If friendship were the kind of thing,

to touch, to grasp, to hold

Easily bought or sold -

A friendship wouldn't be as special

as you have been to me.

And a friendship wouldn't be as dear

as ours will always be.

July 4, 1984

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"Friendly thoughts and flowers

Are much the same you know

Because they both bring happiness

No matter where they go."

Hope it adds some pleasure

to the hours of your day

To know you're being thought of

in the very warmest way,

And when your birthday's over

Hope that you'll remember, too,

The same warm thoughts as always

will keep going out to you.

November 12, 1984

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Just as a whole world of beauty can be discovered in one flower,

so the great grace of God can be tasted in one small moment.

December 25, 1984

[Top]    [Home]

May your special day be beautiful

and bright in every way,

And may the joy you've always known

grow deeper day by day,

May all the dreams you're dreaming

soon turn into dreams come true,

For you deserve the very best

that life can bring to you.

January 12, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

LOVE YOUR WORK

If you don't like your work,

You'll need three times the energy:

To force yourself to work,

To resist the force,

And finally to work.

If you love your work,

Your desire to do it

Will be like a wind

To propel your ship

With much less fuel.

If you like your work,

You work no more -

For work, when you like it,

Is work no longer

But sheer enjoyment!

If you enjoy your work,

You'll work and work

Without counting the hours -

And you'll reap and enjoy

More earnings as well.

"LOVE YOUR WORK"

H.L. Neri

April 29, 1985

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A single rose can be my garden,

A single friend my world.

May 9, 1985

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BLESSED ARE YOU

Blessed because you have chosen the better part.

Blessed because you have given your life

to the one and only genuine love.

Blessed because like the mother of Jesus,

have put your trust in the Word of God

and have been faithful to it.

POPE PAUL VI

May 9, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

Flowers are love's truest language...

Love reckons hours for months,

        and days for years;

And every little absence is an age...

The world is full of beauty

            When the heart is full of love.

Love is eternal.

            The aspect may change,

                        but not the essence.

Who can doubt that we exist only to love?

            We live not a moment exempt from its influence.

Love will teach us all things: but we must learn how

            to win love; it is got with difficulty: it is a possession

                    dearly bought with much labor and in long time; for one must

                                love not sometimes only, for a passing moment, but always.

PRETTYBELLE

May 9, 1985

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Sunshine to brighten your hours ---

Laughter to lighten your heart

Faith in the things you are planning

Zest for the projects you start

The blessing of

love and true friendship ---

These are the wishes I send

To someone

who's given me so many joys

By being a wonderful Friend!

May 30, 1985

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Define love...

Love is when you care for someone else more than for yourself...

STARMAN-THE MOVIE

May 13, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

I slept and dreamed that life was beauty.

I woke - and found that life was duty;

Was my dream, then, a shadowy lie?

Toil on, sad heart, courageously,

And thou shalt find thy dream shall be

A noonday light and truth to thee.

Ellen Sturgis Hooper

June 1, 1985

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For yesterday is but a dream

And tomorrow is only a vision

But today well lived

Makes yesterday a dream of happiness

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

June 1, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

May your birthday be one

that is filled with delight,

With pleasant surprises

from morning to night,

And may all the joys

that this day brings to you

Happen over and over

each day all year through!

June 1, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

There is a garden in my heart

Where happy memories grow

Of those who mean the most to me

As seasons come and go,

And among the nicest flowers,

The loveliest by far

Are the thoughts I'll always cherish

Of how very dear you are!

F R E E D O M

This life is yours

Take the power

to choose what you want to do

and do it well.

Take the power

to love what you want in life

and love it honestly.

Take the power

to control your own life.

No one else can do it for you.

Take the power

to make your life happy.

The Heart has reasons which human reasons do not have.

F r i e n d s h i p . . .

Because you are my friend

I have no lock on tongue or heart

For you are me

Outside of me

A separate part

That laughs with me and weeps a tear

If I should need a tear

Or offers an arm to offset harm

Whenever harm is near.

A friend's a wondrous thing to have

An earthly prayer come true

And daily I give thanks that I

Found such a friend in You.

M. Buxbaum

June 17, 1985

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                                                AFTER GLOW

I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one

        I'd like to leave an after glow of smiles

                when life is done

I'd like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways

        bright and sunny days

I'd like the tears of those who grieve to dry

        before the sun

Of happy memories that I leave when life is done.

June 17, 1985

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The woods are lovely, dark and deep

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

And miles to go before I sleep.

SNOWY EVENING

Robert Frost

June 28, 1985

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Friendships' Creed

My heart is overflowing

With deepest gratitude

For gaiety you brought me

To light my darkest mood.

I find new strength and laughter

Whenever I'm storm-tossed

And all the days are richer

Because our paths have crossed.

In every word of courage

You've given to my need,

I find a constant challenge,

A special friendship creed.

There's highest inspiration

At such a little cost

And all of life is beauty

Because our paths have crossed.

Hilda Butler Farr

July 2, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

Did you ever stop to think

What makes a day seem bright?

It isn't just the sunshine,

Though, of course, that helps all right.

It's not just meeting friends you like,

Exchanging news and jokes;

No, it's the little thoughtful things

You've done for other folks.

Clara Holm

July 2, 1985

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Universal Language

In every race, in every creed,

It matters not how far apart,

The language of a loving deed

Is understood by every heart.

Josephine Robinson

July 2, 1985

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Is not that the truest gratitude which

strives to widen the horizon of human

happiness which has gladdened us?

Henry Codman Porter

July 2, 1985

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I shall be grateful all my days

Because you walked in friendship's ways.

Roy Z Kemp

July 2, 1985

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        To a Friend . . .

Nothing is more precious than

A kind and thoughtful friend,

Like a rose whose lovely fragrance

Far excels all garden blends

Thank you for the lift it brings

To know that someone cares.

Thank you for the gem of friendship

With which jewels cannot compare.

Maxime T. Clark

July 2, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

Friendship is the soft wind's whisper,

        the oceans gentle waves,

                the warm, sweet fragrance of a rose,

                        the sunrise of the day.

The breathlessness of sudden wealth ---

        friendship's joy unfold

                the needed "something" in a life

                        that only friendship holds.

The understanding silences

        when words don't need to be

                is just one gift of friendship

                        that means so much to me.

Randi Coffey Hildebrandt

July 2, 1985

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I thank you, friend, for lovely times

That we have shared together...

And may the future hold for you

Fair days of singing weather.

Virginia Covey Boswell

July 2, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

God gave the beauty of the sunset,

The freshness of the morning dew,

And in His wisdom He did not forget

To give a friend so kind and true.

To scatter sunshine on the darkest day,

To lend a helping hand along the way,

To remember the little things

that mean so much ---

A softly spoken word,

a gentle touch.

In this day when good friends are few,

I am so thankful God gave me you.

Gayle Harris

July 2, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

Which is the best thing Life can give us,

as its winding road we wend?

Is it not the boon and blessing of a

good and trusted friend?

Friendship helps to ease the burden ---

Lifts the heart and lights the way ---

Making sunshine in the shadows,

Seeing blue skies through the gray.

On the hills and in the valleys

--- Sorrow fades and hope ascend...

All roads lead to bright horizons,

In the company of friends.

Patience Strong

July 2, 1985

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                        Appreciation is a little thing . . .

                        and yet, it's not a little thing at all.

                                It warms the heart

                                        and spurs the soul

                                                and transforms weariness into joy.

Lorice Fiani Mulhern

July 2, 1985

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One kind word can warm three winter months.

Japanese Proverb

July 2, 1985

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                BEST FRIEND

Though the years so many have come

For interludes from interests sprung;

Most were but a season's song,

Lasting only about as long

As the fires of interests newly found

That gave them substance, then flickered out;

But then there are those few remaining

Who haven't diminished with interests changing,

Instead, sparking new ones and of those few

There's never been a friend

I treasure more than You.

