The Power of Our Attitude
The American philosopher/psychologist William James (1842-1910) wrote, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.” I first came across these words as a young college student, and I have never forgotten them. My life-long experience (or I should say my long-life experience!) has reinforced the wisdom of these words. Our attitude, that is, the way we look at things–other people, a particular situation, and life itself–can indeed alter our life.
When I was teaching high school, for example, my attitude toward my students was extremely important. If, at the beginning of the school year, I thought, “I know these kids are going to be basically lazy, selfish, and wild,” that attitude would permeate the way I taught. How much better it was if my attitude was, “I can’t wait to meet these kids. I hope I can help channel their natural energy, curiosity, and goodness into meaningful and fun learning experiences together.”
A positive attitude toward life involves seeing things in perspective, often a wider perspective. We Christians have an advantage here, because we view everything against the backdrop of God’s unfailing love for us. We perceive the dignity of every human being and the need for community. We know the profound power of compassion and the importance of forgiveness. We believe in the power of Jesus’ resurrection and the strength of the Holy Spirit. We see creation as God’s gift to us, a gift to share with all others–incuding future generations. These beliefs (and many others) color the way we perceive reality. They influence our choices and decisions. They help determine the way we live our lives.
Because attitude plays such a crucial role in our lives, I went to my trusty quote collection and pulled out the quotes I had filed under “attitude.” Here are 12 for your pondering today:
1) As I am, so I see. Ralph Waldo Emerson
2) The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes. Marcel Proust
3) I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it’s only a choice of attitude. Judith Knowlton
4) Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses. Alphonse Karr
5) Miracles seem to me to rest not so much upon faces or voices or healing power coming suddenly from afar, but our perceptions being made finer, so that for a moment our eyes can see and our ears hear what is about us always. Willa Cather
6) An adventure is only an incovenvience rightly considered. An incovenience is only an adventure wrongly considered. G.K. Chesterton
7) The only disability in life is a bad attitude. Scott Hamilton, Olympic ice-skater
8) Attitude is the mind’s paint brush. It can color any situation. Barbara Johnson
9) We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms–to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances. Viktor Frankl
10) Religion is not a way of looking at certain things. It is a certain way of looking at everything. Robert Segal
11) A child on a farm sees a plane fly over and dreams of far away places. A traveler on the plane sees the farmhouse and dreams of home. Carl Burns
12) And finally, this little story from Father William Bausch’s fine book, A World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers:
“The Town Traveler”
A man was walking down the road when he spied a farmer. He approached him and said, “Sir, I have traveled a long way and am thinking of settling in the next town. Tell me, what kind of people are there?” The farmer asked, “What kind of people were in the town you left?” The man replied, “Oh, it wasn’t so good. The people there were selfish, indifferent, just out for themselves. Couldn’t care less about you or what happened.” The farmer said, “You’ll find the same kind of folks in the next town.” The man thanked him and went in another direction.”
Later that day, another traveler passed by and asked the farmer, “Sir, I have traveled a long way and am thinking of settling in the next town. Tell me, what kind of people are there?” The farmer asked, “What kind of people were in the town you left?” The man replied, “It was hard to leave. The people sang with you in the good times and helped you in bad times. It wasn’t perfect, but the people were basically good and friendly.” The farmer said, “You’ll find the same kind of folks in the next town.”
For reflection:
Were there any quotes here that stood out for you? I’m curious to know. If you want to say why it stood out, that’s fine too.
Have you ever altered a situation by altering your attitude? Would you like to tell us about that experience?
Are there any specific Christian beliefs that help you to have a more positive attitude toward people or situations?
Do you have anything to add to this topic? I welcome your additions below.
PS #1: Last Saturday I gave at talk on Mary at Sacred Heart Church in Rock Creek, OH (now merged with St. Mary’s in Orwell to form St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Parish). Sponsored by the wonderful Knights of Columbus, the evening included Mass and a delicious dinner afterwards. What a joy it was to be gathered in a room with so many good and generous people of faith! I want to thank the folks who were there for making me feel so welcome! Special thanks to Laddie for convncing me to come and speak on Mary and for helping me with the details!
PS #2: I will be facilitating a retreat next weekend at the beautiful Villa Maria Retreat Center in Villa Maria, PA. The theme is “Walking with Mary through the Light and Darkness of our Lives.” There will be 34 participants. I’m eager to meet them! I ask you to say a little prayer for us. Thank you!
