What a question, since where I now live, there is a warning of flash floods due to one of the worse hurricanes we have ever experienced (where I live, we were not directly hit by Hurricane Harvey but on the outskirts) but my heart goes out to those who lost their homes and loved ones. And where I am from, (where I was born and raised) thousands of miles away, they were dealing with horrendous forest fires throughout this summer. And what I have learned to let go of is ‘the weather’ – to be open to what is unfolding within my heart.

Some people get judgmental towards those who experience natural disasters such as hurricanes, forest fires, tornadoes, etc. and even sickness such as AIDS. What I believe is that if we are kinder towards one another, perhaps the universe, (or at least this planet) would be kinder towards us. And even if not, we would at least learn to be kinder towards one another. And to help each other get through hardships and heartaches with kind words and action as we support and help each other.

In other words, I am not sure if extreme weather that is so devastating has anything to do with how we treat each other or how we treat this planet, but this world would be a better place if we are indeed just kinder towards one another.

Watching the news prevents me from the simplicity and the sacredness of the moment. How the media reports the news is discouraging and disheartening because ‘bad news sells’ so the media is going to report the worse.

I am going to focus on ‘Good News Saves’ and appreciate those people who help and serve others such as the volunteers at my church’s food bank. Keeping my mind and attention on those who do something positive, will help me appreciate the simplicity and the sacredness.

For a few days, my son-in-law’s dog was not eating nor drinking. She required surgery and now, is resting and recovering. I was trying to prepare myself for the worse as I know how much this dear dog means to both my daughter and son-in-law. And I was heartbroken.

But now, I am overjoyed that Maci, (the dog) will be healthy again. I rejoice in hearing the joy in my daughter’s voice as she told me this morning that Maci’s surgery was successful and all she needs is to rest and recover. My son-in-law was able to take this week off from work to take care of Maci. That is a wonderful surprise by joy!

I love flowers and flowers always remind me that when God created the world, he also created beauty which we can easily see in flowers.

Today’s – ‘Word of the Day’ seems to bring everything together with today’s ‘Daily Question’ and this past weekend in Charlotteville, VA.

‘It is a huge danger to pretend that awful things do not happen. But you need enough hope to keep going. I am trying to make hope. Flowers grow out of darkness.’
CORITA KENT

How different I am. If they are different from me, then I am different from them. I may not always agree nor understand nor relate to those who are different from me but I have no right to run them over.

When I am driving my car and I stop to let a pedestrian cross or slow down for a bicyclist, I don’t know who they are and I don’t know if they are ‘good people’ or ‘bad people’ or a ‘mixed bag’ – they are people and I have NO right to hurt them.

I appreciate that I live on a beautiful planet with over 7 billion other people who also live on this beautiful planet. And I appreciate that they are people.

I think this question needs clarification, if I am trying to live a peaceful life and promote world peace and someone being different from me means they promote violence and bullying to get their message across and to stand up for who they are, then I don’t appreciate that difference in them.

If you want to get rid of the current president then who do you replace him with?

There is a website – Presidential Prayer Team – that has been praying for USA presidents since 9/11 and they don’t care who the President is nor which political party, they just offer prayers for the President and for the USA, as well as for the world. So, to stay positive and focused on God, I try to not get political but to stay prayerful . To let go and let God. My answer to today’s question is: Pray.

Thank you for sharing about Ignatian Prayer. Yes indeed, my husband and I are on an 8 week adventure – An Ignatian Prayer Adventure. It is very spiritually profound. You have helped me realize that we are not alone in learning about Ignatian Spirituality.

I do realize there is no perfect church nor is there a church that lines up perfectly with where I am spiritually. So, I am learning not to let the ‘church things’ nor the ‘theology’ bother me. And what I have found is that deep down, many people are spiritually seeking and do want to have a deep and personal relationship with God. And that is where I try (not always easy) to stay focused and centered.