Wednesday, August 8, 2012
"Greed"
JMJ. I admit that I've been remiss. Mea culpa. It's been ages since I've posted a new blog and I know that my one, faithful reader is royally upset with me. It seems like I'm always apologising to her so I won't. Ha! Imagine my surprise when I tried to sign on and add to my scribblings and couldn't for the life of me figure out how! Not to mention the gratuitous ads that have suddenly appeared. I assure all (one) of you that I had absolutely nothing to do with it. I did finally figure out how to sign on (obviously) so I'll try to be a little more attentive but I'm honked that corporate greed has invaded even this free sight.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
"I'm Sorry"
JMJ. I think it was St. Peter who asked our Lord how many times we should forgive others and He answered seven times seventy. Or was it seventy times seven? Anyway, what He meant was "lots and lots." Just as important, though, to me is apologising. And we all find that eminently difficult to do.
I found something on the internet that I thought was kinda profound. It said that "apologising is not about admitting that you are wrong and the other person is right but that your relationship is more important than your ego."
Doesn't it just always boil down to pride?
I found something on the internet that I thought was kinda profound. It said that "apologising is not about admitting that you are wrong and the other person is right but that your relationship is more important than your ego."
Doesn't it just always boil down to pride?
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
"Just an Idle, Profound Thought"
JMJ. Caveat Lector--this is profound only because I think the Holy Ghost came up with it for me.
Motto for the day:
"Your mother didn't abort you--pass it on."
Motto for the day:
"Your mother didn't abort you--pass it on."
"A Divine Emergency"
JMJ. God has another emergency. A young woman is adamant about the need to abort her twin babies. Her name will be known only to God. Please offer your prayers and rosaries for the conversion of her life. Please help God bring to these helpless babies His Divine Love. And please pray for this young mother. The execution is set for March 26th.
"All God's Creatures"
JMJ. We’ve had pets our e married life and they’ve
been a blessing long before we really knew about blessings. For most of the almost forty years they were
cats. And that was okay. Really.
Cats aren’t the most friendly of creatures but you can’t beat them for
ease of care. And one or two of them
were really exceptional. Like Dr.
Watson, a mutt cat we got from some folks in Huron as a kitten. Now he had personality in spades.
Then we adopted Linus, our dog, about 6 years ago. He’s a mutt, too. A cross between chow and golden retriever and who knows what else. A Heinz 57 variety dog. Got him from the animal shelter in Geauga county. Linda wanted a dog who would be company for her during the day when I was at work. He marched right over to meet her and wasn’t the least intimidated by her electric wheelchair. It was a match made in heaven.
Prior to Linus we had bought a couple of ferrets from a pet store. My Confederate buddy, Hawk, had recommended them as pets—cute, was right, too. They may slow down with age and they’re horribly prone to ghost. We fell in love with them from the very first one we bought.
Rescue Services to be precise. We knew that it was cool adopting Linus. He was two years old or so and came to us potty trained and partially trained. Could it work for ferrets, too? Yes! We found some of the most adorable ferrets over the years, each with his or her own unique personality. Personalities that most of the cats hadn’t even come close to. I don’t know about Linda, but in adopting our pets I feel so much more like Adam and Eve in Genesis. God gave them dominion over all the animals. I felt like I had shouldered a responsibility for God.
Which brings me to Missy. Missy is our newest little girl. She’s 6 years old and came from a situation where she and her cage mate had been neglected quite badly. She had a growth on her right hind leg which the vet determined was cancer. Her leg was amputated at the hip and our friend Crystal (who had rescued her) asked if we’d foster her. Is a bull frog waterproof? We took her without a qualm. It took a few days for her to get adjusted to a new home but she made the transition without too much trouble.
Through the grace of God she began eating right away (baby food) and within two days was eating kibble. She’s still kind of skittish around the other ferrets. Cora (the warrior princess who terrorizes the five boys) tried to assert her control over Missy, too. The boys are just curious about her but at only one pound and seven ounces (she’s put on four ounces in the two weeks we’ve had her) she’s intimidated by that curiosity. So we got her a separate cage. And she seems happy, content.
