Promises

Taken this morning from the back porch with birds singing the glory of God.

We are so blessed to be reminded of God's promises.

God said...I set my rainbow in the clouds and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between me and the earth. (Genesis 9:12-13)

and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matt: 28:20)

Have a beautiful and blessed day.

Hug Your Children

It is with horror I read about another young man going on a shooting rampage in a CT elementary school, killing primarily children, and a few adults, including himself.

Lord, have mercy.

And in another story, a small town in Texas adopting needy children. They don't have much, but they share what they have, giving these children not only food and shelter, but love.

Thank you, Lord.

I know I'm going to hug my children a bit longer tonight. Tragedy can strike anywhere, anytime.

Pax Christi.

ETA: Here is a thoughtful article about the mystery of why there is suffering at all by Rev. Msgr. Pope.

Encouragement

We all need courage from time to time ... I'm passing on this lovely quote my friend found in The Poem of the Man God.

Jesus said, "...remember this: if you always wish to do the will of God, where the creature cannot persist, God comes with his angel to support the exhausted hero. When you are in anguish, do not be afraid of falling into cowardice or abjuration, if you persist in wanting what God wants. God will make you giants of heroism, if you remain faithful to his will. Remember that!"

God bless you.

Insults?

Image taken from this cafepress site. There are other posters as well.

I don't prowl around the internet looking for insults, but somehow I came across Shakespearean insults and I am hooked.

You can be insulted here and even generate your own insults.

I must use a couple of these in my manuscript and I think I know just the place for them.

Enjoy!

Haiti

The tragedy in Haiti always reminds me of poor places like India, where a flood or an earthquake can wipe out thousands in a day. We are so fortunate in America, that when natural disaster strikes, that our losses number in the tens or hundreds.

My friend, Jen Heger, has a lovely post on what she has observed here. Go read it.

And if you are in a position to help, please do so. There are many organizations. One of my favorites is Catholic Relief Services. They operate worldwide and have an extremely low overhead -- 10%. Also, many big companies like Boeing and Microsoft make matching donations, so don't forget that option as well.

And as always, God listens to the prayers of His people. So don't forget to pray.
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Candy Experiments

What to do with all that candy besides eat it?

Loralee Leavitt will guide you through candy experiments!

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Calling Beth Bence Reinke

Dear Beth,
If you're reading this, shoot me an email through my website.
Your old address doesn't work and for the life of me, I can't see a link to contact you on your website. I can see you've been a busy bee, writing away. Good for you.
Thankeee, thankeee,
V.

Blessings for the New Year

The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!

Numbers 6:24-26
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