RevCl FE2 Faded Hope's blog: "Reality Check"

A New Year’s Prayer

May God make your year a happy one!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes need you most,
     and by making you anxious to be there to help.
God’s love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead.

Reality Check

With the Holidays coming, peoples attitudes get worse and tempers are shorter. I have played Santa Claus for a few years and the children always will say "I Want" or "Gimme" this for Christmas, I have also heard adults say the same thing. When I hear that I start to think of the ones that are less fortunate then myself. 

I think of the ones that are in the Military keeping us safe, fighting for the rights of others so they can enjoy the freedom we have. They pay the ultimate price. They are Fathers, Mothers, Sons and Daughters. They leave loved ones behind to ensure we have our Freedom.

I have Volunteer to work in kitchens on the Holidays so others may have hot food to eat so their bellies don't go empty. Seeing smiles on the faces is more then enough of a Thank You.

Worked with Abate of WI raising money and toys for Families at Holiday times so they can have something to play with. Have adopted Families at Thanks Giving and Christmas so they would have food to eat. 

While driving home from work, I saw a homeless person walking in a blizzard with no winter jacket. I stopped my car got out and gave that man my winter jacket.

I have gone to Hospitals on Christmas Eve and given toys to kids that were in intensive care. These children had no Families that come to visit them. A friend of mine played Santa for the kids, he was a hard core biker from the go. I did what I could to prepare him for what he might see. The first two rooms we went into went smoothly, but after the third room we had to stop for a few mins. because of the tears that would strem down our faces.

There is nothing more sad then seeing children with tubes all over in them. Then they look up a you when you give them a toy and smile. You watch there face light up. So hard not to get emotional when you see that first hand. We would hit every room with Children in them, if they were sleeping we left the toy next to them as they slept. A few of these Children we were told they may not be here in the morning.

I remember when living in Minnesota a family down the street loss there home to a fire a week before Christmas, my sister and I gatherd some of our toys wrapped them up and gave them to the children there.

I am not looking for a pat on the back or praise for what I have done. I am far from perfect and I mean FAR from Perfect. I have hurt ones that I truly Love, for that I am slime, dirtball,  so on and so on. Everyday I kick myself for the wrongs that I have done and try to never do them again. 

I guess I need to go back to do the things I have done in the past during the Holidays so others less well off then I can have some hope in mankind. When I think of those days I am not all that bad off. Maybe all of you that want to say "I want" or Gimme" this for Christmas, should do the same. 

Every Military personal I come across I thank them for what they do for us, Every Family that lose a Loved one I pray for them to find Peace again. Time to turn the Clock back when times were simple, say Thank You to those who have served, help someoone when they need it. 

Give Me Strength, Lord

Lord, you are Holy above all others, and all of the strength that I need is in your hands.

 

I am not asking, Lord, that you take this trial away. Instead, I simply ask that Your will be done in my life. Whatever that means, that is what I want.

But I admit that it’s hard, Lord.

Sometimes I feel like I can’t go on. The pain and the fear are too much for me, and I know that I don’t have the strength on my own to get through this.

I know that I can come to you, Jesus, and that you will hear my prayer. I know that it is not your intent to bring me to this point just to leave me in the wilderness alone.

Please, Lord, give me the strength that I need to face today. I don’t have to worry about tomorrow.

If you just give me the strength that I need today that is all I need.

Thank you for hearing my prayer.

 

Reality Check is a good thing to do instead of hiding yourself in a hole. 

Rev_CL