Category: Trust

In a Tumultuous World

Only during Holy Week do I ever really consider the circumstances of Jesus’ crucifixion. How could such a thing happen? If I had been there, surely I would not have been one with the crowd that shouted “Crucify him.” But would I have stood silent, for fear of what the crowd would do to me?

When my children were young, I would not let them use the word hate, it’s a bad word. “You may say, ‘I dislike intensely,’ but never say hate.” That being said, I hate crowds. There’s an energy and an influence that takes over, suddenly. In a flash, it is no longer a group of individuals, but a mob, of one mind – the mind and the influence of the leader(s) and violence and chaos can take over in a heartbeat.

The events that transpired in Charlottesville, Virginia, recently, filled me with sadness and dread. In addition to the events themselves, the way the president dealt with them and the way the United States has been divided by them, one can only worry.

It seems as if the world has turned upside down and inside out. Genocide is taking place in parts of our world; devastation from hurricanes, floods and earthquakes south of us; white supremacists are coming out of the woodwork; the leaders of North Korea and the United States have resorted to adolescent name-calling; and mass killings in Las Vegas. But, what has the president of the United States up in arms? A group of athletes ‘taking a knee’ in quiet, peaceful protest. What is this world coming to?

One can so easily become disheartened hearing, reading and watching these events unfold before our eyes. Several things keep me centered when I begin to feel weighed down by world atrocities: 1.) I truly believe these things have been going on since time immemorial, but technology now brings them to us instantly, sometimes we even see them happening live; 2.) I believe there is an equal amount of goodness in the world (which sadly, the media does not consider newsworthy); and 3.) I believe prayer can heal wounds and action can change lives.

We must remain positive and prayerful. But we cannot afford to remain silent in the light of injustice. Jesus did not tolerate injustice. He did not use violence; he did not berate the crowd, his means were always non-violent, but effective. We can follow Jesus’ lead. In our own way, in our own space, we can heal wounds, change lives, and instill hope – with love, positivity and prayer.

Faith family God Humor Listening Trust

Perceptions

Have you ever wondered about those little details that vary in the telling of the four Gospels? Of course, each Gospel was written at a different time, for a different audience, but still, how is it that certain things are omitted, and other details are there but, well, different?

A recent phone conversation with my brother went something like this:

“Remember how, on July 4^th, Judy would always say, ˜well, the summer’s practically shot,'” John said. Judy is our oldest sister, now deceased.

“What? Judy didn’t say that. It was Mamie (our great-grandmother, long deceased also).”

“No, Margie, I distinctly remember Judy saying that. Besides, that’s not how Mamie talked.”

“Well, Judy must have been paraphrasing Mamie, because I remember her saying, ‘July 4^thalready. The summer is practically over.”

“But I can see Judy when she said it, she’s sitting on her towel at the high tide beach.”

“Where was the high tide beach?”

“The one by Ames’ property.”

“That was the high tide beach? I just called it our beach.”

See how things can get skewed? John is 8 years my senior, so he would remember things I would not know, but, now that he is in his 70s, I have him doubting his memory of events. And neither Judy nor Mamie are here to verify the facts.

To get my siblings conferring on the subject of my falling out of a moving car when I was two, would have your head spinning – four different individuals, four different takes on the subject – all hilarious, except for Michael’s version. He was five and obviously traumatized by the event. “It wasn’t funny,” is always his contribution to the story.

It’s no wonder we are sometimes confused by the variations in the Gospels – different people perceive things differently. But, though some of the details may be omitted or embellished, the core of the message, that kernel of truth – about Jesus, about his words and actions – is at the heart of the matter. And that is Good News indeed.

Faith family God love Prayer Trust

Love

Post author By admin
Post date May 23, 2017
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When my sons were in their teens, the protestations began about attending Mass. I explained to them that this was my job, part of the job of raising them – to build a solid foundation of faith. They rolled their eyes and simply chalked it up with all the other restrictions and limitations I placed on their lives. I speak singularly, as if my husband wasn’t in the picture. He was, but he was the softy; I was the one who held them to the house rules. I never felt I was a strict disciplinarian, but once

we decided on a certain plan of action – I didn’t waffle, as someone else might have.

Skip ahead two decades and we have finally reached that point I had always heard about and had only dreamed of – that point in their lives when they see us differently; they admire our wisdom. Our one son, with three children, now realizes the importance of rules and holding kids to them. His younger brother – soon to be a father, is observant. Our daughters-in-law often swell our heads, complimenting us on raising such wonderful sons. I simply look heavenward, with thankful praise to God for his bounteous gifts. They are not church goers, these sons of ours, but they were given a foundation of faith, they were taught respect and were respected, and they were immersed in love. I have hope…I have faith.

