15 Minutes to Live

"We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons." ... Ralph Waldo Emerson.


Just joined a 30-day writing challenge linked to Self-Reliance, one of Emerson's works. Today's prompt comes from author Gwen Bell: You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live. Set a timer for fifteen minutes. Write the story that has to be written.

Go. I think mostly of the time I spent out of balance in my life, because in writing that I warn my children that it is so easy to be seduced by success, by the striving and the need to win, to show knowledge and to have power. In the early days, it is so simple to succumb ... everyone around you is on the same path. In the middle days, it is so easy to yield and continue, even in the face of small doubts and unhappiness; you think that I have almost made it, I am closer than ever. And then, in the later days, you realize that was not the point of the exercise at all. Life could have been different, if you had reached differently or perhaps written down your goals and looked at them hard. Anything could have been different, and most of all you might have used your gifts to greater advantage, with more passion and clarity. Do not be seduced by money or by what is expected. Live so that when there are truly only 15 minutes left, you know that you have lived well with as few regrets as possible. It is in some ways too late for me and in other ways, the perfect time to start a new beginning. There is always time for that. And there are usually many more stories that have to be written. Write them, now.

The Price

In a letter to a war widow during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln wrote “I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.”

On this Memorial Day, let us remember all of those loved and lost. They may not be members of our own families, but they are in fact brave individuals we most look up to. They are our true heroes. It is their sacrifice that we celebrate today … their willingness to lay down their lives for all of us. Many … too many … died young, with hopes and dreams unfulfilled. In wars past and present, they paid the ultimate price. And through their valor and faith, we live in peace today, secure in our freedom.

How alike they are to Jesus. These men and women died to protect our lives here on earth … Jesus died to protect our eternal lives with the Father. There is only one way to repay their sacrifice, that high price … preserve and honor their memory. We do that today, for the love of our Veterans … and I pray we do it every day, for the love of Jesus. 

Getting Your Bearings

From an article in the New York Times, about the internal GPS in Joplin … “These days, even Joplinites have trouble navigating their transformed city. Mayor Woolston, for example, grew up in Joplin, went to a local middle school (now damaged), went to the local high school (now destroyed), left for a career in the military and returned more than two decades ago. He knows Joplin — or knew it.

“Particularly at night, but also during the daytime, areas that you’ve gone through thousands of times — you just don’t recognize,” Mr. Woolston said. “I have to stop and get my bearings to realize where I am at, simply because everything is just completely altered.”

None of us can imagine what Joplin feels like today, a place where the old familiar landmarks are often no more, where you cannot always comprehend where you stand. That is such a powerful metaphor for our lives and for the power of our faith.

We have an inherent GPS that guides us, though we may not always listen. We have values and beliefs as our landmarks, though we may not always live them. We have ways to navigate life in our hearts, though fear and sorrow and stubbornness may cloud our way. We may in fact have to stop and get our bearings ... but know that He is there waiting to guide our way. His cross is our guide, and especially in our inner and outer turmoil.

May the people of Joplin ... and all of us ... be guided, through our darkest nights, to Him who gives us the peace we need in times of both trouble and joy. I pray every day for the people of Joplin. 

Life and Death in Joplin

Seen in an article on Time.com, about the tornado in Joplin … “There was a lot of talk the day before the storm about whether the world would end. An old preacher in California had declared that time was running out and bought ads in major newspapers and on billboards to spread the news. The Joplin storm was a summons back to reality, a reminder that a world can end at any moment even as new worlds begin. Five patients died when the storm hit St. John's hospital; the same day, four babies were born at Freeman hospital across the street.”

Those are the essential truths of life and death, indeed. A world can end at any moment, a death can end a life. And a new life can begin at any moment, and does every single day around the world.

We have over 300 members on our company in Joplin and surrounding areas, and I have gotten constant updates on Facebook about the status of our friends. Many have lost their homes, some have lost loved ones. Some are still searching for family members and friends. Surely it is a cauldron of emotion every day for each of our friends … and that feeling will not dissipate very easily. We have been praying for them for days and will continue. The Joplin disaster is almost unbelievable, the destruction is hard to look at and the more I read, the more horrific I see it was to live through. Still is.

