The Golden Box

Some time ago a man punished his 5-year-old daughter for wasting
a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and
he became even more upset when the child pasted the gold paper
so as to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.

Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box to her father
the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."
The father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his
anger flared again when he found the box was empty.

He spoke to her in a harsh manner, "Don't you know, young lady,
when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something
inside the package?"

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and
said, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into it until
it was full."

The father was crushed.

He fell on his knees and put his arms around his little girl,
and he begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary anger.

An accident took the life of the child only a short time later
and it is told that the father kept that gold box by his bed for
all the years of his life. And whenever he was discouraged or
faced difficult problems he would open the box and take out an
imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it
there.

In a very real sense, each of us as human beings has been given
a golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our
children, family, friends and God. There is no more precious
possession anyone could hold.

~Author Unknown~

The Candy Shop

There are many people out there raising awareness about human trafficking, the slave trade, exploitation of children, here's one of them:

http://www.stopthecandyshop.com/

Mother's Day Blessing

I know Mother's Day is over but I was so blessed by this I wanted to share it.  My friend Lisa, from Minnesota sent this to me.   Lisa said to imagine it being read very slowly, each word distinct and purposefully chosen. I hope it speaks to your heart as it did mine.  I'd love to hear how this impacts you.

I hope your week has been beauty-filled.

Ciao.



Mary’s Mother’s Day Blessing by Mary Martin Wiens

I am the mother of three little boys ages three and under. I am also a woman who struggled with many years of infertility. During that time of suffering and waiting, the invitation that I heard from God was to become a mother in my spirit with no guarantee that there would ever be children from my body. Because of that invitation, I began to see that there are many ways to give birth, to give life, and to nurture life. So, as I pondered what kind of blessing to offer today, it felt important to honor the mother I was before children, the mother I am now, and the many women I know who mother in both traditional and untraditional ways. I have seen friends do the work of a mother by giving birth a book, by giving medical advice, by teaching, by standing up for justice, by laying hands on others in prayer, by listening. Just to name a few.

So, today I want to bless each of you women who sacrifice so that life can come through you to another. I invite you to let in whichever of these words seem to be for you and let go of whatever is not for you…Now, mothers, receive this blessing…

Mothers of children
Mothers of adults
Mothers to ailing parents
Mothers in spirit
Mothers of creative works
Mothers to those in need
Mothers with empty wombs
Mothers whose arms ache to be filled with one who once was there
You life givers and life nurturers
You who hold the small essential things that make a world
You who are the sole witness to private stories unfolding
You who are the ground on which others find their footing
You who respond to cries of hunger, heartache, fear, or pain
You who shelter growing things
You whose most significant work is unseen
You bringers of tenderness and comfort
To mother is to make oneself vulnerable to loss
To give oneself wholly to something that has the guarantee of at least a measure of failure
To give birth to something beyond you, that doesn’t belong to you, that you can’t control
To engage in a work that reveals both your best and your worst
To surrender your time, your body, your rhythms, your resources
For the joy set before you
So Mothers,
May God the Life Giving Spirit be your source
May God be both witness and companion to all the unseen moments of your life
May God preserve you at your core when the needs of others threaten to wash you away
May God give grace as you seek to unwind the knot of both founded and unfounded guilt and enable you to bring healing in places where you have brought harm
May God give you courage at thresholds of change
May God make of your emptiness a wide and free place
May the One who holds all things together, assure you that divine arms surround all that is beyond your reach
And, When you lift up your eyes to see your life, may your joy be great.