Post by Chaplain Elizabeth on Mar 3, 2016 21:32:14 GMT -5
"Get away to Paradise", the advertisement said. Above it was a picture of a beautiful South Pacific Island and below it was the number of the travel agency to call.
It looked like a great idea except that I knew that a sad and miserable person here would also be a sad and miserable person there. I also knew that a person who could rejoice and celebrate in that Island Paradise could rejoice and celebrate no matter where they lived.
Paradise on Earth I have found time and again comes not from where we live, but rather from who we are.
It is our own hearts and souls that create our Paradise. It is our own thoughts, feelings, and actions that plant its flowers, paint its sunsets, and pour its crystal clear waters. It is our own choosing and sharing of love and joy that brings Paradise into our lives day by blessed day.
Leo Buscaglia said, "Life is Paradise for those who love many things with a passion." Is your life going to be a Hell or a Paradise? The choice is yours to make.
No matter what problems and difficulties life throws at you, you still have the ability to choose love, joy, peace, happiness, and delight each and everyday. No matter how dark or fearful this world may seem, you still have the ability to bring your light and love to it.
Create your own Paradise then. Create it, live in it, and share it with the world. Give your love and joy freely to all you meet expecting nothing in return, because you need nothing in return. Live your life with joyous abandon, wonderful passion, and endless love. Give thanks to God for everything you have been given and rejoice in His unconditional love for you. Make your life a gift of goodness, kindness, caring, helping, and sharing to all those around you. Celebrate and delight in the Paradise of this world until you join God in the Paradise of the next.
Joseph J. Mazzella
It looked like a great idea except that I knew that a sad and miserable person here would also be a sad and miserable person there. I also knew that a person who could rejoice and celebrate in that Island Paradise could rejoice and celebrate no matter where they lived.
Paradise on Earth I have found time and again comes not from where we live, but rather from who we are.
It is our own hearts and souls that create our Paradise. It is our own thoughts, feelings, and actions that plant its flowers, paint its sunsets, and pour its crystal clear waters. It is our own choosing and sharing of love and joy that brings Paradise into our lives day by blessed day.
Leo Buscaglia said, "Life is Paradise for those who love many things with a passion." Is your life going to be a Hell or a Paradise? The choice is yours to make.
No matter what problems and difficulties life throws at you, you still have the ability to choose love, joy, peace, happiness, and delight each and everyday. No matter how dark or fearful this world may seem, you still have the ability to bring your light and love to it.
Create your own Paradise then. Create it, live in it, and share it with the world. Give your love and joy freely to all you meet expecting nothing in return, because you need nothing in return. Live your life with joyous abandon, wonderful passion, and endless love. Give thanks to God for everything you have been given and rejoice in His unconditional love for you. Make your life a gift of goodness, kindness, caring, helping, and sharing to all those around you. Celebrate and delight in the Paradise of this world until you join God in the Paradise of the next.
Joseph J. Mazzella