Mother Teresa

This post is written in honor of Mother Teresa, a very devout Christian.   I am not Catholic and sometimes think Christians get way too caught up in their denominational battles and lose sight of God’s Holy Church.  Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and of course, it is His bride.  More so than most people because of my background and interests, I have an understanding of the differences in doctrine.  Rather than always point out our differences, it is better to comprehend our similarities.   If we were to embrace one another, I think you will find our belief in the same precept.  'We are all saved by grace through faith from our Lord Jesus Christ.'  This last sentence is the basis of faith as written in John 3:16.  The majority of the posts written in my blog is about my feelings in regard to love, compassion, forgiveness and caring.  I think as you read this post today, you may also find these quotes from Mother Teresa also reflect her feelings about love, compassion, forgiveness and caring.  Remember, as Christians we are to embrace our brothers and sisters, and if we were all able to accomplish this in the same manner as she did, our world would be a better place.  My hope is that as you read her thoughts, you will discover a new insight into our similarities as God's children all belonging to the human race.

Quotes from Mother Teresa

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”

“It is not how much we do,
but how much love we put in the doing.
It is not how much we give,
but how much love we put in the giving.”

“Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen,
for God speaks in the silence of the heart.”

“If you are humble nothing will touch you,

neither praise nor disgrace,

because you know what you are.”

“Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any failure

as long as you have done your best.”

“If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive.”

“When a poor person dies of hunger,
it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her.
It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to
give that person what he or she needed.”

“Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen,
for God speaks in the silence of the heart.”

“It is not enough for us to say: "I love God," but I also have to love my neighbor.
St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God
and you don't love your neighbor.
How can you love God whom you do not see,
if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live?”

“I see God in every human being.
When I wash the leper's wounds I feel I am nursing the Lord himself.   Is it not a beautiful experience?”

“Do not wait for leaders, do it alone, person to person.”

“There is a terrible hunger for love.
We all experience that in our lives - the pain, the loneliness.
We must have the courage to recognize it.
The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them.”

“The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give.
But the less you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a freedom.  It is not a mortification, a penance. It is joyful freedom.
There is no television here, no this, no that.
But we are perfectly happy.”.

“If we pray, we will believe;
If we believe, we will love.
If we love, we will serve.”

“You and I, we are the Church, no?
We have to share with our people.
Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing.
Jesus made it very clear.
Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.
Give a glass of water, you give it to me.
Receive a little child, you receive me.
Clear.”

“Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor
for helping us to love God better because of them.”

“Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger.
Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread,
and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy.”

“The hunger for love
The most terrible poverty
is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.”

“If you cannot feed a hundred people,
then feed just one.”

“Where there is great love,
there are always great miracles.”

“We know that whatever we do is simply a droplet in the ocean.
But if that droplet were missing, the ocean would be lacking.”

“Joy is a net of love
by which you can catch souls.”

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.
Be the living expression of God's kindness:
kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”

“God is the friend of silence.
See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence;
see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...
We need silence to be able to touch souls.” 

“Peace begins with a smile.”

“There is no greater sickness in the world today than the lack of love.”
- Mother Teresa

Today, make a decision to make a difference in just one person’s life.  It may be a family member, a friend, neighbor or a complete stranger.  God placed you on this earth to make a difference, and today is our opportunity to do so.  Remember not to judge,  but to love.

Godspeed!

Truth

Life is fleeting, time is precious, we must make the most of every day, every moment and realize we only have so little time to live.  I love you!  Is that so hard to say? Let’s try again… is that so hard to do?  The difference between the most evolved human beings and those whom think they are is humility, grace, undying forgiveness, unfailing love, kindness, gentleness and true compassion laced with real understanding. 

I am sorry for my imperfections, my failings and shortfalls; it is my fragility that makes me human.  I am unafraid to reveal myself to you.  Question is… why are you so timid in opening the doors of your spirit to me?  I do not think it is because you lack courage, no one has more to be ashamed of than me, so why do you fear? 

Fear does not become you or I, it is our enemy!  Faith is our ally, hope and optimism springs forth from our daily consciousness.  We choose to embrace life only seeking the best.  Today, let’s choose to walk together, be unafraid to take my hand as I take yours.  The path may not always be straight, are you okay with that?  Do you understand there is never a straight path, if you choose to believe so, then you choose to believe in delusion.  I am much stronger than you will ever know, the source of my strength is the revealing of my emotions backed up by the leading of the Spirit and the power of God. 

