Saturday, March 16, 2024

Irish Blessings


May God give you,

For every storm a rainbow,

For every fear a smile,

For every care a promise,

And a blessing in each trial.

For every problem life sends,

A faithful friend to share,

For every sigh, a sweet song,

And an answer for each prayer.

 

 

May joy and peace surround you,

Contentment latch your door

And happiness be with you now

And bless you evermore.

 

 

May the sun always shine

on your windowpane;

May a rainbow be certain

to follow every rain;

May the hand of a friend

always be near you;

May God fill your heart

with gladness to cheer you.

 

 

May love and laughter light your days

And warm your heart and home,

May good and faithful friends be yours

Wherever you may roam,

May peace and plenty bless your world

With joy that long endures,

May all life’s passing seasons bring

The best to you and yours.

 

 

May you live a long life

Full of gladness and health,

With a pocket full of gold

As the least of your wealth.

May the dreams you hold dearest,

Be those that come true.

And the kindness you spread,

Keep returning to you.

 

 

May your life be filled with laughter,

May your heart be filled with song,

May your eyes be filled with beauty,

And may your soul always know

to whom you belong.

 

 

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face

The rains fall softly upon your fields

And until we meet again

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

 

 

Irish or not, may God use us to be a blessing with our words, actions, and deeds.

 

The LORD bless you

and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you

and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you

and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26 

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Doing the Extra

Phineas’ young son had been saving his money for over a year and now had $120.  He finally decided what he wanted to do with the money and went to talk with his parents.  Phineas recounted, “Saturday morning, my son walked into my room and said he wanted to use his money to help the homeless.  I asked him what he had in mind, and he said he wanted to make them lunches.  I have to be honest, I almost tried to talk him into just holding on to his money and having mom and dad pay for it, but the light in his eyes told me to just roll with it.”  The family went together to buy groceries and then came home to make sandwiches and pack the lunch bags.  After loading the car, they went to an area in Houston, Texas, where their son happily passed out lunches to people in need.

Each week, Rachael Rediger makes extra meals and delivers them to her neighbors.  At different times, she also gifts snack items, arranged in a plastic container to keep them fresh.

 

Amber Anderson has a creative way to encourage a cashier who might be having a tough day.  When checking out, Amber seems to be undecided about what candy bar to choose.  She’ll turn to the cashier and ask, “What’s your favorite?”  Amber then commented, “I buy whatever they say, then hand it to them after the sale and tell them they’re doing a great job and to have a great day.  It perks them up every single time.  It’s my little thing.”

 

Today, Jonathan and Katy Anne Nabors Brack and their family will remember and honor their daughter, Esther Colleen.  In 2017, while expecting twins, the Bracks lost precious Esther on March 9.  Each year on this day, they choose to do random acts of kindness and service in her memory. This morning their family is making breakfast and taking it to their local fire department. They have made gift baskets to deliver and share with families who have a baby in the NICU.  As a tradition, Esther’s twin, Julianne, gets her hair cut and they give the stylist a big tip to honor Esther.  For dinner, they will go out to eat, find a family dining at the same place, and anonymously pay for their meal.  On this special day, the Bracks also invite family, friends, and others to join them in doing random acts of kindness in memory of their daughter, Esther Colleen.

 

Whether it’s participating in an act of kindness, or supporting and encouraging someone else in theirs, may we all be willing to do our part to make the world a better place.

 

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:18

Saturday, March 2, 2024

To Think About and Act Upon

 

Nothing can dim the light

that shines within you.

~ Maya Angelou

 

 

Life is 10% what happens to you

and 90% how you respond to it.

~ Lou Holtz

 

 

Throw love around

like confetti!

~ Jo Wright

 

 

It is a little embarrassing

that, after forty-five years

of research and study, the

best advice I can give to

people is to be a little

kinder to each other.

~ Aldous Huxley

 

 

WHEN THINGS CHANGE

INSIDE YOU,

THINGS CHANGE

AROUND YOU.

~ Olivia Rink

 

 

It’s not how much

scripture you know.

It’s how much

scripture you live.

~ TobyMac

 

 

REMEMBER THAT

HARD WORK IS A CHOICE.

ATTITUDE IS A CHOICE.

DISCIPLINE IS A CHOICE.

DOING EXTRA IS A CHOICE.

EXCELLENCE IS A CHOICE.

~ Allistair McCaw

 

 

God gave you a

fingerprint that no one

else has, so

you can leave an

imprint that no one

else can.

~ Steve Patterson

 

 

Sometimes what

looks like an

obstacle in your

path is actually a

gift meant to move

you in a different

direction.

~ Jane Lee Logan

 

 

WHAT YOU DO TODAY

CAN IMPROVE

YOUR TOMORROWS.

~ Ralph Marston

 

 

Be aware of what others are doing,

applaud their efforts,

acknowledge their successes,

and encourage them

in their pursuits.

When we all help one another,

everybody wins.

~ Jim Stovall

 

 

Leave

footprints of

love and kindness

wherever

you go.

 

 

May our thoughts lead to actions that make a difference for good to those we encounter.

 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

Philippians 4:8

 

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Thoughtful Actions

 

Needing only eight points to pass Kelsey Plum as all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball, it was pretty evident that Caitlin Clark would break the record in the Iowa Hawkeyes game against the Michigan Wolverines on February 15, 2024.  Much to the delight of the fans in the sold-out arena, Caitlin accomplished the feat in the first few minutes of the game with a layup, basket from the 3-point line, and the record breaking shot from the Iowa logo.  Clark scored so quickly that Iowa coach Lisa Bluder didn’t even have time to call a celebratory timeout before her team was at the other end of the court on defense.  Caitlin also broke the record for the most points scored in an Iowa women’s game with 49 points.  In anticipation of the scoring record, the Iowa Athletic department had interviewed and videoed Caitlin’s mom, dad, two brothers, coaches, teammates, and other significant people in her life to be shown at the end of the game.  T-shirts with “22” and “You break it, you own it” were given to the coaches and players, streamers came floating down, the video was shown, and a special basketball commemorating the event was presented to Clark.  After the game, there was another very thoughtful gesture.  Coach Lisa Bluder shared, “Michigan came in here in a tough scenario.  They’re playing in a tough situation.  I thought they played a great game.  They gave Caitlin a gift after the game and every one of those players wrote her a note.  I am so glad we have people in the Big Ten that understand the importance of this and the importance for women’s basketball.  I just think Michigan, that was a really classy way for them to handle this.  I appreciate Kim Barnes Arico for what she did.”

An older lady in Celeste, Texas, recently called the high school to share a story about 5 of their students.  She had gone to dinner at IHOP.  The young men saw her sitting alone and asked her if she would like to join them at their bigger table.  After an enjoyable dinner and conversation, the boys paid for her meal.  The lady at the school expressed, “She was impressed by our young men and that her heart was touched by their kindness and manners.  She asked me if I would allow her to come up to the school so that she could bring the 5 young men a Valentine’s balloon.”  The school representative continued, “Any school should be proud when their young men and women go out into the world and make a positive impact.”  Koby Brown, Aiden Eudy, Tanner Minter, Toby Minter, and former graduate Brendan Carter are to be commended for their thoughtful deed.

 

May we also look for ways to express thoughtful actions that encourage, motivate, thank, and make the world a better place for others.

 

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Hebrews 13:16