Come Pray the Rosary with me

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THE MATERNAL FACE OF GOD

Question of the Day: What is meant by a maternal consciousness? Historically speaking, in our culture the role of men has been to create, to make new things, to fix broken things, and to defend us from things which could hurt us.  All of these are wonderful and necessary roles for the preservation of the human race. However, most children saw their mother in a different way.  She was not a creator, a fixer or a defender, but rather a transformer.  Once a woman has held her baby inside of her body for nine months and brought it forth in pain into the world, this woman knows the mystery of transformation in her body.  She knows it intuitively, yet she cannot verbalize it.  She just holds it in a deeper level of consciousness.  She knows something about mystery, about miracles and about transformation that men will never know (which is why males had to be initiated!). The feminine body can be seen as a cauldron of transformation.  Her body turns things into other things—her body turns a love act into a perfect little child.  Yet, in her heart, she knows SHE did not do it.  All she had to do was to wait and eat well, to believe and to hope for nine months.  This gives a woman a very special access to understanding spirituality as transformation, if she listens.  Adapted from The Maternal Face of God (CD) (part of On Transformation: Collected Talks, Vol. 1)

Please Pray for Mike Smith's Mom

Dear PG:

Your prayers always work so well.  Please say a small prayer for the recovery to good health of Mr. Mike Smith's mom who lives in SE Kansas.

THANKS
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I WISH YOU ENOUGH

Picture This...a Father and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the Father said, 'I love you, and I wish you enough.'

The daughter replied, 'Dad, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Dad.'

They kissed and the daughter left. The Father walked over to the window where you are seated. You could see he wanted and needed to cry.  You cared...you could not avoid asking, "How can I help?"

'I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' he said.

You care...you ask..."What was that you said to each other at you parted?"

He began to smile. 'My parents used to say it to everyone...' He paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and he smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then turning toward you, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
 
TAKE TIME TO LIVE....

To all my friends and loved ones,

I WISH YOU ENOUGH.

Margaret

Apr 25, 2010, at 10:32 AM, Sylvia Pituch wrote:

Just received a call from Vicki asking us to all please pray for her sister Margaret - Vicki feels her time is close - she has not been responding for a few days but has a very strong heart - she asked that we pray that our Lord be kind and merciful..... thank you. 

My prayer for Margaret...
The Lord is Kind

The Lord is Merciful

The Lord's heart is strongest of all...

May Margaret hear His call and feel the strength of His Loving Hand.

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Prayer Group

Prayers for our friend in India, Mrs. Rajashree Mahadhir

Dear Rick & Erin,

 

I have a request to include a friend & his wife's name in your next prayer club meeting.  

 

Mrs. Rajashree Mahadhir, wife of Mr. Prashanth Mahadhir residing in Haridwar, India is suddenly diagnosed with Brain Tumor.  I was told that Mrs. Rajashree already went through one surgery and awaiting for a second one.  I request you to kindly include Mrs. Rajashree's speedy recovery to normalcy again.   

 

I am not known to Prashanth and his family directly, but he heard about the case of (our another family friend) Mrs. Kokila Ganesan, who has fully recovered from Leukaemia.  Earlier your Prayer Club prayed for the well being of Mrs. Kokila Ganesan.   

 

Let us pray for the fullest recovery of Mrs. Rajashree Mahadhir from her sudden sickness. 

 

Best Regards,

Ven Venkatesan

NOTE to Ven...I will pray my hour in perpetual Eucharistic Adoration this week for Mrs. Rajashree Mahadhir.
 

MATT 5:44 A great prayer

Heavenly  Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut  us off in
traffic last night is a single mother  who worked nine hours that day
and is rushing  home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the  laundry
and spend a few precious moments with  her children and/or
grandchildren.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man
who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college
student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of
not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the
same spot every day is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in
our worst nightmares.

