From This Day Forward

Hello again!

It's been a long time since I've even thought about this blog but I decided today to take a look at it. I reread a few of the posts -all of which had been reverted to drafts.

I enjoyed revisiting them and chose to republish and revive this blog. However, when I did that they didn't get republished in order. So...from this day forward, I'll try to leave the past be and leave what's published-published and I'll try to add new posts regularly.

If you choose to read those back posts, I must say, I'm not that person anymore. Hopefully, I've changed for the better but the question is, have I?

My journey, like for most people has had many ups and downs and twists and turns but ultimately, my goal, my hope is to do good, to do what is right, to share the beauty I see in nature and in people and to hold onto the hope that others want to do that, too.

Will you join in on this journey of discovery? I hope so; but if not, I wish you well and that you will go forth blessed with God's peace, joy and love.

From this day forward...let's do this "good" thing!

Shards in Our Steps

You do not know the broken shards that fill and form my steps, nor where my steps are being led but do we not walk together? And though I do not know the brokenness in your steps, are not our journeys the same? 

Do we not both forge our paths through night and day one step at a time?

Then let us not be tempted to turn back, or turn away, let us then together go forward looking not at the steps but at who calls us by name. Let us seek the path to Him.  Let us keep our focus on what is good and right, not down-for if we gaze too long on the brokenness that may be all we will see and then we will miss the call, the beauty, the hope, the love…

You know this to be true that the broken shards in our steps are fragile. Indeed, when we find the courage to take another step those shards will be shattered. More importantly, those broken and shattered pieces in the light and warmth of love will melt away. Know that I Am is with you and others, like me walk beside you, before you and behind you. 

Look up. Look now. It is the only way to see the path and to avoid walking in circles. Please... I need you to look...for though I am looking from here...I can not see the path clearly by myself.

Perhaps, you see me more like a dog instead of a companion, though in His eyes we are equal, then look up for those who follow our steps.  They are our children....all of them-the young, the old. We must lead them to Him. If our focus is on our own broken shards, we will all get lost. Look up.

If not for me, or the children, then look up for yourself. Though I do not see the path clearly, I do see trees and an edge of a cliff and even a snake or two.  The next step that you take is very important. Please, look up. 

You are needed and loved.  Forget the shards of brokenness in the steps of your past. Look up and take a step forward. That's all I ask.
 

***

To Love More

A strange thought occurred to me recently- When I consider the people that I love, and I mean really love to the best of my capability to love, God loves them to an infinite magnitude more.I can't comprehend the enormous love God has for the people I love but I have no trouble believing they are loved that much.

This leads me to the following:
If God loves them more, then there must be a way to love others more. How do I love the people I already love more?

If I lean towards judging them, I pray for them. If I lean towards anger or resentment, I forgive them.

If I lean towards undermining or retaliating towards them, I look for the good that is in them or at their talents and gifts and/or the good they share with others.I try to understand what is beneath their actions and what they do and how they respond to what happens to them. I don't have to agree with all they do and may even have to help them with a more appropriate way to respond but I work with them and with where they are at in life.

Every day is a process of expression, of forgiveness, of reconciling, of growth, of kindness and compassion, of give and take and recognition of the other person's beauty and place in this world. The interactions we have with each other become an integrated and integral part of who we are.

Holy Friendships

1. God's infinite love extends to everyone.
2. I am called to love more but not just the people I love already....everyone.
3. Seek Holy Friendships

The Bird

Hi, it’s been a long time. How are you doing? Today, I’m going to share an insight I had. Now, don’t get all excited.  It is highly unlikely that this will ever get into one of those adorable and useful meditation type books but it is what it is. It is full of…

Moving on…

This afternoon, I spent a few minutes sitting out on my deck. I had my eyes closed and I was listening to the wind as it rushed through the trees. It’s a beautiful sound, very similar to the sound of ocean waves crashing on the shore. Truly, it is one of my favorite sounds as I find it very calming and relaxing and reminiscent of good days. At one point, I opened my eyes and as I was looking up I saw a bird. The bird was flying away from a tree towards the roof of my home and then out of sight.  It was a small dark bird but the tips of its wings were white and the sun was highlighting the tiny creature. My first thought, as if this was a special gift just for me, was, “Thank you God- beautiful!”   

