Achieve Your Dreams

~Life is what happens while you are making other plans.~

~A person of words and not deeds is like a garden full of weeds.~

~The key to happiness and success is to have a dream.~

~All the flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds of today.~

~You always pass failure on the way to success.~

~You have to wake up in order for your dreams to come true.~

~Don't let lack of praise nip you in the bud.~

~The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just that little extra.~

~Count your age by your friends, Count your life by smiles.~

~Stand for something or you'll fall for anything.~

~If you don't lie down no one can walk on you.~

~Motivation is when your dreams put on work clothes.~

~Happiness is the journey not the destination.~

~To succeed do the best you can, where you are, with what you have.~

When It's Time To Let Go....

"There comes a point in your life when you realize

who matters,

who never did,

who won't anymore...

and who always will.

So, don't worry about people from your past,

there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future."

***********************

So much of our unhappiness is rooted in our inability to let go, instead we cling and become demanding to our families and our friends.

What causes us to be like this?

Insecurity.

What happens to water if it lay alone where no wind or earth can disturb it's peaceful surface?

It stagnates and becomes noxious.

When we try and stop change and growth we are choosing to stagnate, why then are so many surprised when others wish to move on, to live life with all its joys, pains and hardships?

What makes us think that everything must stay the same?

Life is meant to be challenging and more so if you are a devout lover of God and follow the dictates of your Church.

How many of our Great Saints and Martyrs died snug and warm in their beds?

And the Greatest of all women who have ever lived and graced this earth with her glorious presence, Our Lady. Did Our Lady cling to Jesus and demand he stay home with her where she could protect Him, her son and her God?

Rather Mary followed her Son even though at times she did not understand fully the meaning of His Life, she let Him go....

We are also called to let go even if that letting go is painful to us, was it not even more painful for the Mother of God?

Do we think ourselves greater than God's Delight, that is Mary? That the shadow of suffering and loss must never darken our own lives as if we were somehow better than Our Lady and the Saints in Heaven.

Our lives are made of up sunshine and shadow, we can either learn to dance in the shadows or wail in the dark.

Reflection written by Marie

Quote Thanks Jean

The Psalm Of Life

What the heart of the young man said to the psalmist

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

Life is but an empty dream!--

For the soul is dead that slumbers,

And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!

And the grave is not its goal;

Dust thou art, to dust returnest,

Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,

Is our destined end or way;

But to act, that each to-morrow

Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,

And our hearts, though stout and brave,

Still, like muffled drums, are beating

Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,

In the bivouac of Life,

Be not like dumb, driven cattle!

Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no future, howe'er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act,--act in the living present!

Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,

And departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,

Sailing o'er life's solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,

Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,

With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Childhood...

Oh, those days of climbing tree's, and feeling the wind against your face as you kicked your legs and higher in the swing you flew...Will I touch the sky? No fear, just a momentary moment of bliss.

Of dancing in the rain and jumping in muddy puddles, oh the wicked delight of that moment when not caring about the cost of shoes. One jumps for sheer delight.

When reaching home and warm baths and later hot cocoa as you sink into your chair in front of the fire and know that all is well in the world. A peace untainted by experience.

The excitement of facing each day as if it were going to be the best day of one's life. The Joy of the unknowing.

The smell of home cooking as you stay close to the door and wait for the sumptuous feast which will be set before you. In expectation of dessert a thrill for the tastebuds.

The thrill of racing your bike against the wind and feel it sting your face, it's coldness bringing roses in your cheeks. The Joy of laughter in the wind.

Of laying in bed as you wait with anticipation, for tomorrow will be the best day ever! The wonder of trust.

That time between childhood and womanhood when everything is possible. The exultation of hope.

Childhood-- of ladybirds and daffodils, of honeybee's and the smell of rain, of busy ants and butterflies, of sunshine days and eating cherries under the shade of a tree, of best friends and daydreams....

Now I can dance.......In my dreams I can dance....

Written by Marie

Flowers To Brighten Your Day!

That lovely lady Easter has very thoughtfully begun 'flowers to brighten your day,' especially if you need a cheer up. Jean very kindly continued this lovely gift by sending me the flowers, thankyou Jean. So now I will pass it forward.

I send these flowers to brighten the day of my fellow team blogger, Ginny. Surprise, surprise Ginny! Thankyou for being a good friend.

I also send the flowers to Dymphna who always has cheerful and thought provoking posts.

And Jackie who so willingly shares her life and the lovely photo's of her family and faith family.

