A Blessing Book

Christmas Stories for the Heart – Compiled by Alice Gray
Warms the heart - speaks to the soul.

Wanting to feel something of Christmas, I picked up this book on my last library run, and found many touching, heart-warming stories in it. One in particular that appealed to me was The Manger Was Empty, retold by Casandra Lindell, about a missing baby Jesus from a local church’s nativity scene. After searching around the church, the pastor reported the missing baby Jesus to the congregation. All were disappointed to think someone might take baby Jesus from the nativity scene.

Later in the afternoon, the pastor took a walk around the area and saw Tommy, a small boy he knew, pulling a wagon. As he came closer he saw baby Jesus, wrapped in a blanket, lying in the wagon. The pastor made it clear to little Tommy the seriousness of taking baby Jesus. The small boy looked up,tears beginning to slide down his cheeks and said, “But Pastor, I didn’t steal Jesus. It wasn’t like that at all. It’s just that I’ve been asking Him for a red wagon as a Christmas present for a long time—and I promised Him that when I got it I’d take Him out for the first ride.”

Another story was titled Daily Gifts by Charles Swindoll. He makes a number of one line suggestions, such as: "Mend a quarrel. Express appreciation. Give a soft answer even though you feel strongly. Encourage an older person." This last one might be difficult for me to do, if it means someone older than myself. I live in a seniors complex and right now I’m the oldest person here that I know. I suppose I’ll just have to assume that everyone here is older than someone. Or maybe he means anyone who falls in a certain age category. [So you ask, where does old begin? I used to ask myself that; I don't anymore. Perhaps that too will become another blog.] Mr. Swindoll suggests maybe doing one of these gifts per day leading up to Christmas. [But why stop there?]

There are numerous other suggestions for giving gifts of yourself. Mr. Swindoll ends the list of gifts with the following:

“Let’s make Christmas one long, extended gift of ourselves to others. Unselfishly. Without announcement. Or obligation. Or reservation. Or hypocrisy. This is Christianity, isn’t it?”

Today's Prayer

"Lord, grant me the wisdom of a loving heart that I may say the right thing rightly."

Ah yes, saying the right thing, and saying it rightly! That's not always easy. Have you ever thought you were saying the right thing and the way another person took it, it was exactly the wrong thing? Then you tried to make clearer what you meant,and everything slid further down the slippery slope of misunderstanding. Perhaps this is one time when that saying of, "If at first you don't succeed, quit," might be appropriate, at least for the time being. Prayer before hand would have been a good idea, if you knew the conversation was coming, but perhaps you didn't know in advance. But, whether or not you prayed before an incident such as this, I'm sure it would be good to pray afterward -- in the event you get another chance to do the right thing. Blessings in all you do and say.

A Favorite Poem

In an earlier blog I mentioned some of my favorite poems. The one I'm posting today ranks very near the top. I've been trying to find my copy of it, or a copy online. I, as usual, did not remember the writer, but my memory said the title was "The Arrow."

I searched and searched on line, but kept finding references to other poems and poets. I 'met' this poem early in life, but about 30 years ago, some friends gave me a book of poems, titled "The Home Book of Modern Verse by Burton Egbert Stevenson." I am not sure what happened to the book, but I no longer seem to have it. Today I flipped through an old notebook of mine and would you believe it! I had copied the poem "The Arrow" by Clarence Urmy, with the notation above. So, here it is. I hope you like it, at least almost as much as I do.

The Arrow by Clarence Urmy

Straight from a mighty bow this truth is driven:
"They fail, and they alone, who have not striven."

Fly far, O shaft of light! all doubt redeeming;
Rouse men from dull despair and idle dreaming.

High Heaven's evangel be, gospel God-given:
"They fail, and they alone, who have not striven."

Focus on the second and last line. If you tried to do something, but did not quite achieve your desired goal, you may be disappointed; but in trying, you did not fail.

