HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!=both healthy and HAPPY

A FINAL THOUGHT and REPRINT from last year =HOW did you do in 2016? DID you thank God for your BLESSINGS for this past year? How did you face your challenges? MAY you RECEIVE MORE BLESSINGS than challenges in 2017-and may you BE a better person this year than ever before=DEAR God=the GOD OF LOVE=may you be with us all this year HAPPY NEW YEAR my Family and FRIENDS-I LOVE YOU ALL! JOURNAL=HAPPY NEW YEAR-2015 “From his fullness-we have ALL RECEIVED-GRACE-in place of grace........” John 1:16 TODAY is the last day of the year-MANY of us will go to a party-and CELEBRATE with family and friends to bring in the NEW YEAR-some of us will go to church-still others of us will SLEEP in the new year-whatever we are doing-WE will say goodbye to 2014 and HELLO to the new year BUT BEFORE-this year ends let us PAUSE-and thank GOD for the BLESSINGS we received this year-ANOTHER year of life-our family and friends-OUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH-and any problems and difficulties we worked-our way through this year And let us thank GOD for the grace we received in 2014-and the GRACE to live in 2015 well-BEING mindful that GOD GIVES us all the GRACE we need to face each new day in the coming year DEAR LORD—we thank you for the PAST BLESSINGS and grace-and for ALL the graces we will RECEIVE in the coming years of our lives it is A GREAT DAY to be ALIVE in GOD'S LOVE for us-and a GREAT DAY and year to receive ALL the graces GOD wishes to bestow on us HAPPY NEW YEAR my friends-GOD LOVES YOU-and so do I Robert P. Wallman 12-31-14

LESS THAN PERFECT?

LESS THAN PERFECT? Jesus was PART Of the PERFECT human family Along with Mary and Joseph But I am SURE It didn't always feel perfect They felt ALL the SAME Trials and tribulations That all FAMILIES do But ALWAYS=what made them perfect Was there LOVE for each other And love for all of MANKIND “........the ANGEL Of the Lord-APPEARED to Joseph ….....and said: 'RISE-take the child and his mother FLEE to Egypt And stay there UNTIL I tell you” Matthew 2:13 WHEN we think of FAMILY we think of security-and COMFORT- And love NOT a crisis=like this=fleeing to Egypt But all families-ENCOUNTER- The trials and tribulations of life But what makes a FAMILY thrive Is love-LOVE- In all circumstances LESS than perfect-was The HOLY FAMILY-by life's standards But PERFECT in love When I think of my own family My parents (even my grandparents), my sisters, and EVEN my extended family There has ALWAYS been LOVE Even in the most difficult Of circumstances Love NEVER FAILS Love RISES to the occasion And it never failed The HOLY FAMILY (Not even in death) “MAY your unfailing love Come to me Your salvation According to your promise” Psalm 119:41 “LOVE does not delight- In evil-but REJOICES With the truth It ALWAYS protects It always trusts Always HOPES Always perseveres LOVE NEVER FAILS” 1 Corinthians 13:6-8 LESS THAN PERFECT-in the world But PERFECT in love The way God WANTS us to be That IS what the Holy Family was- That's what my family is- That is what ALL GOOD Thriving families are BASED ON LOVE Mary-Joseph-Jesus- Are RUNNING for their lives To Egypt-no less A foreign country With unfamiliar customs-and- A different religion WHAT did they encounter? What do the families of today encounter? Death? Loss of jobs? Broken relationships? Health difficulties? LOVE SURVIVES-even thrives- OUR FAMILES too FACE all kinds of setbacks We face death in our families- We FACE financial setbacks We face illness and all kinds of issues Maybe addictions-depression And who KNOWS what else Our FAMILIES are LESS than perfect- Because people-are less than perfect Jesus knew chaos and uncertainty FACES families-because His family EXPERIENCED It all His family SURVIVED Because THEIR LOVE was perfect And you know what OUR FAMILY will survive too (And so will yours) Because WE have patterned OUR LOVE-after the love OF THE HOLY FAMILY THE FAMILY OF LOVE Robert P. Wallman 12-29-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D. TODAY-DECEMBER 30th, 2016-is the feast of THE HOLY FAMILY

HOLDING ON TO THE LIGHT!