And too … it is a parallel for our own life and death. We live mostly secure of our future but Joplin reminds us that we may not truly know that future … God’s plan for us may take sad and unexpected twists and turns. We will be humbled at times, but the courage I have heard about and read about is amazing as well, showing that even the depth of despair does not always overwhelm inborn strength and faith. Death came to many, that also unexpected and sad, because God’s plan can be harsh … but on the same day, there was new life to celebrate, and joy in the hearts of the living.

Joplin teaches me about life and death … I see that more clearly now, in every story of anguish and every story of hope. In all of those stories, still there is God reaching out to His people, the living and the dead … and helping new worlds begin for us all. My heart is in Joplin and will be for some time.

A Time to Listen

Shared by Marty O'Donnell, from Today God is First ... "Many people live a very planned and orchestrated life where they know almost everything that will happen. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them into a time of quietness that seems almost eerie. They cannot see what God is doing. They just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained to themselves or to others.

During these times, God is calling us aside to fashion something new in us. It is a place of nothingness designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. It is not a comfortable place, especially for a task-driven workplace believer. Our nature cries out, "You must do something" while God is saying, "Be still and know that I am God."

I have always been that workaholic, that task-driven person that cannot sit still. Always doing, to a fault. Living a life of corporate climbing, with not enough time given to my family, much less to myself. But as Marty correctly pointed out, my move to Orlando has given me an unexpected gift: the opportunity to listen to God, to prepare myself, to grow my faith and even my legacy.

I do not know exactly what God's plan is, as I live a very different life in Orlando, a bit more alone than I expected but happier too than I expected. Sharing more with others. Writing more. Thinking more. And certainly taking the time to listen, based on a life more filled with prayer than with a rush of activity. It has taken some time to find a new center and I certainly haven't done it alone ... I see my Why Catholic group and my Emmaus experience as major factors. Those too have been part of God's plan, unexpected blessings as they were.

I've learned the biggest lesson of my life ... to trust that plan. To listen to Him. To be the gift I know I can be, however I can be. Thank you, Marty, for the reminder that it is good to be still and know that He is God and that He will guide me without fail.

The Greatest Good

“No one knows whether death, which people fear to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good.” … Plato

On this, the day after the so-called Judgment Day that never was, I see this quote and think of all the people that were anxious yesterday. Those who were truly afraid, scared about the end of the world and the end of their lives … all for naught. Death is fearful for many people … that too, all for naught.

The frenzy about the “last day” was interesting to me. Silly for sure, as many in the media were saying. But the fact is the end of the world … our world … can come at any moment, not on some artificially appointed day. Our last breath won’t be surely anticipated at all … it will come and there will be no more. It probably won’t happen with hoopla or media … it will more likely come quietly, on little cat feet, perhaps when we least expect it.

Plato is right … and wrong. When he says “no one knows” I can disagree … believers do know. When he says death may be the greatest good, I can agree … believers do know that, too.

As one of my favorite poets T.S. Eliot said, “In my beginning is my end.” That is the essential truth of life … we will begin and we will end, all in our own due time. There will in fact be a Judgment Day at some point … I believe that. But we will also have our very own. And our eternal life will prove that death is indeed the greatest good.

Teaching with Love

From Marc Middleton, a post that addresses how his daughters became so accomplished …

“So what did we do? We taught them to think. We taught them about actions and consequences. We instilled in them the value of every human being and helped them appreciate the blessing and the responsibility of being born in a land of opportunity. We put them in good schools and helped them learn the difference between good friends and bad. Somewhere along the way they became self-motivated.

The only thing I know for certain is that love has been behind every decision we've made for the past 18 years. I was reminded of that recently while leaving swimming practice early one morning. As I climbed into my car, I paused to admire the shiny black Mercedes parked on one side and the long white Lexus parked on the other. I was rolling in the Nissan minivan from work. As I glanced at the Mercedes, I instinctively thought, "Some day." I've been saying that to myself for 18 years. But this time I realized that I no longer meant it. I no longer wanted it.”

I always value Marc’s writings … he has an innate sense of how to tell a story, born of a career in television, radio and new media. And as a father with 4 grown children, I very much appreciate his special perspective on his daughters. It is in fact all about love.

