One of the greatest marvels in life is the 

RESILIENCY OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT.

There must be a vital and inextinguishable spark 

of HAPPINESS 

deep in every human heart.

-Agnes Sligh Turnbull- 

BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO TRUSTS IN THE LORD...

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water 

that brings forth its fruit in due season;

his leaf shall not wither;

and whatever he does shall prosper!

PSALM 1: 1-5

HOPE AND RESILIENCY

"You sanctify what you are grateful for!"

- Anthony De Mello, S.J.

Surely, all art is the result of one's having lived in danger,
of having gone through all experience all the way to the end,
where no one can go further...
- Rainer Maria Rilke -

PRAYER

Lord, teach us always to recognize your greatness, to ponder on our treasures, 
and to draw strength from our daily blessings,
 especially during our most trying times.

Guide our sometimes weary hearts 
to trust in your abiding presence 
and in your great plans for us (Jer 29:11)!

"For I know the plans I have for you - it is Yahweh who speaks - 
plans for peace not disaster, reserving a future full of hope for you." 
Jeremiah 29:11

 TRUST IN GOD

...trust in the slow work of God

We are quite naturally impatient in everything

to reach the end without delay.

We should like to skip the intermediate stages.

We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown,

something new...

And so it is with us...

Do not try to force... as though you could be today what time

(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your good )

will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit

gradually forming within you will be.

Give Our Lord the benefit of believing

that his hand is leading you,

and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself

in suspense and incomplete.

-Pierre Tielhard de Chardin, SJ-

REST IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD,

FOR THAT GOODNESS 
REACHES 
TO THE DEPTHS OF OUR NEEDS!

Julian of Norwich

PATIENT TRUST
Above all, trust in the slow work of God
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end of the day without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate states.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress that is made by passing through
some stages of instability -
and that it may take a very long time.

And so it think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually -let them grow,
let them shape themselves, without undue haste.

Do not try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your good will)
will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you,
and 
accept the anxiety of feeling yourself 
in suspense and incomplete.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ

Living on a Prayer

Living on a Prayer - A powerful write up of Aron Ralston's life recaptured by "Inspiration by God." This article showed how his tragic yet courageous experience in Utah can spark hope in us all, particularly to those who are experiencing dark nights in our lives. While "canyoning" in the rockies of Utah, Aron was trapped and pinned down for four days, by a boulder of rock that fell on him. For five days and five nights, he was alone, helpless and almost desperate and was crying out for help. Until, a sudden surge of spirit dawned upon him that made him do the unthinkable - to cut his arm so that he can free himself and live. He claimed that it was God who spoke to him and sustained him but it was the combination of his faith and free will that saved him. Amazing life story. Aron's strong character and his refusal to be in despair, I believe, arose from his being grounded on God in his sufferings. 

Aron's remarkable testimony reminds me of Dawana Markova's inspirational poem, which has become my "mantra" during my own trying times.  -  

  "I Will Not Die An Unlived Life"

        "I will not live an unlived life, I will not live in fear, of falling or catching fire.

         I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open to me,

         to make me less afraid, more accessible;

         to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.

         I choose to risk my significance to live 

so that which came to me as a seed,

         goes to the next as blossom,

         and that which come to me as blossom, 

goes on as a fruit."

May we, in our personal lives, not only befriend our own pains, trials and tribulations and like Aron, may we come out stronger and blessed in the process of embracing them. May we also, in return, continue to be a source of grace and blessings to others, especially to those around us.