Today is Another Day

Today is another day.

The sun comes up, a new day begins;

Ready to start what comes our way.

Each days a gift, not to be wasted.

Life is water, drink it to live.

Some days are good, some days are bad.

That's the scale of life we have.

We have happy days, we have sad days.

If you have a bad one,

smile and reject the sorrows.

For you never know what will happen tomorrow.

May Altar

Source: May Poetry (F.H.W. - Columbia Journal. May 1954.)

In May

(F. Sackett - Robert, Cyril. Mary Immaculate: God's Mother and Mine. New York: Marist Press, 1946.)

Source: May Poetry 

Galilean May

M. Thérèse - Robert, Cyril. Mary Immaculate: God's Mother and Mine. New York: Marist Press, 1946.
Source: May Poetry

The May Queen

Marie Fischer - Robert, Cyril. Our Lady's Praise in Poetry. New York: Marist Press, 1944.

Source: May Poetry

Eleven Tips for a Happier and Beautiful You

1. Accept and give compliments: Many of us have difficulty accepting kindness from others, but we all need to remember the positive touch when time gets tough. Be kind to others and learn to accept them whoever they are.

2. Build confidence: Identify your abilities and weakness together, accept them, build on them and do the best with what you have.

3. Sharing is caring: Sharing a problem with others who have had similar experiences may help you find a solution and will make you feel less violated.

4. Make time for family and friends: Your relationship with them needs to be nurtured. Don’t take it for granted; family and friends are always there to share your joys and sorrows.

5. Volunteer: To be involved in a community gives a sense of purpose and satisfaction that paid work cannot.

6.Learn to be at peace with yourself: Know yourself, what makes you happy, what you want in life and learn to balance what you can and cannot change about yourself.

7.Create a meaningful budget: Overspending on our wants instead of our needs creates a financial problem that causes stress.

8. Take a vacation: Make time for yourself to meditate on what you really want to do for yourself. Me time is the best time to find your passion!

9. Work up a sweet: Do yourself and others good by walking, running or biking. Remember; An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day!

10. Practice random acts of kindness: Treat homeless people with respect, offer them food instead of pretending they're not there.  Volunteer to carry a bag of groceries for senior citizens; offer your seats on the bus or train to the elderly or pregnant women. 

11. The best is to say a little prayer to Our Queen of May:" Remember, most gracious Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence I fly unto you, Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful, Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen."

And here's another poem dedicated to Our Queen of May:

MAY

Anonymous; The Catholic Record:  May 1875

Hail, sweet month of May! 

Hail, bright month of May! 

Bring sunshine with thee, 

Chasing clouds away. 

March has left us sighing 

In cold and chilly blast, 

April's tears have fallen, 

May has come at last!

I will wander in the meadows, 

I will search in sunny bowers, 

I will cut sweet-scented posies, 

I will twine a wreath of flowers.

The lily and the rosebud 

With May I will entwine, 

And lay them for an offering 

Upon Our Lady's shrine.

And there is another offering 

Which at Mary's feet I'll lay, 

I know that she will prize it more 

Than all the flowers of May, 

I will pray to her to keep it 

And never from it part, 

And my Queen will deign to take it - 

My poor, yet loving heart.

I will pray to her to guide it, 

In truth and wisdom's way, 

And make it pure and balmy 

As the flowers which spring in May; 

I will pray to her to warm it 

With the sunshine of her love, 

And make it fit to deck a crown 

One day in heaven above.

Mother to her Son

This poem of a mother is copied from Good Housekeeping Magazine 1928 issue. I just thought it's a wonderful poem of a mother, thinking of her fellow mothers with a son; like Mary Our Mother. It's a beautiful poem to reflect on Mary's life as a Mother to Our Savior Jesus Christ; and to meditate on her life as a role model to us, mothers of this world.

Mother

I wonder if all mother's of small sons, 

Grow as perplexed as I have often grown?

Do they, through lack of wisdom, stand dismayed,

And falteringly face each day alone?

