It rained...

last night. For the first time since June we had a steady rain. So when I let Duchess out VERY early this morning I saw Sam resting on the moist ground, seemingly content and without worry.


I was reminded of the words of Isaiah.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing from which I sent it. (Isaiah 56: 10-11)

With the vision of a cat content with the wonder of his surrounding, as I see it, I felt a calm. God is Good. God is Wonderful. God is Kind. God is Gentle. God is Father. God is LOVE. What do I have to fear?

Have a wonderful day, resting in the Love of God!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!!

UPDATE

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!!
Amen!

I Have Been Blessed!

On my arrival home here at A Bit of the Blarney I find that I have been given the I Love Your Blog Award. So it is with gratitude that I accept this from Autumnrose at Christ's Rose and Kimberly and Our God Is An Awesome God. Thank you both so much. You are both dear and I do so love to visit with you

For the I Love your blog award there are rules. Here they are…you have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others!

• The questions are as follows:
  • Where is your cell phone? ~ purse
  • Where is your significant other? ~ eating
  • Your hair color? ~gray
    
  • Your mother? ~ alive
  • Your father? ~ deceased
  • Your favorite thing? ~ laughing
  • Your dream last night? ~ none
  • Your dream/goal? ~ retirement
  • The room you’re in? ~ office
  • Your hobby? ~ knitting
    
  • Your fear? ~ rejection
  • Where do you want to be in 6 years? ~ traveling
  • Where were you last night? ~ RCIA
  • What you’re not? ~ "old"
  • One of your wish-list items? ~DVD
  • Where you grew up? ~ Colorado
  • The last thing you did? ~ slept
  • What are you wearing? ~ robe
  • Your TV? ~ off
  • Your pet? ~Duchess
  • Your computer? ~well-used
  • Your mood? ~ sleepy
  • Missing someone? ~ no
  • Your car? ~ Camry
  • Something you’re not wearing But that you love to wear? ~ earrings
    
  • Favorite store? ~ Target
  • Your summer? ~ wonderful
  • Love someone? ~ husband
  • Your favorite color? ~green
  • When is the last time you laughed? ~ yesterday
  • Last time you cried? ~ yesterday

I now nominate Eileen at Eileen on him...at least I try!, Freddie at a friars style, Danette at A crocus in the Valley, Angie at Sonflower, The Dutchess, Isadora at Budapest Daily Photo and Joy at Made for Joy.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God

Well, I'm back again...

After three days, I have risen from the books and words. It has been a challenging and fruitful experience with tonight being the presentation. I just want to share one special tidbit I found along this journey.

The Christian mysteries are an indivisible
whole. If we become immersed in one, we are led
to all the others. Thus the way from Bethlehem
leads inevitably to Golgotha, from the crib to the
cross. When the blessed virgin brought the child
to the temple, Simeon prophesied that her soul
would be pierced by a sword, that this child was
set for the fall and resurrection of many, for
a sign that would be contradicted. His prophecy
announced the passion, the fight between light
and darkness that already showed itself before
the crib.

~Edith Stein~
+ Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross+

***+***

Thanks be to God!!

I'm back...

but will be spending the next 3 days completing my preparation for my first presentation in the inquiry phase of RCIA here at St. John the Baptist. I would ask you to pray and intercede for me with the Holy Spirit that the words these "young ones" hear will be the words of sincerity, wonder and understanding as I offer the "Practices of the Church" and "Mary and the Rosary." May his Spirit be what shines in these presentations and love of God be truly present to them all in the person of Jesus Christ.

~~~^j^~~~

Thank you all!!!
And thanks be to God!

Blustery Day?

I started this this movie clip as a whim, a bit of humor to add to the blog. That was about 10:00 a.m. and we didn't have any electricity. Looks like the joke was on me...Blustery day nothing!!! They were high winds, apparently up to 60 miles an hour. Whew! The storm not only took out the electricity, it took down many trees. Limbs and branches were everywhere. Little did we know we would be without electricity for three days. All because I wanted to dramatize the "Blowin' in the Wind." OH! By the way...we got not one drop of rain from this storm. Guess the wind was blowing so hard it blew the rain right on through.




At any rate it proved we had a new roof that could withstand the winds as there was no damage there and except for the inconvenience (and you know it is and inconvenience) of not having electricity for three days, we did not lose any trees and only a few small limbs. I'd have to say God had been gracious to us.

Will be going to INDY this weekend to help Wes and Annie move into their new house so if I seem gone it's because I'm movin' not cuz I'm lost.

God Bless you all for your concern!

~~~^j^~~~

And
Thanks be to God!!!

Just a brief post...

