Ah, summer days. There have been a lot of tourists on the island lately! (Thank you for visiting!) While they crowd the main beaches and make it hard for the rest of us to find parking, they do give us occasion to seek out the hidden island treasures that only we locals know about.
The tide pools are so clear, it makes it hard not to want to jump in! ^^
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Several years ago, there was a story about a college bound guy who asked everyone in the world for a penny. The story came with a picture of the smart student sitting in the middle of a pile of copper coins, happy that he could actually pay for his tuition. Even if I was far from college myself back then, I remembered the story and, up to now, still pick up the random pennies on the ground that nobody seems to care for. After all, pennies do make dollars, right?
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to save quite enough to pay for college....in fact...I'm not even sure what happened to all my pennies. o.O If I were to find them all someday - probably stored away in some place secret to even me - I'm sure they would amount to something!
Lately, I've found that this little story of spare change can also be related to a person's change of heart. To explain that though, I think I ought to introduce a friend of mine!
Meet Maggiorino Vigolungo, a young member of the Pauline Family! A bit about him: he entered the Society of St. Paul in 1916 at twelve years of age and had "a great love for the Eucharist." Although he died at the age of 14, he strove to be a saint, his motto being "a little progress everyday," a goal that he remained faithful to for the remnant of his life. You can read more about him here.
"A little progress everyday."
People are constantly changing. A person probably isn't the same as he was the day before, since the events between then (however minor) would have effected him in some way. So every day we each have before us a choice: either we miss our chance to become a better person, or we take that chance and choose to make the right choices that will lead us Heaven-bound.
"Sure, Cy, it's probably easy for you to say." Haha....no. (I wish!! D'X) To be honest, that's the reason why I like Maggiorino's quote so much; because I face the same dilemma as the next person....assuming, of course, the next person isn't Mother Teresa. (Although, even Mother Teresa had her hardships. But that's another story.) I seriously doubt that I can completely change overnight, and that's where St. Therese's Little Way meets Maggiorino Vigolungo.
Are there times when you want to return your neighbor's insult with a volley of your own? Pick up that penny and hold back the words. Can't seem to find a smile in your heart but know that your brother could really use one? Even if you can't feel it, smile anyway and dust off that extra penny. There are pennies for you to find every single day, from helping a homeless man find a meal to opening a door for an elderly lady.
"Store up your treasure in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy."
If we choose these little paths in life, storing up our pennies in Heaven, then even if we can't pay college tuition, we can at least become saints.
Pennies do make dollars.
Several years ago, there was a story about a college bound guy who asked everyone in the world for a penny. The story came with a picture of the smart student sitting in the middle of a pile of copper coins, happy that he could actually pay for his tuition. Even if I was far from college myself back then, I remembered the story and, up to now, still pick up the random pennies on the ground that nobody seems to care for. After all, pennies do make dollars, right?
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to save quite enough to pay for college....in fact...I'm not even sure what happened to all my pennies. o.O If I were to find them all someday - probably stored away in some place secret to even me - I'm sure they would amount to something!
Lately, I've found that this little story of spare change can also be related to a person's change of heart. To explain that though, I think I ought to introduce a friend of mine!
Meet Maggiorino Vigolungo, a young member of the Pauline Family! A bit about him: he entered the Society of St. Paul in 1916 at twelve years of age and had "a great love for the Eucharist." Although he died at the age of 14, he strove to be a saint, his motto being "a little progress everyday," a goal that he remained faithful to for the remnant of his life. You can read more about him here.
"A little progress everyday."
People are constantly changing. A person probably isn't the same as he was the day before, since the events between then (however minor) would have effected him in some way. So every day we each have before us a choice: either we miss our chance to become a better person, or we take that chance and choose to make the right choices that will lead us Heaven-bound.
"Sure, Cy, it's probably easy for you to say." Haha....no. (I wish!! D'X) To be honest, that's the reason why I like Maggiorino's quote so much; because I face the same dilemma as the next person....assuming, of course, the next person isn't Mother Teresa. (Although, even Mother Teresa had her hardships. But that's another story.) I seriously doubt that I can completely change overnight, and that's where St. Therese's Little Way meets Maggiorino Vigolungo.
Are there times when you want to return your neighbor's insult with a volley of your own? Pick up that penny and hold back the words. Can't seem to find a smile in your heart but know that your brother could really use one? Even if you can't feel it, smile anyway and dust off that extra penny. There are pennies for you to find every single day, from helping a homeless man find a meal to opening a door for an elderly lady.
"Store up your treasure in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy."
If we choose these little paths in life, storing up our pennies in Heaven, then even if we can't pay college tuition, we can at least become saints.
Pennies do make dollars.
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