God bless you all.

Peace & love,

Marie xoxoxo

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"This is one of the great challenges of this life on earth: To live and love in each moment since we never know how long we have to be with those we treasure most deeply."

Thankyou Alexsandra

Treasure life, even the painful parts...What would joy be if there wasnt a trace of sorrow..What would sorrow be if we couldnt laugh through our tears.

Life is LIFE. LIVE It. Embrace it. Enhance it. LOVE it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ESTHER!!

Yes! It is Esthers Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ESTHER & GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS!

With love & friendship

Marie xoxoxoxo

Celtic Woman - Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring

This is truly beautiful DO listen. God bless you ALL.

Bloggin Blessing

Today I came online to find that wonderful lady Esther had nominated me for a Bloggin Blessing. What a lovely way to greet the day. Thankyou Esther

The idea… it’s a game of tag with a difference, rather than looking inwardly, we look outside ourselves and bless, praise and pray for one blog friend. By participating in this endeavour we not only make the recipient of the blessing feel valued and appreciated, but we are having some fun too. We’re going to see how far the bloggin’ blessings can travel around the world and how many people can be blessed! Recipients of a bloggin’ blessing may upload the above image to their sidebar if they choose to. To read more about the bloggin’ blessing please click here .

I now bless....Marilena, Paula and Lisa

I bless these three ladies who allow us a glimpse into what moves their spirit and how much they love and share their faith. One can truly see God's Hand in all they that write.

A prayer for Marilena, Lisa and Paula: may the blessing of almighty God, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, come down upon you and remain with you forever. Amen. May your hearts be always guided by the Holy Spirit and may the love of Our Lady always protect you.

Total Blessings sent so far: 3

and that’s it, nearly…

So, all Marilena, Lisa and Paula now have to do is to;

a) bless 3 blog buddies

b) Include the ‘God Bless you’ image in her post

c) Explain briefly why they are blessing the person they are blessing

d) pray/include in the post the prayer for the recipients of the blessing

e) write in their posts ‘X’ blessing sent. For example, Marilena, Lisa and Paula will write ‘4′ blessings sent, when they have blessed someone…because Deb was the first blessing sent, and mine is the second. This then makes mine the third blog blessed.

Since this is a somewhat orderly means of blessing we should know exactly how many blessings have been sent at any time because then finally….

f) The recipient and subsequent sender of a blessing should type in the com box of this very post that a blessing has been sent. For easy reference a link to this post will make it into my sidebar.

Sounds a bit confusing, I know. But it could be fun, we’ll soon see!

Thanks for playing along.

Dance Like No One's Watching

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.

We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire. The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges.

It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time... and remember that time waits for no one...

So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy...

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Thought for the day:

Work like you don't need money,

Love like you've never been hurt,

And dance like no one's watching.

Food For Thought

If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great designs for you, and that He certainly intends to make you a saint. And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for His own great sacrifice of boundless charity. --- St. Ignatius of Loyola


A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle. --- Benjamin Franklin


Finding the places within that illness cannot reach, and learning to honor them, can help transform the bed of thorns that is illness. ---Floyd Skloot


If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; If
we had not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ---Anne Bradstreet



The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands. --- Robert M. Pirsig


Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. --- Anthony J. D'Angelo


Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burdens behind us. ---Samuel Smiles


What we see depends mainly on what we look for. ---John Lubbock


In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. --- Blessed Mother Teresa


What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us. ---Ralph Waldo Emerson

If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain;If I can ease one life the aching, or cool the pain,Or help one fainting robin unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain. ---Emily Dickinson

We are each of us angels with only one wing, And we can only fly by embracing each other. ---Luciano Decrescenzo

Often we have no time for our friends but all the time in the world for our enemies. ---Leon Uris

I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again. -- William Penn

The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own. ---Benjamin Disraeli

My Father is Home Safe

My heart is full at the moment, my father is home. Only a few days ago his life was in the balance now he is home with his family.

The doctors did not find the reason of what caused such a huge blood loss and he still needs to undergo a few more tests, but he is so relieved to be home.

I will say that my father's blood loss STOPPED when I requested prayers for him on this blog.

I thankyou each and every one of you who prayed for my fathers wellbeing. I can only say that PRAYER is POWERFUL....I especially thank my co-blogger, best friend and sis, Ginny THANKYOU sis. And another THANKYOU to Paula for her loving care and concern, it meant SO much to me thankyou sis.

Once again...THANKYOU to ALL.

Your sister in Christ,

Marie