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Thursday, October 28, 2010


A Prayer for Saintly Grace

Almighty and Everlasting God,
who dost enkindle the flame of Thy love in the hearts of the saints,
grant unto us the same faith and power of love;
that, as we rejoice in their triumphs
we may profit by their examples, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Gothic Missal

A Catholic Prayer in Praise of the Saints

How shining and splendid are your gifts, O Lord
which you give us for our eternal well-being
Your glory shines radiantly in your saints, O God
In the honour and noble victory of the martyrs.
The white-robed company follow you,
bright with their abundant faith;
They scorned the wicked words of those with this world's power.
For you they sustained fierce beatings, chains, and torments,
they were drained by cruel punishments.
They bore their holy witness to you
who were grounded deep within their hearts;
they were sustained by patience and constancy.
Endowed with your everlasting grace,
may we rejoice forever
with the martyrs in our bright fatherland.
O Christ, in your goodness,
grant to us the gracious heavenly realms of eternal life.
Unknown author, 10th century

Prayer to the Saints and Angels Before Mass

Angels, Archangels,
Thrones, Dominions,
Principalities, Powers,
heavenly Virtues,
Cherubim and Seraphim;
all Saints of God,
holy men and women,
and especially my patrons:
intercede for me
that I may be worthy
to offer this Sacrifice to almighty God,
to the praise and glory of His name,
for my own welfare
and also that of all His holy Church. Amen.

Monday, October 25, 2010

"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal."

 From a headstone in Ireland



"While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil." 

John Taylor

Hope by Brian Quinn

  When all about you is black with gloom,
And all you feel is pending doom.
When your bones are racked with grim despair -
When every breath is a gasp for air.
Keep on going, though you need to grope,
For around the bend is a ray of hope.

A ray of hope is perhaps all that's left,
As your will to live has been bereft.
You've lost it all, it's just no use!
You can end it all, you need no excuse.
But throw away that piece of rope,
And give yourself a chance of hope.

Just give yourself another day,
Brushing aside what your thoughts may say.
This is your life and you can make a new start,
By ignoring the brain - just follow the heart.
Taking baby steps in order to cope,
And minute by minute you'll build on your hope.

Build on your hope,. one day at a time,
Though the road be steep and hard to climb.
The hurts of the past - they should be dead.
The fears of the future are all in your head.
Just live in the present and refuse to mope
Your life will sparkle for you're living in hope

Sunday, October 24, 2010

So Long For Now by Yvonne Legge


You look so peaceful lying there
With your hands folded upon your chest.
You look like you are sleeping
But you are at eternal rest.
So Long For Now.

Not a hair out of place,

Your make-up nicely done,
A beautiful smile upon your lips 
For now you are with Absalom.

When someone special passes on
It does not mean they are gone,
Though they are no longer with us
Their memory still lives on.

It hurts so much to lose a friend 
Especially one that is trustworthy and kind.
Edo, you were that special friend,
A rare and special find.

Edo, you will always be with me
In spirit and in mind.
You will always have a special place in my heart
Forever until the end of time.

Edo, I will not say "Good-bye".
This is not the end.
So I will just say, "So long..."
Until we meet again. 

 

REMEMBRANCE POEMS



In love longing
I listen to the monk's bell.
I will never forget you
even for an interval
Short as those between the bell notes.
 
~ Izumi Shikibu

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Remembrance Poem - R4

Life is eternal; and love is immortal;
And death is only a horizon;
And a horizon is nothing
Save the limit of our sight.


Rossiter Worthington Raymond

Gone, But Not Forgotten - Marilyn Ferguson

Gone, but not forgotten
This pain, I cannot hide
In memory, I see you
A million tears, I've cried.

The tender thoughts you left me
Come to my memory
Your loving smile, so precious
Will always be with me.

You visit me in summer
When flowers are in bloom
Upon a ray of sunshine
A star-lit night in June.

When winds are gently blowing
Across a cloudless sky
Within a rolling meadow
Where horse and cattle lie.

I see you in the treetops
As summer comes to be
In shadows, you do linger
A soul so young and free.

I see you in the garden
Your scent does fill the air
Just like a precious flower
A rose, so ever fair.

On country roads, I find you
Along the wooded lane
Within the distant thunder
I see you in the rain.

In early hush of morning
You come without a sound
Upon a blazing sunset
Your memory can be found.

Like sprigs of morning glory
Upon the vine, they grow

With branches reaching outward
Into my heart, you go.



Just like a special angel
God wrapped you in His care
And took you off to heaven
To live with Him, up there.

