Harvest of Blessings Jesus told the Jews to believe in the works which he did and they will know who he is.   These gifts were from the Father, for he was the Son of God.   In Isaiah 35:5 God promised the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.    Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego were bound and thrown into a burning furnace, but they were seen walking amid flames that did not harm them.   Hezekiah was sick, and about to die, when Isaiah the prophet was told by God to let him know he has heard his prayers.   God added some fifteen more years to his life.   Living abundantly in the Lord, leads to a harvest of blessings. Joel Osteen (b. 1963), a televangelist and senior pastor of Lakewood Church, Houston, Texas, said: “When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance.”  By not being self-centered and by reaching out to others Christians freely share these blessings....

  Life of Abundance “When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance.”   Joel Osteen (b. 1963), televangelist and pastor     “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough to those who have little.”   Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), president of the United States   “Whatever we are waiting for – peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance – it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart.” Sarah Breathnach (b. 1947), founder of Simple Abundance Charitable Fund    “You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might also pray in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.”   Khalil Gibran (1883–1931), Lebanese-born artist and writer     “Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having ...

  Living Like Optimists What does life mean? Are there lessons to be learned? Do people just live and die? How should they live to be their best?   Take life one day at a time. Enjoy every moment fully. Be sure to smell the roses. And drink a glass of wine.   Life is shorter than you think. Days pass by that some hardly remember. But are people open to the undulations of change? This is the way to embrace a joyful life.   Our families grow up before our eyes. Some adults participate in various hobbies. They pursue their dreams with a purpose. Such decisions mean a lot for older folks.   Some parents face major challenges. Many of their afflictions are health related. These conditions cause unexpected problems. They may see their dreams about life shattered. But why don’t seniors live like optimists? It is a way to be happy in this conflicted world.     

  Spiritual Awakening Life is a challenge. People are always thinking. In their heads are a running commentary. This is what some believe they truly are.   But these memories are false. Many people dwell on the past and future. They see the ends as justifying the means. However, these perceptions are inaccurate.   The real You can be found in the Now. Its presence is accessed in stillness. So, be sure to completely silent your mind. Then, you will start living in the present.   The past and the future are One. These are best described as the Now. Living with a thinking mind is unconscious. While in stillness, one becomes conscious.   Between the space of stillness is the sacred. This is where the real You are found. With such presence, a person taps into divinity. This realization is all about spiritual awakening.  

  Spark & Flame Everyone has a special spark. This God-light is always present. It’s what motivates them to be true. It helps to be uniquely who they are.   Life’s abundance is all around. People rejoice with wonderful gifts. But they will never forget their roots. Some folks are rich, but others are poor.   Yet, there’s goodness in every life. Some endeavor to serve their community. This is when this spark burns brightly. That is how their presence is felt.   The light of people’s lives is like a miracle. They reach out to touch the sky. The shining stars glow brightly like gifts. Longing souls are captivated by these acts.   So, let each living spark be a flame. A fire that cleanses the depths of despair. Life will rebound in total brilliance. Lonely lives will rejoice with hope.   

  Juneteenth Festivities On June 19 th , 1865 General Robert Granger Issued a proclamation notifying black slaves In Texas they were free. And Juneteenth celebrations are on “Jubilee Day” With picnics, rodeos, lectures, and cookouts.   Families celebrate reunions, park parties, Attend blues festivals, And there is a Miss Juneteenth contest.   But revelers never forget to have a Strawberry soda – The drink associated with these festivities. And, for the more serious minded, There are lectures, and exhibitions of African American culture.   These festivities are accompanied by a voter registration drive. To top it all, everyone should be part of a barbecue cookout, That is the centerpiece of most Juneteenth celebrations.

  Dad Remembered Harold A Thomas was humble. He was tall, black, and strong. Everyone loved his disposition. By nature, he worked diligently.     His eleven kids lived quite happily, For dad was a joy of their hearts, And provided for their basic needs. He was their rock of Gibraltar.   Friends said good things about him. They loved his resourceful ways. Often, he was like a bright star Shining a steady light in their midst.   Dad was generous and kind. He gave freely to the poor. Our family followed his example. He was really gifted in many ways.   So, dad’s memories would live on. On September 8, 2010 at 94, He died in a local hospital as a fighter, And was buried in Georgetown, Guyana.  

