The Art of Accompaniment in Prison Ministry

“I belong neither here nor there but wherever God wants me to be.” St Vincent De Paul

It’s been two years since I have become a Catholic Prison Chaplain at Hawkes Bay Regional Prison and it feels like yesterday that I walked through the gatehouse for my induction. I remember my first day of work vividly,  overwhelmed with the feelings of anxiety, fear, excitement, and feeling butterflies in my stomach and shivers down my spine as I walked into the unknown.

I clearly remember one afternoon being called into a unit as I was just leaving the office to finish for the day. I was informed that one of the men had received a bad phone call from home and the best person to talk to was the chaplain. As usual, before going to see a man I would spend a couple of minutes in the chapel praying “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold”. (Psalm 18:2)  I would also look up the basic information of the man to see if there were any risks that I needed to be aware of. Walking into the unit I was directed into the interview room to wait for him. As he walked in, I could feel the mood in the room change and felt a heaviness present.

As we started our korero, I found out that the man had just lost his newborn baby and his partner was in hospital in a serious condition. I thought, ‘How do I respond to this? What do I say? What shall I do? How do I comfort this grieving father? Am I safe to be alone with this man?’ These were some of the questions I wrestled with. However, little did the man know that I was also grieving for the loss of my uncle back in Fiji and had been trying to be brave and strong to hold myself together.

As I ministered to the man and allowed him to express his feelings and frustrations, I became concerned about what I was allowed to do and not do. As he wept bitterly and poured his heart out, I couldn’t stop myself and drew closer to him to hug him. I knew that what I was doing could be seen as pushing the boundary, but at that time he needed me, he needed a friend and I believed it was where God needed me to be.

To be a Prison Chaplain is not for the faint of heart. It cannot be considered merely a job, occupation or work. Rather, Prison Chaplaincy is a vocation and calling – a call to serve men and women, young and old who are incarcerated. It is a call to journey and walk with the tāne and wāhine. It is a call in which I am required to listen with the ears of my heart, to see without judgement, to lend a helping hand without expecting a reward, to walk an extra mile, to comfort, to reassure, to guide and to be authentic. It is a call to which I am required to be the hands that comfort, eyes which see with compassion, ears that listen without judgment, a mouth that speaks of God’s love and feet to carry the men in my prayers every day.

Prison Chaplaincy is not a walk in the park. It has its challenges and barriers. There have been times in which I have asked myself is it worth it? There have been times that I have been threatened, sworn at, ridiculed and spat at. But there have also been times in which men have come to my defence, times I have been encouraged, times that I have shed tears, times I have been ministered to and times I have seen the saving grace and God’s hand at work in the men’s lives.

Accompanying men in prison is a rewarding vocation. To accompany them, I must have the heart to help and work and walk with men who have been classified as criminals and prisoners; men who have been classified as the scum of society, who have been physically, sexually and mentally abused and neglected, who have grown up in gang life and who suffer from the effects of drugs and mental illness. Accompanying means I don’t have the luxury of pointing a finger or throwing the first stone. I don’t have the luxury of judging them, as they have already been judged by the courts and by society.

In my accompaniment, I am constantly reminded to follow the examples of the great teacher and servant, Jesus; to witness to my faith, to teach what I believe, believe what I teach and practice what I teach. To faithfully accompany, I must heed God’s call to surrender each day and let God be in control. To faithfully accompany, I must act on the desires that God has placed in my heart. To faithfully accompany, I must dedicate my life to Jesus and pray in the words of St Ignatius Loyola: “Lord Jesus Christ, take all my freedom, my memory, my understanding and my will. Your love and Your grace is enough for me. Amen.”

Spring has dawned on us and there is something different in the air. Delta is upon us and there is something different about it. As I sit and reflect on life and the different curveballs that it has thrown my way I am forever grateful that I have such an amazing family and group of friends who have supported me all the way.In this time of uncertainty, frustration, doubt, worry, anger, recollection, working from home etc etc it is important to keep watch and never lose focus on what is important.

