Never Settle for Less!

When we become a friend of Jesus, we become of Jesus. I was reading in the Poem of the Man God about how Mary Magdalene's conversion caused many to scorn and laugh at her.

They thought she was the best thing since sliced bread when she was on their side. But now, she became a new sort of controversy and very few who used to be so enamored with her, now detested her and wanted her to fail.

Isn't that the way it goes?! Many people just wait for a Christian to fall so they can feel better about their own sins.

Oy! Another trick of the evil one!

We must be cautious not to allow this scornful attitude to come and dwell in our hearts in any shape or form.

Love.

Our Lady has said that this world does not know how to love.

(When I first read that I was puzzled, because I loved lots of people.)

Ah, it goes much deeper than that. And I for one, do not want to rob myself of knowing how to love as God intends. I do not want to settle for second best in any area of my journey with God, and so therefore, nor with you. I'm searching my heart daily for anything that may block my view of the beauty God is showing me in all people.

In the Poem of the Man God (what a book!), Jesus says:

" Improve your love, then. Love, to be really such, must not be exclusive. When one can love only one object, and cannot love anything else, even if one is loved by what one loves, it is clear that that is not true love. Perfect love loves, with due gradation, all mankind and also animals and vegetables, stars and water, because it sees everything in God. One loves God, as is proper, and one loves everything in God. Be careful; exclusive love is often selfishness. Endeavor therefore to love everybody else out of love."

He had said this to Judas the Iscariot who had complained that Mary Magdalene was an embarrassment and should not be allowed to walk with the disciples.

Jesus also said that Mary Magdalene was no longer Mary of Magdala, she was Mary of Jesus, and that her separation from the past was complete.

Know anyone who is trying to be good? Encourage them.

In your heart, be a mother or father to children you do not know. Be a sister or a brother to strangers.

Most likely, you won't have to say a word. Just love them in silence because what is in your heart, the world sees.

Thoughts from the Hayloft

I love it when I get an inspirational idea. Ever since we changed to round bales of hay, instead of the rectangular, the hayloft is empty, (round bales too heavy and are kept on main floor). After I was finished feeding Nancy and Betty this morning I noticed the hayloft door was open and decided to climb the ladder to see what was up there.

Not much.

Then I thought, "hey!!! I could dry my herbs up here instead of in the house where everyone complains about it!"

So, I started in sweeping, sweeping, sweeping.

Put in some hooks, nails and such to hang herbs on and used an old wooden desk to work on. I'm going to make some floral wreaths, too.

I've got enough Sweet Annie to supply the township. I just love that stuff! But, my family thinks it awful and were thrilled that I had discovered a space, unclaimed for the most part, to work with my dried herbs.

There is the back door to consider. A doozy of a step should I forget and fall out! And the front door isn't much better.

Still, it does one a world of good to create.

Somebody asked me the other day why I like to paint pictures of furniture.

Maybe it's because I love the idea of decorating but never had the money or energy to spend. Also, I think I enjoy creating order and the fun of how paintings take control and guide you along in accordance to how they want to come alive.

It's just fun and is good for the soul to create.

Everything is a lesson. What you learn can be applied to living a life with God and in peace.

One needs to be teachable. It's almost always best to take the student position in situations. For example an argument that you think is unjust because you know you are right.

Forget being right, instead: what are you hearing? learning? and how can you bring God into the equation?

Keep your heart open to that which is of God.

If you pray for peace, you have to be careful to do your part.

Sometimes, saying sorry is the key. Forgiving also opens opportunities for God. So open as many doors for God as you can, while you can.

".....and He speaks the truth without breaking anybody's heart, without rousing anybody's indignation and without reproaching. Of course, He is He!" . St. Peter was speaking about Jesus in the Poem of the Man God. The disciples had been trying to testify and witness to the Truth and found that some people were thirsty for God, and others became indignant.

When speaking of these challenges to Jesus, Jesus replies, " And you do not love them. That's your mistake. Love them even if you do not know them. Say to yourself: "They belong to our Father".

You will then seem to know them and you will love them."

This is from the Poem of the Man God, Volume II.

It's great when we speak to another person who is in agreeance with us, but when someone turns up their nose? oy, that's not so easy, but it is a valuable lesson if you can remember to take the student position and learn from it.