But often, I still see you
Upon a light blue sky
And long so much to hold you
Why did you have to die?

Marilyn Ferguson

I Heard Your Voice In The Wind Today

I heard your voice in the wind today
and I turned to see your face;
The warmth of the wind caressed me
as I stood silently in place.


I felt your touch in the sun today
as its warmth filled the sky;
I closed my eyes for your embrace
and my spirit soared high.

I saw your eyes in the window pane
as I watched the falling rain;
It seemed as each raindrop fell
it quietly said your name.

I held you close in my heart today
it made me feel complete;
You may have died...but you are not gone
you will always be a part of me.

As long as the sun shines...
the wind blows...
the rain falls...
You will live on inside of me forever
for that is all my heart knows!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz Welcome First Child!

Alicia Keys and her husband, Swizz Beatz (real name Kaseem Dean), have "joyfully welcomed their first child," reps for the couple confirmed to People.

Egypt Daoud Dean was born Thursday, October 14, in New York City.

This is the duo's first child, and Alicia's first as well. Little baby Egypt "is welcomed by Beatz's three other children," the couple's statement adds.

Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys

Congratulations to Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz!

The couple are not only new parents together – they are also newlyweds. The singer and the rapper-producer got married in a private ceremony in July.

On Thursday, the night of Egypt's birth, he seemed to be in a reflective mood, Tweeting, "I'm so thankful for everything I been blessed with in my life."

Well said, Swizz. Here's wishing the new parents all the best.

T.I.: The Road to Redemption Has No GPS

T.I.'s road to redemption has no GPS - and must maneuver around a huge roadblock.

The embattled rapper faces another 11 months in prison after violating probation on drug charges stemming from a September arrest with wife Tiny.

Still, the star is determined to rise again. "I want drugs out of my life. If I can get the treatment and counseling I need ... I can beat this," T.I. said.

Unpaved Road

PEACE OUT: T.I. will be back behind bars soon enough.

In vain, he told the judge who sentenced him how "I need help. For me, my mother, my kids, I need mercy." What he needs is to stop sippin' dat sizzurp!

His relapse is sad in light of his heroic actions last week, when he raced to the scene and helped talk a suicidal man off a 22-story ledge in Atlanta.

But the law is the law.

His lawyer Dwight L. Thomas said T.I. is disappointed, "but at the same time, [the jail sentence] is far less than what the government asked for. This is not what he expected and this is not what he wants in his life at this point."

As for the drug use allegedly confirmed by diluted urine samples:

"There are lots of reasons for diluted urine. One can drink a lot of alcohol at night ... you could be very tired, very dehydrated and hydrate excessively. That could give an indication of diluted urine but not necessarily intentionally diluted urine."

Wait ... one can drink alcohol at night? Insane.

The rapper was paroled after serving just 366 days of a seven-year sentence for weapons charges. Having violated his early release terms, back he goes.

Hours after T.I.'s sentence was handed down, he dropped the new single "Get Back Up," which features vocals from fellow embattled star Chris Brown.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

In Loving Memory

In Loving Memory
By Kristen Maholland


He is a friend to remember,
a friend we love so much.
The memory runs through my mind
of the last time we touched.  
He lived a life of happiness,
a life filled with love.
And from one little mistake he looks
down on us from up above.
 
He was always there to make you
laugh when your day was going wrong.
Where was he the day where we
had to say "so long?"
 
Why did it hafta end
this way in so much pain?
Since he left this world, things have
never been the same.
 
I can no longer look forward to
tomorrows anymore,
because I know that they will never
be the way they were before.
 
Not seeing his face,
not hearing his voice.
I wish there could
have been some choice.
 
Life can begin and end so fast.
The memory of Edo will always last.

I wish there was some way
I could have said goodbye.
The thought of him runs through
my head as I look up in the sky.
 
Knowing he is looking down on us
with a smile on his face,
remembering the life he lived before
he left this place.
 
If his life didn't end so quick
he would have gotten far.
Only if he had chosen
not to get into that car.
 
So as I end this poem I want you
to remember this:
 
Live your life to the fullest
because it could end real fast.
Base your life on the future,
but keep memories of the past
 
We miss you Edo, RIP.
 

Thursday, October 14, 2010

BEST TIMES TO HAVE BABIES

I read a great magazine article at the weekend and it spoke to various men in the public eye who’d all become dads at different times in their lives. From young ‘n’ bouncy 20-something dad Tony Parsons, to the sweet calmness of John Simpson’s more, shall we say, distinguished, 60-something Pa. Each dad felt theirs was the perfect time for them to procreate.

