Sunday Sermon and a Sunset

“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.” ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

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After days of gray and gloom and rain, we finally have a lovely sunny Sunday. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. No sock monkey hat for church this morning. I left for St. Gabriel a little early today so I could greet my friends on the Château bus. I guess I was really early because when I got to the parking lot, there was only one other car there. 😳 I actually had to think twice. “Is today Sunday?” A few minutes later, the “usual crowd shuffled in.” I took a quick picture, enjoying the fact that it was warm and sunny. Not a cloud in the sky.

The first Sunday in Advent.

Todays Gospel was the story of Jesus letting us know that we need to be vigilant and always prepared for the Second Coming…

Gospel 

Mt 24:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

My take on it… plain and simple, if you lead a good life, are honest, kind, and love the Lord and your neighbor, you are always prepared. No worries. Are you prepared?

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After Mass, we stopped at McD. Then Helene and I went to Tom Thumb for a few sales. Bananas 29c a pound, limit 4 pounds each. Woa! We are going to add that 8 pounds to our stash of goodies to take to Holy Family School.

It was a beautiful afternoon and evening, so I was able to get out for a nice evening walk. It had been raining for days. A long walk was just what the doctor ordered.

A beautiful sunset.

Then, a bunch of phone calls with friends and family to finish up my day.

Happy Sunday, my friends.

Wednesday:) Well, What Did I See on My Walk Tonight?

“I could walk the same path every day for a million days, and I would always see something new and exciting.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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I’ve been moving kinda slow these past few day. I have a cough, runny nose, headache, and general malaise. Whoever General Malaise is, I’m wearing his uniform. Hahaha. (Not COVID, I tested.) 🤦‍♀️ But, I always find that a lovely walk around the pond brightens my spirits inside and out.

Just as I walked out the door, the guys from the American Legion were putting up my flag for Veteran’s day. I thanked them. My neighbor kitty Sammi thought it looked pretty good too.

The sunset was gorgeous, as usual. I ran into Miss Elke and her puppy Buddy on my walk, and we chatted a while.

A few houses in my neighborhood had their Christmas lights up the day after Halloween. Some people think it’s silly, but I think people should be able to leave lights up all year long. Don’t you?

The magnolia tree across the street from me in the park has a blossom ready to open up any day now. It’s November. Hope springs eternal in late Fall. Just like life, it’s never too late to blossom. The bunnies were enjoying the nice evening too.

Thus, is a day in the life of General Toni Malaise and her walk through life on a festive Fall evening in Texas.

Sunday Sermon and a Spectacular Sunset

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

Meister Eckhart

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An awesome Sunday morning, cool sweater weather. I actually got to church pretty early, around 8:20 or so. The parking lot was almost empty, so I thought for sure that I’d get there to greet before the Château Senior bus, but no. Miss Marilyn was already there getting her bulletin and song sheets for the group. I said, “I thought for sure I’d beat you here. What time do you leave, like 7 am?” Mass doesn’t start till 9. It was fun greeting and smiling and visiting with all the folks walking into church.

Today’s Gospel was the story of Jesus curing ten leppers, yet only one went back to thank Jesus.

Gospel 

Lk 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”

My take on it… hey, if someone is kind to you, thank them. If God has blessed you, make sure to thank Him.

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After Mass I stopped at McD with Miss Barbara and Miss Danna. Helene was flying home from Maine, so she wasn’t there. Afterwards, I stopped at Tom Thumb for some great bargains. More on that another time.

My evening walk was spectacular, as usual. The sunset always amazes me. Each loop around the pond paints a new and colorful picture.

Happy Sunday, my friends. 🤗

Wednesday:) What Words Reflect

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.”

Leonardo da Vinci

My evening walk always makes me think of poetry. Look at this sunset. Here’s a poem from my Toni archive of poems.

GOD PAINTED THE SUNSET

I glanced up at the evening sky

It took my breath away

An artist would not even try

To capture such a day.

The velvet reds and azure blue

Emblazened up above

He painted this for me and you

His testament of love.

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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When you see something so beautiful, you have to share it.

No filters or edits, just how God painted it.

Saturday:) Sittin’ Around All Day With Stupid AutoPay and a Spectacular Sunset

Sittin’ around the house all day

Updating stupid auotopay

Three frustrating hours later

I was madder than a gator. 🐊

You have to be a techy nerd

To get past each name and password

My card needed to be updated

You want to talk about frustrated 🤦‍♀️

My Medicare supplemental

Was seriously instrumental

In giving up stupid on-line

And grabbing a big glass of wine 🍷

I didn’t quite get them all changed

If I had I would be deranged

Computers stink, if truth be told

I guess that means I’m getting old. 🤦‍♀️

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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So, I took a nice evening walk and got to see a spectacular sunset.

Saturday:) Sittin’ Around All Day With Stupid AutoPay and a Spectacular Sunset

Sittin’ around the house all day

Updating stupid auotopay

Three frustrating hours later

I was madder than a gator. 🐊

You have to be a techy nerd

To get past each name and password

My card needed to be updated

You want to talk about frustrated 🤦‍♀️

My Medicare supplemental

Was seriously instrumental

In giving up stupid on-line

And grabbing a big glass of wine 🍷

I didn’t quite get them all changed

If I had I would be deranged

Computers stink, if truth be told

I guess that means I’m getting old. 🤦‍♀️

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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So, I took a nice evening walk and got to see a spectacular sunset.

Sunday Sermon and Some Other Stuff

“A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.”

William Arthur Ward

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An awesome Sunday. Why are Sunday’s so awesome? I don’t know. They just are. Perhaps, a day set aside every week to thank God for all my blessings is always awesome.

