Friendship Friday - Twentyfirst Century Friends

To send this card: My Spirit Within You

Music: Be Thou My Vision

Quote for the Day: "Those who live in the Lord never see each other for the last time." Unknown

Novena to St. Joseph - Sixth Day

O Glorious Saint Joseph
Whose power it is
to render possible
things which are impossible,
come to my aid
in this present
difficulty and distress.

Take this impossible
and difficult affair
which I reccommend to you
under your special care
and protection
that it may have
a happy issue.

O Glorious Saint Joseph,
let it not be said
that I have invoked you in vain.
Since you are so powerful
with Jesus and Mary
show that your goodness
equals your power.

Amen.

Lent Prayer for the Day

Dear Jesus
today we give to you
all the family and friends
we most care about
and are most worried about.
We give them to you
because our Love
is only a shadow
of the Love
you have for them.
In your hands
we know the absolute
best will be done.
We give thanks to you
through your Son,
Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns
with you and
the Holy Spirit,
one God,
for ever and ever.
Amen.



Friendship Friday. Today (Thursday) was a day for me to share friendship on the phone. Isn't it wonderful how far we can expand our friendships today? Each Thursday I meet with a small group of people as a subgroup of Robert Middleton's Action group. It is sort of a shared focus group - though each of us are persuing very different marketing paths. I'm marketing Jesus and the Catholic Church - they are marketing different things.. but it never fails that we come up with great insights and help for one another.

The internet has brought and continues to bring all mankind closer together in many ways. . . some of our contacts we will probably never meet in person until heaven - but you know what? That's kind of like our contact with the saints and souls who have gone before us. We may not see or touch them but we can certainly converse and share. For instance I don't think a day goes by that I don't have a talk with Sr. Mary Rita or one of my family members that has gone to heaven.

When I was in high school we had to make an anthology of or favorite poems.... a couple lines from one of my favorite poems went something like this.. "death is only a door in an old wall." Since I have lost so many family members I feel that door is used quite a bit but still I have no sense at all of it being a solidly closed door. I think it swings back and forth quite abit - because love knows no barriers....

Hope you have a wonderful Friendship Friday and will share some thoughts and glimpses of friends that have touched and continue to touch your life - on the blog.

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

Our book on Reconciliation     Our Workbook for Confession

Blurry Blurred Day

To send this card: My Spirit Within You

Music: Be Thou My Vision (good song for blurry eyes)

Quote for the Day: Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things. - Henry Ward Beecher

Novena to St. Joseph - Fifth Day

O Glorious Saint Joseph
Whose power it is
to render possible
things which are impossible,
come to my aid
in this present
difficulty and distress.

Take this impossible
and difficult affair
which I reccommend to you
under your special care
and protection
that it may have
a happy issue.

O Glorious Saint Joseph,
let it not be said
that I have invoked you in vain.
Since you are so powerful
with Jesus and Mary
show that your goodness
equals your power.

Amen.


I went to the eye doctor today to get my eyes checked. They put those little drops in so they can see things in my eye better and I can see worse. I think the JoyNotes will be brief today.. because things are blurry. My mind often feels blurred but when the eyes join in best to throw in the towel for the day.


Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

To add a comment Blog On JoyNotes

Our book on Reconciliation     Our Workbook for Confession

St Joseph - How to fold underwear

To send this card: In touch with Eternity

Quote for the Day: A good plan implemented today is better than a perfect plan implemented tomorrow. - George S. Patton

Novena to St. Joseph - Third Day

O Glorious Saint Joseph
Whose power it is
to render possible
things which are impossible,
come to my aid
in this present
difficulty and distress.

Take this impossible
and difficult affair
which I reccommend to you
under your special care
and protection
that it may have
a happy issue.

O Glorious Saint Joseph,
let it not be said
that I have invoked you in vain.
Since you are so powerful
with Jesus and Mary
show that your goodness
equals your power.

Amen.


Now this is going to sound very weird - but last week I told a story on Friendship Friday on how a group of lovely Christian ladies came to visit me when I was in the hospital and one told me how to fold my underwear in such a neat way.

