The Best Within You!!! Worth Reading!!

Beauty lives in springtimes blush
And in her leaves and flowers lush.
Every day new buds unfold
In shades of pink and red and gold.

Beauty dwells in a sun-splashed day
When butterflies come out to play.

Each blazing dawn brings new delight;
Sunsets purple the skies night.

Beauty lives in springtimes's kiss,
In peach and apple blossom bliss.
All the world is fresh and new
When blushing Spring makes her debut.

Nora M Bozeman

A Hug


It's wondrous what a hug can do,
A hug can cheer you when you're blue.
A hug can say, 'I love you so'
Or, 'I hate to see you go.'
A hug is, 'Welcome back again!'
And 'Great to see you!' or
'Where've you been?'

A hug can sooth a child's pain,
And bring a rainbow after rain.
The hug! There's just no doubt about it,
We scarcely could survive without it.

A hug delights and warms and charms.
It must be why we have arms.
Hugs are great for fathers and mothers,
Sweet for sisters, even for brothers.

And chances are, some favorite aunts
Love them more than potted plants.
Kittens crave them, Puppies love them,
Heads of state are not above them.

A hug can break the language barrier,
And make the dullest day seem merrier.
No need to fret about the store of 'em:
The more you give,
The more there are of 'em.

So stretch those arms without delay
And give someone a hug today.



Hugs and God Bless,
Cherie

Be not anxious about tomorrow.
Do today's duty, fight todays battle,and
do not weaken and distrust yourself
by looking forward to things which
you cannot see and could not understand
if you saw them.

Charles Kingsley

I know I am early with this ,but my nephew is having
open heart surgery in the morning and I will be at the hospital , and I wanted to make sure to wish you all
a happy St. Patricks day!


St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world's most popular saints.
Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 461.


Along with St. Nicholas and St. Valentine, the secular world shares our love of these saints. This is also a day when everyone's Irish.

There are many legends and stories of St. Patrick, but this is his story.

Patrick was born around 385 in Scotland, probably Kilpatrick. His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britian in charge of the colonies.

As a boy of fourteen or so, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He learned the language and practices of the people who held him.

During his captivity, he turned to God in prayer. He wrote

"The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same." "I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain."

Patrick's captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him back to Britian, where he reunited with his family.

He had another dream in which the people of Ireland were calling out to him "We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more."

He began his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained by St. Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, whom he had studied under for years.

Later, Patrick was ordained a bishop, and was sent to take the Gospel to Ireland. He arrived in Ireland March 25, 433, at Slane. One legend says that he met a chieftain of one of the tribes, who tried to kill Patrick. Patrick converted Dichu (the chieftain) after he was unable to move his arm until he became friendly to Patrick.

Patrick began preaching the Gospel throughout Ireland, converting many. He and his disciples preached and converted thousands and began building churches all over the country. Kings, their families, and entire kingdoms converted to Christianity when hearing Patrick's message.

Patrick by now had many disciples, among them Beningnus, Auxilius, Iserninus, and Fiaac, (all later canonized as well).

Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461.

He died at Saul, where he had built the first church.

Why a shamrock?
Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, and has been associated with him and the Irish since that time.

In His Footsteps:
Patrick was a humble, pious, gentle man, whose love and total devotion to and trust in God should be a shining example to each of us. He feared nothing, not even death, so complete was his trust in God, and of the importance of his mission.

Thank you Patti so much ~

Blessed are the happiness makers;
Blessed are they that remove friction,
That make the courses of life smooth.
Henry Ward Beecher

Carrie, thanks for sharing that one, I love Helen Steiner Rice...



Today

People always love to talk about

yesterdays and people always love to

dream about tomorrow, but the truth is

that life can only be lived today.

Yesterdays can give us wonderful memories

and tomorrow can give us great hopes,

but today is where we are. Today is where

we live. Today is where we are happy or

unhappy, loving or selfish, and joyous or

miserable. That is why I always like to give

myself a special gift at the beginning of each

"Today." That special present is the gift

of joy. I know that if I can give myself

that gift today then today is going to be

great no matter what troubles I may face, problems I may confront, or pain I may

have to go through.
I always begin each "Today" then by

thanking God for my life, by inviting

God into my heart and soul, by telling

God just how much I love Him, and by

asking God to fill me with His love and

joy so that I can share it with the world.