Beyond teaching children, we have an opportunity to make love a fulcrum in our own lives. Jesus said “love one another as I have loved you” and that is so true … it’s a life perspective we can choose to have, in all situations. As Marc showed, it is a way of thinking that suffuses all we do, all we teach and all we share.

Think about how we can live with love … it is a gift to be shared with our children, and with all who breathe.

To read all of Marc’s worthwhile post about love, click on the link below and enjoy …   

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-middleton/growing-bolder-it-begins-_b_862531.html

What Faith Is

From an article in the Orlando Sentinel, an unimaginable story of faith …

After Dorothy Lewis was raped twice, shot between the eyes and robbed of the most precious things in her world — her daughters Jamilya, 7, and Jasmine, 3 — the widowed mom was certain that her life was over, too.

"That's what I said and what I believed," said Lewis, now 53, during an interview marking the 18th anniversary of the murders of her little girls in Eustis, one of Central Florida's most heinous and cruel crimes. "I could not see myself living past that day."

But she has.

"I want to encourage people to not give up, to just know there is hope in situations that seem hopeless," Lewis said inside New Directions Family Worship Center, a small church in Marion County where she and her husband, Hugh Frazier Brockington III, are co-pastors. "People say they don't believe in miracles, and I say, 'OK, you want to see a miracle? Just look at me.' "

As her physical wounds healed, she struggled with fear. She wouldn't venture outside the house alone. She had to make sure all the windows were locked and the blinds pulled. She attended a grief support group but found it depressing. She tortured herself with questions for months after the girls' funeral, asking herself what she could have done differently that would have saved them.

"I just decided that I couldn't do that anymore because 'what-iffing' wasn't going to change anything," she said. "I just accepted that my girls were gone. … I felt that I had to get better because God spared my life. God could have spared them — just like he saved me — he could have allowed them to live, but he didn't see fit to do that. I just had to accept that he wanted them more, and God is too wise to make a mistake."

She didn't say, 'Why me?' and do all the whining that some people do. She never lost her faith in God. Her issue was, 'OK, all this happened. Now what am I supposed to do with it, Lord?' " … and she became a school teacher, an answer to her prayer.

One more thing. Before the trial of the killer of her girls, she decided to forgive him. "Not to forgive, and holding in all that anger and hate, was just going to make me an angry, bitter person," she said. "You have to be able to forgive to be forgiven and to move on. In my mind, I had no choice."

There is not much I can do but wonder at her example. Most of us will never face the choices she did, but what faith is, is right there in her story. Even when life is at its very darkest, there is life still, grace still, hope still. May we remember that, when life goes dark for us … the sun and the Son will shine again.

What a Friend We Have

A wonderful gospel song quote from a Facebook friend, Cindy Hockenjos … “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”

Isn’t that truth? We think answers are elsewhere, anywhere, everywhere ... we worry in advance, we struggle with despair, we over think every situation, we let concern overwhelm us. We are just plain anxious and stressed so much of the day. And not just about important things. No, we are willing to forfeit peace about the simplest things ... just think about your own day, as I will mine.

But here's the thing, and you know this. Jesus is always there, waiting for us. He is right there, in our minds, maybe just out of reach but totally accessible at all times. We may ignore Him but He does not ignore us. He is looking to soothe our needless pain and bring us His peace, that peace that passeth all understanding. He is the answer we may not fully realize we are looking for. I have always known that but my recent Emmaus retreat absolutely cemented it in my mind. Jesus is in fact the answer ... the only answer.

I pray we see that answer in our hearts and I especially pray that my children will always see it. It brings so much peace, so quickly that it may amaze you. What a friend we indeed have in Jesus ... 

Never Too Late

“Just because you are seventy is no excuse to give up and let others make your decisions for you. The fact that you are still alive is reason enough to believe that you are here for a purpose; and that purpose is to learn, to teach and to GIVE.” … Thomas D. Willhite

Yes … of course there are exceptions to this, at any age … the young and the elderly with health needs, memory issues and other challenges. People with extreme disabilities. The lonely too.