I am empowered and encouraged by the reading of today where Jesus instructed Peter to throw his net back into the deep despite not catching anything the whole night. I wonder how Peter was feeling. Being a professional fishermen and able to catch anything must be very frustrating and annoying. I wonder if he was feeling helpless too? I wonder if he add questioned his profession? I wonder if he questioned his calling? I wonder if he was mentally stable and fit?

Despite of all of this, Peter continues to show me that I must continue to push forward and trust in the Lord. he shows me that despite the set backs in life the Lord knows what is best for us. All I need to do is to open my heart, surrender my will and do what the Lord is instructing me. Like Peter I need to have faith. Like Peter faith and work goes together.

Lord I give you my will, my frustrations and my all. I offer all I have to you for you know what is best for me. JESUS I TRUST IN YOU

Where Do I Go From Here

Lent has come and gone and now we are in the season of Easter. During lent I introduced a program to the men that I minister to in prison and we all agreed that together as a small Christian community we would try and give up something for Lent and try to nourish our spiritual life so we could have a meaningful Easter. The big question for me was: How can I live a spiritual life? How can I listen to the spirit of God in my life?

What does it mean to live a spiritual life?

Our world today is filled with worry and most times we find ourselves occupied and preoccupied with so many things while at the same time we are feeling bored, resentful, depressed and lonely. Moreover, sometimes our life is like a full tank of water flowing from the sides. We fill our days with so many things to do, people to see, people to meet, projects to finish calls to make and meetings to attend.

Living a spiritual life is allowing Gods presence and spirit to be active in our lives in the midst of a worry-filled existence. This happens when we allow and create some free inner space in our filled lives and allow Gods Spirit to come and manifest in us. Living a spiritual life can only be real if it is lived amid our pains and joys.

As we celebrate Easter we are reminded that Jesus offers us new life the life of the spirit of God. When we desire to follow this life we also discover and realize that it is so radically different from what we are used to and it seems like that what we are aspiring to and aspiring for seems so unrealistic.

How can we move from our divided lives to the undivided lives in the spirit?

The struggle to allow Gods Spirit to work in us and recreate in us is real but this does not mean that this struggle is beyond our strength. As I reflect on the mission of Jesus it is clear despite his busyness his one aim was clear and that was to do the will of the Father and be obedient to him. Even though a busy schedule in life Jesus found time and made time to be alone to spend time with his Father in prayer. With this in mind, it calls us to spend a few moments of our day in the presence of the Lord where we can listen to his voice attentively in the midst of our many concerns.  It calls us to be persistent when encountering others in a new way and seeing them as friends whom we can create new space for God.

How can I notice Gods Spirit?

To begin this journey of a spiritual life is difficult not because of our many worries and its powers but also because of the difficultly of noticing Gods Spirit. To notice Gods spirit I must first change my priorities and relocate Jesus to the centre of my life and attention. This does not mean that I change of pace, a change of contacts or a change of activities. What is wanted of me is a change of heart and this requires effort, determination, discipline, solitude and community. I need discipline because I need to learn to listen to God who constantly speaks but I seldom hear him because of the things that I occupy my self with. Discipline is necessary so I can move from life with noisy worries to a life where there is some free inner space where I can listen to Gods voice and follow his guidance. Solitude is important because without it spiritual life is impossible. I need a time and place for God alone where I can give him my undivided attention. 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes or even an hour a day will be good. To be in solitude is hard because when I am alone, without books to read, tv to watch, people to talk to, friends to call, social media post to follow inner chaos happens inside of me. This chaos confuses me and disturbs me and I can hardly wait to get busy again. What I have realized when I shut these outer distractions my inner distractions comes out full force because often I have used my outer distraction to shield myself from interior noises.

Community plays an important role too. To create a space for me to listen and recognise Gods spirit and voice in me the community, family and friends need to create a free space where we can prevent ourselves from clinging to each other. A hospitable and joyful place needs to be created where the power of Gods spirit can manifest. The community needs to work together for a common goal and understanding that we all need to go through this together.

