Thursday, February 23, 2012

♥ LENT ♥


Yesterday Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of the season of Lent. It is a time of reflection, prayer and sacrifice...it is a time for change. But change comes at a cost and that is what we pay when we try to change our old ways and try to make ourselves better persons. In doing so we are changing the world.

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
Leo Tolstoy

Our life today can be very busy and pressured with all the duties and commitments we have to face daily. This is a time when families and communities can try to make time for each other. By taking a little time out for prayer and communication, we reconnect with God and with God's creation.
Rather than just giving up chocolate, we can use the money saved on candy and sweets to buy a box of chocolates to give to a needy family at Easter. We can put that box, or buy some groceries with that money, to donate to the community hampers that parishes give out during special seasonal celebrations as a sign of solidarity to needy families.

How about thinking of doing one act of generosity or kindness every day? It does not need to be anything that takes up too much of our time or even cost anything. Here are a few ideas...



  • Say something nice about someone behind their back.
  • Give someone a compliment or word of encouragement/praise when they least expect it.
  • Have an early spring clean (one closet, cupboard or drawer at a time) and donate some items to a charity shop, animal shelter, parish bazaar...you might even find something that you borrowed, now is a good time to return it!
  • Think or write a list of things you would like to say sorry for and work on a reconciliation...it could be an overdue 'sorry'!
  • Give up your place in a queue to someone else.
  • Offer to babysit for someone who needs that time for errands or even to go to the hairdresser.
  • Visit or call someone who is housebound.

While we are cleaning up, taking stock of our lives, thinking of others, we can also consider this as a period of a personal spiritual 'cleansing' as we prepare for Easter.
If we are a little more creative by putting some more thought into how we are sacrificing and reaching out to others, it can make our Lent more meaningful.



Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Greatest Love of all ~ A Valentine from God!


I've been looking for this tag/bookmark in my files all day
and have finally found it.
I did not design it myself but it was sent
to me by a friend and I've had it in my files for years.
Enjoy!

Last year I also posted a similar bookmark,
click here to see it.


♥ Happy St.Valentine's Day ♥

Picture from shared files/my Archives

I will not go into the history of how Valentine's Day evolved, I'm sure you can get all the details by doing a search but I will share with you one particular legend which happens to be my favourite.

There was one particular Valentine who was imprisoned and who actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl, possibly the jailor's daughter, who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, he wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today.

Although the truth behind the 'Valentine' legends is quite confusing, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and, most importantly, romantic figure. And so we have Valentine's Day, a particular day in which we send cards to our beloved and dear ones.

Unfortunately, the day is too commercialised as are other feasts which causes unnecessary pressure. My motto is to show your loved ones that you love them every day by making every day special, by making every day count, by appreciating each other more.

To end I would also like to share some quotes I found today...

We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.
Lucretius

A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.
Ingrid Bergman

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.
Charles M. Schulz

Mmmmm, I love the last one


♥♥♥HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!♥♥♥
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