Help  us to remember that the old couple walking  annoyingly slow
through the store aisles and  blocking our shopping progress are
savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got
back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping
together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us,
the greatest gift is love.  It is not enough to share that love with
those we hold dear. Open our hearts not just to those who are close to
us, but to all humanity.  Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive,
show patience, empathy and love. Matt 5:44

Working for God on earth doesn't pay much.  But His retirement plan is
out of this world!!!!!!!!!!!!   

Cancer Battler "Steve" benefits from YOUR prayers

Amber Nunez I've told a lot of you about our friend Steve who has been battling cancer and I know a lot of you have kept him in your prayers. I want to say he is doing amazingly well and keep those prayers and healing thoughts a comin!! I know Steve appreciates it and of course Greg and I do too

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods.

They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, 'Someday I hope to be a great treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with an intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.'

Then the second tree said, 'Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take Kings and Queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. People will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.'

Finally the third tree said, 'I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest.’  People will see me on top of the hill, look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.'

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, 'This looks like a strong tree,’ I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter, and he began cutting it down.. The tree was happy, because he knew the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree the woodsman said, 'This looks like a strong tree. I will be able to sell it to the shipyard.' The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the men said, 'I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take this one,' and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and   carrying Kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut in to large pieces, and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made   from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said 'Peace' and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of  Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as  the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.

Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined...

We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His Ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Ed Dykes...heart surgery UPDATE

Ed's surgery went very well and he is doing fine.  He will be in CCIU for at least 2 days, maybe 3. then to a room and probably home on Friday.  Thanks to all of you for your concern, prayers and e-mails.   I will have to apologize for my accusation of  "old age laziness"....guess he had a good reason to be.  I look forward to  having the "ole Ed" back.  If anything changes I will let you know....Until the next time...thanks so very much!

Martha D.

Just a note to let Ed's Rust buddies know...yesterday afternoon after he began complaining of chest pain, sweating & nausea, I decided to take him to the E.R.  Following a series of tests and determining that he in fact had had a heart attack, they sent him to Jackson Hospital in Montgomery.  Following more testing, he was admitted.  Results of the heart cath indicated blockage in 3 arteries plus branches...surgery will most probably be tomorrow.  I'll keep you posted.  Please remember him in your prayers.    Thanks,  Martha D.

Jesus Christ, Our Savior's blessing

"This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this, to lay down his life for his friends."

Gospel of John 15:12-13

Kim McCracken

On Feb 11, 2010, at 11:39 AM, wmiller50@aol.com wrote:

Before reading the following e-mail PLEASE TAKE TIME TO PRAY FOR KIM MCCRACKEN. She is my sister that is in Barnes Hospital in St. Louis awaiting a liver transplant. She is 52 years old, a wife of one man, a mother of one son. a high school counselor and Sunday School teacher. She had no prior problems with her liver and was in good physical condition until last Friday evening. With your prayers and GOD’S guidance she will pull through this.

Thank you very much!

Biff Jones

Wayne Miller

Zach update

I think it helps to have a face with the prayer (I hope the picture comes through - or go to www.carepages.com enter: zachskraus )......we have been praying for Zach Kraus (of Schnecksville) for a long time... he was dx with leukemia in 2000 at the age of six - his most recent hurdle, needing a new liver - his mom said she hasn't seen him look this good in years! Please keep praying for Zach and all of his family - his brother Tyler just broke his hip playing ice hockey! - ugh!.......not what they needed! Zach's mom & dad are Tamara & Rich, his brother Tyler, and sister Tori Here's an address where cards can be sent:

5558 sunset dr scnecksville pa 18078

Thanks everyone!

Please Pray for my Aunt Faye

Please pray for the little lady in the middle...my Aunt Faye...ALABAMA fan...who fell and broke her hip yesterday.

sylvia's Requests...

From: Sylvia Pituch

Date: December 31, 2009 3:15:53 PM CST

Subject: PR

I hope that you all have a very blessed and safe Happy New Year!

