And we are his salt and light to each other . Amen.
Listen to the words and realize that there are people who struggle with their faith and belief that there is God waiting to meet us when he calls us. So, we need to shine his light on others and speak about his love for them .
You know, I went to church this past weekend and I saw an older gentleman that I know there. He leaned into me and said there is a person that keeps confronting me on faith based stuff and God. This man was stressed out he could barely stand he is very handicapped. I said B, Do not worry, I made this mistake years back too I said. You cannot save anyone, only God can. We are called to live our lives in a way that people will want to say what do you have, That I don’t?
I told him if this non believer is coming after you then that is not God, if this person has a Spirit of Opression then that too is from a different master. I said to B, do not give your peace up, don’t respond to the attacks, pray for this person. Not because you feel your right or better but because he is lost. Amen.
Why he confided in me in that moment only God knows. The bottom line is that I am proud that he trusted me enough to come to me. These are situations that we all face. It is life. Because B came to me with this issue before mass, I was able to pray for them both so it made that Holy mass even more special. Amen.
England Dan and John Ford Coley . Love is the answer
I am over the cold that I had so, I went to Dana Farber today for my scan to check for bats ( tumors) in my belfrey as I say. I rolled out of bed at 5 am and was there for my blood draw and they inserted a port that I needed fom my scan as well.
I went to the scan and It went well. Dana Farber is one of the most effiectly run Hospitals that I have ever seen.
I went next to see my doctor. Dr. R walked in smiled and we shook hands he said, well how are you feeling? I said never better. he smiled and Dr. R said that my scan looked perfect still so he was very happy. I thanked him and said God’s got it,and he used you in this process too. 🙂 I love the guy and his Nurse S, they are God in action. We share a brotherly love. What a beautiful gift that is.
God knows this but I will state for the record now, God…
You Are My, All And All.
Thank you Jesus with lyrics. Hillsong
For All My Doctor’s at Lahey Burlington, Harvard Vanguard, Dana Farber and all of their staff too ! For Winchester Orthopedic Plus and their whole staff You are all God’s Miracle workers. 🙂
This song is for you all.! What could expect from Me LOL Just smile and know that I and many others thank God for you and pray for you all daily . Amen !
Love, Danny and family
THIS , will Put A Smile on Your Faces !!!! God Bless You All 🙂
A song came back to me today and I went in search of it and tried to find what the meaning of the song was. I remember being in grade school and this song was very popular. It was in regards to St. Michael the Archangel. God and his angels are with us constantly. This song is the part of the rich fabric of my Catholic upbringing.
And, I loved the nuns too. A writing for another day.
The highwaymen Michael Row Your Boat Ashore.
By Kim Ruehl
History of “Michael Row the Boat Ashore”
“Michael Row the Boat Ashore” is an old American folk song that hails from the slave era, and became a popular anthem during the civil rights movement. Its existence was first noted in the early 1860s, although the song itself is probably much older. The song was noted in letters between teachers and abolitionists, who heard it while on St. Helena Island in South Carolina.
“Michael Row the Boat Ashore” Lyrics
Most people nowadays probably only know the refrain from this traditional song, which repeats “Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah” twice. The full song, however, talks about crossing the River Jordan, and Michael is the archangel Michael. While there are many versions of the song—due to the fact that it was passed down orally for a long time before being recorded—the lyrics basically talk about finding God and one’s family on the other side of the river in the promised land:O the Lord he plant his garden there.
He raise the fruit for you to eat.
He that eat shall never die.
When the river overflow.
Pete Seeger has noted that, since the song was found in the islands off South Carolina, it may be indicative of a work song that the slaves sung as they were rowing to the mainland. In the more mainstream version recorded by Seeger (purchase/download), he sings also of the familial calls of the song:
Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah
Sister help to trim the sail, hallelujah
Who has recorded “Michael Row the Boat Ashore”?
Several popular versions of “Michael Row the Boat Ashore” have been recorded through the years. In addition to Pete Seeger’s version, the song has also been recorded by Harry Belafonte ( purchase/download ), Peter, Paul and Mary (purchase/download ) and the Nields ( purchase/download ).
What resounds in my heart today, is how fragile we all are. I have never really discussed on my blog as a guy what my diagnosis with a terminal cancer had meant in that moment to me, my family, my parents, siblings and my friends.
This could be a long writing but I will break it into peices over a period of time. Upon receiving the news about my friend Paul yesterday it was so close to home for me that when in prayer last night , I had his whole family unit and friends in my large web of thoughts and prayer.My wife and I met Paul and Linda 20 years ago and were neighbors for 10 years and have remained friends since our move to a different home in town.