We had a storm Sunday, three days ago with high winds. Knocked out the electricity in the city of Evansville and Newburgh. Today there are some who still have no electricity. The Kellers being among those. Will post more when MY computer is up an running again. All have a good day!

~~~~~~~

And thanks be to God!!!

Praying with St. Paul...

The Keller Kids

Again, I am touched by the words of St. Paul. I become more grateful each day that our Pope has designated a year to him. I find those with the wisdom and knowledge teaching me through his words the ways of Christianity and reinforcing what I already believe.

The example for today is from Praying With St. Paul, edited by Father Peter John Cameron, O.P. So let us begin.

PEACE BEGINS AT HOME
by
Sister Genevieve Glen, O.S. B.

"Let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which
you were also called in only body [...] be thankful. Let the
word of Christ dwell in your richly, as in all wisdom you teach and
admonish one another, singing, psalms, hymns, and spiritual
songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
(Colossians 3: 15-16)

"Please go away and leave me in peace!" pleasds the weary mother beset by a gorde of toddlers, all clammoring for her attnetion. She echoes the cry of all those who seek relief from demands they cannot meet from attentions they do nto want, from hostility they cannont withstand. In fact, all of us tend to imagine peace as the cessation of something--demand, disturbance,suffering. However, peace is not an absence but a presence. Real and lasting peace is the gruit of disorder put fight. The peace of Christ is the gruit of the cross throught which Christ righted the order of a sorld gond mad in sin. To enter into Christ's peace, we must seek out that right order. Saint Paul tess us here to seek it by allowing Christ's word to dwell in us richly. Taught by those entrusted with the ministry of the Word, admonished by one another as we share in one another's wisdom, formed by worship--"singing psalms, hyms, and spiritual songs"--, shaped by the Eucharist, whose name means "thanksgiving," our hearts will gradually abandon all the sources of disorder that tear us apart, and will grow into right order of the Gospel. as the peace of Christ, born of a life of selfles strengthen the bonds that unite us to one another as members o Christ's Body. Thus individuals and Body confirm one antoher mutually in a growing peace which can spread outward to embrace family, neighborhood, workplace, and world. The work is slow. The disorder is deep. Individually, and together we will fall out of peace again and again as we struggle. But god is faithful, the promise is sure, and one day Christ's peace will prevail. Our task in the meantime is simple and humble: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you."

God of all peace, you have called me to live Christ's peace in a troubled world. Strengthen your peace within me and in those with whom I share my faith, worship, and life, so that I may be a living sign of hope amid violence and despair.

~~~*~*~*~*~~~

As I reflected on this reading I was astonished at its timing. First, on the grand scale with all the campaigning and political bantering. Most importantly, though, today of all days it impresses on me the wealth of love that can be administered if we only choose to participate in it. Let me explain. Today is the Envoy Conference at Gibault School in Terre Haute. It is a school for those children that come from painful and/or violent environments who are being offered their last chance to participate in this human family with order and dignity. It is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus of Indiana. Please learn more about this endeavor. These young people have left Gibault knowing what it means to have been cared for, loved, nurtured and affirmed. Some fail to make it, but more do because of the care, family atmosphere, and help with the "disorder" in their lives that is often still there when they leave.

I pray you all have the opportunity to offer your services to places like this. If not by your physical presence, then perhaps by financial offerings. God is GOOD all the time and we can prove it by DOING!!!

Please, have a grand weekend. Spend quality time with family and friends and above all, when at church tomorrow, SING your hearts out!!!

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!!!

Thanks for the Generous Gift...

It is with humility that I accept this award. It has been offered to me by two very good and dedicated blogging friends. I thank Kimberly at Our God Is an Awesome God and Lisa at Unexpected Journey.

I think these awards though gratifying to me instill in me the obligation to continue to be the best and most responsible member of the blogging community I can be. With every privilege there is obligation. I truly believe that. I hope you will all hold me to that. My sincerest thanks to these two gracious ladies as "humility" continues to be my by-word this week!


I will pass this award on to:

1. Bia at La Dolce Vita: The Sweet Life With Three Sons

2. Suzy at Made for Joy

3. Autumnrose at Christ's Rose

4. Jackie Parkes at catholicmomof10revisited

5. The Dutchess

~~~~~^j^~~~~~

To all at Blarney Corner
and everyone else that has
touched my life here, I say,
"THANKS BE TO GOD!!!"

Humility

I am inspired today to write about humility. There is a reason for this. And this reason has brought me closer to the realization that God is truly working in our lives and though we do not see it all the time there is no where he cannot be found!

On my roof at this time, even as we speak, there are 7 men and Ron putting on the new roof. Ron has spent all day with our friend, Bill Wallace, taking off shingles from the front half of the roof. The story really begins when Ron asked Chris , whose family works in building contracting, at Bible study last spring if buying shingles would be wise with the rise in gasoline prices. Chris said it would be well to do that, and when was Ron going to put the roof on. Well, Ron told him not soon, but we would have the shingles when we could budget the roofers. Chris came back a week or two later and told us if we could get the shingles off he, his dad, and brothers would put the roof on sometime in the fall. Right now in Christian charity and kindness these men and Ron are putting shingles on the roof. Well, Ron is still removing shingles from the other half of the roof. Twenty years ago Ron was part of a work crew that helped put a roof on another parishioners house. Perhaps a work repaid.

I feel certain when James was writing his letter he was speaking of such things as this (James 2: 14-26). These are faith filled men who by their works, honest and good, witness to their faith. It causes my heart to swell to be the recipient of such agape love. Tears well in my eyes as I realize the wealth we have in the goodness of God and our fellow pilgrims.

May we always be blessed with charity and faith. And the hope that we will be worthy stewards of the gifts offered and received. The three virtues are all integral to the life of a Christian!

~~~~~^j^~~~~~

My heart is so full, all I can say is,
"Thanks be to God!"