Christmas gift suggestions...something important to share

'One of God's MANY random acts of beauty'

Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
~Oren Arnold

(from a resource I was blessed with. Much too good 'not to share with everyone in the world')

Generous people with things to share...

Before Saturday Mass yesterday...the little sign in front of a little store on Douglas Street caught my eye (see photo). There were quite a few usable items on the two tables. I'm so glad I stopped to see this random act of kindness. 

Years ago, I witnessed another beautiful random act of kindness. A person neatly arranged a bunch of clothes on a concrete block with a few sets of shoes around them on the ground on Broadway Street here in Wichita. I walked past this corner on my way to noon Mass at the Cathedral.

I thought to myself..."That looks like an altar...it is an altar...set up to bless someone". After work I drove by to see if the items were still there. Everything was gone. The altar was bare. The gift was recognized and received. I'm sure the person who left the clothes and shoes was happy. Maybe the people who took them needed these items to apply for a job or just look good. Maybe the shoes they wore were very worn and now they can walk in confidence with shoes that both look and feel good. We just never know the whole story do we? The giver, like the person at the store on Douglas, shared their abundance from God. May they both be blessed in wonderful ways!

Random acts of kindness, inspire me to give more and be more.

'It's not love until you give it away. We must give until it hurts.'

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Guess who came to visit me at work on December 6th?



(right outside my office)

 

(my happy view...looking it all over at my desk...candy too...oh goodie!)

It was a December 6th that I will not forget. Feeling both loved and blessed when I found my shoes, left outside my office door FILLED with goodies. Don't I serve with the best people in town? Shout from the roof top..."YES!"

Planning to set my filled wooden shoes under the Christmas tree to show the share with the grand kids. Everyone will have shoes out next year.

If you have a chance...please check out a celebration today... www.N2God.blogspot.com

 

stwant2be

N2God for His honor and glory! Exciting news to share...

Some very exciting news today ~ December 4, 2010 ~ My little N2God dream is being launched this morning. Today is the beginning...the start of a little fascinating dream God placed into my heart many months ago. It has come alive. When you have time...please visit my new blogspot www.N2God.blogspot.com. The first post #1 God is up. Please stay tuned...there are going to be SO many neat and wonderful posts to inspire YOU to 'love life' and remember. We've (my husband and I) have been busy....working on this dream for a long while. If you love God and all He offers....I promise you're going to love the N2God.blogspot.com! Love to hear comments & any suggestions. Thanks in advance.


His faithful steward,
Patty

(Shared the above post on my other blog http://www.bloominginkansas.blogspot.com/ It's a good fit to share here also.)

Benedict shared his dog house with 'A CAT' this morning!

Benedict's 'Open House'

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The Kansas nights are really getting cold out and I couldn't believe it...our beagle Benedict had company 'A CAT' in his dog house on the veranda this morning. I wouldn't believe until I saw it with my own eyes and hurried to take the photo.

A few days ago, I watched this cat in the middle of Benedict's dog dish...enjoying the dry dog food with Benedict looking on calmly. Benedict's normal routine is to chase all cats and chases anything that moves for that matter.

Benedict's nick names among a few are...Wonder Dog, 'walking dog' and Benzley. He's our laid back outdoor dog who doesn't give us problems. His quiet 'adult' nature has been a treat this year...we've waited patiently for him to grow up. Wonder Dog was full of surprises this morning and had me wondering...

'If only people would be so willing to share their spaces...opening their homes, especially under special circumstances...like the cold bitter weather and hunger... accepting and maybe learning from each others differences...such as race...like these two creatures of God's... I believe the world would be a much, much better place. For sure it would be both friendlier and warmer.'

 

stwant2be

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Knowing...

A few weeks ago I discovered once again how VERY important it is to know who we are in Christ. God put on my heart to share this little true story...the three black purses...

