The latest copy of NCR had as theme: 
"Experiencing the Divine in our lives".  One sample of these experiences was:  
"Walking leisurely in a light rain is a sensory experience that draws me both inward to an awareness of my 'being' in God and outward to my 'being' in oneness with all cration. Because I cannot stop the rain, I am reminded to accept in life  that which I cannot change. The result is peace - with God, with myself and with what the future may bring."  Regina Schulte

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The Fern and the Bamboo.....

One day I decided to quit.... I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality.. I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"

His answer surprised me..."Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo".He said. "In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. He said.

"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle."

He said to me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself to others."

He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern, yet, they both make the forest beautiful."

"Your time will come," God said to me. " You will rise high!"

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can?" I questioned.

"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."

I left the forest and brought back this story.

I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you........Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you Happiness. Bad days give you Experiences. Both are essential to life.

Keep going... Happiness keeps you Sweet, Trials keep you Strong, Sorrows keep you Human, Failures keep you Humble, Success keeps You Glowing, But Only God keeps You Going!

Have a great day! The Son is shining!! God is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart.   (Thanks Helen S)

About 'sinfulness'

After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?" "That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. [Thanks Michele Gordon!]

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"Pass on your values, not just your assets."

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"It is not a curse to be rich, it s a curse to die rich." Rick Warren

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"All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain."           Fr. Richard Rohr

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"The proof of what we believe is in our living."

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"The hurt is very great, but they don't balance the hurt with hate." (Gertrude Huntington's reflection)

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"Justice, if you like, is the public face of compassion. You cannot have religion without justice." (Karen Armstrong)

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What mattered was not what you believed but how you behaved. (Jesus! GCS) Religion was about doing things that changed you at a profound level.

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         "Go out on a limb. 
   That's where the fruit is."  Sr.Joan Chittister

                      -----
We can be grateful that, - however slowly, - our insights into what it means to be human and to be Christian do develop and change over time.  (Tom Fox NCR)

* * *
The Whale -  a female humpback who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth. A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farralone Islands (outside the Golden Gate ) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her, a very dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer. 
They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. 
When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around - she thanked them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.
The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same. 

* * * * 
Give me a teacher who gives a damn, 
needs to know more than my name, 
strains for the song I have not sung, 
follows me in my ennui 
to find my fishing hole. 
Give me a teacher who gives a damn 
seduces and surprises 
spades the soil of me, 
fertilizes feelings for what is fair, 
with anger at what is not, 
hope for solutions, 
appetite for application. 
Give me a teacher who gives a damn 
who tenders truth and trust 
more than rules and roles, 
favors sticky freedoms over cool controls 
who risks career and cares to take a stand for students, 
is not unknown to laugh. 

I can build you a future in what I am 
if you give me a teacher who gives a damn.
-- Tom Keene San Antonio   [thanks DM & SB]
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The whole universe is affected by your awakening. You are the space where love pours back into the world." - Gangaji (MG)