EDITOR'S NOTE - (12/5/11) Blog post numbering has been changed to match printed "60 Days" prayer cards.
Monday, November 7, 2011
day one
We give You thanks today, O God, for the people who founded the Casa de Paz y Bien Retreat House in 1951: for Fr. Owen DaSilva, OFM, who devoted much of his life to the retreat ministry, who saw the need for retreat house in Phoenix, and who found the perfect place nestled between Camelback and Mummy Mountains; for all the friars and laypeople who worked to turn the Kachina Lodge into a place suitable for retreats; and for Bishop Daniel Gercke who welcomed and encouraged the Franciscans to open a retreat house in his diocese.
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I was taught years ago, a really good way to get my gratitude list started is by thinking of the alphabet and start with A and end with Z. When I was feeling down about life or just wanted to think about all I have to be greateful for. I would pull out (from my head) my list and I would start with A and go down the alphabet until it put me back into a positive frame of mind or put all that I have in front of me. Today, I will start with A - Amber,Anna, B - Bridget, C - Christ, D - Daniel, E-Emily, F - Francine, G- George,Gavin, H- House, I - ink (to be able to write to those I love and miss), J - Jay, K -. And so on... Already I see so many blessing and I am grateful for that today...
ReplyDeleteI hadn't been to Mass for over 20 yrs. I'm grateful to my friend who gently invited me to Mass for a year and listened to my lame refusals based on a mixture of guilt, blind pride and an over active ego. I came to Mass more to shut her up and ready to critique and criticize what I heard. Anthony Girabaldi's homily painted a portrait of a loving, joyful God who had been waiting for me without reservation or judgement. I was sure Fr. Anthony knew I was there and that he spoke only to me. For some reason unknown to me at that time, I wept through the Our Father and I was concerned that I would distract others as I sobbed our loud when Norbert and the music ministers led us through "don't not fear to hope". I'm grateful I was invited, I'm grateful I came, I'm grateful to all who created the picture of the Living God for me, I'm grateful my sobs were softer than the singing and I'm grateful for every day here since that first experience.
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