Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Grateful hearts humbly acknowledge that there is a need to be filled, via the talents of others. We consider it a blessing from God when someone steps up to address the need that we couldn’t otherwise fulfill ourselves. We are grateful to God and to our fellow man for rushing to our aid! What are you grateful for these days? When was the last time you counted your blessings? I can attest from experience that when I count my blessings and express my gratitude to God, my mood improves. I have had many opportunities to do so, while going through… Read more...

Gratitude is personal. Here is an example. If a person needs to take a taxi to the doctor’s office, he simply does so. However, if this person were to receive a ride to the doctor’s office by a neighbor or friend, then this person would most likely feel a sense of gratitude. He/she would express gratitude by saying thank you for the kindness expressed. Therefore, for gratitude to exist, two human beings must be involved; one that gives, without expecting anything in return, and one that receives. “… gratitude is the expression of a personal encounter in human need .” 1 For the giver, an act of kindness, or the striving to meet another’s need, must be voluntary. No sense of quid-pro-quo should exist. Besides being personal and voluntary, Father Romano Guardini offers a third condition for gratitude in Learning the Virtues That Lead You to God : Read more...

“Thank you” can never be said too much. Gratitude is a sense of thankfulness to God and to your fellow man for kindnesses extended to you, expressed in word or in deed. Everything good that comes our way is a gift from God. We came into this world with nothing. We leave with nothing. All that we obtain in between comes from God. Therefore, we say thank you to God for meeting our needs and blessing us in abundance; for providing us with possibilities and opportunities. We even say thank you to God for times of... Read more...

What happens when you begin to fear doing something you've done for much of your life? How to cope? This scenario has been playing out since I received a healing of my singing voice. God was calling me to go public again. I share to show that fear never conquers so long as we are willing to go where God leads and we trust in him. from picturespost.blogspot.com During the fifteen years that I was a professional musician I went out on gigs, holding concerts and sometimes doing some public speaking. When my mother died in 2010, I stopped doing that sort of thing. Now, five years later, I've decided to dive back in. It is not without fear and trepidation for I am rusty! While I had my years of experience to fall back on, I wasn't sure I would remember how to do it. Something once familiar to me had become unknown territory. Was it worth trying? Yes! Click to continue reading.

I discovered a secret after years of mothering my tiny children. They taught me to take my eyes off my exhaustion and to take delight in the plethora of tiny details all around me. Little kids are born with a sense of wonder and the ability to enjoy little things. My daughter’s retain an appreciation for detail; they all remember the little things. A friend of mine once asked Rachel, when she was about six, what she liked most about Christmas. She replied immediately, “The pineapple.” My daughter’s answer astounded Martha. Similarly, one evening before dinner Emily, now a young adult, said, “I always remember the fresh smell of clean sheets every week.” Such a small thing, yet a child, with a heart full of gratitude, takes great pleasure from it. Psalms 33:8  ”  let all the inhabitants of the World  stand in awe of Him.”   continue  reading

The fleeting dream that eludes many of us is happiness. We are running around, miserable in our insular little worlds, only catching glimpses of the world around us through dung coloured glasses. The solution to our dilemma is easy. . Stop. Take off our dung coloured lenses. Look. Appreciate. I discovered a secret after years of mothering my tiny children. They taught me to take my eyes off my exhaustion and to take delight in the plethora of tiny details all around me. Little kids are born with a sense of wonder and the ability to enjoy little things. My daughter’s retain an appreciation for detail; they all remember the little things. continue

A friend, who is an Oblate Brother from Portugal, has always detested Canadian winters. Usually, he simply wants to hide from winter with its icy, raw coldness and grey skies. This year, he decided to tackle his grumbling attitude head-on looking for winter’s beauty and blessings. He inspired me to praise God for winter. It is time to welcome winter. Beautiful snowflakes absorb sound waves, Over a pure, white earth. It is time to discover beauty in winter and thank God. read more

Peasant Girls with Brushwood , c.1852, Jean-François Millet [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Luke 17:11-19  ( Revised StandardVersion – Catholic Edition )  On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then said Jesus, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine

My girlfriend K., like me, was raised Catholic and like me, did not receive a full grounding in the faith.  She asked me yesterday how best to show her gratitude to God for answered prayers. "Prayer works!" she told me yesterday. "It really really works!" I'd like to ask you, dear readers, what your suggestions might be. Read more here...

"If the writing is honest it cannot be separated from the man who wrote it."   ~  Tennessee Williams This Great Group of Blogger's has taken a huge risk and allowed me to contribute my Rants and Raves. I Pray that I do not disappoint... My Most Sincere, Thank You... Oh, and I ask that you bear with me as I get the hang of Blogger... Please!

This is our firstborn son. Today about 3:30 he was hit by a red SUV. He was walking his bike across a crosswalk. A good friend of his had just crossed with his bike. The SUV driver didn't see him. The driver's van rammed into our son. The van's decorative grille hit him in the shoulder and knee. He slammed to the ground over his bike. He stood up almost immediately and walked to a parking lot.  Read more here...

Last night, I awakened at least four times due to tingling hands and feet and, frankly, stinky perspiration. As I live out my fiftieth year on the planet, I am experiencing that change of life that is the trade-off for the miraculous ability to nurture life inside me and give birth to children. As a culture, we rightly celebrate women's fertility. A woman of child-bearing age is considered the most beautiful of all. Think Jennifer Lopez.  I've never looked anything like her, but the thing is, she is beautiful in this picture largely because she looks so fertile. Read more here...

Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin , with the round tower over the grave of Daniel O'Connell  There is a beautiful letter in today's Irish Independent expressing the writer's gratitude to those who had helped his mother in her latter days. He mentions, among others, bus drivers. I have seen many acts of kindness by drivers and passengers over the years on buses here in Dublin and similar acts of kindness in all sorts of ordinary situations. 'Whoever has eyes to see . . .' I buried my mother in Dublin last week. Her quality of life became poor over her last two years as she battled against the effects of earlier smoking on her eyesight, heart and lungs. But the people of Dublin were there to help. Bus drivers left their buses and walked her across to her little apartment; some even helped her up the steps and into her little 'home'. Three complete strangers, her "three angels", did her shopping, washing and ironing and took her to get her silver hair

My blogging friend, Judy, has an inspiring blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings . Join her every Wednesday in giving thanks for the many blessings we receive from God. Write a list of 5 blessings and then link to Judy's blog. Thanks, Judy, for helping me keep an "attitude of gratitude!" :) I am thankful for:  1. We have had so much rain this week. More rain than I can remember in a long time. However, I made it safely home from work, driving through flooded streets and low visibility. And there is something comforting about sitting in my chair at home, listening to the rain falling outside my window. Very cozy. 2. The blogging world. My blogging friends. Some new friends I have "met" recently. Sharing our faith. Supporting each other. And giving thanks! 3. I had some quiet time to pray last weekend. Time to pray and read and write. A peaceful time to treasure. 4. There are a lot of devotionals to choose from these days, including some for the Nook