I Had An Epiphany Today!

It is the feast day of the Epiphany! Happy Three Kings Day, or as Tom referred to it last week Small King*s Day (confusing Little Christmas with Three Kings Day obviously). I will admit, I did laugh out loud when he said it. This weekend has gone by so quickly and it has been a blessed one. Friday night Tom, his girl Christina and I attended a party for our Adoration Group hosted by the church. I had, well we all had, such a good time singing all kinds of Christmas carols, acting out the 12 Days of Christmas song, good food, great people. Truly a merry night. Last night I went to mass at 5:00 pm followed by a short trip to the chapel. Today, of course, I headed to the chapel for my normal hours and I will be heading there again tomorrow night to cover for some snow birds who are flying to the warmer climate until the end of April. Truly it has been an uplifting, inspiring weekend thus far.

Christmas is the time for giving, obviously, but I decided to treat myself to some books too. I am just about finished with the first, about life after life. I am half way through a book about Padre Pio, written by a woman who knew him. The last one I am going to delve into is called Eucharistic Miracles. After having my own experience last year I am very much looking forward to reading it. Of course, my adoration buddy gave me the unabridged version of Book 1 of The Mystical City of God, which is on my list, as is finishing the Dolores Passion of the Christ and a few others. I have no idea where I am going to find the time to get through all of these, but where there is a will there is a way so I will get through them all in good time. Good thing the Mayans were wrong. I have too much to finish!

While on Facebook the other day I had another type of epiphany. Someone had posted about a loved one that had died, or a sick relative; I do not remember which. Last year, on Christmas day, someone had asked me to pray for a young couple trying to start a family. I said that I would. Of course, when I got outside and saw the clouds and then got home and saw the faces in the Eucharists I barely remembered my own name let alone the names of the couple I was supposed to pray for. I have seen them throughout the year and when I thought of them I would say a prayer, but, for some reason there were so many others that needed prayers that I almost felt as if God was saying to me it is not time yet for them. Well I met the young woman on Friday night and introduced myself. We chatted a little and I told her that I was going to start praying for her, and her husband. That is how God works; everything you ask for is on HIS time not ours, but now I am compelled to pray for them and so I shall, every single day until God works his wonders. But while on FB (which I go on every day for the business)  I noticed that there were so many that had responded to the one lone post. All said something like oh I will pray for you, or you are in my thoughts and prayers, but yet I wondered, how many actually DO keep people in their prayers? It is comforting to hear. It is a comfort to say it to someone. But what good does it do the person if you are just saying it and not doing it. Of course I do not know those that posted responses, nor the state of their soul, but it is very easy to just type the words of comfort and then go about your daily business. Some days I have the brain size of a hummingbird, that is why I keep a written list of all that have asked me for prayers. Please pray and pray often for those that need it. God does listen and He does respond. When your time for needing prayers arrives, and I assure you it will, wouldn*t you rather have someone actually praying for you then just making a comment? I know that I would.

One other thing happened this weekend that I just loved and I know that the man behind me did as well; it occurred at mass last night.  While there we sang The Gloria, which is the traditional way of praying it since the second century. The priest from the altar looked around at the congregation afterwards and said basically are you freaking kidding me? He said that looking around he did not see many mouths moving, therefore, many were not participating in the prayer that was being sung. He then said, okay, we are going TO DO IT AGAIN. An audible gasp escaped from the parishioners. Thinking oh boy my knees are not going to hold up for another round of this I turned to sit down. I found it amusing and while I was moving my coat to sit down I noticed that the man behind me was smiling as well. Together everyone present then sang only the chorus. I thought that was fabulous. What a difference when the whole church sings. Are we not there to praise our Almighty Father with prayers and song, which is considered praying twice? Are we in such a rush that we run out of the doors before the priest has given us his final blessing? Can we not spend ONE hour a week with God, in prayer and song. Let us all make this a New Year Resolution. Pray for those that ask you to pray for them, or those that have not but need them. Participate in your services and praise God for every good thing in your life and I promise you that God in his goodness will hear your prayers and recognize you when you stand before Him at the end of your time here, in the valley of darkness and tears.

Peace,

Mare

The Rainbow Bridge and Silver Cords

Well, yesterday Tom went to the vet to pick up our beloved little dog, Gracies, cremains (such an awful word). I guess by reading my post The Depths of Love you now know just how precious that little pup was to me. Included with the tin that held her ashes was a condolence card from the vet and one from the crematorium that included a poem known as The Rainbow Bridge. From what I have found out about this poem nobody seems to know who wrote it but it is a little bit sappy, though it made me cry (that does not take much to do btw). I am sure there are millions of people out there that think that grieving for a dog is a bit stupid. I know of at least one of my neighbors that would pooh-pooh it, possibly two. There are millions more that know exactly what I am talking about.  But the poem did get me to thinking of things in my own life that have happened and how life on earth is connected.


No place in the Bible does it mention anything about animals (not pets anyway), souls of animals and an afterlife for them. The Rainbow Bridge is therefore not steeped in theology but purely written as a gift of love for a lost pet. However, the silver cord is mentioned briefly in Ecclesiastes 12:6-7.


"Remember him - before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:6 - 7)


I first learned of this silver cord back in 1994 from my mom. After a valiant five-year fight she was entering the last stages of life here and seemed to have one foot here and one in eternity. I was sitting with her one evening and at one point she focused on me and told me that she saw a beautiful silver cord. She said that the cord connected me to her, and was connected to every living thing on this earth and that it connected us all to God. She said EVERY living thing on this earth. Many things that happened when she was ill still stay with me but at the time I had a full-time job out of state, an active 11 year old, a relationship and a very hectic life so though what she said of the cord made an impression it was not until years and years later that I googled it. Well, actually we did not have a computer until probably 2001 but do you know when I found out that the silver cord is in the Bible? Just last night. I remember sometime back in the early 2000s I found something that Sylvia Brown had said about it. But that was about it and though it gave me a sense of validation of what my mom saw, sorry Sylvia but the Bible trumps whatever it is you said.


Now I often think of the silver cord that is connecting us to all living things on this earth and to God. Not only does the human race share the same mitochondrial DNA (per the National Geographic Genographic Project {which I participated in and is an entire other blog post in and of itself}), we also have a connection to every other living creature on the planet be they 2-legged, 4-legged, winged, finned, etc. Think about how immense that is. Frankly it overwhelms me. That means that the person with more than 10 items in front of you on the grocery line that you are sneering at; the person who you cut off in the car because they were going too slow; the homeless person that you pass on the street and ignore, the birds and butterflies in the air and the people on the other end of the world are all connected to you in one way or another. I guess when Jesus referred to those He spoke to as a brother or a sister He knew exactly what he was saying. 


If my mom was right and I know that she was, and the Bible is right in saying that the spirit returns to God who gave it then I know that there very well may be a rainbow bridge or a little slice of heaven for all of our beloved animals. That is a comfort to know.


While we are here on this earth let us be kinder to each other, love one another, and take care of each other. It is what Jesus told us to do and after all, we are ALL brothers and sisters in Gods eyes and are all connected to Him with the magnificent silver cord that binds us all together.


Have a peaceful day,


Mare