Closely following the first thought, however, was a question.  “Would that bird still be beautiful if it pooped on you?”  

What a strange question. Ummmm

The inner dialogue continued.

So, would that bird still be beautiful if it pooped on you?

Yes, the bird would still be beautiful; I just wouldn’t feel compelled to want to be near it or to let it poop on me again. Still beautiful, still being as it is, a bird-doing bird things but I can appreciate its beauty from afar.  I would not feel compelled to become a future target or windshield for the bird. In fact, I would probably do my best to avoid being a target.

Would you be angry at the bird? 

Really?  Okay-no.

Frustrated, perhaps, but not really angry because again, the bird was being a bird and doing bird things. 

Would it make you dislike all birds? 

No.  Generally, I like birds; they are beautiful and fun to watch and to photograph/draw. Just because I happened to be at the wrong place and the wrong time for a bird mishap would not taint me towards all birds.

Imagine a long pause in time here as this came to a point. I’ll spare you that.

The point, the personal gift of the moment arrived into my consciousness like ummm…well, you know.  Not that, I meant like the ocean waves crashing on the shore or like the wind rustling through the trees. Really!

People that hurt us are like a bird finding a target and then flying off to do their own thing.

• They are still beautiful and wonderfully made children of God. 
• Sometimes, they don't even know the hurt that they've inflicted-a byproduct of their humanness. 
• They do human things and sometimes that's not nice- mean, vengeful, hateful, and hurtful. I guess what goes in, comes out.
• Anger is not the right response. I am challenged to see beyond the crap they expel to their beauty as children of God and how God is reflected through them.
• I do not however, have to be their target or windshield and I won’t let one person’s actions be my view of the whole human race.
• In general, the human race is pretty awesome and for the most part, they gloriously reflect the goodness of God.

Another long pause as I scan the skies and consider blogging about this.
Finally, I arrive at my closing thought, as if this was a special gift meant just for me, “Thank you, God!”   

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary

In the Catholic Church, we have the season of Ordinary Time. Until recently, I’ve regarded that time as well, ordinary.  I thought of it as a time to just be, to look for the good and celebrate the day for the miracle of every day.

However, there is something I’ve come to know about God. I’m not an expert, but this seems to be true. When we enter into a relationship with Him and enter His world, endings are new beginnings and when we think we have a grasp or understanding of something faith related God often will reveal new levels for us to consider.  So it is with me and my understanding of Ordinary Time.

I feel as if I’ve already received the best Christmas gift ever. Since Thanksgiving, at least three events have happened to me that were perfectly ordinary yet these very ordinary encounters were extraordinary and miraculous.

Two of these encounters with others were direct answers to prayers. In both cases, what happened was very ordinary but knowing that they were answered prayers filled me with a sense of internal joy and peace. Which, also happens to be another answered prayer? And the timing and location of these natural, everyday moments were perfectly inspired.

The third encounter happened right before the beginning of Advent. It was a gift that I would never have thought to ask for, yet, God surprised me with it and I will hold its memory close and ponder it often.  That memory is of something as ordinary as a glimpse of a smile but the extraordinary comes from the moment, the person, the consequences, the insights and new hope and from what had to happen in order for that moment to occur and in the realization that every moment is like that moment-extraordinarily ordinary. It was a moment of layers of transformations.

In that moment, my soul exclaimed, “O joyful moment, stay close to my heart, stay and fill the ordinary with your hope. For even I can see that your hope is in love, in God.”

Pope Francis recently said, “You have never heard of a sad or gloomy-faced saint. That would be a contradiction. Rather, the heart of a Christian is “full of peace because he knows to place his joy in the Lord, even in life’s difficult moments.”

Perhaps, it is also possible that somehow saints through Christ, experience and see in every moment the extraordinary because in doing so it is impossible to be sad.

