Showers of Grace

Marie certainly did not expect a homily as touching, heart warming,  encouraging and as learning as the one delivered by Father Raymond Michael at St Anne's  Senior Citizen mass, this morning. Remarkable ,  very much like a shower of grace.....

It was a  welcomed awakening ...reminding seniors to retain and maintain  their own identity and good spirits. be their own person... not to  stop doing their thing.....there is no need to retire behind the scenes.....just because of that golden badge. Being a senior, does not make one old....or less useful......you are old, only if you think you are old...Seniors are really at a time of their lives when they are bursting forth  in full bloom of life's wisdom, ..their relationship and experience with God and they have much to offer ....to impart .. knowledge, experience, expertise .....they are at a fortunate stage of their lives when they could offer services  and serve the Lord..........

Ya, it sort of brought  a lump to this writer's throat...the narration......the secret grand birthday wish of a 70 year old...neither riches nor wealth......he wished for ..but Psalm 27.. to dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of his life.and don't we, all who have journeyed thus far???....

The thoughtful action- blessings...sprinkles of  cool blessed water....they were like soothing balm on a burnt skin.... shower of grace which reassures the body, the spirit and the soul......simple act but so meaningful and appreciated. (yes, some seniors standing near this writer immediately, raised their hands to worship and thank God, when the waters touched them).
This writer was very sure, many a senior left mass, this afternoon, happier individuals, knowing they are very much a crucial part of God's family and society........and there are people out there ready to accept them and cheer them on. Truly, holiness is not about appearance....it is all in the heart....and from the heart. ... 

Thank you ....all you who have tried to shower happiness and encouragement on the needy.

The Living Bible

The Bible may have been written for people of that times, more than 2000 years ago, but from within lies living wisdom which stays relevant and current through out all times;   for every worldly question, there is an  answer, for every worldly trouble, there is compassion and  solace.....for every situation, a solution...for every lost traveller, ....direction...hope....The Old Testament with its stiff laws was a foundation , providing background and understanding and serves as  the source...of knowledge how it all begun... a useful  guide., a comparison., life's lessons..... The Beginning....the Before.. the After....It is never irrelevant.

The New Covenant has given us a Heavenly Father who is Love Himself and the  new convenant has done away with many old laws and practices....The Lord, He  came in the earthly presence of His Son to die for mankind and offer reconciliation. We were  redeemed, healed in our Father, children relationship .... and  .....we have the New Testament . No man can deny  the wisdom which comes forth from the pages of the Living Book of Life.....the Word of the Lord God....and the Lord's teachings...it had astonished the people of His time,..... steadfastly astonishing, empowering, strengthening   people throughout  the ages and will continue to shine its wisdom beyond the passages of time......... It is after all,  God inspired and God's wisdom never runs out of date...it remains current and living .....

6.30a.m. at St Anne's, Port Klang

It's good to be at St Anne's so early in the morning. The annual pilgrimage to St. Anne has always been happy occasions and this year it is exceptional. She had been urged out of bed by a strong force within her....and much  like a young school girl, she stole out of the house and  runs excitedly to a much beloved grandmother for blessings and spiritual words of encouragement..

It was a wonderful feeling to be in front of this beautiful Saint of family happiness, marriage, children.., devotion etc...etc...,in the early morning hours,  away from the pressing crowds,  ah , peace and a time of quiet and conversation with the beloved  grandmother  of our Lord Jesus. Somehow,  the atmosphere and feelings during her feast day is different., takes us to a higher level...Do you know people, how hard she prays that all our prayers are answered and on her feast day, she prays doubly hard for us????

People, Have you not heard of the numerous miracles God works for us, because we prayed to St Anne for her  intercessions?? Marie, has her own story as well, why it has become a family tradition to go to St. Anne's feast  yearly not only  to pray but also to offer thanksgivings...ah!...but that is a secret she shares only with St Anne and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

As Father Lawrence so powerfully and beautifully puts it...we should come in confidence...that our prayers have been granted, and we shall be so blessed. Faith is a beautiful thing.....didn't the Lord teach us, that when we pray, we should believe that the Father has already heard our prayers and that they have  already been granted ???Believe and it will be so......

Thank you St Anne for your prayers.

NB: This evening, mass is at 7.30p.m. See you there guys!!

Discern

There is no such thing as a perfect solution, there are still the pros and the cons..the  ability to discern and take full advantage of the good points is what makes the difference...

Change with the times

Many miles have I chalked up, many valley and hills...and when I thought I have seen all, suddenly..there comes  a new learning situation before me ...to learn and to adapt....

We are living in a changing world, a fast paced world which demands the mind set of tomorrow in order to survive the demands of today..