At St. Joseph Parish Mass a few Saturdays days ago, something interesting and humorous happened after Communion. Most people don't lose sight of where they are sitting at Mass and return directly to their spot. This Saturday morning was different. Three of us ladies were returning from Communion from the other side of the church where we were seated. For about one half minute all three of us lost track of our place. To make it even more confusing...we all had very similar looking black purses laying on three different pews in close proximity to one another. We looked puzzled and glanced at one another sharing a little smile. Yes...it could have been one of those senior moments. After taking a closer look, we found and returned to the right place where 'our' purse was waiting. We identified them...we knew.

We must have been so 'caught up in the moments' after receiving Communion that we weren't easily distracted, least of all where we were sitting. Surely God loved our focus on Him and too how all three of us trusted the regular Saturday Mass group of people...a good thing.

My insight is that it is VITAL that each and everyone of us knows how valued we are by God. This is really knowing who we are in Christ, just as it was important that we knew which purse (with important belongings) was ours. It is so important that we know, that we REALLY know 'whose we are'. We belong to Christ the King! I plan to continue to learn more about Christ by reading the Word and building even a more fantastic friendship with Christ. Join me.

What a perfect Sunday!

What a perfect Sunday! Since I had the change to attend the Latin Mass at St. Anthony's I went for it! Oh the beauty of it all. Pope Benedict XVI has now called the Traditional Latin Mass, the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

It is so rich with spiritual significance of every element of the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar"-

a little note from  the book I look forward to reading;

The Latin Mass Explained by Msgr. George J. Moorman.

After Mass I joined some parishioners for coffee & cake. A big robust "Patty, what are you doing here?" Just for an instant, I was a little embarrassed. I did enjoy the company of old friends and making new ones. My friend gave me some 'food for thought' as I continue to serve as a Sedgwick County Jail volunteer. I sure love how God brings insight in so many ways!

  

Finally...late in the afternoon....I baked that 'apple/pear pie' and it turned out so good that I was even impressed LOL. The farm house smelled wonderful and I savored it all. One of my favorite things about our old farm house is how the kitchen aromas travel right up the stairs to our 2nd floor. Really...I know exactly when a cake is ready to pull from the oven just by the smell. Today however, vivid memories flooded my mind of my Mother's cooking. Oh miss her so much. She was a most wonderful Christian lady and a fantastic cook who enjoyed following recipes down to the final measurement. I remember Mother wearing an apron. Maybe she was smiling down from Heaven at me yesterday...knowing that baking a pie was a BIG accomplishment for me. I sat right down to a slice after I took the photo. Umm...

My Sunday concluded with a wonderful prayer walk with Mocha watching the beautiful Sunset that God painted in the sky. Mocha was a bit surprised as he and I have gotten away from our once daily ritual walk. Benedict our beagle literally 'jumped for joy' as we headed out. I just know Benedict finds it humorous that Mocha is on a leash and he is free. Benedict is our 'Wonder Dog.'

Blessed,

Patty

What do you think about when you see someone wearing a cross?

After shopping last Sunday afternoon, I have asked myself this question "What do I think about when I see someone wearing a cross?"

As I was being waited upon at the deli counter, a young man, a store employee walked by me and his eyes were fixed on my my amethyst cross. A second or two after he passed by, he came back. He said "I noticed your cross." I was a little surprised and answered quickly “Oh, it really isn’t all that expensive, but it’s one of my favorites.” He was quiet for only a few seconds and then to my surprise this young man asked me if he could tell me something. I said sure and he began sharing “I’ve been going through a really hard time. Recently I applied for an Employee Assistance program here at this store that gives $1,000.00 to someone who qualifies and I was denied.” His look was one of sadness and disappointment and he waited for me to say something so I asked “Do you believe in God?” He answered “Yes.” It didn’t take me long to realize that he was asking for advice in some awkward sort of way. "I'm so glad you believe in God" and I went on to share "I've been through some tough times and it's been through the toughest times that I have needed to trust God MORE than ever." Those words came out of my mouth before I even thought about what to say. I knew I wasn't going to tell him my problems. No. Oh, I thought to myself if he only knew how I’ve had to trust Jesus. Next, I said a little silent prayer and asked God to help me say the right words to encourage this young man...some one's son, God's child, a person I have never seen before in my life. The young man shared that he left another state to start all over and get away from a complicated messy situation. He shared that it is very challenging raising his 3 year old daughter alone. I asked if he belonged to a church. "No" he said. I suggested for him to find one and soon. I told him that finding a good church family is a good place to start I encouraged him, saying they might even have a singles support group and you can network with other single parents." He asked me if I would pray for him and I said "Yes, what is your first name?" He said "My name is Jeffrey. I'll write it down with my address for you." I told him that I couldn't give him mine and he said "Of course not. It's not a good idea for a lady to give a stranger their number."