I know what I felt like after I was diagnosed personally and I felt like I had let my family down. I wrote once that to me, I felt that I was my wifes knight in shining armour and had fallen off the horse. I felt that I had failed my wife and family. I really beat myself up for a while over this.. My wife did not feel that way. And, as I grew in my awareness of what this situation truely was and where God was in it. I realized that what happened to me was not of my doing it is a condition that God had never intended for us either.
If you have read my blog you would know that God made it clear to myself and doctors through the Holy Spirit that …. I had cancer, cancer was not of God and that I do not own this cancer. And, I never did.
Well,
That goes for my friend Paul and you all as well. We are all the same in God’s eye’s. He loves us all so much ! cancer and evil is not of God, period !
But, he will get us through , Amen !
You know, recently ( two weeks ago) , my wife and I were sitting in the family room here and she reminded me of how Paul and Linda had come to visit one night after my diagnosis and Paul had to get me out of the sofa, I was so weak. I remember being stuck and not being able to get up and out of it. We are all our brothers keepers. For anyone who is currently not well, think positive thoughts, trust in God and expect healing.Pray and visithealing services too. God answers all prayers. Look for the angels in your life. I have too many angels in my life to count. Thank you God ! 🙂 xo
Remember to laugh always no matter what !
I will continue on this topic shortly. Hope abounds !!!!!!
Tamela Mann Take Me To the King.
Kick Cancer in the Butt! Pray for a Cure ! There is nothing that he cannot do !
In my last writing on Sept 13th I was sharing the story of two very special people really. The relationship that my mom and Mary had was what legends should be made from. Everyday hero’s, if you will. Both my mom and Mary were suffering in their own ways and both became such witnesses to what success ( Victory ) in God is all about. Mary was kind like my nephew from yesterdays writing. A Special person too:) Just beautiful. And my mom was beautifully heroic in her life. She always carried her cross) just like Jesus. When her physical body was going in for a crash, her faith was so well developed because of prayer that she was able to reach out of the wreckage of her body, beyond her pain and touch Mary’s life in a profound way. She was God strong and everybody witnessed it and we are all better for having experienced it. Every cloud no matter how dark has its silver lining. Mary is a special gift from God to the world and My mom offered up her sufferings to God for his purposes and for Mary. Also during their stay together in that room at Spauling, Mary gave my mom a purpose, and Mary gave my mom a vision of what a real angel is.
My mom did everything that medical science said she could not do, but God, told her that she would. After leaving here home in early May she returned home 2 days before Thanksgiving.
She hosted all 25 or so of her family for coffee and desserts on Thanksgiving night. She sat at that table in her diningroom looking beautiful as usual in her Fuscia, silk blouse. God is so very good. She survived and did very well for over two years after that day too.
I will continue writing on my mom shortly, but in the meantime. 🙂 Mary to this day is home with her sister Dotty and Elizabeth who helps with her care. Her baby Michelle is well and my sister hunted down new clothes to fit her doll. And they had a birthday party for Mary at some point too. She was as my mom would say tickled pink. 🙂
Now to Georgie, Georgie was Mary’s special friend that Dotty would bring in to the rehab. You to see, Mary’s Georgie is a stuffed animal fashioned after curious George a monkey. Dotty would announce to Mary look who ‘s come to visit from home! Marys would be so excited to see him, Dotty would say Georgie has been getting into everything. 🙂 Mary would say Georgie you have been naughty? And hug him. Her world was beautiful in that regard, God had been given her wonderful family to support her and great medical care. Something we should all be grateful for. Curious George was one of the books that Dotty and the Spaulding staff would read to Mary every night. Very beautiful.
My Mom was at Spaulding Rehab Cambridge, in the Ventilator unit for quite some time and it was decided that they needed to try and withdraw the vent and the likelihood of her coming off it was not good because when you are on a ventilator for an extended period of time your body becomes use to the machine doing the work and sometimes will not pick up the function of breathing on its own, once again. My mom was awake and alert and the weining process began, slowly seeing if her body would in fact support her, The weing was a slow process, took several days of reducing the ammount of support that the ventilator was doing and thenshe was off the ventilator, breathing on her own. Praise God! Dr.S and all of us in our family were just so happy! God is faithful to those who love him. Amen !
The next obstacle that she tackled was that she could not speak. Her doctor explained that when the ventilator is in place you cannot talk and it was in her throat for so long that damage could have been done to the vocal chords etc. Doctor S. removed the plug in her neck, I guess you call it? She began to speak immediately words from of her mouth. The doctor was so impressed and we were so happy hearing moms voice once again. It had been months! The Holy Spirit of God took care of that need immediately. Like I said, it was and is the time of Miracles for all of us. 🙂 This whole health crisis/ event that occurred started at around April in her home and it was now the Fall of 2011, She had been in Mt. Auburn, and at Spaulding this whole time with a very low expectation of survival. But, she had the peace of Christ and did not think that way. She saw Hope and had such Faith, She saw Victory. She was very ill, but still saw Victory through Christ/ God. Her Rosary was always in hand and her friends St. Michael and St. Raphael were right there with her .