HOLDING ON TO THE LIGHT! This is the TIME Of year-that the darkness IS passing away That the LIGHT of God And the light of Jesus Christ- IS moving through-in the person- In the BIRTH of Jesus Let us LATCH on- As the light moves through And let us HOLD ON ALL YEAR THROUGH HOLING ON TO THE LIGHT! “........the darkness is passing away And the TRUE LIGHT Is already SHINING” 1 John 2:8 Today we go to the temple With Mary and Joseph To PRESENT the newborn Jesus Whose birth we just CELEBRATED There we meet 2 senior citizens The older woman-Anna-and the Older man just waiting To RECEIVE the light-Simeon WE too-like Simeon and Anna Should be WAITING on this light And we should let THIS LIGHT The light of Jesus The LIGHT OF LOVE Shine in our hearts- Forevermore “May God be gracious-in us And BLESS us And make his face SHINE on us--------” Psalm 67:1 “Arise-SHINE- For your light has come And the GLORY of the Lord RISES upon you” Isaiah 60:1 “For God-who said- 'LET LIGHT Shine out of darkness' Made his light SHINE in our hearts To GIVE us-the light of knowledge Of God's glory DISPLAYED in the face Of Christ” 2 Corinthians 4:6 HOLDING ON to the light GOD'S light-Jesus' light- In our hearts Simeon HELD the baby And felt the darkness Of the world-FADING The TRUE LIGHT of God SHINING in his arms And we hold on To the baby Jesus- The true LIGHT of the world- IN OUR HEARTS Simeon KNOWS- The darkness is fading away And we KNOW The LIGHT of the world Is LIVING in our hearts And we are HOLDING ON For ALL we are worth As we BEGIN the NEW YEAR Holding on to the light Holding on for NEW BEGINNINGS As we move Into 2017 “The fear of the Lord Is the BEGINNING of wisdom ALL who follow his precepts Have good understanding To him BELONGS eternal praises” Psalm 111:10 So let us LOVE GOD And LOVE our brothers & sisters As we move into The BEGINNING OF 2017 ALL the while HOLDING on To the light of God and Christ IN OUR HEARTS It is a NEW YEAR-but let us HOLD ON to the SPIRIT OF LIGHT Just as Simeon and Anna did Robert P. Wallman 12-29-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Mary Marrocco

CHOOSE THE LIGHT

CHOOSE THE LIGHT WE LIVE In a dark dark world We don't have To look very far In this world To see that Even the day after Christmas Even the day after Christ's light Has shown so much brightness But it was that way At Christ's time too As today's feast Of the HOLY INNOCENTS shows That time WHEN Herod Ordered the slaughter Of innocent children To keep at bay The threat of ONE Greater than himself “This is the message That we have heard From Jesus Christ And PROCLAIM to you GOD IS LIGHT And in him There is no darkness At all” 1 John 1:5 Adam and Eve Brought the darkness of sin To the world But Christ BROUGHT THE LIGHT The fruits of the SPIRIT Over the choices of darkness CHOOSE THE LIGHT of God Choose the LIGHT of Christ Over the sin Of this world “You are The LIGHT of the world A town built on a hill Cannot be hidden” Matthew 5:14 “WHEN Jesus spoke again To the people- He said, 'I AM The light of the world Whoever FOLLOWS me Will never walk In darkness But will have THE LIGHT OF LIFE'” John 8:12 There are MANY ways To take or diminish The life of another BESIDES physical killing-rape- Abuse-child molestation-etc., Gossip-slander-KEEPING QUIET When others are doing this WE are all guilty of something- OR not helping someone in life At times in life When we could make a difference EVEN if it is Just depriving others Of their good name and reputation We NEED TO REMEMBER That the light That is God SHINES IN ALL PEOPLE And that all people are WORTHY of dignity GOD'S LIGHT-God's perfect love Casts out fear And this light of God GUIDES US to act appropriately “How PRICELESS Is your unfailing love O GOD! People take refuge In the shadow of your wings” Psalm 36:7 “GIVE THANKS To the Lord For he is GOOD HIS LOVE endures forever” Psalm 18:1 Choose God's love CHOOSE THE LIGHT OF GOD Lest we stumble over one another In the dark CHOOSE THE LIGHT- Of God Over the darkness In this world Robert P. Wallman 12-27-15 INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Father James Stephen Behrens, O.C.S.O.

MY FAITH MAKES ME HAPPY

MY FAITH MAKES ME HAPPY IF I were To ask you WHAT makes you happiest In life- What would you say? For me-it IS the 3 F'S- FAITH-FAMILY-and FRIENDS- And they ARE all intertwined My FAITH MAKES me happy Very very happy “........for our FELLOWSHIP Is with the Father- And with the Son-Jesus Christ” 1 John 1:3 In fact-the HAPPIEST part Of my day IS when I am saying my MORNING PRAYERS- My ROSARY-and reading my bible Followed CLOSELY by a daily phone call From my sister Terri-and many other CALLS To and from my sister Mary-and other family And friends THROUGHOUT the week MY FAITH Is a SIGN of GOD'S LOVE For me And his adoption of me As a CHILD OF GOD And that makes me very VERY HAPPY I feel like I am A PART of A huge family- As BELIEVERS in God And I wish EVERYONE had that FAITH I wish everyone in this world Felt a PART of that family And felt that LOVE FOR GOD And love for EACH OTHER Maybe we wouldn't have The kind of world That we currently live in IF everyone felt Truly related to EVERYONE ELSE In this world-with ONE LOVING FAITH- Maybe-we would have A MORE loving world My faith MAKES ME HAPPY It truly does “........ Have FAITH In the Lord your God And you will be UPHELD Have faith in his prophets And you will be SUCCESSFUL” 2 Chronicles 20:20 “THEN he touched their eyes And said: 'According to your FAITH Let it be DONE to you' And their sight was RESTORED Jesus warned them sternly- 'See that NO ONE Knows about this' But they went out And SPREAD the news About him ALL over the region” Matthew 9:29-31 My FRIENDS-we are ALL Part of the FAMILY OF GOD- The family of Christ We are ALL part of The SAME family=the HUMAN FAMILY And children of God We are part Of a fellowship of people WHO ARE LOVED Brothers & sisters in God Brothers & sisters in Christ CHILDREN of a LOVING GOD “BLESSED are the peacemakers For they will be called Children of God” Matthew 5:9 My dear friends- MY FAITH indeed-DOES MAKE ME HAPPY It leads me to LIVE Out of love- Out of forgiveness- And out of kindness If you are a BELIEVER And living this way YOU ARE Part of my FAMILY And I am SURE- YOUR FAITH MAKES you happy too Robert P. Wallman 12-26-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Elizabeth Duffy

