ThirstyFountains

     I do not know about you, but I am grieving a few people this Christmas. It can be hard to be a part of the Christmas spirit. My advice is to take time to grieve and be alone. However, I suggest that one should spend time around others so as to prevent feelings of loneliness. I know that in a room of people, one can feel alone... So try to talk about memories of the individual(s) that you are missing. Keep them alive in your hearts and minds this Christmas. I will personally be making a stocking for someone I lost only recently; family members will put memories of the individual that they have written down on paper inside. That way, on Christmas, we will be able to revisit times when he was with us.       Sometimes, feelings of guilt can creep in. "How could I have forgotten him this Christmas?" "Why am I here, while she is not?" "Will I ever be able to be happy this time of year again?" Do not let those feelings steal your peace.   

We have a  problem. What problem, you ask? Well, continue reading and you will find out.      You see, we all feel a deep ache inside. We are missing something and we know it. Sometimes this hole is like a cloud, burdened with rain. Other times it is like an ever-present wet blanket: uncomfortable, but almost unnoticeable.      We claim that we do all we can to reach out and grasp the One who will fill it, but are we really trying our hardest? If your child, friend, spouse, brother, sister, mother, or father was dying and the only thing you could do was make a tea from a flower... how hard would you try to get it? Wait. Just wait. Before you blurt out "of course I would try my hardest," let me proceed with the story...      You are told that there is only way to heal the one you love. Immediately, you ask the doctor to tell you what it is. They stammer that it is not safe, the consequences are permanent, the chances are far too risky... Yo

     It all started on my normal college school day. I, Ben Kotir, awoke at 7:12am and sat on the apartment's front porch. Across the street was a playground that no one used anymore, due to its age. Already, the morning was starting to warm up; so I refrained from reaching for the blanket that hung limply on the chair next to me. Movement caught my eye so I turned my attention from two playful street cats to the rickety swing set. There were three swings and the first was moving slowly. On a regular day I would have thought his to be the breeze's doing. But, as I was soon to find out, today was not going to be my regular day.      Before I continue, I will give some background information. I was born and raised in a Prentiss, Maine. My father, a Canadian, met my mother in Maine while looking for a job. He immediately fell in love with her wit, beauty, and spirit. They got married and were blessed with two children, including myself. Ten years later, my mother died leavi

                                     ROME, May 5, 2005 -- Dr. Edoardo Linoli says he held real cardiac tissue in his hands, when some years ago he analyzed the relics of the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano, Italy. His findings have stirred interest in the scientific world... .  .  .  .  .      A Basilian monk, in the eighth century, had doubts about the real presence of Christ in the sacred species. While was offering Mass in a church dedicated to St. Legontian in the town of Lanciano, he pronounced the words of the consecration. As he did so the host was miraculously changed into physical flesh and the wine into physical blood. Later the blood coagulated and the flesh remained the same.      At the initiative of Archbishop Pacifico Perantoni of Lanciano, and of the provincial minister of the Franciscan Conventuals of Abruzzo, and with authorization from Rome, in November 1970 the Franciscans of Lanciano decided to have the relics examined scientifically.      Linoli was en

     God wants all of you. He wants your broken pieces. His is patient; He knows it may take time for you to give Him every piece of you. He seeks you out, whispers into your soul about a love that is incomprehensible for you, but possible for Him to give to you. He will do anything but one thing for you. You read that right. He will do anything but one thing for you.      What could that be? It is this: He will not cross the boundaries you set in your relationship with Him. He respects our boundaries. He respects them in may ways. First, He leaves work for us to do that only we can do.  He allows us to experience the painful consequences of our behaviour so we can change. He is not willing for any of us to perish and takes no pleasure in our destruction (2 Peter 3:9 and Ez. 18:23), but He want us to change for our own good and His glory. It hurts Him deeply when we don't. But at the same time, He does not rescue us; He wants us to work it out for our own good. He will