St. Paul tells the Ephesians, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” (New Revised Standard Bible) Another translation says: “The attitude you should have is the one Christ Jesus had.” (Good News Bible) Here’s a song by Kim Gentry Meyer called “I Need the Mind of Christ.” I liked the phrases: “I need the mind of Christ to cover me… to set me free.. to restore my peace of mind.” Let us pray that we all may more and more take on the attitude of Jesus toward all the people and circumstances in our personal lives as well as the people and circumstances in our larger national and global community.
I invite you to share a comment below. Your comments mean very much to me and our readers!
Praying for Our Caregivers
Today’s reflection focuses on caregivers–especially those individuals who are unpaid for providing care for loved ones with serious medical issues. In order to appreciate these caregivers, we need to look at a few statistics. In the US alone, there are 63 million families (1 in 4 adults) serving as caregivers for an adult or child with a medical condition, disease, or disability. The median age of these caregivers is 50 years; 3 out of 5 are women. About 29% support both elderly adults and children at the same time. These caregivers have been dubbed “the sandwich generation.”
About 1 in 5 caregivers report their own health issues related primarily to stress. About 40% are trained to provide complex medical care–such as injections and wound care. About 50% report a severe financial toll involving debts or medical expenses. About 60% of family caregivers hold a job while simultaneously caring for a loved one. One more statstic: According to the AARP Public Policy Institute, unpaid family caregivers contribute an estimated $1.01 trillion in economic value annually to the U.S. healthcare structure. That exceeds the total U.S. Medicaid spending ($932 billion). Their contribution, however, often comes “at a severe personal cost.”
But these facts don’t begin to tell the human story of caregiving. As the investigative American journalist Paul Brodeur wrote, “Statistics are human beings with the tears wiped off.” So I’m offering a 5 min. video that tells the story of one family caregiver, a father (Greg) who cares for his ill adult son (Cory).
There are many resources online for support for caregivers. One website said the main needs for family caregivers are these:
1) educational resources on the specific health issues of their loved ones–for example dementia or cancer.
2) help for their emotional well-being. Some caregivers join a support group, seek individual counseling, rely heavily on a network of family members or friends, or even their parish or local resources.
3) caregivers need respite care for themselves. They need temporary relief from their caregiving role to attend to their own needs.
4) caregivers need financial and legal assistance.
What can we do to help our family caregivers? First, we can pray for them, for they are often bearing a heavy load. We can remember them in our petitions at Mass. We look at those four needs of caregivers listed above and see how we might help with one of those needs. Or we can ask them directly, “Is there anything I can do to help you?” Perhaps we can run small errands for them or stay with their loved one while they run a few errands. In Matthew 25:31-46 we Catholics find the basis of our traditional Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. One of the corporal works of mercy is “Visit the Sick.” But newer translations today say “Care for the sick.” In a similar way, one of the spiritual works of mercy is “Comfort the Afflicted” which is sometimes translated “Support those who are suffering.” In this time in our history and in our society, perhaps we need to extend those two works of mercy by including, “And pray for and help take care of our caregivers.”
Let us pray:
Divine Caregiver, we pray for all caregivers–those who have devoted their lives to caring for the ill
and those who, due to circumstances, are providing daily care for their loved ones.
Give them strength, patience, wisdom, and tenderness.
Help all of us to find concrete ways we can encourage and support caregivers in their selfless devotion.
And we pray that all those in our midst who are ill in any way,
may be treated with the dignity, expertise, and compassion
they need and rightfully deserve as our brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.
For reflection:
Did anything stand out for you in this reflection?
Have you been or are you currently a caregiver? Would you share a little of that experience with us below?
What do you think is the greatest challenge for a caregiver and the greatest support we can give them?
PBS has done a whole series of caregivers’ true stories. The videos are short and well-done. You might want to check out a few of them on the PBS website or YouTube.
PS: Thank you to our readers who came to our Chicken Barbecue last Sunday. It was wonderful meeting you!… I know we are having some glitches with my blog. Some readers tell me they don’t get the email on Monday saying that a new blog has been posted. Sometimes that email doesn’t come until late in the week. Just so you know, I post my blogs for Monday. You can search for my blog (using google, safari, etc.) on Monday or later in the week and it should be posted. Some readers say the blog won’t let them comment anymore. Other readers say they aren’t getting any readers’ comments. I will meet with our IT department shortly to address these issues, Thank you for your patience.
Our song today is “Loving God, Loving Each Other” by the Gaither Vocal Band. Sometimes we make Jesus’ teachings more complicated than they really are. This song reminds us of the essence of Jesus’ message given throughout his life–and especially to his disciples at the Last Supper:
I welcome your comments below!
Why Do We Make Promises?
I was thinking about promises recently. Here are a few thoughts on the question, “Why do we make promises?”