RECEIVE OUR SPIRIT-O LORD-IN LIFE-AND IN DEATH

RECEIVE OUR SPIRIT-O LORD-IN LIFE- AND IN DEATH Today we CELEBRATE The life and death of Saint Stephen- The first CHRISTIAN martyr After Christ As Stephen Was being stoned to death He CRIED OUT, “Lord Jesus-receive my spirit” Acts 7:59 In today's world-we HAVE To offer our SPIRIT to God All through life too As Christians We PRAY for a beautiful death The way Stephen died-being brutally killed Doesn't fit our description Of a beautiful death But-in fact-was- Because HIS FAITH Remained strong And sometimes Having STRONG FAITH in life Makes the DIFFERENCE Between living and dying As I found out WHEN I prayed for life IF it be God's will RECEIVE our spirit-in life- Dear Lord And receive our spirit In death “Into your hands- I commit my spirit DELIVER ME Lord My faithful God” Psalm 31:5 “I will give them An UNDIVIDED HEART And put a new spirit In them I will remove from Their heart of stone And give them A heart of flesh” Ezekiel 11:19 “Watch and PRAY So that you Will NOT fall into temptation The spirit is willing But the FLESH is weak” Matthew 26:41 WE would all-like to imagine Passing away WHEN we are quite elderly Surrounded by Our LOVING FAMILY MEMBERS My mom was like that She was only 75-but she died At HOME-with the IRISH MUSIC playing TWO of her children present PRAYING FOR HER- She was beautiful IN LIFE- And beautiful in death She even PICKED her own readings And music for her funeral But we are NOT All that fortunate Our SAVIOR Jesus and Saint Stephen Were murdered And people EVERY day Of all ages Die of heart attacks-cancer- Automobile accidents, etc., etc., etc., Dear Lord-we PRAY That you RECEIVE our spirits In life-daily And at the hour of our death WHENEVER that may be And that you be-AS PLEASED- With our SPIRIT- As you were with Saint Stephen's In Jesus' name, Robert P. Wallman 12-25-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Terence Hegarty

LOVE COMBINED-LOVE INCARNATE

LOVE COMBINED-LOVE INCARNATE For the first time In many years-we have HANUKKAH And Christmas combined The Jewish nation and the Christian GENTILE NATION together LOVE COMBINED-life as it should be “His DOMINION is vast And forever PEACEFUL........” Isaiah 9:6 So on this Christmas DAY Let us take a moment To REMEMBER the ONE Who has dominion over ALL The ONE who rules our hearts With unconditional love The one who TRIUMPHS over all The one who trumps all Love combined-LOVE INCARNATE- HAPPY HANUKKAH!-MERRY CHRISTMAS! Divine Peace is accessible peace Forever more I PRAY for peace in this world EVERY day-and I TRY to live my life In FAITH-by promoting peace To ALL people To all denominations Forever peace-forever more That is GOD'S WAY “The Lord Gives STRENGTH to his people The Lord BLESSED his people With peace” Psalm 29:11 “For us a CHILD is born To us a son is given And the government Will be on his shoulders And he will be CALLED Wonderful Counselor-MIGHTY GOD- Everlasting Father-PRINCE OF PEACE” Isaiah 9:6 2,000 years ago A SAVIOR was born To this world But the world REJECTED him And the world Seems to STILL reject his teachings Today-on LOVE-on forgiveness-and on kindness But I URGE YOU-on this day Of all days- “LET there be PEACE On earth And let it begin With me” So this year No matter HOW MUCH divisiveness Exists within your family No matter how extensive The violence IS-in this world Let us OPEN UP And RECEIVE the unconditional love of God The UNCONDITIONAL love of Christ For it is unlimited- It knows NO BOUNDS Love unlimited Love combined- LOVE INCARNATE-love that knows no bounds LOVE UNFAILING “Turn Lord-and DELIVER me Save me Because of your unfailing love” Psalm 6:4 LET US commemorate this day This day of Christ's LOVE This day of Christ's coming This day of HAPPY HANUKKAHS Into a day of LOVE for ALL God came to DWELL in us In the ONE of Jesus Christ God's love UNLIMITED God's love COMBINED & INCARNATE LOVE UNFAILING! HOW can we resist Such a marvelous present? Let us BEGIN To get it right MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY HANUKKAH! GOD'S LOVE IS INCLUSIVE I LOVE YOU ALL! Robert P. Wallman 12-24-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Joyce Rupp, O.S.M.