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Every once in awhile I like to remind you of the " Uplifting Prayers for Times of Distress " which can be found on the tab above.  Or, you can go to them just by clicking the bolded highlight for the link in this post. I wrote them during my mom's final months as they poured out of me.  They speak of some of the challenges and joys that come when walking with a loved one. I hope you will find them comforting.  Please feel free to share them if you know someone who might need them. God bless, Janet janetcassidy.blogspot.com janetcassidy.blubrry.net (podcasts)

I don’t know about you, but I had to turn away from politics. I couldn’t stand the backbiting and vitriolic comments slung in every direction. Yesterday was super Tuesday, so in recent weeks, the political ads were coming at me  ad nauseum . I live in North Carolina, one of the super Tuesday states with primaries. The lack of common courtesy, so prevalent, in our society today, especially in the political ads, gets me down, to the point where I need to walk away, close myself off, and regroup. Why can’t we be civil with each other? Maybe we should all try courtesy as a Lenten sacrifice. Courtesy as a Lenten Sacrifice Who would have thought that we would ever stoop so low that we need to suggest common courtesy as a Lenten sacrifice? That extending courtesy to another person should be a sacrifice? Courtesy is something that every one of us should be excellent at. Yet, here we are, begging for courtesy. If you find it difficult to accept the political opinions of your neighbor,

L. V. Beethoven - Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in F major, Op. 50 Renaud Capuçon, violin Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, conducted by Kurt Masur Last Sunday, the First Sunday of Lent, I came across a beautifully-written article on  The Catholic Thing  with the title  Juliek and His Violin , written by Elizabeth A. Mitchell. The article begins this way:  Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel recounts this exchange in his Auschwitz memoir,   Night : I . . .I’m afraid . . .They’ll break. . .my violin . . . I . . . I brought it with me. I thought he’d lost his mind .  His violin?  Here? It’s an expression of incredulity at the seemingly inane focus of his young friend Juliek on a violin amidst shockingly inhumane conditions.  For days, the inmates had been force-marched in an evacuation to Gleiwitz, a sub-camp of Auschwitz, and now, crammed together in a barracks, bodies are crushing atop another.  Death is imminent . Further down we read:  And in those

Es “miércoles de Ceniza” estamos en Cuaresma.  Estar en la Cuaresma no es pensar que lo viernes no hay que comer carne y que ese alimento lo cambiaremos por pescado. A muchas, muchísimas personas no obliga este mandato de la Iglesia católica por que no tienen para comprar carne ni tienen para pescado. Solo el grupo de personas, que cada vez son menos, están en condiciones de elegir, son las que deben acatar esta disposición.     Así como el Tiempo de Adviento fue una preparación para la llegada del Hijo de Dios hecho hombre, así ahora debemos prepararnos para la Semana Santa, donde Cristo se somete voluntariamente a una Pasión, a una Muerte y a una Resurrección para salvarnos.  ¿ Y de qué nos vino a salvar? De un destino que había para toda la Humanidad de desheredados del Cielo por el pecado. Por ello, en estos cuarenta días hemos de orar con más intensidad y pensar que es tiempo de sacrificios y arrepentimiento de nuestras faltas o pecados.  leer más...  

Anyone else feel like 2020 is cursed? Oh, I’m just kidding, sort of. It’s just that I was determined to make 2020 a great year beginning with the very first day, except I started out with a terrible cold as we rolled over into January. Okay, so fine, what’s a little cold you ask?   Well, it turned into something else and didn’t last just a week, but more like six! Honestly, it has been one thing after another since January, so I for one cannot be happier that our temperatures are nearing 50 degrees on occasion.   I am more than ready to see a little more sun and a few warmer days!   Things are sure to start turning around soon! It always seems like the sun makes us feel better, doesn’t it?   We have a little lighter lift in our walk, more energy and motivation.   The sun really does seem to chase away those lingering dark days of winter. While thinking about the sun, I re-read the beginning of Chapter 1 of the first book of the bible, Genesis.   I noted th

Is there that certain someone in your life that you just can’t forgive? Do you believe their actions defy forgiveness? Or, is it that you just can’t bring yourself to the point where you can let go? If you can’t forgive, then seek Mercy first.  Mercy is the first step toward forgiveness. Ask God to give you what you need to grant mercy to the offender. Your Mercy is not forgiveness, but it is an attitude that causes you to react with kindness and compassion toward someone who offends you. Seek Mercy First God will grant mercy to each of us to the extent that we grant mercy to others; just as He will grant forgiveness to each of us to the extent that we forgive others. So, if you hold onto pain caused by an offense against you, and cannot grant mercy to the offender, then you will wallow in the pain. But, if you grant mercy to the offender, you rise above the pain. You free yourself from the shackles, thus enabling yourself to forgive others. Then Seek the Ability to Forgive

I was watching a video of a couple walking along the sidewalk, having a nice little stroll when I saw the husband reach up and touch the moss hanging from the tree. Noooooo! I said to myself! I nearly made a similar mistake several years ago. My husband and I were in Savannah, Georgia and as we walked along the sidewalks (much like the couple in the video), there was moss everywhere on the ground.   Not having seen it before, I bent over to feel it and for some reason, changed my mind and stopped short of touching it. Later, we were commenting to a local about it and they told me it was a good thing I didn’t touch it because it was probably loaded with chiggers. What’s a chigger ? Turns out they are larvae, sometimes called red bugs, and they like to bite us.   They are super small, but here’s the gross part: “The chigger [then] attaches its mouth to the skin and injects saliva. The saliva contains an enzyme that breaks skin cells down to liquid form.”

I want to mention briefly, two things as a follow-up to my post yesterday, and then I will move on to my podcast content. First, this excerpt from today’s first reading from Deuteronomy Chapter 30 is often quoted in regards to being pro-life: “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life.” In this passage, we hear Moses telling the people not to turn their hearts away from God nor be led astray and ignore God and his commandments.   It is a good passage to reflect on as we begin this holy season of Lent. Secondly, I just want to provide a link to a statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in regards to the news this week.   It is always wise to pay attention to what our bishops say. Okay, on to my podcast, which can be found at janetcassidy.blubrry.ne t . Do you feel like you are bearing a cross that is simply too heavy to bear? Are you wondering where you can find some relief? I have a little s

It just boggles the mind that our duly elected senators could not agree on two reasonable things: Senate Bill. 311 (Born-alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act) “This bill establishes requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must exercise in the event a child is born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion. A health care practitioner who is present must (1) exercise the same degree of care as reasonably provided to another child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) immediately admit the child to a hospital. The bill also requires a health care practitioner or other employee to immediately report any failure to comply with this requirement to law enforcement. A person who violates the requirements is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. Additionally, an individual who intentionally kills or attempts to kill a child born alive is subject to prosecution for murder. The bill bars the crimi