The dictionary says a promise is “an agreement to do or not to do something.” Generally speaking, there are good promises and bad ones. In short, a good promise (to care for or help someone) is rooted in loving. A bad promise (to hurt or harm someone) is rooted in not loving. In this reflection, I’m focusing on good promises such as these: baptismal vows; marriage vows; vows made by priests, brothers, and sisters; having a child and inherently promising to raise that child to adulthood; signing a contract; making commitments with our friends; promising ourselves to get a degree; taking an oath of office. Then there’s a host of smaller promises we make every day: “I’ll pick you up at 6:00… If you sub for me tomorrow, I’ll sub for you when you need it… I’ve decided to sing in the church choir.”
Why do we make promises? First, because there are a gazillion things we can do with our lives, a vast array of ways we can use our time, energy, and gifts. We cannot do everything–not even every good thing. Promises help us to channel our lives into meaningful and productive actions. Promises give our life direction. Ideally, they help us to become the kind of person we really want to be.
Second, we make promises because we are weak human beings. Humbly we acknowledge that we do not always do the good we want to do–especially when we “don’t feel like it.” Some examples: we don’t feel like babysitting our grandchildren today, or going to choir practice tonight, or taking the car for an oil change. But family chores, choir practice, and car maintenance are small parts of larger promises we make as responsible adults. Promises, then, help us to persevere in doing good even when we don’t feel like it–because we said we would.
Promises unite us with one another. In some ways, promises are the invisible threads that hold society together. From the moment we were conceived, we were dependent on our parents’ incredibly selfless promise–namely, to care for us in the womb and beyond–whether our conception was joyfully welcomed, a great surprise, or a major inconvenience. Every day we rely on others–sometimes total strangers–to keep their promises. We rely on other drivers to stay on the correct side of the road (a promise implicit in getting a driver’s license), security forces to help keep us safe, the grocery store to sell uncontaminated food, the doctor to be competent and up to date, engineers to construct and maintain safe buildings and bridges, elected officials to uphold the law and to work for the common good.
Promises have to be flexible at times, of course. What times? When a friendship or a marital relationship becomes abusive or harmful… when illness or other circumstances prevent us from keeping a commitment… when a lesser promise has become incompatiable with a far greater one.
Jesus believed in promises. At his baptism, he heard God the Father saying aloud of him: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am pleased.” Jesus’ life and mission were rooted in his belief in God’s personal love for him. In fact, he experienced his primary identity as God’s beloved Son. Fr. Demetrius Dumm, in his book A Mystical Portrait of Jesus, says that in order to make a firm commitment (a promise), one must possess “a good sense of personal identity, which is possible only when one has experienced the love of God, usually expressed through the love of good human persons.” Being on the receiving end of God’s promises and other peoples’ promises to us, enables us to grow in our ability to make and live out the good promises we have made with one another.
And finally, Hannah Arendt, sometimes called a “political philosopher,” summarized well her philosophy of promises in these words: “We make promises to build trust, reduce uncertainty about the future, and bind ourselves to others.”
Let us pray:
Dear Promising God,
help us to become more aware of Your promises to us…
May we grow in gratitude for the promises others have made and lived out for us…
And may we continue to persevere in living out the promises we have made to You and to one another. Amen.
For reflection:
What good promises made by others in your early life have made a major impact on your life? How?
What are some of the most significant promises you have made in your life?
Are there some promises you made long ago that you are still keeping? that you have modified along the way?
Are there any particular promises of God that you lean upon to live your daily life?
********************************************
PS #1: I am giving a weekend retreat on Mary, Jesus’ mother, at the Villa Maria Spirituality Center in Villa Maria, PA. The retreat starts Friday evening, October 9 and concludes with lunch on Sunday, Oct. 11. Using scripture, prayer, music, in-put sessions, videos and artwork, we will walk with Mary through the light and joys of her life as well as the darkness and sorrows. There will be times for you to enjoy the quiet chapel, the farm, the fall trees, and the many scenic views of this lovely sacred space. For details check out their website at vmesc.org or call 724-964-8886. I hope to see some of you there!
PS #2:
You’re invited to our SND annual Chicken BBQ and Boutique on Sunday, September 27 from noon until 5:00 PM. Where? On the campus of Notre Dame Cathedral Latin High School, 13000 Auburn Road, Chardon, OH. I’ll be in the “Book Nook” (in the cafeteria) from noon until 3:00. Stop by and say “hi.” I’d love to meet you!
***********************************************
For our video today I chose the song “His Promises” by Hillary Weeks. She describes the song as a listing of some of God’s promises to us in the Bible. I hope you may find comfort and strength from this video.
