Taking time to Live...

Lilies, rose’s and at least five to six other flowers are referred to by that name.…and all mentioned in one of the most renowned book on earth, the Bible They are also compared to the brevity of a human life. How they/we grow and bloom and then wither and die. And just like life…it can produce a wonderful aroma and yet prick like a thorn. In order to grow strong and be fruitful and successful, flowers need to have a good root system and source of good nutrients in order to thrive. They need sunshine/light and water and air as do we. We need to be trimmed, and if need be, cut way down to be able to grow even stronger.
"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; nor yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."
Roses are mentioned many times in the Bible. Yet documents from which the
Scriptures were translated; botanists now agreed that a narcissus, a crocus, a rock rose and an oleander were variously referred to as “Roses"
There are at five or six kinds of plants referred to by the name lily. Certainly, considering the context of some of these passages, one of them was the yellow flag, an iris common in the Holy Land. Botanists are convinced that the lilies of the field" were actually the chamomile, a plant with white daisy-like flowers, also common there. The lilies in the Song of Solomon are now regarded as being a hyacinth with deep blue, fragrant flowers, native in Palestine and Lebanon, is the white Madonna lily -- our traditional symbol of Easter.
So….take time to smell the roses…means take time to LIVE!!!!

Taking the Words of Thomas Jefferson to Heart...

But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine.

Taking Time to Celebrate the Life of a loved one....

The Katie we knew and loved lay there, peacefully, as we filed by her white-eyelet lined coffin.  The sting of death was not getting its victory here, because the blessing that Katie brought us all is and will have the victory.  This beautiful young woman knew her savior and served him well the proof is in her testimony of a life lived for Him. Because of it we know beyond a shadow of doubt, she was ushered front and center to His arms.
The ceremony celebrating her life was filled with beautiful pictures of Katie and her family.  Not only pictures seen but pictures sung with beautiful words describing her life on earth as well as her life now in heaven.
I was with Katie's mom (a family friend) for the first months of her "womb" growth.  Her Mother and I watched the belly growing and felt her kicking and moving waiting to get out and live outside.  It almost seems she felt the urgency of it all even back then.  My friend and I (since this was her first and I was childless) read all the books together on prenatal care followed all the charts and ate all we wanted...so much so my friend grew and actually miscalculated the due date. Katie E. Dorman was born on August 25, 1982, but not without my friend stopping to let me know (while in labor pains) she was on her way to hospital and that Katie was finally coming. Everything was just so wonderful and joyful and exciting because of her entrance into this world. I was glad she stopped by we all prayed even more for her safe delivery.)
Well, Katie lived the way she came and I must say did so in many places in the world; Europe, South America, and many other countries that her family's ministry took them. From power tools to garden tools to complex computer programming Katie was used for the Lord and was a BLESSING to all that she met. The Bible clearly quotes that all of our days are numbered and yet we live like we have all the time in the world and waste most of it. I went away that day trying to re-define my priorities and re-focus my life...because where eternity starts hope ends.
THANK YOU KATIE DORMAN-FUHRMAN...for the good example of a job well done for your master.

I wanted to “Take Time” to honor my Pa!! For Father's Day.

I would like to share a portion of my Dad’s life and  his weekly duties as he ministered to the Indians In the Amazon Jungle.This excerpt is taken from his autobiography...  I think you will get a kick out this section of the book as well as get a glimpse into my life as a child.  ENJOY!!!  

Mercy Drops and Showers of Blessings (1960-1964)

Seldom had a day gone by without people arriving holding their jaws with supposedly medicinal leaves pasted to their faces.  Young mothers from 14 years of age on up who never had prenatal care were the most pitiful cases. Some had cavities in all their teeth, surrounded by gums as red as cherries. Others were in such unbearable pain they extracted their own teeth with knives and scissors.  Pus sacs were common.

I recalled Dr. Johnson saying, “You don’t just yank a tooth out of it socket.  A normal extraction, using the proper instrument and proper technique, usually takes a tooth out without minimal or no actual pulling.  Never hurry the tough ones. Some are floaters and be picked out with little resistance.”

