Take God With You In 2009

"We must abandon the future into the hands of God." —St. Therese

Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

Dear readers:

Today we honor Our Lady, the Mother of God. St. Therese had a strong devotion to her and prayed to her all of the time, especially when she was very sick as a child. Therese wrote that it was a miracle that cured her as she lay in bed looking at a beautiful statue of Mary. When Mary smiled down on her, her illness vanished.

It's a new year! We now say goodbye to 2008 and all of the things, good and bad, that went with it. Some wonderful things happened this year to me, and the creation and publishing of Olivia and the Little Way is one of the happiest.

I know many people who are happy to see 2008 go, though, for one reason or another. Some people lost loved ones this past year. Others lost jobs. Maybe some of you have parents who have lost jobs. Financial hardship is very common right now in our country. But is important not to lose hope. Jesus teaches us no to worry, even though it seems so easy to fall into that way of thinking.

Have you ever heard the saying, "Let go and let God"? I like this saying very much because it reminds us to relax and let God handle our problems and worries. Not easy to do, is it? Some people feel they are being more useful and productive if they worry. St. Therese was very wise, and her advice to "abandon the future into the hands of God" is a necessity in order to live a peaceful life. I know that some of you are struggling with hard times right now, and my prayer for you is to be rest assured that God is watching over you, day and night. Let God take care of what will happen to you, to all of us, in the future.