Don’t forget to leave a comment below if you wish. We love hearing from all our readers!
The Nature Conservancy: Celebrating 75 Years
By chance, I came across the Fall 2026 issue of Nature Conservancy Magazine. The cover proclaimed, “Celebrating 75 Years.” I thought, certainly this milestone deserves a post on my blog, a blog that regularly promotes and celebrates various aspects of nature such as: water, trees, seeds, flowers, the sun, the moon, sea turtles, and Jesus’ great love for nature.
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) began in 1951 when a small group of individuals joined together to try to protect nature in a new way–through direct action. Their first major opportunity came when they learned that 60 acres of the Mianus River Gorge near Bedford, New York was going to be sold to a developer. An hour’s drive north from Manhattan, the Mianus River Gorge is “lined with towering 350-year-old hemlocks that shelter flying squirrels, tree frogs, and bobcats.” Local community members protested the sale of this beautiful spot. The owner told them he would sell the property to them if they could come up with his asking price: $30,000. The people organized bake sales, pledged their life-insurance policies, and approached the newly formed TNC for help. Working together, the groups purchased the 60-acre property and forever protected it. In that instant, “a new kind of global movement was born.”
Today the TNC reaches all 50 states and is working in 83 countries and territories with a team of over 1,000 scientists. It has conserved more than 125 million acres of land and 2.3 billion acres of ocean area–“cumulatively protecting an area the size of the entire United States.” Such success has come despite growing threats “from geopolitical shifts to volatility in public funding,” says Jennifer Morris, CEO of TNC. “These threats are growing more urgent and more complex: Climate change and biodiversity loss are not distant, theoretical challenges–they are here and now.”
The fact that TNC has survived for 75 years is certainly good news. So I decided to search the web for other pieces of good news concerning conservancy and our environment. I found several websites that share a wealth of positive news in this area. One website is even called “Happy Eco-News.” Here are just a few items I found intriguing, encouraging, and even inspiring.
9,000 milkweed plants for migrating Monarch butterflies were recently planted along 6 roads in North Florida counties providing a new migration highway for these cherished and threatened butterflies. Thousands more milkweed plants will be planted in the future.
Iberian lynx rebounded from fewer than 100 individuals in 2002 to over 2,000 individuals today.
Solar power outstripped coal generation in the US this year for the first time on record.
Tap water in rural India: 6 years ago only 1 in 6 homes in rural India had a tap water connection. Today 4 out of 5 do. In 6 years, India has connected 124 million rural homes to tap water.
Rainforest biodiversity in Ecuador’s Choco region rebounded 90% in just a single generation.
The world’s first carbon-negative bus shelter was installed at Bangkok University. Bus shelters are usually made of steel and glass. But a Swedish solar company built one by combining solar energy panels with carbon storing wood. The shelter stores more carbon than was emitted during its entire manufacturing and construction process.
Combining noise barriers with solar panels. A company in Canada (Mitrex) is integrating noise barriers with solar panels. The barriers reduce traffic noise while the solar panels produce clean electricity. A one mile stretch of these unique sound barriers produces enough electricity to power 50 homes!
The European Union leads the world in producing electricity from renewable sources (wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal). In 2026, renewable sources produced 46% of Europe’s electricity. (The US produces about 26% from renewable sources. Two factors that challenge the U.S. are our “car culture” and our “sprawl.”)
Growing food under roof top solar panels. Jennifer Bousselet, assistant professor of horticulture at Colorado State University, leads pioneering research by growing food under elevated solar panels on city skyscraper rooftops. The technique (called rooftop agrivoltaics) works because the solar panels protect the plants from intense urban heat while the transpiring plants help cool the solar panels to improve their efficiency. On one rooftop, she and her research partners have a 3,000 square foot garden growing a variety of food-producing plants. Currently 1/2 of the world’s population live in urban areas. By 2050 an estimated 2/3 of the population will do so. Supplying food for those cities will be a major challenge. Bousselet says Denver alone has 5,000 acres of suitable rooftops for growing food in this way. Each acre is capable of producing 5,000 pounds of food. So even if only 1,000 acres of rooftops are used, they could produce 5 million pounds of food for the city’s inhabitants.
And finally, The Nature Conservancy preserves protected space for the environment and for people. California’s Marin Headlands is a ridgeline overlooking San Francisco Bay. It is now a preserved space for animals such as raptors and bobcats, while simultaneously being one of the most widely visited parks in the U.S. Today more than 13 million human visitors come to this recreation area each year. Hawk Hill in the park offers one of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
For reflection:
Did anything stand out for you in this reflection?