So she’s become a part of our hearts and our home and our group of kids. And we thank God for having drawn us to adoption. I think I’ve got a much better appreciation for those who do the same thing for the unwanted and dispossessed of the two-legged variety. Four legs or two, we are all God’s beloved creatures. Amen.
Then we adopted Linus, our dog, about 6 years ago. He’s a mutt, too. A cross between chow and golden retriever and who knows what else. A Heinz 57 variety dog. Got him from the animal shelter in Geauga county. Linda wanted a dog who would be company for her during the day when I was at work. He marched right over to meet her and wasn’t the least intimidated by her electric wheelchair. It was a match made in heaven.
Prior to Linus we had bought a couple of ferrets from a pet store. My Confederate buddy, Hawk, had recommended them as pets—cute, was right, too. They may slow down with age and they’re horribly prone to ghost. We fell in love with them from the very first one we bought.
Rescue Services to be precise. We knew that it was cool adopting Linus. He was two years old or so and came to us potty trained and partially trained. Could it work for ferrets, too? Yes! We found some of the most adorable ferrets over the years, each with his or her own unique personality. Personalities that most of the cats hadn’t even come close to. I don’t know about Linda, but in adopting our pets I feel so much more like Adam and Eve in Genesis. God gave them dominion over all the animals. I felt like I had shouldered a responsibility for God.
Which brings me to Missy. Missy is our newest little girl. She’s 6 years old and came from a situation where she and her cage mate had been neglected quite badly. She had a growth on her right hind leg which the vet determined was cancer. Her leg was amputated at the hip and our friend Crystal (who had rescued her) asked if we’d foster her. Is a bull frog waterproof? We took her without a qualm. It took a few days for her to get adjusted to a new home but she made the transition without too much trouble.
Through the grace of God she began eating right away (baby food) and within two days was eating kibble. She’s still kind of skittish around the other ferrets. Cora (the warrior princess who terrorizes the five boys) tried to assert her control over Missy, too. The boys are just curious about her but at only one pound and seven ounces (she’s put on four ounces in the two weeks we’ve had her) she’s intimidated by that curiosity. So we got her a separate cage. And she seems happy, content.
So she’s become a part of our hearts and our home and our group of kids. And we thank God for having drawn us to adoption. I think I’ve got a much better appreciation for those who do the same thing for the unwanted and dispossessed of the two-legged variety. Four legs or two, we are all God’s beloved creatures. Amen.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
"Prayer Power"
JMJ. I'm not a doubter; please don't get that impression. I guess I oughta be a Missourian 'cause my motto seems to be "show me." I have such a huge problem getting things from my head to my heart. Must be a short circuit or something. It sometimes seems that an act of Congress is needed to overcome the blockage.
Anyway. About a month ago a friend of mine from out of town called and said he had an acute problem. A couple that he is quite close to were pregnant with their first child but due to career constraints were pretty sure they needed to get an abortion. Needless to say, he was horrified, I was horrifed, and we were both in a religous/moral tizzy, to say the least.
Lovingly, he had counseled the two, pulling out all of the big guns of argument that he could think of. I'm sure the Holy Ghost may have offered some that he hadn't of and he was calling to ask me what more could be done. Actually, he had probably done a whole lot better than I would've given the circumstances. (My friend, who shall remain nameless doesn't always realise just how powerful he is!)
My first inclination, thankfully, is to go running to Mother, just like I did when I was a little kid. I just said, "We gotta pray about this right now. You've said all you can say, now it's up to Heaven." Hey, it may be trite but it sure does work--or so I'm told. Most of my prayers have to do with physical healing for my wife, and for the conversion of souls so I don't always SEE a whole lot of results. Had I been thinking a little more analytically I should have realised that their coming to my friend seemed to me that they wanted to be talked out of their thoughts of abortion.