Syl,this is a request for a friend who just lost her dad and her mom needs lots of help.This is very stressful for her(MY FRIEND).Her dad died quickly of liver cancer. Also pray for a friend who's very sad right now and needs our prayers.He's talking to Francy and I about doing something scary.Thanks,Maureen

My daughter-in-law, Anita Metzker, will be going in for surgery on Monday, Jan. 4th to University of Penna. Hospital, in Phila. As you know she had been diagnosed with 2 blot clots and an aneurysm. The aneurysm has now grown and something has to be done. On the 4th they will do some relocating of the veins that are affected by the blood clots and on the following Friday she will have major by-pass surgery. They will be totally replacing her aorta. The operation will take 10 to 12 hours and is really a critical situation. She can use all the prayers she can get. Thanks so much! I really appreciate it....... Mary

Kim' Daughter needs your prayers

I received this from one of our faithful prayer partners...

In a message dated 12/29/2009 8:02:57 A.M. Central Standard Time, obuche@stanion.com writes:

All joking aside…..would you add my daughter Kim to your prayer list. She is having tests done, first for a growth on her stomach, and then when they did a CT found a “spot” on her kidney. I am trying not to worry until I have something to worry about, but it’s not working !

Thank you

OB

Sylvia's Requests...

I ask you all to please keep in your prayers my cousins David & Kelee Mayernik - on Friday night aunt Emma passed away - she was admitted to Lehigh Valley Hosp Center on Wed. as she was found to have a bleeding ulcer - the loss of blood took a toll on her heart.

Kelee asked me to pass along to family and friends who will be attending the celebration of my aunt Emma's life - the viewing will be at 10AM in the Weir Funeral Home, across from the Cathedral of St. Catherine's - David will share the love he has for his mom through his words AT THE FUNERAL HOME - the Mass will follow at the Cathedral. Many heavy hearts - my aunt Emma was an amazingly strong woman with a heart of gold.

sylvia's Requests...

Dear all, we have a prayer request from Suzie and Jim Lee for a co-worker of their daughter Maria. Laura is their daughter's co-worker
and is the aunt of 2 year old Kendra who is getting ready for a liver transplant next week. Aunt Laura is donating part of her liver for her
niece. There is a website that you can access to see Kendra, and she will just steal your heart, she is the sweetest little thing!!! Please
storm heaven with prayers that all goes well with this transplant for both Kendra and her Aunt Laura. Thank you so much.

In His Name,
Mary Ann
_________________________________
Mary Ann,
A little 2yr old, Kendra, is getting a live liver transplant on Dec. 15 or 16. The donor is her Aunt Laura. Laura is a co-worker of my daughter Maria.
Please ask the prayer warriors for prayers for Laura and Kendra. I have attached the website if people want to see how adorable this
precious child is and to understand her condition. www.love4kendra.com

sylvia's Requests...

Hi Sylvia.

I have a few prayer requests and updates:

>Update on Sheldon - he's home and doing well. Latest post (Wednesday) from his wife below:
Sheldon was discharged yesterday and I got him home to our house about 5:00 yesterday afternoon. He is much better than he was on Sunday when I saw him last, and he was moving around the house without much difficult. He even joined the group for bible study in the living room without becoming too overtired.
He is scheduled for bloodwork on Monday and a followup clinic appointment on Wednesday (a week from today) at which time I think they will be trying to determine how significant the antibody mediated rejection (AMR) is and what the next steps for that should be (more Valcade, kidney biopsy, no action?). In the meantime, the kidney on Tuesday remained good (creatin of 1.4), so we are encouraged by that.
In the meantime, we will try to resume what passes for normal at our house.
Thanks as always,
Kathy
>Please pray for my friend, Richard (contrabassoonist in the Harrisburg Symphony). His car was hit broadside earlier in the week. It took several days for the doctors to finally diagnose all of his injuries.
I just got back from 24 hours at St. Agnes (Agony) Hosp. They did CAT scans of my head/chest, X-rays of my shoulder, and MRI of head/neck. They know I have 2 broken ribs (in the back), a broken shoulder blade, some lung bruising, and possible some shoulder injury. My left arm is in an immobilization sling. I guess I have a reason for not overdoing Christmas this year.
>Please pray for my friend Paula's brother-in-law. He had a knee replacement last December and has been battling an infection for several months. This all sounds eerily familiar. He had surgery yesterday.

