Christmas is here again 17 December 2008
Posted by sydcatholic80 in Christmas, love, prayer.Tags: Christmas, loneliness
1 comment so far
Once again, Christmas has raced around. For most it is a time of joy and happiness. A time of festivities and decorations, laughter and good food. A time to be with family and loved ones.
Nativity scene, courtesy of http://blog.scuolaleonardo.com/
Yet, we must not forget those who are alone or homeless this Christmas. For some of those people, this time of year can be extremely sad and painful time.
The most important thing to remember, is why we are celebrating at this time of year at all. It’s not the commercial feast that the secular world proclaims. It’s a time to remember the birth of Jesus. It should be a time to reflect on the past year, look at how we have lived our lives, and see if we can become better people.
The biggest gift we can give is our love and goodwill. There are things we can do every day to remember the forgotten people. Smile at people in the street, the assistant serving you in the shop or restaurant. Try to be cheerful. Pray for those people whom you know are hurting at this time of year. And never forget why we celebrate at this time of year.
Merry Christmas
Josh
Calling for contributions 28 November 2008
Posted by sydcatholic80 in Uncategorized.add a comment
Hi all.
I was hoping to find people to help contribute with content and discussion.
If you’re interested, please drop me an email (can be found on the about page).
Josh
7 months on, has anyone found this site useful? 27 November 2008
Posted by sydcatholic80 in Uncategorized.2 comments
Well, I know I havn’t written much lately, so I was curious to see whether its worth continuing this blog.
I’ve posted a poll below.
Josh
RIP Mark Priestley 28 August 2008
Posted by sydcatholic80 in Uncategorized.Tags: depression, news, suicide
1 comment so far
Well, this morning I felt like titling this post “Disappointed” with the body “…that I woke up…”, because it was honestly how I felt. I went to sleep last night hoping for that outcome.
I guess however, things were quickly put into perspective. In the news today, an actor in a popular Australian medical drama “All Saints” was found dead, reportedly of suicide due to depression.
He was only 32.
Rest in peace Mark.
Mark Priestley 09/08/1976 - 28/08/2008
Disconnected… 27 August 2008
Posted by sydcatholic80 in Uncategorized.Tags: depression, despair, isolation, loneliness, sadness
3 comments
Just something I was feeling, thought I should write it down.
How many of us go through life with blinkers on?
It is a complete shock when you fall off the road, and when you pick yourself up again, if you have had an epiphany, all of a sudden you find you don’t fit in anywhere anymore. You look at the road you fell off, and know that you can’t get back on there, and you don’t really want to in any case (putting aside nostalgia, romanticism or regret). You could if you wanted to choose ignorance again, and pretend you didn’t discover life wasn’t meant to be that way, but otherwise, the past is closed to you.
Alas when you look around, there is no where else for you to go either.
That is where I am now.
I have no idea which way to turn, or in what direction I should be looking in.
There doesn’t seem to be any place for me to turn to.
This is isolation. This is loneliness.
Inspirational Message for Today 27 August 2008
Posted by sydcatholic80 in inspiration.Tags: depression, inspiration, sadness
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Well, today I was not feeling so great, but I started going through my Inbox, cleaning up months of email I have not sorted through or deleted. A surprising amount of spam still manages to get through gmail filters.
Anyhow, my friend RaggedBlossom sent me this back in April when I was feeling down:
One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.
Finally, he decided that the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; It just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.
He invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down.
A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.
As the farmer’s neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to get out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping and never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1) Free your heart from hatred – Forgive
2) Free your mind from worries – Most never happen
3) Live simply and appreciate what you have
4) Give more
5) Expect Less
I guess it does help a little to remember this. 
I need to remember it to stop myself falling down that well again. It has taken 6 months to climb out, and I don’t want to end up there again.
My message for the day.
God bless,
Josh
Acceptance 25 August 2008
Posted by sydcatholic80 in healing, love.Tags: acceptance, confusion, emotion, faith, healing, love
1 comment so far
Acceptance is monumental state to arrive at. It is making peace with where you are, and who you are, and where you came from, and where you are going. It is facing fear, anger, hate, melancholy, confusion; a maelstrom of powerful emotions, and exhaling them, transferring them to the air to be carried away.
How does one find Acceptance? When placed at the cross roads of life, what do you do? Where do you turn? When do you finally close the book on one part of your life, and begin the next volume?
How do you make sense of what was, and what is? Are we meant to make sense of it?
Is time the key ingredient? How much has to pass before you begin to feel acceptance?
It is this river of questions that someone who has had their life shaken up is trying to swim through.
Eventually, the rapids give way to calm water, and it is here one can begin to discover peace within, and the rest falls into place.
I don’t promise it makes sense, but at least you can continue the journey, leaving behind the excess weight you do not need when continuing the ascent of life.
I have found calmer waters, and am able to tread the water. I can see what was, and what is.
And I have found the key ingredient is faith. I have to have faith in something greater than I. I have to have faith that I have had personal salvation.
Love can blind us to bad situations, make us accept things we would not normally accept. God’s love is not blind, and he loves us so much. A close friend once told me, we have to believe we are loved and are lovable.
Have I found acceptance? I can’t say I have found it entirely, but I am beginning to learn what it is.
Sheep at Dawn - NSW Australia
