Gratitude...

Every breath we draw is a gift of God’s love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude, therefore, takes nothing for granted.
-Thomas Merton-
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Grateful...

“Gratefulness is born of a prayerfulness that helps us notice “Magnalia Dei”….the marvels of God.”
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Deep Well...

“Everything about our modern lives fights against taking time to satisfy the needs and longings of the soul. Yet if there is one place I am allowed to be selfish, it’s in the care of my soul. Out of such selfishness, I become more selfless in caring for the needs of those in my sphere of influence.”
-Stephen Macchia-
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The Aunties...

As the years go by, I am noticing something. I do not look like I used to! Surprise, surprise. It can be difficult to see the changes that time brings. Anne Lamott, in one of her books, has a chapter called “The Aunties”. She is referring to her derrière. The Aunties are not what they used to be She talks about not wanting to go out in a bathing suit because she is self conscious about The Aunties. She is constantly comparing herself to other women..younger women. Then she realizes that what she does possess is the wisdom that only age brings. It is a beauty that cannot be matched by a young, fit body. And she forms a new appreciation and respect for The Aunties.

I am beginning to appreciate that. I am starting to love my wisdom; a wisdom that comes from God. I am learning to appreciate the beauty that comes with age…maybe not a physical beauty but the beauty of knowing God in an intimate way.

I am constantly trying to re-align my values with His…that how I look is not as important as how I am. That what the world values is not what God values. Some days I do better than others but I think the days seeing it from God’s point of view are getting more numerous.

Today, may you value who God made you to be. May you value being known more than being beautiful. And may you thank Him for the wisdom that He has given you. Enjoy today and honour the aunties...no matter what your age. :0)

Grace and peace,
Deb
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Risk...

"Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable." 
-C. S. Lewis-
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Vulnerability...

“It's so sad how we can go through life hating people, thinking that they are so different from us. It is only when we see them at their weakest point, seeing their vulnerability, that we start to realize how similar we all actually are to one another.”
-Unknown-
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Darkness into light...

“Mother Teresa once said “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted are the greatest poverty”.
To this I will add: Please believe that one single positive dream is more important than a thousand negative realities.

sacred~encounters

for those desiring deeper intimacy with Christ

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"Man's Search for Meaning"

from “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl

“A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth —that love is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret the human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing left in the world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in the positive action —in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfilment. For the first time in my life I was able to understand the meaning of the words, “The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory.”

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love is the light in the midst of the darkness

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Viktor Frankl survived the Nazi concentration camps in World War II and later wrote the beautiful “Man’s Search for Meaning” detailing his experience and the psychological lessons he learnt in the concentration camps. The above passage details how he was able to maintain his will to survive through his years in the camps and it is probably amongst the most beautiful passages written on love especially given Frankl’s circumstances and situation at the time.

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A sensible man...

A sensible man will remember that the eyes may be confused in two ways - by a change from light to darkness or from darkness to light; and he will recognize that the same thing happens to the soul. 
~Plato~
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People are like stained-glass windows...

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within. 
~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross~
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INCREDIBLE JAPAN - 10 LESSONS TO LEARN FROM A GRIEVING BUT GREAT NATION...

1. THE CALM!
Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.
2. THE DIGNITY!
Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.
3. THE ABILITY!
The incredible architects, for instance. Many Buildings swayed but didn't fall.
4. THE GRACE!
People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.
5. THE ORDER!
No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.
6. THE SACRIFICE!
Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?
7. THE TENDERNESS!
Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.
8. THE TRAINING!
The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.
9. THE MEDIA!
They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly reporters. Only calm reportage.
10. THE CONSCIENCE!
When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly.

LET'S ALL  SALUTE THE SPIRIT OF JAPAN AND HER PEOPLE! THEY ARE IN OUR PRAYERS!

Aano bhadra krtavo yantu vishwatah.(- RIG VEDA)
"Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions"

All days are nights...

All days are nights to see till I see thee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee to me.
~William Shakespeare, "Sonnet XLIII"~
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When you miss me...

When you miss me just look up to the night sky and remember, I'm like a star; sometimes you can't see me, but I'm always there.
-- Jayde --
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If I had a single flower...

If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden.
-- Claudia Ghandi --
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Have A Great Week Friends...

Happy Monday Friends...

Still Miss You...

I Miss You...

I miss you when something really good happens, because you're the one I want to share it with. I miss you when something is troubling me, because you're the only one who understands me so well. I miss you when I laugh and cry, because I know that you're the one who makes my laughter grow and my tears disappear. I miss you all the time, but I miss you the most when I lie awake at night and think of all the wonderful times we spent with each other for those were some of the best memorable times of my life.
-- Author Unknown --
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