I really like this action photo that I share today. The energy and concentration of the dog are captured beautifully. Photo is by Nancy Sticke from Pixabay

On This Day

On May 9th 1945 The Soviet Union marks Victory Day at the end of World War 2.

On May 9th 2022 An Andy Warhol portrait of Marilyn Monroe sells for $195 million at an auction in New York

Birthday’s Today

Billy Joel (Singer) is 74
Rosario Dawson (Actress) is 44

Interesting Quote for Today

“Your mind is a powerful thing. When you fill it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change” ~ Gautama Buddha

Saint For Today

May 9th is the Feast of St. Pachomius

Significance of Today

On May 9th every year, Russians celebrate the end in 1945, of what they call the Great Patriotic War, in which more than 20 million Soviet citizens died at home and abroad. Celebrations and parades take place in dozens of Russian cities. This year it continues to be highly controversial with Russia being accused of using World War 2 to justify the current war in Ukraine

Did You Know:

The oldest word in the English language is “town.”

Thought For The Week

‘It doesn’t matter how you pray – with your head bowed in silence, or crying out in grief, or dancing. Churches are good for prayer, but so are garages and cars and mountains and showers and dance floors. Years ago I wrote an essay that began: Some people think that God is in the details, but I have come to believe that God is in the bathroom.’ ~Anne Lamott

There is a growing awareness today how beneficial prayer can be in our spiritual lives. We sometimes think that prayer is long, complex and boring. We certainly feel it’s beyond our reach. But in many ways it is within our reach and especially when we apply prayer to those everyday events that happen in our daily lives. We can find God present in what we do right now, be it out for a walk, reading a book, working in the garden, getting in some exercise or watching the beauty of nature. The list can never be exhausted. God is indeed present everywhere. As we grow in our awareness of this, prayer actually becomes more natural and hopefully more meaningful.

Mindfulness is a word we hear a lot about today. It puts the focus on the present moment. It is becoming aware of what we are doing while we are doing it. It puts emphasis on appreciating the gift of the present moment. When we are mindful, finding God in the present moment becomes so much easier.

The spiritual writer Aileen O’Donoghue wrote the following and it gives us food for thought: In my spiritual life, I try to seek simplicity. When I recognise that I’ve lost simplicity in prayer, I turn to a meditation that many spiritual teachers recommend. In rhythm with my breathing, I start with, “Be still and know that I am God”. Then I drop words off at the end to “Be still and know that I am.” I slowly let go more to “Be still and know” and finally the words I whisper are “Be still”. One can then add the last words back on again until you arrive at where you started, “Be still and know that I am God”. One can do it once, twice or a few times. If you get stuck in prayer why not give it a try.

The Thought For The Week is updated each Monday