Today's Prayer

Lord, grant us sweet reasonableness in our dealings with one another; and grant that living in the brightness of Thy presence we may bring Thy sunshine into cloudy places.

In All ThingsThank God

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

In happy moments, praise God.
In difficult moments, seek God.
In quiet moments, worship God.
In painful moments, trust God.
In every moment, thank God.

The above was part of a "Forward" that was sent to me not too long ago.There are Forwards, and then there are Forwards. Some are funny, some are light hearted and uplifting, some have useful information, some are distortions of fact, some are inflammatory, some should be called opinions, and some have spiritual truths. In this particular Forward I firmly believe in the affirmation of the first line. I also believe the next five lines give good advice to the Christian.

Here's to spiritual upliftment.

Personal Candle Power

"The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord." Proverbs 20:27 Let your life so shine.

How bright or dim is our candle power? Do our words and actions match-- both giving off the same brightness? Does the wick need trimmed?

Do we give off the same vibes in what we say and what we do in relation to others? How does the Bible tell us, as Christians, to behave towards others? Are we perhaps too judgmental at times? If so, how do we pray? Do we pray for those who "spitefully use us?" Towards what end should we pray: For ourselves? For others?

This is simply a "Think About It" that I pose for my reflection and yours.

On Becoming a Parent

Two people made a significant impact on the raising of my children. One was their pediatrician. The other was a child guidance columnist.

When my life as a parent was just beginning, my confidence in being able to raise a child was pretty low on the scale, after the death of our first little girl at the age of just two months. On the plus side of actual physical care, I was fortunate to have as a pediatrician, Dr. Peter G. Danis [I was told the pronunciation sounded like donny]. I felt I knew next to nothing about child care, and I needed to know so many things.

When I asked my mother about any particular concern, she brusquely said, “Use your own common sense.” My reply was, “But, Mother, where children are concerned I have no common sense.” I had no way to relate child care to anything I had yet experienced in my young life.

But, Dr. Danis to the rescue: He had a pre-printed list, taking up an 8-1/2” x 14” page, with explicit directions as to what to do in specific situations. Then at the bottom of the page, he added, “If you still don’t know what to do; do nothing at all. Call the Doctor.” [The beginning of that sentence may have been worded a bit differently, but the rest of it sticks with me.] That page of detailed instructions to a young parent, and knowing I could reach out for more help if I needed to was a God send to me. I did develop some common sense after I learned enough to have something to base it on.

During my young adult years while raising my family, and for as long as the columns were available, there were a few columnists which I read regularly. One that I found enormously helpful in child guidance was written by Dr. Angelo Patri, educator and author. His column on advice to parents, which I no longer remember any specifically, except for one particular bit of advice. “Don’t tell a child no unless you really mean it. And once having said it, stick to it.”

Perhaps present day child guidance counselors would agree with some of Dr. Patri’s teachings and perhaps disagree with others. I have not read any of his works for many years, but it seems the basics he recommended were to deal with children with love, kindness, firmness and guidance. Think about what you wanted to teach them, or what you wanted them to do, and once having taken a stand, be consistent.

Dr. Danis saved my life in a manner of speaking when I was an apprehensive young mother, frightened that I might lose another child. I was determined to do everything I could to prevent that happening. Not that I neglected my first child, but I think every parent might feel there must have been something I could have done differently, or better, in such a situation. Learning what I could about child care was like leaving no stone unturned to have the best chance at survival.

Today's Thought

"Wisdom is knowing what to do. Skill is knowing how to do it. Virtue is in doing it well."

Think about it. How was the wisdom acquired? Through formal education? Life Experience? I'm sure you've heard of "The School of Hard Knocks."

How did you acquire skill? Someone taught you: formally or informally? Did you practice, as in practice makes perfect? That only applies if you practice the right things; if your desire is a good, or better product. You could practice forever and come out with an imperfect product or solution, unless you started with a good pattern, or plan. If there is a flaw in the pattern, practice won't help, unless changes are made.