Lee McLaughlin

July 2, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

Friendship is a golden thread of love,

spun invisibly and read

in a pair of understanding eyes.

Friendship is the clasp of hands

True to all our fate demands,

Friends and angels . . . in disguise.

Pamela Vaull Starr

July 2, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

Whenever there's a chance

to do a favor, Mama, you do it.

Whenever there's a problem,

you can find the answer to it...

Whenever there's a way

to cheer a heart,

You always find it...

That's why this wish

for you today

has so much love behind it.

July 9, 1985

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"Home is where

we learn to love

and where we learn to share...

Home is where

the people are

for whom we'll always care."

July 23, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

Happiness is found in Little Things

There's nothing nicer

than "little things."

Somehow they stay in the mind

And have a way

of making

the brighter and happier kind.

Jean Jyler McManus

August 1, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

If birthdays could be made to fit

The people that they're for,

Yours would bring so many joys

You couldn't ask for more.

For you're someone very special

In so many thoughtful ways,

You deserve a long succession

Of life's very nicest days!

FIESTA GREETING

August 1, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

Joys to share

Every little kindly deed

Strengthens like a flower seed,

Spreading blossoms on the way.

Bringing hope to someone's day:

Every little thought and care

Makes for joy that others share.

Elizabeth Gozney

August 17, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

Give me the faith of adventure, Lord,

The courage to try the new,

The will to press on inspite of the dark

Knowing I walk with you.

Helen Marshall

September 20, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

Love is life, and they who do not have love

            are not alive.

But every soul that loves

                Lives in the heart of God

                                and hears Him speak.

Henry Van Dyke

September 20, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

Through this toilsome world, alas!

Once and only once I pass;

If a kindness I may show,

If a good deed I may do

To a suffering fellow man,

Let me do it while I can.

No delay for it is plain

I shall not pass this way again.

ANNONYMOUS

October 8, 1985

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Smile

A smile is something

that makes you sweeter,

It doesn't cost a cent;

A smile is something

all your own,

It never can be lent;

A smile is something

makes you younger,

It does away with frowns;

A smile is good for everyone,

To ease the ups and

downs...

October 24, 1985

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If you put your mind into it

you can accomplish anything...

"BACK TO THE FUTURE"

October 24, 1985

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The Difference...

I got up early one morning

            and rushed right into the day;

I had so much to accomplish

        that I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,

        and heavier came each task.

                    "Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered

                He answered, "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty,

        but the day toiled on, gray and black;

                    I wondered why God didn't show me.

                He said, "But you didn't seek."

I tried to come into God's presence;

            I used all my keys at the lock.

                        God gently and lovingly chided,

                "My child, you didn't knock."

            I woke up early morning,

                        and paused before entering the day;

                                    I had so much to accomplish

                        that I had to take time to pray.

October 24, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

            A Happy Day

A heart full of thankfulness,

        a thimbleful of care;

A soul of simple hopefulness,

        an early morning prayer;

A smile to greet the morning with,

        a kind word of the key,

To open the door and greet the day,

        Whatever it brings to thee

A patient trust in Providence

        To sweeten all the way;

All these blended with thoughtfulness

        Will make a happy day.

October 24, 1985

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Hope the coming year is filled

with all the joys of living,

For you deserve the kind of joy

that you are always giving.

November 6, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

There's no better time than today

to wish good things for you,

beginning with a happy birthday

and everything it takes

to make a happy year.

November 12, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

The Sunrise of Hope

There is always the hope of tomorrow,

To brighten the clouds of today,

There is always a corner for turning,

No matter how weary the way.

Helen Steiner Rice

December 20, 1985

[Top]    [Home]

May God be with you always,

And may He always heed

Your wishes and your prayers,

And answer every need ---

God's loving care sustain you

Today and every day,

His hope and comfort fill your heart

His presence light your way.

Ambassador

December 20, 1985

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What are little boys made of?

Playing at games of hide-and-seek

Mischievous faces

with dimpled cheeks,

That's what little boys are made of.

December 24, 1985

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Once you give up your dream

you will easily die...

Flashdance-the movie

January 4, 1986

[Top]    [Home]

Kindness is a language

which the deaf can hear and the blind see.

Mark Twain

January 4, 1986

[Top]    [Home]

                        Our actions are shaped according to the nature of the people

                                with whom we are in contact,

                        and are further constrained

                                by the situation we are sharing

                                        with them.

Secord & Backman

January 10, 1986

[Top]    [Home]

Some people are remembered

For their very special way,

And others are remembered

For the thoughtful things they say

Others yet are thought of

For the nice things that they do -

And all of these are reasons

Why it's nice remembering you!

January 16, 1986

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Littleness

                            It takes littleness to patiently withstand the

                                        insults, the abuse, hurled upon You.

                    It takes littleness for an innocent man to

                            accept the injustice of being condemned, tortured and executed

                        like a common criminal, by Crucifiction.

        It takes littleness to ask forgiveness, for

Your tormentors, Your executioners, for You saw that they know

                not what they were doing.

And,

                                    It takes the ultimate in

                    littleness, when You know that those who truly Crucified You are

                            all of us sinners, and yet, You dwell in our hearts, waiting,

                hoping, longing, for a flicker of recognition from each of us.

                                        With Your Merciful Love,

                                                        forgive us,

                                                                            Lord.

                        With the help of Your Dearest Mother,

                    we will strive to follow in your way of littleness.

                                                                                    Amen.

THE PRAYING JESUS

March 4, 1986

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The Cross in My Pocket

I carry a cross in my pocket

A simple reminder to me

Of the fact that I am a Christian

No matter where I may be.

This little cross is not magic

Nor is it a good luck charm

It isn't meant to protect me

From every principal harm.

It's not for identification

For all the world to see

It's simply an understanding

Between my savior and me.

When I put my hand in my pocket

To bring out a coin or a key

The Cross is there to remind me

Of the price He paid for me.

It reminds me too to be thankful

For my blessings day to day

And to strive to serve Him better

In all that I do and say.

It's also a daily reminder

Of the peace and comfort I share

With all who know my matter

And give themselves to His care.

So I carry a cross in my pocket

Reminding no one but me

That Jesus Christ is Lord of my life

If only I'll let Him be.

March 4, 1988

[Top]    [Home]

I asked for strength that I might advance;

God made me weak that I might obey.

I asked for health that I might do greater things;

I was given Grace that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy;

I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of man;

I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;

But I was given Life that I might enjoy all things.

March 4, 1988

[Top]    [Home]

Heaven's Grocery Store

                    As I was walking down life's highways, along time ago,

            I saw a sign that read, "Heaven's Grocery Store."

                            As I got a little closer the door came open wide and

                    when I came to myself I was standing inside.

            I saw a host of angels, they were standing everywhere.

                    One handed me a basket and said,

                                        "My child shop with care."

                Everything a Christian needed was in that grocery store and

        all you couldn't carry you could come back the next day.

                                First I got some patience, love was in the same row.

                        Further down was understanding, you need that

                                            everywhere you go.

                I got a box or two of wisdom, a bag or two of faith.

                            I couldn't miss the Holy Spirit for it was all over

                                                            the place.

                            I stopped to get some strength, and courage to help me

                                                                        run the race.

                    By then my basket was getting full, but I remembered I

                                                needed some grace.

                    I didn't forget salvation, for salvation that was free

                                    so I tried to get enough of that to save both you and me.

            Then I started up the counter to pay my grocery bill

                    for I thought I'll have everything to do my master's will.

       As I went up the aisle, I saw prayer and I just had to put it in

                            for I know when I stopped outside I would trodden into sin.

