In Search of Roses

There is a lot going on in the world currently and for most of us, there is little that we can do about it. Some of us have to resort to turning off our tv's and putting our attention on the things we can control....and of course there is always the whole praying thing. That gives us a whole lot more control than we even know. However, if we all spent a little less time worrying about the big picture and a little more time paying attention to our own little piece of the world.....this might start a domino effect for the better.

Yesterday was the feast day of Saint Therese of Lisieux. In Catholic terms a feast day for a saint either honors the day of their death or it is the day of remembrance assigned to that particular saint by the church. The reason I bring her up is because a friend of mine shared a picture of her on facebook yesterday. He was comparing a picture of his late daughter (one of the most beautiful souls I have ever known) to St. Therese's picture. I had always thought the two looked very similar and the picture was proof.

St. Therese was known for her "little ways" as she found a way to honor our Lord in the smallest of acts. She felt a smile, a kind word or some small selfless act were all simple ways to serve God and make Him happy and she spent her life on earth loving God and living to bring others to Him. She promised on her death to continue doing good for others in heaven as she had done one earth (i.e. praying). An interesting side note is that St. Therese is often pictured with roses. The reason for this is that many miracles have been attributed to her intercession and often after someone has prayed for her intercession and their request has been answered......the smell of the most fragrant roses will fill the air or out of the blue they will receive roses or inexplicably come in contact with roses. There are hundreds of documented cases of this and both my mother and my aunt have been blessed with St. Therese's roses in their lifetime.

Thinking of St. Therese though and all the unsettling and for me....uncontrollable things going on in the world, I decided to try for the rest of this week to emulate the little saint. I will smile at all I come in contact with. Maybe just one of the smiles will be a needed smile and turn someones day around. I will do my best to only let kind words pass my lips and if my thoughts head down an unkind path.......I will send up a quick and silent prayer that my thoughts are as generous as I am trying to make my words. I will do my best to listen instead of talk and to give God more thank you's instead of requests. I am going to look for the beauty in my day and search through the thorns for......the roses. I will try to give without taking and go through my day without complaint and if I change one persons day, help one person out or offer just one act solely to God...then I have been responsible for a change that could possibly ripple through other lives for the better.

I may not have the power to change the world, but I do have the ability to change myself and how I view the world and my place in it. Perhaps if each of us took the time to do the little things, the small acts of kindness or even just smile more we might be well on our way to a very different world. So for the rest of the week....I am in search of roses!