Well, I was going to leave it at that, but then another nice lady emailed me and said, "And how do you fold your underwear? Aren't you going to tell us?"

So, I never really thought I would be giving lessons on underwear folding - but really it is a very neat way - and especially a great thing to do on days when you have tons of stuff to do and don't know which very important job is more important than another.

On those days take a few minutes off and go fold your underwear - at least you get a feeling of accomplishment. Something got done!

Well, basically you fold your underwear like socks..... you lay the underwear out flat, fold one side a third over and the other side a third over and then you tuck the bottom into the top of the waist band. Like you do socks!

Viola! You have a neat little package. I don't know if you can follow my written instructions or not - hmmmm, I suppose I could always do a tutorial on YouTube like my Oprah movie. But I think probably not!

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

To add a comment Blog On JoyNotes

Our book on Reconciliation     Our Workbook for Confession

Too Tired to Think

To send this card: In touch with Eternity

Quote for the Day: A good plan implemented today is better than a perfect plan implemented tomorrow. - George S. Patton

Novena to St. Joseph - Third Day

O Glorious Saint Joseph
Whose power it is
to render possible
things which are impossible,
come to my aid
in this present
difficulty and distress.

Take this impossible
and difficult affair
which I reccommend to you
under your special care
and protection
that it may have
a happy issue.

O Glorious Saint Joseph,
let it not be said
that I have invoked you in vain.
Since you are so powerful
with Jesus and Mary
show that your goodness
equals your power.

Amen.


Last night I stayed up way too late. And tonight for some reason I am tired. Hmmm? Maybe there is a correlation here.

If I wasn't so tired I could probably think what it is.

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

Miracle Monday - Angelic Rescue

Quote for the Day: “The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.”- Mother Teresa

Novena to St. Joseph - Second Day
O Glorious Saint Joseph
Whose power it isto render possible
things which are impossible,
come to my aid
in this present
difficulty and distress.

Take this impossible
and difficult affair
which I reccommend to you
under your special care
and protection
that it may have
a happy issue.

O Glorious Saint Joseph,
let it not be said
that I have
invoked you in vain.
Since you are so powerful
with Jesus and Mary
show that your goodness
equals your power.
Amen.

Miracle Monday! If you haven't had a chance to read the Pet Miracles that people sent in last week.. be sure to take a look. I love them! Each one is a real joy and pick me up! Monday Pet Miracles

http://calledbyjoy.blogspot.com/2007/03/miracle-monday-my-miracle-with-pet.html

Today's Monday Miracle Topic is "Angelic Rescue."

This could be any sharing in which you feel an angel may have played a role. You don't have to prove it to anyone but if you believe that an Angel was involved... I bet there was!

I am sure that I don't have even a slightest idea of how many times Angels have helped me but there was one time when I was about seventeen that I am very sure an angel was there.

At the time I was living at home and we had a long dirt road to get to our home - probably about the length of two or three city blocks. My older brother John was moving his house trailer temporarily to our acreage. It was a big trailer and so he had a big truck to pull it. I was doing one of those stupid things one always tells kids not to do, but of course I was seventeen and not a kid. I was so excited about this trailer move, that I was standing up on the back bumper of the truck pulling the trailer. There was proably about six feet between me and the huge two bedroom house trailer that was being hauled. I was doing great until the truck hit a bump and I was bounced off the truck! Somehow in the blink of an eye I managed to jump back up on the bumper before the trailer ran over me.

Now you might just call this an adrenlin rush and panic but at the same time I scrambled back on - I was filled with this amazing sense that this was not my time yet! I felt that my angel helped me to get back on that narrow little bumper and continue my ride to safety. My poor dad was watching at the time and I think he probably had heart failure and sent his angel to help me as well!

Please share your miracle stories too!