That said, the premise of the quote sticks hard with me. We all contribute every day we are breathing, in ways we see and ways we don’t see. We are able citizens of the universe and have influence on a part of that universe, our corner of it. That corner may be limited or broad, close in or expansive with unknown boundaries. Like the now famous butterfly effect, our actions ... the ways we learn and teach and give ... have effects we can't always immediately see and feel. School teachers know this well. Innovators too.

Whether you're sixty, seventy, eighty or more ... whether you're struggling with your purpose at any age ... this you must believe: You are alive for a reason. You are here for a purpose. You are a valued citizen of the universe. And it is never too late to embrace your purpose, and act on it ... today is as good a day as you'll have.

Wag More

Seen on a bumper sticker … “Wag more, bark less.”

Just a reminder that you get more done with sugar than salt. Too often we are given negative feedback ... too often we let our day be ruined ... too often the frustrations pile up, and we may show our negative side. Is that who we are? Is that really who we are called to be as people of faith?

Most often we do have a choice in our attitude ... it's something we try to ingrain in our kids, and to model whenever we can. It is wagging more and barking less that brings us joy, whether at home or at work or at play or at church or on the phone or in emails ... or in our quiet moments. Those moments especially, when we are too hard on ourselves, when we allow the inner pessimist take over.

Wag more ... it is way good for the soul. And really, it is easier than you think.

Sing with Me

I saw an interview of Steven Tyler, the lead singer of Aerosmith, and it reminded me of one of my favorite songs, Dream On … I love the message in it:

Every time that I look in the mirror …

All these lines on my face getting clearer.

The past is gone,

It went by like dusk to dawn.

Isn’t that the way?

Everybody’s got their dues in life to pay.

Half my life’s in the book’s written pages …

Live and learn from the fools and the sages.

You know it’s true …

All the things you do, come back to you.

Sing with me, sing for the year,

Sing for the laughter, sing for the fear,

Sing with me, just for today,

Maybe tomorrow the good Lord’ll take me away.

That’s poetry not often found in today’s modern music, and it speaks volumes. About life, about your past, about understanding what we’re all about. And it’s a reminder that I need to look closely at those “lines on my face”.

What is a life but the end effect of all those lines. Today is my birthday and I know more than ever that the past is in fact gone, and it went by so quickly. Just as we all have, I have paid some dues and learned from them. At this point, more than half of my life has been written and everything I have experienced does in fact come back to me, good and bad. There is a lot to think about, but I especially like the refrain … the idea that we can sing even in the face of those lines.

Sing today for sure, because some day the Lord will take you away … I am blessed to be alive, to be loved and to love … you too.

Taking Prisoners

From a Facebook post by Marc Middleton of Growing Bolder, speaking about one of their video correspondents, Wendy Chioji … “She attacks life and takes memorable moments as prisoners.”

Now THAT is the way to live. Taking memorable moments as prisoners … what a great metaphor for living in a bolder way. So evocative and real in a unique way. And it does make you think about every moment ... any moment ... in your life. Every moment that could be a treasure, in hindsight if not right away. There is meaning and value in every moment, but your lifeline may have some spikes, some prisoners you will always cherish in a most special way.

What are the memorable moments we have in the “prison” of our mind? For me, here are just some of the prisoners I have … most are not dramatic, but I have them in my heart ... 

• Dressed in white always, growing up in Cuba
• Riding a train with my Dad on the way to my heart surgery
• Visiting my Dad in the hospital, after his heart attack
• Meeting my wife-to-be for the very first time
• Seeing my Mom’s pride at my college graduation
• Watching UCLA’s 87-game win streak end and storming the ND floor
• Seeing the King Tut exhibit in Chicago
• The Notre Dame fight song, played again and again at our wedding
• Moving to Greensboro and falling in love with our new life
• A secluded cove on Man O’ War Cay
• Writing in a journal for hours as my wife slept, waiting for our first baby
• Seeing my first son crying at the window as I left for work
• Watching the C-section birth of our third child, peeking over the barrier
• Our last baby, in a car seat on the floor with his siblings in wonder
• Living past my 49th year
• A zip line in Costa Rica for our 25th anniversary
• Exploring Chile and Argentina with my daughter and wife
• Surviving depression, one day at a time
• Sitting by a pool in Florida, talking about books
• The life-changing Emmaus experience on a Saturday night

I value those … and there are so many more in my past, and so many more yet to come. I want more prisoners before I’m gone, but I have had many so far. Think about your own prisoners … there are always so many you can appreciate, even if only hindsight ... 