                    Peace and joy were plentiful, they were on the last shelf.

                Song and praises were hanging near so I just helped myself.

        Then I said to the angel, "Now how much do I owe?"

                                He smiled and said, "Just take them everywhere you go."

                Again, I smiled at him and said, "How much do I really owe?"

                                            The angel smiled again and said,

"My child, Jesus paid your bill a long time ago."

ABSCOR CARD

April 27, 1986

[Top]    [Home]

                            God bless you

                                    on this special day

                                            that means so much to you,

                            God grant that faith

                                    will fill your heart each day

                                            your whole life through,

                            God be your friend,

                                    your guiding light

                                            forever on life's way,

                            God keep you

                                    in His love and care

                                            today and everyday.

May 6, 1986

[Top]    [Home]

May you begin the year ahead

with bright anticipation

Of all the joy

that it might hold for you,

Then may you find that

your every happy hope and expectation

Will turn into a lovely

dream come true.

January 5, 1987

[Top]    [Home]

Knowing Someone Special Is a Joy

It's wonderful knowing

a person who cares,

Who helps and inspires

and eagerly shares,

Who always can find

special ways to be kind...

a person who knows how to give.

It's wonderful knowing

a person who's fun,

Who's happy to help

when things need to be done,

Who looks on the bright side,

the good side, the light side...

a person who knows how to live.

Amanda Bradley

December 1, 1987

[Top]    [Home]

Reach for Your Dreams

                            If you welcome every morning

                                            and the special chance it brings

                                    to try new paths,

                                                to open some new door,

                                To look a little deeper

                                        and to reach a little further,

                                                to aim a little higher than before...

                        If you strive to fill each moment

                                with some beauty and some purpose,

                            to seek out joys that mean the most to you...

                                                    Then you will greet each evening

                                            one day richer in contentment,

                                                    one day closer to the dreams

                                                                    that you pursue.

Amanda Bradley

December 1, 1987

[Top]    [Home]

                One thing I've learned,

                                If you just say `Yes' to His plan,

                    everything goes on smoothly.

                            You'll find meaning in everything that you do.

                            There is

                                        peace

                                                    in the middle of confusion,

                                        joy

                                                    in suffering and

                                        love

                                                    in indifference.

Francia S. Laurora

January 13, 1988

[Top]    [Home]

Although there are no words

That could ever quite convey

The special appreciation

I would like to send your way,

This is coming as a token

Of my gratitude to you,

And it brings my warmest thoughts

And most sincere good wishes, too.

February 15, 1988

[Top]    [Home]

God's Love at Work

                                        We can see

                                                    God's love at work

                                            In the warmth

                                                    of helping hands,

                                            In the comfort

                                                    that a gentle word imparts,

                                            In the thoughtfulness

                                                    that offers cheer,

                                            In love that understands...

                                   We can see

                                            God's love at work

                                                      in caring hearts.

SMILE

Amanda Bradley

February 15, 1988

[Top]    [Home]

                            You have a certain way

                                        of pleasing others very much,

                                    A certain way of doing things

                                                with just that special touch...

                                The pleasure that

                                                you've brought is more

                                                                than you know ---

                                    That's why this brings

                                                more thanks to you

                                        than words could ever show.

SMILE

February 15, 1988

[Top]    [Home]

It must be a real delight

to have your own twin.

But to have one who shares your dreams

is really special.

February 22, 1988

[Top]    [Home]

There are so many special things

that could be said of you,

And every compliment would be

especially warm and true,

But there's one phrase

that says much more

than any of the rest...

"You're someone who knows how to be

a friend... the very best!"

March 7, 1988

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                                        Only as high as I reach

                                                    can I grow.

                                        Only as far as I seek

                                                    can I go.

                                        Only as deep as I look

                                                    can I see.

                                        Only as much as I dream

                                                    can I be.

Karen Ravn

March 7, 1988

[Top]    [Home]

THE ART OF FRIENDSHIP

It's knowing when to say the words

that someone needs to hear

And when it's better just to smile,

to listen and be near...

It's giving of yourself to others

in a caring way,

Extending warm encouragement

whenever skies are gray,

And it's accepting gestures

of affection meant for you

With understanding of the thought

behind the kindness, too...

It's sensing when to lend a hand

and when to stand aside

And let the other try their wings

with independent pride...

It's noticing and praising

special qualities you find

But being to another's errors

just a little blind...

It's being a companion, too,

whose presence is a pleasure

And storing up those happy times

that good friends always treasure...

It's sharing dreams and feelings

with a hopeful point of view

And putting loving touches

into everything you do...

And it's having the best interest

of another in your heart

That makes a friend so wonderful

and friendship such an art.

Constance Parker Graham

March 7, 1988

[Top]    [Home]

                            What is a dream?

                                        A magical thing, a fountain of youth

                                                    in your heart,

                                Your own secret corner where no one

                                                                        can go,

                                                    a place where success has its start.

                                A dream lures you on, always one step ahead,

                                            until you have caught it, and then --

                                        There's always another to capture your soul

                                and lead your heart onward again.

Amanda Bradley

March 11, 1988

[Top]    [Home]

Friendship's Garden

                                    There's a very special garden

                                            where the flowers of friendship grow --

                                    It's nurtured by the kindness

                                                    and concern that good friends show --

                                The seedlings are the helpful deeds

                                            that friends so gladly do,

                                        And love and laughter are the showers

                                                        that strengthen and renew,

                                It's a place of peace and beauty

                                            where bright new dreams can start...

                                                        It's friendship's lovely garden,

                                                                    and it blossoms in the heart.

Amanda Bradley

SMILE

March 23, 1988

[Top]    [Home]

                            Heavenly Father,

                                            In the midst of all the hurry

                                        of another busy day,

                                                keep my eyes open

                                                    to the beauty of Your creation.

                                Let me take time to enjoy life's little blessings

                                            - the happy sounds of children playing,

                                        the fresh, clean scent

                                                    of meadows after the rain,

                                                the welcome sight of a friendly smile.

                                    Don't let me get so caught up with myself

                                                and my demanding schedule

                                            that I lose the strength I always gain

                                                        from my quiet moments with You.

                            Help me today to be at peace, O Lord,

                                        with myself, my world, and You.

                                                                                        Amen.

March 23, 1988

[Top]    [Home]

-    When the Lord closes the door,

        somewhere He opens a window.

-    Somewhere in my youth or childhood,

        I must have done something miserable.

        But when I found you,

        I have found the moment of truth.

-    It doesn't mean that you love God less

        when you love a man.

The Sound Of Music

March 26, 1988

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Lord, Help Me to Love Others

Please help me think of all

the nicest words that I can say,

The nicest favors I can do

to brighten up a day.

Please help me be as gentle and as kind

I can be

Whenever someone turns

for warmth and thoughtfulness to me.

Please help me gladly listen, and help me

truly care

Whenever someone turns to me

with special things to share.

Please help me be deserving

of lasting faith and trust,

Help me to be generous, always fair

and just.

Whenever someone turns to me,

please help me to come through...

The way you come through for me

each time I turn to You.

Amanda Bradley

March 28, 1988

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                        As you travel life's road,

                                        Believe in yourself

                                Give your best efforts

                                            don't settle for less

                        Follow the dreams you hold close to your heart

                                        Down the path that will lead you to

                                                                true happiness.

Amanda Bradley

March 28, 1988

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Keep Life's Treasure in Your Heart

Everyday I grow a little richer,

come to own a little something new...

Sometimes it's a greeting

from a stranger

that cheers my world

and helps to see me through.

Sometimes it's a bit of special beauty,

a lovely view I've never seen before.

Sometimes it's a chance I get

to try a few things out,

a chance for me to learn

and grow some more.

Sometimes it's a moment

bright with friendship.

Sometimes it's a moment

warm with love...