The beginning of a journey of trying to listen to Gods spirit and having a spiritual life is hard because our worries and busy life are so strong and powerful that we cant notice the presence of God. However, if I am faithful to the small things and the disciplines I know that I will be attentive to Gods call and voice in my heart and thrus I will draw closer to the kingdom.

Psalm 139: O Lord, you have searched me and known me. ² You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. ³ You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. ⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. ⁵ You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. ⁷ Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? ⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. ⁹ If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, ¹⁰ even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. ¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,” ¹² even the darkness is not dark to you the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.

Belonging

As I attended Palm Sunday Virgil Mass at St Peter Channel the words of Christ  “Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani” rings loud in my mind and my heart. As I sit and look back at the year that I have served as a chaplain  I have come to realize how important this calling is.

For the past year, there has been ups and downs, laughter and tears, fear and courage, desolation and consolation but most of all I have felt and experienced Gods love and grace while ministering to the men. Working as a chaplain is rewarding and fulfilling and at times can be very draining and stressful but I am thankful for the support that is rendered through my colleagues and the professional supervision and spiritual direction that is available. With all this support I don’t feel abandoned.

However, I have also come to realise that most of these men that I have come to meet and serve has felt abandoned one way or another or being abandoned and for this is a good challenge to be the hands of Jesus that serves, the eyes of Jesus to look with compassion, the mouth of Jesus to speak of hope, with ears of Jesus to listen without judgement and the feet of Jesus to walk with love. Bearing this in mind I am looking forward with an open and discerning heart to what God is calling and wanting me to do.

The poem Footprints gives me reassurance and belief that the men and I are not abandoned when we feel abandoned.

One night I dreamed a dream.

As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.

Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,

One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,

I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,

especially at the very lowest and saddest times,

there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.

“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,

You’d walk with me all the way.

But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,

there was only one set of footprints.

I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”

He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you

Never, ever, during your trials and testings.

When you saw only one set of footprints,

It was then that I carried you.”

Life’s Storms

One year today, I made the big move to Hawkes Bay it will also mark one year working as a Catholic chaplain in Hawkes Bay Regional Prison. Next week will mark two years since I left the seminary studies.

As I sit back and reflect on the journey,  I marvel at the world around me and my surroundings and I marvel at what is so simple in life. The journey so far hasn’t been plain sailing and I have encountered different storms in life which did shake my core foundation as a man and it also shook my faith. Some storms were expected and others hit me unexpectedly.

Encountering these storms brings me to the realization that storms of life are real; they are not imaginary stories from a fairy tale. I have also found out that I am not the only one who has storms to encounter. No one is exempt from the struggles and storms of life. We all have to face these struggles and storms but the interesting aspect about facing struggles and storms is that everyone wants to know how to overcome the storms of life.

When I left the seminary, when my visa application was declined twice and when my medical wasn’t favourable, when job application’s fell thru when my prayers and plea to the Lord felt like falling onto deaf ears. I felt discouraged and at times questioning the reality of God and resigned to myself to some blind fate and to a point I was going to surrender my faith altogether and relegating God and the bible to a position of a primitive or medieval indoctrination. Life became purposeless, restless and pursue life without aim, fulfilment and direction. I was at war with myself, emotionally, psychological and spiritually.

As I reflect on these experience and where I am at now, I am thankful for Gods amazing love to a sinner like me and for teaching me that Gods timing is always the right time. I can honestly say that I have learnt a lot and that I am still learning. Some  of the important learnings that I have learnt  when unexpected things happen in my life is to:

• never lose hope in the Lord and encourage myself in continuing to believe in the Lord.
• enquired of the Lord (when in doubt I consulted a priest/pastor and seeking counsel from a spiritually sound spiritual leader.)
• to be courageous ( I have to win myself again and find the courage deep in my heart that Gods words are true and walk by faith. When I gained courage and took things one day at a time  trusting in the Lord I found out that I didn’t panic much or feel worried.)
• help others in weaker situations ( I prayed and asked for forgiveness from those whom I have wronged and not to hold a grudge against those who contributed to the crises and the storm. I had to forgive and forget.)
• share my success and experience with others when I overcome crisis and storms.