53 rd Wedding Anniversary Today, June 13, 2023 is the 53 rd Wedding Anniversary of Erwin & Mary Thomas. Below is the tribute written by our son Matthew & daughter-in-law Shannon on our 50 th that is worth repeating on this occasion.  50 th Wedding Anniversary Tribute Fifty years ago, today my parents were married. Three years and one day before their wedding, the Supreme Court struck down laws banning interracial marriage in Loving v. Virginia. Coincidentally enough, my parents moved to Virginia ten years later and where they live to this day. But the first house they were supposed to move into was "no longer available" when my white mother was joined by my black father to sign the lease they agreed to over the phone. The Fair Housing Act passed in 1968. This happened in 1980. This is just one of their experiences of discrimination over decades of marriage. I would not exist without a landmark court decision. I was born and raised in a loving home by parents who e...

    A Special Love When addressing friends do you see each as special?  Are you condescending with them?  Do you pay attention to how they look?  Do you have other underlying motives?  You should however look beyond their appearance.  Every individual ought to be treated with the utmost respect.  This is what you must practice when you greet them.  Do you dazzle the world with your talent?  Robert Browning (1812–1889) did this with poems, plays, and pamphlets.  His wife Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861) was more successful with her works.  In Sonnet 43, she expressed a limitless love:   “With my lost saints – I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life! - and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.”   There was sincerity in this love she shared.  This was a supreme, knew no boundaries, or distinctions.  She just loved the saints.   Why try to control other...

  Prayer for Guidance Holy God, let us see what we should see. Unchangeable God, let us say what we should say. Truthful God, let us hear what we should hear. Precious God, let us smell what we should smell.   Infinite God, let us touch what we should touch. Wise God, let us sense what we should sense. Creator God, let us discern what we should discern. Omniscient God, let us know what we should know.   Eternal God, let us become what we should become. Gracious God, let us think what we should think. Sustainer God, let us walk where we should walk. Omnipotent God, let us go where we should go.   Spiritual God, let us be what we should be. Omnipresent God, thank you for guiding us. O Eternal One, continue to guide our lives.   Be with us as problems of daily living arise.   And help us in our quest to be compassionate. Amen  

  Suffering in Life   No one likes to suffer.  Yet, it is through the suffering of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who died on the cross at Calvary people’s victory was won.  Jesus died the most excruciating, and humiliating death.  As we learned in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, he was condemned by a council of elders, beaten, nailed to a cross, pierced, died, was buried, resurrected, and ascended into heaven. He is presently seated at the right hand of God, the Father.   Like him, people continue to suffer for various reasons.  To sinners, such suffering is like days of doom, and are hopeless.  They will gain nothing, save the disgrace, torture, misery, and everlasting death.  To Christians however, suffering has REAL meaning.  It may come as chastisement from Our Lord Jesus Christ, for wrongs they have done, and continue to do.  Repeatedly, the Holy Spirit may be warning them not to go down such a sinful path.  ...

  Dorothy Day Kate Hennessy’s Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty captured the life of a social and religious icon. In her younger life Dorothy Day had many challenges and fell victim to promiscuity. She had several affairs and aborted her young baby. Eventually, she was in a relationship with Foster that lasted until her death. With him a daughter Tamar was born. Tamar who was to marry and divorce David had nine children. Kate Hennessy was Dorothy Day’s youngest granddaughter and was the author of this biography about the family. Dorothy purchased farms at Easton and Tivoli. On these properties she held retreats and communions that served the poor. At the Catholic Worker she practiced back-to-the-land movement and farming. After her conversion to Catholicism, Dorothy was always writing stories for the Catholic Worker with some 160,000 subscribers and touring the country giving talks. Dorothy was exceptional by the way she functioned her ministry, but kept providin...