SOMEDAYS YOU JUST HAVE TO CREATE YOUR OWN SUNSHINE

-------------
"Life is a smile so find it
Put your face behind it
Get it straight in your mind
You gotta make your own sunshine
..... It can't be so hard to find."
(Anon)
.
Even if life throws you a sour ball and you get it smack on your face......... that only means that you have to practice your ducking skills some more!
.
And if life plays a sad bad tune and expects you to dance to it......... say 'thanks but no thanks' and go ahead make your own music and dance loco to it.
.
When you get spoilers to your day of things and people......... show them the door and slam it hard behind them.... gleefully!! Bwahahaaaa......
.
When something goes wrong to your favorite plan or project......... take that as a cue to ease up, lie down, or hit a ball or two on the tennis court or check out your better idea to unwind. Or better yet clear the cobwebs in and on your mind -- There must be a huge ugly super-pangit spider somewhere in there picking on your creative cells for lunch.
.
When you feel that you could kill this jerk because he IS a big jerk......... think of how our jails are hopelessly congested you have to queue for hours to use the toilet.
.
When no matter how hard you try you just can't seem to find that elusive sunshine......... i-drawing mo na lang yan! Draw your piece of sunshine with crayons and paper. Yeah, Go ahead!!! .... and rainbows and stars and roses and angels and moonbeams!
.
When you feel that your prayers are hitting a huge blank wall......... it's just the devil making you think that way. So direct your prayers to the villain with this: In Jesus' name, go smash your ugly nauseating excruciating obnoxious villainous head to that wall there!!! ... Then go back to your conversation with God.
.
Yes, I get bad days too just like everybody else and sometimes my sunshine goes shy. But I have learned to buoy up my sunshine with some wee bit of effort and a truck-load of prayers. You just have to try. Don't let a lovely day go to waste.
.
Wishing you a lovely day of blessings. Shine with your light! God bless you.

DWELL MUCH UPON THE POSITIVES

 

---------------

I love Pamela Steinke's book -- 'Good Morning... God'.  Grow in the faith - We don't only learn this in living life with all of its struggles but we also must seek to learn it from good people and good books. After all God uses a diversity of tools to make us learn about Him or know Him better.

Here's a snippet from that book.....

THE POSITIVES

God:   "Yes, dwell much upon the positives! Let the good things of life saturate your mind; think much about them and do not give thought to the negative. Always think upon the positive. Concentrate upon each blessing until you are filled with joy! Always you have concentrated most upon the negatives of life. Now it is time to learn to fill your thoughts with the good. You are learning to wear the armor of God."

Unquote.

This, I believe, is the formula to how life can be better lived. I have learned that much through the ups and down of my speckled life. Speckled.. is an understatement. If life were a face it would have been one with tons of pimples, acne, freckles, psoriasis, allergies... name anything ugly you wouldn't want on a perceived pretty face... and it's there on THAT face! That was life for me... a bundle of 'I don't need you-I don't want you-I don't like you-but you're here' ugly stuff. It's like some horrendous mean ogre (with his ugly face of course!)  is so obsessed in making my life miserable. I guessed that he too must have read what we have read about 'misery loving company'... and was hell-bent literally on pursuing it with me!

But amazingly it were those same things which gave me my lessons in faith, courage, hope, and positivity. Somebody up there makes a mighty good teacher! You see I had to grow up fast, learn fast but He made sure that I did it the right way. He gently steered me into learning to see with my eyes, mind, and heart the wonderful positive things in the world ... and that it exists even in a speckled freckled life.

But if you're looking for or expecting positivity wrapped in wondrous drama with cymbals and drums making a heavenly noise, nope it's not always that way. Sometimes it's that silent courage you feel in the face of strife which pushes you forward a brave step at a time. Sometimes it's simply a warm sun and a gentle breeze which in some marvelous way lifts the worrisome lines off your weary face. Sometimes it's the chirping of a bird outside your window atop tree branches which opens up your eyes to a lovely glorious day. And sometimes it's the raindrops falling from gray skies which in a precious fleeting moment reminds you that the sun will come out later but it surely will.

Because you know in your heart that you can make it yet and that Somebody up there is keeping watch making sure that you'll be okay. And the joy coming out of that is way beyond measure! Try it to believe it.

Here's the bible reference found in that same book. (By the say, thanks Pamela Steinke. I love your book.)

Philippians 4:8
New International Version (NIV)

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

May the blessings of the Lenten season pour out upon you and your homes.

THE PRIVILEGE OF PRAYER IS THE CHAT WITH GOD

 

-------------------
The homily said in mass yesterday was simple and yet drew the message straight home. It's worthy to note that it helps if the priest knows how to get the attention of his parishioners in the homily portion of the mass. Because almost always this is the part when everybody's thoughts seem to stray. Well, this one new parish priest knows how. How? Here's how I saw him do it..... Just be simple. No frills, no gimmick, just keeping it simple BUT mean it. Mean what you say and that includes also injecting humor in your piece. Stick to what you know best..... life and living. And keep it short.

He's right, you know, otherwise it will just come out hollow and boring no matter the message. The reason why, I suppose, many stay by the church door to easily skip outside when the homily comes around. Have you noticed that, too?

He asked....  'How do we pray?'  Note it's not why but HOW.

He cited reasons that were as real as my tiny pot garden. But one struck me as most interesting. He said we pray HURRIEDLY.  We breeze through the devotions, novena, rosary, intentions, and most other prayers we are wont to say for the living and the dead, singularly or collectively. Once he said he asked a group why they pray in such a rush. The replies came as ....

-- I've another prayer meeting yet to go to after this
-- This is how we have learned to pray it
-- Mother prayed this way in our family
-- It's long so we have to finish it fast before the members get bored
-- Have to finish quick before the heavy rains pour down
-- Malayo pa ang uuwian ko eh  (It's a long way back home)
-- and etc. etc.

Empty and hollow. Now do we still wonder why sometimes our prayers don't get answered.

I have always thought and was taught that Prayer is a conversation with God. As I put in everything of who I am in a conversation with a good friend, I think it isn't any different in a conversation with God. I do the same... putting in all the enthusiasm, conviction, intent, involvement and commitment ... or of joy, happiness, thrill, sadness, fear, misery, disappointment, frustration, sometimes being silly or stupid...... of honestly-what-I-feel  or of who-I-am in that conversation with God. Those things, I believe, cannot be rushed in conversation.

And, I believe, that when I do this - when we do this in prayer..... GOD LISTENS INTENTLY!

I hope today starts off your week with buckets of blessings. God bless you all!