A Day CAN Take a Turn for the Better!

Isn’t it funny how we take the Little Things for Granted?  And yet it’s those little things that can bring us So Much Joy and Happiness.  It’s almost Unfathomable!

Today was just a day filled with Little Things that just made me Smile.  It was one smile after another until I found myself FILLED with Joy!  I can honestly say that I have not felt this Blissful, this Elated, this, well, just Plain HAPPY in a while. 

It didn’t start out that way though.  It felt like it was just going to be “one of those days.” 

I started out, first thing this morning, flooded with Negative and Hurtful Memories…

Then, when we went to take the Girls to their Lola and Lolo’s house, well, it just didn’t feel right.  It’s a difficult thing to explain.  Again, it’s just a bunch of little things that accumulate and make you feel, I don’t know, Icky? 

But then…Ta ta ta taaaaan (please imagine the musical version in your head ;)) Things started looking up.  And thanks to Children!

A Niece and Nephew are visiting at Lolo and Lola’s House (with their Mom, of course), and when my Other Half and I were getting ready to leave, the First Ray of Bright and Beautiful Light broke through the Penumbra. 

Our Nephew was saying something to his Mom and she didn’t hear him because she was talking to her Daughter.  He looked down and sighed something along the lines of “Thanks for listening, Mom” (I say along the lines of because it was a quiet mumbled sigh, but the Mom part was quite distinct).  I looked right at him and “explained” to him that We Parent’s sometimes suffer not only of Short Attention Spans, but that the Older we get, the more difficult it can be to MultiTask.  This made him laugh, and me too!

Then, as we were trying to get out the door, the Mom mentioned that she had bought a Cen Arte painting and told her daughter about another Original, an Abstract, that she was interested in buying.  Her Daughter said that she liked another one that was there, a Landscape Painting of some Birch Trees in the Night.  There is a Full Moon, dark clouds, it is a close-up view between the trees of the moon.  I told her I totally agreed with her.  Her Mom turned around and asked “WHY?”  I simply said that the Landscape Painting was Serene, Brooding, Quiet.  While the Abstract was just too busy, too loud.  Her Daughter laughed and agreed.  Turns out she and I have similar tastes in Art.  🙂

When we finally got outside and getting ready to really leave, our Niece started sharing about her Fashion Sense, her hair.  Her Brother did the same.  I mean, they weren’t Transcendental Topics, but it felt, well, GOOD!  It reminded me about how much I missed all My Kids from the Center.  😦  

Oh yeah, I used to work for Catholic Charities of Los Angeles at a Community Center.  I worked with an average of 75 kids a night.  The “Officially” Registerd Youth ranged in ages from 5-17.  Now, I had kids there, with their Parents, as young as 1 year of age.  I also had a few Younger Adults that hung out and helped me with the other kids.  I LOVED IT!  I was the Youth Coordinator.  It entailed organizing Basketball Tournaments.  Soccer Games.  Field Trips to Museums, UCLA, USC, Dodger Stadium, and various other Places and Sporting Events.  But more important, though not in the Job Description, reinforcing Self-Esteem.  Motivating them to KNOW that they could Accomplish ANYTHING!  And just Loving them for who they were.  😀  And I did!  I do!  Most of them are Adults now.  But God, how I Miss them! 

But I digress, these two kids started turning my day around. 

In Mass, a Little Baby just kept smiling at me.  The Readings were beautiful.  The Gospel though quite Frightening at Face Value, made me Laugh! 

And that servant who knew his master’s will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. 
But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more (Luke 12:47-48).

How I see it is, REGARDLESS, we will get a Beating!  😀 

This is even funnier if you have ever heard Father Mario’s Homilies.  He consistently tells us how Sometimes people deserve Good Loving Christian Beatings!  Therefore, this Gospel just FIT!  

Also, what I told my Hubby was, “Great, we’re Screwed!”  (I apologize if my language offends anyone, but that’s what I said!)  “The Gifts that we have received from the Holy Spirit, our Knowledge…Hmmm.  Yup, we’re Screwed!  This is one of those times where, Ignorance IS Bliss.”

You see, I know that we could do more.  Give More.  But with the Busy excuse.  Well, as I said, We’re Screwed!  And I know that it’s not a laughing matter.  But it’s just so FUNNY!  Especially at that moment. 

Then, for his Homily, Fr. Mario showed the Video that Deacon Dodger posted last week.  I shared it with you, ‘Member?  It was titled “Had to Share.” Quite original, I know.  😛  The video about the Clerk who Evangelizes while she is getting held-up?  “Jesus got something way better for you.”

Well, Father pointed out that the Video, that the young lady, Ms. Goncalves, embodied Today’s Gospel. 

32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 

33 Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 

34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

35 “Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, 

36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks. 

37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them. 

38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants! 

39 But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 

40 You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour.” 

41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” 

42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 

43 Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. 

44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 

45 But if that servant says to himself, `My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 

46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the unfaithful. 

47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. 

48 But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.

She had Faith in Our Lord, which gave her Courage.  Thus, lack of Fear.  32.

She told Camacho that Our Lord was coming, that there was not much time left.  36-38. 40.

She Evangelized.  She didn’t stop!  She gave what was demanded of her.  What is demanded of us all.  48.

Unfortunately, I am not as thorough as Father and have a bad memory.  Perhaps I should start taking notes to share with you all. 😉  Point being, that it was Beautiful and Truly Inspiring.  Not to mention quite Motivating.  

As Father stated, We all think that our Faith is Great in Theory.  Many of us don’t think it is possible to live it, unless we’re Saints.  And yet, here it is.  A Young Lady has PROVEN that it is possible.  That it is quite feasible to LIVE our Faith!  

How Amazing is that?!

But that’s not all Boys and Girls.  After that Stupendous Mass, we went Cycling on Kleinberg trail near the Humber River.  It was quite Formidable, but we did it.  Okay, so I walked up halfway up a couple of those Really Steep Hills.  But I didn’t give up.  I cycled the last three big hills all the way to the top!  Next week, I will do my gosh darndest to cycle them ALL!  It was truly Exhilarating!

And the Cherry on the Top?  Calling my Beloved Mamá Lola in México!  She is doing so well.  Busy with the Church, as usual, and in charge of El Señor de la Ascencion’s visits to the Barrio’s Homes.  I tried to convince her to come up and visit, Niagara Falls is always my Trump Card, but I have yet to cash in on her promises to visit.  She’s trying to learn to use the Internet and email, so that she can spend hours reading all she can about our Faith and sharing with us all.  She even told me a joke about San Cayetano.  The Saint of the Day.  It won’t be as funny in English but suffice it to say that not reciting prayers in Novena’s accurately can lead to HUGE misinterpretations that can lead to questioning What the Heck the Saint was doing!  😉 

What can I say, some things about My Mamá Lola are just mine.  😀