What's the big thing about light, anyway? Why do people talk about light this time of year?

Well, I'll tell you what the big thing is: we get more and more of it at this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere. The days are longer, the sun higher and thus warmer. We call it Spring. We face the East, the place of new ideas, new beginnings, new vision. Ah! There it is! That's the thing about light: light allows us to see and have vision of all sorts...insight, consciousness raising, serendipity, or awakenings. Let those who have light to see, use their vision!.......... Paul W. Anderson, Ph.D.

--------------------BLIND SPOTS------------------ Someone asked Helen Keller, who was blind since she was nineteen months old, if blindness were the worst thing that could happen to a person. She answered that losing your sight is not the worst thing that can happen. The worst is to lose your vision.

We tend to feel sorry for people who are blind - who cannot see with their eyes - but most of us are blind in some ways - we have blind spots, presumptions, ideas and perceptions that we won't even think about changing -we don't want to change them. We are presented with this concept today so that we might be inspired to take a closer look at those areas of our lives that we have blocked off from God,from others - even from ourselves. If I don't recognize where I am blind how can I hope to be healed? Blind spots are usually created around our fears. Prejudice is a blind spot. We think that those who are different from us (different in thoughts, in looks, in income, in age) are a threat to us, and so we develop a distance from them. We come to fear what they will do to us. We realize that this is not rational. This is why you can't argue a person out of their blindness. They are emotionally unable to listen.

There is a big clue about being blind that is good to be aware of and that is anger. There are many reasons for anger, some good and some bad. If we become angry because an injustice is being done, we are doing exactly what we should do. But, if we are honest, most of our anger is not provoked by injustice. We are often angry because someone has threatened something that is important to us - whether it is a possession that we cherish, or an idea that we believe in. Anger is a real issue in our world today. It is happening in our homes where people lose control and abuse occurs - it is happening on our roadways where people are using their cars to intimidate people - it is happening in the work place where guns are used because people feel mistreated. Anger is a real issue. We can look at our anger as we search for those areas where we need to leave the darkness behind and move into the light. If you discover a pattern to your anger, look at it and you might discover one of your blind spots.

We've just celebrated the first day of spring. When the weather gets warm and nice, we start our spring housecleaning - we wash the windows so things are brighter and we can see more clearly. We work to get the windows in our home clean. In our hearts, we work so that we can see more clearly and experience the light of God - so we can remove our blind spots. Let us live as children of the light because,the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.---------- ----------------------------------------------------- You may contact Sister Helen at haflemington@juno.com or St. Therese Little Flower Parish in Kansas City, MO. where she is the Pastoral Administrator

Michael was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and had something positive to say. If you asked him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. One day I asked Michael, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. I can choose to be in a good mood or.... I can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or... I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. When someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or...I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."............... "Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes, it is," Michael said. Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

Soon thereafter, I left the high tower industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied. "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon to be born daughter," Michael replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or... I could choose to die. I chose to live." "Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Michael continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read "he's a dead man. I knew I needed to take action." "What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. "Yes, I replied." The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, "Gravity." Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead." Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. After all, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. submited by "Anonymous" subscriber........................

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She sometimes nursed the tumors, As if they were her young, Her stomach swelling with each moment of stress, The maternity wear hanging softly , From her thin frame, Making her look as if she was expecting. One might say she was. But miracles don't come easily, These days and prayer can, Be hard work. She rises early before dawn, Hoping that the higher powers , Will be less occupied, Since most folks are still , Sleeping at that time. She talks to herself a lot now, And looks tired, But the forgotten self seems, Much happier, more peaceful. In between the fasts, therapy and doctor visits She treats herself to fruit shakes, good Books and quiet afternoons in busy cafes, Alone, well not quite. See, her and herself are learning to , Enjoy each other's company, Just being and having a good ol' time.

by Toni Blackman

walk to the edge.............. listen hard. laugh.................. practice wellness, play with abondon. continue to learn. appreciate your friends. choose with no regret. do what you love. live as if this is all there is.

by mary anne radmacher