My brother-in-law had the old, diseased knee joint removed yesterday and the temp put in. He's got a pic line for continuous antibiotics over the
next few weeks; he had gotten quite ill prior to surgery with a fever and
jaundice from the infection (and they think from one of the meds). Surgery went well and my sister is now much relieved. So they will keep watching him and see if he is truly ready in 6 weeks for another permanent replacement. Keep Tom and Jane in your prayers ... thanks.

Paula

Thanks so much!
Love, Connie

How Great Thou Art...Ultimate Freedom

Click the Link...turn speakers on...enjoy.

sylvia's Requests...

Syl,
We just received some shocking news that our dear friend, Mike LoDolce has followed and joined his wife with our Lord. Mike just lost his wife 1 1/2 months ago to a long battle with cancer. His 20+ yrs. old daughter found him dead in bed this morning. He's leaving a daughter in her 20's and a son around 19. Please prayer for the family to be able to deal and accept the lost of their father, son and brother (best friend). His brother could use some extra prayers. He and Mike did everything together and now his brother is going thru some personal trials of his own. Pray that the Lord be in his mind and heart to be able to be strong for himself, parents and nieces and nephew.
Beverly

(Bev & Jeff, praying through the night for your dear friend Mike's family - let me know if there's anything I can do)

Sylvia's Requests...

At prayer group last evening, we prayed for Nancy I's son John's friend who was dx with cancer - and afterward we talked about how special it is when our children call us to pray with them for a special intention - tonight our cousin Sara (15) asks us to pray:

hey aunt syl. Can you send out a prayer request to storm the heavens with prayers for my math teacher. today in class he got a call that his mom and sister were in a car accident, his sister died and his mom is in ICU and might not make it. thanks soo much! its been a rough week for me.
love you

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Please pray for one of my patients - her name is Rose and she was just dx with colon cancer (she is also a breast cancer survivor) - she and her husband are very much involved in the Serra Club (Bethlehem) - when scheduling Rose's surgery they asked if I was Catholic - I told them that I was and that I would be praying for them - I told them about our prayer group and Rose's husband said "get us on every one!".

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Dear Ones,

Just heard from Tom's sister, Jackie, that her daughter, Stacey, who's expecting her second baby in April, has placenta previa (sp?) & needs to stop lifting, take it easy, etc. She has a toddler, is a physical therapist who works with children at DuPont, & now she has to rest, which is not going to be easy. When Tom's mom had that in her 7th month of pregnancy with Tom's youngest brother, she had to go on complete bedrest for the last two months. That's when Tom learned how to cook!

So, we're entreating all good prayers for Stacey & her baby so that they'll go full-term & have a healthy baby. Thank you & God bless.

Love,

Norine

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UPDATE ON BABY CODY:

Leslie,

Thank you for your concern and prayers. We know that it is the prayers that effect what God decides what will do.

Cody is in recovery after surgery Friday. He has been in a drug induced coma since the then and is now being weaned off the anesthesia. He is functioning well and came through the surgery without complication or surprise.

We are very grateful for the riches of God’s inheritance: namely the studies , research, wisdom, knowledge and hearts and minds of the medical missionaries in Houston Medical Center and beyond because without it our baby would not live past a year or more.