I chose Mrs. Flora as my first patient.  She was known in the village for her fits of rage.  Everybody got out of her way while she brayed and beat the walls of her house. I was relieved to see her smile as she came in.  Just the thought of tooth extraction can take the tucker out of the most courageous. I demonstrated how to get into the chair.  Flora put a foot onto the plywood crosspiece, pivoted around, and plunked down into the chair.  Everything I had studied about tooth extraction evaporated: names of teeth, names of instruments, and pressures.   I thought I had suffered a mini stroke.

I had Flora rinse her mouth with rain water and spit in the potty.  She was an accurate shot.....so far.  The tooth she wanted extracted was a mandibular molar, a good tooth with no decay.  It was all by itself; there wasn't another tooth in her mouth.
                   .............................to be continued. tomorrow.........................

continued...

I had hoped for a couple of floaters for my first extractions.  Flora rinse again while I slid behind the partition that separated the workshop from sterile territory.   I wiped the perspiration from my brow and confessed to God that I should never have dreamed of extracting teeth.
 After getting hold of myself, I returned to face Dona Flora, who was waiting patiently.  I tried to force a smile while I had her rinse yet again.  Her mouth had never been so clean! I was killing time until I gathered the courage to take hold of the loaded syringe.
I held the syringe behind me, remembering how lethal it looks to a helpless person trapped in a chair.  My intention was to hit close to the nerve as it passes from the maxilla to the mandible.  Oops! I hit the bone, so backed off a tad and slowly pressed the syringe plunger.  Flora flinched a little and blinked excessively.  Any sign of life was better than having her slump over motionless.  After Flora admitted to feeling numb on one side, I stepped over to my diagram.  I appeared to be studying, but I was making fervent supplication to God for the ability to remove her tooth, and leave on her own power afterward.  I wished, even more fervently that I had never heard of Dr. Johnson.
I tucked the points of the cow-horn forceps between the two legs of the tooth's root and started applying pressure with a straight arm, as far away from Flora as I could get. Her head, as though it was on a hinge, tipped from shoulder to shoulder; very little pressure reached the tooth.  "Lord, by our Grace, get out of this situation and I'll never touch one of these secondhand tools again.  I admit that you didn't call us to this jungle country to pull teeth.  I've stepped out of your will,"  I confessed to the Omniscient.
I finally got the courage to put a headlock on my patient and was able to remove her tooth.  I was wiped out.  I dismissed the other two ladies after Dona Flora left.  Nearly every Thursday afternoon. and while visiting remote villages by riverboat years later, tooth extraction continued, totaling a few less then 10,000 extractions.  But that first extraction still remains the freshest in my mind.

Taken from the "Port Of Two Brothers" by Dr. Paul L. Schlener.  HAPPY FATHER"S DAY, DAD....you are the best!!!!

                                                                      
                                                  My eldest sis and me in the USA, for furlough!!!.

Taking Time to talk FUTEBOL….

So what is it that makes for a good player!!!!

Endurance…yes, I just get worn-out watching them up and down that field.  They stop then sprint then jump and kick…for 90 minutes.

There are rules to follow…The official soccer rules are called the "Laws of the Game" and are revised annually (usually in July) by FIFA (pronounced "FEE' fuh"), the world soccer governing body, but youth organizations usually adjust the rules to fit children. Typical adjustments are field sizes, game lengths, number of players per team, the number and frequency of substitutions, "offside" is sometimes not called, and slide tackling is sometimes not allowed. Field sizes, ball sizes, length of games & rules vary by age group. The FIFA rules do not require separate teams for girls and boys, but many soccer clubs and associations have separate leagues for boys and girls. Discuss the rule variations with an official of your league. You can find the "Laws of the Game" at FIFA.com (on the FIFA Home Page enter "Laws" in the search feature).