When crisis and storms happen in my life I am expected to do my part if not discouragement sets in and this will weaken the foundation of my faith and soon I will be looking at the world as if it has come to an end. To feel discouraged is to doubt God and the promise he gives and to be discouraged is to lose the sense of direction and to be weighed down in self-pity and doubt. the be discouraged will lead one into confusion, loss of vision and be withdrawn. Discouragement won’t disappear in thin air.

Keeping eye on the Lord at all times and the company of good trusting friends and family helped me overcome this crisis and storm. Being broken and overcoming crisis and storms has also helped me in my ministry in prison. To serve the broken, the forgotten, the marginalized, the hopeless, the confused, the aliens of society gives me comfort because I can be the hands, eyes, ears, and feet of Christ to these men. To bring the message of Christ Love, Christ Hope, Christ Peace and Christ message of Forgiveness reminds me that I too need this in my life.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Look Out

Recently I saw an article on Stuff News website titled: A very boring Christmas is just what we deserve.  I know it has been a while since I have put something up. But do we deserve a boring Christmas? Why would Christmas be boring? Our Christmas tree is up, I can see presents under the tree but am I ready for Christmas? We are just a couple of days shy of Christmas and already I can feel the pressure of Christmas building.

This is a season to be grateful and be thankful but as I look back, so often this season can be a very stressful time of the year. There are so many things to do in very little time. Organising and preparing Christmas meals, so many gifts to buy and so many places to go. There is just so much planning and most of the time we have to dig deep into our pockets for money to satisfy this longing and craving for material needs. How do we avoid all the stress, the panic attacks and anxiety that surrounds us at this time of the year?

For the last 4 weeks, I have been walking and reflecting with my bible study group in prison on the meaning of Christmas. How can we /I make a difference this Christmas? How can we / I live the Christmas spirit despite being in prison? How did Mary and Joseph do it? How did Zechariah and Elizabeth cope with society? What was their secret? What was Mary’s secret? What was Elizabeth’s secret? How did Joseph handle his situation to prevent his world from turning upside down? How did Zechariah handle his situation to prevent his world from turning upside down? How did they preserve their mental health?  Do I trust myself when I am being pressured? These are a few of the questions we have reflected on and talked about.

For me, I can only imagine what Mary, Elizabeth, Joesph and Zachariah went through and all the dramas that came along with it. Look at Mary, a young woman who is engaged to Joseph, a young woman who hasn’t been with a man. What must have been going through her mind when she was told that she will give birth and have a son? What would the community think of her? What about Joseph. How would he feel? The shame, the uncertainty when he heard that Mary was with Child. What about Elizabeth and Zechariah. The confusion they may have had, a thousand questions that they may have asked.

The answer lies in Mary’s response “how can this come about” or “how can this be”. Mary’s response is filled with Humility, Wonder, Surprise, Faith and Obedience. Perhaps the reason they were not stressed out, depressed, anxious or frustrated was because they knew that it WAS NEVER ABOUT THEM. What they were experiencing meant that they were serving and preparing for a higher cause.

No wonder we get stressed in life, no wonder I get stressed in life, I panic and try and work myself to death because I am wanting to fulfil my ego and will. Am I living my life so Gods will and work be done? Gods will is not always looking into the mirror and seeing ourselves it also includes looking outside the window and looking at our neighbours, family and friends.  Mary gave the perfect response ” I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me”. Mary went out of her way to visit Elizabeth. Mary was shocked that the Son of God would be conceived in her. Elizabeth was shocked that the Mother of God would come and visit her. John the Baptist leapt inside the womb not for himself but for the Son of God. It was never about them.