I think of all the mother's of the earth, 

I wonder, sometimes, would they, too, be glad 

To know how Mary of old Nazareth 

With daily wisdom reared her little lad, 

I know God spoke to her through those brief years 

Of all things that concerned their precious One, 

And when the grave eyes questioned, surely God 

Helped Mary answer well her little Son. 

Could I have come some summer afternoon 

And sat on the low doorstep at her feet, 

While Jesus and his younger brothers played 

Upon the bright grass by the shady street, 

I would have learned from her; oh, many things, 

I think i would have grown so very wise 

That I could answer truthfully at last 

The thousand questions in these upturned eyes. 

And here's another poem for Mary; Our Queen of May

Sources: 1. Good Housekeeping Magazine;1928 - by Grace Noll Crowell
              2. May Poetry

A Beautiful Story: Mother and Child

Note: I've heard this story as a homily in the church, a number of times.

A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. 

After his Mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said:

For cutting the grass:  $10.00

For cleaning up my room this week:    $2.00 

For going to the store for you:    $1.00 

Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping:    $0.50 

Taking out the garbage:    $2.00 

For getting a good report card:   10.00 

For cleaning up and raking the yard:   $5.00 

Total owed: $30.50

Well, his mother looked at him standing there,and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote: 

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me:  No Charge 

For all the nights that I've sat up with you doctored and prayed for you:  No Charge 

For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years:  No Charge 

For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead:  No Charge 

For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose:  No Charge 

Son, when you add it up,the cost of my love is:  No Charge

When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you."And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "PAID IN FULL". 

Reflection: You will never know how much your parents worth till you become a Parent. Be a giver, especially to your parents, there's a lot to give, besides money. If your mom is still alive and close to you, give her a big hug and a kiss, say thank you for bringing you out in this world. If she is far away, call her and tell her you love her, if she'd passed away, pray for her.

*from unknown author*

image source: stock photo

Beautiful Story of a Mother

Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them. St. Matthew 18:20

This is a short story about Saint Monica, the mother of Saint Augustine.

Saint Monica was given in marriage to Patricius, a pagan; even though she came from a Christian family and grew up in singular innocence and piety. After marriage, she devoted herself to her husband's conversion, praying for him always and winning his reverence and love by the holiness of her life and her affectionate forbearance. She was rewarded by seeing him baptized a year before his death.

When her son Augustine went astray in faith and habits, her prayers and tears were incessant. She once begged a learned bishop that he would talk to her son, in order to bring him to a better disposition, but he declined, despairing of success with a young man at once so gifted and so headstrong. At the sight of her prayers and tears, he nonetheless bade her be of good courage, for it could not happen that the child of those tears should perish.
Augustine, by going to Italy, was able for a time to free himself from his mother’s importunities, but he could not escape from her prayers, which encompassed him like the providence of God. She followed him to Italy; and there, by his marvelous conversion, her sorrow was turned into joy.

At Ostia, shortly before they were to re-embark for Africa, Augustine and his mother sat at a window conversing on the life of the blessed. She turned to him and said, “My son, there is nothing now I care for in this life. What I shall now do, or why I remain on this earth, I know not. The one reason I had for wishing to linger in this life a little longer was that I might see you a Catholic Christian before I died. This grace God has granted me superabundantly, seeing you reject earthly happiness to become His servant.” A few days afterwards she had an attack of fever and died at the age of fifty-six, in the year 388.

Reflection: It is impossible to set any bounds to what persevering prayer may do. It gives man a share in the Divine Omnipotence. Saint Augustine’s soul lay bound in the chains of heresy and an illegitimate union, both of which had by long habit grown inveterate. They were broken by his mother’s prayers.

Source:  Lives of Saints

Here's the 4th poem dedicated to Our Blessed Mother

On May 13, we commemorate the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a little town in Portugal. I am inviting you to join me in offering a nine day Novena to Our Lady of Fatima starting tomorrow, May 5. Two versions of the novena is presented:

First, the same verse or prayer is said once each day for the nine days to come.:

 Day 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9

Second, is the Nine Day Novena to Our Lady of The Rosary of Fatima.

Nine Day Novena to Our Lady of The Rosary of Fatima