There is a prize in the end and it involves both fame and fortune.  There is a good bit of fate or chance implicated which of course keeps us wanting to see more and to hope that we can be the victor and succeed.

There is a bit of dependability or faithfulness as a fan….I live with and all around athlete… In his prime he made All-American twice (in soccer) and has made nationwide records that have yet to be broken.  So you can imagine the atmosphere in our home towards sports in general all our married life  .He knows firsthand the determination the strength of mind to put that ball in the goal.

All that said…and it is one of my biggest complaints is the wasted time sitting there, absent minded watching something that means absolutely zilch; least to me personally, and for anybody that is just sitting there for that matter…Maybe the athletes’ family, but not much more, because in the scheme of what really is important, it, to me, gets nothing. Well, not totally nothing I have gotten good shopping trips in while he sits there just blissful letting me enjoy “my very own waste of time”

So let’s see, rules, endurance, trophies, faithfulness and all the ability you have, and sticking to the basics should make you a winner….hmmmm!!!

.

That is another story

Taking TIME takes patience....

So how does it happen? When you have every intention to be a success and all the T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted…but somehow the door to temptation is left open or stuck or whatever the reason and what you never wanted to happen, happens. And you say, I always thought this couldn’t happen to me or why ME????

So, what do you do…some 12 step check off list that some Shrink came up with? Do you run and hide and hope it just goes away. Maybe you play the blame game and come up with all kinds of excuses for it being someone else’s responsibility.

I do know what works for me…tell yourself not to PANIC. Ask for PRAYER from people you trust and that love.. Seek that PEACE that passes all understanding…and then be PATIENT… waiting on the Lord and claim His Promises.

He (if you are His child) has a purpose for you. And He promises never to leave you or forsake you!!!! I know I have been there this is quite accurate and undeniable true!!!

Taking time to mourn those who have gone...

my sister as she ministers to those that weep...Dirge

TakeTime to LAUGH!!!

GARDEN SNAKES CAN BE DANGEROUS...

Snakes also known as Garter Snakes (Thamnophissirtalis) can be dangerous. Yes, grass snakes, not rattlesnakes. Here's why.

A couple in Sweetwater , Texas , had a lot of potted plants. During a recent cold spell, the wife was bringing a lot of them indoors to protect them from a possible freeze.

It turned out that a little green garden grass snake was hidden in one of the plants. When it had warmed up, it slithered out and the wife saw it go under the sofa.

She let out a very loud scream.

The husband (who was taking a shower) ran out into the living room naked to see what the problem was. She told him there was a snake under the sofa.

He got down on the floor on his hands and knees to look for it. About that time the family dog came and cold-nosed him on the behind. He thought the snake had bitten him, so he screamed and fell over on the floor.

His wife thought he had had a heart attack, so she covered him up, told him to lie still and called an ambulance.

The attendants rushed in, would not listen to his protests, loaded him on the stretcher, and started carrying him out.

About that time, the snake came out from under the sofa and the Emergency Medical Technician saw it and dropped his end of the stretcher. That's when the man broke his leg and why he is still in the hospital.

The wife still had the problem of the snake in the house, so she called on a neighbor who volunteered to capture the snake. He armed himself with a rolled-up newspaper and began poking under the couch.. Soon he decided it was gone and told the woman, who sat down on the sofa in relief.

But while relaxing, her hand dangled in between the cushions, where she felt the snake wriggling around. She screamed and fainted, the snake rushed back under the sofa.

The neighbor man, seeing her lying there passed out, tried to use CPR to revive her.

The neighbor's wife, who had just returned from shopping at the grocery store, saw her husband's mouth on the woman's mouth and slammed her husband in the back of the head with a bag of canned goods, knocking him out and cutting his scalp to a point where it needed stitches.

The noise woke the woman from her dead faint and she saw her neighbor lying on the floor with his wife bending over him, so she assumed that the snake had bitten him. She went to the kitchen and got a small bottle of whiskey, and began pouring it down the man's throat.

By now, the police had arrived.
Breathe here...

