Goals

This is always a good time of the year to set goals. Although, most goals will not be completed.  So, why do we do it?  

Most of us consider the New Year a fresh start, a chance to dust off the previous year and start new.  But to take it a step further, it is a sense of hope. When we have set goals, they are either completed or not, but hope is ongoing. If you happen to miss the mark, the next step would be to try again, even if it's next year. It is a constant process. At the same time, goals seem to be a pass-or-fail event.

Be hopeful going into the New Year. 

12 Days of Christmas

Here are some articles from the web to describe the true meaning of the 12 days of Christmas.

The 12 days of Christmas in Christian tradition signifies the time between the birth of Christ and the arrival of the three wise men, also known as the Magi. It starts on December 25, which is celebrated as Christmas Day, and lasts until January 6, which is the Epiphany, also referred to as Three Kings' Day.

             12 Days of Christmas Carol - Lyrics Meaning and History (christianity.com)

            Twelve Days of Christmas - Wikipedia

Merry Christmas!

Days Away

Soon, it will be Christmas day🎶 as the song goes. 

Every year, we prepare for this one day. Shopping for gifts and planning parties. But many things are missing every year. 

Going to church, lighting an Advent wreath, family prayer and spending quality time with friends and relatives. It is a time when we recognize God the Father sending His Son to us to give us the salvation that we will all be reunited in heaven. 

In the next few days, slow down, pause from the season's rush, and thank the Father for sending His Son to us. 

98.6% of Americans Agree

 

In a recent survey of Americans, they believe __________

This is where you fill in the blank.  The news media controls what you think based on surveys. However, they do not emphasize only 100 people of probably like-minded individuals of the same political party with a +/- degree of error.  

Is this a fair assessment of how the American people think?

As of 2021, there were 331 million people in the United States.

100 people surveyed do not determine the general opinions of millions of Americans. 

We often see surveys telling us we are either in the majority or minority, but this is not the reality.  Decisions are being made at a corporate and government level to manipulate what you should believe, and that propaganda is destroying America.  

Wake up, America. Think for yourself. Do not let someone else tell you how to think or what you should believe.

Photo - pixabay - Mohamed_hassan

       

The Light of Christmas

December is the darkest month of the year. The days are shorter, and the dark hours take over the night.  Waiting for the dawn of morning, we feel the renewal of a new hope.  

Every year, my wife and I have an advent wreath.  There are many symbols and rituals around the lighting of the candles.  Four candles represent the weeks leading up to Christmas day and the lighting of the fifth candle for the Birth of Jesus Christ.

"The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas."  What is Advent? | USCCB   

Waiting for the light of Christ gives us hope just as we wait for the dawn of a new day. And beyond Advent and Christmas, this hope will continue throughout the year as we are in constant preparation for the second coming of Christ. 

What is preparation?

We must have our souls ready. We are both body and soul and when Christ comes again, He will be here to judge the depths of our souls to determine our worthiness to meet the Father in Heaven. 

In the next few weeks, take the time to reflect in prayer and prepare for Christ's coming.

Photo - pixabay - fincayra0204  

My 2 Cents Worth

It has been a long time since I posted something about all the world's current wars.  Mainly Ukraine and Israel.  About a year ago, I gave my opinion about the war in Ukraine primarily because of my opinions about the tactics and strategies. But with the two current wars, much of the politics goes deeper than the general public hears. I don't have any inside information on this. It's just my opinion. 

Ukraine, the bottom line here, it's about the equipment, supplies, and money.  Once this war started, it seemed everyone was on board with supporting their efforts, but now the bottomless pit of draining the American dollars into the war efforts does not have an endpoint. It's time to stop the funding of this war. It is mainly because it is exhausting not only dollars from our economy but is now depleting our military supplies, making us more vulnerable.

Israel, the United States, has always been in support of this small country in the Middle East. It ties with the Judo-Christian values of America as the main focus, plus it's an excellent ally to have in that region. The countries surrounding Israel are not allies with the United States.  American involvement should be limited.  Israel was attacked, and it is their war.  They seem to be advancing and have the military strength to finish. 

The United States needs to stay out of any significant conflicts.  Our economy is in a shambles.  The politicians in Washington are fighting among themselves.  The citizens have been divided politically, and morality does not exist. 

God help us all.

Perfin

A small hobby I have is stamp collecting.  I mainly collect used stamps.  This stamp is called a perfin, which stands for perforated initials.  It was once used in business to discourage theft of business postage.  

Changing Temperatures

I haven't posted anything in a while. I'm trying to catch up on things I haven't done in the last several months. I'm not looking forward to the upcoming months. It's winter in the South. The colder temperatures are not something we generally have to cope with, but it can get frigid here.  There was a time last winter when it was sub-zero for almost a week. Rolling power outages didn't make the situation any better. The winter sets in from the end of December to the end of February.  

The end of November is here. I wanted to post more about Veterans and Thanksgiving. Still, we can do that any time as we all should in giving thanks for the many blessings and gratitude for the Armed Forces of the United States and the veterans that have contributed to the military might that America has known for 248 years.     

Fall 7

 

November

 This month is dedicated to the Veterans and Thanksgiving.

They both seem to go hand in hand.

Also, the last month of fall.  I will probably post more pictures of the fall trees.  In this part of the South, November's colors are always brighter.

Morning Offering Prayer

 Morning Offering Prayer

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day

for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart

in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,

for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians,

and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month.

Amen.

Fall 6

Fall 5

Fall 4

 

Fall 3

 

Fall 2

Fall 1

The leaves here have not changed overall.  I'm guessing it will probably be another week.

Here is a picture from last year at about the same time.

October

 

The month of October.

The changing of color and season.

This month is the time of the year when the temperatures are almost perfect and the transformation of the color of leaves on the trees begins. 

I'm considering posting pictures of trees this month to capture the color transformation of the trees. 

Reason

Our ability to reason is what separates us from the animals. Animals function on instinct, which is built in by God.  On the other hand, we can think through daily situations.  The wonderment we experience takes us deeper into the thought of creation and interacting with those around us. Reason can also be detrimental to our healthy being when it is interrupted by mental illness or drugs.  We probably have all taken this ability for granted because it's there; it's part of our process like your heart beating.  

Take a moment to thank God for your reasoning ability. 

The Next Big Thing?

What is the next big thing to happen?

  

There is so much going on now in the world.  The number of events happening is hard to track, and these are not from a local viewpoint.  

What am I referring to? 

The tension in Europe with the threat of World War III

AI - artificial intelligence, no one really knows how to control it. 

In the United States - there is a massive influx of people from all over the world crossing our southern border. The last reports are 10,000 crossing daily. 

The immorality of society. 

The financial markets are down. 

Rumors of food shortages in the winter. 

How does anyone prepare for any of this? 

Some things are not in our control, while others we can do. The more important matter here is to pray.  We can ask God to help us during these difficult times for help. Praying is not difficult; it's just a conversation with God. Sometimes, we do all the talking; sometimes, God does, but we must be open to hearing Him.