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

Friday is Friendship Day

To send this card:Drawing Close to God

Quote for the Day: "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up." - Bible: Ecclesiastes

Prayer for 17th Dayof Our Lenten JourneyWhat would it be liketo walk with you, Jesus along a quiet path?I wonder what we wouldtalk about?I wonder what it wouldbe like?You who live and reignwith the Holy Spirit,one God,for ever and ever.Amen.

Well I have to tell you I have decided to try something a little bit different with the JoyNotes. Because I so often have a difficult time thinking of what to talk about and end up talking about the same old things over and over... like how long is it till its time for bed and interesting topics like that - I read about a lady who writes every day but she has a different topic for each day. Well, I'm not going to do every day that way... but I thought I would do Miracles on Monday and Friendship on Friday.

I will try and share a story of friendship from my little collection but also ask you to please send your stories of friendship on the Blog as well.

This way we will have at least two cheerful selections of things to read - Miracles and Friendship... a great way to start and end the week!

My story today is about attending the second class of the Radio Publicity course. It was so much fun and people were open and responsive to each other so that it was very encouraging. Considering we are coming from all different spectrums of faith and practice and life styles it was interesting to see how everyone was sensitive and caring for each one's growth...whether is was a nun or a new age person or a man from the Royal Mounted police.

Friendship I think grows whenever we give it just the least bit of encouragement. Good, solid friendships take a long time to mature and develop but God is good to give us friends that help us sometimes just for a short time in our lives.

When I was in the Navy I was in sort of a not so good time in that I was being sent from Germany to the United States for a bit of drug rehabilitation. It wasn't one of those personal choice things don't you know - when the Navy decides you need a little "help" its not offered as a suggestion. Anyway, so I was assigned to a few days in a hospital ward until my special ride arrived to take me to the airport. While there one morning a group of christian ladies came to visit me. They were so nice I don't quite remember much what they said but what I do remember is that one taught me a very special way to fold my underwear!

Sounds silly but it was such a neat little way of folding them together and tucking them in so that they made a cute little package. I still use that method today sometimes and the sisters are very impressed with how neat my underwear can be. Which is very funny because the Navy has its own little rules and regulations of how to FOLD everything you wear but they didn't have this neat package way like this one lady showed me.And you know, I love that lady for showing me something nice like that.. not talking about religion or this or that but just being warm and friendly.

That is how Christ works in friendship I think. Maybe its something that only happens for the briefest of moments but it creates a warm spot in our hearts for a lifetime.

Please share a "friendship" story that you have!
Blessings of Peace and All Good,Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

Difficult day - New Radio Program Coming

To send this card: The Path of Life

Quote for the Day: Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. Dale Carnegie

Prayer for 16th Day of Our Lenten Journey
How often Jesus,
do I try to make things
so much more difficult
than they need to be.
For instance,
it is not hard
to find you . . .
all I really need to do
is slow down and look
at a Sunset
or a bird fly
or feel the wind blow.
All of your creation
speaks of you,
You who live and reign
with the Holy Spirit,
one God,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

Today was a very difficult day.. and I think the above prayer is another great fit! I definitely felt the difficulty was all coming from the inside but I still couldn't seem to plow through it. Puff, puff, puff.

But hey, other than that little problem, I do have something else to ask your opinion on. I am going to start a new radio program soon... and I would like your feedback as to what you think about the title.

The Joy of Being Catholic

Myself, I like it because I can interview all sorts of people with a title like that. When my program was called, "The Power of Prayer" I always felt it wasn't staying focused on the "prayer" aspect a lot of the times... and really so much of our prayer life (at least mine) is the kind of daily, step by step stuff that doesn't come across all that exciting. It's nice and it keeps me going but how does one describe it week after week?

Anyway with this program I can cover anything from a nice Catholic prayer, a saint, a poem, any catholic in any walk of life doing big things or little and enjoying being catholic through it all. I can include Catholic music, whatever.

I plan to also put it out each week as an audio download so you can hear it as well if you like. If you have any suggestions what would be great for this new and exciting radio program please add a comment in the BLOG!

