“ I wish I’d known that God would give me all the strength and faith I needed to go through some of my own tough times… Perhaps I wouldn’t have been so afraid.“ – Maria Shriver

Maria Shriver has these words of wisdom. As we go through these difficult times let us always remember that God is with us.

There is good in life every day. Take a few minutes to distract yourself from your concerns-long enough to draw strength from a tree or to find pleasure in a bird’s song. Return a smile; realize that life is a series of levels, circles of ups and downs-some easy, some challenging.

Through it all, you will learn; you will grow strong in faith; you will mature in understanding. The difficult times are often the best teachers, and there is good to be found in all situations. Reach for the good. Be positive, and don’t give up.” – Pamela Owens Renfro

What strikes me most in this reflection is “the difficult times are often the best teachers, and there is good to be found in all situations.”

My father had a colostomy when he was 18 and then had to have further surgery when he was 23.

One day when I was complaining to him about how he could be so happy in the morning he said, “Every day I thank God for another day of living.” He died at 47 but lived life to the fullest. He taught me how to live with a serious illness, in spite of his illness he lived a joyful life.

“Refuse to be unhappy; be cheerful instead. Refuse to let your troubles multiply; just take them one by one. Refuse to complain about things; learn to improve your surroundings and create your world the way you believe it should be. Refuse to dwell on the mistakes or disappointments that are sometimes a part of life; instead learn how you can make things better. Be optimistic. Be energetic and positive about the things you do, and always hope for the best. Believe in yourself at all times and in all aspects of your life. Before you know it, those wonderful dreams you have believed in all your life will come true, and your life will be the happy and successful life that it was meant to be.” Ben Daniels

This could have been a letter that Jesus sent to each one of us! During these very difficult days, we need to come together as one. I know there are many people that are upset about the election but we cannot allow it to divide us as a country. We have always been the United States Of America. United not divided States of America. I don’t know about you but it scares me when I look at the pictures of Washington, DC. Let us remember in our prayers all those members that are protecting the president elect as we have a peaceful transition of power. Let us remember the national guard members, the police, secret service and all those working for the safety of all.

“ The trouble with so many of us is that we underestimate the power of simplicity. We have a tendency it seems to overcomplicate our lives and forget what’s important and what’s not. We tend to mistake movement for achievement. We tend to focus on activities instead of results. And as the pace of life continues to race along in the outside world, we forget that we have the power to control our lives regardless of what’s going on outside.” – Robert Stuberg

I think this reflection is appropriate for our times.

There is so much turmoil with the pandemic, our political situation and general news in the world.

Each one of us needs to stop and remember nothing can control us. We have the power within us to decide how we will act and react to each situation. I heard the other day that two friends are no longer friends over political issues.

What happened to let’s agree to disagree and not let disagreements affect our personal life.

“ The midnight hour is a difficult period in a persons life…

No matter what midnight hour you’re faced with, God can give you strength to live with it. Always remember that when you pray, God is working on your behalf. No matter what the midnight situation is, if you stay armed with prayer, God has a prescription for you. He will either remove it or give you the necessary strength to live through it. Therefore, rest in the knowledge that none of your prayers go unnoticed because through prayer you invoke God’s power to work in your life.” – The Reverend Bernice A. King

Unfortunately I’ve heard people say God did not answer my prayers!  I think Reverend King response to that statement very well. I remember when my mother was very sick and dying, I asked the children at Saint Joseph school to pray for her.

After she died, I remember going to each of the classrooms and telling the students, “God always answers our prayers, and just like a parent sometimes God’s answer is no, but God gives us the strength to get through the situation.”

My prayer now is please God heal our country.