Guilt

Like a thief in the night, a soup kitchen has taken up residence on the corner of the highway and the entrance to the business district of our little tourist town. This has created a whole host of emotions in me. The first is Anger. I am upset that as a non profit they were not required to get a business permit or any kind of approval prior to making this move. They set up shop with no thought to how they would affect the other business in the area, the hotels, the restaurants, or the National Park tourist office they now sit next to. The second is guilt, good old fashioned, catholic guilt, at the fact that I need to support feeding the hungry and helping the needy. There should have been a discussion. There should have been some thought put into this process. Now that they are there it will be a difficult situation to correct. Anyone who opposes them is cold hearted. How can you turn out the needy. We will be accused of covering up the problem, trying to hide them away. Bull, there are so many things wrong with the scenario I can not even list them all. Let's put the needy on public display, let's expose them to honks and harassment and the elements. Let's feed them in an old gas station, a site that has been contaminated by years of petroleum based products. We are called to serve our fellow man, This calls us to be creative and compassionate in our solution. They deserve a better solution than a shabby soup line, in a run down structure, no one else wants.

Life Lessons for my Daughter

We then trust that, because he is our good and gracious Lord, he will provide what we need. We have no reason to worry. Psalm 34:8-10
I know things seem hard right now. You feel like an adult and others now expect you to start making adult decisions.

Miss independent

Your life seems to be in the awkward place between childhood and adulthood. In that place where you have to start choosing whether your dreams are only that, fragile fantasy that will not survive the reality if who you have become, or will your dreams become goals, things to be striven for, to be sacrificed for, to be achieved One thing I want you to keep in mind,

Only you can choose, there are obvious bad choices I pray you will avoid, addictions that will delay you, harm you permanently, alter the course of your life, But other than that, only you know what to choose for YOU. Try to be patient, Pray for patience. Take stock of your life, make a list. what are your strengths, what gifts did God give you to share. Pray for Wisdom, What are all the dreams you have. do they work together, or do they conflict. Do they fit with the person that you are, The values that you have? Use all of the fruits/ gifts you were given Then choose

Try not to be to hard on yourself if you choose and then have to change direction down the road. There are many roads to travel. Nothing in life is permanent except death. and not even that in the LORD

Be patient with others who choose a different path than you. Only they can choose their path, and while you may not understand or agree. Too bad, it's not your choice. It may not be wrong for them.

The only person who can make you a loser is you. The only person who can quit is you. The only person whose judgment you need fear is the LORD'S. Not mine, Not your friends, only HIM.

Take time to pray. Your life is just starting. The world is a blank canvas. Create a work of art for your own pleasure

Rosary

The non catholic father of one of the young people I know recently struck up a conversation with her catholic boyfriend. He was asking about the mysteries of the rosary. The young man clarified the mysteries for him, sorrowful, glorious, joyful and luminous. and then they discussed the practice of meditative prayer. As an Episcopalian he is open to the rosary understands that it is to focus on the life of Christ, and even has a version he is familiar with, but he is becoming more and more interested in all things catholic and wished to learn more. During the conversation, He asked the young man if it would be OK to contemplate leisure mysteries? The young man not quite sure called his mom, my #1 CCD teacher/best friend and this led to a conversation between us. God works in mysterious ways. Why not have the leisure mysteries? As our world becomes ever busier, and we try to be more and more in control, why not contemplate when the Lord told us to trust in him. We spent the better part of a road trip discussing the possibilities.... all the times when the Lord said "Don't worry, be happy". The loves and fishes, Martha and Mary, the lilies in the field, the children, the holy spirit. We actually came up with more than 5. The Lord came to create a new covenant. He preached love, hope and peace. He did not tell us to get bigger cars and houses, compete in sports and academics or try to be better than the guy next to us. He told us to be patient and kind. To love our neighbors, be helpful and just. We are not supposed to worry about what we don't have but to be grateful for what we have been blessed with. The Rosary is a contemplative tool. As stated above, We pray the rosary as a meditation on the life of Christ. It is a tool to be used to bring us closer to our Lord. To open ourselves to Him and hear his voice. Maybe we need more mysteries, the grateful mysteries, the leisure mysteries, the peaceful mysteries. Where ever the Lord leads, you pray the Rosary with an open heart ©