So, you have the wisdom behind you, to use the skill you have acquired, which you use to the best of your ability. And knowing you have done something well, not only helps whatever product or situation is involved, but adds to your sense of well-being because you've done your best.

Hold Fast the Dream

Hold fast the Dream!
Though it may seem
that shining star
is much too far
beyond your grasp,
that you will never clasp
one small beam.
Even though,
don’t let go.
Hold fast the dream!

This was what I taught my children: That if there was something they wanted to do, which might seem beyond the possibilities they could envision,if it was a worthwhile thing, there was almost always a way to be found, but you had to look for it. And if in the striving, there seemed to be a diversion, perhaps this was just a step along the way; and also, perhaps might lead to a new perspective on what they might want to do. The above is what I want them and their children, and those that follow to remember.

On-by - Keeping On

I found this, "On-by is a command to keep going, to ignore the thing distracting you," in "The Letters." A novel by Luanne Rice and Joseph Monninger.

The book is a collection of letters, written to each other, by the two main characters in the book. The couple had lost their young adult son, their only child, in a tragic plane crash in Alaska; when starting on a new phase of his teaching carrer.

Sam and Hadley were having trouble keeping on, in adjusting to this most difficult occurrence in a formerly happy life. They couldn't seem to deal together with what they both felt, and a division crept in; with a separation as the result.

The father felt compelled to visit the place where his son had died. To reach the crash site, it was necessary to make part of the trip by dog sled. The above command, he learned, was one given to the sled dogs to keep them going without stopping.

The mother, an artist, left home too. She moved to a rather remote village in Maine, where she once again took up painting. The letters allowed them to put their thoughts and feelings into words that sometimes hurt, provoked thoughtfulness, brought back glimpses of a happier time, and in the end produced a good result.

I like the idea of this command: On-by, or keeping on is something we all have to do in circumstances we can't change. We may, or may not do that well; and sometimes, less well than others.

In other, less drastic circumstances, where you are trying to reach a particular objective; I think this command would be a good thing to bear in mind in holding possible distractions at bay.

Can't Do What You Want - Do What You Can

If you can’t do what you want, do what you can. Words that have been a part of my life for a very long time. I couldn’t begin to count the times in my life that I have found it necessary to adapt my plans to this idea. Like it or not, there are times when we must adapt to circumstances, and the ability to do that means the difference in our happiness to misery quotient. Needless to say, I have not always been able to do that to the same degree. I believe this falls in line with the Christophers slogan, “It is better to light one small candle, than curse the darkness.”

" How many times are we frustrated because we want to do something, and for various reasons, we can't? So, do we complain? Make a fuss? Do either help? Perhaps they help a little in the sense that we might have released some tension. If we really can't do what we want to do, whether it is achieving a goal; or alleviating a troublesome situation, what can we do instead?

If we can't do a specific thing concerning the specific subject of what we want to do, perhaps we can do something else towards the same purpose, while waiting to do what was originally planned. As things work out, it sometimes happens that the original want might not be important to us after all.

If we can't do anything at all concerning the plan we had in mind, perhaps what we can do involves something else entirely. And who knows where that will lead? It might lead to something that will help in getting on with what we wanted to do originally. Or it might turn into something else altogether, developing into a new B & B. No, not a bed and breakfast; Blessings and Benefits.

Horizons

Today’s thought: “A horizon is nothing, save the limit of our sight.”

This quote is part of a longer prayer in the Devotions in the back of my Bible. It was meant for comfort in thinking of death, but I think the portion above can be applied in other situations also. Could it not be paraphrased to say, a horizon is nothing, save the limit of our thoughts? I will list the complete prayer, and leave it to you to think about. Needless to say, I don’t know the originator of the prayer.