They saw the unconscious man, smelled the whiskey, and assumed that a drunken fight had occurred. They were about to arrest them all, when the women tried to explain how it all happened over a little garden snake!

The police called an ambulance, which took away the neighbor and his sobbing wife.

Now, the little snake again crawled out from under the sofa and one of the policemen drew his gun and fired at it. He missed the snake and hit the leg of the end table. The table fell over, the lamp on it shattered and, as the bulb broke, it started a fire in the drapes.

The other policeman tried to beat out the flames, and fell through the window into the yard on top of the family dog who, startled, jumped out and raced into the street, where an oncoming car swerved to avoid it and smashed into the parked police car.

Meanwhile, neighbors saw the burning drapes and called in the fire department. The firemen had started raising the fire ladder when they were halfway down the street. The rising ladder tore out the overhead wires, put out the power, and disconnected the telephones in a ten-square city block area (but they did get the house fire out).

Time passed! Both men were discharged from the hospital, the house was repaired, the dog came home, the police acquired a new car and all was right with their world.

A while later they were watching TV and the weatherman announced a cold snap for that night. The wife asked her husband if he thought they should bring in their plants for the night.

And that's when he shot her.

flowers by: A Flor De Lis Flower Shoppe

Some of the many flower arrangements....

Taking Time To Weed...

Today I planted the last of my tiny perennial sprouts.  As I unfolded my poor aching back and legs I thought to myself the following things:

1. When my seedlings were tiny I could have confused them for weeds.

2. Therefore, I was glad I waited to nurture them before I transplanted them.

3. Weeds are like bad habits.

4. If you let them grow UN=noticed they will take over your garden.

5. Make sure you can tell the difference (between a weed and a seedling) before you cultivate it.

 I am looking forward to enjoying many years of these beautiful flowers that have been cautiously chosen and cared for.  Our lives should be just as vigilantly cared for.  Weeding out the bad and the awful…not letting them crowd out the good-quality in OUR garden of a life.

I love the spring time new growth and new beginnings the symbol of HOPE!

Taking Time to Celebrate Mother's Day

 Faces of the Mother -to-Be.

May 8,2010
event by: A Flor De Lis Flower Shoppe

Taking Time to Write to Baby Addison...

Elizabeth B. J.

You are embarking on a wonderful NEW role –

You are going to be a MOTHER!

I can imagine since the moment you saw that first scanned image of Addison & saw Addison's little heart beat…you have been overjoyed, worried, been concerned, planned every detail and loved her for these almost 9 months and that it has probably consumed your thoughts and mind and heart almost constantly… you know sweetheart, it is just the beginning of a lifetime with her.

Yes, all of your planning, care, preparation and love will be embodied in this precious little baby girl who will one day grow up to be a woman.

I am not sure if you know this or not, but I was on the Island with YOUR mother during the weeks before you were born.

I was also at the hospital waiting for you to be born when your mom was in labor with you.

The very prayers I prayed for my sister those 28 years ago I am praying for you…all those things I just have imagined you might be feeling, I imagined with your mother before you were born ~ how she longed to have a baby girl to add to the Nelson family!  How she too worried and dreamed…was scared…then she had YOU - this bundle of pink …healthy and just perfectly beautiful, GIRL…and now a grown up, competent woman…ready to become a mother yourself.

I know she is so proud of you, and grateful for the woman you have become.

Elizabeth, I want to take a minute to tell you from my heart to yours…

When you think of Addison and her future ahead,

There will be times throughout her life that …

Your soul will be so happy with her ~ then there will be times where it will ache for her.

She will delight you … and she will also, believe it or not, devastate you.

You will hope for the very best for her…and then have her make an unwise decision.

She will be sick or sad, and no matter how hard you try, you may not understand what she needs.

You will always want her to sleep well, eat and be healthy and happy…and you will do all you can to provide those things for her…for ALL of her life.

Addison will have the power to hold YOUR heart in her hands.