The younger dads were just ready sooner and though, as in Tony’s case, they were a bit skint, they did have youth on their side. The middle dads took a bit longer to feel “ready” but then eventually got there and the older dads revelled in their increased patience and had a heightened sense of living in the moment and cherishing the time they spent with their young ones.

The piece never promised to scientifically prove when is the perfect time to throw yourself head-first into the deep and often choppy sea of fatherhood, because there’s no such thing as the perfect time to become a dad. And I think it’s the same for mums.

When to start a family is such a personal decision. Granted, sometimes ol’ Mother Nature leaps out from behind a bush (sorry, inappropriate analogy) with an unexpected little bundle either way too early or way too late, pre-GCSE or not long off HRT. But for those of us somewhere in the middle, we hopefully try to just go with the most potent and animal instinct known to humankind: the urge to go forth and multiply. Ovulation dates will be studied, pills will be binned, candles lit and La Senza plundered. Let the games begin!

Who’da thunk as a young lass that one of the best moments in your life wouldn’t be getting a pony, marrying George Michael or blowing your entire spends in The Body Shop?

Oh no, one of the most amazing moments of your entire existence comes from weeing on a stick. Crazy, eh? And for the very blessed, the stick says ’yes’ as do the next six (just to be sure) and you become very good at weeing into small pots and generally weeing more than you’ve ever thought possible. A pregnant woman could probably fill the Leeds and Liverpool canal with the contents of her bladder. In fact, all that fluid could be put to good use: think Willy Wonka’s chocolate river meets a urine-powered theme park (log flume anyone?).

For many, of course, the stick doesn’t say ’yes’ and, in fact, barks a resounding ’no’ every time. And my heart breaks for those who have to embark on an exhausting, cruel, painful, sometimes expensive quest to fulfil their need, their desire, their absolute ache for a baby.

I have friends who’ve been in such situations. I’ve had to tell them my happy news about my pregnancies knowing they knew how bad I felt about telling them. They’ve been self-conscious in their reaction, not wanting to seem too thrilled like they were over-compensating and I’ve naturally downplayed my joy. Since then though, I’m pleased to report one couple have gone on to have a beautiful baby boy to complete their little family and the other couple are well past the 20-week scan stage for the first time, so fingers, toes and everything else crossed.

I also have friends who, after more than a decade of heartbreak, have finally had a baby. She’s the more experienced side of 50, he’s slightly younger, and the arrival of their boy has been beautiful and miraculous, but more than that it’s just been right, regardless of age. This couple met and fell in love a little later than most so had less time to crack on with the family thing but thankfully, they have a happy, if statistically unusual, ending.

At the other end of the scale, some women like to knock out a small gaggle of offspring in their early 20s, then, once the kids can safely cross the road/tie their shoes/make toast by themselves, they can throw themselves back into their career. Jonathan Ross’ gorgeous “flame-haired” (copyright every tabloid paper) missus Jane Goldman had the first of her three kids at the tender age of 21 and now, at 39, is a hotshot screenwriter but with less of the guilt and parsnip puree-smudged skirts her peers with younger families probably endure.

Each to their own. I know that at 21 I could not have coped with raising a family. I could barely tie my own shoes ne’mind teach a child how to do theirs.

So if you feel you’re too young, you probably are, but you’d still cope, and probably surprise yourself with how well. If you think you’re too old, the same applies. And if you’re somewhere in the middle but waiting for the perfect time, there’s no such thing.

Sara Cox,

Friday, October 1, 2010

God's Lent Child

                                      I’ll lend you for a little while,
a child of mine,
God said
For you to love the while he lives

and mourn for when he’s dead.
It may be six or seven years,

 or forty-two or three
But will you, till I call him back,

take care of him for me?
He’ll bring his charms to gladden you
and should his stay be brief
You’ll always have his memories

as a solace in your grief.
I cannot promise he will stay,

since all from earth return,
But there are lessons taught below

I want this child to learn.
I’ve looked this whole world over
in my search for teachers true
And from the folk that crowd Life’s lane


I have chosen you.
Now will you give him all your love
 and not think the labour vain,
Nor hate me when
I come to take this lent child back again?
I fancy that I heard them say

“Dear God, thy will be done.
For all the joys this child will bring the risk of grief we’ll run.
We will shelter him with tenderness,
 we’ll love him while we may

And for all the happiness we’ve ever known,

we’ll ever grateful stay.
But should the angels call him much sooner than we’d planned
We will brave the bitter grief that comes and try to understand."


~ Author Unknown