We need to love, be ready to love and to give. It takes prayer, lots of prayer to cleanse your mind, wash all the worldly stuff out of it and make room for God. Peace follows. Peace is a treasure in your family, guard it wisely.

Here's a photo of some sort of bug who came to my water fountain for a drink. And, another photo of a sunset I took sometime this summer.

I am amazed each day at what God has prepared to share with us.

Peace

be

with

YOU!

Confessions of being haughty

I saw this guy in the grocery store. He wasn't annoying me or inconveniencing me (as I sometimes feel towards people while grocery shopping).

Yet, I judged him silently in my mind.

By the way, this is a confession, which I share only to bring light to how we hurt ourselves and others without much thought or care.

Shamely, my thought was this; "geez, if he wasn't so fat maybe he would be able to walk".

Horrid, I know.

I am truly sorry for my ignorance.

But how did I know I was entertaining such a terrible thought?

I related him to someone I know (which by the way, is how the Holy Spirit often teaches me). I noticed the back of his neck and for a split second, saw the back of my husband's neck. Then, again for a second, I saw my own husband in a wheelchair in the future without his loving family beside him, fending for himself in a cruel and cold world while stuck in a wheelchair and at the mercy of strangers.

My mind was enlightened, my heart filled with love for this man I do not know and probably will never see again. Maybe he was an angel? But, I learned and saw all within a few seconds a valuable teaching: Judge not!

One reason is because you cheat yourself. I don't want to judge this man. I don't want others to judge my loved ones when they are all alone and vulnerable!!! What I really want to do is sit down, share coffee and have a good conversation, perhaps a few laughs, encourage each other and become friends.

I owed God an apology for my initial attitude towards one of His children. God, used my own failing to teach me, lovingly, how to be aware of my thinking and not let it grow into outward rudeness. Though, I'm sure all of our inner thoughts are plain to see on our faces. We fool no one.

We isolate ourselves with these sort of thoughts. Silently making fun of people who do not look like we think they should look like. Okay, so how should he have looked? Strong, tall and muscular?

Oh come on!!!!!!!!! That image is given to you courtesy of some stupid commercial for Hane's underwear. There must be absolutely countless ways to undermine our purity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On the way home that day, I noticed how sad I felt, not just because of this one instance, but because of countless other ways I've dismissed others as less than myself. Oh, so you see? yes, it only makes me feel less of MYSELF.

But, with God all things are possible.

Keep seeking God in all things, and He will help you love.

Otherwise? You will be empty, sad and angry. Just looking for more to make yourself miserable.

Like gloomy rain everyday. Dark houses everywhere.

All inside your heart.

What to do, what to do. What to do? Start. BEGIN! Just pray, "Lord God, help me to love, show me how!!!"

All of us need to learn how to love, and when God does start showing you, even tiny small seconds of enlightenment, your heart will burst for love.

Gratitude fills your entire being, almost too much to contain!! You start to see beauty in everyone and in everything.

You know that guy at church who grates on your nerves? Yes, even he you will see with love and tenderness all the while you learn that being better than everyone else is a burdensome act to keep up.

I confessed this sin and other judemental thoughts and attitudes to the priest. He said, "ah! I just read something about this earlier, what you need to do is when you realize you have this thought, immediately say a Hail Mary for the person whom you are judging".

I thought that was awesome! I can do that!!! Going to confession really gives graces, direction and peace of heart.

I leave you with my heart, full of gratitude for your patience with me as I stumble along, slowly learning but growing in love.

Peace and smiles be within your heart and on your face.

Make a move!

Write this down: Medjugorje

This place, Medjugorje in the former Yugoslavia belongs to Our Mother of the Redeemer. She will prove that She loves us, way before the Church has time to approve these apparitions.

Every knee in the world, IN THE WORLD, will bend in awe of Her love for us. She will leave a sign that no man can touch to prove to all of us, everyone in the world, that She, the Mother of Jesus Christ has come to bring us to holiness, to lead us to Jesus. There will be an enormous world wide revival, all religions that worship Jesus, will experience a new springtime in their hearts. Christians as well as lots of non-Christians. millions will convert.

If you have little children, they will grow up in the era of peace She is bringing to us.