Everyday I grow a little richer

in the treasures

that my heart is fondest of.

Amanda Bradley

March 28, 1988

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                    What made us friends in the long ago

                                When first we met?

            Well, I think I know;

                        The best in me and the best in you

                                Hailed each other because they knew

                           That always and always

                                                since life began

                                        Our being friends was part

                                                            of God's plan.

George Webster Douglas

April 7, 1988

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faithfulchangelessholyall-knowinglovingjustgoodsoverigncaringfaithfulchangelessholy

This is your word of assurance

for the examinations that lies ahead.

You have had many anxious moments.

You have been fearful and dismayed.

But hitherto have I helped you.

I have not brought you this far to desert you

to leave you

to let you find your way alone.

I have begun a work of faith in your life.

I have watched your progress

I have strengthened you.

Thus your confidence and your courage

can be quickened by this thought:

I have brought you this far

and I will see you through.

But child, this is how

you shall go forth and win the victory---

Not by your might,

nor by your power but,

by My Spirit.

You have leaned upon your own understanding.

But you understanding has failed you.

Therefore I will give you the Spirit of

understanding.

You have applied your own wisdom.

But your wisdom has not been sufficient.

Therefore my Spirit of wisdom shall rest upon you.

Know this---

That in all you set to do,

My Spirit will empower you

and work a miracle for you and

glory and honor will come to Me.

Look not to your lack of wisdom.

Look not to your weaknesses.

But look on to Me.

I remember you are dust and know you are fearful.

But I have loved you with an everlasting love.

I will continue My faithfulness to you.

Understand this:

My grace is sufficient for you.

My power is perfected in your weakness.

What is done will be accomplished by

the power of My Spirit in you.

You will see tremendous victory wrought by My

hand.

faithfulchangelessholyall-knowinglovingjustgoodsoverigncaringfaithfulchangelessholy

NG SOO PIENG "FAYE"

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I heard a Robin sing today

After the rain was over

His heart swelled out in round day

Of summer fields and clover.

He sang so long, so sweet, so gay

With dripping trees around him

I quite forgot the skies were gray

In such glad mood I found him.

April 8, 1988

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                    Don't wait till tomorrow

                            to reach out and grow,

                        To learn something interesting

                                you didn't know,

                    Don't wait till tomorrow

                                to find ways to share,

                        To make a new friend,

                                    really show that you care,

                            Don't wait till tomorrow

                                    to follow your heart,

                                To savor the beauty

                                        that life can impart,

                                Don't wait till tomorrow

                                        to let yourself start...

                                    Take time today to do it today!

                                        As you face each new today,

                                        May you find you'll always be

                                        Prepared to meet its challenge,

                                        use its opportunity--

                                May you always have a dream to follow,

                                Wisdom's light to guide you...

                                May you know that others love you

                                And will always stand beside you

Amanda Bradley

SMILE

January 31, 1988

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You know - one loves the sunset when one is so sad.

If someone loves a flower, of which just one single

blossom grows in all the millions and millions of stars, it is

enough to make him happy just to look at the stars.

Conceited people never hear anything but praise.

Men have no more time to understand anything. They

buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop

anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no

friends anymore.

Words are the source of misunderstandings.

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;

What is essential is invisible to the eye.

It is the time, time you have wasted for your rose

that makes your rose so important.

Men have forgotten this truth but you must not forget

it; You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.

The house, the stars, the desert - what gives them

their beauty is something that is invisible.

The eyes are blind. One must look with the heart.

"THE LITTLE PRINCE"(LE PETIT PRINCE)

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

June 1984

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Man does not slave for love, for love that enslaves is not love.

A person freely sharing from love can only bring about freedom: freedom to the one experiencing the love and, to him who shared freely, a greater capacity to love and therefore a growth in inner freedom.

Be humble:

                in your mind, because you know what you are doing

                in your deed, because it is only a drop of your thinking

                in your heart, because you realize you are so unloving

                in your sorrow, because it is purifying in your joy, 

                                because it is only passing.

It is alright to disregard people as long as it ends up in greater regard for God - and therefore - of people. Those who regard people at the expense of disregard for God, will end up disregarding not only God but also people.

When people get into verbal fights, it is not the words that are causing the fighting. It is the way each of them experiences the words.

The world is filled

            with intelligent men who lack wisdom;

            with powerful men who lack humility;

            with men of authority without a sense of service 

                    - save that of self-service;

            with speakers with nothing to say;

            with writers with nothing to communicate;

            with things that do not liberate;

            with praying men who are really talking to themselves;

            with critics who are mere loafers and complainers;

            with noise that numbs;

            with medicine that sickens.

When you look for your image in a group picture, you are not looking at the picture. You are worshipping your image. The group pictures you cherish are the ones in which you are included. But if you love people, you are in every group picture... even when you are not there, even when you know not the group. For the group has become you. For to love is to be identified with.

"RICHES BEYOND REACH"

Mini-deflections #2

Fr. Guido Arguelles, S.J.

July 4, 1984

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The effectiveness of the laymen's work and the depth of their spiritual development will be dependent on the kind of priest they will encounter.

                        They will be 

                                    inspired by the zealous priest,

                                    strengthened by the holy priest,

                                    challenged by the imaginative priest,

                                    reassured by the democratic priest.

                        Conversely, they can be

                                    hurt by the arrogant priest,

                                    embarrassed by the stupid priest,

                                    embittered by the cynical priest and

                                    shocked by the lazy priest.

Active participation in the liturgy is the essential and indispensable requirement of all true piety.

You must have a passion for reading, because without it you will not read and if you do not read you will stagnate intellectually.

It is required of you that you be a man of leisure, a man of reflection.

The priest, the seminarian must be a man of intellectual curiosity, a man who is never satisfied with the answers he has, the techniques he uses, the advice he gives.

We are afraid of what reflection will reveal to us.

Holiness is the most essential element of the priestly personality.

Spiritual reading, meditation, days of recollection, the annual retreat, frequent confession, the breviary - these are, of course, the foundations of piety.

Essence of zealous charity is simply to be able to bounce back after failures, to try again after fiascos, to start at the beginning in the midst of discouragement and disillusion.

Priestly piety must be liturgical.

A person who is not secure in his own selfhood is not capable of loving anyone else.

"PRIESTS FOR TOMORROW"

Rev. Andrew Greeley

July 9, 1984

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	It is not what we show off but what we hide away that tells our truest story.
	People must sense that somebody else notices and makes room for them, that they measure up in the eyes of somebody else who likes them just as they are.
	People wear masks which they hope will cover up what they dislike about themselves.
	Coolness has become a highly popular way of presenting oneself to others.
	Living up to someone else's expectations can affect not only your career choice but the kind of marriage you make.
	The more we can accept the many aspects of our humanity, the less troubled we are by them, and the more surely we will feel a sense of self-control and self-confidence.
	How empty is life when it is reduced to all the `gusto' you are supposed to be able to grab from a can of beer.
	What attracts people is not what we pretend to be but what we are.
	There is nothing wrong with needing and wanting someone to like us in a unique way.
	The funny thing is that many of the best things in life actually happen by accident.
	Happiness approaches us sideways, catching us when we are not even looking in its direction, surpassing us when we are able to forget ourselves.
	Somebody likes us, not because we are trying to impress them but he or she can see more of us than we can see ourselves.
	Experience is the stuff of our own autobiography, the bedrock truth about who we are, where we have been, and what it means to us.
	Sometimes we do not spend the day so much as to kill it slowly strangling it to death.
	Listening to our feelings is a way of getting vital information about who we are.
	There may be nothing sadder than people who spend their lives talking about what they might have been.
	Sometimes we try to secure our own identity by driving it from someone else.
	Love is not really love when it drains one person completely to nourish the other.
	We cannot survive very long unless we hear someone say "I love you."
	When someone prizes us just as we are, he or she confirms our existence.
	We fear that if people sees us with our make-up off they will reject us.