Receive with Simplicity

A quote I saw in a movie review in the New York Times, attributed to the medieval Jewish scholar, Rashi … “Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you.”

This is a sentiment we could afford to repeat to ourselves at almost every turn. This world complicates so much that the concept of simplicity is nowhere to be found. And yet if we believe in God, we realize life is ephemeral in many ways. It is not nearly as complicated as we make it. It is a grain of sand in the passage of time. It is everything to us and yet it is also nothing but a journey toward death and eternal life.

Keeping life simple is hard … accepting everything that happens with humility and an open heart is even harder. But I know that is some of what God wants from us. And that takes the kind of belief he definitely expects from us.

I will think about the things that have happened to me in the last 30 days, and see if I have received them with simplicity and acceptance … a good exercise.

Judging

Recently on the CBS Sunday Morning show, a story about how book jackets are created caught my eye. As an avid reader and writer, the truth is that just about anything having to do with books will easily attract me. But this story made me think of that old saying that “you can’t trust a book by its cover.”

How often have I been fooled by someone or some situation, in terms of thinking one thing and seeing another? I have been guilty of pre-judging, though I am a tolerant person. And just recently I was able to apologize to one of our teammates for what I thought about him when he first joined our group. I misjudged him and badly, but now we both know each other better.

A strong feeling I have always had is that every one of us has a story. Every one of us has a unique reason for being and lessons to teach. The world we live in may not allow for as much listening as we would like … time rushes by us and we fail to connect on anything more than a superficial level. How great it would be if we could go beyond the book jacket on a more regular basis.

I pray that I can stop and listen to stories, learn lessons and trust … trust what really matters, the inner person I am listening to. Not just what I see at first blush, but what is truly there. Because I don't know what that person has gone through ... I learned a lot about that last weekend, at the Emmaus Retreat.

God is the only judge ... let Him do His job, and let us be more open and understanding to the people we know.

Success, Cultivated

Seen in a Facebook post: "Nature's laws are simple ... I plant the seed, to sow; I tend to the seed, to cultivate; I harvest the seed, to reap. In whatever you pursue worthwhile in life, you cannot expect to reap a harvest at the same time that you planted the seed. Learn to cultivate your success."

Faith is like that, too. Our parents plant the seed of faith, through their actions and values and daily teachings ... schools, teachers, clergy, books, church, friends and experiences tend to the seed ... and our harvest is in our hands. Our greatest harvest comes when our faith is unparalleled and we have given ourselves to Jesus. He is the One who can provide us with our harvest, our just reward for that sowing and cultivating of our faith. Faith is in us and extends out from us ... Jesus knows how we build it, day by day.

I pray that I continue to learn how best to cultivate my successful faith journey, tending to my belief in thoughts, words and deeds. But I know that is not enough. Each of us not only create our own harvest, but also assist others in their own harvests. This too is an important part of our faith ... it must be shared, to be truly real. For all of us, faith is always well worth tending, and sharing. After all, the result, the harvest, can be eternal ... for all of us who believe.

Stay on Your Hustle

Saw this in a business article about Russell Simmons, his advice to entrepreneurs but it speaks to all of us: "Be passionate about what you do. Stay on your hustle. Don't quit."

I like that ... stay on your hustle ... that's what this prayer blog does for me, keeps me working at my writing, my hustle and the passion I have. It is a way to share and to leave a legacy to my children, if only of my thoughts day to day.

Too I am more passionate about my faith, through this blog and in my heart. I learned faith first from my mother, devout beyond measure and perhaps overbearing at times. After all, I walked away from the church for a time. But with age comes understanding and I know I am better for her example. The Emmaus Retreat last weekend was instrumental in helping me "stay on my hustle:, as I saw so many others passionate about theirs. 

I pray that we all have a hustle … a special passion … something than can help us focus our future. And the best hustle is to follow Christ, the one source of passion that lives forever.