Do you really seek truth?  Do you really pursue to live your life with real devotion being true to yourself and others?  Are you really so faithful living with dedication, candor and loyalty to the most sincere in your life?  What degree of true fidelity do you really have towards them, can you be trusted?  Are you legitimate, just what is your reality?  How certain are you about the accuracy of your thoughts and feelings?  Are you sure your opinion is the truth or are you fooled into believing a false sense of reality based on your fears and insanities rather than acknowledging the veracity of my authenticity?

Life is fleeting, I was brought to you for a reason.  Our presence in one another’s lives is the fulfillment of our shared destiny.  Do you find me genuine?  If so, then why all this insanity? 

Today, I get on my knees and pray for God to reveal the truth, for strength to follow His word, discover my destiny and to remember who I am may not be who you are.  As much as I hate to pray for patience, I pray for Him to provide me with strength, as those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and mount up on wings like Eagles. 

You and I both desire to make the right choices based on timing as our decisions will impact our lives forever.  We both know to live with the freedom true love has to offer is better than suffering the consequences of poor choices, no matter how enticing.     

Stay with your dream...

Are you dedicated to fear?

What is your life dedicated to….. fear or faith?

We become so entranced with what we do not want.

Instead we should stay with our dream.

We feel fear when we do not tend to our dreams.

We decide to be afraid.

We may not be able to control the conditions, but we can control our thoughts.

Stay with your dream and let fear reside in the other corner of the room.

You do not have to go over there.

Stay with your dream!

Believe in yourself.

Believe the best in others.

Seek relationships in your life with others who believe in you.

Never leave your dream!

Stay dedicated to faith!

Let fear stand by itself alone in the other corner of the room, never go over there again!

Your dream is too important.

Your life so much larger than what you fear, believe me, trust me, you are so much more.

Dedicate you life today to faith!

Dedicate your life today to live your dreams.

Every possibility is available to you.

Be bold, live brilliantly, live large.

Be Faithful to Yourself, remain Faithful to your Dream.

Stay With Your Dream...

Who I want to be...

In this moment I pose the question, “Who do I want to be?”  This is a really great question as the answer begs so many possibilities.  There is so much to who I am and to whom I want to be, and for whom.  I want to be a lover!  That is what I want to be.  I want to love my life, my family, my friends and others, everyone I meet.  I want to love a special woman and grace her with a constant shower of love and understanding, friendship and true caring.  I want the connection to be so great, the spark always there combined with real commitment, true loyalty and honor.  I want to love my children and help them grow to be strong, smart and wise, to lead the lives they want. The choices they make may not be my idea of ‘shangri la,’ but as long as they can express themselves and discover self-actualization, it’s okay.  I want to love my grandchildren and give them the best I have to offer, my sensitivity, my tears, my kisses, my caring and the wisdom their parents refused to heed.

I love my parents, they are so incredibly special, maybe I always did not listen, take heed or live up to the best of their expectations, but their love never left me.  From my parents, I have learned compassion.  They may not always show it and speak a tough talk, but they always melt.  Their dedication to each other now going on 50 years is a tribute to themselves and the power of God within their lives.

I love my siblings and want to acknowledge to them without question, I am always here for them.

I want to love my friends and their children; I want my friends to know they can always call me.  The best of my talents belong to them, and always are available for the asking.  I may not always be graced with all the riches of the world; however they make my life rich.  I want them to know I love them and their children, and I pray for them every day and ask God to bestow the greatest blessings on heaven and earth upon them.

I want to love myself!  So many of us do not, we conjure up fear, anxiety, and false realities.  Rather we must humbly recognize our own brilliance in the quiet shadows of the day unbeknownst to others.  There are so many possibilities in our lives, why do we stop ourselves?  I want to be the best I can be and write, paint, give, care, teach, speak, sell and change the world and turn it upside down.  I want to pray such deep prayers, that God stirs within my soul at the moment of their utterance, and know with so much vivid clarity that He is there, causing me to tremble. 

I want to kiss everyone, and to never be afraid to do so, or to take the hands of others and hold them, look them in the eyes, and soulfully connect with their spirit.  I want to go somewhere and dance in the streets, jump for joy, smile broadly and laugh voraciously. I want to wake up with one shoe on and one shoe off and wondered what happened. 