There will also be times where you will be so pleased with yourself as a mother…you have got this baby schedule figured out…that you knew just what she needed…that you could get her that perfect dress…that you could help her with her walk with Jesus…you had just the right advice to give…that you could give her a wonderful home to grow up in & be loved in…

But there may also be times where you may struggle, you may be impatient, you may not have the money to get her something, you may feel dissatisfied…you may not like the journey you are on…you will feel like a failure…and believe me… those things are all a part of life

So here is where some “words” from your Aunt – way down in Texas, will be passed on to you…they are my “mantra’s” and thoughts that have kept me going throughout my life as well as motherhood…I have to fall back on them…even now.

1.              Anything that makes you feel angry or stressed but is beyond your control…

”LET IT GO … and…TURN IT OVER TO GOD”… Let yourself feel what has gotten you so upset, then lift it up as a prayer…and move on.

Picture your hand held tightly in a clenched fist (cause you’re angry) ~  then turn your hand over & open up your palm, fingers stretched out….lift your arm up…and give it to God.

I promise you WILL find peace in your soul as you do this…even if you have to do it 10 times in one day…whenever that nasty, angry thought creeps up…open up that fist and give it back to God.

HE KNOWS.

2.                 Anything that makes you overwhelmingly happy – even proud – no words to describe it…No one can imagine your joy…first thing you do is:

“PONDER IT” …just like Mary in the Bible, after she gave birth to Jesus, and the Shepherds & Wise men came to honor Jesus…she didn’t run around telling everyone she met what had happened…the scriptures tell us “she kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”.   Take time to see how God has worked to bring about these blessing in your life ~

Just a thought…

PONDER God’s goodness and providence in your life…

3.                 When you are discouraged or scared – with yourself… your expectations, your faith… your family and friends ~ maybe you feel you have been let down…

“KEEP WALKING”…I picture Fievel Mousekewitz…the little mouse from “American Tails” (a movie you watched when you were a little girl…sometimes even at my house!) –

See if you can picture this with me…

Little Fievel is boarding the ship that is coming to America – the humans are walking the big planks onto the deck of the ship from land, while the mice are walking on the ropes that tie the ships to the land for their unknown future…Fievel and his family are weighed down with their luggage…and Fievel says…”I’m scared Papa”…and Fievel ’s dad says…”Keep walking Fievel…keep walking”. –

God is like that too – We can say to Him…”I’m scared Papa”…Hebrews also tells us of the examples of people who have walked by faith…just trusting that they would reach what they were expecting and hoping for…as they “just kept walking”.

When you hit those “hurdles” of discouragement…fear…and disillusionment…remember…

Things will get better…don’t give up …don’t stop …and what at times may seem insurmountable can turn out to be a mountain you climbed and is now behind you… that has now given you courage to face more of the future.

You know what is exciting?

You and Stephen will now not just be the two of you …you will be a family.

And your hopes and dreams are being realized.

…and tomorrow is Mother’s Day…

What a special time for you…for your mom….for Grandma…as you see the “footprints” that have walked before you…and as you dream of the new “footprints” to come!

With love, Your, Tia Suely

May 8,

Taking Time to Celebrate a New Baby Girl...

Taking time to celebrate a new life…is what’s been on my mind lately.  I was told I was “spearheading” the event and I am quite happy to do so.  The theme motifs are footprints, flowers and butterflies, all of which describe signs of spring…  I don’t know about you but the first opportunity I can walk barefoot on the grass you can be sure I WILL.   And I suppose our prayers are that this newborn’s footprints will take her to the moon if she wishes, but too that they be healthy and strong and sensible as she grows.

Butterflies because her Daddy likes them, I am sure he hopes his little larva/bug-a- boo of a baby will transform into a beautiful butterfly one day.  And lastly flowers are incorporated just because we are thinking about a spring bouquet.

One hundred invitations have been posted and the enthusiasm of it all almost feels like Christmas!!!  So wish us luck!!!!!
event by: A Flor De Lis Flower Shoppe

Taking Time to THINK PINK.....

