Whimsical

Fisrt Chicago Blizzard 2012

The other day when I was on Twitter a quote I saw from sales guru hit me: You become what you think about all day long. It made me ponder on what I think about every day, which lead me to realize how much my thinking, and lifestyle, has changed over the years. I used to be more selfish, helping and serving others with the end motive of serving my own needs and ego, and praying for my own needs -- talking to God more than listening. St. Francis says [that] it is through giving that we receive, and I took it literal. Today, when I give of myself I do not look for what I receive, because the real gift is how God is blessing others through me .. which I may never see. My agenda has become Gods agenda. Said another way, I live my life as a prayer. If we focus our attention on bad news and gossip, and distractions, we will miss God's incredible, visionary, optimistic purpose for every believer: to grow so much in our faith that we shine like beacons to everyone around us! God's vision for each church is that we would grow so much in our love for God that we'd love people the way He loves them: unconditionally and passionately. He want's us to be filled up with Christ's grace, truth, and purpose so that everything we do will reflect Him to those around us. I assure you, the longer you look at Jesus on that Cross, the more He will speak to you about who you are and how you can become more Holy. The greatest image I have of my late father is how he prayed the rosary, looking at the Cross, each morning in a room with only the window light , just him and God, before leaving for work. The greatest image my children say they have of me is how I kiss the crucifix each morning as soon as I wake up. What they do not see is how often I spend just gazing at it in holy contemplation. "If a hypocrite is standing between you and God, it just means the hypocrite is closer to God than you are." -- Zig Ziglar

www.ipernity.frankjcasella.com

Seems like, here in the United States especially, there are many protests lately, from both sides of the spectrum. People are demanding 'their' rights. Every person has a right to their opinion. .... The most fundamental right, however, is to love and be loved. Often though love is spelled T I M E. "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family." -- Saint (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta -- Picture made with Pentax K10D camera. Processed with Ribbet. www.ipernity.frankjcasella.com

Two men have a business meeting in a golf cart under a tree at Olympia Fields Country Club in the Midwest America. In this time of work at home, some things like this have been doing remote work all along. It is said more business is done on the golf course than in the boardroom. This says a lot about our humanity to relate to one another and the importance of being social. www.ipernity.frankjcasella.com

A natural color fine art version of two people enjoying conversations on the bridge in the wetlands preserve - Midwest America. www.ipernity.frankjcasell.com

Neighborhood Saturday mornings in the American Midwest. www.ipernity.frankjcasella.com

Puddle Jumping - Copyright 2008 Frank J Casella www.frankjcasella.ipernity.com