I want to travel the world before it ends.  You may not know it, but you might just be coming along… Paris, London, The Great Wall, the Taj Mahal, navigating the desert on camelback, rafting the waves, sail boarding, diving in the deep and frolicking on Islands with white sand, taking on the Bush, or maybe exploring the ruins at Machu Picchu.  There is too much to do and we’re going to make time to do it!

I want to teach you to live, live, live.

We work to fund the rest of our lives, the problem is we spend so much time planning our work; we fail to plan our lives.  It is time to end that nonsense!  There is no reason to live with regret for the things we did not do in the name of chasing a rat.  Yeah, you and I are going to chase rats, and we are going to be wildly successful doing so; but we are also going to make the race our own, and live exceedingly fulfilled.

I want to be the person who inspires himself and others to live well.  Living well does not mean you are eating steak every night, or without heartbreak and hurt. Living well is to acknowledge the resources of God to always overcome life’s hurdles grow and become stronger.  There are some of you who have lifted me up in your own special way with your resources, love and caring.  And I know the reason is you believe in me, and know that together we will experience brighter, happier days.  And you also know I will always be there to help you when you need it and recognize our mutual gratification for one another is truly sincere.  

In Eric Osterle’s senior seminar class at Purdue, an old man from near Peru, Indiana visited class one day and said, “Opportunities lie in windrows!”  He was indeed right, they are absolutely everywhere, all we have to do is open our eyes, pick up the phone, send an email, knock on a door, write a note, connect with others and be unafraid to look beyond what we know.  It may cause us to stretch, but it is worth the stretching.

We all pride ourselves in being hard workers, hard work itself never made anyone successful.  It has taken me years to learn this fact, it is the smart worker putting first things first that makes the difference.  It is also our own ability to overcome our fear of rejection and just move forward. We must proudly pronounce to the world, ‘Carpe diem – seize the day!’ 

I want to love people whom I do not know and yet to meet.  I want to help people who are unable to help themselves, to find ways to enrich their lives even if on the most basic level of life.  I want to teach others to reach outside of themselves and become who God created them to be.  He did not place us on earth to live in obscurity. The shadows are no place for you and I.  The world is our stage, and this is our moment to shine, to live distinctive lives.  The whole world does not need to know our name, but if to each other we are iconic, that is enough celebrity to distinguish ourselves to one another.  We comprehend who we are, appreciate each other’s strengths and live with humble gratitude recognizing the impact we have stamped upon each other.  Rather than to live selfishly, you and I have chosen to live differently.  I love you, I want you to know this in a very real way.  The greatest honor, the greatest gift I can ever receive is when you reach out to me and say…. with great sincerity those three words and together we smile, soulfully embrace and experience in that moment eternity.  

Are You My Miracle?

Are you my miracle?

Will you hold my hand?

Will you kiss me?

Will you love me and never let me go?

When we embrace, will you know I am real?

Will you accept me for who I am?

Will you really talk to me?

Will you be my best friend?

Do you know how to forgive?

Do you know how to love?

You won’t run away, will you?

Do you accept a man who cares?

Do you accept a man who gives?

Are your smiles real and genuine?

Are you truthful and transparent?

Can you handle all my emotions… all of them?

Good and Bad!

I am not to be feared!

Can you pray with me?

Are you who you say you are?

Do you really believe in God?

Do you truly trust in Him?

Are you able to stand life’s tests?

Are you truthful and honest?

Do you want to be loved?

Are you afraid?

If so, of what, whom, and why?

Do you know the meaning of compassion?

I always will care and never run away.

If I choose to love you, I will give you the best of my soul.

I’m not perfect, and I do not expect you to be…

It’s okay to admit our sins.

I can accept you for who you are.

Question… can you accept me for all my shortcomings?

Will you focus on my strengths?

Will you take me as I am?

I know how to really love!

My heart has been shattered

All the healed cracks make it stronger and better

At least that is what they tell me.

I wonder if two shattered hearts repaired are the strongest of them all.

Will it be okay if I just stop and gaze deeply into your eyes?

I want to be mesmerized…

Do you?

Are you looking for a miracle?

Do you believe a miracle is hard to really find?

Are you my miracle?

Are you seeking a miracle?

Could this encounter of words be the answer to a prayer?

Again, are you afraid?

What do you fear?

I know we have both been betrayed

But you are strong, and together we make each other stronger

And we can get past the hurt.

In fact, when I see you

There is none.

So you know… I believe in miracles!

I believe in you.

When our eyes meet, I hope to see your smile.

Because you will see mine

As I will know

You are truly my miracle.