I will continue shortly with my blog entry…. Mom, Mary, Michelle, Dotty, Elizabeth and Georgie what a beautiful story to share, God is just amazing in all that he is doing.
In my life, I was Blessed by God with my mom. I spoke of my Dad a week or so ago on this blog and in this very moment I felt that I would begin to share about my mom.
My mom to the world was known as Roberta. My mother was a very unusual women, very beautiful too. She was extremely strong, bright and family oriented, Faith was very much a part of her foundation and her parents my nana and papa were the reason for that as was her grand parents Nana and Nonno. She was an advocate for the under dog. She was double promoted in highschool and met my dad when she was 16 years old at a back yard barbeque. My mother had a list of sayings that she used and lived by. She and my dad wed when she was I believe 18.
She had a very high standard for my sister and her 4 boy’s to meet. My sister is the spitting diecast of my mom. A force of nature ! Oh by the way, My mother was told that she would never have children. She went from Church to church with her grandmother doing novenas asking God for children and after 5 years of marriage she became pregnant and had 5 children within 7 years.Thats, God for you. The last pregnancy nearly took her life and my brothers. The doctors actually told my dad that he needed to decide which one would survive thanks be to God they both rebounded and recovered. Again, that was God and another Miracle.
My mom lived first and foremost for her family. Like I wrote in my blog about my dad, my mom was part of her mom and dads adult care, taking care of their needs daily. She witnessed to us everyday with an amazing strong and positive attitude and influenced our lives in so many ways. She always Sacraficed, and was so energenic. She commanded respect from everyone. You just loved her. The Holy Spirit was shining. My mom worked in concert with my dad to keep the reighns on her 5 children. She was very aware and knew if something was not quite right with one of her children and took that issue on right away. She would not allow things to festor as she would call it. She definately had a special gift of the Spirit to know stuff. She sensed things and acted on them. She was so devoted to God, Jesus , Her Blessed Mother, St. Anthony, St.Theresa, St.Rachael, St. Michael, St. Faustina, Saint Pio the list went on and on.
She alway’s said I have 5 children and each one is as different as the fingers on my hand. And I know you well, and she did. She was switching gears all the time to manage eachone of us in the way that we needed to be. Whether we were 3 or 52 that never changed. Not one of us ever felt that we were not loved or treated the same or equally. And if they did I never heard about it, and would not agree with that assertion anyway. 🙂
My father was her true and only love for 58 years of marriage and they knew eachother before marriage for a couple of years.
My mom was extremely loyal to all that she knew and loved. The cord of the phone back in the day was clearing all of the counter tops in her kitchen as she paced back and forth and counseled everyone giving them hope . 🙂
No adversity was ever too big for her, not one of her children could ever be unlovable to her. But she did not put up with nonsence either. She would hunt you down ! lol.
She did not care what people thought, because she lived the way that God was guiding her. And raised us the same way. She never said it, but I will, She lived the road less traveled because she was walking towards Calvary and her God. She raised our family with my Dad the same way. None of us is perfect including my mom ,she would tell you that too, only Christ is. If we the kids made a mistake in judgement, She would say if you think for one minute that I think this is right, then by golly I will tell you otherwise. But having said that, None of us stirred the pot to cause trouble with other people because if my parents were to think that we were not respectful of others they would correct that situation immediately. My parents would say, remember who you are and where you come from. I know my personal fear as a young man and is to this day that I might ever disappoint my Dad or my mom’s memory. I will not allow that to happen, they have been the best parents that one could ever ask for. They were God’s gift to my myself and my siblings.
My mom would say all the time.
Say, what you mean, Mean, What You Say, But, don’t be mean when you say it. ! When we were little, my mom was painting ceilings and walls while my dad worked two jobs. Hanging laundry outside on the lines at 2 am in the morning. My brother S and I were talking recently and he recounted this story to me, his window faced the back yard and he would hear the back door slam and he would silently watch my mom hang laundry and to make sure that she was safe. She made sauce and cooked nonstop at night, as she ironed everything. Pillow cases and all there were no dryers then. She was listening to talk radio and David Brodnoy 🙂 etc.
My mom went to work Full time when my youngest brother hit 1st grade. She worked day’s and my dad worked nights the ring of security was around the family her kids had 24 hour surveillance. LOL
My mom topped the Civil Service Exam and kept turning down job offers if they would be invasive in her life and would detract from her family including her mom and dad.She adored them.
My mom worked in the State highway department as a clerical employee/ manager. She turned down countless promotions to Boston, it was too far from home and kids at that stage of her life. As she got older she did not need to financially do that so she was very happy staying at the district office she worked 30 years before retirement.