God's Hand

Lead the way, Lord...the beauty, the brillance, the wisdom and eloquence of words and speech. the talents given me Lord, accomplished, fulfilled, acclaimed let it stand firm,  tall and proud, in  blessed delight!!

Value the people in your life

TODAY'S WORDS OF WISDOM

Belief in self

If you want to do something, be  passionate about your wants....believe that you can and you will. Move to Actionize right away..

Importance of Communication

Marie was at her nephew's wedding and this very jovial pastor was conducting the wedding mass.. in .his sermon , a very special message to the bride and the groom....besides other words of wisdom...was....he could never understand women, and he doubts he will ever understand them......but then, God gave men ,  women to care, to protect, to love,  and to cherish...not to understand...as in dissecting but to feel as she feels ; to be able to see things as she sees.....Marriage is alot of , loving, compromise, acceptance, caring- and communicating.  Couples, after a few years of marriage, do not speak to each other anymore...it becomes ....ya-more of  ......questioning., than talking......did you do this and that???Why are you late...where were you?? Intimacy has flown, disappeared......conversation??...(old married couple...what is there to talk about ?? ) Sharing.?? (what is that??) ..In fact if you see a couple sitting in a restaurant or Kopitiam, just drinking their coffee and eating their meal, in silence...looking everywhere .... their surroundings, the table in front of them, their feet... etc....instead of their partner...chances are, they are a married couple...Sad, sad but so true...Work at reversing that trend people!

To be able to communicate with one another , with mutual understanding, care and love - converse,  be able to  speak to one another as friends,  a loving partner  is a  blessing but also a culture, couples should cultivate , if they want their union to be - one long and  joyous  marriage and partnership...

Blessed - the man and wife who  still hold hands and whisper sweet nothings into their partner's ears, even when looks have gone, wrinkles  and flabs have set in...... beautiful ..the harmony and peace of their sunset days..

Bonding

Breathe life into this barren land, oh God , turn it into a beautiful garden of  good thriving blossoms and fruits; smile thy favour  oh Lord, let every step forward be a joy of fulfilment!

Beijing in the Summer

Beijing Tour-Some Straight Talk just for the sharing!!

Flight CA

Understand flight delays are quite the norm-going -delayed by an hour, return delayed 4 hours and that too stuck on the plane with just a slight breeze of an aircon....Gosh! a six hour flight becomes 10! No worries though, they plied us with enough soft drinks to calm the frayed nerves. But be always prepared for any eventualities.

 China Package Tour Schedules

Guys, guys! China tour packages are a tight fit! Daily Morning call 6.00a.m. or if you are lucky- 6.30a.m. Have breakfast and it is off for sight-seeing at 8.00a.m. sharp! No delays! Whole day affair- you get to return to the hotel only after dinner, normally after 10.00p.m.!! And the next day, the same punishing pace!But the beauty of the place, and the novelty! the excitement has us up, well ahead of the wake up call, exhausted or not!

First day, We went straight from the airport -quick breakfast and then  off -to places of interest....sorry there is only time for a quick touch up in the "ladies, & gents'. if you have your touch up kit with you.(clean, with doors!!, so do not believe those horror stories!!)......Marie? sorry lah! everything packed away...so hair disarrayed,.... face - not fit for public viewing... breath ??? take a  guess....and it was off  to the Forbidden city....Tienanmen square etc...etc....Boy! the biting sun! and before long,  her hair was like mud cake, sticking to her head! But who cares?? You may looked washed out in the photos, and stink a little..but boy! what an immensely thrilling experience, what a strange, marvellously out of the world feeling! BUT of course, that joyous feeling would have been heightened if they had allowed us to check into the hotel first, have a refreshing bath, before the tour begins! But this is the China tours, too many places to see, no time for all that! It is standard procedure, so we were told.

Hotels

Hmmmm...pretty good for the price .....New hotel Jiang Qiao International Hotel apartment  was lovely, clean and comfortable with good food and their rose gardens was  charming, real charming!

Holiday Inn Express was a thumbs up as well, the beautiful lake and colourful fishes....great stuff!!. In addition, this hotel is right in the middle of the city-Chinatown shopping area...MC Donald's, KFC..etc...etc...

