When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread.
But a person who is shut out, who feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person who has been thrown out of society –
That spiritual poverty is much harder to overcome.
Those who are materially poor can be very wonderful people.

One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street.
And one of them was in a most terrible condition.
I told the Sisters:
“You take care of the other three; I will take care of the one who
Looks worse.” So I did for her all that my love can do.
I put her in bed,
And there was such a beautiful smile on her face.
She took hold of my hand,
As she said one word only: “Thank you” — and she died.
I could not help but examine my conscience before her.
And I asked: “What would I say if I were in her place?“
And my answer was very simple.
I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself.
I would have said: “I am hungry,
I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain, or something.
But she gave me much more — she gave me her grateful love.
And she died with a smile on her face.
Then there was the man we picked up from the drain, half-eaten
By worms and, after we had brought him to the home, he only said,
“I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die as an angel, loved and cared for.”
Then, after we had removed all the worms from his body,
All he said, with a big smile, was: “Sister, I am going home to God” — and he died.

It was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could
Speak like that without blaming anybody, without comparing anything.
Like an angel — this is the greatness of people who are spiritually
Rich even when they are materially poor….

-Mother Teresa

Let this season of LENT remind us all that our life and material possessions are just being LENT to us. We are all passing by. We are not immigrants here. We are all pilgrims on the road. We bring nothing when we die, but we can leave behind the love we have shared, the hope we have given and the goodness we have done.

Excerpts from the book Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris:

The evil in our desire typically does not lie in what we want, but in that we want it too much. God mercifully uses the difficult experience of having this desire denied to show us that we want it too much. We should just trust in God for our ultimate satisfaction.

Letting go of relationships is not easy, especially if the emotional attachments are strong. Can we change our feelings and emotions? Yes, we can. But first we need to change the way we think about the person. Then our emotions and feelings will follow.

Clair says, “For two years I’d been thinking of him as my potential husband rather than a brother in the Lord. I had to renew my thinking and release my ‘claim’ on him. When feelings for him would resurface, I could usually pinpoint the cause as wrong thinking.”

Things didn’t change overnight, but slowly Claire’s feelings for him subsided. “God used that time to teach me to trust Him with my heart - to believe that if the relationship with this person wan’t his plan, He would help take it away and change my heart. And He did. He took the feelings away.”

(Philippians 4:6-7) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

“God, I don’t want to be anxious about this area of my life. I present my requests to you. But I’m trusting Your Word, which says that Your peace, which transcends understanding, will guard my heart. I want Your peace, not the peace I attempt to create.”

If we just allow God, He will change us. Even though we’re not aware of it, even though we feel sometimes that our life is on hold, God is steadily doing an important work in our hearts. We should grow to trust God more than our own meticulous planning. We should bring our requests to God with joy and thankfulness instead of desperation or complaining.

I found this passage in the Internet and I think it’s really beautiful. It is an affirmation that we could all use, especially at times when we need to boost our self esteem a bit. It reminds us that we are special. And no matter what problems we encounter in life, as long as we love ourselves, we can survive.

“I am Me. In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me. Everything that comes out of me is authentically mine, because I alone chose it — I own everything about me: my body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions, whether they be to others or myself. I own my fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears. I own my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes.

Because I own all of me, I can become intimately acquainted with me. By so doing, I can love me and be friendly with all my parts. I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other aspects that I do not know — but as long as I am friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously and hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles and ways to find out more about me.

However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically me. If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought, and felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that which I discarded. I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do. I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be productive, and to make sense and order out of the world of people and things outside of me.

I own me, and therefore, I can engineer me. I am me, and I am Okay.”

         - Denis2005 Virginia Satir quotes (American Phychologist and Educator, 1916-1988)

Dear God,

How do I get over him? If we’re not meant to be together, why does this stupid heart still keep shouting his name? I know I’ve surrendered everything to you Lord, including this love I have for him. I know that this is beyond my control now. I made a decision to end our relationship, and I have to stick by that decision. I hope that one day, you will change my heart. You will slowly change this love I have for him. And although there are days when I know I’d be okay, there are also times when I’d just break down and cry. There’s still love left in my heart. And I don’t know if I’ll ever get over him. I’ve tried meeting other guys, but my heart still keeps coming back to him! I don’t know if I should be more patient and allow some time for my heart to heal. I just don’t know how long this will last. Please Lord, if he’s not the guy that you want for me, please change my heart. If he’s not the guy for me, I will embrace that truth with all my heart. But I’m praying that you’ll change my feelings. Change my heart and prepare it for what’s to come. I want to follow the road that you’ve mapped out for me, Father. Please help me to accept whatever happens next…

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you.

Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so….. ‘Love the people who treat you right.. Pray for the ones who don’t.’

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it.

Unknown Author

It’s Christmas Eve folks! How are you going to spend yours? Me, I’ll just be with my family at home. Christmas has always been a popular holiday for Christians, but oftentimes, the real meaning behind the celebration is forgotten. We prepare our homes for the season, we buy Christmas trees, decorate our windows with Christmas lights, buy gifts and celebrate, mostly because it’s always been a tradition. But do we really celebrate the REAL reason for the holiday? Some of us do, some of us don’t. Christmas is Christ’s birthday. Hence, His name on the holiday itself. And this celebration should be centered around Him, and not so much around the gifts and merry-making. Gifts and celebrating with family and friends are of course important, but we should know and we should keep in our hearts WHY we are celebrating. This is the day Jesus was born to save us from our sins, and this day is His commemoration. As we celebrate Christmas Eve tonight, let’s honor Jesus with all the glory He deserves. Merry Christmas to all!