It was a test of my faith to meet Jeffrey last Sunday. I know it's most important that I both pray and not delay sending him the resources I promised. I'm glad I took the time to create this post...it will keep me accountable. Will you pray for Jeffrey too? Prayer changes everything. Thank you.

A question for you...What do you think about when you see someone wearing a cross ?

(photo of my amethyst cross from Olathe, KS 'in this morning's day break light')

Fruits of the Spirit and the Apple trees...

"Man can count the apples on a tree, only God can count the trees in an apple"
(anonymous)

No one misses fruit trees that are so loaded down with fruit that branches break do they? Don't you just love fresh fruit? I sure do. Blessed we are with an abundance of apples this year. As we watch and wait for the sweet apples to ripen...I have been thinking about the 'Fruits of the Spirit'...Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. A few reflections gathered from my life...


Love ~ Getting me off my mind and helping someone else.
Peace ~ The wonderful free gift from God!
Joy ~ J for Jesus, O for others and Y for yourself. A clever message learned long ago, it is the order of unselfishness, being His servant, being His servant to others and our self last. JOY dish soap is nice to have in the kitchen.
Patience ~ A virtue I constantly fall short of...all I can do is keep trying...
Kindness ~ Years ago a total stranger told me that I had a kind face. Oh my, that meant so much to me, more than she knew. I pray I will give kindness as I have received. It can make all the difference in some one's life.
Goodness ~ I always think of Godness...leaving that one o out!  
Faithfulness ~ Where worry and doubt end...faith begins
Gentleness ~ life, a baby, a butterfly, a warm smile to say 'I accept you' without any words.
Self-Control ~ Doing the right thing simply because it's the right thing to do. Balance and care, remembering always that our human body, is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

I would love for you to share a comment about insights you have when you think about
the 'Fruits of the Spirit'. Thank you in advance.

 A little prayer ..."Would I? Could I Lord? Is is possible that I have some of these marvelous fruits of the Spirit to share with the world around me?" "I know Lord that the world would be a better place if everyone would share some fruits. There is a hunger for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I wish to bear a lot fruit, not apples but fruits of the Spirit for I am your child and I want to please you. I wish to feel Your smile upon me. Let the branches of my arms be full of needed encouragement and love as plentiful of the good fruits as our apple trees will bear. Yes Lord, I know it's going to be hard and somewhat painful. I'm going to keep trying. I ask this in your holy name, Jesus. Amen".

(Photo of our farm apple trees taken this evening August 16, 2011)

Bible Study and the Sunset

This last Monday was the third Bible Study that I participated in. After three times, being in a group lead by another experienced leader, we facilitate the group. That means if I've counted right...next time! Do I believe I'm ready? Of course not! I do believe that I have the Word getting on the inside of me and that in itself is VERY reassuring. Christ and I are an overwhelming majority! True.


