Pause and feel the wind...

Life teaches us that some people will change when they see the light. Others change only when they feel the heat. No doubt the Holy Spirit touches our lives both in the light and the heat.

We may plan and organize; strategize and publicize. We may meet those pivotal deadlines. But unless the Holy Spirit changes us on the inside, guiding us with his abundant love, our work will be flat – a shadow of its true potential.

Jesus says the wind “blows where it will.” We know this is true of the Holy Spirit. Our lives are filled with unexpected turns and changes. Our God is a God of surprises. Those who live in the Spirit trust that all of the bumps and obstacles and all of the positive surprises fall under the watchful eye of a loving God.

Be mindful this day that God is at work in the details of your day. Should you be walking to your car, walking across the street, or on your way to an appointment, pause and feel the wind. He is ever so close to you.

on Perfection...

A friend called on Michelangelo, who was finishing a statue. Sometime afterwards he called again. The sculptor was still at his work.

His friend looking at the figure exclaimed, "You have been idle since I saw you last."

"By no means," replied the sculptor, "I have retouched this part, and polished that. I have softened this feature, and brought out this muscle. I have given more expression to this lip, and more energy to this limb."

"Well, well," said his friend, "but all these are trifles."

"It may be so," replied Michelangelo, "but recollect that trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle."

Big Mud Puddles and Sunny Yellow Dandelions

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take - but by the moments that take our breath away."
-Author Unknown

When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard. My kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish on.

When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and I look away.
My kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back.

When I hear music I love, I know I can't carry a tune and don't have much rhythm so I sit self-consciously and listen.
My kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing out the words. If they don't know them, they make up their own.

When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I feel it messing up my hair and pulling me back when I walk.
My kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.

When I pray, I say thee and thou and grant me this, give me that.
My kids say, "Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don't want to go to Heaven yet. I would miss my Mommy and Daddy."

When I see a mud puddle I step around it. I see muddy shoes and dirty carpets.
My kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross, and worms to play with.

I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from? No wonder God loves the little children!

Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

I wish you Big Mud Puddles and Sunny Yellow Dandelions!!!

On Kindness...

One little unshed raindrop
May think itself too small;
Yet, somewhere, a thirsty flower
Awaits its fall.
One little word, unspoken,
May seem too small to say;
But, somewhere, for that one word,
A heart may pray.

--Helen T. Allison

57 Cents

A little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was 'too crowded.'

'I can't go to Sunday School,' she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.

Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, and she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings.. Her parents called for the kindhearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump.

Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in childish handwriting, which read: 'This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School.'

For two years she had saved for this offering of love.

When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion.

He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there....

A newspaper learned of the story and published It. It was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands.

When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents.

Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300. And be sure to visit TempleUniversity, where thousands of students are educated.

Have a look, too, at the GoodSamaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of beautiful children, built so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time..

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr... Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, 'Acres of Diamonds'.

This is a true story, which goes to show WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH 57 CENTS..

St. Theresa Prayer
May today there be peace within…
May you trust your highest power that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into our bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing and dance. It is there for each and every one of you.

The Real Meaning of Peace

There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked. One picture was of a calm lake that mirrored peaceful, towering mountains surrounding the lake. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace. The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare with an angry sky striking out with slashing rain and lightning. Down the side of the mountain roared a waterfall – anything but peaceful. When the king looked closely, however, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing through a crack in the rock.

A mother bird had built her nest there. In the midst of the rush of angry water, the mother bird sat on her nest in perfect peace. Which picture won the prize? The king chose the second picture. He explained that “peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.

Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart.

That is the real meaning of peace.

Pearls

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.

'Oh mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy,please? '

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.

'A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma.'

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, 'Do you love me?'

'Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you.'

'Then give me your pearls.'

'Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite.'

'That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night.' And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, 'Do you love me?'

'Daddy, you know I love you.'

'Then give me your pearls.'

'Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have m y baby doll.. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.'

'That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you.'

And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style.

As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

'What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?'

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, 'Here, daddy; this is for you.'

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure. So it is, with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.

God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.

Unconditional Love

A little girl named Liz suffered from a rare and serious disease. Her five year old brother had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. Her only chance for recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her little brother. The doctor explained the situation to the boy and asked if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. He hesitated for only a moment before taking a deep breath. “Yes, I’ll do it if it will save her.”

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled — seeing the color return to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and with a trembling voice asked, “Will I start to die right away?” Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he had to give his sister all of his blood to save her. - author unknown

The Stuff of Life...

Several years ago, a very, special high school teacher lost her husband to a sudden heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared her insights with her students. “Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you a thought that is not related to class, but which I feel is very important.

Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is God’s way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day.

So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn’t have to be something you see — it could be a scent — perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone’s house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground.

Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the ‘stuff’ of life’” The students picked up their books and filed out of the room silently. That afternoon, many of those students noticed more things on their way home from school than they had that whole semester.
- Anonymous

Take notice of something special you experience today. Embrace that sign as a love note from Jesus to you. Ask to grow more sensitive, more appreciative of the numerous “miracles” that grace your life day by day.

As we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn’t do – that we by-passed from routine or self-preoccupation.

May this day be filled with miracles for you!
- Kathleen M. Sullivan ’82MA ’87PhD

The Real Meaning of Words

The Real Meaning of Words

Love

Sorrow

Innocence

Departure

Pain

Solitude

Respect

Compassion

Friendship

Patience

Rescued

Best friends

Divine

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain."

Stephen Grellet was a French-born Quaker who died in New Jersey in 1855. Grellet would be unknown to the world today except for a few lines which made him immortal. The familiar lines, which have served as an inspiration to so many people, are these:

"I shall pass through this world but once. Any good that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now and not defer it. For I shall not pass this way again."