What she did do though was to become a union President for AFSCME and a member of the AFLCIO during her younger years.
She found herself toe to toe in courts with attorney’s fighting greivances for other union members. She did not get paid for this. She felt called to do this and she mopped up alot of the lawyers in court. You See, they looked at her and did not realize who she was and her resolve to help the little guy. She would spend hours in the middle of the night typing summaries and notes for court and was prepared to go to battle for the person who needed their case resolved. Her life was one big ministry of love. She never missed a beat.
My mother never really slept. She just did and got the job done. My mother would throw the sunshine yellow colored toaster cover over her hair and run out of the house in the rain to drop us off at St. Agnes school in the morning.
One day, She ran out during the winter in the morning to drop us off at school, with her nightgown on,raincoat, slippers,wool socks and sunshine yellow toaster cover protecting her hair doo. LOl She dropped all us kiddies off at school and as she looped through the center to go home. The car ran out of gas . So, she had to go into the store and get help, her pocket book and money were at home. She always laughed about this incident and someone obviously helped her out. 🙂 I do not think that ever happened again:)
My mother was generous with everyone that she knew whether family or not. But was also a very frugul money manager. She added water to the soap containers like my wife does .:) So cute :). As she would say ,We work too hard to throw the money away. Stuff was not important, she had peace and when someone else needed something, she would say, I have a little put asside.
Her parents lived in the depression and she was born in that era, so her parents instilled the value of money in her as well.
She loved the Cursillo movement. It rejuenated her again. She would cry when she spoke about its beauty.
She was an inspiration. and Miracle to my family and everyone that she met.
Some other saying that she instilled in us are…
Knowing what you stand for, limits what you fall for.
Emulated by some, surpassed by none 🙂 about herself, and she would laugh.
You cannot do another persons inventory.
We have no right to judge.
I should give you a crack ! lol
What Would Jesus Do.
As God As My Witness.
Offer It Up.
Laugh at the good times, because the sorrows can be many.
That’s life.
The squeeky Hindge gets the oil.
Let it go.
Let go, Let God.
Do not give away your emotions.
Do not give them head space.
, She was brilliant. She was not a pushover either.
She was God strong.
Of My Dad,she would say, He is a class act !, He’s one in a million, She Adored him. He was her darlin.
She would say the man never stops! He is alwaying moving and doing for his family.
My mom loved music especially Christian music. But would listen to most everything. She liked to dance too. 🙂
My mom loved these songs, I can remember her telling me when I was very little.
She loved Irish music:)
St. Patricks Breastplate. Angelina EWTN
The Irish Tenors.
Danny Boy, My mom would call all the time to check in and from time to time if I did not answer she would sing Danny Boy to my message service. She did that all my life right up to her last day’s on Earth.
My mom and her dad use to sing this all the time. I can picture them now in Heaven doing the same 🙂
I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful Labor day Weekend. I had these particular things and thoughts in mind and when I was in church this weekend was inspired by My Pastor Fr. Rons sermin and thought to myself, I need to put theses links on to this blog. So watch, and enjoy. God is talking and we all need to be fed Spiritually. Amen.
As far as Danny world is concerned. My wife and I have been going non stop , my youngest daughter moved to college on Friday. Beautiful , yet a little sad for mom, dad and her little pug Jerrimiah too. 🙂 So, we trust that we tought her the best that we could, values and our faith. We also trust that God’s got a plan for her and that all will be well.
And to put the cherry on the Sundae this weekend here at the homestead is that the Ac is here is caput. I guess that will be next springs project. It is currently 90 degrees in the bedroom upstairs. yikes LOL That’s life, I told my wife we will offer it up 🙂 Another reminder that this is not Heaven here. 🙂
Its All Good.
You will love these messages.
God bless You,
Danny
Father Leo Clifford: The most Important Commandment.
Hi I just received this and thought I would put it up on my blog. It is a short beauiful prayer
Chemo Day;
Some will say you will pray because it is a nice thing to say or it is politically correct. Then there are those of you who will really do it. I’m sending this to some who will. This prayer means so much so please say the prayer for everyone and pass it on.Cancer is a strange cell. If you ever have it, you will never be free of it. If you never had it, don’t feel too cozy, you can get it. Pray for the day there will be a permanent cure.A SMALL REQUEST… Please see prayer below the picture.
93% won’t forward, but I’m Sure You Will.
A small request…..just one line
Dear God, I pray that You will guide someone to find a cure for cancer in 2014 ….. Amen
All you are asked to do is keep this circulating, even if it’s only to one more person. In memory of anyone you know who has been struck down by cancer or is still living with it. A Candle Loses Nothing by Lighting Another Candle.
Just Danny Speaks 