Today’s Poem ~ Consumed in Grace by St. Catherine of Seina

Consumed in Grace

St. Catherine of Siena

I first saw God when I was a child, six years of age.
the cheeks of the sun were pale before Him,
and the earth acted as a shy
girl, like me.

Divine light entered my heart from His love
that did never fully wane,

though indeed, dear, I can understand how a person’s
faith can at time flicker,

for what is the mind to do
with something that becomes the mind’s ruin:
a God that consumes us
in His grace.

I have seen what you want;
it is there,

a Beloved of infinite
tenderness.

Source

Today’s Poem ~ Angels ~ by Francois Couperin.

Angels

Francois Couperin.

“To be an angel, one need not have wings.
In giving love there is an equal grace.
Nor need one seek the aura in the face,
As love unveils the beauty of all things.”

Source

Today’s Photo ~ Be at Peace With One Another

Today’s Poem ~ The Flower at My Window by Lucian B. Watkins

The Flower at My Window

Lucian B. Watkins

O! my heart now feels so cheerful as I go with footsteps light
      In the daily toil of my dear home; 
And I’ll tell to you the secret that now makes my life so bright—
      There’s a flower at my window in full bloom. 

It is radiant in the sunshine, and so cheerful after rain; 
        And it wafts upon the air its sweet perfume. 
It is very, very lovely! May its beauties never wane—
        This dear flower at my window in full bloom. 

Nature has so clothed it in such glorious array, 
      And it does so cheer our home, and hearts illume; 
Its dear mem’ry I will cherish though the flower fade away—
      This dear flower at my window in full bloom. 

Oft I gaze upon this flower with its blossoms pure and white. 
        And I think as I behold its gay costume, 
While through life we all are passing may our lives be always bright 
        Like this flower at my window in full bloom.

Source

Poem for Today ~ It Was Not Fate

It Was Not Fate

William Moore

It was not fate which overtook me,
Rather a wayward, wilful wind
That blew hot for awhile
And then, as the even shadows came, blew cold.
What pity it is that a man grown old in life’s dreaming
Should stop, e’en for a moment, to look into a woman’s eyes.
And I forgot!
Forgot that one’s heart must be steeled against the east wind.
Life and death alike come out of the East:
Life as tender as young grass,
Death as dreadful as the sight of clotted blood.
I shall go back into the darkness,
Not to dream but to seek the light again.
I shall go by paths, mayhap,
On roads that wind around the foothills
Where the plains are bare and wild
And the passers-by come few and far between.
I want the night to be long, the moon blind.
The hills thick with moving memories,
And my heart beating a breathless requiem
For all the dead days I have lived.
When the Dawn comes—Dawn, deathless, dreaming—
I shall will that my soul must be cleansed of hate,
I shall pray for strength to hold children close to my heart,
I shall desire to build houses where the poor will know
shelter, comfort, beauty.

And then may I look into a woman’s eyes
And find holiness, love and the peace which passeth understanding.

Source

Today’s Inspiring Photo ~ Happiness is Contagious

Today’s Inspiring Photo: Happiness is Contagious

 

Photo for Today ~ Love Surrounds You

Feel Good Tip ~ Our Attitude is Our Day’s Destiny

Knocked down? Rise up, shake it off and get moving again. It’s the only to get past the hit. We all take them. When we start moving the pain ebbs and rainbows appear.

Thinking Out Loud ~ Learning to Adjust and Adapt

Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection on Richard Bach’s, Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

Jonathon Livingston Seagull finds himself ostracized and banned from the flock. He doesn’t sulk, he decides to keep following his dream.

What he had once hoped for the flock, he now gained for himself alone; he learned to fly, and was not sorry for the price that he had paid. Jonathan Livingston seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gulls’ life is so short, and with those gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed.

Note: Paying more attention to other people than to ourselves and trying to control their lives instead of worrying about our own life creates a great angst both for the other person and for ourselves. Instead of criticizing those who are different from us why not encourage them? Why not look at our own lives and discern what it is that we are meant to do and be. I think what we are meant to do and be is something that is always evolving. What we were meant to be at one stage in our life will not be the same at another stage of our lives. Wise people understand this and adjust and adapt and continue to learn and grow. And those who don’t, like the gulls in the story, discover that their lives are filled with boredom and fear and anger.

Feel Good Tip ~ It’s Going to be a Great Day!

“Every day is a good day to be alive, whether the sun’s shining or not.” Marty Robbins

NOTE: The one thing that we are capable of doing that no one can take away from us is the attitude we choose to take to our day. Why not begin each day by announcing to the world, “I’m going to have a great day.” Don’t waste a moment on a pity party. Don’t waste a moment feeling sorry for yourself. It’s going to be a great day, grab hold of it and don’t let go.

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