For the apparent disappearance of many plants and animals, autumn is often seen as an end. But the seasons are part of a continuum, a revolving process of birth, death, and renewal — and if such could be said to have any beginning or end, then fall could just as well be viewed as a beginning. Like the counterweight on a flywheel, autumn provides the inertia to turn the annual cycle over.PETER J. MARCHAND … [Read more...]
Child of God – Quote of the Week
"God has placed his hand on your shoulder and said, "You're something special."Untethered by time, he sees us all. In fact he saw us before we were born.And he loves what he sees. Flooded by emotion. Overcome by pride, the Starmaker turns to us, one by one and say," You are my child. I love you dearly."And he loves us forever. Should you ever turn from him and walk away, he has already provided a way back. Nothing can separate you from his love, If you anchor these truths firmly in your heart, you will be ready for what ever you may encounter on the road ahead.So let the journey begin!" Max Lucado … [Read more...]
In the Desert – Quote of the Week
In the desert the most urgent thing is—to wait.The desert does not take kindly to those who tackle it at breakneck speed, subjecting it to their plans and deadlines.Instead, the desert welcomes those who shed their sandals of speed and walk slowly in their bare feet, letting them be caressed and burnt by the sand.If you have no ambition to conquer the desert, if you do not think you are in charge, if you can calmly wait for things to be done, then the desert will not consider you an intruder and will reveal its secrets to you.Alessandro Pronzato … [Read more...]
Inspiring Quotes Surrounding My Desk
I was typing away the other day, lost in a world of words, punctuation and verb tenses. My eyes left the screen momentarily, landing on a quote scribbled and taped to my desk. I stopped and breathed in its wisdom, "Look at God Looking at you... and smiling." Anthony de Mello I smiled. For one brief moment, God and I just sat together. Not doing. Not accomplishing. Just enjoying each other's company. Today I sat back and looked at the wise words of others decorating (or cluttering) my writing space. I thought I would share some of the wisdom with you that inspires me: "If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one." a Russian Proverb "We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret and disappointment." Jim Rohn "Spare moments are the gold dust of time." Bishop … [Read more...]
Jean Pierre de Caussade – Quote of the Week
Mystify us, arouse and confuse us.Shatter our illusions and plans so that we lose our way, and see neither path nor light until we have found you, where you are to be found and in your true form—in the peace of solitude, in prayer, in submission, in suffering, in succour given to another, and in flight from idle talk and worldly affairs.For how foolish it is, O Divine Love, not to see you in all that is good and in all creatures.Why, then, try to find you in what you are not?Jean Pierre de Caussade, The Sacrament of the Present Moment … [Read more...]
The Gift of Grace – Quote of the Week
The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you. There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.-Frederick Buechner … [Read more...]
When One Door Closes…
When One Door Closes When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell I have often heard this saying and love how Bell adds a new dimension to this thought for us to ponder. When one door closes too often we do cling to the old and become paralyzed to move onto the new possibilities. Our eyes are blinded by the what if's, the can't do it's and the ego wanted control ways. I think we do need time to grief, time to honor, and time to say good-bye to a closed door. But then we nod and say time to move on. What do you think? What helps you close those doors, accept the end of a path and more onward, exploring new open doors? PS. Sometimes it is hard to choose between doors we have before us: maybe this post about choosing between good and great will give you some guidance: … [Read more...]
God is Everywhere – Quote of the Week – Thomas Merton
Life is this simple.We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and God is shining through it all the time.This is not just a fable or a nice story. It is true.If we abandon ourselves to God and forget ourselves, we see it sometimes and we see it maybe frequently.God manifests himself everywhere, in everything, in people and in things and in nature and in events.It becomes very obvious that he is everywhere and in everything and we cannot be without him.You cannot be without God. It's impossible. It's simply impossible.Thomas Merton … [Read more...]