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

Our book on Reconciliation Our Workbook for Confession

Quote, Prayer and Radio 30 Day Class

To send this card: The Path of Life

Music: Be Still

Quote for the Day: The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself. Oscar Wilde

First about the quote. I had to use that one. It was just too funny and probably just too true.

Just in case you don't look at the Peace Card - I thought I would copy the prayer for today. It is one I composed several years ago...but seems to be just what I need today!

Truly Lord Jesus,
I believe you are showing
me the way to life,
I just wish it was
a bit easier!
But I guess that would
not be the true path.
Help me to be
Joy-filled
Praise-filled
and Courageous
in following You,
no matter how difficult
the path appears to be.
You who live and reign
with the Holy Spirit,
one God,
for ever and ever.
Amen.


Today was the first day of attending the Teleclass of the 30 Day Radio Success course. How shall I describe it? Hmmm? Shall we say interesting? The content of the material was very good and most of the participants were okay ..but a few of them were like, uh…. well, just a bit too much.

I can say that I definitely got confirmed that God was very good to me to let me live in a Monastery – away from most of this. I am a little spoiled, a lot sheltered and very glad to have such nice, pleasant, God-centered sisters to live with.

On the other hand, it is good to be reminded of how much prayer is needed in our world and even how much witness is needed as well. My main prayer in all this… I repeat it over and over from St. Paul. “Please pray to God, that I might speak as boldly as I ought!”

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

To add a comment Blog On JoyNotes

Our book on Reconciliation     Our Workbook for Confession

Miracle Monday - My Miracle with a Pet

To send this card: Never Beyond God's Love

Music: Lord Jesus, When I think of Thee

Quote for the Day: I am realistic -- I expect miracles. Wayne Dyer

Miracle Monday! Some of you may remember a time or two when I talked about Miracle Monday. Just a day to look about for miracles and be expectant for them to happen. Well today while I was washing the dishes (always my best time for meditation) the thought came to me to make every Monday - Miracle Monday - in which I will share with you some miracle that has happened.

Of course I will need you to share those miracles with me so I can share them with everyone else! What I would like to do is each week pick a Miracle Topic and ask you to think and share if any miracle that has happened comes to you on that topic.

You can share them on the Blog below or in an email Miracle Monday Note: If you put them on the blog them everyone can share them.. because I can only share one or two from the email.

So here is the topic to share a miracle on!

I Experienced A Miracle With My Pet!

Please put that in the subject line if you send an email and in the comment section of Monday, March 5, 2007 blog spot.

I will share my miracle with a pet to get the Miracle Monday started! It is a miracle that I have shared before but it has been a long time so probably a lot of you have not heard it. Anyway a good miracle story is always worth repeating!

When I was in grade school we were quite poor and pretty much lived from paycheck to paycheck. Sometimes the paycheck didn't quite stretch that far. One morning we had cereal for breakfast but no milk. Our dog JoJo who was a very wonderful dog had been out and about that morning and when he returned he had in his mouth a full half gallon carton of milk!

We had no idea where it came from and he was not the kind of dog that normally went about carrying things in his mouth like some dogs do as a natural thing. JoJo had never brought anything home before or did after that. But on that one morning when we had no milk.... JoJo provided!

We all thought it was a miracle at the time and still do! Of course no doubt someone probably missed their half gallon of milk from the milkman that morning.... but I guess God thought it was nice of them to share with a family of seven kids that morning. No doubt God blessed them too.

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

A Gift we give ourselves

Quote for the Day: The only way to peace is forgiveness Pope John Paul

Tonight instead of the news we watched Oprah! It was really good and we all enjoyed it. It was about different stories of people who have moved on past hard things that happened to them. I got one very beautiful quote from it that I really love.

"Forgiveness is something that we give ourselves." Isn't that beautiful? Though I think perhaps I would take it a step beyond that... Forgiveness is something that God offers to us - and He also offers us the gift to be able to forgive. I don't think it is something that we can do on our own. Because forgiving someone is really bigger than we are.. we first have to let God's gift of forgiveness dwell in our heart - and then we can forgive someone else.