"IF YOU REALLY KNEW ME

WOULD YOU STILL LIKE ME?"

Eugene Kennedy

July 13, 1984

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                                There is nothing special

                                            in being a seminarian

                                            in being a priest

                                            in being a sister

                                            in being a prefect

                                            in being a rector

                                            in being a president

                                            in being a minister

                                        unless he acts and fulfills 

                                            what the will of God asks

                                                 of him..

HOMILY

Rev. Fr. Jose Miguel de los Santos Paz

July 23, 1984

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REMEMBER

Remember me when I am gone away,

Gone far away into the silent land;

When you can no more hold me by the hand,

Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.

Remember me when no more day by day,

You tell me of our future that you planned.

Only remember me; you understand

It will be late to counsel then or pray.

Yet if you should forget me for a while

And afterwards remember; do not grieve:

For if the darkness and corruption leave

A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,

Better far you should forget and smile

Better than you should remember and be sad.

Christina Georgina Rossetti

SPEECH IMPROVEMENT FOR THE YOUNG

Jose M. Manalo

July 26, 1984

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	What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and losses his immortal soul?
	This is a serious business. You are preparing to guide immortal souls to God. That is a job for a big man and a serious man, and sometimes I am inclined to suspect that you are a frivolous and lightheaded.
	"Ecce Sacerdos Magnus" Behold the Great Priest.
	We have to do good things over and over until it becomes a habit and gets to be easy.
	We must not expect to be more successful than Christ. He preached for three years, and when He died everybody was deserted except His Mother. You must be prepared for bitter disappointments.
	Time is something precious which God gave to us and can never be regained, once lost.
	The mistake a lot of girls and boys make is going steady too soon. When they get married they have only gone around with one or two boys and this is not enough. The reason is because after you get married you might think how nice it would be to be married to somebody else and this is indeed a very silly thought after you are married until death. The time for looking around is when you are young. Go with someone who is the life of the party. See how that is. Go with the strong, silent type. Maybe that is your type. Who knows? There are all kinds of people in the world, and if you have only gone with one boy steady, you are just plain lucky if you get the right man. And the same goes to the boys too.
	Worry is what makes people older than anything else.
	If there were the rotten pictures, rotten plays, rotten magazines around when I was a kid that there are now, I don't know how I could have kept my purity. Kids have to be real heroes to keep clean nowadays.
	The purpose of dating. It's to find out who you can best live with for the rest of your life. I am told that some people can't find anything else to do on a date but stop at taverns, go to movies and make love. Now life is more than all this. You won't be spending the rest of your lives going to movies and taverns, because you won't be able to afford it. Nor will love-making be your whole life. You'll be going to games together, maybe to the opera. When you are dating use your imagination. See how many different things you can do together and enjoy. That is the way you find out if you will live in happiness the rest of your lives.
	Be pure and you won't have to worry much about any of the other virtues.
	You can mess up your life more by giving in to impurity than in any other virtues.
	A kiss is something sacred, a pledge of special love, not just a way to pass an evening. It is dangerous and serious, and not something to be taken lightly.
	Your marriage will be a success if there are three of you united - You, (N), and you, (N), and Christ. Marriages are in terrible jeopardy today. There is one divorce for every three marriages, and it is getting worse. If you pray to Christ to give you the help to live with one another for life, if you forgive one another from the bottom of your hearts every night, you will have the most joyful life possible. You are just beginning a real life now. You are the greatest builders in the world today. You will build men and women. The course before you is clear. You are to have children, to teach them to love the Master. You are to lead one another close to God, the other one will fall back too, because marriage tends to equalize, to make two people the same. You have a great obligation to encourage one another and not to discourage. Do not try to get all you can out of your married partner, try to see how much you can do for one another, and your marriage will not be a failure, but a great job well done.
	God, I can't get through the day without your help. Just get me through this one day.
	If you've made mistakes, you're just starting life, and you can make up for lost time.
	Get yourself some religion. Learn to love God and leave things up to Him. Life isn't half bad that way. Do things for other people, and your life will really be happy.
	Lots of times people do something pretty good, but they don't keep it up. They get tired and quit after a while.
	Discretion is the better part of valor.

"EVERYBODY CALLS ME FATHER"

Father X

August 13, 1984

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Do you know the difference between involvement and commitment?

            Think of ham and eggs. 

                            The chicken is involved.

                            The pig is committed.

"MR. AND MRS."

Martina Navratilova

August 14, 1984

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Even as my hands unfold, 

            my burden has lightened and nerves are at ease. 

    With Christ's grace at work on his problems, 

                only a fool would fret.

When they crack under pressure, 

            it isn't lack of knowledge that's responsible, 

                                    it's lack of love. 

            And love 

                    is not something that's learned out of books or 

                                        at a blackboard. 

                        It isn't learned at all, 

                                                it's imparted. 

                                        It is a fire that is ignited by contact.

"VESSEL OF CLAY"

Leo Trese

September 1, 1984

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	Maturity --- Stop acting the child; drop that affectation that only suits a silly girl. Let your outward conduct reflect the peace and order of your soul.
	Never correct anyone while you are still indignant about a fault committed. Wait until the next day, or even longer. And then, calmly, and with a purer intention, make your
	reprimand. You will gain more by our friendly word than by a three-hour quarrel. Control your temper.
	It is inevitable that you should feel the rub of other people's characters against your own. After all, you are not a gold coin that anyone likes.
	Besides, without that friction produced by contact with others, how would you ever lose those corners, those edges and projections - the imperfections and defects - of your character, and acquire the smooth and regular finish, the firm flexibility of charity, of perfection?
	If your character and the characters of those who live with you were soft and sweet like sponge-cake you would never become a saint.
	`Pray that I may never be satisfied with what is easy.' I have prayed, now it is up to you to carry out that fine resolution.
	Give the polite excuse which Christian charity and social convention demand.
	When judging other people, why do you put into criticism the bitterness of your own failures?
	A Priest - whoever he may be - is always another Christ.
	It shows very little refinement- and great lack of respect - to make fun of a Priest, whoever he is, and whatever the pretext.
	Prayer is the foundation of the spiritual edifice. Prayer is all-powerful.
	You ask me: why that wooden cross? - and I copy from a letter: `As I look up from the microscope, my sight comes to rest on the cross - black and empty. That Cross without its crucified is a symbol. It has a meaning which others cannot see. And though I am tired out and on the point of abandoning the job, I once again bring my eyes to the lens and continue: for the lonely cross is calling for a pair of shoulders to bear it.'
	Without holy purity one cannot persevere in the apostolate.
	`Domine' Lord - si vis, potes me mundare, if thou wilst, thou canst make me clean.
	Silence is the door-keeper of the interior life.
	An hour of study, for a modern apostolate, is an hour of prayer.
	If you are to serve God with your mind, to study is a grave obligation for you.
	The secret that ennobles the humblest, even the most humiliating thing is Love.
	A friend is a treasure. But what about the Friend? ... For where your treasure is, there is your heart.
	My God I Love You, but ... oh teach me to love!
	Everything that is done out of love acquires greatness and beauty.
	Don't make negative criticisms: if you can't praise, say nothing.
	Don't forget your childhood prayers, learned perhaps from your mother's lips. Say them each day with simplicity, as you did them.
	When you hear your success being applauded, let there also sound in your ears the laughter you provoked with your failures.
	The more I am exalted, Jesus, the more I want you to humble me in my heart, showing me what I have been, and what I will be if you leave me.
	A little act, done for love, is worth so much!
	The standards of holiness that God asks of us is determined by these three points:

