Usually when you accuse someone of 'stirring' things up' it is not a compliment. So when I read an article on Happy Catholic about the Holy Spirit 'bothering us' I thought, you know she is right, the Holy Spirit is always stirring things up, whether it's helping us move forward as The Church or just in individual ways as in "I need to change."
Of course I admit sometimes I feel a little put out by all the bothering and stirring. Why do I feel like I'm ALWAYS having to do the changing? What about all those people I'm around who are always negative, or who drive me nuts? What do you mean I have to be the one who changes?
In pops the Holy Spirit saying, "open up the Cheer Up Jar your daughter, Caitlin. made for you, you'll like the quote I've chosen for you today:
"An entire sea of water cannot sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship. Similarly, the negativity of the world cannot put you down unless you allow it to get inside you."
Okay, Holy Spirit, I get it. It's about me...I have to change again. I am the one you are 'bothering' to change my attitude and my mood and move forward.
So the Church is made up of all of us, we are the ones who must do the changing. All of us. One person at a time, He does the stirring, or the bothering to goad us along because truly most of us, myself included, would like to just leave things alone, stay in our own little part of the world and wish everyone else would just get their happy on. Lest I forget, and the Holy Spirit must keep reminding me that I am also part of that stuck in the mud crowd who grumbles and gripes and lets negativity into my life. Rats, how did that happen again? If we don't move forward or do some changing we become like stagnant water, smelly, rotten and undrinkable. We must continually be stirred to stay fresh and clean and attract those who are thirsty and show them the Lord. It is that way with the Church and it is that way with us as individuals in the Body of Christ.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Friday, May 8, 2015
Catholic Digest | The Magazine for Catholic Living | My mother the worrier
For all those who think their mother worries too much about them! This is an explanation!! (and for all you mothers who do the worrying too…give this to the one you worry about!)
Catholic Digest | The Magazine for Catholic Living | My mother the worrier
Catholic Digest | The Magazine for Catholic Living | My mother the worrier
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Let's Be Kids...
I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things...
I play with leaves,
I skip down the street
and run against the wind.
-Leo Buscaglia
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Anti-Bully Effect
These days everyone is talking about bullies. We have bully rallies, bully defense classes in school and the shame of bully blogs. But I want to share with you an episode of Anti-bully behavior.
My husband, my kids and myself own a self defense and fitness business where for the last 25 years we have taught children and teens how to protect themselves, and how to look out for others. We don't do competitions, we don't give out trophies. We work on building confidence and respect in the kids we teach. We also work on family or in the secular world it would be called 'team' building. But since my family teaches kids as a 'family' we call it family building. Each child in our class is encouraged to think of each other as brothers and sisters and we watch out for each other.
So yesterday in class we had a young boy come in who normally attends class on a different day so he did not recognize any of the kids in the class he walked into. For most children this is not frightening, but for this young man it was. My daughter who is a head instructor and myself talked with him, trying to make him feel comfortable. But it wasn't until we convinced him to sit down in the group that a very beautiful thing began to happen. The other children sensed he was upset and immediately came over to sit by him, introducing themselves and smiling and asking him his name. Now, this was not prompted by my daughter or myself, we just sat by his side. Each of these kids were concerned and took the problem upon themselves to solve. In five minutes he was talking with them, laughing and joining in the class.
Never was there a snicker at him crying or being upset from any of the students. There was an instant compassion that met him at the door of the workout room. The instructors never said a word to the rest of the class. We didn't have to. The other students knew what to do. It was beautiful to experience.
God gives each of us the capacity for compassion and if we nurture it right it grows and blossoms and gives to so many others. It was the greatest lesson we all got to take part in that day.
My husband, my kids and myself own a self defense and fitness business where for the last 25 years we have taught children and teens how to protect themselves, and how to look out for others. We don't do competitions, we don't give out trophies. We work on building confidence and respect in the kids we teach. We also work on family or in the secular world it would be called 'team' building. But since my family teaches kids as a 'family' we call it family building. Each child in our class is encouraged to think of each other as brothers and sisters and we watch out for each other.
So yesterday in class we had a young boy come in who normally attends class on a different day so he did not recognize any of the kids in the class he walked into. For most children this is not frightening, but for this young man it was. My daughter who is a head instructor and myself talked with him, trying to make him feel comfortable. But it wasn't until we convinced him to sit down in the group that a very beautiful thing began to happen. The other children sensed he was upset and immediately came over to sit by him, introducing themselves and smiling and asking him his name. Now, this was not prompted by my daughter or myself, we just sat by his side. Each of these kids were concerned and took the problem upon themselves to solve. In five minutes he was talking with them, laughing and joining in the class.
Never was there a snicker at him crying or being upset from any of the students. There was an instant compassion that met him at the door of the workout room. The instructors never said a word to the rest of the class. We didn't have to. The other students knew what to do. It was beautiful to experience.
God gives each of us the capacity for compassion and if we nurture it right it grows and blossoms and gives to so many others. It was the greatest lesson we all got to take part in that day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)