On Mother’s Day, our oldest, invited not only his parents to his house, but his in-laws, his brother and his wife – the expectant parents – and his brother’s in-laws. We mothers were honoured but I, and most especially my son’s wife, were very proud. He worked tirelessly to ensure everything was just so, for these many women in his life.

I learned from my own parents that lecturing and preaching to non-practicing children does nothing to increase their desire to return to the Church. In many instances, it alienates grown children from their parents. My son once told his wife (right in front of me), “Some people preach their faith, but my parents live their faith.” My eyes welled up with tears. I have hope…I have faith.

Sitting and observing all the busyness of Mother’s Day, what I witnessed everywhere I looked was love. My husband and my son, busy in the kitchen; my younger son and his pregnant wife, cuddled up on the chaise in the living room; the grandchildren playing on the floor with their other grandpa, and we ladies sitting around the dining room table, sipping wine, laughing and sharing stories of times past. Everywhere I looked, I saw love. God’s love. God is love.

A dear friend very recently said to me, “God equals love – love equals God.” I have great faith…I have much hope

Catholic Faith God Listening Prayer Trust

Ordinary Time

We are back to Ordinary Time…in the Church and in our lives. Christmas and New Year’s festivities are over, decorations are packed away and those lovely extra days off are but a distant memory. But, ordinary to me means – the usual…the same old same old…and one can become complacent with the ordinary, which we should never be. Of course, that is not its meaning in the Church Calendar, for each and every Sunday we celebrate the day of the risen Lord, which is far from ordinary.

So how do we handle ordinary times in the grind of our daily lives? Our lives are a spiritual journey and we can speed along like we’re traveling the 401 on cruise control, or we can take the less traveled route and fill our hearts and minds with beauty and wonder.

I recently read the book The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. The premise is – where what you’re good at and what you’re passionate about intersect is where you’ll find your element. (I’m hoping this will push me to write more than I do.) One of the wonderful things that happens when we pay closer attention on our journey is that we become open to the extraordinary…I came upon this prayer the other day and it, along with the book I’m reading gave me an Aha! Moment:

God our father, you have a plan for each one of us. You hold out to us a future full of hope. Give us the wisdom of your Spirit so that we can see the shape of your plan in the gifts you have given us, and in the circumstances of our daily lives.

Amen to that! Let’s pay attention on our journey, and try our hardest not to be ordinary

community coping Humor Listening Prayer Stength Trust Uncategorized

Did You Hear That?

When later asked if he was correct in hearing that the wind was going to shift to the South East…I really couldn’t say. I mean, by the time I’ve listened to 20 minutes of the French weather forecast, followed, in English, by every nuance in temperature and humidity level from North Bay to Timbuctoo, my attention span is gone. When the actual marine forecast comes on, I’m thinking about a snack, and a reasonable time for happy hour to begin. So no, I couldn’t say if he was correct in his hearing. Regardless – when the gale winds blew from the North, we were totally unprepared.
We’ve all said it before – it was the longest day of my life. I’ve said it before, but nothing I’ve endured in the past could compare to being tossed, thrown, beaten and bruised from noon to mid-afternoon, only to hear, on the updated forecast – WARNING – Gale force North winds on Georgian Bay…diminishing around midnight. MIDNIGHT?!?! There was nothing to do but watch and wait. Well, Leon was plenty busy, checking coordinates, checking lines, replacing lines, checking coordinates, trying to prevent the anchor and chain from ripping the bow off the boat. I am the one who watched and waited. Watched while Leon went to the bow numerous times, life-jacketed and tethered; watched as the dingy lines (2) snapped and the dingy rode the waves happily to shore; watched the guy on the beach nicely carry our dinghy up out of the surf; watch the bow pulpit float by me, while I watched the cops come down to the beach (three times in all), stare at our boat, talk to the cottagers and then leave, not knowing what to do to help us. It was, indeed, the longest day of my life.
They say you meet the nicest people boating, but in this case, the nicest people were the cottagers in Big Sand Bay, who all came out to greet me when I swam to shore next morning; the guy who canoed out to Anerca to get Leon and Scout; his wife and sister-in-law who made us breakfast; his brother who later helped Leon to jury-rig the tiller (yes that got broken too)…despite their kindnesses – I wanted to go home!
That brings me to my purpose in writing this piece…my husband is looking for a sailing partner – strictly a sailing partner, you understand. One who remains calm under pressure and can really pay attention to marine weather forecasts!