And that is when in giving to another we are gifting ourselves. Because the minute we can forgive.... we find peace.

A few days ago I read in a lenten meditation about a priest who was trying to help a woman who was very bitter after her divorce.... she was not yet at a point where she could forgive her husband. Her anger against the divorce was destroying her. Not the divorce, not her husband.. but the anger that she fed like a hungry fire in a forest. She could not forgive and the priest said her whole face was contorted in an ugly passion of hatred. Isn't that so sad?

I can see moments when I have done that to myself as well. Forgiveness is truly something that we give ourselves. In order to love and move forward... we gift ourselves with forgiveness. The gift that God commands us to give. The command that is necessary to do if we want to receive His Forgiveness.

And maybe the first person to gift with this gift of forgiveness .... is ourselves.

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

Your Worst Enemy May Help You to Succeed

Quote for the Day: He who angers you conquers you. Elizabeth Kenny

Okay here is the follow-up with the hook -

"Your Worst Enemy May Help You to Succeed."

When it comes to making a good confession we need to start first with a good examination of conscience. What did I do wrong? Where could I have done better?

Many times we have huge blinders on when it comes to looking at ourselves honestly. Our friends are not much better because they don't want to hurt our feelings. But if we are so lucky as to have someone in our life that we have problems with.... chances are .... when we rub them the wrong way they won't have any problem at all telling us just where we need to shape up!

Viola! Look no further. Quick write it down and once your "rage" calms down at the complete unjustness of their statement or statements ask yourself .... "Is there an element of truth in what they said?"

The Cure of Ars had many friends. People loved him but there was one person who worked with him that was constantly a thorn in his side. He had nothing good to say about the Cure and tried to stop whatever he was doing at every opportunity. Someone once asked the Cure with exasperation, "Why keep the man on?" The Cure calmly replied, "I have to keep him here, he is the only one who is not afraid to tell me the truth!"

If I am really serious about improving myself - than my so called "enemies" can provide me with insights about myself that I might not otherwise face. The real judge of whether the person who tells me off or not is hitting the mark is—How do I react! Do I feel my temperature rising? Do I find all sorts of hot headed comments ready to spew forth back at them? If so, I need to examine why I am so angry?

If what they are doing is causing so much interior discomfort - how come? Do I have some insecurities that I need to deal with? Am I doing anything to trigger their respone? Am I totally without blame in this uprising? Is my focus on God here or self?

In truth what the person actually says to me may not reveal the truth I need to deal with as much as my response does. Am I capable of Road Rage over tiny matters? If so what is going on in my life making me so volatile? What changes do I need to make so that I have a calmer and more accepting reaction?

This is my theory in doing the Workbook on Confession. I use the Ten Commandments in a very unique way. Questions are asked that deal with people I live with, people I have difficulty with, people I may be neglecting such as members of my family or co-workers. It asks questions about my walk with God and even questions about how I am taking care of myself. Questions that I can relate to..in my home, my workplace, my prayer time, and it helps me to recognize that difficult people in my life are God's gift for my spiritual growth. The questions help me to move beyond angry reactions to peaceful acceptance. It really works. At least for me and many others who have been so kind as to send me their amazing results as well.

The person who is causing the most conflict in my life... is there to bring me closer to God. Somehow, someway. If I can accept this - I can move forward in ways that I never would advance with just loving friends and helpful supporters. God really does know what He is about! Nothing is left to chance. My Enemy may often be the help I need to succeed in my walk with God.

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

I Think I found it!

Quote for the Day: Do not be afraid to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any unforgiveness or bitterness. The longer you hide it, the stronger it will become and the harder your heart will grow. Stay tenderhearted. John Bevere

Today was one of those days where I seem to wander all over the page but in the end I actually think I accomplished something. Isn't it funny how that happens. You see I was trying to think my way through something.. and the more I thought the less I could do. Then finally I broke through. At least I hope I did.

What I was trying to do was to think about a "hook" that I could use for giving a radio presentation - a "hook" is sort of headline topic that would appeal to a large audience and still have a connection with Reconciliation.