Food

This Package comes with plenty of food. Breakfast at the hotels. Other meals out....Each lunch and dinner comes with  nine to ten dishes. But food-Beijing style is really not every one's cup of tea........vegetables are fine but the meat.....bland, very bland...and if you hate pork, ...best pack along some instant noodles...plenty of fatty fat meat pieces...aiyaa..yah!! There is pork in practically every dish, except for the Veg, veg and thank God for those dishes!!Chicken is nothing like what we have here!! ?? It could just be their preferred way of cooking that  we foreign visitors don't know how to appreciate. Lamb?? ah! the real stuff, only they use it for their steam boat meals and those who cannot stomach the taste nor the smell.....sorry lah! Marie?? It's ok, ok  !! ..... That's the trouble with those who comes from food paradises like us Malaysians...and before long, we were craving for nasi lemak!! Like the tour guide says, if you like the food, eat more..if you don't , make sure you at least  fill up your stomachs...( they were very generous with their rice and Chinese tea) cos! you would need the stamina to walk..miles and miles..

Shopping

Plenty of things to buy and they do make it a point to stop at famous shopping places for you to lighten your pockets....Word of advice...do not buy everything in one place, there are more than enough stops to buy your souvenirs and any thing that catches your fancy and there is plenty, be assured...etc.....Remember there is the commission thing and tour guides are experts at turning you into cash dispensing machines. You  buy more than you first intented.....but  think-if they do not bring you to those spots, you would never know how to get there.. in the first place.... that is, if you were a first timer like this writer! So just be thankful, smile and go along with the flow, only .....be wise enough to hold on to your purse, real tight, use your head instead of your heart...

And she loves the crystal and pearl factories...silk...it was a triple wow!China, being China, there were always the traditional Chinese herbal and pharmaceutical centres -GMP to booth! And they have physicians on stand by to read your pulse and .....recommend cures...and out your money flies again...Agressive sales pitch too. By the way, if the tour guide tells you, you will be treated to a free reflexology etc..etc....guys nothing is free! The Free was actually Pretty Expensive!! And of course, they have humongous shopping complexes, catering specially for fake -branded goods ..boy! they do look quality and like the genuine stuff and at a fraction of the cost! But be pre-warned, their opening prices are killers!! You won't go very far wrong if you knock down prices like what  Malaysians -do for Petaling Street. But shopping was real fun and  addictive! Wish she was loaded at that time, but thank God, she, Marie  kept her credit card on local mode. You do have a tendency to get carried away...

History & Scenic Spots
Amazingly lovely! So lovely, she wish she had the time and the resources to stay on and drink in the incredible beauty...the Summer Palace, the beautiful lakes, the mountains and the hills.. The view from the Great wall of China! Even at the level she stopped, it was breathtaking!! The steps up the Great Wall was steeped, you wonder, how soldiers of ancient times could run up and down without tripping and falling over, and how on earth did they manage to build that wall in the first place??Truly, a great wonder!

One of the places she fell in love with, was the Temple of Heaven , one of the architectural wonders of the world , constructed entirely of wood and without use of any nails, believe it or not!!

The Qingyi Garden, or the Summer Palace was extra-ordinary.....Despite the heat, the summer palace was cool, breezy,., and despite the thousands who throng   the grounds, there was this incredible feeling of calm and peace.....wow! Many trees in the garden were 200 or 300 years old!!

So many, many other wondrous and delightful places....too many pages to fill....She could write a whole book!!

Language

Mostly mandarin speaking, though they try to speak as much of English as their command of the language permits. Loved the way they speak English, pronunciation -precise but You will enjoy the trip more , if you know some Mandarin, so either you join a 100% English tour or go  pick up some Mandarin!

Additional Tours



Yup! they pulled that "trick or treat" on us...but what the yell,, or hell...we went so far, might as well pay a little more to see more places....If you do not want that happening, square it out with your travel agent before you even buy the tour package...But no complaints there, worth the while...

Wangfujing Street.

Cockroaches, or scorpions, worms, baby snakes, anyone???Yucks! The smell was enough to drive this writer crazy but people were jostling with one another to buy those delicacies!!

Overall

Minus the minor  irritations  here and there the whole trip was  Exquisite, Memorable and Incredible. She felt so blessed. Would she go to China on another package tour??Definitely Yes!!, but this time its the  spring or autumn tours - no more scorching  heat, and the swarming local crowds on summer holidays!!!! Wiser now, she would reach out for the  cool, fresh air- scenic wonders where nature glorifies , the  astounding  beauty of God's creation. See ya China,  be back soon!



Beijing -A Gift

  God does work in mysterious ways....when she-Marie left her rice mill, recently ...June 2011, she was a little lost.....but at that precise moment, God opened the way for her to travel...and that too... to the very place..she had wanted to go..for as long as she could remember.... Beijing and to The Great Wall of China! Almost as though she was there before and needed to return to pay her respects...... Tis  God's grace ...that saw this writer embarking  on a  eight days historical trail to Beijing.Unforgetable and memorable!Such a blessing!