I also make the commitment to choose all

the love and joy I possibly can and then

share it with everyone everywhere no

matter what I receive in return. I know that

if I can do this then I will have given myself

the gift of joy for "Today." I know that if

I can do this then I will be able to share

that gift with others too.
Give yourself that gift of joy today.

Allow God to give you His love and joy too. Share these gifts with the world as well.

Will it make today perfect? No, it will not,

but it will make you better, happier, more

loving, stronger, more joyous, and more

at one with God who loves you today and

for all eternity. Today truly is the only day

that you have. Why not make it the best,

most wonderful, most glorious "Today" that

you possibly can? Why not live it with all

the love in your heart and joy in your soul? Why not make your entire life a gift of

joy starting "Today"?

--Joseph J. Mazzella--

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Hugs and God Bless,
Cherie

Happiness is as a butterfly

which when pursued,

is always beyond our grasp,

but which,

if you will sit down quietly,

may alight upon you.



Nathaniel Hawthorne







Rejoice in the Lord always,

I will say it again: Rejoice!

Phillippians 4:4

Thank you Patti,that reminds me of "Be still and Know I am God"







God will send all kinds blessings. And all his

blessings go to together like links in a golden chain.



If he gives you saving grace, he will also give comforting grace.

God will send "showers of blessing."



Look up today, you who are dried and withered plants. Open your leaves and flowers and receive Gods heavenly watering.



Charles H. Spurgeon





From the fullness of grace we have all

received one blessing after another.

John 1:16

There are times in every life
when we feel hurt or alone...
But I believe that these times
when we feel lost
and all around us seems
to be falling apart
are really bridges of growth.

We stuggle and try to recapture
the security of what was,
but almost in spite of ourselves...
we emerge on the other side
with a new understanding,
a new awarness,
a new strength.

It is almost as though
we must go through the pain
and the struggle
in order to grow
and reach new heights.

Sue Mitchell

Carrie

Every day can be a beautiful day.
Just take a look around you
and think about all of the
wonderful things you have
to be thankful for...
the sunshine,
roses,
laughter,
close friends,
family,
music,
and beautiful dreams.
The storm is never
half as bad as it seems.
Don't let the rain ruin your day.
When the dark clouds move in
just smile,
because the good times
are on the way.


He has made everything beautiful
in it's time
Ecclesiastes 3:11

Pooh and Piglet walked home thoughtfully together in the golden evening, and for a long time they were silent.
"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.


Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known. ~Winnie-the-Pooh


Rivers know this: There is no hurry. We shall get there one day. ~Winnie-the-Pooh
When you are a bear of very little brain, and you think of things, you sometimes find that a thing which seemed very thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it! ~Winnie-the-Pooh


Carrie

Take a moment breath~

click on the link below

turn on your speakers



http://positivepause.com/



There is no guarantee of what will happen tomorrow. That's what makes now so vitally important.



For now you can live and act and think and speak and work and love and learn and play. Now is here and you have it to use, so put into now the fullness of life.



What is your most treasured dream? Now is when you can bring it to life.



What means more to you than anything else? Now is your moment to fill with that meaning.



Let all the goodness you've ever known touch you in this moment. And use the positive power of your creativity to build even more new value.



Now is what you have, now is where you are, and now is everything you need. Now is when you can make life great.



-- Ralph Marston



Carrie

Peace comes from living in the moment and looking for the good in others.
Peacefulness comes from facing our fears and letting them go - trusting that
things will turn out all right. Peacefulness is also a way of approaching conflict
with others so no one is made wrong. Everyone wins because we then work to
find a peaceful solution.


Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27



Carrie

Cherie,
That is so beautiful!
My spring flowers are blooming in my yard,
after a long winter, such a welcomed sight,
Gods promise of New Beginnings ~



Spring knows well the workings of the wheel,
Past winters past and winters still to come.
Released from time, the moment spreads its wings;
Infinite, it leaves behind all things,
Neither here nor there, nor to nor from,
Grace reborn within what we call real.


Carrie