On this celebration of Pentecost Sunday, the color red is the color of the day.

In honor of Pentecost, the earlier readings before the Gospel were read in other languages. Today’s Gospel is the story of Jesus appearing to the Apostles, breathing on them and they receive the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost Sunday
Mass during the Day
Jn 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

My take on it, Jesus wished us all PEACE, He sent the Holy Spirit to enlighten the people, on Pentecost, all the people heard the Lord’s message in so many different languages. So, why can’t we all get along and have PEACE. That’s what the Lord wanted for all people, all who follow His word.

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After Mass, no McD for us. Jerry and Patricia invited me and Helene to join them for brunch at Valerie’s in Princeton. They serve an awesome breakfast burrito. Almost 12 hours later, my tummy is still full.

Fun friends and fine food.

Later, I had a family FaceTime chat with all my family, with both my sisters, both my sons, both my granddaughters and my daughter-in-law. If we can’t be together in person, this is the next best thing. ❤️

Then, a lovely evening walk around the pond. Look at that sunset. I never get tired of this view.

Happy Sunday, my friends. 🤗

Friday:) More Furry and Feathered Friends

“Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms”
– George Eliot

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What a lazy Friday. I didn’t even poke my head outside until 7:45 pm when I decided to take a walk. The temp went from 90° at 6 down to 82° at 7:30 with a nice breeze. The birds were chirping, my friendly neighbor horse was out grazing, and the sun was setting. A perfect evening.

https://youtu.be/o-fH_Gl9v7E

https://youtu.be/QRdzBws30Jg

Last week I was talking to the cardinals. I’m learning to to talk to this guy now. Not sure what he or she is, but we had a nice conversation.

And a lovely sunset at the end of the day. Now, you can see why I’m inspired to walk every day and write poetry about the awesome sights and sounds on my way.

Happy Friday, my friends.

Thankful Thursday

I AM THANKFUL FOR…

I am thankful for each sunrise

And for the clouds that bring the rain.

I’m thankful for the cleansing tears

That seem to wash away the pain.

I appreciate each sunset

With glowing colors in the sky.

And the bunnies as they scamper

As I attempt to walk on by.

I listen to the cardinals

When they sing high up in the tree.

I smile and whistle back at them

Because their song is just for me.

I’m thankful for the the end of day

For every feeling, sweet or sad.

How would I know what joy could be

If I saw good and never bad?

Should I look back at my lifetime

Would I regret what could have been?

I’d stop and say most honestly

“Oh, I would do it all again!”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

5-19-22

Today, I was inspired to write a poem on this Thankful Thursday. I have so much to be thankful for.

Sunday Sermon and Some Other Stuff

“Don’t let a little mud in your eyes prevent you from seeing. Sometimes it’s a good thing. Miracles do happen.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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An amazing beautiful perfect Sunday. The weather was just perfect. A perfect day to head over to church and celebrate the Mass and celebrate life.

Today’s Gospel was the story of Jesus curing the blind man…

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Jesus healing the Blind Man, 2008 © Brian Jekel

Gospel of 22nd March 2020 – John 9:1,6-9,13-17,34-38

As Jesus went along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. He spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man, and said to him, ‘Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (a name that means ‘sent’). So the blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored.

His neighbours and people who earlier had seen him begging said, ‘Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some said, ‘Yes, it is the same one.’ Others said, ‘No, he only looks like him.’ The man himself said, ‘I am the man.’

They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. It had been a sabbath day when Jesus made the paste and opened the man’s eyes, so when the Pharisees asked him how he had come to see, he said, ‘He put a paste on my eyes, and I washed, and I can see.’ Then some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man cannot be from God: he does not keep the sabbath.’ Others said, ‘How could a sinner produce signs like this?’ And there was disagreement among them. So they spoke to the blind man again, ‘What have you to say about him yourself, now that he has opened your eyes?’ ‘He is a prophet’ replied the man.

‘Are you trying to teach us,’ they replied ‘and you a sinner through and through, since you were born!’ And they drove him away.

Jesus heard they had driven him away, and when he found him he said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied ‘tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You are looking at him; he is speaking to you.’ The man said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and worshipped him.

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My take on it… Wow! Even though Jesus performed a miracle and gave sight to a blind man, the Pharisees were on His case about not keeping the Sabbath. So, I guess you can’t perform miracles on the Sabbath? Even though these negative people didn’t believe, the blind man said, “Lord, I believe.” Sometimes it just takes one person at a time to see the light. The nay sayers and negative people will never see because they don’t want to, even when the truth is right there in front of them. Such is life.

So, after Mass, Helene and I stopped at McD for coffee. Our other third musketeer, Jerry, was out of town. After that, I called my old friend Miss Zelda. We’ve been trying to get together for lunch for weeks. Today was a perfect day for outside dining at Palio’s.

Hi, Miss Zelda. Lookin’ good.

After lunch, Miss Zelda asked if I had time to go over to Callaways to check out the flowers and shrubs. Everything was so beautiful, but pretty pricey. Personally, I don’t buy many flowers or plants because I have a black thumb, it green. My standard line is, “I can paint a flower, I just can’t grow a flower.”

Very pretty flowers.

After I got home, I was exhausted for some reason. I took a two hour power nap and decided I better get out for a walk while it was still so lovely out. I’m not sure how many loops around the pond I made, but every time I checked my steps on my phone I thought, “I’ll just walk one more loop. I wanted to get at least 4K steps, then it was 5K, then I stopped checking and after a while, I walked a loop, sat to rest a minute, then walked another. I wanted to push myself. The sun was setting and was just too gorgeous to go back home. Maybe I could make it to 8K.

Who would want to go inside when this was the view?

Happy Sunday, my friends!