministry has opened my eyes to so many things. We turn our thermostat down pretty
low at night. But as soon as we wake up the thermostat is turned back up to get the
chill out of our home. Yesterday, I was driving across town and I went by the big
overpass where many of the homeless have their tents set up underneath the bridge.
I wondered how many of them come and get a sack lunch. My heart hurt as I passed
by. I thought about all those people this morning just as soon I asked Jim to turn up
the thermostat.
I can't even imagine what their lives are like. The Sack Lunch Ministry has been back
in operation since Monday, January 16, 2016. The first couple of days we didn't have
very many people but it began to pick back up yesterday. Several commented on how
happy they were to see us and we told them that we were happy to see them too! Please
keep the homeless in your prayers. It really upsets me when I hear people say things
like, "they choose to be that way, or they want to live like that." When I see these
people I just want to help them. I don't judge them. I have been loved and protected
my whole life. I can't even begin to imagine what these people have gone through,
what happened in their lives, what they have suffered to leave them homeless.
Not everyone that comes for a lunch is homeless. Some are just having trouble making
ends meet. It doesn't matter why they come. We are just thankful that we are able to
provide them with a meal, a smile, sometimes clothing, and sometimes a listening ear.
When I called everyone to let them know that we were ready to start this important
ministry back up, everyone was so glad. All of our volunteers were ready to start making
lunches and hand them out.
Monday was amazing - Two gentlemen from Holy Angels Parish showed up with ten,
forty count packs of water. They informed us that they would be delivering water to us
every week! Another parishioner from Holy Angels dropped off cookies and candy.
She would stop by almost weekly during the fall and holiday season to leave individually
wrapped cookies!
Another volunteer brought several items that had been donated by the St. Ambrose Youth Group from Wall. They donated turkey lunch meat, cheese, chips, peanut butter crackers,
bread, and a monetary donation was given also. Yesterday, one of our volunteers brought
a bag full of ladies jackets and sweaters. My husband picked up a bag of cotton gloves and
they went quickly.
Last night I received an email letting me know that the Guadalupana Sociedad from our
parish, Sacred Heart Cathedral, was donating a large monetary donation to the
Sack Lunch Ministry! Everyone involved with the Sack Lunch Ministry is so thankful!
We thank God for all of you! Please know that everything you do means so much!
Thank you and thank you! There are not enough words -
 (and believe me, I've got some words) that adequately express our thanks to these
wonderful organizations and individuals who give so much.
Your kind hearts and concern for those in need make my heart swell and my tears fall.
To all of our faithful volunteers - y'all are amazing! This important ministry would not
survive without the people who take the time to prepare the lunches, hand them out, and
clean up. My heart is full! Thank you all for touching my life just as you touch those
we serve!
I know that I share the words from these hymns a lot.............but the words are so true!
God bless you all!


The Servant Song by Richard Gillard
Verse 1: Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant, too.
Verse 2: We are pilgrims on a journey, we are travelers on the road;
We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.
(I really love verse 4)
I will weep when you are weeping; when you laugh I'll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow til we've seen this journey through.


We Are Many Parts by Marty Haugen
Refrain: We are many parts, we are all one body,
and the gifts we have we are given to share.
May the spirit of love make us one indeed;
one, the love that we share, one, our hope in despair,
one, the cross that we bear.



Monday, January 9, 2017

New House Shoes, Bobby Pins, Veils/Mantillas, and Pork Chops at 9:00 p.m.