Catholic coping Spiritual Renewal Trust

Renew the Face of the Earth

Post author By admin
Post date August 2, 2016
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Summer is here! The earth is fully renewed! So why aren’t I? “Come, Holy Spirit,” we sing, “renew the face of the earth.” Doesn’t that include me – all of us? I run, I bike ride with my husband, we sail on weekends…and maybe that’s the problem right there – too busy; no time to sit and think; no time to smell the roses; no time to rest. Summer comes and we try to squeeze as many activities into it as we possibly can. That’s understandable, of course, with six to seven months of winter behind us, we want to be outside, we want to celebrate warmth and greenery, water and light.

Is it my age then? Is that why I’m so tired? Is it my worries; are they what are exhausting me? Bingo! So, instead of renewing the face of the earth, renew my faith and trust. I don’t know about you, but I need to trust that God will handle those things I cannot change…I need to trust that those things I want changed are in his hands and he will ‘handle’ them according to his will. Clearly, I’m not always in sync with God. In my prayers I plead, bargain, cajole. Clearly I’m not paying attention when, in praying the Our Father I say, ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done.’ There are times when I deliberately ignore that phrase, with a ‘yes but’ attitude. You know – ‘yes Lord, but I don’t think you quite understand where I’m coming from…let me just explain.’ Give it up. He understands our thoughts better than we can attempt to articulate them.

The other morning when I was out running, the sun was just coming up over the trees, birds were singing, insects were buzzing and I felt like I could run for miles and miles. I truly felt renewed. Everywhere I looked I was treated to his beautiful creation – nothing man-made, but for the hay bails in the fields, the barns and fences.

So, when we find ourselves drained of energy, bereft of spirit, we need to sit in the quiet of a church and talk to God. I picture him rolling his eyes and thinking to himself – you again! But I know that really he wraps his arms around us because we soon feel his love envelop us, calming our concerns. If the church is not easily accessible, find a place to sit and meditate on God’s caring nature, preferably in a place that’s filled with his beauty. Sit in a garden, a park, smell the flowers, listen to the birds…just let go and let God do the rest. Trust me, renewal will come.

Faith love Prayer Stength Trust

Family Matters

Beautiful sister — Rest in peace, Beautiful Sister – Oct. 2011, with her grandson.

I’ve never been one to fall into the lament, ‘why do bad things happen to good people?’ It’s a pointless exercise and I’ve never wasted the time. There are just things we must accept. My oldest sister was born a ‘blue baby.’ She had congenital heart disease along with many developmental problems. She was not supposed to live beyond her childhood, but was 35 when she died. Even then I felt cheated, losing her when we did. My husband never met her which was so unfortunate, because to know Judy was to have your life changed forever. My parents never questioned why this happened to them; why their poor innocent child was dealt such a heavy hand. They accepted God’s will and made the best life they could for their special daughter – an impressive example for the rest of their children. My mother died of cancer 20 years ago. We were blessed to have her into her 74th year. Over the course of my life time, she suffered through many bouts of the disease – always with grace, dignity and a very strong faith. We learned a lot from mother, through her illness. When one of my sisters lost her husband in a tragic motorcycle accident several years ago, we were all devastated, heartbroken and my sister was consumed with grief. Her daughters and sons-in-law were a tremendous help to her, but her faith gave her the strength to move forward. Again, a powerful example for the rest of us. Now our baby sister must call upon that strength, dignity and most importantly, that faith that we have witnessed in our family over and over again. Cancer touches all of our lives at some time or other. It has hit our family once again. Bad things happen to good people. With every fiber of my being I resist anger – it’s exhausting and serves no purpose. God did not cause this and we need him on our side more than ever. Above my desk in the office are the words, Faith – Hope – Love. A friend came in the other day and asked which one I was feeling most at that moment. I said, “All three, right now I need all three.” Don’t we all? We all experience hardship, tragedy and loss. But to lay blame in those situations where clearly no one is at fault is an unhealthy practice. That’s when meditation on the Serenity Prayer can be helpful. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. And though it is perhaps counter-productive to the prayer itself, I am compelled to add – and the strength to fight for one’s Life!