Extraordinary in the Ordinary…it is like a mother’s pondering of her child’s first smile, step or word spoken.  It is like the gift of a flower from a child to another. It is like the times when you lose track of time and don’t care. It is in the unexpected meeting of a friend and in the embrace of acceptance. It is more than “it is what it is” it is love in the ordinary.  It is in the giving and receiving of a secret gift.

The extraordinary in the ordinary is in every smile, every tear, every moment and everyone.  Sometimes, you may have to look for it and at other times it is there, winking and slapping you in the face saying, smile for heaven’s sake, smile. This life thing…it is good.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope and pray that you too, may experience the extraordinary in the ordinary in all of your days.

In Christ’s Peace and Joy!

Everything Has Changed

The ordinary in the day, no longer exists. It is gone. Gone and replaced. It is as if the ordinary day, a flat,simple, white plane has converted into a marvelous, colorful and animated multidimensional event. It is difficult to comprehend and take it all in.

When I embarked upon the journey that led to this point,I expected there to be a change in me. There was a change but what I didn't expect was the depth, width and the breadth of that change. Words alone can't explain or describe this change because it is in layers upon layers of time and life. I can tell you this, if you choose to sincerely enter upon this journey your life will change.

Up until a few months ago,  I considered myself to have a strong and solid faith life. I believed in God-Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the teachings of my religion were rooted in my faith and beliefs and I tried to live that faith. I can't say that I was always good at that living it out part but I did try.

While I believed I had a good relationship with God and felt His presence in my life, I had only a somewhat superficial relationship with Mary, the Mother of God. I knew about Mary and I loved praying the Rosary and acknowledged the vast difference between days when I prayed the Rosary compared to the days I didn't and I knew about Her role in the life of Jesus. However, one day, I asked Jesus about His Mother and that conversation led to me saying something like, "Jesus, if you want me to know your Mother better then You will need to lead me to her and show me how..."

He answered. He led me to Her. He showed me how and now, everything has changed. My heart is filled with joy and gratitude.

It's like this.

If you have a good relationship with someone and they love and have a good relationship with their family, then at some point in time you will want to meet and come to know and love their family, as well. Jesus loves Mary, His Mother. I had the opportunity to enter into a deeper relationship with Her, I took that opportunity and everything changed. I see and experience God-Father, Son and Holy Spirit differently-what a blessing!

For me, this opportunity came in the form of a self-directed retreat that started via a book called 33 Days to Morning Glory. My retreat ended on October 7th with a consecration to Jesus though Mary. The friendship and relationship I have started with Mary and Jesus continues to grow. I am reading and going through the book that 33 Days to Morning Glory was based on and I am being drawn into a deeper faith. Thanks be to God. Everything has changed. Thanks be to God.

Peace!
Julie

100th Post: O Breath of My Soul

This is my 100th post on this blog. That is hard to believe. At times, I have abandoned this blog, knowing only a few will ever read it and at other times I am compelled to write here, unconcerned with who or how many will stop by. It is that sense of writing that I enjoy- writing not to be heard, not to share, not to quantify or qualify but instead to uncover, or reveal if only to myself-my self, my insights into the day that God has given me.

So which is this post-a sharing to be heard or a revelation of who I am to myself? I don't know. I suppose it is both. I wrote this poem some time ago and today I stumbled upon this file tucked away in a folder and I felt compelled to post it...perhaps, it is something someone somewhere also needs to hear.  It is still a work in progress but here it is as it is now. 

 

O Breath to My Soul

 Written by Julie D. (me) revised on 7-3-19 but still a work in progress

 

Where is the breath that gives life to my soul?

I have not found it hidden in the titles I hold

Or in the places I’ve been or have been compelled to go

Nor have I found it trenched in the duties of my day

Or in any of the games that I’ve been enticed to play.

Where then shall I find this elusive breath

The passion that is life itself?

Oh where, is the breath that gives life to my soul?

O Child, see, listen, hear

The answer is all around you, within you, beside you

Closer than the breath that keeps you near

It is in the light that filters through colored leaves as they are tossed by the wind

And fall from the trees

it is in the patience and constancy of the skies

 especially the tumultuous storms that will as all, pass by

It is in the still, quiet whispers of your heart

Take care not to bury them with worries, hurts and false starts

No, The answer is not in your doubts and fears or what you are or do.