Good Morning out there! I guess you can tell by the title I have chosen that this is
going to be one of those posts about..........everything! Oh my goodness, I am thankful!
I don't know about you all, but many times I am running around with one shoe on and
one shoe off! Jim knows how I am, he ought to, we've been married for more than
thirty-three and a half years now! Many times I'll be running through the house looking
for this or that right before we are leaving to go somewhere. That will help explain part
of this post!
First things first! I love Christmas! I love the whole Christmas Season! Jim and I do
not go overboard buying things for each other. We both know the "Reason for the
Season" and we are both very practical and just down right thankful people! The gifts
we buy each other are usually necessary things that we probably should have already
gone out and bought. This year I needed new house shoes. I mean literally needed them.
My old house shoes were worn completely out and I finally threw them away about ten
days before Christmas Day. I needed a new purse. I only have one purse at a time and
I hang onto it for years. I think this one had hit the five year mark. This purse looked so
bad that Jim would say, "You're not going to take that into church are you?" And I
would say, "Of course not!" And stuff it under the back seat! Jim needed new work
shirts. I mean he really needed new work shirts! He is a welder and his old shirts had
holes everywhere. The cuffs were torn and I had stitched them up all they could be
stitched up. His t-shirts had more holes in them than his work shirts did. He also needed
some more bandanas. You would not believe the number of bandanas that man has
given away! The grandkids have a runny nose - Jim gives them his bandana. Someone
is crying at church - Jim gives them his bandana. Someone is crying at a funeral - you
get the message. On Christmas morning Jim and I opened our presents to each other. The
kids and grandkids don't come over until about lunch and we open presents with them
at that time. Our kids are amazed at how far their dad has come. He goes out and buys
my presents and they don't even have to go with him. They do get a lot of phone calls
during this time! He even wraps my presents! Anyway, back to Christmas morning.
Jim opens his presents; new work shirts, new t-shirts, bandanas, and a big can of whole
cashews. He is happy. I open my presents; new house shoes, a new purse (and he did
a really great job picking it out!) new socks, a massage thing for my neck because I am
always complaining about my neck hurting, and bobby pins! I am thrilled with everything!
The package of bobby pins was stuffed into one of my fuzzy lined house shoes. I know
you are wondering about the bobby pins. You will just love this story because I love it!
About fifteen months ago I started wearing a veil to Mass. The reason why is another story
for another day. When I decided to start wearing a veil I went to Trudo's Religious Store
and bought a black veil and a white veil. I realized right away that I needed a bobby pin
to keep the veil on my head. I dug through a drawer and found a handful of bobby pins. I
put them in the bag where I keep my veils. Over time the bobby pins have disappeared.
About a week before Christmas we were headed to Mass. Jim was driving and I was digging
through the cup holders looking for a bobby pin. I finally found one and shouted out
gleefully, Yes! Jim just looked at me and shook his head. This type of scenario happened
often. So on Christmas morning when I found the large package of bobby pins inside my
house shoe - I laughed and gave Jim a big hug and told him he was the best husband ever
because he is always taking care of me. He is listening even when I don't think he is!
Back to my title - The only thing left is: Pork Chops at 9:00 p.m.
Last Friday, Jim and I ate a late lunch. We had a bowl of hearty beef stew, left overs from
the night before. I was going to fix pork chops for dinner but we really weren't that hungry
because we had eaten a late lunch. We snacked on some chips and hot sauce while we
watched television. About 9:00 p.m. I decided that I was hungry and pork chops sure
sounded good. Jim told me that he would cook them and he did! About 9:45p.m. we
both ate a pork chop sitting in front of the fireplace (best campfire ever)!
I am very thankful for my husband. I am thankful that we are both practical people and
that we realize what is truly important! Spend time with your loved ones! Make the
most out of every moment! The small gestures, kind words, hugs, laughter, remembering
neat moments from the past, and taking care of each other is what life is all about!
I hope you all have a really wonderful week! Reach out and help someone else have a
really wonderful week also!
                                                                       Blessings to you and yours!
                                                                                       Bye for now, Sharla

Saturday, January 7, 2017

I Pray That Your Year is Full of Love!

Hello out there! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! The days just seem to rush
on by.  A new year is upon us. I don't make new year's resolutions anymore. I do try
to figure out how I should go about changing some things I need to work on.
I think that sometimes we just give up because we set our expectations too high.
I'm going to work on my daily devotion time. I feel so much better when I begin my
day reading the daily scriptures from my Magnificat. The problem is - sometimes I
don't begin my day that way. The other night I picked up my Magnificat and read the
scriptures before bed because I had not read them that morning. I had to laugh as I
read the scriptures because I realized that the words I read really would have helped
me if I had just taken the time to read them that morning. It  just so happened that the
scriptures and prayers seemed to apply to what I needed to hear earlier in the day!
Once again I am reminded that God is always talking to me. Unfortunately, many times
I am too busy or preoccupied to listen. I have decided to make my morning prayer/
devotion time my first priority. Here are a few ideas if you struggle with this also.


1. If you don't already have some type of daily devotional book, get one and spend a
few minutes each  morning reading the scriptures and prayers.
2. If you want to pray the rosary but don't have time to pray all five decades - pray one
decade each  morning and maybe another decade before you go to bed. Praying the
rosary while you are driving is another way to get your prayer time in. I have a lot of
CDs on praying the rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Let me know if you would
like one. I have so many CDs and prayer booklets. I would love to give them to
others to use.
3. If your children are still at home, take the time to pray with them. Pray the Our Father
together. Pray for their safety and guidance. Let your children know that prayer is
important. Pray before meals, pray before bed, pray before they go to school!
4. Give thanks to the Lord for everything!


The last couple of nights have been really cold here. I cooked a big pot of stew on
Thursday. When Jim and I sat down to eat on Thursday evening I began to pray. I
thanked God for our warm meal, our warm home, and for the fire roaring in the
fireplace. Jim jumped in before I was through and began to pray for those who
have no home and no warm meal. We have both learned to be so thankful. We are
thankful for the many things we use to take for granted. Being able to walk into
our home and turn up the thermostat to heat up our home in the winter is a blessing.
Just like it is a blessing to be able to have a home at all. This time of year always
makes me nostalgic. Looking back and looking forward and being thankful for all
of the paths we have taken. Tonight I pray that God will open our eyes to the path
He has ready for us to take this year. I pray that I will listen to Him and not the world.


May God bless you all during this new year. I pray that the path you take is full of
sunshine and roses, little rain puddles and the songs of birds. I pray that your year is
full of children's laughter and great big hugs. But most of all.............I pray that your
year is full of love!


                                                             Blessings to you and yours!
                                                                     Bye for now, Sharla