“O God, teach our hearts to know that Life is eternal, and Love is immortal, and Death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight. Lift us up that we may see further; cleanse our eyes that we may see more clearly; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.”

Advice Nuggets

There are nuggets of advice/wisdom I've picked up along the way that sounded good to me; something to remember as words to live by. This is one of those nuggets [and I will probably add others to this blog, as they surface in my mind] is the following; though I don't recall where I read it.

"Anything that won't bend will break."

I decided long ago that I didn't want to break, so I visualize the willow, which bends with the wind, and rises straight again with its passing.

My Parents: Life's Lessions I Learned From Them

These are some of the basic things I learned from my parents by word and/or example.

1. My parents did not teach me that I was better than anyone else. They did teach me that I was as good as anyone else. That old, ‘Hold your head up high and walk on through the storm,’ idea. We all have the same rights, not more or less than anyone else.
2. Regardless of what anyone else does, I and I alone, am responsible for my own actions.”Yes, yes, I know he/she did this or that.” Still, I bear the responsibility for what I do.
3. This I learned from my mother, which she may not have put in these exact words; but the message came through loud and clear. Doing something because someone else is doing it, is the poorest possible reason for doing anything. We, or at least I, learned rather quickly that saying, “But everyone else is going to…” was a sure show-stopper with my mother. I suppose all kids want to be like the other kids, want to do the same things, as I did - up to a point. Kids don’t want to be different. However, for whatever reason, I refused on my own, some of the things the other kids might want to do. It doesn’t make you popular to go against the grain, but the lesson is worth the learning. Being different makes you what you uniquely are. Being like everyone else helps you get lost in the crowd.

Thoughts To Be Explored

This blog came about in the 'one thing leads to another' sort of way; sometimes called happenstance, a circumstance that just seemed to happen. As did my other blog, called "mmritesblog" on blogspot, which came about as a result of second daughter telling first daughter about her blog. One thing led to another. It is easy to see, there was no previously well thought out plan for either blog. Advance preparation for any task is a good thing. But then, how much pre-planning can you do at age 83?

Once again, I'm doing the 'stick your toe in the water and see what happens' thing.

This second blog came about as I asked myself what else I might do in blogging, and an idea began to emerge. Thoughts began tumbling about in my mind, much like the goodies emerging from a broken pinata. I'm jotting then down, and we will see how they develop, as I have the time and energy to do so. We will just have to see where this road leads as we travel along it. I might list a topic from time to time, then expand on it later. For instance:

Motto
My motto [or at least, one of them] is: "If you can't do what you want, do what you can."

This brings to mind a newspaper column I read as a young adult. Having thought of it, now I will have to look up the name of the Catholic priest who wrote it, and the name of the organization with which he was associated. Their motto, or philosophy was, "It is better to light one little candle, than to curse the darkness."

The organization was "The Christophers," founded by Father James Kellar. I remembered the name of the organization, and looked it up. I am not yet certain if the founder was also the writer of the column I mentioned, but he may have been.

More later.

Followers

Welcome Followers. There isn't much here yet, but you can truly say, you are following the right thing! That should make a person feel good.

Prayer

The above prayer in the Introduction is part of the belief and philosophy that has been developed in the progression of my thinking, feeling, and spiritual self during my lifetime. That, of course, is not my only prayer. I pray for family, friends, people I know and people I don’t know. I pray for a person’s salvation, for someone’s health concern, for the grievous loss of a loved one; for someone who seems to have lost their way; for a personal need when someone has lost employment, or other problem, and doesn’t know how they will be able to take care of their family.

There are many reasons to pray. There are many times we ask for God's blessings upon someone or for an endeavor, and times when we utter the simple, but heartfelt prayer, "Thank you, Lord." I pray for guidance in my own life, and strength to do what I must. Sometimes I may feel that I just don’t know how to pray in a particular situation. But, however I pray, and for whomever I pray, God always knows what the right thing is, even if I don’t.