I looked up truncus ateriuss and it is described below:

Truncus arteriosus (TRUNG-kus ahr-teer-e-O-sus) is a heart defect that creates severe circulatory problems. If your baby has truncus arteriosus, one large vessel leads out of the heart, instead of two separate vessels — one leading out of each of the lower chambers of the heart. Also, the two lower chambers are missing a portion of the wall dividing them. As a result of truncus arteriosus, oxygen-poor blood that should go to the lungs and oxygen-rich blood that should go to the rest of the body are mixed together. If left untreated, truncus arteriosus usually leads to death within the first or second year of life. Surgery to repair the heart and blood vessels is usually successful, especially if the repair occurs before your baby is 2 months old. Sorry I have not replied sooner. In the past two weeks we have been shuttling to the hospital in Austin, Texas which is three hours from Houston, going to the hospital downtown in Houston for the pre-op and surgery at the Texas Childrens hospital which is 45 minutes to an hour away, post-op visits, more car driving, having family time and trying to keep up with work and the house and feeding everyone, out of town family for the past week off and on and haven’t had time to email or call. Thanks for your faith in God and in His providence for us.

Love,

Janie

Painting Heaven

This is WONDERFUL.

This will be the BEST four minutes you have spent this day...this month...this YEAR.

Click the link...

Sylvia's Requests...

You may have head the news of the woman who was killed while crossing Hanover Avenue - Mrs Venditto is the aunt of Janet Stralo, one of our faithful prayer warriors - you may know Janet more affectionately as grandmother to baby Cole. Please keep the Venditto family - especially Mrs. Venditto's daughter Roseann, in your prayers.

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Please also keep in your prayers my co-worker Pam - her dad passed away about one month ago - she's having a difficult time - "I find I don't even have time to grieve" - and we pray for all who experience the loss of a loved one - (Christine, I hold you, Kevin, & the Fab Five close to my heart xoxo)

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Our cousin Suzi's son Nicholas is having surgery early tomorrow morning for his tonsils and adenoids - please pray for all to go well, and for little Nicholas to have a quick recovery. Thanks!

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Prayers are needed for a friend of our son, John. He just found out he has cancer and John asked to put him on the prayer list, ( I don't have his name.)

Thank You, Nancy

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Please pray for my friend Kim's son Billy who's driving cross country to pick up his brother Josh to bring him home for Christmas - for Guardian Angels to surround him on his travels there and back.

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Dear Prayer Sisters,

I received the following prayer request from my sister. Could you please add Pearl to your list.

Love, Renee


Please put Pearl on your prayer chain. She is a Mom of one of the teachers at my school. She fell and broke her pelvis and arm today. She is 93 years old.

Thanks,
Christine

20 Keys to YOUR happiness

1. Compliment three people every day.

2. Watch a sunrise.

3. Be the first to say "Hello"

4. Live beneath your means.

5. Treat everyone as you want to be treated.

6. Never give up on anyone; miracles do happen.

7. Forget the Jones's.

8. Remember someone's name.

9. Pray not for things, but for wisdom and courage

10. Be tough-minded, but tender hearted.

11.Be kinder than you have to be.

12. Don't forget that a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

13 Keep your promises.

14 Learn to show cheerfulness even when you don't feel like it.

15. Remember that overnight success usually takes 15 years.

16. Leave everything better than you found it.

17. Remember that winners do what losers don't want to do.

18. When you arrive at your job in the morning, let the first thing you say brighten everyone's day.

19. Don't rain on other people's parades.

20. Don't waste an opportunity to tell someone you care about them.

For Aaron's Mom...Please Pray

A good friend, Paul Walker writes...

Rick, hope things are going well with your new endeavors.

We have been busy with Amy and her family here. Aaron's mom has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer - stage 4. Not good. They will be with us until at least Sunday.

Please Pray for Claudia "Anne" Wertin

This note from a very good friend...and more importantly...a very good person...who could use your prayers.

Surgery scheduled as pain and elevated ovarian cancer marker for Dec 9th--possibly in the mid to late afternoon with the Devinci Robot and 2 surgeons. Hoping for a quick night and out the next day. Looking for pain relief and positive outcome. Prayers appreciated. Claudia "Anne" Wertin

Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics... We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

It's Called Christmas with a Capital "C"

Merry Christmas faithful ones. The year has been full of requests and the many prayers and offerings have been rewarded with His grace. Pray for others...it is in the giving that we receive. RGB

Alice Lester 100 years old...Prayer Request

Rick,
I would like to ask you to post a prayer request for my grandmother. Her name is Alice Lester. She turned 100 on May 31st of this year. Tuesday she was diagnosed with liver cancer. We think she could be called home at anytime.