All these years, we've been frightened of what the future may bring. If you are frightened, then you need to pray and ask God to help you understand. You will find love. If you knew how much Our Lady loves you, you would weep tears of joy.

I cry a lot.

When I was a little girl, my mom told me I would run out of tears. As an adult, it did happen to me, her words came true. During the days after my son died, I did run out of tears. It was like dry heaves, only with my eyes.

I must tell you when I fell away from God, I rarely cried or felt my feelings or listened.

I was on my way to becoming a stone.

I was on the wrong path. I had been on the right one, and well, I fell from it. But now I am back on and God has created in me a new being.

I want to run up to strangers and explain about how God is love, He's really real!!!! But it is difficult to find even one person who is open, or looking for Him.

At least go to Mej.com and read some of the info. You have to put forth some effort, you have to exercise your own will.

If you are on the wrong path, if there is any doubt at all, just ask God to help you.

God is the author of Love.

Evil cannot even grow a blade of grass.

Why do we give evil so much attention then?

The following is a message from Our Lady to non-believers, She gives a new message on the 2nd of each month.

July 2, 2009

"Dear children! I am calling you because I need you, I need hearts ready for immeasurable love - hearts that are not burdened by vanity - hearts that are ready to love as my Son loved - that are ready to sacrifice themselves as my Son sacrificed Himself. I need you. In order to come with me, forgive yourselves, forgive others and adore my Son. Adore Him also for those who have not come to know Him, those who do not love Him. Therefore, I need you;therefore, I call you. Thank you."

Peace be with you.

Never letting go

Prodigal: one who has returned after an absence. As a prodigal daughter I am filled with awe and gratitude at open doors. Morning mass, all welcomed. Many drive by not even aware of what amazing love transpires behind these beautiful doors. Many, like I used to be, drive by knowing, but lost touch and keep themselves preoccupied so it doesn't hurt so much.

Still, after all this time, I am overwhelmed at the love that comes pouring into my soul at mass, or at Adoration, or at my own backyard shrine. I stop to think, how could it be? me?

Why do I know this love? I don't deserve it, but I reach for it just the same.

I am presently studying "The Apostolate of Holy Motherhood".

Trying my best to live in accordance with it's direction. There is a lot of staying home, being quiet and praying. Lots of praying.

Chapter 81 "My Sacred Heart Is Your Resting Place" Jesus says, "If you but make the effort, I will reach out My hand and grasp you, drawing you closely to Me where you will find your rest and the joy which surpasses earthly pleasures........Blissful and eternal love is yours for the asking, but first you must desire this above all else in your life and proceed in courage and faith in your ascent to Me............Stay with Me in love; never leave Me. Think of Me always and I will dwell within you perpetually....."

I'm so grateful! excited and full of hope!!

peace be with you♥

Rainbows at Night

I haven't been on the computer lately all that much. I felt the need of lots and lots of quiet time. I need to pray. I want to be very sure I am living the messages of Medjugore: Pray, Peace, Sacraments, Fast, Holy Scriptures.

Once in awhile, one needs to get one's priorities in order; it's simply foolish not to. Foolishness, silliness and hilarity mixed with drinking alcohol is not a smart way to go. When I look back on the times I acted like that, I'm embarrassed.

I'm ashamed.

I confess, I've wasted much of my life to foolishness. Why? What's wrong with having a little fun?

I love fun, but only the kind that evokes love, and makes me so happy for the other person I want to hug them.

I have found that simple pleasures truly are the best. I shy from things that shock my soul. Like t.v.

I really believe that most of the reality shows have been sneakingly damaging to many, many souls.

My daughter watches them sometimes. The other day, I caught a glimpse of one. It was a mother who had about ten little kids. She was getting a divorce. They showed her sitting on the couch explaining why divorce was the right thing to do.

"Oh, so simple. I see, ........that's the way you do it." Thoughts like that permeate people's minds when they are given an opportunity to be shown how to be evil, yet look acceptable, normal and even attractive....or worse, justified.

What about a reality show where you live day in and day out with a parish priest? Straight away, people would think it would be about exposing his secret sins. Might they watch it if it were not?

What if it were a holy, good and loving priest? A parish priest is a busy guy. Always putting out fires and helping all sorts of people, he also brings us hope.