What other good “Eco-News” have you heard about recently?
Have you personally visited and enjoyed preserved areas near your home or elsewhere in your country or world? Would you recommend any of these areas to others?
Are you actively involved in preserving nature for future generations?
****************************************
PS: You’re invited to our annual Chricken BBQ & Boutique: at Notre Dame Cathedral Latin High School, 13000 Auburn Road, Chardon, OH. I’ll be in the “Book Nook” (in the cafeteria) from noon until 3:00. Stop by and say “hi.” I’d love to meet you!
**************************************************
Here is a prayerful video that presents scenes of nature accompanied by this verse from scripture: “Be strong and courageous, for I am with you.” May you hear God saying these words to you today for whatever you need strength for at this time in your life.
I welcome your comments below!
September 8th: Mary’s Birthday
September 8th is the feast of “The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” In other words, it’s Mary’s birthday. This day, commemorated by the Catholic, Anglican, and Eastern Churches, dates back to the 5th and 6th Centuries. Of course, we don’t know the actual date of Mary’s birthday. It could be September 16th (my birthday!) or even your birthday! It’s interesting to note, however, that September 8th is exactly 9 months after December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception–which marks Mary’s conception. Similarly, Christmas is exactly 9 months after the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25. Those dates make “sense”–at least biologically speaking.
But how are we to celebrate this feast? Some people (especially with small children) bake or buy a cake and sing happy birthday to Mary. Others make it a point to say a decade of the rosary or an entire rosary on this day. Still others attend Mass or take a few minutes to reflect on a scripture passage that shines a light on Mary: the Annunciation, the birth of Jesus, the finding in the temple, the wedding feast of Cana, or the crucifixion.
One of my favorite passages that refers to Mary occurred during Jesus’ public ministry (Lk. 11:27-28). One day, as Jesus was speaking to the crowds, a woman, being deeply moved by his words, cried out, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” She was really saying something like, “How blessed, good, and lucky is your mother to have a son like you!” But Jesus says to the woman, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!” Jesus is not putting down his mother. He is raising her up! He was saying, Mary was blessed not simply because she bore Jesus physically into the world. But rather, she is blessed because of how she lived her entire life. She was a woman of great faith and trust in God. How else could she have said her “yes” to God’s incredible request of her? Mary listened to and spoke with God especially in her daily prayer. She pondered God’s word and applied it to the circumstances of her own life. Fr. Ronald Rolneiser says, Mary gave Jesus birth in the faith, the faith she lived “in the here of her everyday life!”
I have always loved what the British writer Caryll Houselander says in her book, The Mary Book. She writes:
“We shall not be asked to do more than the Mother of God;
we shall not be asked to become extraordinary or set apart…
What we shall be asked to give is our fesh and blood, our daily life–
our thoughts, our service to one another,
our affections and loves, our words, our intellect,
our waking, working, and sleeping,
our ordinary human joys and sorrows–to God.
To surrender all we are, as we are, to the Spirit of Love
in order that our lives may bear Christ into the world–
that is what we shall be asked.”
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us…
For reflection:
How did you first learn about Mary? Who told you about her?
Do you have a favorite image or picture of Mary? Would you like to tell us about it?
What do you admire or love about Mary?
If you have one question you could ask Mary, what would you ask her?
********************************************************************
PS: You are invited to our 64th annual Notre Dame Chicken B-B-Q & Boutique on Sunday, September 27. Where: on the campus of Notre Dame Cathedral Latin High School (NDCL), 13000 Auburn Road, Chardon, OH… When: noon til 5:00 PM… Dine in or take-out… handicapped accessible… boutique shopping, children’s activities, Country Kitchen, pies, ice cream, fellowship and fun! I will be in the “Book Nook” (in the cafeteria from noon until 3:00) with my books–all discounted and signed. Stop by and say hi. I’d love to meet you!
The Marian song I chose for today is “Breath of Heaven” sung here by Amy Grant. For me, it gives us a glimpse into what Mary’s prayer could have been like, especially in the first months of her pregnancy. She earnestly begs God, “Be with me!… Breath of Heaven, hold me together… lighten my darkness… Help me.” I think these words are akin to our own prayer at times when we face an unknown and daunting future… The images of Christmas in the video remind us that our Christmas celebration begins with a young woman who had the faith and courage to say “yes” to God’ s remarkable invitation to bear Jesus into our world.
PS: See Joyce’s comment below (it’s the third reader’s comment): Here is another video that shows a woman reciting the words of this song while signing the entire song. You might fnd it enriching!
I welcome your comments below!