The Candle at Emmaus

This weekend at the Men's Emmaus Retreat, there was a candle ever lit and ever present with our group, carried by our eldest new Brother from space to space. It is a symbol, another presence of the light of Jesus, and it made me think in a new way about this quote I have always loved, from Siddhartha Guatama Buddha: "Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the single candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." 


For me, all of the Brothers of Emmaus are candles. Each one lights new candles, sharing their happiness at the very sharing. Sharing their wisdom. Sharing their love. Sharing their faith. This weekend really showed me what it means to be a soldier of God, a walker on the path to Emmaus listening to Jesus. It was a candle that continued to light me up with inspiration, all weekend long ... inspiration that will drive my writing for a long long time, and my faith.


Think of this ... YOU too are that candle of love and wisdom. You too are a flame bright with hope, because so many people look to you. Keep sharing and know that every day you share, your own candle gets ever brighter. We need to be fresh candlelights for each other ... it is what Jesus asked for, and what He expects.

How Foolish

On the road to Emmaus, there are many pitfalls but they too are part of our journey. In Matthew, we read a passage in which Jesus says "How foolish you are, how slow to believe everything the prophets said." How true that is ... 

We are slow, because we are human. We are not gifted with perfection or with divine faith, unshakable faith. We struggle with sin and despair, with belief and disbelief, with doubts too many to count. We are human and we are indeed foolish when it comes to bringing Jesus into our hearts. We do believe but we are often too slow to believe in full measure. We are those men that Jesus was speaking to. We are all of us.

But that is the path too, that hard walk too is the way of the Lord. To make us struggle with Him, to make us think more deeply, to help us understand ... that is part of what God wants from us. Today through the stories I have heard at our Emmaus retreat so far, I see that more clearly. This is a personal journey and it is different for each of us. Just as our fingerprints are unique to each of us, so too is the development of our spiritual path. Rocky or smooth, it is our own and unique to each of us. There is no other path that compares.

People often say "You make the bed that you lie in." And our faith journey is indeed that bed we make. We may toss and turn, we may lie sweetly, we may dream ... all may be true in our lives, at one time or another. in one way or another. So today I pray that my path will be forever clear, though forever unfinished. I look to dispel the foolish lack I have in my heart ... I seek to find Jesus faster every day, to learn more about the prophets and believe more surely.

I want to know the road to Emmaus, really know it so I can express it to my family, to my friends, to my circle of influence, that corner of my world that will listen. I am one of those men that Jesus is speaking to, and I am listening more intently than ever.

Smile

A cool post I saw on Facebook, from Andy Reyes in Cuba … “The revolution of love begins with a smile, your smile. It is a light in the window of your soul, indicating that your heart is at home and at peace. Do not let anyone come to you without leaving better and happier. Remember, you are the living expression of God's goodness, with kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile. Freely radiate your smile, because it has many jobs to do.”

I have written in the past about one of my Mom’s gifts, her smile. I am so grateful that she modeled that smile for us as kids. Her soul was always so pure, so innocent, so connected to the Lord … and her smile was definitely a light always shining in her window. She was always at peace even in the toughest of circumstances; she truly believed that Jesus was at her side.

More importantly, she made others happy and better. She would come home from her job as a cafeteria worker at a University of Minnesota dorm, and talk abut the students she knew. She would talk to them about their lives and assure them that all would be well. Every day she was the living expression of God … I believe that.

I like the last lines … it’s not always easy for me, because I have had people tell me I come across very serious and intense, often much more serious than I feel. But showing kindness in your face, in your eyes and in your smile, and in your laugh … that is a gift she shared, and one that I try to remember and reflect. Compared to her I am an amateur but there is a special spark I feel I got from her … that smile that has many jobs to do. 

The Privilege

Seen on dads4life.org … “Prayer is the practice of the presence of God. It is the place where pride is abandoned, hope is lifted and supplication is made. Prayer is the place of admitting our need, of adopting humility and claiming dependence on God. Prayer is the needful practice of the Christian, the exercise of faith and hope. Prayer is the privilege of touching the heart of the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Our small church community has taught me much about prayer, and together we live this quote on many Mondays of the year. I think about God being present with us, in what we read and what we share, in the way we sing together and meditate on the Word … I feel God in those moments.