Here it is Monday again. Weekends seem too just sneak by so fast!!!
Ended nicely though, with a lovely family dinner. Everything fat free and low calorie ….of course, no, but usually with a nice leisurely dinner one can skip supper and go straight to the hot butter and Parmesan-ed popped corn and root beer. No, no counting here.
So now it’s a new week and the madness starts all over again. I say madness because I am home alone again and I have a list to do and consider and prepare and cut and paste and all the fun things that one needs to do in developing a party; a Baby Girl shower to be precise.
So of course I am thinking Pink!!!
Any good,innovative and fresh, ideas are welcomed!!!

Take Time THURSDAY...

Thursday, is my day. It is the day reserved in the week to do what I desire. I will never schedule an appointment or make any other plans but those that I want. It sounds lofty, I know, because usually it is the day I do housework.
I change the bed linens so there is laundry involved. If the fridge needs emptying and reorganized so be it. If someone should want me to do something on Thursday, I am booked because no matter what I actually do on Thursdays it’s what I WANT and intend to do only!!!!
The vacuum cleaner and duster typically are involved in the plan of the day. Especially for the floor level that has been ignored during the week; our house being a three story one, I seem to have to do the main floor several times a week with the dogs in and out the other two can get overlooked.
No doctors or dentist or any other annoying person/situation can interrupt this day, unless I choose to let it.
Mondays are blue days. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are “get busy doing” something days. So you see how perfect Thursday is? Friday starts the weekend, at least in my mind. Saturday and Sunday are always for everything else, planned or not.
So, today is Thursday. And the rebel in me is so happy. Yes, I can do just what I please!!!!

Taking Time To Rearrange...

What is it in a woman that causes her to “have” to move furniture around? Rearrange it, oh, maybe twice a year.
I was just sitting there this morning sipping my third cups-o-coffees and it came to me....yes, the urge to change the arrangement of my living room. Maybe it was the caffeine talking but I just couldn’t deny the impulse to get up and start the procedure.
Mind you there are a series of steps that are involved in tackling the job by oneself. There is propping up (which takes considerable amount of strength) to move the huge Oriental rug, then the need to balance out the lighting system. Making sure that the view out the windows to the yard is most effective. When its summer I like to make sure I can enjoy my window boxes inside as well. Then I must think about my husband and his chair and make sure he will be happy. After all he resides here too. I like to have a nice flow in and through and around too.
Half way into the foolishness, I find myself talking out loud saying, "Self, what the heck were you thinking you not only will need to clean and wipe down all the new spaces but you probably will need a chiropractor besides". Then after a couple of miss-tries and working up a sweat I sit back and take it all in and hope I like it and if I don't then I say to myself ,"give it a couple of days". I walk away from it with my fingers crossed. Convincing myself this is the best way ever. But if Larry doesn't like I will put it all back...with his help of-course.
I suppose the best part of this story is that it our home and I am blessed to have one, for be it ever so humble…

Take time to be a vanguard kind-of-person...

 Before I write my thoughts please read the below definition of the word "vanguard"

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 Moby Thesaurus words for "vanguard": advance guard, airhead, ancestor, announcer, antecedent, armed guard, avant-garde, bank guard, battle line, beachhead, bellwether, bridgehead, buccinator, bushwhacker, coast guard, cordon, cordon sanitaire, explorer, farthest outpost, first line, forebear, forefront, foregoer, forerunner, front, front line, front rank, front runner, front-runner, frontiersman, fugleman, garrison, goalie, goalkeeper, goaltender, ground-breaker, guard, guarder, guardsman, guide, harbinger, herald, inlying picket, innovation, innovator, jailer, latest fad, latest fashion, latest wrinkle, lead runner, leader, line, messenger, new look, newfangled device, novelty, outguard, outpost, pathfinder, picket, pioneer, point, precedent, precursor, predecessor, rail-head, rear guard, scout, security guard, spearhead, stormy petrel, the in thing, the last word, the latest thing, trailblazer, trail-breaker, train guard, van, vaunt-courier, voortrekker, warder

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Here I thought it was used exclusively in describing the latest fad or fashion 

or new look for the year!!!

