Month: March 2016

Let go and let God

a woman’s perspective

Let go and let God…we’ve all heard that sage piece of advise. We’ve probably used it – to help ourselves, or someone else, working through difficult times. But what does it really mean to us? Often, when I’m fretting about something, I tell myself to ‘let go and let God.’ But do I really do that? Do you?

It occurred to me recently, that I’m very selective about what I turn over to God. ‘It’s ok,’ I might as well be saying, ‘I’ve got it now, I can take it from here.’ Really? When I’ve got my head on straight, I realize that God does not do things in half measures, but you know what? He’s not going to argue about it. ‘You’ve got it? Fine, go for it,’ is how I imagine him replying (probably with the tiniest smirk). We’re like children, aren’t we, thinking we can do everything ourselves. Picture a child carrying something far too heavy for their size and stature. They’re stubborn though, insisting they’re big enough to carry their load…until the overwhelming weight of the thing stops them dead in their tracks, forcing them to admit defeat. That’s us! And it’s laughable, the way we think we can do everything for ourselves. But, just as we are, or were, with our own children, God is patient with us; waiting for us to turn our minds and hearts back to him. He’s there, always, to pick up the pieces and set us straight, once again.

So why fret? Why struggle? Why can’t we just let go…and let God direct the course of events with which we’ve been wrestling? It goes along the same lines as the way we pray. We pray for this and we pray for that, very specifically, instead of praying for the strength and courage to accept and follow God’s will.

“Act as if everything depended on you; trust as if everything depended on God,” said Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Wouldn’t it just be so easy, uncomplicated and freeing to let God pilot our course? I say this as if it’s the way I live my life. Oh if that were true. I will reiterate…I’m selective about what I let God pilot, and even then, I want to be co-pilot! This is why prayer is essential to our wellbeing. It centers us, puts us back on the right track with our Lord and helps us to see the bigger picture. So, let’s think twice when we go to sit in that driver’s seat (so to speak) and defer to the one who truly is in control at all times. We just might enjoy the ride.

Good Grief

Patti & me — I wrote this piece a year ago. It’s two years now since my sister died . I think of her every day and thoughts of her still make me smile. Patricia McDonald Luca – 2 April 1956 – 13 March 2014.

A year has passed, since my sister Patricia died. Slowly, imperceptibly, it seems, healing is taking place. I think of her daily and, though the hole in my heart is still felt, the pain is not as great.

I read something recently about grief, and how, when help is sought, treatment given might be as for one suffering from depression. According to the psychologist and writer of the article – they are not the same thing, and should not be treated in the same way.

However, when we let our pain and grief take us to a dark place, then professional help should be sought. Grieving is a necessary process to cope with loss, but when it consumes us, when it prevents us from living our lives, it can spiral down into a dark depression that is far more serious than grief. I chose to look at this subject because many of my friends and acquaintances have lost loved ones recently. In this past year, so many of your family members and so many of our parish family have died. We are surrounded by those who have lost spouses, siblings, parents and children. Death is never an easy thing to face, but hopefully we can find comfort in knowing that we are not alone in our sorrow and loss, this is a part of life that we all encounter.

In our travels recently, my husband and I attended mass at St. Mary of the Assumption, in Huntsville, and, as I love to do, I took one of their bulletins, just to see how others do things. Right in the middle of the first page was a quote that touched my heart: “Those who die…are no further from us than God, and God is very near.”

I believe this to be true and I think this is why the pain is lessening. I often feel Patti’s presence. Sometimes it’s a nudging; pushing me to do and try things I have not done before. Other times it’s her voice, “Really, you’re going to wear that?” My sister had a delightful sense of humour and that is what I miss most, that and our long phone conversations that left us aching from laugther; our ears hurting from holding the phone against them for hours at a time.

Yes, loss is painful, but life continues on in spite of our loss and grief. The world moves forward and we must move with it; move beyond ourselves. Easter approaches and our faith calls us to rejoice – in the Good News, in the Risen Christ, and in our departed loved ones sharing in God’s promise!

Tags death, love

Catholic Lent love

Journeying on through Lent

Post author By admin
Post date March 5, 2016
No Comments on Journeying on through Lent

I’m trying to love more. Don’t laugh…and don’t think it’s easy! When Jesus said, it’s easy to love our friends and family, but we must love our enemies too, therein lies the difficulty. Actually, it’s not always that easy to love the ones we love!

So, if we make this one of our Lenten disciplines, how do we begin? It seems a daunting task, but really it’s pretty straightforward – LOVE – that’s all we have to do…but whom and how? Begin with a simple smile. Just smiling at people will make them feel good and it will do wonders for your well-being too. Before my sister died, I told my husband I thought she was pushing herself… to sound happy…to sound well. ‘What’s wrong with that?’ he said, ‘Ultimately, she’ll convince her body of it too.’ And you know, there’s truth in that. She did convince her body, for a very long time. You can do it too. Even on an off day, if you smile enough, your body will give up and give in – you’ll actually begin to feel better.

When you’ve gotten the hang of smiling at people – add a kind word. It’s surprising how kind words are win/win. You can make such a difference in someone’s day by complimenting them. The change in their demeanor is instantaneous, and that feeling spills over and comes back to you.

Sometimes our love can be shown with silence, perhaps a hug. Helping someone through a tragic loss is difficult. Often we have no words. That’s ok, a warm embrace speaks volumes.

When we begin simply, it’s not an insurmountable task. Just one small act of kindness at a time can change the world…eventually. So let’s begin each day asking ourselves how we can make someone’s day a little brighter. By the time Easter arrives, we’ll have a true grasp of the numerous ways we can show our love for one another