We share without much reservation … we definitely lift each other up and admit our need not just for prayer but for God’s calming presence. Together we are a humble group, some more knowledgeable in theology than others, but we all learn at every meeting. We love the practice of prayer. And I do think we touch the heart of our Catholic religion in so many different ways, through Jesus.

It is a privilege to be in our group, a new family that I love … I wish for all people that they can find that kind of faith family, however it happens. It is a blessing like no other, because it really is the presence of God.  

The Value of Friends

From the website Stay Great … “The finger of God touches your life when you make a friend.” … Mary Dawson Hughes

It is often true that good friends are forever. We know them well and they know us, like no one else but our family. And even then, we may share things with our friends that we’ll never give our families. God graces us with special people in our lives and great friends above all.

To be honest, not all friends are great. There are fair-weather friends, not truly there for us when we absolutely need them … others are sometime-friends, hit and miss as much as anything … yet others may call themselves friends but are actually as much against us as for us. There is a difference in my mind between having a friend and really making a friend. Friends we make also make us … that’s where God comes in.

I love the quote for another reason … to me it relates to seeing Jesus in others. We read in Scriptures how strangers became followers, people became believers, and disciples became friends. The Last Supper is Jesus bringing together some of his closest friends, people that fully believed in him … and that is one of the best traits a great friend can have, believing in us. Never doubting our motives or our need. Just believing unconditionally.

I have a best friend like that and all I do is wish him great success in his life, and I’m there whenever he needs me. We are God’s finger for each other.

Losing Everything, Except What Matters

From an article in the New York Times, about a family in Alabama … “His name is Corey Soper and he is 33. He lives just outside Tuscaloosa, but works as a welder on a pipeline in Nevada, because that is where the work is. Now, after a heart-pounding day of worrying from a distance for the safety of his wife and two young children, he was coming home to a broken house, clutching a blue luggage ticket that represented the only clothes he had left.

And yet he considered himself lucky, so very lucky. His family is safe, he said, his voice tight. “And now we can build new memories.”

Their house is on Rifle Range Road in Cottondale, where the roof has been swept away, bits of insulation cling to the grass like artificial snow and an eight-foot tree branch pierces the living room wall. This is the home of a very fortunate man.

In time, Mr. Soper led a small army of power-saw-toting relatives and friends in clearing the jumble of fallen trees from his two-acre lot. If a tornado’s call sounds like freight trains and swarms of bees, humankind’s response sounds like growling, determined power saws

He worked through the warm day, not a cloud in the sky, and into dusk, well aware that others in this state were mourning their dead. Sweat-stained and flecked with sawdust, he occasionally looked up to see his wife and his two children in their altered yard, working, making new memories.

His house nearly destroyed, he felt blessed.”

We are in fact blessed in so many ways, and we don’t need a disaster to remind us. But it is in crisis … in our lives or in others’ lives … that we most clearly understand what is truly important. Celebrate life … that is the richest blessing we all have.

And know that anything lost can be replaced. Except life.

Stay on Your Hustle

Just saw this in an article about Russell Simmons, in which he gives his advice to entrepreneurs. But it speaks to all of us: "Be passionate about what you do. Stay on your hustle. Don't quit."

I like that ... stay on your hustle ... that's what this prayer blog does for me, keeps me working at my writing, my hustle and the passion I have. It is a way to share and to leave a legacy to my children, if only of my thoughts day to day.

Too I am more passionate about my faith, through this blog and the people who I am surrounded with. I learned faith first from my mother, devout beyond measure and perhaps overbearing at times. After all, I walked away from the church for a time. But with age comes understanding and I know I am better for her example.

I pray that we all have a hustle … a special passion … something than can help us focus our future. And a hustle that can benefit the world we influence ... 

For Marcy and Susan

Today I pray for a friend ... and for a friend of a friend. Two women joined by their husbands' passions for car racing, and now by their journey to God. Lives too short ... deaths too soon ... but now in the clouds together, watching over their families. Together in love and in faith.


Their husbands grieve in a way that those of us not in their situations can never imagine. Raw grief filled with memories they can touch, raw grief filled with memories never made, years never lived together. Widowers are more rare than widows, so today I pray too for their husbands, left to think and pray and live in a new way. 


Please pray for my friends Greg and Marcy, and for their friends Don and Susan ...