Be still, o’ child, be still. Come here.

It is beyond what you see, feel and hear.

You do not have to seek to find it or work or beg

It is a gift I give to you , a gift to explore, a gift that grows

Be still and you will find the wrappings and untie the bow

And you will know

And you will know

This is who you were meant to be

Where all is well with you and me

Passion is not what you do or can do

But the love with which you do it.

Likewise the breath to your soul comes and goes

A flowing, seamless expression of love

 It weaves through your life

As an endless ribbon from above. through all

Breathe in my love, in and out

I give you, the breath of My soul.

Now go and live! Go!

The Secret of How to Catch Fish

While I was sitting on a dock fishing with my cousin, my brother approached and emphatically exclaimed, “Julie, there is a fish right there,” and he pointed into the shallow water behind me. He continued to point at and tell me about this fish until I cast my line into the water in that area. The water was filled with algae and weeds and I really didn’t see a fish but I did see what looked like it might be a fish. Therefore, I let him tell me where to guide my line.  It’s right there. Just a little lower.  Over a little. Interest in the fish grew and my cousin and husband came over to check it out.  After glancing into the water, my husband then graciously informed me that I was trying to catch a dead fish. Yes, go ahead and laugh and stamp a big “gullible” on my forehead but fortunately for me, the story doesn’t end there. 

Later, my husband, brother and I took the boat out to go fishing. We all caught some fish but I caught three times as many as they did. At one point, my brother put his line in the water where I was fishing and being a tad cocky I said, “Fine, I’ll just fish on the other side of the boat.” I cast my line and reeled in another fish.Vindicated by circumstances I started to say, “I can catch fish dead or alive.”  For clarification though, I actually didn’t catch the dead fish, I only tried to catch the dead fish. 

So, who in their right mind would try to catch a dead fish and why and how?  To that I say, “Once you know how to catch a dead fish you can catch any fish you want…if you know the secret.”

Why catch a dead fish? They pollute the water. They can’t sustain life, help the living or do anything but be dead and decompose. 

Who should catch dead fish? All those who believe in God.  As Christians, we are called to be fishers of men. Dead fish cause the most harm; they are the persecutors, the thieves, the haters and they seek to destroy our faith. They are dead in the water. They do not know, understand or accept that they are also children of our God. Our God loves them and wants them to be resurrected in Him.  If there is hope, and I believe there is, that by an intercession of love and prayers they can come to understand and know our Lord, then we must try to catch the dead fish. 

Obviously, catching live fish is good, too and I must say catching live fish is easier. These are the people who demonstrate and live a life of kindness, love, peace and hope. These are the people who are good at dying to themselves and letting God act through them and for them.  From these people we are nourished and fed and our faith grows. 

So, how do we catch fish, dead or alive? As I sat in the boat, fishing with my brother and my husband, I was praying. However, I wasn’t praying to catch fish. I was praying prayers of gratitude. I was thankful to be with my family, on a beautiful lake, on a beautiful day.  Also, knowing that we needed to have two meals of fish for several people, I prayed trusting that we would have enough fish for those meals.  My prayers were answered. We had enough fish and then some and we had a beautiful and enjoyable vacation with family. 

Am I gullible and perhaps silly for trying to catch dead fish? Yes. Am I going to stop trying to catch dead fish? Probably not. Will you join me? There are Christians being martyred and persecuted right now. Let us pray not only for them but for a Saul to Paul like conversion for their persecutors.  Let them see Christ in the martyrs. Let them convert and become great evangelists for our Lord. Let them rise from the dead and be live fish, caught in our nets of prayer.  

The secret to catching fish, dead or alive, is prayer.  Please pray with me. 

Peace!

Julie

References, insights and other things to consider:

https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Acts/Pauls-Conversion

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/us-catholics-say-prayers-for-peace-in-iraq/

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/383353/attack-christians-middle-east-rev-robert-barron

(Graphic) https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=446725435469450

http://wordonfire.org/WoF-Blog/WoF-Blog/August-2014/The-Comedy-of-the-Cross.aspx