And guess what? This is the best way to live our lives and live our Christmas. Christmas is not about looking into the mirror or looking inward and thinking that the world revolves around us and everything is about me, myself and I. Stop looking inward, stop looking into the mirror and start looking out the window. The more we look out the more He will amaze and shock us. We will be led to people, places, and situations that we never dreamed of.  I believe if we do this more often our Christmas would not be boring

Who Do You Say I Am

In the world today there is so much stress put on our identity, who we are, what is our family background and what is our status in society. How do I respond when someone asks me who am I? Most time when we are posed with the question, who we are, we respond to it by telling the other person what we do for a living. We often define who we are by what we do. Who we are in society seems so important. Many idealize sports stars, singers and famous people and many others. In our society, we have become obsessed with titles.  In Fact, some have gone through great lengths to embellish their titles to glamorize or promote who they are.

For the last couple of days, I have been reflecting on this the gospel reading of St Mathew 16:13-20. In this passage we see Jesus ask this question to his disciples “Who do you say the son of man is?” Who is Jesus for me? Who do I say Jesus is? How do I look at Jesus? What is my relationship with Jesus? These are just some of the questions that need to be answered.

First and foremost to answer these questions I will need to answer who is Romano? Only when I can answer who Romano is than I can fully understand and answer the above questions. But who do you say Romano is? I guess all your answers will be different because you have different opinions about me and the way you relate to me are different. I may not have any control of how you think and perceive me but I may have some control of how can I act and behave that may influence the way that you think of me.

As I reflect on the reading the more I can identify with Peter. Peter may have given the best and idle answer out of the disciple’s. Peter may be given the keys and be called the Rock and become our first Pope but he was also a controversial figure. Peter was not 100% perfect he had flaws and was always messing things up for himself and shooting himself on the foot. And this is what I can identify myself with.

There are things that I have done which I may feel like I am walking on water, saying and doing the right things and in the next minute like Peter, I am drowning with shame, guilt, and regret. There have been times I feel that nothing can go wrong and life is all smiles and green but in the next minute, I am hurting my friends and family, and saying the wrong the thing at the wrong time and the wrong place. There are times that I feel very close to Christ by attending Mass, saying my daily prayers, doing my meditation so on and so forth and sometimes in the next breath, my connection with Jesus is like a Wi-Fi connection and drive-thru whereby it is only when I need something then I ask for help.

There is a lot that Peter can teach me. Despite all his shortcomings he continued to persevere and so I must continue to persevere. Even when he realized that he had denied Jesus he wept his heart out. This is what is asked of me when I do something wrong, upset and make people angry or haven’t lived to my expectation and going against my good judgement. I must realize my weakness, be remorseful and say sorry to those I have hurt and continue to strive to do better. I know it is hard and challenging. If doing all of this was easy then I would be living in a perfect world. Come to the end of the day I still believe and trust that the Lord won’t forget his love for me and that’s What I am grateful for.

Box of Memories

A phycologist would define memory as the ability to store and retrieve information over time. But I am no phycologist. So how would I define memory? It is a little box which I have created and labelled about life experience. In this box, there are different compartments and labels.

Painful memories are deep and horrible they are books filled with chapters unending which I leave on the self in the back of my mind gathering dust.  However, I can pick up this book whenever I need to learn something to gain a perspective that would help me create a good story. I could also use them to help my friends and family. I can use these memories to re-see the situation through the lens of traumas and their needs rather than just looking through mine.

Sometimes these painful memories are like nightmares. They vanish when  I am awake and here in the present moment but sometimes it creeps in even when I am wide awake but I need to open my eyes and see and live in the reality of things and move on and doing this I can only appreciate the little and wonderful things around me. Recalling painful memories haunts me but not all the time. But every time I get reminded of it, it feels like my insides are being cut as if they were shards of glass. It stings and sometimes it feels like I am soulless. It feels like when I am walking among people I am the only alien.

But how do I move on? Moving on is hard and it will take time and I need to be patient and trust that I can get over this hurdle as I know the Lord won’t give me a cross that I won’t be able to carry. It may take days, weeks, months or even years to get over painful experiences and memories. Going through them is the only solution, fighting through my thoughts, constantly having to remind myself this is for the best and trusting in the Lord and trust in the process of healing

How Do I Make Sense of Forgiveness

To forgive is a choice that I have to face. In life, people have hurt me and I have been trampled on and I have also shared in the pain when a friend, cousin, a family member is hurt. And with all the drams we are faced with we are called to forgive.