The Great Wall of China!, the Forbidden City! the Summer Palace!

the lake where the emperor used to court his imperial ladies...etc...etc..a dream come true and its all through the grace of God , the prayers of the Holy Mother and the angels He sent into her life...Praise God!

p/s - If you think India is hot, try China in summer....you will sweat like never before!

Weeds & Wheat-Parable

The Kingdom of God is already in our midst yet how many of us are still searching and trying to understand just what the kingdom of God means ........

How many times , we wonder why God allows evil and pain to punctuate our lives...why wickedness is allowed to take its course......this morning, for the first time, Marie understood the parable of the weeds and wheat...Matthew 13:24-43....Truly, there are weeds inside each and everyone of us....no man is perfect....we are both angels and baddies, in one body....in the eyes of some, we are the best and yet...to others....bad of the the worst kind....!! Sometimes, we wonder at ourselves..why we did certain things...don't we??

Stand in front of the mirror and do a self examination of your heart and self , people..........reflect.....no words required huh?...know thyself! God in his wisdom and his love...knows mankind for what we are and He..provides us  time-........loads of it........a whole life's journey....., to learn , to understand life's living.....   conquer the dark side of our human component, manage  the devil in us .......and at some point of our journey....through His grace, we can and will.....then surely we walk in goodness, with great values...  and the kingdom of God is given us.....but for now, the struggle and battle within continues.....

Pray brethen, that the kingdom of God is gifted us!

Togetherness

A woman was cleaning away at
the candle clogged stands in front of the grotto, the husband, lighting candles and praying with simple trust...Marie thought, that was beautiful... united trust in the prayers of the Holy Mother and the Power of God...surely the Holy Mother will be touched .....when husbands and wives come together in faith......Happiness appear in the form of strengthening  bonds... and love, care  and harmony firms... relationship...it becomes so blessed....family, home and the world .... such a wonderful place to live in...never mind the little trials and tribulations  that spring up here and there...after all in life, there has to be day and night...sun and rain......but a gift of togetherness ...  it is a blessed gift indeed!

Marvellous God

I hear the happy chatter, the birds of the air welcoming in the early morn, and I marvelled oh God...They sing and call out to each other  with such joy.,  earnest their endeavour, focus their aim-  reaping and yet sowing in their own unique way; their very existence, a source of inspiration,  .......their happiness- songs of  tribute to thy marvellous creation, Oh God.!!

Average or Memorable??

So! What will it be? Continue plodding along "Average Way" , or Book a seat on Faith's Corridor......Get on  the Train of "Memorable" - and make fruitful God's given talents???. God wants us to excel!!!  Get Moving!

Strengthen my will and resourcefulness, Oh God, mould substance - my being, and Your smile, Oh God, the peace and joy of accomplishment!!

Write to Serve

The Eloquence and beauty of words, I place unto Thy Hands Lord....Lift it , kiss it, and make it perfect..., thriving and springing up, the world over, pleasing in every man's sight, heart and soul, drawing hearts back to your fold.....Your Word, Lord, the enlightenment which brings clarity, Your Passion, the reason, to journey, that  thy great  love and sacrifice is not in vain...And we safely cross that bridge of reconciliation and walk  the pathways of Our Father's Grace......

Grace

Indeed,  Grace lifts us up, .....daily.......Without that sun beam, revitalising us,  we would be like deflated balloons, all demotivated and discouraged, each time shortcomings of the world and ourselves kick us full force in the stomach!!!  Yet, when  night passes and a new day dawns, we find enough strength and desire to sustain and move forward .... Folks, Do you know, it is the grace of God....God showering His Grace upon us??!!

Yes, when we are down, He picks us up from the dirty floor, gives us a little kiss , wipes away our tears.....dust us up and then, set us firmly on our feet........"go on,  continue walking..."...He encourages......like any loving Father would...........Now, where would we be,  if Grace is not given us???? If God does not stand lovingly by our sides??

Miracles

Infront of her Lord God, she sat and examine Self, mind, body, heart and  soul.....it had been a long journey ...  responsibilities as a wife,mother and commitment to others....she started off carrying everything on her back, then the Lord provided her with a bicycle and so she rode along gratefully, but the weather is so unpredictable...it  rains, it storms and before you knew it...the sun was out blazingly hot. He knows the bicycle had outlived its purpose, the distance is just too much for her....The darkness, terrifies her...He knows how , she hated getting wet, the cold -chills her bones....so He send her a car .....It had worked well for her...Thank you Lord... now that autumn has stepped in....and time is now on her side.......she realises that the pages under God and Self is glaringly empty.....it will now be filled, slowly but surely.....Precious Lord, Take her Hands and  Lead her......