It was very hard. Because fact is, there are a whole lot of people who are not very interested in going to confession. Telling people that this book would make them love Confession would be about as popular as telling someone they would love to have their leg cut off because they would weigh less.

They probably wouldn't buy it. So... what to do.. what to do. I've been praying and thinking about this for some time and I think I have it! I will tell you the "hook" tonight and see what you think. Does it make you interested?

"Your Worst Enemy May Help You to Succeed."

If you have a chance - please respond on the Blog - I would like to know if you think this would make you want to listen or read more.

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

Lights Out

To send this card: Faith

Music: I Know Whom I Have Believed

Quote for the Day: If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. Bob Hope

I am reading a book called, "Lights Out" and its all about getting more sleep. Now isn't that a novel idea?

I'm going to try it tonight and will let you know how it goes tomorrow. Yawn.

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

Our book on Reconciliation

Our Workbook for Confession

Always Go Forward!

Quote for the Day: Ideas without action are worthless. Helen Keller

"Always go forward and never go back" that was the quote that Blessed Junipero Serra the founder of many of the California missions based his life on. Always go forward. I keep thinking of that when I get into the middle of something and start toying with doubts and fears.

So, now I am well on the way with getting more and more into radio. Last week our Bishop came to record the first of his to be bi-weekly talks. Went really well, all of the Sisters are so glad this is moving forward! Hurray.

I am working now on promoting our book on reconciliation. It's kind of like as long as I am working on creating it - there is a lot of push.. and yet when its done I can't stop pushing because it just sits there and noone realizes what a great book it is because I have stopped talking about it.

So the only way is to get back on the front lines with it. I am working now to see if I can get air time on other radio stations besides my own. That's where my "always go forward" has to step into gear. The stepping out of my nice safe comfort zone.

I found a 30 day Radio Success course to take to help spur me on! I am excited about doing it and hoping that it will result in not only getting air time on Catholic stations but other stations as well. One never knows unless one tries.

Do you have a project that you would like to do someday? Why not make that someday - today? Get out of the boat and start taking a few steps on the water....even if you fall and Jesus has to pick you up you are further ahead than the other apostles who just stayed in the boat!

And of course the other apostles may never have walked out on the water - but when they went out far and wide to spread their message - I bet they had some doubts and fears as well they had to push themselves forward with.

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

Tweaking in a Spiritual Way

Quote for the Day: Nothing is worth more than this day. You cannot relive yesterday. Tomorrow is still beyond your reach Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Today I have been Tweaking. All day. And yesterday I tweaked too. It's all because of an article I read in Robert Middleton's Blog. Of course he was dealing with marketing and web sites and such stuff - but I found it very powerful. Tweaking is when we do something once and then take a look and see how we can do it a little better this way.

I think we should sometimes take a look at our spiritual life in just this same way. Is there something I could do to "tweak" it a little bit here and there. Do something a little better or in a different way that would help me to get in touch with God and myself a little better?

It happens when we read a new book or look at our world from a different perspective and always when we pray - if we don't want it to be speedy, get it done, mechanical prayer than we should sometimes tweak our focus a bit to get a different light on things.

Interesting. If you are into web pages and marketing (we can all market JESUS) than you might enjoy his article - tweak it... though... to make it work for you. Tweaking

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

Winter - Chair of Saint Peter - Lenten Radio Retreat

Quote for the Day: What is the point of Lent? For Christians, it is the time when we try to trim away some inessentials, and return to and refresh the things that are at the real centre of our lives. Brendan Walsh

Tomorrow the weatherman says we will wake up to new snow. Oh hum. Just when all those pleasant thoughts of spring seemed just around the corner. Back under the rocks go my fish and back under the covers for me. Let's all just hibernate till it really is Spring!

Thursday is the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter You can read much more about this feast at the Saint of the Day

AND.... did you know you can listen to a Lenten retreat online? A weekly thirty minute Radio retreat.. with a different Bishop each week offering a Lenten reflection plus music and questions and just really nice. Lenten Retreat

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

Lent and Pooh - What to do?

