St. Patrick: Kidnapped by Pirates, Converted a Nation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick

He was born Maewyn Succat to Roman parents living in Scotland.  At 16, Maewyn was kidnapped by Irish pirates and taken to Ireland where he worked as a slave for six years.  Maewyn's time in captivity, during which he worked as a shepherd, was critical to his spiritual development.  He prayed to God constantly to help him through his suffering.  One day, he had a dream in which God said:  "Your ship is ready."  He escaped his captors and boarded a ship for France.  In France, Maewyn trained as a Catholic priest.

Back in Scotland, he had another dream in which an Irishman visited him with several letters.  One letter had the heading:  "The Voice of the Irish".  He imagined a collective voice saying to him:  "We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us."

He later returned to Ireland, now St. Patrick,  landing at Wicklow.  Not receiving a warm welcome from the locals, he landed further north and set about working as a missionary.  As a foreigner in Ireland he was occasionally beaten robbed or put in chains.  Yet he persevered, sharing the Gospel with the locals.  In his 30 years in Ireland, St. Patrick converted 135,000 Irish men and women to Christianity.  He established 700 churches and consecrated 350 bishops and ordained 5000 priests. He refused to accept gifts from wealthy women whom he had converted, took no payments for baptisms or ordinations and turned down gifts from kings.

St. Patrick turned some of the pagan symbols in Ireland into Christian ones, including the shamrock. The three-leafed plant represents the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. St. Patrick's Day, March 17, is believed to be the date of his death, celebrated for over a millennium.

http://creationtoday.org/go-green-for-st-pactrick/

Thank You, Dorothy, That was Delicious!

"Develop an attitude of gratitude and give thanks for everything that happens to you..." (Brian Tracy)

On Boxing Day, we were sitting at my parents' dining room table digesting a second Christmas dinner when my sister Laurie asked:  "Why Dad do you never thank Mom for a delicious dinner?  It doesn't matter whether she feeds you a turkey dinner with all the trimmings or wieners and beans, you never say thank you." (paraphrased)

I pointed out that that was not the case with our Grandad Tufts.  As Mom said:  "Whenever Grandad ate a meal, he would say to Grandma:  'Thank you very much, Dorothy, that was delicious.'  Grandma could make him two peas and he would say:  'Thank you very much, Dorothy, that was delicious.'" Grandad practised gratitude.  Not surprisingly, he was a happy person.  And he lived a long life.    

According to motivational guru Zig Zigler, without gratitude, happiness is rare.  When we neglect to require our children to say please and thank you, to be aware of their blessings, their is a much greater chance we will raise unhappy children.  Zig Zigler, one of eleven children, was dirt poor.  He lost his father at the tender age of six.  His mother, however, always made sure that her children knew that she loved them and that God loved them.  She also taught them a strong work ethic.  "Her formula of work, love and faith made their difficult lives easier," according to Zigler.

Zigler suffered a family tragedy when his young daughter Suzan passed away as a child.  At the funeral, even though he was grieving, he said:  "We have no regrets.  She knew we loved her."  The bereaved father, shook hands and smiled at the guests, even offering others solace.  Zigler never neglected to count his blessings.  

Something as simple as keeping a gratitude journal can make us aware of our blessings.  And we don't have to wait for the big things in life to make us happy; we can rejoice in the small things. Publicist Malcolm Margolin talked about making an observation during a rainstorm:  "The sight of hundreds of blades of grass bowing down and popping back up like piano keys strikes me as one of the merriest sights in the world."  

Gratitude doesn't just make us happier but also healthier, building our immunity system, strengthening our heart and improving our sleep habits.  So, the next time your wife cooks you a turkey dinner (or wieners and beans), take the time to say thank you.  You'll be a happier person because of it (so will your wife).

For more information read Attitudes of Gratitude by M.J. Ryan at http://www.amazon.com/Attitudes-Gratitude-10th-Anniversary-Ed/dp/1573244112.

www.adlingtonltd.com

Let it Go!

Frozen's Elsa singing "Let it Go!" courtesy ytimg.com.

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change." (Reinhold Niebuhr)

As we head into a new year, I find myself anxious.  What does the new year hold for me?  While I had many blessings in 2014, I also faced a major disappointment.  Try as I might, it is hard to put it out of my head.  It lingers there, raising its ugly head in my nightmares.

I need to follow the advice of the character Elsa in the movie Frozen as she stands on top of a mountain, hiding her secret power from the outside world, and belts out:  "Let It Go!".  Three words that can do wonders.  Three words that can lift the burden.  Three words that can liberate the spirit.

Let it go.  Let go of the past.  Let go of the disappointment.  Let go of the hurt.  Trust in God that it will be alright.  Trust in God that He will carry me through.  Trust in God that He has plans for me to prosper.

Let it go.

Here is a link to the full Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Neibuhr:
http://www.lords-prayer-words.com/famous_prayers/god_grant_me_the_serenity.html.