Well, we prayed and prayed. And a week ago I got a call saying, "Praise the Lord!" They had decided to keep their baby. All of a sudden that short circuit got a whole lot smaller. The power of prayer? Now I've seen it first-hand. Who knows--by the time I die I might actually have learnt to believe without seeing. Hey, it could happen. Praise God for His blessing the Lent.
Anyway. About a month ago a friend of mine from out of town called and said he had an acute problem. A couple that he is quite close to were pregnant with their first child but due to career constraints were pretty sure they needed to get an abortion. Needless to say, he was horrified, I was horrifed, and we were both in a religous/moral tizzy, to say the least.
Lovingly, he had counseled the two, pulling out all of the big guns of argument that he could think of. I'm sure the Holy Ghost may have offered some that he hadn't of and he was calling to ask me what more could be done. Actually, he had probably done a whole lot better than I would've given the circumstances. (My friend, who shall remain nameless doesn't always realise just how powerful he is!)
My first inclination, thankfully, is to go running to Mother, just like I did when I was a little kid. I just said, "We gotta pray about this right now. You've said all you can say, now it's up to Heaven." Hey, it may be trite but it sure does work--or so I'm told. Most of my prayers have to do with physical healing for my wife, and for the conversion of souls so I don't always SEE a whole lot of results. Had I been thinking a little more analytically I should have realised that their coming to my friend seemed to me that they wanted to be talked out of their thoughts of abortion.
Well, we prayed and prayed. And a week ago I got a call saying, "Praise the Lord!" They had decided to keep their baby. All of a sudden that short circuit got a whole lot smaller. The power of prayer? Now I've seen it first-hand. Who knows--by the time I die I might actually have learnt to believe without seeing. Hey, it could happen. Praise God for His blessing the Lent.
Monday, February 20, 2012
"Another Lent Upon Us"
JMJ. It's hard to believe that this Easter will be the 12th anniversary of my conversion, my 12th years as a Catholic. And as the idiom goes, "it keeps getting gooder and gooder." But it's time to think about Lent and how I hope to make it more meaningful for me. In the past it was always customary to think about one's "Lenten sacrifice." An then the Church in her wisdom suggested that one also add something positive, too. This makes perfect sense.
But it dawned on me tonight as I gave thought to my plans that it would take me so much further if I started making Lenten resolutions If our sacrifices would be beneficial for the 40 days of Lent, why not make them permanent? Now I haven't made New Years' resolutions since before my conversion. The New Year holiday was of absolutely no importance to me whatsoever. But Lent! Why not make Ash Wednesday my New Year and make my actions permanent?
I wish I could say I prayed about this beforehand and was inspired to come up with this plan. Who knows, maybe it is inspired? This year, along with my sacrifice, which I hope to make permanent and which shall go unnamed, I also intend to add an extra decade of the Holy Rosary each day, ad aeternam, for the benefit of the unborn and for life. If you think this is a good idea, too, spread the word and let me know if you think this is worthwhile. Blessed Mother, please pray that our Lent be a time of joy, wonder, and growth. Amen.
But it dawned on me tonight as I gave thought to my plans that it would take me so much further if I started making Lenten resolutions If our sacrifices would be beneficial for the 40 days of Lent, why not make them permanent? Now I haven't made New Years' resolutions since before my conversion. The New Year holiday was of absolutely no importance to me whatsoever. But Lent! Why not make Ash Wednesday my New Year and make my actions permanent?
I wish I could say I prayed about this beforehand and was inspired to come up with this plan. Who knows, maybe it is inspired? This year, along with my sacrifice, which I hope to make permanent and which shall go unnamed, I also intend to add an extra decade of the Holy Rosary each day, ad aeternam, for the benefit of the unborn and for life. If you think this is a good idea, too, spread the word and let me know if you think this is worthwhile. Blessed Mother, please pray that our Lent be a time of joy, wonder, and growth. Amen.
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