1. Holy intransigence,

2. Holy coercion, and

3. Holy shamelessness.

"THE WAY"

Josemaria Escriva de Bolaguer

September 2, 1984

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	As long as you have a strong love for God your success in the seminary is certain.
	The seminary tends to make you grow more and more in love with God.
	To love God means three things:

1. Getting to know God better by reading and meditating about Him.

2. Uniting your will ever closer to His through devotion to the Holy Eucharist.

3. Serving Him in your everyday life by studying hard and practicing charity to all those around you.

	The Son of God became man, so that man might become the son of God.
	The first Christmas: God's love for us is made visible in Christ.
	The secret to success in the seminary is this: Preparing for the priesthood is a love affair between you and God. God floods your heart with all the love it can hold, and asks in return every fiber of love that you can muster. Always keep God's love for you foremost in your mind. It will turn into Gold the hundred events of everyday life in the seminary. It will make the burden of daily repetition sweet, and the yoke of struggling for holiness light. At every moment of the day God's love bursts in torrents upon you: in the recreational room as well as in the chapel, in the study hall as well as in the prayer hall. You have only to open the eyes of your soul by making an act of faith, and your weariness, your weakness, and sufferings are swept away in the current of God's love which rushes to embrace you.
	You can't love unless you know, and you can't grow in love unless you first grow in knowledge.
	One does not love God as he ought unless he values God and the things of God above everything else in the entire world.
	What you see with your eyes is unimportant in itself; the important thing is what lies in the mind and the heart.
	Love goes on in the depths of the soul. There, as on the floor of the ocean, it is undisturbed by what is happening on the surface. Through storm and calm, in the barren cold of winter as well as in the peace of summertime, it grows stronger day by day.
	If friendship offers mutual strength and consolation in the struggle for holiness, it is indeed a treasure.
	Love Him and keep Him for thy friend who, when all go away, will not leave thee nor suffer thee to perish at the last. Thou must one day be parted from all things else, whether thou willest or not. Keep thyself with Jesus both in life and death, and commit thyself to His faithfulness, who alone can help thee when all else fails.
	The best way to be charitable to others is to rid oneself of what offends others.
	Ability is not born; it comes through years of concentrated effort.
	The really great and noble things done in life are always paid for in sweat and tears.

"FIRST STEPS TO THE PRIESTHOOD"

Rev. Melvin Farrell, S.S.

January 13, 1985

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Love does not consist in gazing at each other

But in looking together in the same direction.

Saint Exupery

February 21, 1985

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            THE LAMB

Little Lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee?

            Gave thee life, and bid thee feed,

            By the storm and o'er the mead;

            Gave thee clothing of delight,

            Softest clothing, wooly bright;

            Gave thee such a tender voice,

            Making all the vales rejoice?

Little Lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee?

Little Lamb, I'll tell thee,

Little Lamb, I'll tell thee:

            He is called by thy name,

            For he calls himself a Lamb.

            He is meek, and he is mild;

            He became a little child.

            I a child, and thou a lamb,

            We are called by his name.

Little Lamb, God bless thee!

Little Lamb, God bless thee!

THE LAMB

William Blake

February 12, 1985

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                    I am lovable, O God,

                                because you love me.

                        I watched you

                                    As you watched us play

                            I saw you by yourself today

                        I wonder if the gift of

                                    Me

                            Would set the lonely in you

                                            Free?

                She reached out her hand to help

                        And what happened caused me to wonder

                    At the happiness of people

                                Who do loving things for each other.

"BREAD OF LIFE" 

Carl J. Preifer & Janaan Manternach

March 11, 1985

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He is always wrong!

WHO?

The priest of course...

The priest is always wrong! Because...

If he is preaching longer than twenty minutes,

            he makes the people stay away from the church;

If he preaches less than ten minutes,

            he did not prepare his sermon!

If his voice is too strong during sermon,

            he is shouting;

If his voice has the normal strength,

            people do not understand what he is preaching about.

If he owns a car,

            he is worldly;

If he does not own one,

            he does not go with the times.

If he goes out to visit families,

            he is never at home;

If he does not visit them,

            he does not care for his parishioners.

If he asking for contributions,

            he is after money;

If he does not do it,

            he is too proud for that

If he takes his time in the confessional,

            he is too slow;

If he makes it faster,

            he has no time for his penitents.

If he begins his mass on time,

            his watch is advanced;

If he begins a minute or two later,

            he keeps the people waiting.

If he renovates his church,

            he throws away the money;

If he does not do it,

            he allows everything to rot away.

If he is young,

            he has no experience;

If he is old,

            he should retire.

As long as he lives, there are always people who know better;

If he dies, there is nobody to take his place.

HE IS ALWAYS WRONG

Fr. George Hardwardt

May 1, 1985

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WHEN YOU WANT TO TALK WITH JESUS...

When you want to talk to Jesus simply do it.

He always knows exactly what you mean.

Don't worry about special prayers or phrases,

He understands so well the thoughts between...

And even though He knows your cares and problems

He wants to hear about them everyday... And

in the silence of your prayer

He'll let His wisdom

Come through to you

and take your doubts away...

If you want to talk to Jesus

simply do it

And you'll see how soon

your worries start to mend.

You're sure to find

there is no kinder Listener

No wiser Counselor -

no dearer Friend.

WHEN YOU WANT TO TALK TO JESUS

Jean Kyler McManus

May 30, 1985

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THE PRIESTHOOD

Five thousand years from now, Manila will be a hole in the ground! And pythons will be moving up and down where the Escolta is now.

                But five thousand years from now you will be living with God.

Ten thousand years from now, the world may have served its purpose, and God will pack it up like scenery and put it away.

                But ten thousand years from now, for, you,

                        eternity will be only beginning, in heaven or in hell.

A million years from now the earth will be a cinder, spinning through space.

                But a million years from now -

                        eternity will be only beginning, in heaven or in hell.

If this is true, how foolish it would be to waste your life on anything that ends with death!

What does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and suffer the loss of his immortal soul?

Vocations come from God. They are like seed, scattered over the ground. You have to provide good ground, for the seed to grow.

                        God does not twist arms. He does not brainwash the mind.

A vocation is an invitation, offered very gently. God needs priests. The world needs

priests. The salvation of mankind rests largely on their human shoulders.

                God calls from strange places.

                            You stumble into the world of the poor.

                    You feel their misery, their loneliness...

                                    No one cares...

                            Suddenly you feel that YOU must care!

                                        As Christ did.

                Sometimes at Mass, after communion, God speaks to you.

        Sometimes at prayer. Sometimes God speaks through the example

                            of a good priest. Suddenly you think: "Why can't I?" hits

                                            you between the eyes.

                    Sometimes it is the casual remark of a

                                friend... the emptiness of the world... a sudden hunger, a

            reaching out, a longing for something more than this world can

                                                            give.   

Happiness is giving. Happiness is helping others.

Happiness is serving God and man.

The priest brings God to man, and man

to God. He is a bridge builder. He is a bridge.

One thing is necessary: when the grace comes to you - act!

The key sentence, of course, was spoken by Christ Our

Lord. It is the only possible explanation of a vocation:

You have not chosen Me!

I HAVE CHOSEN YOU!

June 9, 1985

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WHAT IS LOVE?

Many men try to explain Love

but none can succeed for they

try to define pagan love . . .

Christian Love 

brings a sense of warmth not in the body but in the soul.

Love

is a mutual respect of two people - boy and girl -

man and woman - for each other.

Love

is kindness, consideration, generosity, purity,

prudence, thoughtfulness, understanding, patience,

charity, trust, and even humility.

Love

is an invisible bond holding two people together.

Love

is a sharing of thoughts, beliefs, ideals, and goals.

It is a mutual participation in the disappointments

as well as joys.

Love

can be real only if it can withstand the problems

and difficulties of life.