Hope.

Evil tries to take hope from us because loss of hope pulls us away from God and we start depending on people to cheer us up, or encourage us. We become weak and even more scared.

There are tens of thousands of people right now praying for nine straight days a Novena of Hope.

You can read about that at mej.com

Help by praying for people to hope in God, not the news media, or the bottle or their anger's fury.

If you haven't prayed because you think there is no hope for you because of past sins, that God will not hear you, or if you are afraid of His Wrath (which is the beginning of wisdom), regardless, go to God.

Tell Him what I said when I thought I was too lost; "I am Your child, help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Who am I to be sitting at Mass this morning receiving Holy Communion?

Who am I? I'm nobody. Just an ordinary woman who believes, who has experienced God's love and refuses to let go.

Our Lady said if you knew how much She loved you, you would jump for joy.

I've experienced Her love, just a tiny bit, for a second, when my son died...........that second has got me through 22 years of deep grief, relentless fears and doubt.

Sometimes at Mass I think to myself, "oh my dear Lord, where would I be right now had God not allowed Our Lady to guide me?!!"

She is leading me on the path to Heaven.

My sins? They are paid for.

By who? Yes, you've heard it a million times from a million people, it's Jesus, God's Son. You've heard His Name.

I'm still in utter awe that me, a scrawny middle aged woman, a sinner and pity-party-type person with no education, really; I have nothing except my family, anyway, regardless of my failings and my miserable goof ups, I am a daughter of Jerusalem, an Israelite (belongs to God). I'm all the things this world hates.

I'm all the things that embarass people.

Yep, and I'm eternally grateful.

Last night, after the storm, I saw a rainbow at night. I've never seen that before. I had been praying and meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary. When I finished, I went to the window and saw this rainbow. I called to my husband to come and see and he said "go get your camera!"

So, thanks to him, I can share it with you. The other photos are taken at the same time, the firey sky is the west, the bluish is the north, and the rainbow was in the east.

Peace to all you who happen by.

How to be good

How many times have you heard or said, "be good"?

I say that to my dog when I leave the house, most times she listens. I say it to my daughter and husband, and most times they listen too! And, I say it to myself!

In re-reading a passage in the book "The Poem of the Man God" by Maria Valtorta, where Jesus explains a way or method of how to do this being good stuff.

In replying to Peter who had just asked what Jesus and the disciples were discussing as he came upon them. (Jesus had been teaching about being good).

Jesus said, "order, patience, perseverance, humility, charity.

Peter asked what order had to do with it.

Jesus responds, "Disorder is never a good quality. I mention it first, whereas I mentioned charity last, because they are the two extremities of the straight line of perfection. Now you know that a straight line on a plane has neither a beginning nor end. Each extremity can be either the beginning or the end, whereas in the case of the spiral, or any other design which is not enclosed in itself, there is always a beginning and an end. Holiness is linear, simple, perfect and has but two extremities, like a straight line.

Peter said, "It is easy to draw a straight line..."

Jesus says, "Do you think so? you are wrong. In a drawing, even if it is a complicated one, some imperfections may not be noticed. But an error is noticed at once in a straight line.

Joseph, when he taught me the trade, insisted a great deal that the boards should be straight and quite rightly he used to say, "see son? a small imperfection may not be seen in a decoration or in a turned work, because the eye, unless it is very experienced, if it watches one point, does not see another. But if a board is not as straight as it should be, even the most simple work will not be satisfactory, such as a poor table for a peasant. It will be on a slant or it will wobble. It is only good for the fire".

Who starts his spiritual work in an unplanned manner, starting from useless things, jumping from one thing to another, like a restless bird, will end up by not being able to join the various parts of his work. They will not fit in. Therefore, order and charity. Then, holding those two extremities firm in two vices, so that they may not move, you can work at all the rest decorations or carving, whatever it may be."

So there you have it, Order, patience, perseverance, humility, charity. These 5 things starting with order, ending with charity will help you "be good".

You can apply this to all sorts of things you want to be good at. Even shopping for groceries, making a bed, planting flowers or washing dishes, etc. Practice being good at small efforts and discover that you will remember to apply these methods at doing good in other areas of your life.

By the way, I highly recommend reading The Poem of the Man God:)!!

Peace.