Our Bible study group was led by Jennifer, an awesome volunteer who I never met before this night. After an hour+ I felt as though she was an old friend. When a person shares their faith journey, they share the most intimate relationship there is. She was full of the Holy Spirit! She was really plugged in and even mentioned that she double checks that the ladies are here for the right reason. We visited at a great depth before the ladies arrived at the Chapel. She shared that she had written Oprah Winfrey a letter requesting help to fund a 'Home of Restoration' for ladies who leave the jail. A safe place for them to go to. Jennifer knows the truth about recovery, that it can be a new life with the environment and tools to move beyond the past...to a brighter future. It has everything to do with the right circumstances. She said unfortunately there has been no reply from Oprah and that it has been over two years. She shared too, she wasn't asking for any money directly and that she had all the paperwork in place. I'm guessing that she meant it would be a (not for profit) institution. She is determined that this is an answer to a big problem. What a great idea! I pray for the 'Home of Restoration' just as she shared she prays for every name written on slips of paper gathered into her prayer petitions.


I am amazed at what I am learning from the Volunteers and the inmates. I feel so inadequate...but I'm here, I'm learning and I must believe they know I care. If no one came...there would be nothing to build upon. On this night, there were about 4 -5 groups meeting in different locations.


During the study I noticed many of the ladies in Janet's group where up at the narrow windows peering out. The sunset was amazingly beautiful. Our group looked over but no-one got up and I truly believe that it was because one of the ladies was sharing something so deep, they didn't want to insult her. They were listening even more intently than I was.


At the end of our study, we held hands and prayed some mighty prayers. Again, one of the ladies thanked us volunteers for being there. A confirmation. After good byes and waves the room was again empty with only the three of us. I smiled at Janet and asked her what they thought about the beautiful sunset. She said one of the ladies hadn't seen a sunset for about nine months. It was so special! Both Janet and I got teary eyes and hugged.


"Thank you God for your gift of radiant sunsets and allowing us to visit and care for your children."

(The sunset photo was taken from my front porch tonight.)

Hope

The word 'Hope' is one of my very favorite words. I love to share too, that purple is the color of hope. Honestly, I don't know where I learned that but I adopted the idea long ago. Often I meet people who are searching for something special to fill them and I believe the virtue of 'Hope' is the answer. My favorite definition of the word - Hope is expecting something good to happen.

It's important that we remember that Christ died on the cross, paying a debt He didn't owe so that you and I could live and enjoy our life too the fullest now and in Eternity. We are His and He cares about every little detail concerning us, no matter how small. "Even the little cut on my finger?" you ask. Yes, even that.

My hope is that you really...REALLY believe that you are very precious to God. If you're going through a hard time, please have faith, you are NOT alone. He is with us and wants importantly to be our everything. Expect something good to happen.

Thank you Cindy, for the invite to share. I'm looking forward to reading what everyone shares. Thank you for stopping by. Happy Friday!

Holy Mass for the Woman at the Jail

Friday night, July 23rd was my first night to attend Holy Mass for the women at the Sedgwick County Jail. Mass for the women is celebrated the 2nd and 4th Friday night of each month. Recently I became a volunteer for the St. Dismas Ministry to the Incarcerated for Wichita Sedgwick County Jail. My plan is to participate on two Monday evening Bible studies and to attend Holy Mass for the Catholics at least one time each month.

On this particular night, there were only two other volunteers Fr. Kent and Joy. They shared the many details and evening routine. It was a beautiful Mass with six in attendance. There was quite a long list and we waited patiently for others to come. Friday evening is a popular visiting time and that could be the reason we had a small group. A deputy sat outside in the hall during the Mass.

