“What, me worry?”

“Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.” – St. (Padre) Pio

When we start to worry, that’s a bright, blinking light that is leading us to prayer!! As Padre Pio said, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.” Just something to contemplate during these challenging times! There is a novena to St. Pio that might be worth starting, to help with the prayer which crowds the worry out of our hearts and heads.

I posted that on a friend’s Facebook page today because she quoted another famous person, though not as pious as the good Padre. The quote was, “I’m an optimist who worries a lot.” – Madeleine Albright

RW, 1C

I know of what I speak, by the way! I am a Recovering Worrier, 1st class. That means, while I try to just give my worries and troubles to God, I often take them back for a time. And then I hand them back to God. It’s a little dance we do. Honestly, I don’t know how He can stand it, my lack of trust. There is no lack of faith. I know God is there and that He loves me. But for some weird reason, maybe out of habit(?), I always wind up taking things back! It takes too long for me to surrender.

I have to say though, that once I do not take things back, (or worse), sometimes release them from my white-knuckled, vice-like grip, loosen my hold and place them firmly in His hands, God takes care of things. Not always as I would have, but always in wonderful, even delightful ways!

Mothers Prayers Leads to Trust

I also say I’m a ‘Recovering Worrier’ because I have learned in many instances, and really big ways, to give things to God. I learned that through 20 years of participating in and often leading a women’s prayer group called Mothers Prayers. I don’t have much to do with that ministry anymore, not since my husband retired from the Army. But I still do pray for the all the kids in my Prayer basket, even though very few of them are kids anymore. Through Mothers Prayers I learned that if I will trust God with the well-being of my children, I will trust Him with anything!

Here’s a poem I wrote about trusting God. It’s from Drowning In Lemonade. It was inspired by my son at the time. But it could be about my daughter, too, or any little kid could have inspired a mom to think of something like this…

When I placed him there

I heard him make contact

I heard it –

The sound of a little kid

When he takes a running leap

Onto the bed

That thump when body

Makes contact with mattress

That’s what I heard

When I placed him there –

Into the care of the

Loved One’s hand

And there was that joy

That goes with the leap

And the sweet

Comfort of it

Being enveloped

In the soft

Mattress and mound

Of bed clothes

That you know

From just

Watching that little kid

Reckless abandon-

Joyful, carefree

Relishing the moment

And the comfort and

Security of that experience

I want to know that

Again

So, here’s another one-

Here’s a dream

Here’s a friend

Here’s my life

I can lay it down

In Your hand

And hear that thump

A lively, playful

Hope-filled

Wild abandon

Kind of noise