Quote for the Day: A Lenten Reflection Give up complaining——focus on gratitude. Give up pessimism——become an optimist. Give up harsh judgments——think kindly thoughts. Give up worry——trust Divine Providence. Give up discouragement——be full of hope. Give up bitterness——turn to forgiveness. Give up hatred——return good for evil. Give up negativism——be positive. Give up anger——be more patient. Give up pettiness——become mature. Give up gloom——enjoy the beauty that is all around you. Give up jealousy——pray for trust. Give up gossiping——control your tongue. Give up sin——turn to virtue. Give up giving up——hang in there! Unknown

Many, blessings for a beautiful Lent! A good friend wrote and told me I did not have to give up anything I could do something instead! Like clean my office every day! Now that sounds much more positive to me. At Easter time to have a clean office. I think I will do that....



Still, I think I will have to give up something! Because you know what? The old ingrained Lenten system just doesn't seem to be exactly proper if I don't "give up" something. I tried one year only "doing" something and not "giving up" something.... and it just didn't work. At the end of Lent I felt like a cheat. Probably because what I did was not that hard.



And maybe Lent doesn't have to be that "hard" and "long" and "terrible" like I always think it is. Maybe I need some reconstruction on this stuff. Something more on the positive side. I don't know. In the meantime I am going to work on cleaning my office daily and giving up something as well. Just so I'm covered on both counts!



Well, I knew I was losing it. The old mind that is. But it became increasingly clear today. First - I think I was feeling more rummy from my cold yesterday than I thought. Not only did I mispell every other word I was not very clear in talking about the missing books for people. Quite a few people thought I was offering a free book. So sorry! I was just trying to find out if anyone ordered and paid for a book they did not receive. My apologies for the misunderstanding!



Then to make it even more clear that my mind has not long for this world I will explain about something else that happened. Today, was Fat Tuesday - the day we all eat and celebrate before heading into the days of lent. Well we had a wonderful dinner but then Sr. Marcia Kay got a package from a friend who had visited us recently. Inside the package were little packages. One for each Sister! What generosity. They had cute pencils and a pen and a pad of paper and lots of neat things in the package. Well this is the part that I failed the brain test.



It's very sad. I will probably have to check myself into some center for mental evaluation. It has to do with the pencils. Everyone got cute pencils with Eyore or Pooh or Tigger on them. But I looked at my pencil and all I got was a pencil that said "Hood" on it. Well, of course I'm not the type to make a big fuss you know, even though I got slighted and did not get a "Pooh" pencil but instead got a "Hood" pencil which to tell you the truth I thought was a very funny thing to put on a pencil. I mean who wants a "Hood" pencil? I mean, what did they mean by "Hood" anyway? The thing on the back of your jacket or a criminal? I wasn't sure.



So I enjoyed the rest of the meal and my presents which were very lovely and I was happy as could be even if my pencil was just a tad bit on the "strange" side....And then of course, I'm sure you figured it out yourself. I turned the pencil around and found out .... It said "POOH!" I did get a Winnie ther Pooh pencil and not a hood pencil at all. Hmmmm.. rather something I think Pooh would have done. Maybe my head is stuffed with cotton like his?



Blessings of Peace and All Good,

Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

Bl Jacinta & Francisco - St Valentine Radio

To send this card: Blessed Jacinta and Francisco

Music: Hail Mary, Gentle Woman

Quote for the Day: "There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot solve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary." Sister Lucia of Fatima

Today we celebrate blessed Jacinta and Francisco - the two youngest seers of Fatima. A very blessed day I should think. I do love the Fatima devotion. This was the first Marian devotion I became attached too, now of course I love the many others but this one still holds a very special place and I have a beautiful statue of Our Lady of Fatima that the sisters gave to me when I first entered the monastery... many, many moons ago!

Today I also received an email from someone who had not received a rosary book that they ordered back in August... oh my I said to myself... is there anyone else out there who did not get a book they recieved? Please let me know! My email is srpat@calledbyjoy.com and please put "missing book" in the headline so I see it admidst the million spams I get every day.