Thanks!

Regards,
Jeff Lester

Prayers WORK

08.11.2009

Dear Bhajan:

Well and nice to hear from you. And thank you very much for your information on CLL.

Now Kohila is quite OK after the administration RITUXMAB a monoclonal antibody medicine that is available in India since last two years. Earlier Fludrabine was the available one.

We have six doses of RITUXMAB to Kohila at one month interval, and this medicine has worked wonders. Now her blood counts and blood parameters are as healthy as a normal adult person. However, we have been advised to do monthly blood check up as a monitoring step. It is about six months that she lives like any normal person with out any health problems due to CLL or otherwise.

It is all due to prayers from friends like you.

I have taken note of your clipping and this medicine details - for future reference in case it is necessary.

Ungalai pondra nalla ullangalukku nanri.

Further, Vinod is in Mumbai with Reliance and Aarthi is with TCS, Bangalore and are doing fine. We are looking for alliance for our daughter which is yet to settle.

Welcome to Chennai.

Regards.

Ganesan. R

In Memory of Jerry Bockwinkel, My Uncle

Departed 3:10PM Central Time, April 4, 2009

O loving God . . . I pray that You welcome my deceased Uncle, Jerry Bockwinkel, into heaven with You. Forgive any sins and reward his goodness. Grant that I may be with him, and my family and friends again in Your Peaceful presence. Amen.

The Prayer of Oscar Romero

The Archbishop served the people of El Salvador and was assassinated in 1980 while he was saying mass in San Salvador.

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.

Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of sayingthat the kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the church's mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the differencebetween the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen.

Wednesday, April 1st, was the anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. For the reflection that day, Bishop Untener included a passage titled "The mystery of the Romero Prayer." The mystery is that the words of the prayer are attributed to Oscar Romero, but they were never spoken by him. They were, in fact, spoken by John Cardinal Dearden in November of 1979. They come from a homily he gave at a Mass for deceased priests. But what is even more important to know is that they were words drafted for Cardinal Dearden by Ken Untener.

Be Generous in Prosperity

Be generous in prosperity,
And thankful in adversity.

Be fair in judgment,
And guarded in speech.

Be a lamp unto those,
Who walk in darkness.

Be eyes to the blind,
And a guiding light.

Be a breath of life,
To the body of mankind.

Be a dew to the soul
Of the human heart.

And a fruit upon the tree,
Of humanity.

- Bahá'u'lláh

Provocative Question

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tugged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, of the thousands that passed by, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best violinists in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written for a violin which was worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize artistic talent in an unexpected context?

An interesting question drawn from this experience:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Simple White Envelope

by Nancy Gavin (This story originally appeared in Woman's Day magazine 12/14/1982)

SIMPLE WHITE ENVELOPE:

It's just a small white envelope stuck among the branches of our
Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has
peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas --oh, not the true
meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it -- the
overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie
for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given in
desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts,
sweaters, ties, and so forth. I reached for something special just for
Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12
that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended.

Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team
sponsored by an inner-city church.

These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed
to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast
to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new
wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other
team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to
protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously
could not afford.

Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as
each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his
tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't
acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, 'I wish just one of them
could have won,' he said. 'They have a lot of potential, but losing like
this could take the heart right out of them.' Mike loved kids -- all kids --

and he knew them,having coached little league football, baseball, and lacrosse.

That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a
local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling
headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside
telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His
smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in
succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition --one
year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey
game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had
burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on. The
envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last
thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children, ignoring their new
toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the
envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.

As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but
the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there. You
see, we lost Mike last year due to cancer. When Christmas rolled around,
I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But
Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the
morning it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst
to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The
tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our
grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation
watching as their fathers take down the envelope.
Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.

May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the
true Christmas spirit this year and always.