When, quite frankly I can experience it with every new day!!! I have the power to say to myself something extraordinary could happen to me today.  Something that I could hear or see perhaps. Just feeling it could be the "vanguard" of  a miracle. After all part of believing in God is to believe in miracles.

IF, a little word like vanguard defines itself with so many other words.Try defining the word FAITH!!!

 REALLY!!!

Take time to try these..

http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/oatmeal-peanut-butter-bars/32986.html

Just  COPY and PASTE the link to watch the video!!!!

St Patrick Day.

St. Patrick: Why His Message Still Matters

Brother Colmán Ó Clabaigh, OSB

Author

March 17 is upon us again, and all over the world everyone is an honorary Irishman or Irishwoman for 24 hours. St. Patrick's popularity is a result of the wanderlust of the Irish, and there is no corner of the world in which his name is not honored.
Yet, if his name is known, his story is less familiar and his message often gets drowned out by the parades, the plastic shamrocks and the green-dyed beer.
The little knowledge we have of him comes from two letters he wrote in the course of his missionary work in fifth-century Ireland.
In one, he fearlessly condemns a warlord who carried off some of his converts into slavery. The other document, known as his "Con­fession," gives a moving account of his conversion and his work as a minister of the Gospel.
Patrick was born in the year 389 into a  comfortable Christian background in Roman-occupied Britain. Like others, he took his family, his faith and his good fortune for ­granted.
All this changed when a group of Irish raiders captured him and sold him and his young companions into slavery. Snatched from the comfort of his Roman villa, he found himself herding sheep and fending off wild animals on the side of an Irish mountain.
Exiled, abused and exploited, Patrick turned to Christ in his desperation, and the relationship of faith that followed transformed his own life and the lives of the Irish people.
Escaping from captivity, he returned to his family and became a priest.
He would perhaps have settled into a comfortable clerical career had it not been for a dream in which he heard the "voice of the Irish" begging him to "come and walk once more amongst us." This he took as a summons to return and proclaim the freedom of Christ in the land of his captivity. It was a courageous decision and one that demanded all his reserves of courage and forgiveness.
Personal challenges
But Patrick's story doesn't end there. From the "Confession" we learn that his mission was anything but an easy one: He was subjected to threats and extortion, his converts were enslaved and brutalized, and his own personal integrity was called into question.
For Patrick had a dark secret. Around age 15, he had committed a very serious crime. What the nature of this offense was he does not reveal, but it would have been an obstacle to his ordination had it been disclosed.
He confided this to a close friend, who subsequently betrayed his trust. In consequence, Patrick's mission was called into question and the "Confession" contains an anguished defense of his ministry in the face detractors, whom he dismissively addresses as "you men of letters, sitting on your estates."
God working within
All this is a long way from the sanitized image of the saint banishing the snakes from Ireland in his green vestments, bishop's staff and over-sized shamrock.
However, the reality of St. Patrick as revealed in the "Confession" shows us someone in whom the grace of God was powerfully active. The Lord habitually uses weak and fragile people to accomplish his will, to build up his kingdom: "My grace is enough for you, my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians, 12:9).
Patrick himself recognized this; he was conscious of being "rustic, exiled, unlearned," of lacking the sophistication of other bishops. But more than this, he was conscious of the power of God working within him.
Anyone familiar with the stone-walled fields that partition the Irish countryside will appreciate the image that he uses to describe this: "I was like a stone lying in deep mud; and he that is mighty came and in his mercy lifted me up, and raised me aloft and put me on top of the wall. And therefore I ought to shout out aloud and return something to the Lord for the great mercy he has shown me now and for all ages."
Weak though he was, Patrick's success lay in his recognition of the Gospel's power to transform, transfigure and uplift, and this is as true for us in the 21st century as it was for him in the fifth.