Guess what! I made contact with the Sisters in Texas that are managing the radio station! I now have another radio friend! Sister Mariam. We had a wonderful time talking to each other, even though I have a cold and can't talk much with coughing. We are both the same age and started our radio stations within four months of each other! Amazing eh? Shows who is really at work doesn't it! The Holy Spirit strikes again.

Here is there community site. dljc.org and here is there radio station KDJW . Saint Valentine Radio. Isn't it funny that I should discover them so close to Valentine's day?

Do remember to ask Blessed Jacinta and Francisco for a special favor from our Lady! I am sure they will be taking requests!

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters


Our book on Reconciliation Our Workbook for Confession

Valentine Candy -Review book- National Catholic Register

Valentines Day was very nice. Our neighbor brought us over delicious chocolate cupcakes and another friend brought us little valentine bags of candy. So we were well sweeted out for the day! Enjoyed every morsel... with a few left for tomorrow.

Lent is coming soon.... in one week as a matter of fact. Not sure at all how that happened so fast. One of the sisters was commenting at dinner about doing something before lent and I said, "Oh well, that's weeks away yet!" And she said, "Think again." Sigh.

One of the things I need to be concentrating a bit more on in the next few months - is to promote my latest book on reconciliation. I really think it is a great book with wonderful, wonderful stories no brag, just fact as they say - and anyway I can say that - because they are not my stories - they are the great stories that many of you sent in for the book!

I do have a favor to ask of those of you who have read it. Would you be so kind as to write a review on Amazon? This is the place where many people go to look at a book even if they don't buy it there... they check it out on Amazon to see what its about. Right now, there are no reviews on the book at all, so sad, and it would be so nice to have a few! Thank you so much.

Review Sr. Patricia's book Thank you very, very much!

Also, if anyone subscribes to the National Catholic Register the next issue has an article about me! More brag? I can't say yet cause I haven't read the article yet, but I'm hoping its good!

Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

Partners in Grime

Partners in Grime
I was reading last night in a book on how to get organized that you should make a goal and then find a "Partner in Crime" to help keep you on target.


This partner is someone who decides they want to do some specific goal as well and so you encourage each other, pressure each other and hold each other accountable.
You also make yourself a Reward Goal and a Punishment Penalty. A nice reward if you win and a big, bad ugly Punishment if you don't! I actually added the Punishment idea from other material and input I have been working on. With my Robert Middleton class when someone is sort of hemming and hawing about getting something done that they want to get done but keep finding all sorts of wonderful reasons and excuses why they can't get to it.. he will put them on the wire with, "Okay, will you make this deal with me? If you don't do the thing... will you send in twenty-five dollars to the political candidate you don't like? The object is that its something you DON'T want to do.. not something that, "Oh well, its going to a good cause" kind of thing... because then you don't even mind failing! It's got to be something you really, really don't want to do!

My penalty is not sending money to anyone its just giving up something for a month - something which I have no intention of giving up by the way. So... I will get my job done ... which is to spend fifteen minutes every day for the next five days cleaning my office. Because you see.. I actually did get the office clean but then I just refused to maintain it! Woe upon woe... so now I am working on creating a new habit to help myself move forward.

Some sort of study says that it takes 21 days to get a new habit ingrained in the mental system ... so I figure I will have to concentrate with this reward/penalty for about a month to really pull it off! But I'm only going to do a week at a time.. because for me a month is just too long to keep honest. Hey, that's what happens when you get older and start figuring out just how you work! Or in my case don't work!

Oh, and I have to explain the Partners in Grime bit. When I was making out my little card this morning on which I was writing my goals and stuff.. I printed out "Partners in Crime" at the top of it.. only my C turned out to look a lot like a G which made the word into Grime. And actually that really applies a lot more to what I'm working on. Grime not Crime! So a couple of the Sisters joined in with me on this noble enterprise and we are all now bonafide Partners in Grime!