Jan, 6, 2023
I came across these items that I want to shre
with you as I think they are thought provoking
Pope Francis’ New
Year’s message is absolutely brilliant..!
*You can have
flaws, be anxious, and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the
greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from going bust. Many
appreciate you, admire you and love you.
Remember that to be
happy is not to have a sky without a storm, a road without accidents, work
without fatigue, relationships without disappointments.
To be happy is to
find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear,
love in discord. It is not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the
sadness. It is not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from
the failures. It is not only to feel happy with the applause, but to be happy
in anonymity.
Being happy is not
a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within
themselves. To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your
destiny's author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in
the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle
of life.
Being happy is not
being afraid of your own feelings. It's to be able to talk about you. It is
having the courage to hear a "no". It is confidence in the face of
criticism, even when unjustified. It is to kiss your children, pamper your
parents, to live poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us.
To be happy is to
let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful and simple.
It is to have
maturity to be able to say: "I made mistakes".
It is to have the
courage to say "I am sorry".
It is to have the
sensitivity to say, "I need you".
It is to have the
ability to say "I love you".
May your life
become a garden of opportunities for happiness ...
That in spring may
it be a lover of joy. In winter a lover of wisdom.
And when you make a
mistake, start all over again.
For only then will
you be in love with life. You will find that to be happy is not to have a
perfect life. But use the tears to irrigate tolerance.
Use your losses to
train patience.
Use your mistakes
to sculptor serenity.
Use pain to plaster
pleasure.
Use obstacles to
open windows of intelligence.
Never give up ....
Never give up on people who love you. Never give up on happiness, for life is
an incredible show.* (Pope Francis).
Apparently, the
White House referred *to Christmas Trees as Holiday Trees for the first time
this year,* which prompted CBS presenter Steven Levy to present this piece.
The following was
written by *Steven Levy and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.*
*My Confession*
I don't like
getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting
pushed around for being Christians. *I think people who believe in God are sick
and tired of getting pushed around, period.* I have no idea where the concept
came from, *that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in
the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat*...
Or maybe I can put
it another way: where did the idea come from *that we should worship
celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?* I guess
that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are
wondering *where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went
to.*
In light of the
many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, *this is a little different:
This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you
thinking.*
In light of recent
events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. *I think it started when
Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago)
complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.* Then someone
said *you better not read the Bible in school*... The Bible says thou shalt not
kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. *And we said
OK.*
Then Dr. Steven
Benjamin Spock said *we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave,
because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their
self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide).* We said an expert should know
what he's talking about.. *And we said okay.*
Now we're asking
ourselves *why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from
wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and
themselves.*
Probably, *if we
think about it long and hard enough,* we can figure it out. I think it has a
great deal to do with *'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'*
Funny how simple it
is for people *to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.*
Funny how *we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible
says.* Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like
wildfire, *but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think
twice about sharing.* Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass
freely through cyberspace, *but public discussion of God is suppressed in the
school and workplace.*
Are you laughing
yet?
Funny how when you
forward this message, *you will not send it to many on your address list
because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for
sending it.*
Funny how *we can
be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of
us.*
Pass it on if you
think it has merit.
If not, then just
discard it... no one will know you did. But, *if you discard this thought
process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.*
I decided to send
it on. *Will you?*u