But what is forgiveness? Personally, forgiveness for me is not holding any bitterness, anger, resentment towards the person who is responsible for causing the pain and not trying to look for revenge. But to forgive I must not pretend that the incident did not happen, I must not pretend that I wasn’t hurt, I must not make excuses for the person responsible however keeping this in mind to seek forgiveness and to forgive is easier said than done because to forgive is one thing and to forget is another.

When I choose to forgive I try not to dwell on the past. I focus on the present and look to the future and with a pinch of hope that time will heal and lessen the pain. And when I choose not to forgive I have come to realize that my healing process cannot take place and I continue to harbour resentment, anger, and bitterness and thus allowing me to relive the traumatic event.

There are other times that I do ask the question of why I should forgive a friend, partner, cousin, workmate who has broken my trust. It is hard to forgive especially when my heart is being trembled on and my trust betrayed. But when I choose not to forgive others I think that it is my lawful option to do it so that they may pay for what they have done and this would make me feel that I am in control by not letting them off. And often at times, this is my way of hurting them back. But the longer I carry on and the longer I do not forgive it causes me unnecessary stress and it has an impact on my well being and relationship with others and it can be very toxic.

But how do I forgive? Strangely there is no set formula for forgiving someone. Small petty minor hurts can be brushed aside but when someone wilfully hurts me or negligently hurt those who I care about I am angry. However, to be angry is not wrong but I keep watch of it and learn to control it and learn how to express my anger in a non-violent way. To forgive someone is a long journey because it involves a whole range of emotions. Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is an act that requires courage. It is not a sign of weakness. Forgiving someone does not mean that I have ignored or overlook the wrong. It is recognizing the wrong. But in order to forgive others, I must myself learn to forgive myself first and this is done by first acknowledging what I have done and how I have contributed and accepted the fact that it cannot be changed. But to forgive a friend, partner, lover, workmate does not mean that the relationship has to continue. When there is no trust it doesn’t make forgiveness irrelevant. Asking for forgiveness is still important because without it I can not move forward from the painful experience.

I am called to forgive those who have wronged me. I am called to ask for forgiveness from those whom I have offended. Because without it than Jesus dying on the cross is meaningless.

If

What if I had done this…what if I said that…what if I had not said that…if only I had been there….if only this had not happened…if only I could be there…what if I did this instead…what if I tried that…

This two-letter word is like a master key to the doors of possibility and also the key to uncertainty however, most of the times I am stuck in the world of if only living in regret. There is power in the word if. The word if can change the cause of history and I can honestly say that it has changed mine.  Me being in New Zealand is part of a chain reaction when I wondered if I could accompany my brother to New Zealand in 2013. I gave a lot of time thinking about it, I spoke and asked for advice from family and friends but to cut the long story short one if led to another and another and the result of this I have been here in New Zeland for six years and enjoying and appreciating the opportunities it has offered. What I have realised that a little if can change anything and a little if can change almost everything.

Despite all this, if and all the possibilities there is always those regrets in life the if only that we dwell on for so long. I have had regrets, I have played the victim and I am not proud of it. I have let my regrets hold me ransom and it has got me nowhere. What I have learnt is to leverage them and also have come to believe that there is no regret that God can redeem and that there is no regret to big for God to heal.

When I think of what-ifs and pondering on my regrets and playing the victim and hoping if I could change and travel back in time I am wanting to control the past or even the future. But neither of this is possible. I can’t control things that are out of my control but what I can control is the present, control my present way of thinking and my present actions.

Furthermore, instead of thinking of what if, or if only, I decided to say I will do this, I will do that, I will think this way, I will not think this way, I will change this and that. And even more to this it is important that I should and I must consider aligning my will and dreams with Gods will in my life. I have come to witness when I have aligned my actions and thoughts with Gods will I find peace as Gods will for us is to find goodness, peace because he is love and wills what is good for us.

God, give me the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did, This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it, Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will, So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.

SOMETIMES THE BRAVEST THING I CAN DO IS NEVER TO LOOK BACK