It was pretty late in the day for me to pray my daily 'I love you Lord in the....", which is my personal prayer of thanksgiving to God everyday. It was a pretty good day, a full day and I worked every hard all week. As I sat in one of the back rows of the Chapel I instantly found the prayer in my heart and my prayer was - 'I love you Lord in the golden light reflecting from your beautiful sun set, falling on the outside of this building'. I watched it closely collecting it as the gift it really is. The horizontal windows were very narrow and long. Even broken, a person would not be able to escape. The Chapel was very calming, quiet and simple. I moved up closer to visit while we waited for others to come. One lady had her head bent down and I thought she was blocking the sun which was very bright. I moved my shadow over, to cast a shadow on her head and I said with a little smile "does this help?" She replied very softly "Actually, I want to feel the sun. We don't get out." Another beautiful lady beside her shared "I haven't been outside for over a year. I miss feeling the warm sunshine on my skin." The first lady said "This is the one of few rooms with windows." I couldn't say anything that would make any sense so I remained quiet and moved back a little, so that the sun light would fall on her again. Wow...I thought to myself how much I take nature for granted. Feeling  and sometimes hearing the wind...means EVERYTHING to me. The wind is a reminder to me of the Holy Spirit, we feel but can see only with eyes of faith. Another notable thing I saw was watching two women pray on the kneelers after Communion. Odd because the kneelers were in a very odd place, facing the wall (away from the Altar). I learned from them a lesson of humility. It is profound, that they would so readily get on their knees to pray, in an unusual direction. We all meet Jesus and He embraces us right where we are.

After we said our good bye, we volunteers made our way back to the gathering reception room where we began and I thanked both Father and Joy. What a blessing to be part of this ministry and I know I have so much to learn. With a long drive home ahead, I decided to stop at the ladies Rest Room and it was a mess! I don't know what inspired me but I took clean paper towels and picked up all the trash. Then...as I headed to the door and looked back, I said "OK Lord, I'll flush the toilet and pick up the tissue on the floor too". I heard it's a good thing to leave things better that you find them. My picking up was such a little bitty thing and NO I don't want kudos. I just shared to encourage you to make a little difference where God may lead you too. 

Honestly, I didn't think becoming a St. Dismas Volunteer would be to challenging. It's going to be for me! I'm a 'morning person' and this is a late evening ministry. I'm going to hang in there, try not to make any excused and 'offer up' the inconveniences that come along. Sacrifices are suppose to be hard.

Mom's table...very similar to the one pictured...

A table of all things! The evil one tried to trick me into falling for one of his traps a table. Unbelievable how cunning he is. He's all about destroying relationships and conflict. The good news is I didn't fall for his trap.

If we really want to be like Jesus, we must shake off offenses whether they are legitimate (within reason) or not. It really doesn't matter.

The story goes like this, someone gave me a table. I arranged to pick it up and get busy with the fantastic idea I had in mind that involved decorating with it. Oh, it was going to be so picturesque. I was so excited to say the least and it had sentimental value to me because it was my Mom's table.

The day I arranged to have it picked up and moved for me, I learn 2nd hand that the person changed their mind...decided he wanted to keep the table after all. My first reaction to be offended! I even raised my voice "How could he?" " He even knew I had a plan" and when he gave it to me, he was on the verge of selling it for $5 or $10 at a garage sale. My husband told me to calm down now. Honestly it took a long while and then after praying I realized how very unreasonable I was. Oh my, I have so many things! So many tables!!!

No, I wasn't going to allow 'a thing' ruin a relationship with a family member. Nothing...get it? NO THING in the world justifies that. A bit later...the same day, I walked into one of my favorite antique stores. Believe me, right there inside the door I entered, stood a table exactly (except in age) like the one that was given to me and taken back. Was God giving me a chance to replace it? No, I think He had something else in mind. The table was much much more aged and had ugly pale green paint pealing off all over it. Not only that...it wasn't solid. Um.... OK God, You are so right. Things of this world will pass away. Put your desire on Heavenly things. In my heart, I said "Yes Lord, Your servant is listening." "Thank you."

Are you wondering if I purchased the old table (pictured above) for $40 at one of my favorite antique stores? No. Honestly, I wouldn't have taken it home if it was given to me and these days I'm really N2 old things. The one big lesson I learned was..I got over it...by shaking off being offended. I will try my best not hold it against 'him' because I really came out ahead learning another (of many) valuable lessons.

If your wondering...did I take the photo that same day this transpired? No. I was shopping the next weekend and decided to take a photo if it was still there...and it was.