Bargaining Catholic God Humor Prayer Trust

Pushing the Limit

Driving along the highway in my little yellow bug, I find I’m always pushing the limit – the speed limit, that is. If it’s 50 km/h, I bump it up to 60. If it’s 60 km/h, I take it to 70. 80, to me, means keep it under 100. Driving along recently, in my meditative state, I thought about how we push the limit in so many ways. The quick check-out at the grocery store – ‘no more than 12 items’ – we sneak through with 15…or more. ‘No trespassing!’ ‘Do not walk on the grass!’ If we’re not actually breaking, we’re at least bending the rules more often than not. Even in the ways we pray and talk to God – we push.

In prayer, it seems, we are always bargaining, but God must be used to that. Look at the way God and Abraham haggled over Sodom. Being fed up with the sinfulness of the place, God planned to destroy it. Abraham dared to argue with the Lord – “But what if there are 50 just people to be found there? Would you wipe them away too, along with the wicked?”

“Well, no,” says God, “for the sake of the fifty, I would not destroy the city.” Abraham wears God down with his haggling and God, walking away (and throwing up his hands, no doubt) agrees to spare Sodom if he finds 10 just people living there. I have always loved this bible reading. Now I know that Abraham was quite new to monotheistic worship – you know, one Deity as opposed to the many gods he had previously worshipped. And we, on the other hand, are not. Still, this reading tells us that God was (and still is) approachable. And isn’t that good news?

Catholic Listening Trust

Listen Up!

Post author By admin
Post date June 2, 2016
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The Lord works in mysterious ways, doesn’t he? Recently, at a lovely, mini-retreat I attended, one of the facilitators, David Dayler, from the Hamilton Chancery office, gave the afternoon reflection and reminded us that God often spoke to the people of the Old Testament. “Why doesn’t God speak to us now?” is a question he’s asked all the time. His ready reply is that God does speak to us just as often…but we’re not listening.

Recently, on my way to work, I was pondering and praying as I so often do. Something in particular was niggling at me – something I want to tackle, but fear stops me in my tracks. I’ve wrestled with this very thing for years in fact, but this time I put up a little prayer for some guidance and encouragement. In the course of that very day, two things came across my desk (or over my computer screen). The first was in reference to St. Teresa of Avila and the writer finished with, “When faced with the unexpected, may you, like Saint Teresa, trust in God and be open to the possibilities.” The second was a quote from Saint John XXIII – “Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what is still possible for you to do.”

Wow! It’s as if the heavens opened up and God bellowed, “Are you listening, Margery? It’s me, God!” Yes, I heard him loud and clear. I smiled the rest of the day and then I said to myself, ok, now get to work, you just can’t sit there and expect things to happen, you have to put in a little effort yourself, you know.

That’s the way it is with all of our encounters with God. We do have to do our part, but it sure feels good, when we sense that he is truly on our side. So, listen carefully, with an open mind and heart…and be prepared to get to work!

Catholic coping Stength Trust

The Nature of Things

The heavens are telling the glory of God
And all creation is shouting for joy.
Come dance in the forest, come play in the fields
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord.

My heart was bursting with this hymn the other morning on my run. The sky was azure blue, birds’ song filled the air, the temperature was such that my fingers were not freezing and it felt to me as if the world could not be more perfect.

If only every day was like that. Then there are those ‘why me, Lord?’ kind of days that go downhill from breakfast, or the morning commute. Life can get pretty hectic, chaotic even. We get tired and grouchy and we just want the world to stop. That’s a natural reaction to a day gone wrong. But that’s exactly the time to turn to others; concentrate on the needs of others. If we would just open our eyes and look around us, we’d see family members, friends, acquaintances struggling with far greater concerns. Some are plagued with money troubles, others marital difficulties and then there are those with life-threatening illnesses – some are facing many of these things all at once. We have all been witness to those who have endured one trial after another and we wonder how they do it. How do they go on, stay sane, maintain their dignity, hold their heads high?

There’s an age-old expression that tells us God never gives us more than he feels we can handle. This is actually believed to be a twisted paraphrasing of 1 Corinthians 10:13. “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.”

Sadly, some can’t endure it. They are struck down and never seem to recover. Then there are those who bounce back, get up on their feet again and again, ever moving forward. They are truly blessed because they know that God will not test them beyond their strength; they trust that their burdens are not unlike others and God will help them through, he will provide them with a way out. They know love. Surely, I could not deal with all they’re going through, we say to ourselves. But we could. We have. We are those people – when we trust in the love that is God…and sing – sing to the glory of the Lord.