Love

is the longing of two people to find God together, to

share their love with Him and to ask His blessing on them.

Love

must be stronger than the world, the flesh

and the devil.

June 9, 1985

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THE PRIEST

He is another Christ - respect him;

He is God's representative - trust him;

He is your benefactor - be thankful to him.

At the Altar

He offers your prayers to God - do not forget him;

He prays for you and yours in purgatory -

ask God's mercy for him.

In the confessional

He is the physician of your soul - show him its wounds;

He directs you towards God - follow his admonitions;

He is judging - abide by his decisions.

In his daily life

He is human - do not hastily condemn him;

He is human - a word of kindness will cheer him.

If you must tell his faults - tell them to God,

That He may give him light and strength to correct them;

He has a great responsibility - ask God to guide him in life,

And to be merciful to him in death.

June 9, 1985

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• God blesses a man ... not because he has found but because he has searched.

• Life becomes meaningful when lived in love.

• It is those I love ... that I correct and hasten.

• Make Love your aim ... and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts.

• Loving ... is always leaving oneself to go toward others.

• Our Greatest Glory is not in never falling ... but in rising every time we fall.

June 9, 1985

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"Ten years ago, if anyone had told me life would work out this way it would have seemed like the end of my world," was the quiet answer. "But as I've lost out in material things and my health has grown worse, my eyes have been opened to the real world -- the spiritual world in which we were intended to live. A man's career, his success, even his home are not of supreme importance. They all have to be left behind. It's the characters we become -- our real selves that go on. A man's achievements should not be measured by what he possess but by what he learns to hand over to God. I found release from the cares of this world, from the twin tyrannies of success and failures, by placing my life in God's keeping."

"TOP OF THE HILL"

Vera Minshall

August 29, 1985

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"Lord, where were you, when my heart was so tormented?"

                    "I was in the midst of your heart."

"Ah! Lord, you are the everlasting truth, and I humbly bow before your majesty; but how can I believe that you were in my heart, when it was filled with such detestable thoughts?"

"Did these thoughts and temptations give you pleasure or pain?"

"An excessive pain and sadness."

"You were sad and in suffering because I was hidden in the midst of your heart. Had I been absent, these thoughts would have penetrated your heart and would have filled you with joy: but my presence rendered them insupportable to you..."

Yes, Our Lord said, I will give them women, ignorant and weak by their nature, but prudent and powerful through my grace, to confound their ignorance. If they recognize their folly, if they humble themselves, if they profit by the instructions which I will offer in these frail but consecrated vessels, I will be full of mercy towards them; but should they condemn this salutary disgrace, I will send them so many humiliations that they will become the scoff of every one.

This is just chastisement which I administer to pride:

            the more the proud aim at exultation,

                    the lower will I abuse them,

                            even beneath themselves.

            For you, delay not to obey me, for I wish you to appear

                    publicly. I will accompany you on all occasions; I will

            continue to visit you, and will direct you in all that you must do.

"ST. CATHERINE OF SIENNA"

Sr. Barbara, O.P.

September 17, 1985

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WHAT MATTERS MOST

It's not how long we've held each other's hands,

What matters is how much we love each other.

It's not how long we've traveled on our way,

But what we've found to say.

It's not the spring we see,

But all the shades of green.

It's not how long I've held you in my arms,

What matters is how sweet the years together.

It's not how many Summer times we have to give to Fall,

The early morning smiles we tearfully recall.

What matters most is that we love at all.

Kenny Rankin

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THE GOD MEMORANDUM

To: You

From: God

I hear you cry.

Be at peace. Be calm, for I bring you relief for your sorrow, for I know its cause and I know its cure.

You weep for all your childhood dreams that have vanished with the years.

You weep for all your self-esteem that has been corrupted by failure.

You weep for all your talent that has been wasted through misuse.

You look upon yourself with disgrace and you turn in terror from the image you see reflected in the pool. Who is this mockery of humanity starring back at you with bloodless eyes of shame?

Where is the grace of your manner, the beauty of your figure, the quickness of your movement, the clarity of your mind, the brilliance of your tongue? Who stole your goods? Is the thief's identity known to you, as it is to me?

Once you read from many books and wrote on many tablets, convinced beyond any doubt that all the wisdom of Solomon would be equaled and surpassed by you.

And the seasons would flow into years until lo, you would reign supreme in you own garden of Eden.

Who implanted those plans and dreams and seeds of hope within you?

You cannot remember?

The passing years have destroyed your recollection, for they have filled your mind with fear and doubt and anxiety and remorse and hate. And there is no room for joyful memories where these beasts habitate.

Weep no more, for I am with you. This moment is the dividing line for your life. All that has gone before is past.

This is the day that you return from the living dead.

I command you to come forth and walk from your cave of doom to begin a new life.

This is your new date of birth. Head my words. Follow my counsel. This time you shall not fail.

Feel my hand upon your head and attend to my wisdom.

Let me share with you again our secret which you heard once but have forgotten.

I have fashioned with your infinite love, a masterpiece of divine workmanship.

But how can you be a masterpiece when you consider yourself a failure at the most menial of tasks? How can you be a masterpiece when you have no confidence in dealing with the most trivial of responsibilities? How can you be a masterpiece of divine workmanship when you are shackled by debt and lie awake in torment over whence will come tomorrow's bread?

Enough. The milk that is spilt is sour. Yet how many messengers have I sent you with word of your divine origin, your potential for godliness and the secrets of achievement? And how did you treat them?

Still my love concern for you has never changed. And I am with you now through these words to fulfill the words of the prophet who announced that I shall set my hand upon you again, a second time.

I have set my hand again. This is the second time.

You have been told that I created you in my image. You have been told that you are a wonderful piece of work, noble in reason, infinite in faculties, in form and moving express and admirable, the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals.

You believed no one. You burned your map to happiness; you abandoned your claim to peace of mind; you snuffed out the candles that had been placed along your destined path of glory; and then you stumbled, lost and frightened, in the darkness of futility and self-piety, until you fell into a hell of your own creation.

Then you cried and beat your breast and cursed the luck that had befallen you. You refused to accept the consequences of your own petty thoughts and lazy deeds and you searched for a scapegoat on which to blame your failures. How quickly you found one! You blamed me!

You cried that your handicaps, your mediocrity, your lack of opportunity, your failures were the will of God!

You were wrong!

Are blind? Does the sun rise and set without your witness?

No. You can see. I have place in your eyes the hundred million receptors to enable you to enjoy the magic of a leaf, a snowflake, a pond, an eagle, a child, a cloud, a star, a rose, a rainbow, and the look of love. Count one blessing!

Are you deaf? Does a baby laugh or cry without your attention?

No. You can hear. I have built the twenty-four thousand fibers in each of your ears to vibrate to the wind in the trees, the tides on the rocks, the majesty of an opera, a robin's plea, the laughter of children at play and to the words: `I love you.'

Count another blessing.

Are you mute? Do your lips move and bring forth only spittle?

No. You can speak, as can no other of my creatures, and your words can calm the angry, uplift the despondent, goad the quitter, cheer the unhappy, warm the lonely, praise the worthy, encourage the defeated, teach the ignorant... and say: `I love you.' Count another blessing.

Are you paralyzed? No. You can move. You can stretch and run and dance and work. Within you I have designed five hundred muscles, two hundred bones, and seven miles of nerve fibers all synchronized by me to do your bidding. Count another blessing.

Are you unloved and unloving? No more. For now you know love's secret, that to receive love it must to be given with no thought of its return. To love for fulfillment, satisfaction, or pride is no love. Love is a gift on which no return is demanded. Now you know that to love is unselfishly is its own reward. And even should love not be returned it is not lost, for love not reciprocated will flow back to you and soften and purify your heart. Count another blessing.

