Life is not always easy...but it is life...it is the life that I choose because I believe it is the life that our Savior has given me.  I want to do the "right" thing, even when nobody's watching.  That has not always led to good feelings, or even success has some might view it.  But, in my heart, I know I am seeking God's Will in my life and doing my best to do the "right" thing.

Some may judge me harshly, some fairly, but the only Judge that really matters is our Lord, Jesus.  He will judge my heart while others may judge my actions.  May He have mercy on me and you.

I choose LIFE...whatever it brings.  Now, I choose to move on in life, trusting that our Lord Jesus and His mother Mary (Our Lady of Guadalupe) will care for me and protect me from all harm.  I love the Church, it's Leaders and its Priests.  I am grateful for the Deposit of Faith that it has shared with me.  I love my friends and I thank God for them in my life.

Say what you mean...Mean what you say...Don't say it mean.  There's a lot of wisdom in these short phrases...considering this, please visit my Guest Book and tell me you visited.  Thanks!

Today is the best day of my life, yet--I know the BEST IS YET TO COME!  I thank my Heavenly Father for His blessings of life.  CHOOSE LIFE!  Choose THIS life--it is the one God has given us--what will you do with the GIFT OF LIFE that God has given us?

When times are difficult, it's easy to think God has forsaken us.  It is during these times that I remember the Footprints story.  I have to remind myself to live the moment.  I remember to be grateful for the blessings of the moment.  No matter the hurt, no matter what people may do to take advantage of one's kindness and love, there is One who in this very moment trying to love us in ways we simply do not understand.  May God bless you now as you read this.

Loving when it seems that there is no love to give.  Loving when nobody seems to love back.  Loving your enemy who has betrayed your trust and your love.  I wonder how it is that our loving God never gives up on us.  No matter how distant we become, no matter how unloving we are...God never finally gives up on us.  That "unconditional love" is beyond my understanding sometimes, yet it is my faith in a God who loves me no matter what...that helps heal the wound of hurt that people leave behind.

As I was meditating and praying this morning, I became aware of a symphony of birds serenading me.  It was a beautiful melody of mañanitas.  In the midst of all the beauty of their song, there was a Crow that barked its tune.  It was off-beat...glaring...distracting, interrupting the melody of the other birds.  I focused on the Crow and thought...the Crow is sharing all of what its Creator has given it.  The Crow was not singing to me...it was praising its Creator.  I thought, I am that Crow, at times.  I want to be heard...no matter what...I want to be heard.  I, too, want to praise my Creator with a voice that has been given me by God.  A God of all-understanding...a God that loves me, no matter the messiness in my life.

With world conflict and disappointing oil gushing from the earth and coating beaches that we expect to always be beautiful, sandy, and available for our pleasure; our lives can seem so complicated.  If there is already difficulty in our lives because of family conflicts or other familial issues, our days may seem challenging.  Needless to say, it may even be difficult for us to be grateful for anything...in fact, we may find ourselves complaining about how difficult life is for us.  Today, I find myself focused on the challenges in my life...the loneliness of the celibate life.   And yet, my faith  convictions are that "the best is yet to come."  I find myself being grateful that I am not missing an arm or a leg lost in battle.  I find myself being eternally grateful to the men and women who have served in our military so that I might be free...free to write...free to complain...free to be grateful.  Finally, I find myself today saying a pray for the brave who are serving in our military right now...May God bless and protect them...and YOU.

I find it unbelievable that in the SNAP of one's finger...life, as we have come to know it and live as best we can...can change.  It makes it so much more important to me to soak in the holiness of this very moment...I will never experience it again.  I want to experience God as God chooses to manifest Himself to me in this moment and, yet...I know that evil can SNAP its finger and change life for me.  I feel I understand the urgency in Pauline writings more now than I ever have.  I can't waste a moment stewing over some event of my past, or being angry about someone or something now...I want to honor the presence of our Lord in my midst, and yours, while I can.

Thomas Merton writes, "What is the use of praying if at the very moment of prayer, we have so little confidence in God that we are busy planning our own kind of answer to our prayer."  My heart rested with this phrase and I couldn't stop thinking about it for days.  Usually, when this happens, it's because I am personally impacted by what I've read.  I wonder if we could substitute the word, "praying," for "love?"  How many times have I received a hug from someone who said, "I love you," while they were looking over my shoulder at someone else?  How often have I been hurt by these type of relationships in my past.  I want to believe that what the person is saying is true and sincere, but their actions "say" otherwise.  Even in prayer, while I consider my faith unwavering, the enemy seems to also be unrelenting in his attack.  I choose to continue my prayer.