If you ever doubt your worth,  If you ever feel ashamed Know that the Most Perfect of all  sacrificed His life so you- He could reclaim.                         -j.c. Your Worth  watch this before continuing to read. .  .  .  .  .       Even though you are worth so much more than a $20 bill, we will use it as our example. In the video, you saw a man crumple the bill and even step on it; still, however, it was worth the same amount after such things were down to it. It did not lose its value. Nor can you. No matter what happens- if you are/were a victim, spat upon, laughed at, ridiculed, criticized, shamed, ostracized, or if you have made terrible mistakes- you are still worth the same amount as before. Rich Woman Requests Seat Change in Airplane      You may be a victim of another... or yourself. You may feel dirty, ashamed, vulnerable, scared, broken, flawed, scarred etc. We must allow ourselves to feel and go through these whirlwinds, but

"What's your heart telling you to do?" Said Jamie. "I don't know," Landon admitted. "Maybe, you're trying too hard to hear it.”  ― Nicholas Sparks, A Walk to Remember .  .  .  .  .            We should try to differentiate what the heart says vs the mind. Some psychologists today say to take into account the risk factors and act with the mind, not the heart. They continue to relay that in certain situations one may act with the heart and regret it later on, once all of the consequences reveal themselves. However, I dare to counter-argue that.       Wait one moment. I am not saying that all people should act with only the heart at all times. What I am saying is that the heart must act in accord with the mind. Most of the time, there needs to be a balance of the heart and the mind, the desires and the reasons, the wishes and the effects. Sometimes, though, a  Leap of Faith  is required. One must use the heart to do this because

Sometimes you need to take a break, right? It is essential to laugh! For one, you'll breathe easier. “Ninety percent of laughs involve deep exhalations,” says Dr. Dacher Keltner. “When you exhale, your heart rate and blood pressure go down and you enter a calmer state. This effect may very well be the reason you feel a sense of relief from laughing.” You'll bond better. "Partners who tell kind, lighthearted jokes and share laughter to defuse tension, tend to have better marriages,"  says Dr. John Gottman.  "It could be as easy as establishing a word or phrase that’s funny (and random) enough to automatically end any argument – like “pork chop!” You'll beat stress. Just the anticipation of laughing decreases the stress hormones dopac, cortisol, and epinephrine by 38, 39, and 70 percent respectively, according to researchers in California. And when researchers at the University of Maryland showed short movie clips to study participants, those

Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower, But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf; So Eden sank to grief. So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay...   --Robert Frost       .  .  .  .  .      The evening chill reflected what she felt within her heart. Stepping out of the car, she inhaled slowly as she rested her head against the frame. Swallowing tears, she turned and approached the walkway guarded by two blood-red brick pillars. She tried to bury the memories and pretend that she was walking into a garden instead of a cemetery.  "A garden of souls," was her thought. Shaking her head abruptly, she touched her foot to the grass. Hesitating only a fraction of a second, she continued. Her legs could no longer hold her so she sunk to the ground. She knelt then, not caring if she stained her clothes on the slightly damp grass. Folding herself into an Indian style, she held her face in her ha

     Are you a prism where God can shine through? Do you smile at how your life is great (even though you are suffering) just because you are letting Him use you? Or are you an opaque person who wanders around wondering what is missing from your life? Or are you neither? (What? What does she mean "neither?" There's a third option?)      Yes there is. I mean: do you know Who you need and what you need to do to get Him, but are afraid? You could be afraid of giving up control, what others will think, rejection, being a disappointment to Him, or something else. Figure out what is holding you back.      "Do not be afraid to welcome Christ." It is put so simply. It almost seems that they do not know the struggles of letting go. These words are stated so clearly "do not be afraid." Why does the author say it like it is one of the easiest things to do?  Because it is.      It is not the act of not being afraid that is so hard. (It w

     Slowly, the fragile blade of grass presses up against the strong weight that ties it down. It seems to be making no progress in moving its oppressor. Courageously,  the blade of grass continues its struggle. After many attempts to remove the cause of its strife, the blade of grass cries out to the awe-inspiring sky above. It beseeches the sky to assist him and earns a riddle: Real eyes realize Real lies. Should one recognize many,  But ignore the others?      Contemplatively, the blade of grass pondered this for many days. At times, he would cogitate on this well into the night, trying to decipher the message. Then, just as the last droplet of dew evaporated from its shoulders, the blade of grass inhaled sharply. That was it. The answer to the riddle! Lies; they were all lies. The lies he told himself for years: You'll never be good enough. Your friends will leave you. No one will want you as their special someone. You fail too often. You are n