Is your heart stricken? Does it leak and strain to maintain your life? No. Your heart is strong.

Touch your chest and feel its rhythm, pulsating, hour after hour, day and night, thirty-six million beats each year, year after year, asleep or awake, pumping your blood through more than sixty thousand miles of veins, arteries and tubing, pumping more than six thousand gallons each year. No man has ever

created such a machine.

Count another blessing.

And now, consider the intricate structure of your brain, the most complex in the universe. Within its three pounds are thirteen billion nerve cells, more than three times as many cells as there are people on the earth. And to help you file away every perception, every sound, taste, smell, every action you have experienced since the day of your birth, I have implemented within your cells, more than one thousand billion protein molecules. Every incident in your life is there, awaiting only your recall. And ,to assist your brain in the control of your body, I have dispersed throughout your form, four million pain-sensitive structures, five hundred thousand touch detectors, and more than two hundred thousand temperature detectors. None of your ancient wonders are greater than you.

You are my finest creation!

You have so much; you are so rich in blessings they overflow your cup. And yet, you have been unmindful of them. With generosity and regularity I have bestowed them upon you.

Know then the first secret to happiness and success that you possess. I have bestowed on you every blessing necessary to be your treasure and your tool with which to build, starting today, the foundation for a new and better life.

Where are the handicaps that produced your failure? They existed only in your mind.

Count your blessings. This is the first law that you must obey in order to perform the miracle of your return to life from the living death.

And the second law is like unto the first. Proclaim your rarity.

Do you not wonder why I am able to forgive your failures, your transgressions, your pitiful demeanor... when you cannot forgive yourself?

I address you now for you need me.

In all the seventy billion humans who have walked this planet since the beginning of time, never has there been anyone exactly like you.

Never until the end of time will there be another such as you.

And yet, you show no knowledge or appreciation of your uniqueness.

From your father, in his moment of supreme love, flowed countless seeds of love, more than four hundred million in number. All of them, as they swam within your mother, gave up the ghost and died. All except one: you!

You alone persevered within the loving warmth of your mother's body, searching for your other half, a single cell from your mother, so small that more than two million would be necessary to fill an acorn shell. Yet, despite impossible odds, in that vast ocean of loving darkness, you persevered, found that infinite small cell, joined with it, and began a new life, your life.

You arrived, two cells now united, each cell containing twenty-three chromosomes and within which chromosome hundreds of genes, which would govern every characteristic about you, from the color of your eyes to the size of your brain.

With all the combinations at my command, beginning with that sperm from your father's four hundred million, through the hundred of genes in each of the chromosomes from your mother and father, I could have created three hundred thousand billion humans, other than you, each different from the other. But whom did I bring forth?

You! And this you must never forget. You did not happen by accident. You were not a product of chance. I do not operate by accident or chance. You came into being by divine design, a priceless treasure, possessed of qualities in mind and speech and movement and appearance and actions as no other who has ever lived, lives now, or shall live. You are a child and fruit of my love, singular, unique, unduplicated.

Why have you valued yourself so little? Why have you listened to those who demeaned you? And, far worse, why have you believed them?

Take counsel. Do not be ashamed of your individual rarity. Bring it forth into the light. Be yourself!

And now you have received two laws.

                Count your blessings!

                Proclaim your rarity!

The third law I give to you is the law of success in every venture. The law is simple. All can use the secret to their advantage; for of all rules, only one method has never failed:

"Whosoever shall compel you to go with him one mile...

go with him another mile."

Be ready to render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be. The surest way to doom yourself to mediocrity is to perform only the work for which you are paid.

Give no thought to being cheated if you do more work than you are paid for. For there is a pendulum to all life; and the sweat you deliver, if not rewarded today, will swing back tomorrow, tenfold. The mediocre never goes another mile, for why should he cheat himself, he thinks.

To go another mile is a privilege you must appropriate by your own initiative. Neglect it and the responsibility of your failure is yours alone.

Concern yourself not should you serve an ungrateful master. Serve him more.

And, instead of him, let it be me who is in your debt, for then you will know that every minute, every stroke of extra service will be repaid. And worry not, should your reward not come soon. For the longer payment is withheld, the better for you... and compound interest is this law's greatest benefit.

You cannot command success. You can only deserve it. And now you know the great secret necessary in order to merit its rare reward.

Go another mile!

And now the laws of happiness and success are three. Count your blessings! Proclaim your rarity! Go extra mile!

Be patient with your progress. To count your blessings with gratitude, to proclaim your rarity with self-confidence, to go the extra mile and then another--- these acts are not accomplished in the blinking of an eye. For that which you acquire with most difficulty you learn to appreciate more and retain the longest.

Fear not as you enter your new life. You are not the momentary whim of a careless creator, experimenting in the laboratory of life. You are not a slave of forces that you cannot comprehend. You are a free manifestation of my love. You were made with a purpose, a masterpiece of divine workmanship.

You were a marvel to behold and I was pleased. I gave you this world, to have dominion over sea and land, to trace the stars and search the heavens for power. Then, to enable you to reach your full potential I endowed you with powers unknown to any other creature in the universe.

I gave you the power to think. I gave you the power to love.

I gave you the power to will. I gave you the power to laugh.

I gave you the power to create. I gave you the power to plan.

I gave you the power to speak. I gave you the power to pray.

I gave you the power to adjust to any climate, any hardship, any challenge. I gave you the power to be master of and to manage your own destiny. I gave you the power to translate and interpret a sensation or perception, not by instinct, but by thought and deliberation into whatever is best for yourself and

all humanity.

Thus we come to the fourth law of success and happiness: Use wisely your power of choice.

Choose to love rather than hate. Choose to laugh rather than to cry. Choose to build rather than destroy. Choose to preserve rather than quit. Choose to praise rather than to gossip. Choose to heal rather than to wound. Choose to share rather than to steal. Choose to act rather than to procrastinate. Choose to grow rather than to stagnate. Choose to pray rather than course. Choose to live rather than die. This day is your new day of birth. Today I have once more laid

loving hands upon you and brought you back from a living death. This day you have been born again. But you have an important role to play. Having endowed you with the power to choose you must exercise that power wisely. Just as before, you can choose failure and despair; or success and happiness. The choice is yours, the choice is exclusively yours.

I have given you the tools with which to build a new life, a joyful zestful life. I have laid down four laws of happiness and success for you to follow. Remember them, apply them each day anew, everyday of your life, with vigor and courage and renewed hope. Do not be afraid for I am always with you. Together we shall finish the course and get home at last, you and I.

Remember, then the four laws:

                to count your blessings;

                to proclaim your rarity;

                to go another mile;

                to use your power of choice wisely.

And to these, add one more, to fulfill the other four:

Do all things with L O V E.

Don't forget that your creation is the fruit of my limitless love for you; that my love keeps you in continued existence; that everything that you are, all that you have, are gifts of my abiding love for you.

It is my will that you be happy. Every moral law is ultimately ordained not to inhibit your freedom but to preserve that freedom. Every law is there to contribute to your well-being and welfare. Discovering my mind and fulfilling my will is the key to your happiness. And your growth in perfection is proportionate to your continuous exercise of your own powers to love:

Love for yourself;

Love for all others;

Love for me;

For it is in loving that you will be most like me, for

I am love.

Henceforth, you are to look at yourself, your life, and all reality not from your own narrow and limited viewpoint, but from my viewpoint. I am giving you a new outlook. You are to develop a new attitude. I am inviting you to view yourself, your life, all reality from my divine vantage point. And you shall see

everything God-bathed.

Rise, reach out, and clasp my hand outstretched in love.

This day you have been formally notified.

You are a masterpiece of divine workmanship!

"THE GREATEST MIRACLE IN THE WORLD"

Mr. Rogelio La Og Madino

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